GREENWOOD TWP- With some technical assistance from the Minnesota Association of Townships, the Greenwood Town Board held its first virtual board meeting on April 14. The meeting went relatively smoothly, though Supervisor Larry Tahija apparently had trouble logging onto the phone-based system and joined the meeting about 20 minutes late.
The meeting did not include any public comment, a decision made by Chairman Carmen DeLuca, who said it was on the advice of the township attorney to keep the meeting as simple as possible.
The board had postponed its regularly scheduled reorganizational meeting from March, so the meeting began with the election of a new board chair. Recently reelected Mike Ralston was named as chair, and DeLuca was named as vice-chair.
The township has decided to close the town hall and recreational facilities including the pavilion and playground to public use during the stay-at-home order, as well as suspending non-essential meetings of boards and commissions. The town board and fire department are still permitted to meet.
The vote to declare a non-military state of emergency, which gives the board the authority to close township facilities, was 4-1, with Byron Beihoffer voting against. Beihoffer felt the playground and pavilion could still be open if proper social distancing was observed. The township will post signs and tape off the recreational area.
Township treasurer Pam Rodgers had asked that the two extra sets of keys for the township office be returned to the clerk and treasurer.
“I would like to place them in the township safety deposit box,” she said.
DeLuca said he had contacted the township attorney who said the town board sets policies for the town hall.
“I think the chair and vice-chair should have keys in case we need to get in,” he said.
The board voted 5-0 in favor of having the chair and vice-chair retain a set of keys.
Issues relating to the security cameras in the township office were also discussed. DeLuca said the camera in the office had been covered up.
“I talked with Mike Couri and he said it was township property and should not be covered or monkeyed with.”
The clerk and treasurer have expressed concerns about having the office under surveillance.
The town board has yet to set any policy on who has the authority to review the security system video.
“Right now, it is just recording, and runs and records over itself,” Ralston said. “We haven’t had any incidents so no need to review it.”
Rodgers also asked the board to look at township spending. She noted the township’s checking account balance will be falling below $100,000 and that the next tax apportionment doesn’t come until July.
Fire chief
With no discussion, the board made a motion to appoint Dave Fazio as fire chief. Fazio had retired from the position last year, though he had not resigned as a fire department member. Mike Indihar had been serving as interim fire chief. Longtime fire department member Jeff Maus had submitted an application for the position.
“I compliment your selection of Dave Fazio,” Indihar said. “He helped our department grow. We really support him and are well served having him back as fire chief.”
Indihar reported that the department had done repair work on both fire boats to get them ready for the summer season.
Broadband survey
Ralston said that participation in the online surveys to gauge interest in high-speed internet service has been disappointing. Residents and property owners who were mailed postcards with the information are urged to go online and complete the survey. The township decided to advertise to get the word out. Two providers, CTC and Paul Bunyan, are both interested in possibly providing service in the township if enough residents are interested.
Reorganization
Most items in the reorganization section of the agenda stayed the same as last year, though DeLuca was named as the representative to the ambulance commission, replacing Tahija. The Tower News was named official paper, based on their low bid.
Clerk Drobac noted that the Local Board of Appeal and Equalization, set for May 6 from 10 – 11 a.m. will only consider appeals in writing, not in person.
In other business the board:
• Approved liquor licenses for Shamrock Landing, Vermilion Club, Bayview Bar and Grill, and Timbuktu.
• Accepted a payment of $8,000 from St. Louis County for providing fire protection to the unorganized township on the north side of Pine Island/Trout Lake portage area.
• Will advertise for lawn mowing services for the town hall.