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Who's in charge of fixing our township roads?

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Commissioners examine possible requirements for land use permits
Lead Summary
,
By
Mavis Fodness

Future land use permits in Rock County may include agreements to repair township roads, according to recent discussions by county commissioners.
Six conditional use permits were on the agenda at their April 5 meeting. All six had been recommended for approval by the county’s planning and zoning commission.
County commissioners give final approval on all conditional use permits coming through the Land Management Office.
Eric Hartman, LMO director and county zoning administrator, presented the results from the commission’s March 28 public hearing.
The commissioners discussed all six permits individually: four permits for the operation of temporary hot mix asphalt plants and two for feedlots expanding within a quarter mile of the nearest neighbor.
In his presentation to the commissioners, Hartman said only one permit request received public comment at the hearing.
Duininck Inc. of Prinsburg requested a permit renewal of a gravel pit located in Section 21 of Battle Plain Township.
Hartman said questions included required setbacks from property lines, depth of mining, lack of reclamation at the site and road maintenance.
“The lengthiest discussion centered around the issue of the road,” he said.
Duininck primarily uses the north-south 170th Avenue, a gravel road four miles east of Hardwick off of County Road 7, to access the pit.
At the hearing, a neighboring landowner pointed out Duininck’s lack of road maintenance of 170th Avenue spanning several years. Duininck’s request for permits for the Battle Plain site dates back to 2004.
Hartman said road haul agreements are established between the pit operators and township officials where the pit is operated. It is the township’s responsibility to enforce the agreement to maintain a safe roadway for public use.
In the renewal of the permit application, the commission only requires acknowledgement that an agreement exists. These agreements can range from a handshake, writing on the back of an envelope to a formal written document.
“Why are we approving something if they (pit operators) don’t seem to be following it (receptive to abiding by the rules)?” asked Commissioner Jody Reisch.
Commissioner Stan Williamson serves on the Planning and Zoning Commission.
“If we had to suggest anything to our township boards, it would be to have road agreements that are spelled out a little better than on a napkin,” he said.
While gravel pit operators are required to have road haul agreements, other heavy users of township roads are not subject to that requirement under the current permit process.
Commissioner Ken Hoime pointed to a feedlot operator’s use of a semitrailer to haul manure to a field located on 151st Street south of Kenneth. The repeated use of the gravel road created deep ruts making the road unsafe, and it had to be closed to the public.
Because feedlot owners are not required to have a road haul agreement, the Vienna Township Board is responsible for repairing the damaged road.
Current farming practices call for larger, heavier equipment, said Rock County Commissioner Ron Boyenga. Their use could affect the condition of all county and township roads.
Williamson suggested developing a “boiler plate” document for township boards to use in permit cases where heavy road use is necessary.
“It would be nice to have them avoid having to make the hard decisions and just be able to hand them (the permit applicant) a form — this is our agreement — and be done with it,” Reisch added.
The commissioners asked Hartman to gather more information including a map showing where feedlots of 300 animal units or more are located in the county. Hartman agreed to bring the information to a future meeting.
The commissioners unanimously approved the six permits brought forward by Hartman. The permits include:
•Central Specialties of Alexandria, Minnesota, hot mix plant, Section 35 of Mound Township.
•Central Specialties, hot mix plant, Section 23 of Denver Township.
•Duininck Inc., hot mix plant, Section 14 Denver Township.
•Duininck Inc., hot mix plant, Section 21 Battle Plain Township.
•Brad Van De Berg, Hills, to expand existing beef feedlot from 280 animal units to 990 in Section 22 of Martin Township.
•Warren Jansma, Ellsworth, to expand an existing feedlot from 454 animal units to 919 in Section 14 of Kanaranzi Township.
 
In other county business the board:
•approved hiring Aaron Blank of Beaver Creek as the new full-time dispatcher at the sheriff’s office.
•accepted Mark Jensen’s resignation as land management office’s engineering technician, effective April 15. The full-time position will first be posted in-house.

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