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HomeMy WebLinkAboutForestry & Parks Committee - Minutes - 8/12/2013BAYFIELD COUNTY FORESTRY AND PARKS DEPARTMENT COMMITTEE MEETING August 12, 2013 County Board Room Members Present: Shawn Miller; Chairperson; Marco Bichanich, Vice-Chairperson; Bucky Jardine, Harold Maki and John Bennett Members Absent: None Staff in Attendance: Jason Bodine, Administrator and Pat Bruno, Office Manager. Others in Attendance: Joseph LeBouton, WI DNR Liaison, Gary Erickson and Mike Blomquist, Sappi Fine Paper; and Al Radley. 1. Call To Order of Forestry and Parks Committee Meeting. The meeting of the Forestry and Parks Committee was called to order by S. Miller at 6:00 P.M. 2. Approval of July 8, 2013 Meeting Minutes. MOTION: (Bichanich, Bennett) to receive and place on file the July 8, 2013 meeting minutes. Carried. 3. Public Comment. S. Miller called for public comments. The Towns of Bayfield, Russell and Bayview have requested a discussion of road repair and county gravel pit fees appear on the agenda at the September 2013 Forestry and Parks Committee meeting, per H. Maki. 4. Logger Comments. None. 5. Monthly Financial Report. A. Forestry: The revenues for July were nearly $550,000. Expenses were as expected. B. Parks: Revenues for the parks are lower than this time last year; most likely due to the weather related slower start to the season. Expenses are on target. C. Trails: Nothing to report. MOTION: (Bichanich, Bennett) to receive and place on file the July 2013 financial report. Carried. 6. Discussion on Forest Certification with Representatives from Regional Mills. Discussion regarding forest certification and its significance in the forest industry. The Department is scheduled to be audited for the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification on August 14, 2013. Gary Erickson, of Sappi Fine Paper of Cloquet, Minnesota, spoke of the significance that SFI and FSC (particularly FSC) forest certification currently have on the wood products industry. Emphasis was given to continuing with certification to meet the requirements of the industries’ customers, as preference is given to products made with certified wood. The certification process is time intensive in preparation time for all staff and a full day audit which includes Bayfield County Forestry and Parks Committee Page 2 of 3 August 12, 2013 Meeting Minutes the entire field staff. Committee members were invited to attend. No action taken. 7. Access Permit Renewal Request. Duwayne Montag. Discussion and possible action regarding request to access property located in the Town of Bayfield. MOTION: (Bichanich, Maki) to approve the request from Duwayne Montag for a ten year access permit to property located Town of Bayfield. Carried. 8. Recreational Use Agreement Renewal. Duwayne Montag. Discussion and possible action regarding request to renew recreational use permit in the Town of Bayfield. MOTION: (Jardine, Bichanich) to approve the renewal request from Duwayne Montag for a recreational use permit in the Town of Bayfield with the stipulation that no additional benches or permanent seating are created on County land. Carried. 9. Access Permit Renewal Request. Forrest Fox. Discussion and possible action regarding request to access property located in the Town of Barnes. MOTION: (Jardine, Bennett) to approve the renewal request from Forrest Fox for a ten year access permit to property located in the Town of Barnes. Carried. 10. Access Permit Renewal Request. Thomas Bergeman. Discussion and possible action regarding request to access property located in the Town of Bell. MOTION: (Jardine, Bennett) to approve the request from Thomas Bergeman for a renewed 10 year access permit to property located in the Town of Bell. Carried. 11. Recreational Use Request. Ashwabay Outdoor Education Foundation. Discussion and possible action on request to use existing trails near Mt. Ashwabay for an October 5, 2013 trail running event. MOTION: (Bichanich, Maki) to approve the request from Ashwabay Outdoor Education Foundation to use existing trails near Mt. Ashwabay on October 5, 2013 for a trail running event. Carried. 12. Sustainable Forestry Grant. Discussion and possible action regarding the Forestry and Parks Department’s intent to apply for the grant. Formal Committee approval is needed giving authority to the Department to apply for the grant for the coming fiscal year. MOTION: (Jardine, Bichanich) to give authority to the Forestry and Parks Department Administrator to apply for the Sustainable Forestry grant when available. Carried. 13. Access Management Update. Discussion and possible action on updates associated with draft amendments to the access management plan. Recent updates and corrections to the draft plan are significant enough to warrant a Committee review of the plan. Trail safety on shared recreation/timber transport trails was discussed. Trail re-routing, added signage and the occasional, special event trail closing will help to address the potential safety concerns. Bayfield County Forestry and Parks Committee Page 3 of 3 August 12, 2013 Meeting Minutes MOTION: (Bennett, Jardine) to approve the recent revisions to the draft Access Management plan and to forward to the full County Board for consideration at the September County Board meeting. Yes – 4; No – 1. Carried. 14. 2014 Budget. Discussion and possible action regarding the 2014 Forestry and Parks budget. J. Bodine reviewed the draft 2014 budget. Of note are several line item increases due to adding the Trails program to the Department’s budget. The 2014 revenue budget line item is increased by 2.5%. H. Maki suggested moving more revenue into infrastructure improvements such as roads and fire lanes which are used by the timber harvesters. J. Bodine will inquire of other counties on road support policies and of towns of the price breaks given for gravel purchased from the U.S. Forest Service. Other line items noted are decreases in reforestation and capital expenses and line item increases in timber sale revenues and personnel costs (new recreation forester). MOTION: (Maki, Bennett) to recommend to the Personnel Committee to review the Forestry and Parks Administrator’s wages at the September Personnel Committee meeting. Carried. MOTION: (Bennett, Jardine) to approve the draft 2014 Forestry and Parks Department budget as proposed. Carried. B. Jardine left the meeting at 7:24 PM. 15. Forestry Building Update. Discussion and possible action regarding the construction of a new storage building. J. Bodine reports the current building sold for $157,500. The County has a tentative agreement with the City of Washburn for a transfer of the future Forestry and Parks Department building site property and installation of utilities all at no cost to the County. The new building design draft was discussed. Negotiations are in progress with the WI DNR who requested to purchase heated stall space to store a trailer and dozer, including an overhead water filling unit and a shower for personnel. The County Administrator is preparing the entire packet of information for the full County Board’s consideration at the September full County Board meeting. No action taken. 16. Joseph LeBouton, DNR Representative. No comments. 17. Supervisors’ Comments: None. Adjourned 7:35 P.M. The next Forestry and Parks Committee meeting will be held Monday, September 12, 2013 at 6:00 P.M., Bayfield County Courthouse, Washburn, WI. Submitted by, Pat Bruno