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HomeMy WebLinkAboutForestry & Parks Committee - Minutes - 4/10/2017BAYFIELD COUNTY FORESTRY AND PARKS DEPARTMENT COMMITTEE MEETING April 10, 2017 County Board Room Members Present: Shawn Miller, Chairperson; Fred Strand, Vice-Chair; Jeffrey Silbert; and Larry Fickbohm Members Absent: Harold Maki Staff in Attendance: Jason Bodine, Administrator; Steve Probst, Assistant Administrator; and Pat Bruno, Office Manager Others in Attendance: Kevin Johnson, Bayfield County Veteran’s Service Officer; Joseph LeBouton, WI DNR Liaison; 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. Public Comment. S. Miller called for public comment and none were received. Comments were closed. 3. Approval of the March 13, 2017 Meeting Minutes. MOTION: (Silbert, Fickbohm) to approve the minutes as presented. Carried. 4. Land Use Request. Across-the-Pond Veterans Park Project Workgroup. An Iron River area group has formed with the purpose of establishing a Veterans Memorial Park near Iron River. Ten acres of county forest land have been identified as a potential site for the proposed park. The project is two phased with the land assessment as the first phase. If the 10 acres are found favorable for the project, then the group would request approval from the Committee to proceed. If found favorable by the Committee, the proposal would be forwarded to the full county board for consideration. MOTION: (Strand, Fickbohm) Motion to approve the limited preliminary site assessment work including soil boring, running elevations, minor tree or brush cutting removal as needed in order to do your site assessment. Motion carried. Discussion: F. Strand added: “with the understanding that if this is favorable and looks like it’s a go for the workgroup, then come back with that information and request the withdrawal and transfer of land.” S. Miller also added that there would be no tree cutting now. 5. Monthly Reports. A. Forestry 1) Department 2017 Budget Update. J. Bodine reported the March timber sale revenues were approximately $338,000 for the month and $1.2 million for the year. Expenses are on target. He pointed out that the market has remained high, which was unexpected. S. Probst said the logging crews now are in the higher dollar (sand ground) wood. He also explained that the annual $3.1 budget revenue line item takes into consideration the market’s unpredictable fluctuations. Bayfield County Forestry and Parks Committee Page 2 of 3 April 10, 2017 Meeting Minutes 2) Wisconsin County Forest Association Summer Tour. The WCFA Summer Tour schedule is set and dates have been set for June 21- 23. All County Board members are invited to all the events without cost. 3) Red Cliff Land Sale Update. The county forest land withdrawal application was submitted to the WI DNR at the end of March. It is expected that the formal confirmation will be received by the department at the end of April. B. Parks. Preparations have begun for the May 1st park opening. A new dock has been ordered for Atkins Lake park and the old dock will be sold. J. Bodine is analyzing the need and possible configuration for an overflow parking lot at Twin Bear. Parking issues arise during holidays. Additionally, 10 picnic tables are ordered each year and two to three are replaced at every park, whichever is in most need. C. Trails and Recreation 1) Snowmobile Trail Updates. Trails are closed. All grant funds were utilized, with a substantial amount spent on brushing projects. The county is not eligible for supplemental revenue funds this year due to the lack of snow and relatively low grooming expenses. 2) Yurt Updates. The yurts are receiving rave reviews with guests coming from several foreign countries. The Bayfield site continues to be the most popular. There was some discussion of possibly adding another yurt; however, the opinion is to wait for at least a full year to gauge the popularity before moving forward. J. Bodine has identified other grant funding sources for future projects. 3) Rec Use Agreements. To remove the need for small groups to provide proof of general liability insurance, J. Bodine requested an opinion from corporation counsel as to the current insurance requirement required in the recreational use agreement permitting process. Corp Counsel replied that general liability insurance is only required for events or when a participant fee is charged (or where spectators are charged a fee). Eliminating this requirement would provide more opportunities for access to designated trails such as dog sledding and a Lost Creek Falls Friends group as examples. J. Bodine will provide a draft document for the committee to consider in the future. MOTION: (Silbert, Strand) to receive and place on file the monthly reports. Carried. 6. Spring Timber Sale Offering. Included in the spring timber sale offering are 26 tracts with good species diversity and locations across the county. MOTION: (Strand, Fickbohm) to approve the spring timber sale as presented. Carried. 7. County Land Utilization. J. Bodine explained how the stewardship project will proceed, assuming the land sale is approved by the DNR. He expects Red Cliff to receive their grant mid-May then the $80,000 proceeds will be used to purchase other properties via the stewardship grant program. Three match properties were identified two years ago that were not used for the stewardship project at that Bayfield County Forestry and Parks Committee Page 3 of 3 April 10, 2017 Meeting Minutes time. They are located at Bismark Lake (appraised at $2,500/acre), Barksdale Township (appraised at $1,100/acre), and reservation land off Blueberry Road (appraised at $1,400/acre). If using match property that has been owned for one year, one-half of the appraised value may be used as a project match; or it could be sold at the appraised value, thus potentially doubling the buying power. Regardless, the county may include one or all three properties as part of a Stewardship project and use the appraised value as a match. A project could be tailored to include the $80,000 from Red Cliff, plus the values of the three match properties. All match properties would then be enrolled in county forest law. He noted that the Red Cliff Tribe could apply for other grants to purchase additional land that includes wet or seasonal drainage. No action taken. 8. Joseph LeBouton, DNR Representative. No comments made. 9. Adjourn Meeting adjourned at 6:49 PM. The next Forestry and Parks Committee meeting and timber sale bid opening will be held Monday, May 8, 2017 at 6:00 P.M. at Bayfield County Courthouse, County Board Room, Second Floor, 117 E. 5th Street, Washburn, Wisconsin. Submitted by, Pat Bruno