Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutLand & Water 10-03-06 ' NOTICE OF MEETING AND AGENDA ST. CROIX COUNTY LAND & WATER CONSERVATION COMMITTEE October 3, 2006 — I0:40 a. m. Agricultural Service & Education Center 1960 8 th Avenue, Baldwin, WI CALL TO ORDER ROLL CALL APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING ADOPTION OF AGENDA DATE OF NEXT MEETING — November 7, 2006 PARKS DEPARTMENT NEW BUSINESS: Director's Report Bills /vouchers 2007 Budget OLD BUSINESS: Review Capital Outlay Plan Pine Lake Park improvements LAND & WATER CONSERVATION DEPARTMENT Agency reports FSA NRCS DNR RC &D West Central Area NEW BUSINESS: * Director's Report Subdivision update Board of Adjustment update/NR- 151 /Shoreland zoning — stormwater criteria Proposed Zoning Ordinance amendments — Siting Legislation (ATOP -51) * 2007 Budget — Capital Outlay WLWCA - Draft Strategic Plan — comments - Executive Director Vouchers OLD BUSINESS: Staff reports Priority Watershed Projects ANNOUNCEMENTS & CORRESPONDENCE ADJOURN SUBMITTED BY: Robert Heise DATE: September 20, 2006; amended September 29, 2006 COPIES TO: COUNTY BOARD OFFICE NEWS MEDIA /NOTICE BOARD COUNTY CLERIC COMMITTEE MEMBERS (Items may be taken in different order) *Additions /Changes /Corrections UNOFFICAL Convened: 10:53 a.m. Recessed: 11:30 a.m. Reconvened: 12:32 p.m. Adjourned: 3:40 p.m. ST. CROIX COUNTY LAND & WATER CONSERVATION COMMITTEE Agricultural Service & Education Center, Baldwin, WI October 3, 2006 Members Present: Lois Burri, Sharon Norton- Bauman, Bill Peavey, Ron Raymond, Gene Ruetz Members Absent: None Staff Present: Director -Bob Heise, Operations Manager -Dave Larson, Administrative Assistant - Arlene Lier Others Present: Bill Cranmer - County Board Supervisor -Dist. 22 Adoption of Agenda: Ruetz made motion to adopt the agenda, seconded by Burri. Carried. Action on Previous Minutes: Motion by Peavey, seconded by Ruetz, to approve the September 5, 2006 meeting minutes as presented. Carried. Date of Next Meeting: November 7, 2006 PARKS DEPARTMENT NEW BUSINESS Director's Report Heise reported: • One of the Parks staff was involved with a vehicle (Parks truck) accident on County Trk I on Wednesday evening. • Glen Hills fishing pier - Park staff has been working on the retaining wall over the past two weeks. It has been a very time - consuming project, considering all the other operation and maintenance work that must be conducted. • Troy Beach guard rail - The contractor will begin work on the guard rail shortly. • Homestead Parklands - We were contacted by a landowner to the north of Homestead Parklands about their intentions of grazing 40 -50 Black Angus beef cattle on their property next spring. Discussed the reconstruction of the line fence and the proposed type of fence to be constructed due to the proximity of the playground facility. This issue has been discussed with our Risk Manager. • Kinnickinnic Forest - Parking lot construction is complete. Bills /Vouchers The October bills list was presented. Motion by Peavey, seconded by Ruetz, to approve the Parks account bills ($8,429.15). Carried. 2007 Budget Heise stated that he and Raymond presented the Parks budget to the Finance Committee on September 26. The budget was not changed since the budget came in under the 5% evaluation. OLD BUSINESS Review Capital Outlay Plan Heise reported that at the Department Head meeting on Friday, September 29 he was informed that all capital outlay items were removed from our budget except (1) Upgrade phone system -Glen Hills, (2) Replace boat landing and relocate -Pine Lake, (3) Consultant fees — Bicycle plan and South Cedar bay landing. Pine Lake Park improvements Heise reported that we received the grant for the Pine Lake Park improvements. Our goal is to work with the Wisconsin DNR to line up the heavy equipment crew from Black River Falls for spring of 2007. Recessed: 11:30 a.m. Reconvened: 12:32 p.m. LAND & WATER CONSERVATION DEPARTMENT Members Present: Lois Burri, Jim Cody, Sharon Norton- Bauman, Bill Peavey, Ron Raymond Members Absent: None Staff Present: Director -Bob Heise; Land Specialists -Kyle Kulow, Steve Olson, Tammy Wittmer; Administrative Assistant - Arlene Lier Others Present: Steve Pernsteiner -NRCS, Bob Bezek - County Planning & Zoning, Bill Cranmer - County Board Supervisor -Dist. 22 FARM SERVICE AGENCY (FSA) No report. NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE (NRCS) Steve Pernsteiner-Di strict Conservationist reported: • Conservation plans have been completed on all 2007 Conservation Reserve Program re- enrolls. Currently working on plans for producers re- enrolling for 2008 -2010. • Environmental Quality Incentive POogram (EQIP) payments are currently being processed for cover crops. 2007 EQIP contracts will show all flat rates cost - sharing. Most practices will be per unit (acre, foot, etc.), with some of the larger engineering payments based on a sliding scale. This means a different rate will be used based on size of job, such as one rate for small waterways and a higher rate for large waterways. This process will make it easier at payment time. • No -till practice is again eligible to be included but is only allowed for people trying it for the first time. • The Milwaukee River watershed has been selected for the 2007 Conservation Security Program (CSP). It is a fairly large watershed covering several counties. • A new technician has been hired in Pierce County. This technician is also expected to help out in St. Croix County. An Administrative Assistant has been hired in Balsam Lake; she is going to also help us in St. Croix County. Jay will continue helping in Pierce County. DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES (DNR) No report. _ RESOURCE CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT (RC &D) Ruetz reported that the RC &D Executive Director is no longer employed with RC &D. WEST CENTRAL AREA Chair Raymond reported: • The fall meeting /conservation banquet will be held on October 26 at the Plaza in Eau Claire. LWCC members ( Burri, Cody, Raymond, and Ruetz) plan to attend. The van will leave the Ag Center at 8:15 a.m. • Rather than agency reports, a representative from the West Wisconsin Land Trust will be on the meeting agenda as a speaker. • We need three good LWCC candidates to represent all Wisconsin counties on the Wisconsin Land & Water Board. We will inform them of what their duties are and what their powers are per statute. If interested, we will give them the opportunity to run. • WLWCA has hired a new Executive Director (Julian Zelazny) who will be introduced at the meeting. NEW BUSINESS WLWCA Draft Strategic Plan — comments — Reviewed the proposed plan. The WLWCA board needs to know if we are not in agreement with the language. The board needs to focus on a new direction. There is no place in the plan that WLWCA might have a role of trying to keep counties apprised of significant conservation issues within the state. Taking positions and lobbying are two different things. Education seems to be the main purpose of the organization. Committee is to get Heise comments on DRAFT strategic plan. Heise will send comments back to WLWCA by the end of the month. Executive Director - WLWCA has hired a new Executive Director (Julian Zelazny) who will be introduced at the West Central Area meeting on October 26. Vouchers Reviewed vouchers. Burri made motion, seconded by Ruetz to approve Chair Raymond's signature on the October LWCD voucher list in the total amount of $10,609.23. Carried. Subdivision Update Tammy Wittmer reported that she is reviewing active subdivisions and sending inspection reports out as needed. Things are slowing up as we move into the fall and winter seasons. Tammy will be sending the active subdivision inspection report out to the committee in December. Tammy provided information to the committee regarding rain gardens, bio- retention for infiltration and infiltration basins and their associated design standards. Board of Adiustment Update/NR- 151 / Shoreland zoning — storm water criteria Steve Olson presented to the LWCC the storm water standard differences between NR -151 and St. Croix County's Lower St. Croix Riverway ordinance. The committee discussed adopting a policy to be used in the shoreland district of St.Croix County. Steve will draft a policy for next month's meeting to discuss with the committee. Proposed Zoning Ordinance amendments — Siting Legislation (ATOP -51) Heise stated that the LWCD and Zoning Department have been working on zoning amendments to incorporate Siting Legislation into our current ordinance. Reviewed and discussed the proposed changes being made to our ordinance. One requirement in adopting the siting legislation is that counties must allow the siting of livestock facilities in at least one zoning district in the County. We included it in our Agricultural district as well as in our Ag 2 district. Public hearing is scheduled for Thursday, October 19, 7:00 p.m. at the Government Center. Comments will be accepted until October 23. The proposed zoning amendments will be brought to County Board on October 31. 2007 Budget — Capital Outlay Heise stated that he and Chair Raymond presented the Land & Water Conservation budget to the Finance Committee on September 26. We were requested to reduce the budget by $27,500. The $27,500 reduction was accomplished by removing the truck, prairie establishment, PL -566 conference, and the Ag Center rain garden. OLD BUSINESS Priority Watersheds Kulow reported: St. Croix Lakes Watershed - We are in the process of completing two shoreline restorations on Bass Lake on the Coughlin and Moses properties. We hope the projects will be completed by the end of October provided the weather cooperates. The Englehart/Wilson restoration on Bass Lake will be seeded with native seed in mid October. Ted MacMiller and his wife have expressed interest in redoing their shoreline on Perch Lake. Staff will survey the site and put together a native planting "plan" this coming winter in hopes of completing the project in 2007. The Bass Lake Rehab District has put together a strategic plan for the lake and has given County Board a review of it at the last County Board meeting. Kinnickinnic River Watershed - The grade stabilization project in the City of River Falls is complete. St. Croix County and Pierce County, along with the City of River Falls, worked cooperatively together on this project. The South Fork of the Kinni restoration is done for 2006 and the remaining 1,500 feet will be completed starting the end of April, 2007. We have been in contact with Dale Braun from the University of Wisconsin —River Falls for the purpose of providing comment on the University's storm water management plan. The watershed may have the ability to help with small scale storm water management practices which would upgrade existing features on campus. Ongoing BMP (Best Management Practice) work for 2006 includes a couple waterways, two grade stabilization structures, and possibly 3 urban practices within the City of River Falls. Alliance -The goose hunt on county land near the Health and Human Services building has been changed to include all hunting and was okayed by both the Finance Committee meeting as well as the Health and Human Services meeting in September. The Alliance will post signs and put the necessary contact information on the Willow River Rod and Gun Club internet site. The Alliance will create a form that each interested hunter must fill out prior to hunting on the property. This will allow the Alliance to keep track of who has permission to hunt the property. Miscellaneous Heise announced that there will be listening sessions for the Working Lands Initiative program. These sessions will be held at the River Falls campus and WITC- Chippewa campus. Springstead study — Heise reported that a recent a job description (LWCD - Land Specialist) was revised and approved by the committee with a change in the educational requirements for this position. The Position Administration Work Group (PAWG) did not approve the revision. Chair Raymond adjourned the meeting at 3:40 p.m. Gene Ruetz Secretary Arlene Lier Recording Secretary