DATE: February 10, 2006
PLACE:
UW-Extension ETN West Square Building
Meeting called to order by Chair Wiese at 1:02 p.m. It was certified that the requirements of the open meeting law have been met. Present were Zowin, Lehman, Wiese, Borleske, Cassity, and Prem from the Committee; Van Berkel, Pohle, and Greve -LCD.
Adopt agenda: Motion by Borleske/Lehman to adopt the agenda.
Motion carried, all in favor.
Committee Chair Wiese welcomed those who had come to speak at the public hearing and explained the procedures that would be followed for the hearing and meeting.
Van Berkel read the public hearing notice as published.
Mark Blakeslee gave a brief history of the Mirror Lake Association and the background for their request to establish a Mirror Lake Protection District.
Kurt Muchow of Vierbecher & Associates, acting as consultants for the Lake Association, provided technical information on the development of the proposed district.
Wiese called for testimony in favor of the establishment of a lake management district. Testifying in favor were:
Wiese then asked for those testifying in opposition:
None
Wiese asked for testimony from those speaking "as interests may appear". Dale Loomans - sports person. Voiced concerns regarding potential loss of wild rice beds and duck habitat.
Catherine Sperl - owner at Pine Cove Condominiums and Treasurer of Mirror Lake Association reported that the condominium owners have signed a petition in favor of the creation of a district.
Larry Fish - resident of Town of Delton questioned the boundaries of the district and the inclusion of properties that do not drain to the lake and concerns regarding the protection of the wild rice beds.
George and Karen Tilden, Pat and Ron Shaw, Ann Peterson, and Juan Mendez did not wish to speak but registered favor.
Van Berkel read a list of written comments received. All were in support of the creation of a district. Individuals submitting written statements in support were: Bruce Blakeslee; Meghan Larson; James and Kathryn Rehwald; Hazel and Janet Estervig; Dr. David Clemens; William Steinhoff; Leigh Blakeslee; Robert and Barbara Gustafson; Thaddeus Wiitanen; Tim and Adele Gustafson; Sarah Follett; David, Amy, Robin, Corte and Chase Peterson; Laura O'Rourke; Don and Donna Marisch; James Hutchison; Ken Stevens; Ronald and Shirley Wick; Greg Gustafson and Family; and Kimberly Zeier. A letter of support was also received from the Lake Delton Sportsman's Club. Copies of resolutions of support were received from the Town of Delton and Town of Dellona.
Muchow answered questions from the Committee regarding the establishment of the boundaries, the relationship with lands in a TIF district, and DNR land assessments.
Wiese called for any other comments. Hearing none, the public hearing
was officially closed on a motion by Cassity/Borleske.
Motion
carried, all in favor.
Zowin reported that the Village of Lake Delton had not yet passed a resolution in support.
Van Berkel reported on the Committee timeline and obligations of both the Committee and the full County Board. He reported that the petition has the required signatures and appears to be in order but that the lack of a resolution from the Village limits possible Committee actions. The Committee choices are to reject the petition, approve the petition but eliminate the parcels located within the Village or delay action. He recommended the Committee delay action to allow the resolution of the boundary between the Lake Association and the Village. Other points he felt the Committee should consider were the fact that not all of the present district drains to the lake and the fact that the boundary excludes the Peppertree Condominiums which do contribute runoff to the lake but are not a part of the proposed district. Muchow explained the reasoning behind excluding Peppertree and said they are presently working with the Village to redraw the boundary to obtain Village approval.
Motion by Zowin/Cassity to postpone action anticipating the Village of Lake Delton will pass a resolution in support of the establishment of a district.
Motion carried, all in favor.
Motion by Borleske/Cassity to adopt the minutes of the regular
LCC meeting on January 12.
Motion carried, all in favor.
There was none.
Cassity noted that state law requires that one member of the LCC serve on lake district boards. Van Berkel reported that Interim County Administrator, Kathy Schauf, had already spoken to him about this issue. The County had fallen out of compliance when they transferred John Bernien's appointment to these boards to the new supervisor from that district, Marty Krueger. Because Krueger was doing an excellent job in the role and the appointment was to end with the April reorganization, it was agreed to delay corrective action until the April Board meeting.
Van Berkel reported that he attended the conservation lobbying day recently and met with Sauk County legislators. He stated that maybe next year it would be beneficial to have a LCC member attend also.
Prem reported that there are a lot of Conservation Reserve Program contracts expiring. Applicants reapplying will be paying a filing fee to cover an inspection cost to assure that trees were removed as required in their previous CRP contract. The Direct Countercyclical Payments are continuing to be processed by FSA.
Motion by Zowin/Borleske to approve the list of training events.
Motion carried, all in favor.
Voucher summaries were distributed to the Committee members. Motion by Zowin/Borleske to approve 2005 and 2006 vouchers with a combined total amount of $4,063.95.
Motion carried, all in favor.
Van Berkel informed the LCC that Corporation Counsel reviewed the ordinance that was presented previously to the Committee. The changes from their review were formatting changes, nothing regarding content. Van Berkel recommended the Committee announce the public hearing to be held in March and then plan on making any necessary revisions for the April LCC and County Board. This will allow for approval before the construction season. Motion by Zowin/Cassity to approve the revisions and that the ordinance be brought to public hearing to be held at 1:00 p.m. as a part of the March 7 committee meeting.
Motion carried, all in favor.
Gurney presented the resolution needed to amend the Agricultural Preservation Plan to allow for planned unit developments and conservation subdivisions in Sauk County. The state Land and Water Conservation Board approved the plan earlier this week. The passage of these revisions will be an important step toward implementing this proposal as requested by the towns in their planning processes and will provide towns a tool to help slow the loss of quality agricultural lands to other uses and help maintain a viable agricultural community in Sauk County. Motion by Borleske/Zowin to approve the resolution.
Motion carried, all in favor.
Motion to adjourn until March 7 at 1:00 p.m. by Lehman/Zowin at 3:45 p.m.
Motion carried, all in favor.