Terms end in Thomson Township, road and bridge policy updated

Thomson Township supervisors bid a fond farewell to board members Bill Gerard and Dave Sunnarborg, who finished their terms in office at the final meeting of the year on Dec. 19.

Gerard wrapped up 21 years on the board, while Sunnarborg finished up a two-year appointment after previously serving for 19 years starting in the early ‘90s. Gerard said he got his 600th 6-foot-tall tree planted in the township at the end of the summer.

Board chairwoman Ruth Janke presented both men with certificates of service. She praised Sunnarborg as “the go-to person” during his terms and Gerard as a “one-person tree board.”

“Your passion for the trees, that’s been just awesome, your dedication to the community, you’re fiscally responsible, all those things,” she said. “It’s been an honor.”

Supervisor Terry Hill joined the others in thanking both men.

“It’s been my pleasure to be able to serve with you, to work with you guys,” Hill said. “You have done a great job and are very, very dedicated to this community.”

Newly elected board members Nathan Barta and Logan Saline were set to take their seats at the Jan. 2 board meeting.

Road and Bridge policy

Also Dec. 19, township attorney Dave Pritchett presented on the updated road and bridge policy, which he called a “bible for the road crew” on how roads are built and maintained, and how people connect to township roads. The policy was last updated in the early 2000s. Township officials realized the policy needed to be modernized during discussions about new private road and shared driveway ordinances last year, which brought township residents out in force, many in opposition to the new ordinances.

Several citizens had questions during the meeting, some referring to actual policy issues, others regarding the upcoming road and driveway ordinances, including a couple about the process of adopting new ordinances that might put a burden on property owners.

Pritchett assured the 30 or so residents in attendance on Dec. 19 that work on the new ordinances for private roads and shared driveways would not be done in secret.

“The process for developing and adopting new ordinances is a statutory process,” he said. “It’s very public. It requires public hearings, it requires board approvals, and all that happens in this room.”

In response to a question on new standards, including one for mailboxes, the attorney said the new road and bridge standards would be gradually enforced.

“I don’t think there’s anybody that wants to be the mailbox police and go around telling people ‘your mailbox doesn’t cut it,’” Pritchett added. “But if your mailbox gets wiped out, if the town does a road project in front of it, then those are all occasions where that will need to be redone according to what this policy says.”

Board members voted unanimously to adopt the updated policy, with the additions and/or corrections suggested during the meeting.

Don’t push snow onto roadways

Township public works supervisor Jonathan Bouvine reminded residents that it is unlawful to plow out their driveways across city, state and town roads. In fact, the act of plowing snow onto or across a public roadway is a safety hazard and a violation of Minnesota Statute 160.27, subdivision 5, punishable as a misdemeanor.

He explained after the meeting that people plowing their driveways sometimes push the snow across the roadway and into the ditch on the other side, which can leave windrows on the road and push gravel into the ditch which can then plug up nearby culverts in the spring.

“That’s a big issue, because it rusts out faster,” he said. “And people that just leave the windrows, they freeze up and then it’s just like hitting a ball of ice.”

Instead, people should be plowing snow to the side of their driveways, keeping it on their own property. It’s not an issue yet, but the first big snowstorm could change that, he said.

The likelihood of a traffic accident or damage to snowplow equipment occurring from a slippery area, frozen rut, bump or large bank on the shoulder is a major safety concern.

Should an accident result from snow being pushed onto or across the roadway, the property owner and the person who placed the snow onto the roadway could be charged in a civil liability settlement.

The Carlton County transportation department outlined the following situations which can arise from pushing snow onto or across the roadway:

• Snow equipment moving in and out of traffic increases the possibility of an accident.

• Snow or ice left on the roadway, even for a short time, can cause a traffic hazard.

• Snow or ice left on the roadway freezes down, making it difficult to clear the road and creates an additional hazard to motorists and snowplow equipment.

• The additional snow can fill the areas designed for storing roadway snow, narrowing the roadway. If this occurs unexpectedly, motorists may have difficulty adjusting to a sudden change and swerve into oncoming traffic.

• Snow piles freeze or crust over so highway equipment cannot push back the piles. Equipment can be damaged or even pushed into other traffic from contact with these heavy piles.

Questions about placement? Contact Carlton County Transportation at 218-384-9150.