GREENWOOD TWP- Close to 25 years ago, a group of residents living in an unorganized township covering a portion of the western half of Lake Vermilion voted to become part of Greenwood Township, effectively doubling Greenwood’s land size.
Now, a group of 38 residents in that area are petitioning St. Louis County to approve their attachment to the newly-formed Goodwill Township. These residents include every homesteaded property owner in the affected area, said Kirsten Reichel, who spearheaded the petition effort.
The St. Louis County Board has set a public hearing on this issue on Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 10 a.m. at the Cook Community Center. The board is expected to vote on the issue at the county board meeting following the public hearing.
“The auditor’s office has reviewed the petition and determined that it satisfies the applicable legal requirements,” wrote Nancy Nilson, St. Louis County Auditor, to the St. Louis County Board.
“Not one person said no,” said Reichel. “This shows there is definitive support from our neighborhood. We feel strongly about it.”
The area designated in the petition does not include the entire unorganized township that became part of Greenwood.
“We drive through Goodwill to get to our homes,” Reichel said. “This is mainly about geography. We do not feel connected with the Greenwood area.”
“We are Cook and they are Tower,” she said. “We feel a real sense of community here. The reality is most of us have roots in Cook and don’t know that many people in the Greenwood/Tower area.”
Right now, the primary provider for fire and emergency medical is Greenwood, and while fire protection was one of the initial reasons for the unorganized township to join Greenwood, the logistics of getting to fires and medical emergencies in that area are challenging, and often responders from Cook are there more quickly.
These realities were also discussed at Tuesday’s Greenwood Town Board meeting.
Greenwood Fire Chief Brian Trancheff said his recollection of the original annexation request was based on both fire protection and the fact that Greenwood used to oversee its own zoning.
He noted that while Greenwood might have better access to that area in the summer, responding with the fire boat, other times of the year “Cook is going to beat us there.” There are some areas in the western part of the township that are an hour’s drive from the Greenwood Town Hall, Trancheff said.
“What protection are we providing?” Trancheff asked. “Are we making our mutual aid partners shoulder that load?”
The Greenwood Board said they will work with their attorney on this issue. They will also post the Sept. 22 public hearing as a special meeting so that Greenwood Board members can all attend, if they wish.
The area wishing to become part of Goodwill encompasses the residents on Mordini, Oak Narrows, Retreat Lodge, Paradise Point, Wolf Bay, Blue Rock, Stone Ridge Shores, and Hinsdale roads. It also includes island property on Hoyt, Gold, Nevin, Scrubb, Tormoen, Owland, Knotts, St. Leonard, and Oak islands.
The financial implications on Greenwood Township are yet to be determined.
Reichel said the earliest the change could go into effect would be 2027. But Greenwood has already set their levy for 2027.
“I don’t know the logistics of how tax levy money voted for 2027 would get transferred to Goodwill,” Reichel said. “Whatever the next step is, we will find out.”
Reichel served for 15 years as a member of the Greenwood Town Board, ending her term in 2016. She worked as an election judge at the first Goodwill Township election, and said she already knew most of the voters.
“They are a breath of fresh air and very positive.”
She said one advantage of joining Goodwill Township would be the chance to become part of the Cook Hospital District, which supports the Cook Hospital and emergency medical services. She tried to convince Greenwood to join several times, but the board always turned down the request over the tax implications for the large number of high value properties in Greenwood. Reichel is a longtime supporter of the Cook Hospital Auxiliary, which runs the Cook Area Thrift shop that raises money to support the hospital.
The packet for the July 14 Greenwood Town Board meeting, available on the township website, has the complete list of addresses that would be affected by this annexation.