MINUTES OF THE REGULAR TOWN BOARD MEETING

OF JULY 19, 2005

The meeting was called to order at 6:32 PM. The Pledge of Allegiance was said. A roll call to establish quorum was asked. Jack Meinke-present, Donna Porter-present, Chris Webb-present, Dixie Chermack-absent, Dick Collyard-present. Quorum was established. Notice was verified by Clerk and July agenda approved.

Motion(Webb/Meinke) to approve the July Agenda, the Minutes of the Last Regular Board Meeting, and to dispense with the reading of both. Motion carried. The agenda is printed as follows:

Agenda

Call the meeting to order

Pledge Allegiance to the Flag

Roll Call/Quorum Call/Verification of Public Notice and Approve the July Agenda

Approve the Minutes of the Last Regular Board Meeting-Motion to dispense with the reading of minutes

Treasurer’s Report

Voucher’s Approval

Clerk / Correspondence

Department Head Reports:

Ambulance Department-Del Jerome

Fire Department- Tom Renz

Constable- Mike O’Keefe

Garage-Jerry Witt

Committee Reports will be read if needed

Kitchen- Updates

Transfer Site-Updates

Centennial Committee- financial tally

Zoning- 1) Petition for Rezone District Map Application-Plum Creek Timberlands # 004-1217-10

2) Petition for Rezone District Map Application- Plum Creek Timberlands #004-1048-01,

004-1047-07, 004-1047-08

3) Petition for Rezone District Map Application- Scott Berseth

Purchase Order approval for all departments and committees

Employee Handbook addition-Forms section

Ambulance Designated Landing Zone-formal approval

Town Land Issues/ Timber Sales and Forest Land Use-Update- Meinke (Don Luebbe to answer any

questions)

Abandon Roads- Update

Operator Licenses – 2 year operator license for Kari Frable-1 year operator license for Stacy J. Schmidt

1 year operator license for Tracey Roehr

Renewal of Operator licenses: 2 year: Kathy Rice-1 year: Angela Arseneau, Jessica Arseneau, Nancy

Loughren, Karen Rutzen, Rose Skinner, Todd Walsh, Tracy Levy

Public Comment Session – 5 minute limit for those not on the Agenda

Issues Timeline-Update

Board Member Reports

All Department Heads are required to be at the Regular Board Meetings

All Department Heads must submit a signed written report to the clerk if

they will be unable to be at the meeting.

The Town Board reserves the right to solicit information

Department heads only, without opening the floor to discussion.

Any persons requiring special needs for handicap services please contact the clerk.

Elaine J. Brustad Barnes Town Clerk/Treasurer

Dated this 12th day of July, 2005

The Clerk/Treasurer read the Treasurer’s Report as follows:

July 19, 2005 Town Board Meeting
Treasurers Report
Checking Balance from last meeting		$84,745.52
Receipts 16417-16457		$32,103.61
Check #'s 19376-19523		($51,253.95)
June Tax Payment & other direct payments		($3,467.33)
Transportation Aid direct deposit		$68,332.56
Service Charge June		($8.41)
Interest Earned June		$65.68
Transfer from Ambulance Dept Investment Fund		$2,852.79	to close out account
	CHECKING BALANCE	$133,370.47
Ambulance Dept Investment Fund		$0.00	Int earned 2nd Qtr 5.32
Highway Dept. Sinking Fund		$1,064.91	Int earned 2nd Qtr 1.99
BES Sinking Fund		$16,099.96	Int earned 2nd Qtr 30.05
Park Savings		$10,903.52	Int earned 2nd Qtr 20.35
Ski Trail Savings 1 deposit for $50.00		$501.12	Int earned 2nd Qtr .86
Parade-Event-Calender Fund		$1,828.85	Int earned 2nd Qtr 3.41
	TOTAL ALL ACCOUNTS	$163,768.83

Motion(Webb/Porter) to approve the Treasurer’s Report. Motion carried.

Voucher’s Approval - Motion(Meinke/Porter) to approve the Voucher’s. Motion carried.

Clerk/Correspondence – One Notice of Intent to Cut on Property owned by Dave Koranski. Clerk thanked the Board for allowing her to attend the Municipal Clerks and Treasurer’s Institute, which she attended last week. She mentioned the State Elections Board letter which talked about the voter machines that will have to be purchased in the near future when the State makes a decision which vendor they will recommend. The State-wide Voter Registration System will be implemented soon, Bayfield County is scheduled to “go-live” in August or early September.

Department Head Reports: Chairman Collyard mentioned we had recently found out that each individual Committee Chair or each Department head was responsible for posting their own agenda and meeting notices rather than have the Town Chairman responsible. He wanted to make sure everyone was aware of that.

Ambulance – Del Jerome- The department had 9 runs since the last meeting, 2 went to Hayward, 3 went with Gold Cross, 2 went by helicopter, and 2 were no transport. Of the 6 new EMTs 3 have received their licenses, and he is still waiting on the other 3 to receive theirs.

Fire Department – Tom Renz- The fire department had only 2 runs since the last meeting. He had a request from the Sheriff’s Department for permission to park next to our building while on duty in their squad cars to be able to connect to wireless internet to complete reports. They had recently received a grant allowing them to purchase lap tops for all squad cars. Renz asked the Board if that would be possible. Motion (Meinke/Porter)to approve the Sheriff’s Department to use our port for wireless internet connection for doing their reports. Motion carried. Renz mentioned he thought there was an exemption to the Statute for posting of meeting Agendas for Fire Departments because of their on call status. Clerk said she would check with WTA to see if that was the case.

Constable – Mike O’Keefe- There were 4 alarms from the Sheriff, 3 assist motorist, 2 follow EMS, 6 fireworks complaints, 15 ATV complaints (7 warning citations), 10 personal watercraft complaints, 6 from Middle Eau Claire & 4 from the Upper Eau Claire, 2 deer hits, totals miles 620, total fuel used 32 gallons, total hours on the lakes 30. (this report was read after the Garage report)

Garage – Jerry Witt- Jerry spent the first two weeks on the job getting things ready for the Centennial Celebration, and the last two weeks he has been working on the roads with Mike. Part-time worker is working out very well. He did CDL training with the two workers. Spent one day touring the Gordon and Solon Springs transfer sites with Dick. He has been getting quite a few calls related to grading, he wanted to make sure people realized you needed moisture in the gravel to grade it properly. If done during dry conditions it can do more harm than good. Also wanted to tell the Board that in the past 4 weeks the majority of calls he has received has been related to improper erosion control alongside the roadways. He feels we need to address this problem before it gets out of hand as it has created a road system in the Town of Barnes that is extremely high maintenance. Chairman Collyard also said a letter to all the Board members from Jerry had been noted and should be put on the next agenda regarding road damage caused by road contractors.

Committee Reports – A notice was sent to committee members that written reports are requested now by the Board Members to read prior to the meetings, and information will be read if needed and questions might be asked of the Board Members. All reports are due in to the Clerk by the Friday evening before the Board Meeting. A report was received by the Eurasian Water Milfoil Coordinator, and a report was received from the Land Use Planning Committee. John Kudlas wanted to add that Darienne McNamara had taken a job with the Forestry Service, so they wanted Board permission to hire Cheryl Beshoar as her replacement. Motion (Webb/Meinke) to hire Cheryl Beshoar as Darienne McNamara’s replacement for the surveyor position. Motion carried. Webb asked about Tomahawk Lake Park, what would Kudlas recommend about swimming and boating there. He said swimming was not recommended there because of the milfoil concentration right at the swimming area of the park. If was felt the docks at the boat landing and the park should be pulled in for the rest of the summer as the water level was low and the milfoil concentration was high there. Webb asked if a sign could be put out that the docks were removed only for the year so people wouldn’t think they would not be put in again. The Clerk said she could do one on the computer and laminate it so it would not disintegrate in the weather. Motion (Collyard/Meinke) to pull the docks in at the Tomahawk boat landing and the swimming beach for the rest of the summer. Motion carried.

Cemetary Report – Bud Pease- On June 26^th there was a cremation burial, and last Friday there was a cremation burial, the doors on the bulletin board have not been replaced yet but are in the works. On July 12^th they had the Committee meeting to discuss some of the things happening over the winter which nothing had been happening. Dixie has decided not to be the Board Representative for the Cemetary Committee so Bud asked Donna Porter if she would. She said yes and attended the meeting also. They looked at some new books they had made and the maps. He wasn’t made aware of the change in policy to provide a written report but would do that in the future.

Kitchen Updates – Dick Collyard The cooler in the kitchen has been leaking for a long time, it has been repaired numerous times and Collyard would like to address this at budget time, so that a new one could be purchased. With the hot weather this year the Hall has been unbearable for those that use it all the time. Someone has offered to donate a central air unit, and Collyard would check with an A/C person to see what the cost to install it would be. He also wanted permission from the Board to purchase two small window units, one for the back office which he uses as well as zoning, and the Eurasian Water Milfoil people. The other one is for the Transfer Site. Both units would be under $500.00. The Board agreed it was needed. Motion (Webb/Meinke) to approve purchase of two window air conditioners for under $500.00 for both. Motion carried.

Transfer Site Updates – Dick Collyard – He has been gathering information that he will present at budget time for building a larger building at the Transfer Site.

Centennial Committee – Financial Tally- A check had been deposited by the Clerk from the Barnes Area Historical Association for $582.68, which was the amount over budget for the Centennial Celebration to date.

Zoning – 1) Petition for Rezone District Map Application –Scott Berseth. Mike Furtak from Zoning asked that this one be read first. He explained the lot Mr. Berseth had purchased was originally a larger parcel which extended across South Shore Road to the Channel. He sold everything across the road and kept the piece on the south side of the road for himself. He has a cabin on it now and went to zoning to request a permit for a garage. Zoning found out the lot was zoned R-2, which was not large enough for an R-2 zoned lot. The original parcel was zoned R-1 300 feet back from the channel, then R-3 back to South Shore Road. It should have been zoned R-3 to the rear lot line which would have alleviated this problem. This would have been consistent with other properties in the area. Motion(Webb/Meinke) to approve zoning change on the Scott Berseth property from R-2 to R-3. Motion carried.

Zoning – 2 Petition for Rezone of District Map Application –Plum Creek Timberlands 004-1217-10. Bayfield County Zoning Assistant Administrator Mike Furtak spoke on the application. The parcel is a 40 acre piece on Honeymoon Trail and County Road N. It is currently zoned F-2, which allows no residences except by variance, and the request is to rezone to R-3, which it was in the past. R-3 minimum is 2 acres, so this parcel has a potential to create 20 lots. The surrounding properties are all zoned R-2 or Commercial. It is currently in Managed Forest Law or Forest Crop Law, which benefits the owner as far as paying less taxes on the parcel. If rezoned, the property would stay in Managed Forest Law until such time as Plum Creek would sell, then the new owner would be responsible for paying the back taxes if taken out of the Managed Forest Law and subdivided. The parcel is in the area the Land Use Committee has potentially designated as an area for smaller plots. Motion(Webb/Porter) to open the floor to discussion. Motion carried. A discussion followed from several residents and from Don Luebbe of the Department of Natural Resources. There was discussion on the parcel on Lake Road also for Rezoning. Motion(Webb/Porter) to close the floor to discussion. Motion carried.

Motion(Webb/Meinke) to approve the zoning change. Discussion followed with a roll call vote taken. Webb – yes, Porter – no, Meinke- no, Collyard – no. Motion Failed, change not approved.

Zoning – 3 Petition for Rezone of District Map Application –Plum Creek Timberlands 004-1048-01, 004-1047-07, 004-1047-08. Mike Furtak spoke on the rezoning petition, which was from F-2 to R-2. It is currently an industrial forest, the F-2 designation means a minimum of 35 acres, with no building allowed without a variance. The R-2 designation allows a minimum of 4.5 acres, 5 acres with a certified survey. The surrounding areas have F-1, R-2, RRB and one other F-2 across Lake Road. Motion (Webb/Meinke) to approve the rezone to R-2 from F-2 on the three parcels. Discussion by the Board members followed with a general thought that they were more comfortable with the larger lot sizes of 4 ½ to 5 acres. Motion carried.

Purchase Order Approval for all departments and committees: Chairman Collyard explained the purchase order form he had and that each department head and committee head would have their own block of numbers to use for ordering materials and supplies. There are 3 copies, 1 for the department head, 1 for the vendor, and 1 for the clerk for payment. Motion(Porter/Meinke)to approve the form and use of purchase orders for all departments and committees. Motion carried.

Employee Handbook addition – forms section. This section was left out when originally approved. Motion (Webb/Porter) to approve the addition of the Forms Section of the Employee Handbook. Motion carried.

Ambulance Designated Landing Zone – formal approval- Motion(Porter/Webb) to approve the landing zone with the coordinates that Del Jerome will provide in the morning. Motion carried. The Coordinates provided via email on 7-20-05 are: 46 deg. N 20.733’ W 091 deg. 30.226’. Per Del Jerome all ambulance personnel have been notified.

Town Land Issues/Timber Sales and Forest Land Use – Jack Meinke with Don Luebbe of DNR. Don Luebbe of the Department of Natural Resources made up a presentation packet of Town lands with a detailed forestry inventory and DNR’s ideas of how to manage each individual parcel. Meinke asked that the Board open up the floor in case anyone had questions of Don about this issue. Motion (Meinke/Porter) to open up the floor for discussion. Motion carried. Some discussion followed. Motion (Meinke/Webb) to close the floor to discussion. Motion carried.

Motion (Webb/Collyard) to follow the recommended procedures for our properties using the DNR’s help to get them on a managed plan, to use the DNR as a resource finder for sales and guidance and to go ahead with timber sales if needed. Motion carried.

Abandon Roads Update – We will keep this on the timeline, nothing much has been done on this issue to update. Jack Meinke did want to update the Board on designating Tars Pond and Mulligan Creek Roads as “rustic roads”. Sharon Moen had been out talking to people on Tars Pond, and they would need to involve Town of Drummond as Tars Pond goes into the that township also. Meinke thought a rustic roads committee should be started and had asked Sharon Moen if she would be interested in heading it up. She agreed. Motion (Meinke/Webb) to approve the creation of a rustic roads committee to get Tars Pond Road and Mulligan Creek Road designated as such and to name Sharon Moen as its Chair. Motion carried.

Operator Licenses- 2year operator license for Kari Frable, 1 year license for Stacy J. Schmidt and Tracey Roehr. The Clerk said all had paid their fees and had completed the Responsible Beverage Course. All background checks were completed and were all ok. Motion(Meinke/Porter) to approve the three new applications for Operator License. Morion carried.

Renewal of Operator Licenses 2 year: Kathy Rice, 1 year: Angela Arseneau, Jessica Arseneau, Nancy Loughren, Karen Rutzen, Rose Skinner, Todd Walsh and Tracy Levy. These had come in for renewal after last month’s Board Meeting and all fees had been paid. Motion(Porter/Meinke) to approve the above renewal Operator Licenses. Motion carried.

Public Comment Session – 5 minute limit for those not on the agenda

Jane Endl of Peninsula Road has property next to the boat landing. She was wondering if the dumpster could be moved to the other side of the boat landing as the smell was really bad at times. She said it was really great since the Town had put it there as people were not throwing trash all over any more. She had another concern in that the neighboring resort had lights on 24/7 that shine on the lake and into their home. Mike Furtak of Zoning said that was a County Ordinance, to try to talk to the offender first, they may not be aware it is bothering them. If she gets nowhere, then call him and he will go out and check it out. She also asked the Board if they could put a fence up between her property and the boat landing and some people were still trespassing, boat lights bothered them at night, and a fence would give them some privacy. The fence would need a variance granted because it would be at the lakes edge. The application fee alone was $500.00, would the Board consider paying for the application and the Endl’s would build it using their materials? Mike Furtak of Zoning said he would talk it over with Karl Kastrosky and see what could be done. He thought the Board also should have a privy permit on file for the port-a-potty being used there. If the Board wrote a letter to him asking for help on this matter he might be able to get a more permanent permit or approval. The clerk would check on changing out the dumpster weekly to see if that would help. Collyard noted some residents were using the dumpster on a regular basis to get rid of their weekly trash. This is illegal to do so and the Board will put up signs so that effect and have it monitored to make sure that is not done in the future.

Dave Thorson said he had heard the Town has a significant amount of population now that we could have our own County Supervisor. He suggested also that for zoning issues and other matters where you need to see maps and such it would be nice for the Town to purchase a digital projector for everyone to see what the Board was talking about. And finally he was upset that the Board talked about a Rustic Road designation for two other roads when last year all 37 people on Cranberry Road sent a petition to the Board to ask for that designation for their road and he felt the Board ignored their request. Meinke said they had looked into it and researched it but found Cranberry Road would not qualify because there was no turn around, or no egress. The Board did report that in a further meeting.

Lee Weisner wanted to clarify for Chris Webb that the Land Use Committee on their proposed plan had 4,750 potential building sites proposed, so the Committee is certainly planning for enough area for spots to build on.

Judi Scholz thanked the Board for the support of the Centennial Committee and that it took over 2 ½ years of careful planning to produce the Celebration. She heard tonight the Board’s concerns about Town Lands and its plan for its management, she‘d like to see that careful planning for the whole town. She’s hoping the land use plan will be very effective and will be used as a tool so that the Board will not make hasty decisions that would affect the town for many years to come.

Janine Watts Thanked Judi Scholz, Claudia Dragonowski, the rest of the Centennial Committee and the Board for making the Centennial Celebration such a wonderful event. She has always been proud to say she lives in Barnes and she heard many people say what a great event it was.

Issues Timeline – Chairman Collyard briefly ran through the items on the Timeline. The weight limits reports were received and all bridges meet specs. The Transfer Site had been addressed on an earlier agenda item. Assessor updates, the Clerk said she had placed an ad in the WTA magazine with a deadline to send proposals in by August 31^st. She will be placing ads in the Hayward, Superior and Ashland papers soon with the same deadline. She also contacted Mike Hoffman again and got the information on how to reach his recommended person he mentioned in his resignation letter. She would be sending information out to him. The contract was signed by Ken Wilks for Barnes Recycling, and we received a check from him last week. Regarding Fireworks permits we should look at limiting the permits to two week per year around the 4^th of July. The Upper and Middle Eau Claire Bridge Pilings have been moved outward for the Upper Eau Claire, but the Middle still needs to be done. The Town Crew were working on something that could push them out. The DNR will still need to look at that for a more permanent fix. Under Recreation Committee, no one knew the progress of the skate park grant, the rink has been painted and there is some interest to have it flooded for the winter this year, so we will go ahead and do that. The Tennis courts; the cracks can be temporarily fixed, but still need to look at putting some money away at budget time to have it resurfaced.

Board Member Reports –

Donna Porter- wanted to ask about the bouys on the Middle Eau Claire, they were not out and someone said Buck N Bass had them. Quentin Ruprecht said he would put them out if we can locate them. Someone will call Buck N Bass and check with Mike Collins also to see if he knows.

Jack Meinke- had nothing more to add but thanked everyone for coming and staying so long.

Chris Webb said she had not heard from Robin about calling a Recreation Committee Meeting so she and Donna would call one for next week. She’ll be contacting some people who might be interested in joining the committee. We needed to get the Skate park grant application going as it was supposed to be submitted by the end of August. She and Donna will report to the Board at next month’s meeting.

Dick Collyard had nothing more to add.

Motion (Meinke/Porter) to adjourn the Regular Board meeting of July 19, 2005. Motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 9:30PM

Respectfully Submitted,

Elaine J. Brustad

Clerk/Treasurer

Date this 23^rd day of July, 2005