HomeMy WebLinkAboutLand & Water 07-03-07 NOTICE OF MEETING AND AGENDA
ST. CROIX COUNTY LAND & WATER CONSERVATION COMMITTEE
` July 3, 2007 —10:40 a.m.
Agricultural Service & Education Center
19608 th Avenue, Baldwin, WI
CALL TO ORDER
ROLL CALL
APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING
ADOPTION OF AGENDA
DATE OF NEXT MEETING — August 7, 2007
PARKS DEPARTMENT
NEW BUSINESS:
Director's report
Bills /vouchers
Pine Lake boat landing — update
Bass Lake boat landing — update
OLD BUSINESS:
Bicycle /pedestrian trail/RFP — Regional Planning
Capital Outlay Plan
LAND & WATER CONSERVATION DEPARTMENT
Agency reports
FSA
NRCS
DNR
RC &D
West Central Area
NEW BUSINESS:
Director's report
- Rural Leadership program
Subdivision update
Vouchers
Ag Center — Federal agencies — office space
Land & Water Resource Management plan update - 2008
OLD BUSINESS:
Non - Metallic mining — ordinance — update
Capital Outlay Plan
Staff reports
Priority Watershed Projects
ANNOUNCEMENTS & CORRESPONDENCE
ADJOURN
SUBMITTED BY: Robert Heise
DATE: June 20, 2007
COPIES TO: COUNTY BOARD OFFICE NEWS MEDIA /NOTICE BOARD
COUNTY CLERK COMMITTEE MEMBERS
(Items may be taken in different order)
*Additions /Changes /Corrections
UNOFFICIAL Convened: 10:18 a.m.
Adjourned: 12:27 p.m.
ST. CROIX COUNTY LAND & WATER CONSERVATION COMMITTEE
Agricultural Service & Education Center, Baldwin, WI
July 3, 2007
Members Present: Sharon Norton - Bauman, Bill Peavey, Ron Raymond, Gene Ruetz
Members Absent: Lois Burri
Staff Present: Director -Bob Heise, Operations Manager -Dave Larson, Administrative Assistant - Arlene Lier
Others Present: Bill Cranmer - County Board Supervisor -Dist. 22
Action on Previous Minutes:
Motion by Peavey, seconded by Norton - Bauman, to approve the June 5, 2007 meeting minutes. Carried.
Adoption of Agenda:
Norton - Bauman made motion to adopt the agenda, seconded by Ruetz. Carried.
Date of Next Meeting: August 7, 2007
PARKSDEPARTMENT
NEW BUSINESS
Director's Report
Heise reported:
• Kyle Kulow (Land Specialist - Watershed) and Dave Larson (Parks Operations Manager) received a letter from the
Star Prairie Fish & Game commending them on the South Cedar Bay landing and the McMurtrie property project.
• High capacity well reporting — Glen Hills — It appears that we are required to do some type of reporting to DNR of
water usage in our campgrounds. We have not figured exactly how we are going to do that, by estimation process or
a flow meter. In discussion with a plumber, to install a flow meter in the proper location will be expensive and
cumbersome. Staff will pursue a discussion with DNR and perhaps may be able to provide water estimation. We feel
the owners (WDNR) are responsible. We are the lessees (not owners).
• Pine Lake — Temporary work had to be done on the boat landing due to the fact that our water levels are decreasing.
• Prairie planting — The Glen Hills group area and the two borrow areas by the overlook have been herbicided and
planted to prairie.
• Troy beach — There has been an erosion control problem occurring for years partly on our property. The problem is
on the YMCA property to the south and we receive the sedimentation. During the Board of Adjustment's process
when we went through the permitting for the guardrail installation, they asked us to work with the YMCA Camp to
see if we can do something with the gully erosion. The design is done and we will be working with the YMCA camp
on how we are going to work this out and coordinate this into budgets for 2008 or 2009. Two different types of
structures may be needed to control the gully.
Dave Larson presented information on revenue sources to date "Park Fees — June 30` Comparison ". The parks show
increases from June 30, 2006: Glen Hills - $5,182.00, Homestead Parklands - $981.00, and Troy Beach - $1,475.00.
Revenue resources have increased due to major improvements being made to the parks and also weather has been ideal.
. Pine Lake Boat Landing - update
Larson reported that "Requests for Bids" are due from the contractors on July 9 and hope to start construction in August.
Bass Lake Boat Landing — update
Heise reported that work had to be done due to the decrease in water levels in Bass Lake and sediment deposition from
power loading of motor craft. Approximately 60 -70 yards of sediment was removed from the end of the boat landing to
improve the launching and navigation of motor craft.
Stanton property
Larson reported that after the timber harvest was completed, one of our goals was to provide parking facilities. DNR has
property across the road with no parking available. DNR provided equipment and labor, and County provided land and
materials to build the parking area. Signs and a gate are needed yet.
Bills/Vouchers
The July bills list for both Parks and LWCD was presented. Motion by Ruetz, seconded by Peavey, to approve the Park
accounts (total $4,322.99) and LWCD accounts (total $8,902.52). Carried.
OLD BUSINESS
Bicycle /pedestrian traiVRFP — Regional Planning
Heise reported that we collected about 85% of the maps from towns, villages, and cities. They have been delivered to
Regional Planning. We should be receiving another 3 or 4 more maps from various towns. The eastern tier of towns in
the county has not shown any interest in developing a bike plan. We will continue to attempt to get those towns involved
in the process. The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, September 26 with Regional Planning to work with
everyone on matching maps, trails, etc.
Capital Outlay Plan
Nothing has changed since last month.
LAND & WATER CONSERVATION DEPARTMENT
Members Present: Ken Graf, Sharon Norton- Bauman, Bill Peavey, Ron Raymond, Gene Ruetz
Members Absent: Lois Burn
Staff Present: Director -Bob Heise, Arlene Lier - Administrative Assistant
Others Present: Mark Kubler -DNR, Bob Hendrickson -FSA, Steve Pernsteiner -NRCS, Bill Cranmer - County
Board Supervisor -Dist. 22
DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES (DNR)
Mark Kubler — Forestry Leader reported:
Major changes are being made in the Managed Forest Law program. He explained the new program and presented the
major changes from the old program.
Private landowners own about 70% of the woods in Wisconsin. Only about half of them have any type of formal plan.
Most of the Managed Forest Law plans (80 -90 %) will now be written by private writers (CPW - Certified Plan Writers).
DNR's role will be administration and quality control. They are working on a much improved process of enrollment.
FARM SERVICE AGENCY (FSA)
Robert Hendrickson - County Executive Director reported:
• Sign up for DCP (Direct & Cyclical) ends August P. Staff is 95% complete with the sign up and are waiting for
leases to come in before we can make payments.
I
• • The last eight months the rate for MILCX is: Oct .318, Nov .4386, Dec .4284, Jan .034, Feb, .102, March .00, April
.00, May.00, June .00.
• Sign up for Continuous CRP (Conservation Reserve Program) and CREP (Conservation Reserve Enhancement
Program) are taken anytime producers want to offer the land. CREP ends on December 31 S c of this year.
• The New Nesting Season date for "new" and "modified" CRP contracts is May 15 through August lsc
• Complaints are still coming in on CRP fields that are covered with trees and shrubs.
• We are 65 -70% complete with crop reporting.
• This will be Suzette Sontag's last year to be on the COC. Nominations are needed for towns she represents:
Somerset, St. Joseph, Hudson, Troy, Warren and Kinnickinnic. Nomination deadline is August 1St
• The Farm Loan Team for St. Croix: They may eventually be moved to Dunn County or Eau Claire County, or both.
• Office space update for FSA and NRCS: Leases must now be signed by GSA (General Services Administration)
staff, not local staff. FSA will have to advertise for space based on our current needs. Our current contract expires
on October 1, 2007. The lease should be similar to the current one (5 -year lease with one 5 -year renewal). The 5-
year renewal would have to specify how much the cost per square foot would go up or down at renewal time.
NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE (MRCS)
Steve Pernsteiner - District Conservationist reported:
NRCS has hired Suzanne Riddick as an Office Automation Clerk for the Baldwin Field Office. She will work two days
per week and will be doing computer entry and filing.
Jay Custer, Baldwin Soil Conservationist has been serving as acting District Conservationist in Black River Falls until the
end of July.
Jerry Thompson, Assistant State Conservationist for the West Central area has taken a temporary one to two year
assignment to help set up the Institute for Environmental Integrated Dairy Management in Marshfield. NRCS will be
selecting someone to serve in Jerry's place while he is gone.
The final numbers on the EQIP (Environmental Quality Incentive program) include 27 local contracts for $568,268, two
contracts for solid liquid separation systems for $140,000 and another $15,000 for Technical Service Providers to help
with designs. Office has been busy making payments on previous contracts.
One new Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) contract has been signed and approved. Since this is the
last year for CREP, the office will try to make one last push to get additional contracts.
RESOURCE CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT (RC &D)
Ruetz reported:
• Last meeting was a telephone conference.
• They are considering a name change for River Country RC &D.
• They also are attempting to come up with a new mission statement.
• Grazing program funding is being lost.
• They are getting involved in driftless area initiative.
WEST CENTRAL AREA
Raymond reported on the Conservation tour hosted by Chippewa County on June 20.
The next West Central area meeting will be held on Wednesday, August 15, 9:00 a.m. at the Dunn County Ag Center.
NEW BUSINESS
Director's Report
• There is anew Administrative Code being put out for public hearing comments —NR-1 15 Shoreland Zoning. Next
month we will give an update on some potential concerns or suggestions staff may have with the proposed code. We
will then formulate a letter for review in September.
• 0 Glen Hills dam alarms — All components have been moved from the Glenwood City Hall to the Nextgen office.
• Glen Hills mowing — The annual mowing on the dams should be done the middle of July.
• Wisconsin Rural Leadership Program — update — Due to a personal conflict (Boston marathon qualification) which is
the same weekend as the orientation date of the Rural Leadership Program, Heise requested that his program
participation be deferred from 2008 -2010 to the 2010 -2012. Committee agreed to defer Heise's program
participation to 2010 -2012.
Ag Center — Federal agencies — office space
Heise reported that FSA staff (loan officers and their support staff) may be moving from the Ag Center by October 1,
2007. This would result in a revenue reduction to the Finance Department.
Land & Water Resource Management plan update — 2008
Heise reported that we have to update our LWRM plan in 2008. He has contacted DATCP regarding the plan. There
should not be a lot of changes on the plan. The public hearing would be October - November 2008 and County Board
approval in January 2009.
Subdivision Update
No report.
OLD BUSINESS
Non - Metallic mining — ordinance update
Heise reported that the amendments were approved by the County Board of Supervisors. The new ordinance will be
effective July 1, 2007.
Capital Outla Plan
Nothing has changed since last month. We have to move forward with some type of truck. Three of our trucks have
over 100,000 miles on them.
Staff reports
Priority Watersheds
Heise reported for Kyle Kulow. They are working with the City of River Falls on a project (west side project — existing
subdivision) on rain gardens, rebuilding gutters, creating some rain gardens and openings into that gutter to try to capture
that water on the properties. Within the Kinnickinnic watershed, they can cost share a number of those practices and
projects. Staff allocated $35,000 last year towards this project. The City hired Bonnestroo to do engineering work;
estimate of the project came in at $78,000 with $28,000 engineering costs. City is willing to pick up the engineering
costs. The $78,000 would be paid at 70 %. Kyle can come up with the other $19,600 to support this project. He thinks it
is a good project and we should work with the City of River Falls to get the project completed. Staff wanted to make the
committee aware of where and how these dollars are being spent. It is a coordinated effort between St. Croix County,
City of River Falls, and Pierce County. Committee requested that the minutes reflect the fact that they support the
proj ect.
Chair Raymond adjourned the meeting at 12:27 p.m.
Gene Ruetz
Secretary
Arlene Lier
Recording Secretary