Cliff Buchan
News Editor

Teachers in Forest Lake could have a new contract in hand soon. All that stands in the way is a vote by the members of the Forest Lake Education Association and ratification of the two-year pact by the ISD 831 School Board.

The teacher vote will come on Thursday, May 24, said FLEA President Tony Harris this week.

Tentative agreement between FLEA and the district was reached following a 15-hour bargaining session with the state Bureau of Mediation Services in St. Paul on Tuesday, May 1. The agreement covers the current school year and the 2012-2013 school year. Teachers are currently working under the terms of the old contract.

If the FLEA membership votes to approve the tentative agreement, it will go to the school board for a ratification vote on Thursday, May 31, the board’s June meeting date, said Superintendent Linda Madsen.

Harris described the settlement proposal as a “fair, equitable accord that will allow the school district to attract and retain high quality teachers so we can continue to provide an outstanding education to all District 831 students.”

Madsen declined comment on the tentative agreement until after FLEA’s membership vote is finalized and the contract can come before the school board.

The Proposal

Teachers can expect to see some new dollars in the form of compensation plus additional district contribution for family health coverage in the second year of the agreement.

In the first year of the agreement, teachers will be granted lanes and step increases, but the steps including longevity are retroactive to only the mid-point of the school year.

Teachers currently on step 12 will receive a lump sum $500 payment.

More changes are part of the second year of the proposed contract.

Steps and lanes remain active, but with a change. The new contract eliminates step one and creates a new step 13 by adding $1000 to the amount listed on the current step 12. The change means a 12-step schedule will be maintained.

The new deal also adds $750 to longevity year 14. The payment is just for teachers who have worked in the district for 14 years or longer.

Health care increases include $75 added to family coverage in the second year due to an expected increase in the premium rates. In the first year, however, there is no increase due to no increase in premium cost to the district.

The proposed agreement involves 467 FLEA members and addresses 429 full-time equivalents who fill teaching roles.

The new contract also rolls in two other labor groups who have previously been outside FLEA’s representation. The new contract will also impact Early Childhood Family Education teachers and teachers in the Adult Basic Education program.

Harris said the two groups include 25 to 30 teachers. In the prior two-year contract, FLEA and the district approved a memorandum of understanding that would allow the two groups to become part of FLEA in the new contract period.

In the contract under which teachers are now working, no salary schedule improvement was bargained. Teacher salaries were frozen in the 2009-2010 school year and staff members did not receive step and lane gains.

Teachers did get step and lane advancements in the 2010-2011 year and medical insurance increases over the contract to match premium increases.

Could Forest Lake’s four-decade relationship with the engineering company now known as Stantec be coming to an end?

That firm has handled engineering duties here starting with Forest Lake Township and continuing through the merger with the city of Forest Lake, but the recent resignation of former City Engineer Ryan Goodman, of Stantec, may have opened the door for the city to at least take a look elsewhere.

At Monday’s Forest Lake City Council meeting, City Administrator Aaron Parrish sought approval to send out a request for proposals for consulting engineering services. The request came shortly after Stantec’s Lee Mann introduced himself to the council as Goodman’s replacement and expressed hopes of long-term continued partnership.

Lengthy discussion resulted in no formal action. Councilwoman Susan Young vowed to abstain from a vote, citing part-time work with an engineering firm that could potentially respond to an RFP. That left Mayor Chris Johnson and councilman Jim DuFour in favor of the request and council members Mike Freer and Jackie McNamara opposed.

Tschida’s View

Forest Lake resident Dick Tschida spoke in favor of retaining Stantec.

“Coming up to speed in engineering is not cheap,” he said. “Having the resources that they have…I’m real concerned about your request for proposal. You might get someone who will nickel and dime you and put the entire community at risk or create a stumbling block.”

Parrish emphasized that the proposal is in no way a reflection of dissatisfaction with Stantec. Seeking other bids would not prevent the city from ultimately choosing to retain Stantec, Parrish also noted.

“I would concur with many of the comments that Mr. Tschida made in terms of historical perspective and continuity and I think that as we go through the process that will be an asset from Stantec’s perspective, but I also think there’s been a lot of conversation out there relative to just doing the appropriate amount of due diligence as we do these things,” Parrish said.

Despite choosing not to vote, Young appeared to back the proposal. She noted that City Attorney David Hebert has been retained after a similar process explored other options.

Both Johnson and Freer acknowledged they were on the fence before making their feelings known.

“I’m really torn on this one, I have to be honest,” Freer said. “I like the idea of going out for the RFP but I also think engineering is one of the critical functions of government and 40 years of history is very, very difficult to replace monetarily…Some things are worth the price, and I’m not sure this is a good idea.”

Parrish’s proposed schedule would have seen the RFP advertised this week with submittals due June 6. Staff would have narrowed the responses to three or four, and a selection committee would have interviewed final candidates before final city council approval on June 25.

Zoning approvals

A pair of zoning-related requests earned unanimous approval from the council. An interim use permit will allow owner Mark Smith of White Bear lake to farm 105 acres behind Menard’s and bordering the Anoka County line. The undeveloped land is currently zoned for highway commercial and mixed residential purposes, but with waning interest on those fronts, Smith wants to farm it for now until the market heats up.

The second request allowed a replatting of lots at the corner of 199th Street North and Fern Glen Lane in the Headwaters Third Addition. The three existing lots will now expand via the incorporation of an empty outlot. The request stemmed from a potential homeowner’s desire to build a large house that would need the extra space.

Community Development Director Doug Borglund said there is interest in bigger lots in the area given the size of houses being built.

“If this is what the market is dictating, I don’t want to stand in the way,” said Mayor Johnson.

Construction update

The detour re-routing westbound traffic starting at the roundabout downtown was set to end this Tuesday, Joe Campbell of Washington County told the council.

Landscaping bids for the Broadway Avenue Corridor came in under estimate, with the one from Peterson Companies of Chisago City being accepted. Sod will soon be installed from 19th Street through 8th Street.

Campbell estimated that the westbound lane will be completed by the end of May, at which time work will commence on the eastbound lane.

EDA talks marina, airport business park

The public has not heard much on the possibility of building a public marina at Lakeside Memorial Park since the topic first surfaced last November but the concept is still swimming.

Johnson provided an update on the idea during Monday’s Economic Development Authority meeting. It was on hold during the city’s recent strategic planning initiative, Johnson said, but is now ready for further discussion. In fact, the city council labeled the project a priority during the strategic planning process.

It will now be up to the EDA on June 11 to decide whether to go forward with a $19,000 feasibility report by Stantec. The money was not budgeted, so it would come out of the EDA’s overall fund balance.

EDA member Mark Finnemann found agreement with his colleagues when he questioned whether the bill could be lowered by having some of the work done by city staff. Stantec’s Mann indicated that could be possible, but the exact division of the duties would need to be hammered out.

Johnson agreed the city could prepare a preliminary overview for the June 11 meeting and the EDA could go from there. He said the marina would stay under 20,000 square feet in order to avoid regulations and costly mandatory studies, and hold about 50 slips.

“You know, when I first heard that they were putting a bridge over Broadway, I thought that was a bad idea, but I think now it’s a nice amenity to add character to the downtown, and maybe, too, a marina would add character that later people would come to appreciate,” Johnson said.

In other items, the EDA took action to fast-track the discussion of whether to establish a tax increment financing (TIF) district to help lure a significant employer to the Airport Business Park. A business is interested in construction a 93,400-square-foot building and will have representation at a joint workshop of the EDA and city council at 6 p.m. next Monday.

“This project represents an opportunity to help a significant employer, create significant tax base and kick-start development in our Airport Business Park,” Parrish wrote in a staff report.

The next two steps required approval on Monday in order to keep the project on its proposed timeline. The EDA voted to set a public hearing on June 24 to consider the adoption of a business subsidy policy and criteria. Members also recommend that the council set a public hearing for that same night to consider establishing the new TIF district. The council did set that hearing at its subsequent meeting on Monday.

It will be a weekend for Legionnaires in Forest Lake.

American Legion Post 225, 355 W. Broadway Ave., is playing host to the Third District Conventions on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

More than 200 Legion members and their spouses and guests are expected to attend, said Krista Goodyear, Post 225 commander. Delegates from 67 Third District Legion posts, Auxiliary units and Sons of the American Legion units will be in Forest Lake.

A pirates theme has been selected for the convention’s opening social event.

The festivities will commence on Friday night with a “Buccaneer Bash” social gathering at 7 p.m.

District delegates will convene on Saturday.

Saturday’s schedule includes the annual business meeting.

Forest Lake Mayor Chris Johnson will be on hand to greet the Legionnaire members on Saturday morning.

Third District Commander Rosemary Niesen of Waconia is slated to attend the convention. Pat Logan from Bayport will be installed as the new district commander during Saturday’s business session.

An evening banquet will cap Saturday’s full agenda of Third District business.

The convention will conclude on Sunday morning with a memorial program at Lakeside Memorial Park where all fallen comrades from the Third District will be remembered. The program starts at 10:30 a.m. and the public is welcome to attend.

Alice Pickering
Wyoming Reporter

There will be no boundary change in the property description for the Peterson Companies land that borders Wyoming and Chisago City.

Administrative Law Judge Raymond R. Krause made the ruling after hearings on the matter closed on April 17. The company’s petition to detach from the city of Wyoming and simultaneously attach to Chisago City was denied.

The ruling by Krause is that things stay as they are.

The company still has its business located on Wyoming Trail, with roughly half of it located in Wyoming and half in Chisago City. The property and buildings lie partially within both municipalities after a rebuilding project was completed this spring replacing quarters lost in a fire in March of 2011.

After the fire, the company located temporarily in Columbus. They sought incentives to stay in their original location. Their main concerns were duplications of costs related to building and use permits, and the required inspections because the property is governed by two municipalities.

Krause’s written decision listed findings of fact from the hearings.

Chisago County and Chisago City offered tax relief to the company in return for the company rebuilding at its home location. Wyoming did not offer incentives.

In the meantime, the two cities approved a joint powers agreement whereby Wyoming delegated authority for issuing all permits, code enforcement, inspection and fees to Chisago City “in perpetuity” for the Peterson land parcel.

When Peterson Companies determined Wyoming was not going to offer incentives, the owners petitioned to detach the 7.5 acre parcel from Wyoming and attach it to Chisago City. They wanted a boundary adjustment which would put all the property in Chisago City.

The Chisago City Council agreed to take the property through annexation.  However, the Wyoming City Council voted against any proposed detachment of the land  from the city.

With no incentives forthcoming from Wyoming, the company began discussion with both cities about a boundary adjustment which would place the property in Chisago City.

The company filled a petition with the Minnesota Boundary Adjustment Unit to be separated from Wyoming and attached to Chisago City, but the mediation did not work.

The matter was assigned to the administrative law judge in January.

In the meantime Peterson Companies chose to rebuild offices and equipment storage space on the original location on Wyoming Trail. The optimal location for the new building on the site meant the boundary line for the cities cuts through the building. Permits for the building project were issued by Chisago City per the joint powers agreement with Wyoming.

The Ruling

In his ruling Krause observed that both cities have similar populations, land area, geography, and zoning ordinances. Neither city has plans to extend water or sewer service to the property, but both have similar capacity to do so in the future.

Mutual aid and jurisdictional agreements between the two cities stand regarding street maintenance, fire protection and police protection. Because of the joint powers agreement, there is no impact on the state building code.

The loss of tax revenue to Wyoming would be small, but there is no other benefit to the city for losing this. The company would gain because of the incentives. Chisago City would not have benefits, at least right away, because of the tax abatement promised to the company.

In the memorandum attached to the ruling Krause wrote that minimal harm to Wyoming is not the criterion. He referenced Minn. Stat. ß414.061 subd. 5., that the detachment and concurrent annexation must be in the “best interests of both municipalities and the property owner.”

On that basis Krause denied the Peterson Companies petition.

Administrative and legal costs are to be split equally between Chisago City, Wyoming and Peterson Companies.

During a decade of running a downtown restaurant, there was one thing about Charlie Carpenter that few diners would dispute. He had the best bread pudding in town.

Owning a restaurant was not first nature to Carpenter, but he took to the business with passion. Carpenter, who spent 10 years in Forest Lake with Charlie’s Place, passed away Monday, May 7, 2012. He was 91.

Carpenter spent most of his work life as a machinst and tool and die maker. That changed in 1979 when he purchased the Square Peg Restaurant in Minneapolis which he ran for just under four years.

Long a Forest Lake resident, Carpenter elected to stay at home. He sold his Minneapolis eatery in 1983 and purchased the Lakeview Inn & Deli which had started as a pie shop. He changed the name to Charlie’s Place and spent the next decade serving food and that famous bread pudding.

How good was it? On one occasion the taste editor of the Minneapolis Star and Tribune wrote to Carpenter asking for the recipe which the editor said would be published. He declined the offer, saying perhaps he would share it at a later time.

“It took many years of experimenting and refining to arrive at a recipe like that,” Carpenter told the Forest Lake Times.

The legacy of Charlie’s Place continues today. After he left the downtown eatery, the restaurant became Bernie’s Cafe and then Dona Le’s Cafe. Downtown redevelopment brought an end to Dona Le’s but its legacy continued with what is today Carly’s Cafe one block south.

About Carpenter

Charles Lee “Charlie” Carpenter was born in Deer Lodge, MT on March 15, 1921. He was in ninth grade when his family moved to Minnesota.

Following his retirement from the restaurant business, he spent time tending to his lawn and flower gardens. He still spent time in the kitchen making baked goods that became gifts to friends.

A funeral service was Friday, May 11 at Forest Lake  Christian Church. Interment was at Cedar Hill Cemetery, Forest Lake.

He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Donna; children, Ken (Joanne), Larry, Terri (Randy) Cohrs, Jody (Neil) Cowdin; four grandchildren, Kyle Griffin, Corissa Hermsen, Kelsea Chamberlin and Jennifer Carpenter; siblings, Luella Poe, Effie Peterson Mary Walsten.

He was preceded in death by his parents; one daughter, Janine Marie; four siblings, Mae Baxter, Emery Carpenter, Calvin Carpenter and Dave Carpenter.

Mary Bailey
Scandia Reporter

The resignation of City Engineer Ryan Goodman of Stantec will delay the discussion of how to repair a deteriorating road near Bone Lake.

At their Tuesday, May 8 work session the Scandia City Council voted to discuss Melanie Trail options at the June 18 capital improvements meeting, beginning at 7 p.m..

The meeting was originally scheduled for May 22.

Invitations to the June 18 meeting will be mailed to Melanie Trail residents.

Stantec has proposed that Phil Gravel replace Goodman as Scandia’s city engineer.

Gravel was the team leader for both Goodman and his predecessor, Paul Hornby.

“I’m not going anywhere—I’ll be here as long as you’d like me to be,” Gravel said. The transition would be at no cost to the city, he added.

The street patching/seal coating project will not be delayed.  City sewer projects will also continue as scheduled.

City Leader

Also at the May meeting, the council met with Sharon Klumpp of Springsted to discuss the qualifications they want in a new city administrator.

Scandia has contracted with Springsted to find a replacement for City Administrator Anne Hurlburt, who is retiring in October.

 Committee Meets

A new group charged with advising the council on city sewer matters met for the first time on Thursday, May 10.

Hurlburt presented an overview of the three septic systems:  one serving the Scandia Community Center, Elim Lutheran Church, and downtown businesses, and two serving residents of Big Marine Lake.

Engineers Clint Jordahl of Stantec and Brian Malm of Bolton & Menk were on hand to answer questions.

Committee members present were Chris Ness and Jim Schneider (council), Steven Philippi (planning commission), Moose Malmquist (Elim Church/Gammelgarden Museum), Wayne Schmitt (Schmitt Mall), Holly Kaufhold (Scandia Café), and residents Michael Peterson, Daniel Cartier, Brad Bergo and Doug Salmela.

City Treasurer Colleen Firkus and new Maintenance Superintendent Tim Keifer were also at the meeting. Ness was elected committee chair and Schneider vice chair.

Martin Lake and Typo Lake in Linwood Township are now set to get carp barriers installed. Their purpose is to prevent seasonal movements of carp between Martin Lake and the much shallower Typo Lake where they spawn.

At the Tuesday, May 8 Linwood Town Board meeting, supervisors agreed that the township will assume ownership of the barriers and responsibilities for the inspection and periodic cleaning of debris. The barriers are to be installed at four points in the stream between the lakes.

Action took place after a presentation by Jamie Schurbon, water resource specialist with the Anoka Conservation District. About 20 residents from Martin Lake attended as a cheering section.

Shurbon’s presentation included a map showing the southern end of Typo Lake, the north inlet of Martin Lake at Typo Creek Drive, the south inlet of Martin Lake, which drains Island Lake, and the Martin Lake outlet. Installation of the barriers is scheduled for 2012-2013.

Design of each barrier is suited to the specific location. Cleaning requirements are related to the design. Horizontal screens will block the outlet to Typo Lake.  At Typo Creek Drive, three of the five-foot culverts will have vertical risers with grated covers, and perforations for water to pass through them.

Pivoting bars will be added to the culvert at the south inlet to Martin Lake.  At the Martin Lake outlet, there will be two sets of bars — a vertical pivoting set which allows debris to pass, and a horizontal set, pitched slightly downward on the downstream edge to prevent fish from swimming downstream.

Explanations were necessary so the board would understand what it was committing township employees and volunteers to complete. The pictures of both barrier design and procedures for cleaning them were explained, as well as suggested frequency. Shurbon had estimates for inspection and cleaning times for each of the barriers in a best, worst, and most likely scenario.

Seasonal times vary due to water levels and debris. Most of the cleaning will be during summer, from mid-May to the end of September.

In the beginning, Shurbon assumed there might be a learning curve as staff learned and had some volunteer assistance. Inspections are likely to take about 1.5 hours per week in the spring and an hour a week in the summer and fall.

Barrier cleaning was estimated to average about 30 minutes. The total annual time for cleaning, inspections, and operations will likely be under 40 hours. In a best case this might be about 28 hours, with a worst case estimate of 60 hours a year.

Supervisors approved a resolution assuming ownership and maintenance of the carp barriers by a vote of 5-0.

Supervisor Phil Osterhus suggested maintenance employees could dedicate up to four hours weekly to the inspection and cleaning. Volunteers might be able to help township workers.

The Sunrise River Water Management Organization secured grants to help pay for the barriers. Shurbon urged installation soon while the grants are in effect, so if corrections are needed, funds will be available.

By a 5-0 vote, the board authorized Shurbon to apply for the necessary permits.

Road Work

Supervisors accepted the bid from Knife River Corporation to provide services and materials for the 2012 Street Maintenance Project. Street overlays are planned on 201st Place and  202nd Lane, west of Viking Blvd., and 234th Ave. from Cornell Street to Ryan Lake Drive. The surface from Sunrise Road from Ryan Lake Drive to Fawn Lake Drive will be milled and paved.

There were six bids.  Knife River’s was the low bid, at $260,556.94. The estimate for the work was $277,000. The company has completed work in the township before. The recommendation to accept the bid came from the road and bridge committee.

In a memorandum, Engineer Craig Jochum reported a site visit of 227th Lane NE, where the township right-of-way has been cleared. Jochum suggested shallow ponds in areas along the street, in lieu of bituminous curb.

This would increase the cost of the street repairs. The road is to be surfaced with Class-5 gravel.

Osterhus wants to determine how much savings in grading costs results by using calcium chloride on the graveled streets. Use of the chemical keeps the surface sold and there is less dust. There appears to be less grading on these roads, but Osterhus wants some solid numbers. It costs $1,250 to put the calcium chloride on one mile of road.

Park Cameras

Quotes were received from two companies to provide cameras for surveillance at Four Seasons Park. There have been repeated incidents of extensive  vandalism in the park.

There is a wide difference in the quotes to provide cameras on the north and south of the pole barn, on the warming house, and outside the recycling shed.  Supervisors plan to check on other features and services available before a final purchase decision is made.

Great River Update

Great River Energy met with the East Bethel Planning Commission on the evening of the Linwood meeting. Peter Schaub, Great River representative, sent a memo to the township that he will meet again with township officials when there is concrete information about the high voltage power line route to the Martin Lake substation.

It seems likely the line will enter Linwood Township on Durant St., then go east along Fawn Lake Drive, then south along Sunset Road, to CR-26, then west to Typo Creek Drive.

Other Topics

Two Boy Scouts have planned Eagle Scout projects for the Linwood Community and School Forest

Brandon Summers is planning trail signs and a bench for the park. Jared Dulluhn built 35 field boxes and donated them to the Forest for students to use while taking notes or drawing while in the forest.

Town Board Chair Mike Parker reported a logo contest for the park. Six Linwood students have been selected finalists. Students will vote to determine the winner. The winner will be announced at Linwood Family Fun Day and receive a plaque in recognition.

Vendors can rent spaces for $13 at Broadbent Field for the Saturday flea markets. The most recent Saturday there were six vendors, but enthusiasm about the site and promises to spread the word to other vendors. Rental funds are added to the Family Fun Day Fund.

Supervisor Mike Halliday wants the staff to investigate the difference between the $500 a month for animal control against what is actually spent per month. He observed that the actual costs have been below the amount actually spent.

Other Business

In other business, the board:

•Approved payment of the May 8 bills at $11,715.94.

•Received comparisons of the cell tower fees received in communities surrounding Linwood from Attorney Randall. This will help determine reasonable lease fees for cell tower space.

•Approved the petty cash report and accepted the financial report for April.

•Approved minutes of the April 24 board meeting.

•Learned 90 people brought animals to the pet clinic. Supervisors are revisiting the township ordinance to address the expiration date for dog licenses, so license lasts a year from the date of issue.

•Learned that the dog recently declared a potentially dangerous dog was euthanized.

•Learned that the township deposited $7000 from the recent recycling day.

•Learned that the Anoka County Conservation District donated bare root trees for recycling day.