Debbie Weis, a representative from Nextel, approached the board of supervisors at their meeting on Monday, Aug. 14, with a proposal to rebuild and relocate an existing communications tower owned by Allen Hertzberg. Nextel wants to build a 300-foot guide tower behind the present tower site just east of 263rd Avenue.
The plan would be to build the taller tower further back from the road and then take down the existing tower when new construction was finished.
The board asked about co-locating Nextel's antenna and equipment on another tower in the township. Weis said her company had approached American Tower, which recently purchased the AT&T tower next to Hertzberg's, but found that the space available on that tower was too low to suit Nextel's needs.
The new tower near the west end of Lake Koronis also does not suit Nextel's needs, according to Weis.
As the township ordinance only allows 200-foot towers, Nextel's request would need a variance. The board established a public hearing for the variance request for Tuesday, Sept. 6, at 6:30 p.m.
911 signs Paynesville Township has received 825 signs to mark residences in the township with their 911 addresses.
The signs are intended to aid emer-gency services (ambulance crews, fire departments, and police officers) in finding residences.
One option for installing the signs was a sentence to serve crew from the county, but there were doubts about when this crew could do the work.
The board directed maintenance worker Mike Jensen to start installing the posts. He will call Gopher One to locate safe spots for the signs, and then have 14 days to put in the posts.
Jensen will locate a couple roads at a time, install the posts, and then move on. The township wants the posts in before the ground freezes. Installation of the signs may wait until all the posts are in.
The board talked about buying or renting a gas or air operated post driver, but decided to see how Jensen does by hand first.
The signs will need to be in a consistent location to aid rescue personnel in finding the correct address. The signs will be located on the driveway side of the road, with the sign pointing to the respective residence.
Other business • The board accepted a petition from Pat Meagher requesting the township hold a referendum on the ariport zoning board. The petition was signed by 200 residents of the township. (See related story on page 1.)
• The board also directed Jensen to have the tires on the tractor rotated. The cost is $100, which they hope will eliminate the need to buy new tires until at least next spring.
• The board approved a finalized five-year contract for snow plowing with David Voss. Voss will purchase the township's plow for $29,000. The township will pay $60 per hour for plowing. A retainer of $5,000 is due to Voss in October.
• The township has received a check for $392,000 from the county as the lump sum payment for taking over Co. Rd. 124. Since construction is unlikely to start this year, the board expressed interest in putting the check in the bank and earning interest.
They also want the money to be FDIC insured, which may force them to invest it out of town, since they already are at their limits in town.
• The board also discussed renaming Co. Rd. 124, since it no longer is a county road. They would like to keep the number to make the transition as easy as possible. One suggestion is to call it Township 124.
• The board directed supervisor Don Pietsch to continue negotiations with West Central Sanitation on a recycling route in the township. The township and the sanitation company have agreed to a price of $1.75 per residence per month, with pick up every other week.
Still at issue is an exclusivity clause in the contract.
Pick up would be available to customers in the township on a garbage route. Participation would be voluntary.
• Clerk Don Wiese is looking for election judges for the primary elections on Tuesday, Sept. 12.