GREENWOOD TWP- The town board finally passed a resolution formally acknowledging that Birch Point Extension is Township Rd. 4136. The vote was 3-1, with John Bassing abstaining (conflict of interest) and Rick Stoehr voting against.
The resolution does specify that the township road ends where the blacktop ends, near fire number 2577.
This formalizes the reality that the township is responsible for maintaining the road in a passable condition. This leaves open the option of converting the aging blacktop to gravel, or assessing adjacent property owners for the costs of applying new blacktop.
When Greenwood Township was formed, officials had made clear they opposed taking possession of any of the existing roads, but the township did start maintaining the end of Birch Point Rd. (a county road) by paying St. Louis County for plowing services, inadvertently becoming responsible for the mile-long stretch that was privately paved back in the 1970s. The designation has angered other township residents who privately pay for the maintenance on their own roads.
Stoehr was concerned about litigation underway about a platted road vacation request on Birch Point Extension, but chair Lois Roskoski said that issue was not relevant. She said the township is working to specify the road right-of-way it needs as part of the road vacation legal process.
“This township road designation has nothing to do with that vacation request,” she said. “We just need to show the court how much land we need for snowplowing.”
Stoehr asked to table the resolution until after the annual meeting, to allow township residents to vote on the matter, but other supervisors reiterated that this was a township road.
“Several attorneys have told us this is a township road,” said Paul Skubic. Roskoski said that Scott Neff, who was the township attorney many years ago, told her it had been a township road since 1980.
“We have maintained the road for over seven years,” said Roskoski, “so it is a township road.”
The town board then voted to approve hiring Calgaro Tree Service to brush the sides of the road, four feet from the edge of the blacktop, and to the height of 16 feet. The work will cost $4,100 and will be completed over the winter, as conditions allow.
Helicopter landing area
The board voted to form a committee to look at ways to make the landing zone area in the township parking lot safer. The committee will be led by supervisor Craig Gilbert, and members will include Paul Thompson and fire captain Brian Trancheff.
Deputy treasurer JoAnn Bassing told the board there were steps the township could take to make the area safer, as well as reducing any possible liability issues for the township. No one was sure if the township’s insurance policies would cover any issues relating to the landing zone, which is not licensed (and probably could not qualify for a license).
Fire chief Jeff Maus has brought the issue to the attention of the board, and had MnDOT visit and prepare a report for the town board, which the town board had yet to act on.
“We need to have the absolute safest area we can,” said JoAnn Bassing. “But we can’t eliminate all possible liability.”
There are no licensed landing areas nearby. The other area often used is the parking lot at the Y Store, which is also unlicensed.
Recreation board
Paul Thompson gave an update on the township’s recreation board activities. He told the board the pickleball court project was paid for and there is $6,000 in leftover funds for future maintenance costs. He said they are looking at refinishing the existing tennis court surface, and have received one grant, and hope to receive a second grant for that project.
“We are looking forward to hosting a grand opening of the pickleball courts in June,” he said.
The committee will also give a presentation at the March 11 annual meeting about future plans for maintenance and upkeep of the township’s recreation facilities, as well as setting up an ongoing system for receiving donations.
Thompson thanked the group of volunteers who do the ongoing upkeep at the recreation facilities, including collecting trash, watering flowers, and decorating, as well as spring and fall cleanup/setup duties.
“Jarri Ankrum keeps our group on task,” Thompson said.
Fire department
The board voted to hire the Minnesota Safety Group to help update and rewrite the department’s standard operating and paid on-call guidelines.
“Right now, it’s a mess,” said Roskoski, “and we need to confirm which version we are following.”
Fire department officials have been working to update and standardize these guidelines, but final approval needs to come from the town board, which has repeatedly delayed acting on revisions.
The cost to hire the safety group, which is led by the Hibbing Fire Chief, will not exceed $2,000. “I don’t think we need them to do this,” said John Bassing. “We’ve had a committee before to do this.”
“It is unfortunate we have to spend this kind of money,” said Skubic. “We’ve been asking him [Chief Maus] to do it.”
The vote passed 4-1, with Bassing voting against.
The board failed to pass a motion requesting township employees to use their issued credit cards, whenever possible, instead of township charge accounts.
The board did pass a motion to require any receipts for purchases made at Menards which qualify for the 11-percent rebate to be given to the township to redeem.
The board also passed a motion to authorize the two fire department captains to obtain the training certificates for all the members and develop an up-to-date list of all members and their training levels.
“How are they going to get this information,” asked Gilbert. “The fire chief should have this info. What do we have a fire chief for if they have to do his job.”
A motion to have the clerk send employment forms to all current employees passed 3-2, with Stoehr and Bassing voting against. The clerk’s office does not have complete employment records on file, and there is confusion about where this data has been filed.
Other business
• Filings for township offices open on Dec. 31. The supervisor seat currently held by Rick Stoehr and the treasurer seat currently held by Jeff Maus will both be on the ballot.
• Approved a donation of $100 to the St. Louis County Fair.
• Approved purchasing holiday greeting ads in the Timberjay and Tower News.
• Accepted donations from the Vermilion Quilters of $260 and Bois Forte for $15,000 (for fire department services)
• Approved paying for five EMRs attending a three-day conference in Duluth, at a cost of $5,400 for hotel, conference fees, and travel.
• Approved hiring Mike Nystrom for video services for 2025. They also approved an additional $25 per meeting fee if the meeting cannot be livestreamed, and Nystrom has to upload the video the following day from his home. The township has been paying $290 per month for this service. The township is having issues with its new internet service, which apparently lacks the bandwith needed for live-streaming. Roskoski said the videos are getting between 200 and 700 views each month, and supervisors are getting good feedback on offering the video streams. Right now they are just available on the township’s Facebook page.