Town Board Meeting
May 9th, 2017 at 7:00 P.M.
Manitowish Waters Community Center
Meeting called to order at 7:00p.m.
Present: Town Chairman John Hanson and Board Supervisors Bob Becker and Mike Kramer.
Approval of Agenda as posted on April 7th, 2017. Approved on motion from Bob Becker and seconded Mike Kramer. Motion carried.
Approval of Minutes of March 13th, April 11th, and April 18th, 2017. Approved on motion from Bob Becker and seconded by Mike Kramer. Motion Carried.
Visitors Present: The meeting was attended by 33 citizens.
Subjects from floor: Joe Mazur requested that buoys be placed prior to Opening Fishing weekend when the water levels allow for a busy opening weekend. Chair Hanson said he would discuss the problem with Town Crew Foreman, Jerry Blach.
Terry and Carol Schott expressed concern about the Sunday afternoon Music in the Park traffic that comes speeding around the corner into Koller Park bay. They noted that people are often in the water swimming and the situation has become dangerous. Additionally, the shoreline is taking a beating due to the heavy, full-speed traffic. Chair Hanson asked Barry Hopkins, (present in the audience), if an announcement could be made at Music in the Park, to which Hopkins agreed. Water Patrol will also engage in addressing the issue, and safety buoys will be looked into.
John Butler urged the Board to borrow money or do whatever it takes to complete the bike trail connection from Tower Road to Manitowish River Access Road to get bikers off Highway 51. Hanson agreed it was definitely a safety issue and the Board would consider it. To date, the postcard solicitation has brought in 4 donations, totaling less than $500 for a $47,000 project.
Agenda Items Requested to Speak On: Kevin Griffith requested to speak on the Slow No Wake Request for Portion of Channel between Fawn and Stone Lakes agenda item. Bob Skrobot, Kim Kost, Barry Hopkins and Tom Joseph asked to comment on the Multi Purpose Trail Master Plan for Manitowish Waters. Kim Kost and Kevin Griffith wish to discuss the Request for 25 MPH Limit through Downtown Manitowish Waters. Kim Kost requested the opportunity to speak on the Appoint Planning Commission Commissioners agenda item and the Parks and Bike Trail Report Standing Committee Review items.
Addendum
--Convene and adjourn the BOR until Wednesday, July 12th, 2017 at 9:00am: Chair Hanson called the Board of Review, (BOR), to order and entertained a motion to adjourn the BOR to Wednesday, July 12th, 2017 at 9:00am. A motion was made by Mike Kramer and seconded by Bob Becker, to adjourn the BOR to July 12th, 2017 at 9:00am. Motion carried.
Old Business:
-- Slow No Wake Request for Portion of Channel between Fawn and Stone Lakes: Hanson reported that a process has to be followed, beginning with a hearing and then making a recommendation to the DNR. The DNR has final approval before the request can be realized. Hanson recommended having the hearing on June13th at 6:00pm, just prior to the monthly Board Meeting. A motion was made by Bob Becker to schedule a hearing on the Slow No Wake request on June 13th at 6:00pm, and seconded by Mike Kramer. Motion carried.
New Business:
--Multi Purpose Trail Master Plan for Manitowish Waters: Chair Hanson briefly explained a map on display, depicting a variety of trails, both existing and proposed, for a range of uses. Hanson went on to share that the Parks and Trails Committee recommended adopting the entire plan, which at the time, did not include the ATV/UTV trail. Following a considerable amount of discussion, predominantly about the ATV/UTV trail, a motion was made by Mike Kramer and seconded by Bob Becker to approve the plan as shown, including the ATV/UTV. Motion carried.
--Request for 25 MPH Limit through Downtown Manitowish Waters: Hanson has received multiple requests to drop the speed limit through downtown Manitowish Waters to 25 MPH. He went on to explain that an Engineering Study needs to be done prior to requesting a speed limit change. The fee for this would be roughly $4,000. Following discussion and public comment, it was agreed that this is a serious concern. A motion was made by Bob Becker and seconded by Mike Kramer to pay the $4,000 to have the study performed. Motion carried.
--Appoint Airport Committee: Bob Becker has been on the Airport Committee, along with John Hanson as a Town Board Representative. Hanson stated that he would like to step down, leaving Bob Becker as the Town Board Representative, and appoint Tom Ahonen to fill John’s place. Hanson went on to point out examples of various things Tom has already done to benefit the Airport. A motion was made by Bob Becker and seconded by Mike Kramer to appoint Tom Ahonen to the Airport Committee. Motion carried.
--Appoint Planning Commission Commissioners: The terms of existing Commissioners, Henry Bauers and Dan Johns Jr. are up for renewal. As no other applicants have been received, a motion was made by Mike Kramer and seconded by Bob Becker to reappoint Bauers and Johns. Motion carried.
--Transfer Station Rates: Following a workshop earlier in the day, it was agreed that non-resident pickup loads of brush would be increased to $5 per load and $10 per load for double high loads.
--Transfer Station Brush Pile Limits: We are looking to increase the current 6”diameter limit on brush to 24”diameter by 20’length. There is still a bit of research to be gathered with regard to this matter and the limits will be determined in the near future.
--Modify Room Tax Ordinance as it Relates to State Reporting Requirements: With the new State quarterly reporting requirements, the verbiage of our existing ordinance will need to be updated to include the new requirements. A motion was made by Mike Kramer and seconded by Bob Becker to adopt the new state requirements into the existing ordinance. Motion carried.
Standing Committee Review:
--Vouchers: Vouchers for April 11th = $48,238.12, April 25th vouchers = $13,220.47, and May 9th, 2017 = $34,299.32. A motion was made by John Hanson and seconded by Bob Becker to approve the vouchers. Motion carried.
--P & L/Bank Balances: P&L’s were provided to the Board in writing.
--Airport Report: Reports were provided to the Board in writing. Fuel sales are up. The Airport has been quiet otherwise.
--Road Report: Provided to the Board in written form. Road sweeping is complete. Our new Parks employee was in attendance and introduced to the group. The Town of Manitowish Waters welcomes Rick Wilson.
--Bike Trail Report: Covered under previous discussion. Kim Kost asked what was going to happen with the spur connecting to Mercer, to which Hanson responded that no action could be taken at the meeting because it was not on the agenda, however a Special Town Board meeting will probably be called to take action on just that so we can get going on it. Kim asked if the donor had been approached with regard to just that portion of the trail. Hanson responded that he had not spoken with the donor, but he would do everything possible to save the taxpayers’ money, as always
--Parks Report: Chair Hanson stated that boat ramp construction at Rest Lake Park has started and could be ready to use by early June. The originally intended 12 boat/trailer parking slips will be cut back to 8 designated parking slips, with additional parking available along the road side if needed.
--Transfer Station: Already covered under previous agenda items.
Correspondence: None
Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 7:52 pm
Respectfully Submitted,
Dana Hilbert
Clerk/Treasurer