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

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

Also in attendance were Clerk/Treasurer/Administrator Mike Wolf, Deputy Clerk/Treasurer/Administrator Chris Astrella, Dean Taylor 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. Gallagher Plat Task Force Recommendations: Chris Astrella explained that the task force had met twice in the last month to discuss options. They used feedback from the Gallagher Plat Improvement Plan, and the Town's Parks Plan, and additional feedback from residents in attendance at the meetings.

In the end they are recommending doing three things this year:

•  have a neighborhood clean-up day, which would include having dumpsters placed in the park

•  have a Fire Dept/EMS “night out” at Thurber Park , where fire trucks and personnel, Dane County sheriff's personnel, and perhaps Med Flight could make an appearance

•  create a “sitting area” of sorts, to include a new park bench, large boulders with a plaque embedded in them with historical info about the park, and perhaps a flower bed around this area (it was noted the Town's quarries are willing to donate the boulders)

Chris said the cost of each of these things would be minimal: likely between $200 and $800. He also said the other ideas would be distributed to either the Parks Commission or Plan Commission for further consideration.

Chair Johnson made a motion to approve the task force's recommendations as presented. Supervisor Stube seconded the motion, and it passed 4-0.

2b. Curfew for Blooming Grove: Chair Johnson said this is another idea that came out of the Gallagher Plat task force. Currently the Town's curfew is in line with the County's. But given most of the Town's proximity to the City of Madison , the recommendation is to change the Town's curfew times to mirror that of the City's. Chair Johnson made a motion to make the Town's curfew times the same as the City of Madison 's. Supervisor Young seconded the motion, and it passed 4-0. The curfew hours for 15-17 year-olds are: Saturday through Thursday 11:00pm – 4:00am, and Friday through Saturday from midnight to 4:00am. The curfew hours for those under 15 years of age are: any day of the week between 10:00pm and 4:00am.

2c. Culvert and other Right-of-Way Costs for Future Road/Ditch Projects: Chair Johnson made a motion that the Town will pay for culverts, sidewalks, and other right-of-way costs when it needs to be done as a result of a Town-sponsored project, with the understanding that the material to be used in driveway aprons will be the same as the material used for the road. Supervisor Stube seconded the motion, and passed 4-0.

2d. Employee Unpaid Leave of Absence Policy: Mike Wolf stated that the Town doesn't have a written policy, and that is why this is being presented. Supervisor Stube and Supervisor Young both expressed concern for employees that may have a medical reason to be off of work for several weeks or even months, and that they might be losing benefits during that time. After some discussion, Mike Wolf said he would re-write the policy and do some more investigation of the legality of the policy – and will then put this on a future agenda.

2e. Payment to Lussier Heritage Center : Mike Wolf said that the office received a call last week from the Center, asking where the remaining $2000 donation was. After investigating, Mike Wolf said that the Town Board approved a $2500 donation in 2001, but only paid $500 of that. The next four $500 payments were not made, no doubt because of the transition in Town Office staff in spring of 2002. Supervisor Young made a motion to approve the $2000 payment to Lussier Heritage Center to fulfill the Town's obligation. Supervisor Linzmeier seconded the motion, and it passed 4-0.

3a. February 13, 2007 Meeting Minutes: Supervisor Young made a motion to approve the February 13, 2007 meeting minutes as presented. Chair Johnson seconded the motion, and it passed 4-0.

3b. Vouchers: Supervisor Linzmeier made a motion to approve the vouchers as presented. Supervisor Young seconded the motion, and it passed 4-0.

4. Public Comments: Deborah Sellers said there was a pile of snow blocking the stop sign at the corner of Furey Avenue and Gannon Avenue . Deborah also said there was a red car on Gannon Avenue that has been there since the snowstorm started last Friday – and is creating a hazard. Mike Wolf said he would look into these issues.

5. Adjournment – Supervisor Young made a motion to adjourn. Supervisor Stube seconded, and the motion passed 4-0 at 8:01pm.

Respectfully Submitted by Mike Wolf, Clerk/Treasurer/Administrator