Town of York
Regular Monthly Board Meeting
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
The monthly board meeting was called to order at 8:03 P.M. Present were Chairman Dan Reeson, 1st Supervisor Dan Truttmann, 2nd Supervisor Steve Hermanson, Treasurer Ann Carlson, and Clerk Nancy Anderson. Verification of proper notice was given. Steve Hermanson move to approve the August minutes, Dan Truttmann 2nd. Motion carried.
Treasurer’s Report– Ann presented the monthly financial reports for August along with the number of driveway refunds processed so far this year, and the status of our Land Conservation account.
Bills– Wayne and Nancy presented bills to be paid. Dan Reeson move to approve the bills, Steve Hermanson 2nd. Motion carried.
Patrolman’s Report– Wayne reported that Meinert Lane repairs are almost completed and that he is currently hauling gravel to Town roads in need of repair. The IH truck needs new rear tires, and the Freightliner truck needs new front tires. Wayne will get estimates.
Plan Commission– The Commission did not meet in September. Nancy suggested that the Board approve the purchase of a gas card for Chip Hankley in appreciation for all the work he has done and is doing with regard to the parcel tracking database. Steve Hermanson approve the purchase of a $100.00 gas card for Chip Hankley, Dan Truttmann 2nd. Motion carried.
Public Comments– None.
Old Business
- Recycling Citations Update– Citations will be put on hold. In the meantime, Board supervisors will take time to monitor the recycling supervisors and try to address any concerns.
- Green County Landfill– The City of Monroe is considering closing or reducing the hours at the Green County Landfill due to increasing costs. They are asking municipalities to complete a survey after which meetings will be held to determine whether or not an intergovernmental enterprise would be a more efficient way to achieve economies of scale, volume buying power and confidence that each member municipality will have available a reliable solid waste disposal service for years to come.
New Business
Approve New Glarus Fire District budget and fire truck purchase-Steve Hermanson move to approve the Town’s portion of a new fire truck of approximately $22,000.00, Dan Truttmann 2nd. Motion carried. Dan Truttmann move to approve the New Glarus Fire District budget as presented by Ron Erickson, Steve Hermanson 2nd. Motion carried.
Resolution authorizing an “absence of need” exemption for pedestrian and bicycle accommodations on the Poplar Grove Road bridge over Hefty Creek– Steve Hermanson resolves to approve authorizing an “absence of need” exemption for pedestrian and bicycle accommodations on the Poplar Grove Road bridge over Hefty Creek, Dan Truttmann 2nd. Resolution approved and signed by the Town Board of Supervisors.
Banking Information-Ann Carlson- Ann contacted both the United Bank and Trust and the Bank of New Glarus in New Glarus. Both banks offer separate sign-ins and free checking. After some discussion, Dan Truttmann move to transfer our checking accounts from the Woodford State Bank to the Bank of New Glarus, Steve Hermanson 2nd. Motion carried. Ann will let the Board know when she is ready to make the move.
Green’s Prairie Cemetery Annual Report– Bill Kuenzi- Bill Kuenzi presented the following report to the York Town Board of Supervisors.
GREEN’S PRAIRIE CEMETERY ASSOCIATION
ANNUAL REPORT TO TOWN OF YORK
SEPTEMBER 10, 2013Thank you for printing the article about Green’s Prairie Cemetery in the Spring York Town News. The GPC is just one of the gems located in the Town of York. The roadsides in the town have been brilliant all season with numerous prairie flowers. I am pleased that you don’t mow them or spray them clear to the fence row until late in the year. Then they may continue to reseed beautifying our area over the years.
I am including a copy of a picture of Betsey Grinnell’s tombstone taken by Randy Larson, a professional photographer, who often bicycles past GPC. He really appreciates GPC. He lives on McKenzie Lane, Hollandale. The original picture was a gift to me. If we want to use it in any future publication, I would want to secure Randy’s permission.
GPCA held its annual meeting on Saturday, September 7, 2013. I include the rough draft minutes for your records in this report. Included also is our unaudited GPCA financial statement.
The officers are elected annually. All were reelected including Marilyn Jaeger-Secretary, Dan Gartzke-Treasurer and Bill Kuenzi-President. We elect one Director each year. They serve three years total per election. Jodi Bubenzer declined to be a candidate for Director at the conclusion of her term. Dave Green was nominated and was elected as our new 3 year Director. Our other directors are Carla Ufken-2 yr. term remaining and Paul Lokken-1 yr.
I was able to remove the girdled trees while the snow cover persisted in spring. We kept some of the large chunks in GPC for natural seating when needed. The burn activity included 15 volunteers. We did not burn the 1/6th SE corner of the cemetery this year. Creatures and insects always need a place to move during a burn and we did burn that portion last year. I have included a basic picture of GPC along with our burn plan which must be on file as The Prairie Enthusiasts Insurance policy requires this type of paperwork. Shortly after the burn, Tom Mitchell and Dave Green surveyed the condition of the tombstones. I include their findings of those that could be reset and some that could be replaced. We have a map to know where the gravesites are located even if some of the stones are in complete disrepair or the pieces are in disarray or nonexistent.
School groups and UW trainees in field science have utilized this small patch of earth for learning. Seed collection activities are common. We are utilizing our own seed stock to fill in the areas of killed off invasive species. This will take time, but should be very productive.
Thirty people attended our Memorial Day event. This number is down due to the weather of 2013. However, ten of those individuals had never attended before which is really a plus for future PR. We have been so pleased to have the Dobson-Johnson Legion Post #142 place the flags on the graves of the veterans buried in GPC each year. John Ochsner spoke about the GPC’s value; Tom Mitchell spoke about James Biggs life in the area and the resetting of his stone which was paid for by the PBC of TPE and the GPCA; Dave Green informed us that Pauline Smith had paid for the resetting of the Lucinda Hilton Stone. Dave then reported on the new Robert Peebles War of 1812 stone provided by the Veterans Administration. Tollakson Memorials, Argyle, laid the bases and set the stones.
We propose to the Town of York Board that you budget a minimum of $150 per year to join with the $150 that each of the Prairie Bluff Chapter of The Prairie Enthusiasts and the GPCA are pledging to reset, repair or replace all the stones possible over the next years. This $450 dollars should reset three stones on new bases. New old style stones would cost about $350 per stone. We would like to begin resetting the most viable three stones during 2014. Then we would reevaluate each year to consider what might be possible. We all volunteer without pay for the services provided and needed to preserve GPC. We think that the Town would benefit from this small investment each year. We will pursue other funding as well including personal or organizational donations and/or grants.
We are looking forward to 2014. We plan to have another successful Memorial Day event. Hopefully, the Civil War Re-enactors will be with us once again. We want to include demonstrations of the management practices on Memorial Day for those that don’t usually see us burn the GPC or see our attempts to control the invasive species. We continue to fund the placement of materials in the Green Box on the fence near the stile explaining what is inside this fenced area. Our plant survey continues with hopes to see some unusual prairie plant or plants emerge. These prairie plant species seeds may lay dormant for years in the soil and with the right conditions sprout. We are planning to have individuals available to make presentations to any group that desires to know more about GPC and the efforts to preserve this little treasure. Have you noticed the profusion of Compass plants this year with moisture compared to the few in the drought year of 2012? They have surpassed our wildest expectations.
Respectfully submitted,
William E Kuenzi Jr.
President, GPCA
Dan Reeson move to donate $300 annually in support of the GPC for resetting, replacing and repairing head stones, Dan Truttmann 2nd. Motion carried.
Adjournment– Steve Hermanson move to adjourn the meeting, Dan Truttmann 2nd. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 9:25 P.M.
Respectfully submitted,
Nancy Anderson, Clerk