13520 Greenwood Trail, N. , Stillwater, MN 55082 www.westlakeland.govoffice2.com Spring Issue March 2012 TOWNSHIP DAY – March 13, 2012 Annual Town Board Election ~~~ ~ ~ E D INSI Polling Place - Oak -Land Jr. High School Auditorium 13th March ., s e u T i um uditor tion -— A c d e l n a E ard :00 p.m. Oak L ues., March 13th o B n Tow 10:00 a.m. -8 g —Ta n i t e e wn Mk-Land Cafeteri ay 19, 2012 o T l a Annu8:00 p.m.—Oa —Saturday, Mails to follow — det 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Voting Information y Up Da a.m. to Noon — n a e l C m 8:00 West Lakeland Town Board 436-4773 Fax 436-2693 Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.-12 Noon Burning Permits are free of charge by calling Dan Kyllo(436 -1134), Dave Schultz(436-6981) or John McPherson(439 -3754) ***Please be sure you call between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. — Monday thru Friday . Animal Control Issues can be addressed by Town Board meetings are held on the second Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the Oak -Land Jr. High unless rescheduled. Check posting board on Stagecoach Tr.(east side) and 10th St. or website for more information. calling officer Kathi Pelnar at 715-386-7789. Unidentified dogs are taken for impound at the Hillcrest Animal Hospital , 1320 Co. Rd. D, Maplewood—651-484-7211. VOTE ANNUAL TOWN BOARD ELECTION INSTRUCTIONS TO VOTERS To vote, completely ll in th e o v) anle(sx t to your choice(s) like this: TOWN OFFICES TOWN OF WEST LAKELAND TOWN SUPERVISOR VOTE FOR ONE DAVE SCHULTZ BA M LL PLE OT Town Office & Meetings, etc. Judge__________ Chairman, Daniel Kyllo 436 -1134 Supervisor, Dave Schultz 436 -6816 Supervisor, Steve Ebner 436 -6482 Clerk, Susan Agrimson 436 -2228 Deputy Clerk, Mary Rinkenberger 436 -1537 Treasurer, Marsha Olson 998 -9178 Bldg. Inspector Duane Stensland 436 -7669 TOWN ELECTION BALLOT TOWN OF WEST LAKELAND GENERAL ELECTION MARCH 13, 2012 Write-in if any SA TOWNSHIP INFORMATION . OFFICIAL BALLOT Judge_________ fro Office Hours —http://www.co.washington.mn.us/info_for_residents/prts/elections/ TOWN OFFICE #436-4773 FAX #436-2693 .com ww Recycling services for residents are contracted with Waste Management free of charge. Recycling carts are made available to each address wishing to recycle. Carts are to be placed on curbside no later than 7:00 a.m. every other Friday. Larger carts(free) can be made available by calling Sue Agrimson in Check our website for information when your neighborhood recycles. FRONT Card 3 RptPct 50 "West Lakeland" COME TO THE ANNUAL MEETING THIS YEAR Tuesday, March 13, 2012 at 8:00 p.m. in Oak -Land Jr. High Cafeteria Enjoy refreshments following the meeting Tuesday, March 13th Invited guests: Representative Kathy Lohmer, Senator Ted Lillie, Wash. Co. Commissione CHAIRMAN’S CORNER Greetings, Following are a few newsworthy items you might find of interest: There is a new “Stop Sign” in town. As a result of a couple recent deaths due to tragic accidents and the more than numerous near misses, Washington County and surrounding communities approached MNDOT in an effort to erect a 4-way stop sign at the corner of Stagecoach Trail and Hudson Road. Even though, the traffic numbers and crash data didn’t meet MNDOT’s threshold of urgency, MNDOT was ultimately convinced to take proactive measures and install the stop signs. We had the strong support of County Commissioner, Gary Kriesel, to thank for convincing MNDOT to take action. Farewell to Ed Semrud and a big “Welcome” to Marsha Olson. Ed retired as Treasurer after serving for 10 years in that position. Ed was elected to the treasurer position 2001 and was later appointed in 2002. The position has seen many changes over the years. State accounting regulations and reporting has become more complex and Ed had done a great job staying abreast of the changes. Marsha took over the Township Treasurer duties from Ed Semrud as of the first of the year. A recap on the 22nd Street N/TH95 corner reconstruction. Last fall, West Lakeland applied for a grant through MNDOT’s Metro Municipal Agreement Program for 2013. It is a program where municipalities can compete for grant money to improve local roads in conjunction with State roads. The 22nd St N/TH95 corner has been identified as a growing, potentially, dangerous intersection. Last summer, a traffic count was performed on 22nd St. It showed that 3900 daily travel that road. That is a 60% increase over the projected Met Council 2030 estimates of 2400 cars/day. Our application was denied for 2013. Eight of the 16 communities who did apply were approved. The Board will continue to work with MNDOT to come up with possible funding options to fix that intersection. Fly Ash Rulemaking recap. The new MPCA rule concerning siting of new landfills with emphasis on Fly Ash has been finalized. New landfills will have to meet several new requirements in order to be permitted. Landfills have to stay away from potential karst or fractured limestone bedrock formations and away from sandy type soils which are susceptible to rapid contamination. These new rules will make it highly unlikely that Xcel Energy will be able locate a fly ash landfill at the Tiller Sand Pit near the NW corner of Stagecoach Trail and I94. Xcel Energy had proposed the new landfill location back in 2004. Where is that road right of way(ROW)? ~Article submitted by Dave Schultz , Township Road Supervisor By ordinance, all roads in the Township have a minimum ROW of 60 feet; meaning 30 feet or more from the center line of the road. If your road is 24 feet wide, that means the ROW extends at least 18 feet past the edge of the pavement on each side This is necessary for road maintenance, plowing, drainage, installation and maintenance of utilities, etc. Whereas, the Township supports community beautification - encroachment on and obstruction of the ROW with lawn sprinkler systems, landscaping materials, fencing, trees, large rocks, shrubs or any similar materials is and has been prohibited by ordinance. You are liable for any damage caused by such encroachment and may be required to remove it. It has also been noticed that the constant wetness on asphalt roadways from sprinkler systems is contributing to deterioration of the roads. Of course, this adds to taxpayer expense. Your cooperation on this matter will be appreciated and everyone in the Township benefits. Thank you! Roadside Trash Dumping is another issue of taxpayer expense. Because West Lakeland is largely rural, there is dumping of trash, electronics, furniture, mattresses, tires, etc. along our roadways. This trash becomes a taxpayer burden as it must be picked up and disposed of by West Lakeland Township. If you witness trash dumping, please call 911 to report license plate number and vehicle description to the Washington County Sheriff’s office. If you see dumped trash on the roadside, please note the type and amount of refuse that has been dropped and the nearest property address or intersection and call the Town Office at 651-436-4773 where we will contact a trash hauler to pick up and dispose of items. Your diligence in keeping an eye on dumping activity will keep taxpayer road expense down! Upcoming Tree and Rain Barrel Sale - Spring 2012 Washington Conservation District is selling tree and shrub seedlings along with preassembled rain barrels again this year. Both items help to improve water quality. The District is offering 22 different tree species, conifers, hardwoods, shrubs and a bird packet. The trees are bare root, sold in bundles of twenty-five per species, for the cost of $33.00 including tax. The bird packet consists of thirty trees-five each of the following: bur oak, white oak, white pine, black cherry, chokecherry, wild plum, all for the cost of $50.00 per bird packet. The species in the bird packet were chosen because of the food value during the winter months. The rain barrels sell for $68.00 each, tax included. Sincerely, Daniel Kyllo You can find the order for both items on the WCD website—www.mnwcd.org. Trees and barrels will be available for pick up on April 27th and 28th at the Washington County Fair Grounds in the Rabbit Building. For more information, please call Wendy Griffin 651-2751136 x 24.