Home Page: Meeting Minutes
|
Latest Meeting Minutes
Minutes
Rice Lake, Lake Protection and Rehabilitation District
Posted: Town of Rice Lake Municipal Building, City Hall of Rice Lake, Rice Lake Area Chamber of Commerce
Place: City Hall, City of Rice Lake, Council Chambers 30 East Eau Claire Street, Rice Lake, WI 54868
Time: 8:30 AM
Date: Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Agenda Item: Notes:
1. Call to order/ acknowledge posting of meeting and agenda Meeting called to order by chairman Pitts @8:30
Posted
2. Roll Call Pitts, Trigg, Michaelsen, Putnam, Clemens, McRoberts, Genereau
Guests: Jess Miller, Barron Co. Board Chairman Tim Heffernan, Fairgrounds Board Manager, B. .Kolzow, Fairgrounds Board President, Dave Blumer,S.E.H.,Inc Tyler Gruetzmacher, BCSW, Conservationist
3. Pledge of Allegiance Recited
4. Public Input (limit to five minutes) (No action can be taken) Introductions by the Board and Fairgrounds people Welcome to the Fair Board
5. Secretary’s Report – Taking applications for
Summer Position Motion to approve the minutes of Jan. 19, 2011. Trigg/McRoberts
Position has been posted and the info and application is online and at the Rice Lake Chamber Office. Michaelsen and Putnam have put together the packets. Dave supplied the info for the job description. Posting will close at the end of February.
6. Treasurer’s Report/review and approval of bills
-Communications
Balances: Checking $64,311.12
Money market: $1,633.04
Debit card; 500.00 soon to be $.00
Motion to approve the report Trigg/Clemens
7. Standing Committees:
-Grant submittal – Chairman D. Pitts
-Volunteer Hours
-Lake Operations – D. Trigg
-Chairperson Report – permits for 2011
-Volunteers in Action
-Lake Monitoring Specialist - report Red Cedar River Watershed.
Pitts: $50,722.54 of the grant received
2/1/11 Grant application submitted. The ranking as to where we stand will be posted early in April.
Volunteer hours are needed if there are some.
Trigg: Fishing is good and Jeff and Bob will be available Rodger is not available so we’ll need to post for another operator.
Have Hiring committee ready a posting for a harvester operator. Start mid-May/June for new 4-6 week harvester.(Feb. 23rd Chronotype.)
No report VIA
No report Lake specialist
.
8. County Fair Board and Barron County Representatives discussion of 1/27/11 letter Pitts brought the fairgrounds board members and county representatives up to date with the Lake District’s mission to improve water quality and work on projects that help the lake. Pitts explained the issues that the District is attempting to do with grants, volunteers, and tax dollars. Pitts emphasized that we want to work together reducing the runoff from the fairgrounds. Jess Miller and Tim Heffernan had concerns about high storm water fees $9,200 that were unanticipated and no funds to pay on short notice. Miller observed that the lake has been green as long as he can remember and focus on fair grounds is misguided when nothing is being done to curb farmers manure and plowing to the edge of waters upstream. Greutzmacher commented that farmer numbers are reduced up stream, cattle no longer in rivers, no till in practice now is improving upstream water quality. Michaelsen was asked to address what was observed during last summer’s intense rainfalls and reviewed photos he took on August 20, 2010 of concrete pipes discharging and storm sewer system on fairgrounds, and unprotected soil and soil piles near the grand stand . Our harvester operators have reported for years that the Hospital Bay clouded up with silt with each major rain. Response: hay bales were placed along track, too much rain right after an event. Seeding of rye is planned but not done yet. We want to work with the fair to make improvements. Blumer commented the district could have some grant $’s to help the fair board. This is an attainable project that the district could help with if we are successful with our obtaining the lake protection grant. Our summer specialist would be able to help/facilitate with the fair board. Miller stated that the city is a shopping hub and generates 3.2 million in sales tax, if fees (storm water) are too high businesses will not come. Businesses can reduce assessment by 40% with runoff controls. We need to work all the way up the head waters. Tyler stated that the state is looking at targeting runoff form agricultural fields in the state. Some ideas for controls at the fairgrounds include excelsior around the storm drains, constructing shallow retention basins. Manure storage and cattle washing areas near the drains were discussed. When cattle are on the fairgrounds the drainage line is plugged and the water is sent to city sanitary sewer. The fairgrounds have three collection tanks that drain into the sanitary line during the fair. During other times the rain goes to the lake and any unmonitored waste from non- fair events could enter the lake.. The system is about 10 years old. We offered use of our truck to move manure after the fair to the spreading site.
What’s the next step, Tyler will work on short term and long term plan and remain in communication with the fair board and lake district. Jerry McRoberts will funnel any fair grounds concerns from the lake district to Barron County Board. A possible meeting is planned in May or June at the fairgrounds headquarters with an opportunity to see the fair grounds system. We thanked the board for attending the meeting and believe that it was a good start and improved water quality results will come as we work together.
9. Property Committee
- Brill property road access plan considerations
- Consideration of continued farmer rental agreement for 2011 harvesting disposal
- Broten Property – City letter to Chronotype (Gene Preige) review of and any need for clarification of District’s specific involvement -Property committee nothing to report. Don checked with Tom Fankhauser who does grading and leveling with Andy Hagen. Property Committee needs to decide what is needed at Brill site.
We are out of Alcatraz Property. Chronotype article fairly well describes the situation Doug Pitts clarified the district’s position in follow up to the City’s letter. We are in support but we are not involved in seeking grant for the city. They will have to do that themselves
We will work with the City for different mooring site for boats at Alcatraz or LHOF. Hospital shores for site.
10. Brief review of Sustainable Dunn/Red Cedar River Conference – Menominee 1/30/11 Doug/Dave/Don C.: The conference was well done, well organized and in a beautiful setting. Presentations were excellent. UW Extension, League of Conservation Voters, Dunn Co. Zoning, Farm Bureau, DNR, and consultants were available and had displays. Don C reported that Doug, Dave, Don C attended. Passed around list of participants. Could consider a site on the lake for our annual meeting or district meeting. i.e. band shell. Spend more time getting word out to other organizations. If we keep on doing what we do we’ll keep on getting what we got. There was a lot of info shared. Animal (pet waste), Leaves, grass cuttings all add to the problem. The group from Menomonee has no idea what is being done up stream. Need to identify critical runoff sites. Idea exchanges some of the group encouraging native plants Coupons of local green houses.
11. Headwaters meeting at Perkins – 1/22/11 Doug met with the group. 14 pages of tasks that need to be addressed. Dick Lammers stated that the group needs a mission wrapped around the tasks and a common purpose and getting local gov’ts units to hear them. RC&D (River Country& Development) The Voice of water. Doug will be meeting tonight at 4 PM at Quillens. Menomonee Mayor and chairmen asked for rental of harvester. Algae eater? People that put on the lake fair would like to come during Aquafest if we do something.>Public education. Doug will be meeting at 4pm at Mikana Robert Earls with Red Cedar and Big Chetek Lakes associations.
12. Summer Meeting of Electors Postponed Possible meeting in the band shell.
13. Email mailing list of Electors Working Don is adding to the list as we get interested parties.
14. Newsletter Summer High schooler? Doug has 2 copies Red Cedar Lake and Long Lake newsletters
15. Storm water utility fees and City’s plans for utilizing fees for runoff control Comments from Dan Genereau during the meeting in several areas. City was notified by state in April that it had until August to get permit. All income going into controlling runoff How much is the income this is not yet clear. Some money has gone toward purchase of new street sweeper. Question: is it fair to assess nonprofit groups and organizations. If not then homeowners and businesses carry the burden. How was a fee structure arrived at? Impervious surfaces on the property based on city survey of properties.
16. District Boundaries Don handed out boundary map and Doug and he are progressing toward getting this done. Don just signed and sent in the no change in boundaries to the state. Should have this for next meeting.
17. Employee Handbook Postponed.
18. Set date for next meeting March 16, 2011 @ 8:30a.m. RL City Hall
19. Consideration of Adjournment Motion to Adjourn @ 11:30 AM Putnam/danCarried
Agenda Items: Meeting with the Fairgrounds Board in June.
Boundaries
Handbook
Red Cedar River Watershed
Meeting Treats/refreshments
Storm Water Sewers Clemens
Rotary Project Demonstration
-Education >grant?
Don Clemens has intern logbook
Feb 16 meeting results with Red Cedar, Big Chetek Lakes Association
Mick Michaelsen, Sec.
Don Putnam, Treas.
Posted On or before February 11, 2011
Archive:
February 16, 2011 Minutes (Pending Approval)
January 19, 2011 Minutes
December 15, 2010 Minutes