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HomeMy WebLinkAboutForestry & Parks Committee - Minutes - 9/22/2014BAYFIELD COUNTY FORESTRY AND PARKS DEPARTMENT COMMITTEE MEETING September 22, 2014 County Board Room Members Present: Shawn Miller; Chairperson; John Bennett, Harold Maki and Fred Strand Members Absent: Marco Bichanich, Vice-Chairperson Staff in Attendance: Jason Bodine, Administrator and Pat Bruno, Office Manager Others in Attendance: Joseph LeBouton, WI DNR Liaison; Brenda Garrett, Parks Manager; and members of the public 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 the August 11 Meeting Minutes. MOTION: (Maki, Bennett) to receive and place on file the August 11, 2014 meeting minutes. Carried. 3. Public Comment. S. Miller called for public comments. None were received. 4. Logger Comments. S. Miller called for logger comments. None were received. 5. Monthly Financial Report. A. Forestry: J. Bodine reported that the year’s timber sale net revenues at the end of August are at $3.2 million and September is keeping pace with the recent three months. Expenses are on target. The forestry garage construction is near completion. B. Parks: Revenues are at approximately $75,000. Expenses are normal. C. Trails: Seasonal club meetings have begun. Trail condition status is good. MOTION: (Bennett, Strand) to receive and place on file the August 2014 financial report. Carried. 6. Recreational Use Request. J. Bodine has received a request from the Ashwabay Outdoor Education Foundation (AOEF) to use trails located within a portion of county forest land which are located in the Town of Bayfield for the Peel Out trail running event. The event would take place on Saturday, October 4, 2014. Bodine recommends approval. MOTION: (Strand, Bennett) to approve the recreational use request from the AOEF to use county forest land’s trails for the Peel Out trail running event to be held on October 4, 2014. Carried. 7. Stewardship Grant Application. J. Bodine recently learned that the appraised value of tax delinquent land may be used towards the county’s portion of an approved Knowles-Nelson matching grant to be used for the purchase of private land. The Bayfield County Forestry and Parks Committee Page 2 of 3 September 22, 2014 Meeting Minutes purchase would be matched at 50% by the stewardship grant. The purchased land would ultimately be enrolled into county forest law within one year of purchase. J. Bodine has identified 5-6 separate parcels of interest, located in various areas of Bayfield County, to purchase and management. MOTION: (Strand) to approve moving forward with the Knowles-Nelson Grant Application. No Second. S. Miller indicated that a project must be ready before applying for the grant. The grant deadline to capture 100% of the appraised value is October 15, 2014. This deadline is not feasible for this project. The motion died on the floor. MOTION: (Strand, Maki) to authorize obtaining an appraisal of 5 to 6 identified parcels which include approximately 900 acres of county owned and tax delinquent land. The appraisal should include individual appraisals for each parcel. Roll call vote: Yes: Strand, Bennett, Maki, and Miller. No: None. Carried. 8. County Forest Blocking. J. Bodine suggests now would be a convenient time to update “blocking” of county forest land. Blocking is a border indicator as to where the county forest lands currently are or could potentially lie. The adjustment to blocking would need an amendment to the current land use plan approval of the full county board. The revised blocking is a requirement of the Knowles-Nelson grant application. No action taken. 9. Stewardship Grant Resolution. The grant resolution is needed when the grant application is ready for approval. Tabled until the next meeting. 10. Parks and Campgrounds. A. General Rules and Regulations. Many improvements have been made to Twin Bear and Delta Lake Campgrounds. The Rules and Regulations handout was briefly discussed. The Committee would like to take time to review the Rules and Regulations. B. Future Upgrades/Amenities. Potential improvements to Twin Bear campground: high-speed Internet; kayak/canoe rentals provided by Brule River Canoe Rental (and Delta Lake); additional mooring docks and playground. Potential improvements for Big Rock: pavilion, electricity for campers and trails. The Atkins Lake launch fee station will be removed. C. Seasonal Sites: current, future, selection process and policies. Currently, 26 of 43 sites at Twin Bear are designated as seasonal sites. To address equal opportunity for all and noise/disruption issues, many options were discussed to reduce the number of seasonal sites to make the park more available to the transient camper. J. Bodine will present a document at the next Committee meeting to address these issues. D. Rates. The new draft rate structure handout was reviewed. It is expected that the rate increase will cover the cost of the added Internet access. The coin shower system will be removed. E. Caretaker Contract. The 3 year caretaker contract expires at the end of 2014. F. Delta Lake Timber Sale. For the purposes of management and safety reasons, 75 cords of timber, mostly birch, need to be removed from the campground. Bayfield County Forestry and Parks Committee Page 3 of 3 September 22, 2014 Meeting Minutes MOTION: (Maki, Bennett) to authorize the Department the removal of identified, deteriorating timber at Delta Lake Campground. Carried. G. Development of Long Term Plan. J. Bodine will develop a draft long term plan in the coming months. 11. Joseph LeBouton, DNR Representative. Comments. None. 12. Executive Session. a. Approval of the November 6, 2012 Executive Session Meeting Minutes. b. Campground Caretakers Contract MOTION: (Maki, Bennett) to enter into Executive Session pursuant to State Statute 19.85(1)(e) deliberating or negotiating the purchase of public properties, the investing of public funds, or conducting other specified public business, whenever competitive or bargaining reasons require a closed session . Roll call vote: Yes: Strand, Bennett, Maki, Miller. No: None. Carried. 13. Adjourn. Meeting adjourned at 7:41 P.M. The next Forestry and Parks Committee meeting will be held Monday, October 6, 2014 at 6:00 P.M., Bayfield County Courthouse, Washburn, WI. Submitted by, Pat Bruno