TOWN OF WASCOTT
Monday,
April 10, 2006 Wascott Town
Hall
(Notice
posted 3 places in the town.)
CALL TO ORDER:
The Town Board Meeting was called to order by Town Supervisor Steve Balcsik at
7:10 P.M.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Town Supervisors Balcsik and McCann led the group in the Pledge of
Allegiance.
ROLL CALL: Town Supervisors Steve Balcsik and Chuck McCann, and Town Clerk/Treasurer Val Bremanis present.
Town
Chairman Bernard Bergman absent. Other
attendance 15 per register.
AGENDA: McCann/Balcsik motion to approve the agenda
as presented, carried.
MINUTES:
McCann/Balcsik motion to approve the minutes of the March 7, 2006 Regular Town Board Meeting,
the March 21, 2006 Special Town Board Meeting,
the March 6, 2005 Joint Town Board Meeting with the Town
Board of
Gordon, and the March 13, 2006 Joint Town Board Meeting with the Town Board of
Gordon; carried.
TREASURER'S REPORT:
McCann/Balcsik motion to approve the Treasurer’s Report as presented, subject
to audit; carried.
Beginning balance
for the month was $ 637,261.31 and the ending balance was $ 589,301.61.
McCann/Balcsik
motion to transfer $ 100,000 from the National Bank of Commerce account
to the Local
Government Investment Pool account; carried.
McCann and Bergman attended WTA meetings in Cumberland and Amnicon. McCann brought up a continuing interest in
exploring a
five-man board. Balcsik has been getting a lot of calls from loggers.
Balcsik/McCann motion to allow loggers to
move in
while still leaving weight limits on, and to have the road crew let the Town
Board know if they see any problems;
carried.
ORGANIZATION
REPORTS:
Town Roads: Balcsik
stated that the roads are drying out, no culvert or beaver problems.
Fire Department: No report.
Constable: Howard Copeland stated that he has been notified of 12
break-ins including Stop-a-Sec, cabins on South Mail Road,
Cranberry Lake north side,
Bass Lake Road, Bondwood Estates. He reminds everyone to call 911 or contact
him if they see any
suspicious activity.
Gordon-Wascott EMS: Dottie Fries reported 9 calls in Gordon and 2
in Wascott.
Transfer Station: McCann stated that he put up ‘no
contractor dumping’ signs.
Cemetery: Balcsik
stated that the next meeting will be April 18, looking for additional
members for the committee.
Plan Commission: McCann stated that the group met last week and
made recommendations on several items on the agenda at
this meeting. The terms of
three members are expiring. This will be on the agenda for the May Town Board
Meeting.
Building Committee: Marv
Thompson stated that the committee had Coons Electric re-bid a new PA system,
and recommend
acceptance of the bid. They
also recommend negotiating the purchase of the land across from the Town Hall.
These two items are
on the agenda for this
meeting. John Lawler also met with the committee and discussed requirements for
a new garage. This
discussion will continue at
the next meeting on May 4.
County Board: No report.
OLD BUSINESS:
RECOMMEND addressing the issue of Design Standards, Minor Roads, which would be
sent to Douglas County Zoning
for use when applications
regarding Wascott are being considered. Balcsik/McCann motion to formulate a
resolution to this effect, to be
acted on at the next Town Board Meeting; carried.
AMB BLDG Balcsik stated that, at
the Annual Town Meeting on Saturday, Wascott residents will be voting on half-
UPDATE ownership of the
ambulance land and building and
half-ownership of the new garage. Charles McDermott
attended a Special Gordon Town
Board Meeting today to open bids for a new garage building. He stated that
they were
all set to accept the lowest bid; after remarks from the attendees, they
changed the motion to accept
the bid, pending approval by the Wascott Town Board, Gordon Town Board, and the Ambulance
staff.
NEW BUSINESS:
ZONING 1) Application by Secluded Land Company for an
appeal to the Douglas County Subdivision Ordinance,
Section V,
A., 12, and allow two (2) cul de sacs exceeding 1500 feet.
McCann/Balcsik motion
to concur with the recommendation of the Wascott Plan Commission for an
exception to the 1500-foot limitation by properly positioning
and sizing an additional turn-around
approximately half-way down
each road, providing this meets county standards; carried.
2) Application by Mark
Hanson for an appeal to the Douglas County Shoreland Zoning Ordinance 8.4,
Section IV, Subsection 4.3,
Paragraph 4.31, to reduce the size of an existing non-conforming backlot.
McCann/Balcsik motion
to concur with the Plan Commission recommendation and to defer the decision on
this
application to Douglas County
Zoning.
3)
Application by Dean & Linda Austin for a conditional-use permit for a
seasonal dwelling.
McCann/Balcsik motion
that the Town Board has no objection to this application; carried.
The Town Board has also been informed by the Zoning
Administrator that a name will have to be given to the
private road serving this
property and two other existing properties.
4) Application by William Swanson & LeAnn
Franklin for a conditional-use permit for a seasonal dwelling.
McCann/Balcsik motion that the Town Board has
no objection to this application; carried.
PUBLIC ACCESS Discussion with Stuart Preston/Secluded Land
Company regarding a public access within the Cranberry Cove
development. The DNR would
normally require a 60-foot public access; some towns want it and others don’t.
Since there is an existing
public landing close by, the Plan Commission felt that another landing is not
required. Balcsik/McCann
motion that the town will not require another public landing within the
Cranberry
Cove development; carried.
DRIVEWAY The Wascott Plan Commission recommends that the
Wascott driveway ordinance by amended to include
ORD the following
statement: Any damage to town
equipment, to include fire and ambulance vehicles, is the
responsibility of the homeowner/property owner. McCann/Balcsik motion to
add this amendment to the
existing driveway ordinance; carried. The amended
ordinance will be on the May Town Board Meeting
agenda.
ROAD DESTR The Wascott Plan Commission recommends that the
Town Board adopt a Road Destruction Ordinance,
ORD patterned after the Road Destruction Ordinance
of the Town of Minong, that would meet the needs of the
Town to avoid damages and
repair roadways in the Town. McCann/Balcsik motion to table this item until the
May Town Board Meeting;
carried. Bremanis will write a draft ordinance based on the Minong Ordinance.
LAND The Wascott Building Committee recommends that,
due to the proximity to the Town Hall and the possible
PURCHASE future uses of the property,
the Town Board explore the purchase of the property across from the Town Hall,
and to explore purchasing the
land for less than the stated price, considering the cost of demolition and
removal of the burned house.
In order to pursue this sale, a vote at a Town Meeting will be required.
PA
SYSTEM The Wascott Building
Committee asked Coons Electric for a re-bid of the PA system, taking into
account the
changes requested by the Town
Board. The Committee again recommends the acceptance of the modified bid
from
Coons Electric. McCann/Balcsik motion to table this item until the May Town
Board Meeting.
6:00 P.M. on April 18,
provided this is agreeable to Chairman Bergman.
GRAVEL McCann stated that he received a call from Larry
Radzak of Minong, asking if the town would be interested in
buying gravel from the Frog
Creek gravel pit. Balcsik stated that we are well set for gravel right
now.
PAINTING OF Bergman has received an offer from Steve Dolan,
a new property owner in Wascott, that he would scrape and
TOWN HALL paint the Town Hall at no cost, with the town
supplying the materials. Balcsik/McCann motion to table this
item until the next Town
Board Meeting; carried.
RES 2006-03 McCann/Balcsik motion
to approve Resolution 2006-03, Appointment of Special Registration Deputies,
authorizing the Town Clerk to appoint persons to
help with conducting voter registration; carried.
GUESTS ON THE AGENDA: Terry Turek spoke on behalf of the North
Woods Community Health Center. The doctor at the Minong location has left at
the end of his contract, and the Board of Directors is recruiting a family
practice physician to take his place. They would like a candidate that would
reside in the local area. In the meantime, the clinic will be fully staffed and
operational under the leadership of a nurse practitioner. There will be backup
from the Hayward location if a physician is required. The clinic is also
looking for additional patients, especially concentrating on people who are
currently under-served. Among other things, they offer a reduced-cost
prescription program. The Board of Directors is also looking for additional
board members.
CORRESPONDENCE:
Gordon-Wascott EMS:
Monthly financial report.
PAY BILLS: The Board approved all bills submitted for
payment (checks #16281 through # 16359).
ADJOURNMENT: Balcsik/McCann motion to adjourn at 8:55 P.M.; carried.
Respectfully submitted,
_________________________________
Val
Bremanis – Town Clerk/Treasurer