Town of Gingles September 13, 2023 Meeting Minutes

September 2023 Meeting Minutes

The regular monthly meeting was called to order by Chairman, Patrick Colgrove. Tom Riemer, Bill, Pearce, Laura Martinsen and Traci Beiersdorff were present. There was one person in public attendance.

• The August, 2023 minutes were presented and a motion was made by Bill Pearce, seconded by Tom Riemer to approve them with one minor name change. All in favor, motion carried.
• The August, 2023 treasurer’s report was presented and a motion was made by Bill Pearce and seconded by Tom Riemer to approve the report as presented. All in favor, motion carried.

Comments by Clerk/Board – A motion was made by Pat Colgrove to amend the agenda to move building permits up on the agenda, seconded by Bill Pearce to approve. All in favor motion, carried. A motion was made by Bill Pearce to approve a building permit for Tony Dalbec, seconded by Tom Riemer to approve. All in favor, motion carried.

Town Clerk identified that they received a letter in the mail from Department of Natural Resources regarding residents in the township with MFL status and deadline of September 18^th to dispute any names provided. Chairman will look into this matter to determine if any names should not be on the list.

Chairman identified he had been yelled at by a resident who inaccurately stated the Town was misusing funds for roads. Chairman encouraged the resident to attend monthly board meetings to determine how the Town is spending their funds.

Town Clerk identified that they have drafted a letter to be sent to local appraisers who may be interested in taking over as the Town’s appraiser, effective January 2024. The Town has been informed by Associated Appraisals their contract will not be renewed after the end of this year due to focusing on larger municipalities. Chairman informed Clerk to contact WTA to put in an ad in the WTA’s monthly magazine and website. Town Clerk will look into this and ensure an ad is sent in.

Chairman identified that some signs have been stolen off Huhn Road by County Road A in the town. New signs have been purchased from Newman Signs and they will send Town Clerk the invoice for the total bill. Chairman has already put up the new signs.

Brief discussion regarding Budget meeting which will be in November. Date and time will be determined at the October regular board meeting.

OLD BUSINESS:

Hegstrom/Pearce Roads Seal Coat: Chairman identified that this is still a work in progress, rock is here already. Scott Sturgon will contact Chairman when the project is ready to be completed.

Beaser Culvert Replacement: Chairman remains in contact with Ashland County for the next steps.

Paving/Northwoods Paving: Should be done this fall sometime. Estimate from Northwoods Paving came in at approximately $5,700. More on this to come at future meetings.

County Slurry Repair: Chairman reflected that it needs to be sealed.

Brush Moving: Nick Nye is out the end of September. He thought he would have the projects in southern Ashland County completed before moving north.

Ditching/Shoulder repair on East Pearce Road: Chairman identified that this is on the County’s list of projects to complete.

ARPA Completion Report: Town Clerk identified that they have completed the town’s online registration with Sam.gov and went through the process to get a Unique Entity Number [UEI] which is required for ARPA reporting. Town Clerk also identified that they will have spoken to Wisconsin Towns Association for further insight on how the reporting of ARPA funds works. Reporting for the Town of Gingles ARPA funds will be completed in April 2024 as the ARPA reporting is only open one time a year.

Handicap Access Ramp Project: Enbridge has approved Town of Gingles request, of $20,000, to improve handicap access ramp. Chairman provided reminders about the two estimates that came in for total costs. Estimates were provided from KV Build [approximately $18,869] and Foley Construction [approximately $22,800]. Project contract was issued to KV Build and specifications of the project have been provided to them. Discussion that the door may need to be replaced. Also, discussed need for replacing handrail which the town will handle as that would have been an extra $4,000 from KV Build. Town Clerk verified that they have completed online account for Benevity and will ensure Town’s financial information is provided. This will allow for Enbridge to complete an Electronic Funds Transfer, EFT, which will speed up the process for Town to receive funds from Enbridge. Chairman will speak to Enbridge if a plaque or other type of recognition is needed to recognize Enbridge. More on this to come at future meetings.

NEW BUSINESS:

Jurisdictional Change on Beaugard, Fletcher and Stones Roads: Reiterated that the Town currently receives about $9,500 a year for these roads in GTA [General Transportation Aid]. Discussion regarding approximate cots of what it would be to maintain these roads both now and future projects that would be needed. At this time, it is not certain on which entity would take over jurisdiction of the roads but this would need to be agreed upon first. Chairman will speak to Town of Sanborn, Town of Bad River and Bureau of Indian Affairs [BIA] to determine who might be interested in taking over jurisdiction of the roads. This will be placed on next month’s agenda for further discussion.

LRIP Project Application: Chairman stated he got the Town’s request in by the deadline, which was September 8^th. Town of Gingles has been approved for the next step in the process. Emmer Shields is now responsible for reviewing the projects throughout the County and then selecting from there which projects should receive LRIP funds. Projects that have been approved for funds will be finalized by January 2024. Discussion amongst board members if Town is approved for funds what they would use it for. More on this to come at future meetings.

Public Comment: None

Building/Driveway Permits: No driveway permits this month. Building permits- refer to first page of minutes.

-The next regular monthly meeting was scheduled for October 11, 2023 at 7:00 p.m.

– -The bills were submitted and authorized to be paid by board signature.

-Meeting was adjourned.

Laura Martinsen, Clerk