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Chisago City’s regular May 28 meeting involved a relatively short agenda but lengthy discussion. With Mayor Bob Gustafson absent, the remaining four council members found themselves discussing a series of dilemmas.

Dilemma No. 1 Pioneer Road

This arose during the public comment portion of the meeting. A dozen individuals who use Pioneer Road, led by John Chouinard, filled the council chamber. Five of them, including Chouinard, came to the microphone to plead for lower speed limits, better striping and other road improvements. 

Chouinard described how an encounter with a speeding vehicle and poor road conditions resulted in serious injuries to his wife in an accident on Pioneer Road last December. He went on to say that Pioneer Road, “a quiet dusty road” when his family moved there in the 1980s, is now a major thoroughfare carrying more than 1,400 vehicles a day “most of them speeding.” 

“It is a dangerous road,” said Chouinard, adding he was there specifically regarding Chisago City’s maintenance of “the short section of Pioneer Road from Highway 8 to Iris.” He explained that the portion of Pioneer Road that lies within the City of Wyoming had been widened and improved with blacktop shoulders.  Chisago City’s short section is narrower with gravel shoulders. 

“That road has been pretty much ignored by Chisago City,” said Chouinard. “Many times in snowstorms it can be a couple of days—sometimes not at all”—to be  cleared of snow. “Treatment of the road for ice and snow is almost nil; the shoulders are non-existent with potholes right at the edge of the blacktop,” said Chouinard. “You need to get that part of Pioneer Road up to par where it should be,” he told the council.  “The other thing I would like to push for is speed control.” He said he also had spoken to the City of Wyoming regarding the speed issues and urged that “Chisago City and Wyoming get together to establish 30 mile per hour limit for that entire stretch of Pioneer Rd.”

Chouinard concluded by saying that Chisago City had “dropped the ball” on maintenance of its section of the road. Acting Mayor Jeremy Dresel said, “I believe the discussion of that road is potentially part of the Highway 8 (improvement) project,” to which Chouinard responded, “That could be three years away.”

Two more concerned residents then came forward stating there is no fog line on the side of the road making it dangerous in bad weather and at night. “You filled in the shoulder with gravel but it’s right on the curve. Anybody going out to Highway 8 is inevitably dropping that side of their car. 

“There are trees there, and it’s slippery in winter, they said, adding, “They don’t put (salt) solution there.”

“It doesn’t take much to fix that problem,” one of the men said. “Just fix the shoulder and put back the white stripes.”

The president of the Comfort Lake Association, who is also a firefighter, then came forward. He pointed out the road has a posted year-round weight restriction of five tons. “It’s a weight-restricted road, and yet there’s semis going down there,” he said. “It’s not enforced. “Do an enforcement day…do something. I am asking you to please do your best,” he pleaded, adding that the recent head-on crash on Pioneer Rd. had resulted in  fatalities. The final resident to come to the microphone said, “Some years ago Wyoming widened the road, and Chisago City didn’t. Wyoming added five feet on each side, all asphalt, but you come to Chisago City, and it’s not there. When vehicles pass one another, there’s very, very little road. It’s a very narrow road, and it seems obvious there should be a firm shoulder on both sides of the road. The asphalt is breaking down…I’m trying to get some movement.  

‘My wife has called in numerous times regarding the fact there is no center stripe on the road,” he continued “It’s really important to work on getting permanent shoulders. It needs to be done soon, and lots more striping needs to be done.”

Acting Mayor Dresel thanked the residents for bringing their concerns to the council, concluding the public comment portion of the meeting.  That did not end the matter. Many of the residents remained until the end of the meeting and sought a response before they left.  City Administrator John Pechman told them there was a new traffic count in progress, and “We have talked about a unified speed (limit) along that road.”

“Repaving shoulders is not going to be a quick and easy process,” Acting Mayor Dressel told them. “Public works will look at it.”  When asked where Pioneer Road fell within the city’s annual survey of city streets in need of improvement, Pechman responded that it was rated “fair to good” not poor, and fell within the “lower average” rating. 

“I think adding fog lines is obviously cheaper than pavement,” he told the citizens. “You are right, the speed is too fast, and in the winter that road is very icy.”

Before leaving, one resident told public works, “You did a beautiful job regraveling those shoulders, but it’s already starting to get destroyed.”   

Moving on to dilemma No. 2 Highway 8 Underpass 

City Administrator Pechman brought the question of the Highway 8 underpass to the council. The long-planned Highway 8 Improvement project includes a $5 million pedestrian underpass at Jennifer Court. A minimum of three to four homes and one business, Reflection Flooring, would need to be removed in order to construct the underpass. 

The cost of building the 200-foot box culvert tunnel and acquiring the necessary property is part of the total highway project, but security, lighting and ongoing tunnel maintenance and drainage costs would become the permanent responsibility of  Chisago City.  

Pechman explained that Chisago County Engineer Joe Triplett, who oversees the Highway 8 project, has asked the city to decide whether it wants the underpass included.  The council members agreed they were not in favor of the tunnel, but are concerned about the ability of pedestrians and cyclists to cross the busy highway. 

“What is Plan B?” asked Council Member Marie Rivers. “There is going to be a center island down the highway. Would there be some kind of a crossing?”

The council was assured that there will be a marked “at grade” crossing where pedestrians can cross to the center island and then go to the other side. Pechman told them that a bike trail will run down one side of the highway. The council wondered how the cost of a bridge/overpass would compare with that of the costly tunnel, and whether flashing lights would be effective at a ground level pedestrian crossing. 

Lacking those answers, the council officially rejected the tunnel.

As for dilemma No. 3 Public Safety allotment for Lakes Area Police, Administrator Pechman brought the question of funding of the Lakes Area Police Department to the council for its input.

Background: The State of Minnesota issued all cities a one-time public safety allocation which was based on each city’s population. Chisago City received $246,458 based on a population of 5,765; Lindstrom was allocated  $215,301 based on a population of 5,036. Both cities will use a portion of those funds for the joint Lakes Area Police Department, and a portion for their individual fire departments.

Under terms of a joint powers agreement overseen by the joint police commission, Chisago City and Lindstrom fund the Lakes Area Police Department on a 50-50 basis. When it came to use of the one-time Public Safety funds from the state, Chisago City had agreed they would match Lindstrom’s funding of the Lakes Police Department on a dollar-for-dollar basis, which was originally calculated as $115,301. Chisago City designated the remainder of its public safety allocation to Chisago City Fire Department toward purchase of new radios. 

Lindstrom City Council then decided that one-time public safety dollars to the Lakes Area Police Department should be based on each city’s population instead of the usual 50/50 split. Calculating each city’s share at $20 per capita, brought Lindstrom’s share to $100,720, a difference of $14,581 from Chisago City’s $115,301.

Pechman said he was bringing the issue to the council for direction because “what was approved by the council is now not acceptable for Lindstrom.” He also pointed out that a one-time retention and hiring bonus had already been approved for the joint police department to be disbursed on July 1 of this year using the public safety funds. 

Acting Mayor Dresel expressed concern saying the issue came before the joint police commission twice, and the original amount of $115,301 from each city was agreed upon with a portion of those funds earmarked for a retention and hiring bonus which had been requested by the chief to retain existing officers and recruit new ones.  

“We have paid (for the police department) 50/50 for years,” emphasized Acting Mayor Dresel.

Council Member Nikki Battles said, “I think we should allocate the money we said we would do ($115,301), but I want to avoid this situation in the future.” 

Craig Meyers moved and Battles seconded a motion  funding the joint police department with $115,301 from Chisago City’s one-time state public safety allocation. The motion passed 4-0.

In other business, the council:

- renewed an employment agreement with City Administrator Pechman, which hadn’t been reviewed since 2010. Finance Director Cassie Gemuenden and City Attorney Patrick Doran conducted an independent review resulting in the new employment agreement which is for a four-year term with automatic one-year renewals thereafter, “unless future negotiations take place six months before sunset of the agreement.” Pechman’s salary at $146,099 will follow the same annual budget calculations used for other department heads and staff. 

After the council approved the agreement, Council Member Marie Rivers praised Pechman saying, “You give 120 percent all of the time.”

- accepted Mike Siemsen’s resignation from the city Cable TV Commission where he was a long-time citizen-member. The city will advertise for a replacement.  See the city website or call if interested.

- voted to reinstatement of its local board of appeals and equalizations which was temporarily suspended. The county had indicated a Chisago City official was trained to conduct the board of review, which proved to be incorrect. As a result, authority to conduct the city’s annual board of review and equalization reverted to the county. Council Member Meyer has since completed the required training, and Chisago City will be able to conduct its own annual boards of review once again. Meyer’s training expires in 2007.

- heard a presentation by Linda Madsen of Lake Center for Youth and Families (formerly known as Youth Service Bureau) which provides intervention, counseling and enrichment for youth and families in Chisago, Washington and Anoka counties. Local members of its non-profit board include Chisago County Sheriff Brandon Thyen, Chisago County Outreach Coordinator Katie Malchow, and Jim Gillach representing Chisago Lakes District. The center derives $333,463, the largest chunk of its $1.3 million budget, from fees charged to clients and participants in programs using a sliding fee scale. Additionally, $207,230 from municipalities and counties, $239,988 from grants, $165,311 from charitable gambling proceeds, $74,073 from special events, and $44,851 from donations. 

Chisago Cty contributes $2,500 annually for its contract for services from Lakes Center.

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