Administration Committee

The Village Administration Committee met on Monday, June 12 at 4:30 p.m. in the Village Board room, 316 Brad Street S, Grantsburg, WI 54840. Present: Chairman/President Terrance Kucera Trustee Greg Peer Trustee Hank Java Others: Clerk/Treasurer Sheila Meyer DPW John Erickson Trustee Diane Barton Trustee John McNally Trustee DJ Henderson Watercross Kim Nelson, Ben & Nicki Peterson President Kucera called the Administration Committee Meeting to order at 4:30 p.m. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. Kim Hallberg & Nicki Peterson – Memory Lake & Watercross Kim provided an overview on the future of Watercross in Grantsburg. Right now, the lake is two feet deep in some areas, the International Watercross Association (IWA) needs the water seven to ten feet deep for safety purposes. Brainerd, MN would like to have the race and if no progress is made to the lake, the IWA may have no choice but to move it there. The IWA has offered manpower to assist with any projects to improve the lake as they too want the event to stay in Grantsburg. Kim emphasized that the event brings lots of people to the area that spend money in our community, and she feels it is very important for the Village to work with the Watercross group and IWA in any way to make sure the event can continue in Grantsburg. Ben admitted that he dropped the ball on working with the DNR to assist the Village in investigating dredging options after the Village gave him permission to be an authorized Village representative to communicate with the DNR. He said the DNR only wants to speak to an engineer regarding the issues with the lake. Ben did voice concern on removing the dam as that will cause further sediment and erosion issues. President Kucera assured the group there is no talk of removing the dam. Trustee McNally indicated a flooding event in 2005 resulted in the largest amount of sediment to be deposited in the lake which began to cause the depth issues and safety concerns. He asked if the Village could be exempt from the DNR management of the lake. He also explained that any process with the DNR takes time and thought that a dredging project could likely take more than a year to be approved and completed. Ben suggested that the Village tell the DNR they are going to dredge the lake with or without the DNR’s permission. Also, he thought it would be worth having an attorney review the situation and see what options the Village has. Clerk/Treasurer Meyer indicated such action may cause financial concerns for the Village in regard to fines, low interest loan options, and/or grant eligibility. The committee further discussed options for dredging the lake. It was suggested to work with the Army Corp of Engineers as part of an application process as they may be more helpful than the DNR. Trustee Barton suggested to speak with Duke Tucker since he has DNR board members coming for a visit, maybe it would be worth them looking at the lake and providing suggestions for next steps. Clerk/Treasurer Meyer asked if Ben would be willing to use his equipment to remove and haul away the material from the lake should the Village be granted permission to do so. He agreed. The Watercross group plans to cut weeds in the lake the weekend before Watercross and it was suggested that the Public Works crew draw down the lake so pictures can be taken to show landscape issues. The committee asked Clerk/Treasurer Meyer to contact the Army Corp of Engineers, DPW Erickson to work with the Watercross group for the draw down and pictures, Trustee McNally to speak with Duke Tucker as to when the DNR board will be visiting, and the committee will plan to meet with the Watercross group monthly so that the progress on lake improvement can continue. No motions were made. Kennel license application Clerk/Treasurer Meyer gave an overview of the kennel license application to be heard at the Plan Commission meeting and the Village Board meeting. No motions were made. President Kucera adjourned the meeting at 5:21 p.m. Allison Longhenry Deputy Clerk/Treasurer