Roads get upgrades in three-year plan

Lake Holcombe Town Board

By Julia Wolf

Road work was the focus of a Lake Holcombe Town Board meeting, when chairman Brian Guthman presented a three-year road plan for the township, during a regular meeting Oct. 10.

Guthman said he worked extensively with Ben Jordan, town roadman, to create the plan.

Guthman said the plan starts with next year, where 264th Street and 274th Street, would undergo updates. One of the roads will need a two-inch lift for the pulverization process.

“And with the two inches of gravel, it helps the pulverizer hold the asphalt up into the head,” said Jordan, explaining it will help make a finer pulverization.

Jordan said the road will also need to be widened.

The second year of the plan, Guthman suggested they do 304th Avenue, 279th Street, 301st Avenue and 278th Street, near Pine Island.

“Those roads are going to need work, even this fall and next year, to start, to get them ready, because there are so many trees in the right-of-ways and they’re going to have to be ditched,” said Guthman.

Guthman said he suggests using TRIP money to complete the year-two projects in 2021.

Year three would see East Lakeshore Drive as far as Pine Lake Bridge, updated. The possible fourth year of the plan would include Pine Lake Road/276th Avenue.

Jordan said many of the projects will be two-year projects, with right-of-way work, and repairing ditches and culverts.

“We have to have only a two-year plan in place for that TRIP money, I would suggest that we do a three-year plan or a four-year plan,” said Guthman.

Members voted in favor of the three-year plan.

Guthman also explained that the TRIP money comes with specifications, such as the money must go toward the entire project. Year two, or 2021, of the three-year plan, would be when the money applies, though Guthman says the paperwork for the project must be filed by Nov. 1.

Members also approved moving forward with the TRIP road project, with $15,453 expected as part of the TRIP money.

Continuing the business portion of the meeting, the board discussed the town website. Doug Olson, board member, said the lady who he had talked to previously is no longer taking on new websites. However, Olson said he talked to MYERSJJ Developments about the project and they came back with similar pricing.

“One of the things that I like about the proposal, is it automatically recognizes your device, so it formats the website to whatever device you are looking at it on,” said Olson.

Olson said the website will also change Word documents to PDFs, so they can’t be changed later.

Beau Bowlin, town resident, suggested the web address be sent out with tax papers, to spread the word of the address.

“I’d like to see it get built in the next couple months,” said Guthman.

Members approved the agreement for $1,150 and $25 per month for hosting, backups and support.

Members also voted in favor of selling the 1999 plow truck locally. The decision to sell locally, instead of on the state website, came after discussion that the truck would be sold primarily for parts, not use.

Members also heard an update on the fall recycle round-up.

“We spent more than we took in,” said Jim Mataczynski, treasurer.

In a budget hearing held earlier in the evening, clerk Tracey Larson said mattresses are one area where the town is coming out behind.

“We get charged $10 per mattress,” said Larson, noting some of the mattresses were accepted for $2 or $5. “I know it’s cleaning up, but we’re really losing money on it.”

Also during the budget meeting, the board discussed the constable position, after members discussed eliminating the position from the 2020 budget.

“So, it seems to me, that if you’re going to do both jobs, that we should at the annual town meeting, ask for that money to be rolled into the chairman’s salary,” said Olson.

Guthman said at least the mileage part would be nice. Olson suggested to leave it in the budget for discussion at the annual meeting, where if a constable is found, they are paid the wage, otherwise the chairman is paid the wage.

Members agreed to leave the wage in the 2020 budget for the time being.