PREBLE TOWNSHIP

Fillmore County, Minnesota

Preble Township Board Meeting Highlights

The following topics were discussed at the regular meeting of the board of supervisors held on Tuesday, June 15, 2010, beginning at 7PM. Official minutes of this board meeting have not yet been approved.

Township officers attending the meeting were Gerald Peter, Brad Kelly, David Williams, David Larson and Charles Olson. Conrad Obieglo, township road maintenance engineer, attended the meeting. Township residents, Kathy Newman, Lee Newman, Gordon Kallis and Paul Olson also attended the meeting.

Gerald Peter, township president, called the meeting to order and led the discussion.

Topics Discussed

Treasurer's Report

Chuck Olson, treasurer, reported that the township checking account balance at Rushford State Bank was $60,763.61 as of May 31, 2010, after the payment of all May bills. Olson stated that $5,629.14 was expended by the township during May.

Outstanding Bills

The township board reviewed bills received by David Larson since the May meeting. The total amount of outstanding bills, excluding current wages, was $9,309.46. Of this amount, $5,624.05 was payable to quarry operators for road gravel. All outstanding bills were approved for payment.

Drake Road Cartway Maintenance

David Williams provided the township board with a report on the status of the pending litigation over Drake Road cartway maintenance. Judge Terrence Walters, the district court judge overseeing the litigation, issued an order requiring the two townships to participate in mediation to determine if the cartway dispute can be settled without trial. Pursuant to the order, a mediation session involving the participation of Amherst and Preble townships will be held on Thursday, May 17th. The entire Preble Township board will attend the mediation session.

Road Report

Butch Obieglo reported that all township roads have been graded since the May township board meeting. Recent rains have not caused any substantial damage to roads or shoulders. However, gravel has been spread in some areas that have become slick and muddy.

Obieglo has been installing new traffic signs throughout the township, in compliance with federal mandates requiring new and more reflective signage throughout the country.

Gerald Peter reported that he, Williams, Obieglo and Stan Hungerholt met in May at the Arrowhead Road bridge site to discuss options for replacing the bridge. Williams stated that Tom Miles, the county bridge engineer, confirmed that no funds are available in the county-administered township bridge account to cover the cost of replacing the bridge if designed and built by the county. Therefore, if Preble Township elects to replace the bridge, the township will be required to pay the full cost of the replacement.

The township board determined that it would not pay an estimated $150,000 to $200,000 to replace this underused bridge with a full concrete structural replacement. However, the township can use steel culverts as the basis for water passage in a rebuilt bridge structure that would cost not more than $15,000. Since the water channel is a dry run with only occasional rain flow, the steel culvert option is reasonable. The other option would be to close down Arrowhead Road entirely, and not replace the bridge. The township board concluded that Arrowhead Road should remain open and the bridge replaced. The township board approved the option of replacing the water passage portion of the bridge with steel culverts supported with rock and concrete. The existing concrete buttressing and deck framing would remain. A new deck would be constructed, and approaches would be rebuilt.

Election Judge Training

David Larson reported that training of election judges would occur in early August ahead of the August primary election. Paul Spande, Robert Housker and Brad Kelly will be the principal election judges for the primary election.

State Demographer's Estimate

The Minnesota Demographer reported to the township his estimate of the population of Preble Township as of July 1, 2009. R. Thomas Gillaspy estimated the total population of the township at 258 residents with 95 households.

Local Water Management Plan

The Fillmore Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) informed all townships that proposed updating of the existing local water management plan will be considered by the Fillmore County Board of Commissioners on July 13, 2010. A public hearing will be held and everyone is urged to attend the hearing to provide comments to the SWCD and the commissioners.