Town of Blooming Grove Board Meeting Minutes – March 27, 2007

Chair Johnson called the meeting to order at 7:00pm. Board members in attendance were: Chair Johnson, Supervisor Berg, Supervisor Linzmeier, Supervisor Stube and Supervisor Young.

Also in attendance were Clerk/Treasurer/Administrator Mike Wolf, Fire Chief Glenn Linzmeier, Renee Gilbertsen, James Quinn, and Deborah Sellers. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. Chair Johnson asked if the meeting notice had been properly posted, and Mike Wolf said that it had been.

2a. Public Hearing on Vacating Schohl Street : Supervisor Linzmeier made a motion to open the Public Hearing for Vacating Schohl Street . Supervisor Berg seconded the motion, and it passed 5-0.

Jeff White, who owns the land to the north of this “street”, is looking to have more land area available for his septic system. Nobody in attendance spoke against the vacating of the road.

Supervisor Berg made a motion to close the Public Hearing. Supervisor Stube seconded the motion, and it passed 5-0.

2b. Board Action on Vacating Schohl Street : Supervisor Berg made a motion to adopt Town Resolution 2007-02, which vacates Schohl Street . Supervisor Linzmeier seconded the motion, and it passed 5-0.

2c. New Street Light at 517 Gannon Avenue : Supervisor Berg said that a study on streetlights was done about six or seven years ago by the Town. He expressed concerns about setting a precedent, though he did say the Board wouldn't legally be bound by the decision. Lastly, he pointed out that the City of Madison 's rule of not having mid-block streetlights when the block is more than 600' is useful information.

Renee Gilbertsen had a petition signed by 12 people on the block (all but two residences on the block) who supported putting in the streetlight. She said this is a matter of public safety, as people have had things stolen from their yards. She also said the there is an existing pole that could be used for the streetlight, which would keep the cost of installation low.

Supervisor Stube also expressed concern about the precedent this may set, and further questioned whether or not safety would really be improved with a light at this location.

Chair Johnson suggested a neighborhood watch program may be more effective at deterring crime than the streetlight.

Mike Wolf will get a quote from Madison Gas & Electric for this particular streetlight installation, and will also get estimates for the installation of a streetlight assuming that the pole would need to be installed as well. This topic will be placed on the April 24 Board meeting agenda.

2d. Contractor for Swinburne Drive Project: Mike Wolf stated that Tony Reigstad had checked references on the three contractors whose bids were all within $2,000 of each other. Based upon that, and the fact that Payne & Dolan's bid was the least expensive, it was recommended to the Board that we accept Payne & Dolan's bid.

The Board expressed several concerns about the bid: the language about a two foot shoulder “where it will fit”, the fact that one bid has more square footage than another, the concern about concrete driveways not being sawcut, and the fact that the Payne & Dolan bid includes going into driveways “a maximum of 2-3 feet”. Mike Wolf will investigate these concerns in more detail with Tony Reigstad, and this will be re-presented to the Board at their April 10 meeting.

2e. EMS Consolidation Project Proposal: Supervisor Berg made a motion to accept the proposal from Virchow Krause for the EMS Consolidation project as presented. Supervisor Young seconded the motion, and it passed 5-0.

2f. Start Time for Next Board Meeting: Supervisor Young made a motion to change the start time for the next Town Board meeting to 6:00pm on Tuesday, April 10, 2007. Chair Johnson seconded the motion, and it passed 5-0.

3a. March 13, 2007 Meeting Minutes: Supervisor Young made a motion to approve the March 13, 2007 meeting minutes as presented. Supervisor Stube seconded the motion, and it passed 5-0.

3b. Vouchers: Supervisor Young made a motion to approve the vouchers as presented. Chair Johnson seconded the motion, and it passed 5-0.

  4. Public Comments:

Deborah Sellers asked for details about the Clean Sweep day, and the Fire Department night out. Mike Wolf said Clean Sweep Day is May 5, and the Fire Department night out will be July 14. He went on to say that Deputy Chris Astrella is handling the details on these events, but that a presentation will be done for each of them at the Annual Meeting on April 10.

Deborah Sellers asked about the possibility of improving the safety of Commercial Avenue , between where the ramps come off of and back on to Highway 30. She suggested that double yellow lines or “2-way traffic” road signs may help. Mike Wolf said he would investigate the possibilities.

Deborah Sellers said she had placed a stick straight up in a fairly good sized hole in Thurber Park . The hole is a hazard that should be remedied. Mike Wolf will have Tony Reigstad take care of it.

Deborah Sellers reported that one of the swings on the swingset is broken and needs to be replaced. Mike Wolf said he would let Tony Reigstad know about this.

Supervisor Berg asked if the Town was continuing to make payments to the Blooming Grove Historical Society. Mike Wolf said he would look into it.

6. Adjournment – Chair Johnson made a motion to adjourn. Supervisor Young seconded, and the motion passed 5-0 at 7:47pm.

Respectfully Submitted by Mike Wolf, Clerk/Treasurer/Administrator.