Author Archives: Katie Krejci

Board Meeting, November 10, 2008

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MINUTES-NEW DOSEY TOWN BOARD REGULAR MEETING-NOV. 10, 2008

Meeting called to order at 7:30 p.m. by Chair Dave Fornengo, Also present were Supervisors Don Mishler and Dave Baker, Treasurer Vicki Elliott, Clerk Fran Levings, Joe Alberio, Trail & Waterways Specialist, Al Wolf and Todd Elliott.

Motion by Dave Baker, second by Don Mishler, to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of the Board on October 15, 2008, as printed. Carried

Joe Alberio, Trail & Waterways Specialist with the Department of Natural Resources, Moose Lake, Minnesota made and presentation and answered questions. He said that with the elimination of the Pine County Land Department, there will be more work for the State now. State forest trails are closed now for deer rifle season. He said a study is being conducted about opening the Munger Trail to ATVs and motorcycles in addition to snowmobiles. The state is looking at the environmental impact of this move. He provided a map of the Munger Trail in New Dosey Township (attached to file copy of these minutes). He asked if the Munger Trail was on the right-of-way on township roads. Dave Baker responded that the question of whether or not roads are township roads is a problem for the Township. Supervisor Baker went on to explain the proposed legislation the Board has submitted to the Mn Ass’n of Townships for review. Dave Fornengo suggested treating the Munger Trail as a “minimum maintenance” road. Mr. Alberio said the State would have assistance available. Dave Baker explained what the Township did about opening up 1 and ½ miles on the School House Road. Mr. Alberio said that the State has an interest in having the Munger Trail be public access. He asked if roads could be gated. Dave Baker said not if a road is considered to be a town road. Mr. Alberio said the State must have an agreement with the Township on the status of the Munger Trail. Dave Fornengo expressed a concern that landowners on the Munger Trail going south of Hwy. 32 would ask for plowing from the Township if this part of the Munger Trail is diverted. Mr. Alberio said he will send an agreement from the State to the Township to be placed on a future agenda. The Board thanked him for his time and input.

Treasurer Vicki Elliott presented the Treasurer’s Report. (Attached to file copy)

Fund Balances are: General Fund $22,831.55

Road & Bridge (7,027.99)

Cemetery (186.62)

Fire Protection (3,500.00)

Fire Hall 309.07

Cartway-Proffit, et.al 4739.09

CDs $70.079.23

Discussion ensued as to the financial shortfalls of the Township. Treasurer Elliott said that 2 state finance deposits and the second half of the property taxes will come in before the end the year. Motion by Dave Fornengo, second by Dave Baker, to approve the Treasurer’s Report. Carried.

Clerk Fran Levings then presented a preliminary budget report. She said there are too many variables at this time to prepare a line item budget- the levy was raised for 2009, therefore, we will have more income and the gas tax will rise in 2009. She suggested making some changes at the annual meeting. These could include publishing notices in only one newspaper, lowering the amount given for Contracts for Services, a salary freeze, and implementing a mail-in voting procedure for elections. Treasurer Vicki Elliott said she will bring information on the Perpetual Care program that Arna Township uses for its cemetery expenses.

Clerk Levings presented the Claims List for Approval and the Net Pay for Employees list (Attached to file copy) Motion by Dave Baker, second by Don Mishler, to pay these bills. Carried.

CLERK’S REPORT:

1. Presidential election results for our township: McCain- 26 votes, Obama-14

votes, Nader-1 vote. (The entire township summary sheet is on file at the town hall).

2. 28 persons have paid to have private drives plowed this winter.

ZONING REPORT:

1. Land Use permit # 60 was issued to Robert Flipp (one of the Hessler cabins) to put on an addition.

2. Sent letter to Don Sears about moving a building on to his property on the Rash Road.

OLD BUSINESS:

1. Allen Wolf distributed handouts on the wind velocity in our town site.

2. Todd Elliott reported that all of the required road work for 2008 has been done except for some ditching.

3. Dave Fornengo reported that the fuel containment device has been delivered to the town hall.

NEW BUSINESS:

1. Dave Baker reported that the proposed legislation of the Township was approved by the Pine County Township Officers at their Oct. 25, 2008, meeting. Clerk Levings reported that she learned at the meeting that the Arrowhead Transit Company will begin bus service from Cloverton, Duxbury, and Markville to Sandstone and Pine City in January, 2009. The bus will come out here on Tuesdays. She also said that PHASE will be doing the recycling for the County now.

2. Dave Baker reported that he, Micheal Hanson and Don Proffit, met with a Wetlands Consultant,Jim Warren, from Duluth on November 6th . Supervisor Baker gave the following information to the Board and will present it again at the next Cartway Hearing. Mr. Warren found considerable problems with Option # 1. He then examined the route suggested by Jerry Hanson (a combination of Options 1 & 2). He said mitigation here would be at a minimum. He said the Township could re-assert an interest in the old town road. It is possible that the Town’s interest in the cartway could alleviate the costs of mitigation. Supervisor Baker plans to consult with attorney Jay Squires about this. The work itself could be done with wheelers, etc. The cartway could be built in such a way as to minimize the effects of construction on the wetlands. This route, however, stops at Don Proffit’s property. Something would have to be constructed then to get to Jerry Hanson’s property. Mr. Warren not only looked at the wetlands situation, but also at how the cartway would be built- it should be built with little wetlands impact. Motion by Dave Fornengo, second by Don Mishler, to set the next Cartway Hearing for December 6th (subject to change) at 10 a.m. in the Town Hall. Carried. The clerk will notify the participants.

Meeting adjourned at 10:03 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Fran Levings, Clerk

Also signed by the Chair ___________________________

Date signed ______________________________________

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November 2008 – Jan Streiff

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FEATURED RESIDENT-NOVEMBER- 2008

Way back in the forest off one of the roads here in our little township, in an off-the-grid,one-room cabin lives a 65 year- old woman who “took to the woods” back in the early ‘70s and has never regretted it.

Jan Streiff was born in LaCrosse, Wisconsin (yes, she proudly admits to being a “cheesehead”), on July 29, 1943. Her parents were Darlene and Mel Streiff and she has one brother.

Jan’s dad served in World War II and while he was gone, the family moved to Rochester to be near his family. Jan attended all 12 years of school there.

Upon high school graduation in 1963, she served with the Peace Corps in Mexico, where she was a community organizer- teaching women how to cook nutritionally, giving medical shots, etc., and even, shooing the chickens out of the kitchen.

After that she attended Mankato State University for one year, but, succumbing to an urge to travel, she spent a year and a half in Europe and Israel, where she lived on a kibbutz.

Upon returning to the States, it was back to Mankato State where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in education. She taught first at a private Unitarian Church school (grades 4 and 6), then taught science, civics, AP English, and health at the Diver-Eyota School just outside of Rochester.

After realizing that she wasn’t satisfied with teaching, she followed a dream of always wanting to go into anthropology. It had always, she says, been in the back of her mind.

In 1968, she signed up for the Archaeology Field School at the University of Minnesota, always thinking she would be the next Margaret Mead. After one year in this program, Jan was hired as a teaching assistant at the University. She eventually was made the permanent director of the U.of M. School of Anthropology. It was shortly after this that Jan discovered that she liked “dead” people more than” live” people- their bodies anyway. She wanted to dig up artifacts and become an archaeologist.

She spent 25 years, off and on, as an archaeologist, mostly working in the Upper Midwest. Two of those years were spent with the Army Corps of Engineers.

It was in 1972 while working with a field crew at an archaeology site west of Pine City on the Snake River that Jan met a realtor who introduced her to some land for sale in New Dosey Township. She was amazed by the beaver pond and trees on the 40 acres that she saw. She snatched it up on a contract for deed, quit the Corps and lived in a tent on money she had saved, for 2 years and built her cabin. She used her home in Cloverton as a weekend get-away for many years before moving up here permanently in the 1990s.

Jan has always been an athletic, outdoors person. She lettered in 5 sports in high school. While in Europe, she skied the Alps. She has gone on camping and canoeing trips for 48 years to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.

In October, 2000, just after returning from a kayaking trip on the Sea of Cortez in Mexico, a “bit of a blow” ( her words) was delivered to this intelligent, active, and fiercely independent woman. She had her first symptom of unexplained dizziness and was eventually diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Her cabin had burned down 2 days prior to this.

Jan had been working weekends for Target Stores in Minneapolis and, even though she worked only part time, they kept her health coverage going.

She rebuilt her home and continued working for Target for another 3 years. During this time, she also worked as the director of Community Education, first for the East Central School District, then over at Pequot Lakes. She fully retired in 2003.

Jan is one of the strongest people in our community. She has fought her disease with determination and grit- doing everything from chemotherapy to swimming laps weekly in order to keep her muscles working.

She is tenacious, bright, and abrasive at times, but she has insisted on living her life by her own light and our community admires and respects her for that.