Town Board Meeting March 12, 2009

Chairperson Ray Knapp convened the Regular Town Board meeting on Thursday, March 12, 2009, at 7:50 pm immediately following the Board of Appeals meeting as noticed.  Jan Cuccia, Dan Pearson, Gloria Wahrenbrock and Brian Schwab were present.

 

The following people signed the attendance sheet:  Andy Murphy, Nancy Carlson, Charlie Macdonell, Richard Ruemmele, Jill Berke and Mel Hermansen.  Others were present who did not sign in.

 

R. Knapp invited those present to join in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.

 

APPROVE MINUTES - Minutes of the February 12, 2009 Town Board meeting had been distributed to the board.  J. Cuccia moved approval of the Town Board minutes of February 12, 2009, seconded by B. Schwab.  Motion passed, all in favor.

 

CITIZEN INPUT – None.

 

PARK BOARD REPORT – Copies of the February Park Board minutes and Park Board Report had been distributed to the board.  Jill Berke reviewed the Park Board report with the board.  She stated that Cedar Corp., has indicated there are at least two possible grant opportunities for the N. Glover Road project.  Cedar Corp. will be attending the March Park Board meeting to discuss the possibilities.  An informational sheet outlining the rules and regulations of the boat ramp will be available at the clerk’s office.  The Park Board approved applications for the River Falls Ball Association and the Hudson Ball team for usage from April 1st through July 31st.  Hudson still needs to pay their $100 deposit.  The new ball field should be ready for use this spring.  Scout Vincent Thao is planning to do trail signage in Glover Park as his Eagle Scout community service project.  The park tour by the Park Board is planned for April.  Rob Jones, Cedar Corp. stated that the application for the Transportation Enhancement portion of the federal stimulus package for bike trail funding along N. Glover Road is due April 1st.  Cedar Corp. would need authorization to move forward with the application.  R. Knapp stated that the Town Board has previously given the Park Board the authority to pursue alternative funding options for a bike trail along N. Glover Road, which the Town Board recognizes may require some grant writing. 

 

DISCUSS & CONSIDER PEMBLE’S ACCESS HOURS OF OPERATION – Currently, Pembles Access is open to the public daily from Memorial Day through Labor Day, and on Saturdays and Sundays during May and September.  Hours are from 10:00 am to 9:00 pm Memorial Day through Labor Day, and from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm before Memorial Day and after Labor Day per Troy Code Chapter 120-2B.  The proposed change would be to be open from 10:00 am to one-half hour after sunset.  The Town Board has already proposed this change in a revised draft of Chapter 109.  The draft ordinance has not been officially approved by the board.  Town Board consensus was to allow the Park Board to go ahead with changes to the signage at Pembles Access reflecting the proposed changes to the hours of operation.  Officially updating ordinance will be on the Town Board agenda next month. 

 

PLAN COMMISSION REPORT – Copies of the Plan Commission minutes had been distributed to the board.  J. Cuccia reviewed the Plan Commission meeting with the board, stating that the Plan Commission heard a second riverway concept review for Mark Warnken.  The applicant was looking for clarification of what constitutes ordinary repair and maintenance.  The Plan Commission also reviewed the current town Subdivision Ordinance and proposed changes. 

 

CONSTABLE & SHERIFF REPORTS – Copies of the Constable report, the Sheriff’s report and the Animal Control report were distributed to the board.  Constable Mel Hermansen reported that based on snowmobile tracks, Pembles Access gate had been opened and snowmobiles had been allowed through.  A short discussion of who had keys to the gate followed.  It was decided that the constables would write a letter to neighbors near the gate and ask them to report any violations, if they see any snowmobiles in Pembles Access. 

M. Hermansen stated that people using the trails in Glover Park are not cleaning up after their dogs.  He also reported that the judge had ruled in favor of the town at a citation hearing on March 4th.  R. Knapp asked what the costs to the town were to pursue the parking violation.  S. Provos replied that they were in excess of $1,000.  R. Knapp asked the board if anyone was willing to get together to discuss procedures for dealing with future citations.  D. Pearson agreed to meet with R. Knapp to discuss strategies. 

 

The board reviewed the Sheriff’s report and the Animal Control report. 

 

DISCUSS & CONSIDER IMPOSITION OF PENALTIES FOR VIOLATION OF CHAPTER 171: LOWER ST. CROIX RIVERWAY ZONING ORDINANCE – ANDREW MURPHY, 326 NORTH COVE ROAD – R. Knapp explained that the violations under consideration were for the reconstruction of a nonconforming accessory structure (deck) and the reconstruction of a conditionally permitted structure (stairs) without a variance or a riverway permit.  Copies of Plan Commission and Town Board excerpts from the Anthony Fiorillo violation decision had been distributed to the board.  R. Knapp stated that A. Fiorillo had been cited for violations similar to the Murphy violations.  The board discussed the nature of the violations, the legal expenses incurred by the town, the daily fine amount that could be imposed and the reasons for imposition of a fine.  Nancy Carlson, 326 North Cove Road stated that she felt the reconstruction they did was minor compared to what A. Fiorillo did.  Andrew Murphy felt that the town needed to do a better job educating the public on what/where the Riverway is and what the restrictions are.  R. Knapp stated that the homeowners or their contractor should have known that at least a building permit was needed for the reconstruction of the deck and stairs.  If they would have tried to pull a building permit they would have been directed by the building inspector to get a riverway permit or variance.  J. Cuccia moved for a $7,500 fine for both violations, seconded by G. Wahrenbrock.  D. Pearson thought that the amount was not consistent with earlier citations.  J. Cuccia stated that recouping legal fees weren’t included along with the fine, and they can be quite extensive.  After further discussion, D. Pearson moved to amend the motion to $5,000, seconded by B. Schwab.  Motion to amend the motion passed 3-2 (R. Knapp, D. Pearson and B. Schwab in favor, J. Cuccia & G. Wahrenbrock opposed.)  Amended motion passed, all in favor.

 
REPORT FROM DEVELOPER ON STATUS OF STREET LIGHTING IN COVE RIDGE -  Developer Bruce Lenzen was unable to attend the meeting.  He sent a letter stating that the target completion date for final installation of the street lighting located in the Cove Ridge development is June 1, 2009.  R. Knapp asked S. Provos to have the town road crew check and see if it’s done by June 1st.  R. Knapp will follow-up with resident Dean Jakubowicz.  
 

UTILITY PERMITS:  None

 

DISCUSS & CONSIDER RESOLUTION ON A FRAMEWORK OF SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY PRINCIPLES – R. Knapp commented that he hasn’t made as much progress on this item as he had expected and would be prepared to present something in May.  D. Pearson moved to table until May, seconded by J. Cuccia.  Motion passed, all in favor.

 

SET ROAD TOUR TIME – The Annual Road tour will be at 8:00am on Saturday April 18, 2009. 

 

SET ANNUAL MEETING TIME – The Annual meeting will be at 7:00pm on Tuesday April 14th at the town hall.

 

BUILDING PERMITS:  The following permits were submitted by the building inspector and reviewed by the Town Board.

PERMIT #

APPLICANT

ADDRESS

PROJECT

08-193

Evan Ballard

241A Glen Circle

Addition

09-102

Steve Angus

347 South Glover Rd

Alteration

09-103

Corey Benedict

643 Tribute Pkwy

Alteration

09-104

Henry Menzies

345 Lindsay Rd

Alteration/Repair

09-105

Evan Ballard

241 A Glen Circle

Fireplace

09-107

Zac Campbell

242 Legacy Ct

New home

09-106

Cheryl Adkinson

183 Glenmont Rd

Addition/Alteration

 

 

 

 

 

DRIVEWAY PERMITS – The following permit was submitted by the building inspector and reviewed by the Town Board.

PERMIT #

APPLICANT

ADDRESS

09-100

Zac Campbell

242 Legacy Ct

 

CLERK/TREASURER PERMORANCE REVIEW – R. Knapp and B. Schwab will meet with S. Provos for her review. 

 

CLERK/TREASURER REPORT – Copies of the cash reconciliation, impact fee summary and budget summary were distributed to the board.  S. Provos and J. Cuccia explained to the board the costs to get high speed satellite internet at town hall.  Because of the two year contract required, S. Provos isn’t recommending it at this point in time.  She did suggest the town spend the extra $5.00/month to move the town website to a FrontPage friendly server at Pressenter.  The board agreed.

 

BILLS: Checks numbered 020639 - 020709 and the Elan bill were presented in the amount of $59,967.53.  D. Pearson moved to approve bills with checks numbered 020639 – 020709 for $59,636.48, and the Elan bill of $331.05 for a total of $59,967.53, seconded by J. Cuccia.  Motion passed, all in favor.

 

CORRESPONDENCE –

State Capitol Day is March 25 in Madison.

 

There is an article in the WTA newsletter regarding town’s using a caucus vs. nomination papers.  J. Cuccia will prepare a brief report for the Annual meeting scheduled for April 14th. 

 

There will be an Urban Towns Association meeting on April 25th in Oshkosh.  D. Pearson stated that their July meeting will be held in Eau Claire.

 

R. Knapp asked board members if they wanted to set-up a 2010 Census committee.  They recommended adding it to the April Town Board agenda.

 

The county sent out proposed new county supervisory boundaries.  Troy would go from 2 county supervisors to 3.  G. Wahrenbrock will call the current two county supervisors to explain that the town would prefer to only have 2.

 

Charlie Macdonell encouraged board members to attend the 2nd St. Croix River Workshop scheduled for Tuesday March 31st at 6:00 at the Stillwater Library.

 

COMMITTEE REPORTS –

D. Pearson summarized the preconstruction meeting for residents concerning the Tower and Townsvalley Road projects. 

 

D. Pearson gave a presentation at a Working Land Initiative Workshop in New Richmond.  J. Cuccia attended the workshop and gave the board a brief synopsis.

 

A recycling employee is suggesting raising the fees at the Recycling Center.  D. Pearson will work with the employees to determine if an increase is necessary.

 

J. Cuccia stated that the newsletter had been sent out.

 

J. Cuccia and D. Pearson attended the WTA meeting in Eau Claire.

 

R. Jones stated that the town had submitted an application for Stage One Local Economic Recovery Funding for Radio Road.  The town’s application was not chosen to be funded.  Stage Two applications are due April 1st.  R. Knapp asked him to determine how strong the town’s application would be, before the town spends money for a second application.  If the town has a good chance at funding, the town wants to pursue this action.

 

 

G. Wahrenbrock moved to adjourn, seconded by D. Pearson.  Motion passed, all in favor.

 

The meeting adjourned at 10:00 p.m.

 

These minutes were taken at a meeting

of the Troy Town Board held on the

12th day of March, 2009.

 

________________________

Sharon Provos, Clerk/Treasurer