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HomeMy WebLinkAboutForestry & Parks Committee - Minutes - 7/19/2010 BAYFIELD COUNTY FORESTRY DEPARTMENT COMMITTEE MEETING JULY 19, 2010 Members Present: Committee members present were Shawn Miller, Chairperson, Marco Bichanich, Vice- Chairperson, Bucky Jardine, John Bennett and William Kacvinsky. Staff in Attendance: Jason Bodine, Administrator, Steve Probst, Assistant Administrator and Barbara Suminski, Office Manager. Others in Attendance: Steve Coffin, DNR representative and Mr. and Mrs. Dan Maki. Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Shawn Miller at 5:00 P.M. Approve Minutes: On a motion by Marco Bichanich and seconded by John Bennett the June 2, 2010 meeting minutes approved and the motion carried. Monthly Financial Report: Financial reports through June were shared with the committee and will be brought to the August meeting for approval. Access Permit Request: Mr. Dan Maki was present to request access on the south of Whiting Road in the Town of Bayview. The access would utilize the power line right of way. The route exists, however, it is located on the boundary of the Onion River Special Management Area (SMA). The Administrator shared with the Committee the fifteen year plan addressing access into special management areas. There is specific language in the plan prohibiting the designation of private access roads in this SMA. The administrator stated that if access was approved a gate should be used some improvements made. Bill Kacvinsky made a motion for approval on the administrator’s recommendations and Marco Bichanich seconded the motion and the motion carried. Jolly Trail Summary: The administrator shared with the Committee a summary report of use from the trail counters, volunteer time and fuel consumption. The administrator reported the current collection from the July Trail donation tube to be in the amount of $731.36. As per the work plan with AOEF, the receipts in the donation tube will be forwarded to AOEF and will be used to offset the cost of maintaining trails on County land. The agreement expires on December 31, 2010 and the Department will need to develop and approve a plan for the upcoming season. County Forest Withdrawal: The lease agreement with Verizon for the construction of a telecommunications tower is nearly complete. This is not an approved use of land under County Forest Law and as a result the Committee needs to apply for a withdrawal to the State. The withdrawal of County Forest land would affect .23 acres and the administrator included a map for the Committee’s information. Marco Bichanich made a motion to move forward with the withdrawal of .23 acres of land from the Bayfield County forest for the purpose of construction of a telecommunications tower by Verizon. William Kacvinsky made a second to the motion and the motion passed unanimously by the Committtee. Sustainable Forestry Grant: The annual request for projects using Sustainable Forestry Grant dollars is due by August 15, 2010 and Committee approval is required. The Department would like to pursue the establishing another deer exclosure fence which would be located west of Highway C and north of North Boundary Road. Presently, the Department has deer exclosure in Cable and Iron River. The new project would encompass stands that are being managed for oak, as well as birch. The fence would surround 65 acres and be roughly 7,561 feet in length. The estimated cost would be $26,500.00. Bill Kacvinsky made a BAYFIELD COUNTY FORESTRY DEPARTMENT COMMITTEE MEETING JULY 19, 2010 Page 2. motion that the Bayfield County Forestry Department Committee approve the request for the Forestry Administrator to apply for Sustainable Forestry Grant dollars to be used for deer exclosure fence to be located west of Highway C and north of North Boundary Road. Marco Bichanich seconded the motion and the motion was approved unanimously. 2011 Budget: The Administrator reviewed a few highlights for the CY 2011 Budget. The Committee had already approved the addition of a forester at the March 3, 2010 meeting and that position will be added into the 2011 Budget. The administrator also discussed the need to upgrade the Forestry garage and reviewed the need for space, input of numerous comments that the garage is an eye sore, the need to update the lighting and making the heating more efficient. The exterior or the building needs painting and the grounds could benefit from landscaping. The administrator stated that he has a meeting with the Washburn City Administrator, Scott Kluver to discuss the garage site. Parks and Recreation: The Administrator informed the Committee that he will be meeting with Mark Abeles- Allison and Mary Motiff in the coming week to better understand what would be required of the Forestry Department if Parks or Recreation were transferred as a responsibility for the Forestry Department. The administrator will keep the Committee appraised of this possibility. The Chairman of the Committee, Shawn Miller, requested more information on the Parks and Recreation Department and their previous budgets. Access Management Implementation: The Committee was informed that when the access management plan is completed that field implementation would begin. The administrator is estimating the need for purchasing additional gates and road signs and the generation of maps to be between ten thousand and fifteen thousand dollars that would need to be added into the CY 2011 budget. Survey Account: The survey work that was completed with Bob Mick this calendar year went well and there are numerous areas throughout the County Forest that need survey work. The administrator was informing the Committee that he would like to budget $8,000.00 in the CY 2011 Budget for this project. Fleet Vehicles: The administrator informed the Committee that two of the fleet vehicles assigned to the Forestry Department will be rolling over the 120,000 mileage mark. The administrator feels that this is far too long to carry a field vehicle and would like to see the County divest of the Department vehicles at 80,000 or at least 100,000 as in the past. New Gravel Pit: The timber sale located at the gravel pit site has been cut, but some wood still needs to be hauled from the site. The administrator informed the Committee that he does not have a signed agreement with the Town’s of Bayfield or Russell. The administrator has contact both townships and they have added the agreement to their agenda’s for their July meetings. Forest Certification: The County Forest Group will be audited August 11th through the 13th. The audit will assess performance against the new SFI standard, as well as, the FSC Group Certification standard. The administrator stated that he may tag along with the Ashland audit if possible. Other Updates: The administrator discussed the potential closing of the Hayward nursery. BAYFIELD COUNTY FORESTRY DEPARTMENT COMMITTEE MEETING JULY 19, 2010 Page 3. Steve Coffin: Steve reported that the DNR has closed 120 sales for Bayfield County Forestry. Steve also reported that their departments may still receive another ten percent cut in budget. Next Forestry Committee Meeting: The next Committee meeting will be held on Monday, August 9, 2010 at 5:00 P.M. in the County Board Room, Courthouse, Washburn, Wi. The meeting adjourned on a motion by Marco Bichanich and seconded Bill Kacvinsky and motion carried.