AIS Monitoring

Aquatic Invasive Species is threatening lakes within our region.  It seems one by one a new lake shows the threat has become a reality.  Heading off that threat was a goal of the Pelican Lakes Association.  They had started lake monitoring about 4 years ago, prior to the realization that Pelican Lake had been infected with Zebra Muscles.  Now with this realization that the lake holds these invasive species the goal has been to diminish its reach to other bodies of water. 

The State of Minnesota came onboard and is providing funds to help curtail the spread of aquatic invasive species.  This funding is made available to local units of government to fund monitors at lake access points.  These monitors inform boaters of their responsibilities and assist them with inspection and procedures with the intent on thwarting the spread. 

Crow Wing County has been very diligent in applying for these funds and supporting a program that includes 55 landings at 50 lakes.  They have employed 60-75 inspectors throughout the season to accomplish these goals.  With the extent of lakes to cover being very broad, available staffing is used as needed.  Any inspector can be sent to any landing for work on any given day.  Pelican Lake Association has had a core group of individuals serve as landing inspectors in the past and they wanted to continue with that approach.  These individuals have a vested interest in the lake and were recruited, scheduled, and managed by the Pelican Lakes Association.  They wanted to focus on the 4 landings on Pelican Lake and the one on Little Pelican Lake.  Accomplishing inspections on other bodies of water didn’t make a lot of sense to these people.  They know the lake, see its ebbs and flows of users and felt they could do a better job of managing the inspection program.  They approached the city of Breezy Point to ask if we would host them as the Local Unit of Government rather than Crow Wing County. 

Accomplishing this goal is a mutual arrangement.  Breezy Point will be the Local Unit of Government for the grant, taking on that responsibility, but the Pelican Lake Association will be managing the program.  They will be working with a temporary employment agency for hiring, insurance and payroll services.  The Association will be in charge of scheduling and managing inspectors.  They will review payroll requests from the employment agency and approve them for payment.  The city will make payment to the employment agency for these services.  When the grant funds are exhausted the obligation of the city is done.  The arrangement provides for a more focused program for Pelican and Little Pelican lakes.

Property Values

Each year a meeting is held at city hall to allow property owners to question the market value assigned to their property.  The meeting is called the Board of Appeal and Equalization.  This meeting is conducted by the County Assessor allowing the City Council to hear the appeals of property owners concerning the value assigned their property.  The meeting is designed to address property owner’s issues with value in an efficient, fair and objective manner.

The city council, with consultation with the County Assessor, discusses the methodology of assigning a value and the merits of the property owner’s appeal.  In preparation for this meeting at least one council member must complete training done by the Department of Revenue.  This training involves the basics of how properties are valued; the process is for considering any changes to value, and laws surrounding the Board’s ability to make a decision on value.  Currently three council members in Breezy Point have taken this training. 

Property owners whom have concerns with the value of their property can first address questions with the County Assessor.  This meeting provides the next avenue to address the concerns of value with the city council.  Decisions can then be appealed to the County Board for final disposition on values.  This meeting does not address taxes; rather it is to address the value of the properties as assigned by the county assessor. 

A notice will be sent to all property owners giving them information on this meeting.  The meeting has been established to be held on April 19^th at 10:00 am in the Breezy Point City Hall.

County Road 11 North Will See Some Improvements

This summer Crow Wing County will be making some improvements to County Road 11 in Breezy Point.  The improvements will be made between the intersection with Co. Rd. 4 and the junction with County Road 3.  The improvements will be bid on March 8 and construction will start sometime after the 1^st of June. 

The improvements that will be made involve a mill and overlay in the areas with curbing.  In other areas the roadway will see an overlay. Other improvements that are of note include a right turn lane southbound at Ski Chalet Drive and northbound at Weavers Point Road.  Two bypass lanes will also be installed; one at Buschmann Road and another at County Road 39.  There are a few problem areas of the roadway that will be reconstructed.  These areas have seen multiple asphalt patching and are likely soft spots in the base of the road. These will be dug up and suitable aggregate will be replaced to firm up the roadway base before repaving.  

During construction, at times when portions of the roadway are unpassable, there will be flagmen and if needed a pilot car to keep the traffic moving as much as possible.  They anticipate a concerted 2 week construction schedule but with the right turn lanes some of this work will be completed in pieces prior to the heavy schedule towards completion.