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A unanimous vote last week by the Chisago City Council appropriated $3,000 for the Green Lake Association’s efforts toward improving lake water quality.

The association sent a spokesperson, Jeff Engel, to the council meeting Oct. 10 to present the 2006 Eurasian milfoil and curly leaf pondweed program summary.

The council learned that Green Lake Association (GLA) has a treatment boat equipped with pre-mix tank and an application tank for the herbicide used, plus the boat has a GPS to map where herbicide is applied.

Costs for upgrading the boat were $1,600. The computer program for the GPS was $100. The GLA put another $6,400 into the liquid herbicides that were used in the fight against these especially detrimental weeds. DNR permits ran another $70.

The total for the weed control effort was about $8,472 and the council agreed to cover the $3,000. Invoices will be submitted by the association and bills paid from those, council was told.

Engel said the association treated 36 acres in Green Lake for curly leaf pondweed doing an herbicide application May 21. The milfoil attack came July 25 with only about six of 54 milfoil infested acres authorized by state permit. Engel guessed that the reduced treatment area permit was probably because the chemical being used has very restrictive application guidelines. The association uses DMA 4 on the Eurasian milfoil and Aquathol K on the curly leaf.

The council was advised the GLA has opted to do chemical treatments versus mechanical harvesting because the chemical eradication is believed to be a more effective approach. A harvester breaks the plants into tiny pieces and that’s certainly not desired, added Engel. Plus, the GLA would need to find a location that’s not near a body of water that would accept the harvested nuisance plant material.

GLA has donation jars at area businesses and periodically holds fundraisers (GLA’s Fall festival is october 21 from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Chisago City Community center. The association will run a meat raffle, silent auction and bingo. The annual meeting for GLA is November 2 at 7 p.m. also at the Chisago City Community center.) The Department of Natural Resources does some cost-sharing on Eurasian milfoil eradication but the association gets no grant funds for the curly leaf program.

In other matters last week, the council heard during “public comment” from Lakes Area Canvas business owner John Boyer.

Boyer stated he was “totally amazed” by remarks about the business made by a resident at an earlier meeting. He asked if Lakes Area Canvas is currently in violation of conditions placed on his permit for operating.

City Administrator John Pechman responded that the city reviews conditional use permit sites on an annual basis and that Boyer’s business-- having only been permitted a few months ago-- has not come up for its annual site visit yet. “I haven’t specifically reviewed (Boyer’s) business,” Pechman added.

He said city involvement is “complaint generated” and that compliance is the city’s first goal. The city will notify a permit holder and give them 30 days to comply, which may be extended if the permitee is cooperating on the issues.

Council took no action on a request from a real estate agent for extending the shoreline of a parcel he is marketing that lies between Lake Ave. and Stinson Ave. The preliminary request was for the city to vacate Lake Ave. which would send half the street right of way to the parcel on each side. That is no longer being pursued, it was announced, but there may be some sort of easement sought from the city.

City Attorney Tom Miller said this secondary request, possibly allowing the parcel special access across the right of way or use of the road portion, “...presents a whole bunch of issues, such as private use of public property.” Miller did not endorse the city granting special permission or rights to locating a dock, for example, on the street right of way.

Mayor Chris DuBose said he’d met with agent Randy Smothers on the site, with the city planner, and they basically agreed that vacating Lake Ave. doesn’t solve the lakeshore access issue.

If there’s city action required the matter will come to council again but for now there was no action.

The council set hearing dates for projects in the works that will be assessed. The parcel owners involved in the waterline extension to the northwest corner of the city are getting notices of the November 14 hearing. Those parcel owners along Itasca Avenue, which was paved, will also be receiving notice of their October 24 hearing. East Street improvements are also the topic of an assessment hearing October 24, and those three parcel owners are getting notices.

Council consensus was that a streetlight at Deer Garden Lane, on Hwy. 8, (by Sven’s) is a good idea and a light should be incorporated at that location in the lighting design plan.

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