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HomeMy WebLinkAboutForestry & Parks Committee - Minutes - 11/15/2010BAYFIELD COUNTY FORESTRY DEPARTMENT COMMITTEE MEETING NOVEMBER 15, 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, Foresters Andrew O’Krueg and Mike Amman, Mark Abeles-Allison, Bayfield County Administrator and Barbara Suminski, Office Manager. Others in Attendance: Steve Coffin, DNR representative, Doyle Blakeman, Harold Maki, Stan Hershey, Matt Kurilla, Bill Kurilla, Robert Huray, Brett Rondeau, Phil Controulis, Ned Zueloderff, Ellen Kwiatkowski, Claire Duquette of The Daily Press and Marc Putman. Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Shawn Miller at 6:00 P.M. Approve Minutes: On a motion by Marco Bichanich and seconded by Bill Kacvinsky the October 6, 2010 meeting minutes were approved and the motion carried. Monthly Financial Report: On a motion by Marco Bichanich and seconded by John Bennett the October 2010 financial report was approved and the motion carried. Access Permit Renewal Request: Larry Cicero was requesting another ten year permit renewal for access in the Town of Bayview. The access was tabled pending further discussion regarding the snowmobile trail that goes through the property. Fall Timber Sales Bid Opening: The bids for the Calendar Year 2010 Fall Timber Sale were opened and called. There was a total of twenty-two sales offered with bids on twenty-one of the sales. The total bid value of the sales was $1,336,938.04. A motion was made by Marco Bichanich to approve the Timber Sale Bids as presented and seconded by William Kacvinsky and the motion carried. Recreational Use Permit: The American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation has submitted their annual request to use the existing trails for the Birkie and Kortelopet races. The races are scheduled for February 26, 2011. Bucky Jardine made a motion to approve the request and John Bennett seconded the motion and the motion carried. Sand River Pit Material Request: Jeremy Gylland of Northwest Asphalt is requesting the use of sand and rock form the pit for the Red Cliff casino project. If their request is approved they would like to start as soon as possible. C&W will still be working the pit and has put quite a bit of time and effort preparing the face and the Administrator felt there should be consideration regarding their work. There was a good deal of discussion on this issue and how the reporting should be completed on what is removed from the pit. Bill Kacvinsky withdrew from the issue of recommendation or voting because of his potential business involvement in the project. There was a motion to suspend with rules to allow input Marco Bichanich and seconded by John Bennett and carried. Harold Maki gave input regarding the pit material request and a system for monitoring the removal of materials. On a motion by Marco Bichanich to use a ticket monitoring system and at the fee for sand of $1.50 per yard and rock of $4.00 per yard the motion was seconded and carried with Bill Kacvinsky withdrawing from the voting. Telemark Land Purchase Discussion: The Administrator provided the Committee with hand-outs regarding the property location and grant information that he had available. He shared with the Committee that he had discussions with the DNR over the past few days regarding the grant and it would look promising. One of the bigger issues in the need to move the blocking boundaries, as most of the property in question falls outside of the current blocking and this would BAYFIELD COUNTY FORESTRY DEPARTMENT COMMITTEE MEETING NOVEMBER 15, 2010 Page 2. require a County Board resolution and a fifteen year plan amendment. There was a motion to suspend rules to allow input American Birkenbeiner was present to give their support to Bayfield County purchasing the property. There was discussion regarding the land being appraised or surveyed, what type of commitment the County would be making moving forward with the application process and how this would affect the tax base. Also, there was discussion regarding the amount of timber available at the present time or in the future. The Committee felt that there were a lot of unanswered questions that needed to be answered before they felt comfortable making a commitment to move forward with the application process. Shawn Miller felt that the application process should move forward in that it would not be a commitment for the County. John Bennett felt that the land should be appraised or surveyed if the Committee was going to move forward in the process. Ellen Kwiatkowski of the Bayfield Regional Conservancy spoke in support of the Forestry Department applying for grant to purchase the Telemark property being discussed. Phil Controulis requested to speak to the Committee and stated that he is pursuing the purchase of the eight hundred and thirty-three acres outright. He stated that he was present to basically listen, but he did want the Committee aware that he was also interested in the purchase of the property in question. Mark Abeles-Allison stated that the Committee should move forward looking at and evaluating the parcel. The Committee requested that the Administrator move forward with an evaluation of the property and the timber value at the present time and into the future. Bayfield County Parks Operation and Management: The Administrator shared with the Committee that a lot to time and effort has been put into the analysis of the parks. It is the Administrator’s goal to provide the Committee with a variety of options and compare them to the current situation. In the preparation of the information the Administrator felt that a special meeting should be held to discuss the parks. A meeting date was set for November 29, 2010 for a more in depth look at the operation and management of the parks. General Discussion Items: Annual Variable Acreage Loan: The Administrator informed the Committee that this is an annual loan that the Department has been receiving every year for some time from the State. This is a zero percent interest loan and we have received roughly $85,000.00 in the past. The Department receives the loan in March and begins repayment in June of each year. The loan requires County Board resolution. Bucky Jardine made a motion to approve that the Department participate in and Annual Variable Acreage Loan program and Marco Bichanich seconded the motion and the motion carried. Verizon Tower Update: SBA Towers has cut in the access road and footprint to the tower. The Department has been compensated for the timber removed, the Department’s Administrator’s time and some corporate council costs. There have been some snags with the discovery of extremely thick rock in portions of their intended underground power route. The Administrator stated that it will probably be Spring before more work is completed on this project. New Forester Position: The advertisement for the Forester position was posted on line on November 3, 2010. The deadline for applications is November 28, 2010. RAC Projects: The RAC Committee is currently reviewing all projects. Other Updates: There has been information that the Administrator has heard through a contract provider that the Tribe may be looking at charging a fee permit for timber sales that the Department has that are within the tribal boundaries. Steve Coffin, DNR Representative: The Barnes DNR office has a vacancy for a new hire and the Bayfield County liaison has not been approved as of this date. Respectfully Submitted: Barbara Suminski BAYFIELD COUNTY FORESTRY DEPARTMENT COMMITTEE MEETING NOVEMBER 15, 2010