Republic Township Planning Commission Meeting-February 18, 2008
Meeting was called to order at 7:21, by Chairperson Leslie Hurst.
Members Present: Leslie Hurst, Diane Tapio, Marcy Rankinen, Marie Serafin, Paul Polanski, Bill Payne, Zoning Administrator, Glenn Adams, Board Representative.
Members Absent: Jay Mattila
Discussion of January 21. 2008 meeting minutes: The status of ign and Entrance Committee efforts to upgrade the main sign on the highway seems up in the air. It was determined that the various groups involved should get together to avoid duplication of effort. Apparently, Bob Grove (original donor of the sign) has no objections to the upgrade. It was also determined that the Planning Commission should organize community meetings, and request that the subcommittee chairs report to the commission at each regular monthly meeting the status of their projects.
Motion to approve minutes of January 21, 2008 made by Glenn Adams, 2nd by Diane Tapio; all in favor.
Approval of agenda, with the addition of (2) items to Old Business:
c) Status of Old Bank Building
d) Billing of transfer fees
Motion to approve agenda (with additions) by Glenn Adams, 2nd by Marie Serafin; all in favor
No public comment
Report from Zoning Administrator:
No zoning compliance permits were requested.
No Land Division applications were presented.
Report from Parks & Recreation:
Reminder that the Kids Fishing Derby sponsored by the Republic Sportsmen Club and the Moose Country Snowmobile Club is scheduled for Saturday, February 23.
Also, the Family Fun Day at the Motocross Area is set for Saturday March 1st and will include cardboard sled racing and dogsled rides, among other activities. Mention was made that this event needs to be advertised as widely as possible. P&R is continuing to keep area plowed by Munson Park for snowmobile parking.
Report from EDC:
No actions taken.
Heritage Trail:
Report was submitted;
1) Trail Committee met with Bill Sanders of UPEA on February 14. He will be putting together packet to present to CCI to gain their acceptance of amendments to the conservation easement for the Republic Wetlands to allow for construction of footbridges, overlooks, kiosks, pavilions, signage etc, to make area accessible for non-motorized public use. A meeting with CCI officials is scheduled for February 22, 2008 for the presentation.
2) Commission was notified that the DNR Trust fund is interested in offering the Township a small acquisition grant to purchase the Old Bank Building for use as a welcome center for the Trailhead of the Iron Ore Heritage Trail. This grant requires a 25% match.
3) The LSCP has created a vehicle for private donations to the IOHT by individuals and corporations to be earmarked for special projects along the trail. This provides a mechanism for raising matching funds.
Master Plan/Zoning Ordinance Subcommittee Report:
It was proposed that a separate meeting should be held (directly after the
Regular meeting) to discuss development of the new Master Plan.
Recreation Plan Amendments were proposed and discussed.
There is a question as to who is the new Chair of the Zoning Board of Appeals, now that Vickie Radcliffe is no longer on the Planning Commission. This was tabled, to be put on next month agenda.
Amendments to the Recreation Plan were generally accepted as proposed, with changes to the Capital Improvement Plan generating the most discussion. It
Was decided that some changes in priorities should be made:
1) Add acquisition of Old Bank Building in 2008 as the first priority, with estimated funding of $270,000 supplied by the Township and DNR Recreation Funds.
2) Add development of Pavilion on town square and handicap access to School Lake with fishing pier and viewing platforms as the second priority of 2008. Funding of $180,000 again is from the Township and the DNR Recreation Fund.
3) Push back opening of non-motorized trail system from 2007to 2008
4) Put improvements to the beach property before any changes to the dam, both rescheduled to 2010. Also, the language for changes to the dam should be left unspecified until more information is obtained as to what the present owner has in mind. Our goal will be to maintain istoric levels of the basin to prevent loss of usable waterfront for recreation. It is suggested to increase the proposed cost of dam improvements to $700,000, based on recent proposals.
5) Ask if bike path/walkway between North and South Republic be added to the IOHT, as the division of the town was a result of our ining
heritage
Recommend that amendments with above changes be presented to the Township Board: Motion to approve by Glenn Adams, 2nd by Paul Polanski; all in favor.
Campground Subcommittee:
No report; will not be meeting until spring.
Ordinance Subcommittee Report:
Amendments to the Zoning Ordinance were presented by Bill Payne. The amendments are required because existing ordinance has no specific requirements for zoning permits. These amendments will modify Section 14-Administration, Enforcement & Penalties. Amendments were discussed with several changes proposed. Motion to approve was made by Marie Serafin and 2nd by Paul Polanski; all in favor. These amendments will be written up and a copy will be sent to the Township Board before their next meeting on February 28, 2008
Status of Old Bank Building:
Present owner has been contacted by Chuck Hurst and informed that the Township is interested in purchasing the property.
Billing of Transfer Station Fees:
It was determined that this is not an issue that should be addressed by the Board; rather it is an internal department concern.
New Business:
Commission was informed of a violation of the Zoning Ordinance by Mr. Peter Colosimo, on Lake Michigamme. His permit was approved for construction of a boathouse, but it is obvious that the structure he had built is not, in fact, a boathouse. A letter informing him of non-compliance was reviewed and will be sent informing him of the violation and what steps he needs to take to become compliant, with a deadline of 180 days.
Motion to adjourn meeting was made at 9:05 by Leslie Hurst, 2nd by Paul Polanski; all in favor.
After the meeting adjourned, it was determined that we needed more time to discuss the Work Plan for the Master Plan proposed by CUPPAD before we could make a recommendation to the Board. A special work session is scheduled for Thursday, Feb 21 at 5:30 to accomplish this.
Respectfully submitted,
Marie Serafin, Secretary
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Republic Twp Planning Commission-Special Meeting February 21, 2008
Meeting called to order by at 5:30 by Vice Chairman Diane Tapio, in the absence of Chair Leslie Hurst
Members present: Diane Tapio, Paul Polanski, Marcie Rankinen, Marie Serafin, Bill Payne (Zoning Administrator) and Glenn Adams (Board Representative).
Members absent: Leslie Hurst, Jay Mattila
No quorum present at Special Meeting of February 5, 2008 with CUPPAD representatives; no minutes were taken.
No approval of agenda.
No public comment.
This meeting was called to discuss the proposal for a Work Program for the Republic Township Comprehensive Master Plan, made by CUPPAD at our request. Some concern was expressed as to whether the project was too big for us to handle, but after much discussion, it was decided that we will try. To make the project more manageable, we have assigned each “chapter” of the plan to an individual to work on, with the understanding that we can call on each other for help.
Paul Polanski volunteered to do the 1st chapter: Introduction and Historical Background. He will call on the assistance of Ken Salo and the Republic Historical Society.
Diane Tapio volunteered to do the 2nd chapter: Population.
Marcie Rankinen volunteered to do the 3rd chapter: Economic Base
Marie Serafin volunteered to do the 4th chapter: Natural Features.
The first draft of these chapters will be presented at the next regular meeting of the Planning Commission on March 17, 2008 at 7 pm, where we will evaluate our progress.
It was moved that we recommend to the Township Board that they allocate a sum of money not to exceed $5,000.00 for the development of an updated Master Plan. This amount is based on the Time and Materials option presented by CUPPAD in which the Planning Commission researches and writes the majority (67%) of the Plan. Oversight by CUPPAD representatives will be made at regular intervals.
Motion: Glenn Adams
2nd: Paul Polanski
All in Favor
Motion to adjourn by Marcie Rankinen at 6:45
2nd: Glenn Adams
All in favor
Respectfully submitted,
Marie Serafin, Secretary
