WASTEWATER COMPREHENSIVE LAND USE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
October 9, 2003

The Kabetogama Wastewater Management Committee met on October 9, 2003.

The interview process and hiring of the professional engineering firm for Kabetogama wastewater management was reviewed. The committee confirmed the hiring of North American Wetlands Engineering of Forest Lake , MN. Reference checks of this firm support the committee's expectation for innovation, availability of resources and knowledge of best systems for our community wastewater management needs. the Kabetogama Township Board gave its approval for initiating a contract with North American. The contractual process will include legal
consultation.

Bridget Chard, consultant to the committee, reviewed "next steps" which include gathering the following research materials:

• American Wetlands research on groundwater
  
• Soils maps and data
  
• Sanitary and County land use ordinances
  
• Wastewater and land use permits
  
• Land use maps for Kabetogama Township
  
• Wetland, flood plain and utilities mapping
  
  

The need to continue efforts toward public awareness and to engage the resources of local commissioner, Mike Forsman, were discussed.

Submitted by Carol Bryant

WASTEWATER COMPREHENSIVE LAND USE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
AUGUST 14, 2003

Meeting to order 9:05. Those attending:Dan Kuehn, Ron Moyer,Don Granger,John Stegmeir,Carolyn Litwiller,Julie Gutz, Jack McMahon and Bridget Chard.Bridget to survey residents of Pucks Point on their opinions of the need for wastewater solutions here and the state of their systems. Later to report on same.

Township and w/w committee to interview engineering companies Sept. 11 at 9:00a.m. to seek their qualifications to develop a water quality plan for Kabetogama township. Furthur discussion ensued regarding setting up Subordinate Service District. 

Adjourned 11:30 

Submitted by Jack McMahon

WASTEWATER COMPREHENSIVE LAND USE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
July 10, 2003

Jack McMahon, Caroline Litwiller, Ron Moyer, Larry Warrington and Julie Guetz were present. 
The recent seminars were discussed and the consensus was good. There was a good turn out with positive responses and answers to all questions were good. The community was informed about what the committee has been working towards. Ken Olson and Bridget Chard did outstanding jobs as leaders of the seminars.

Our next public information session will be held on August 17, 2003 at 1:00 and 4:00 p.m. at the Kabetogama Fire Station. This will continue our overall plan to keep the community informed. Ken and Bridget will again answer questions and educate people about waste water and individual systems.
Chairmanship of the committee was discussed and Jack felt he would better serve as a member instead of chairman. Caroline Littwiller volunteered to chair the committee. She will develop a flyer and a newsletter for a mass mailing to Kabetogama Township residents.

Our next meeting will be August 14, 2003. Please plan to attend the seminars on August 17.
If there are any questions, please feel free to contact any board member.
Respectfully Submitted,
Larry Warrington

Kabetogama Township Conducts Community Wastewater Solutions Workshops

On Monday, July 7, after enjoying the gatherings and celebrations of the 4th of July, several of the community’s citizens gathered to work on a less star-spangled, more earthy subject: Managing the community’s wastewater. 
Bridget Chard, a Small Communities Project Coordinator and Ken Olson, a University of Minnesota Extension Service Educator who specializes in on-site sewage treatment, provided basic information on wastewater treatment, system management and community organization models. They led discussions on topics covering treatment options, system management, community structures, costs and financing, working with professionals and community process. Dusty Hell owner of D.H. Contracting of Littlefork provided displays of septic tanks and a pre-treatment system using peat as a filtering medium. 

The approximately two dozen participants of the two workshops included homeowners, seasonal cabin owners, resort owners and other business owners from around the Kabetogama community. Why would they devote three hours on a beautiful summer day to talk about sewer? Some came to get information on how individuals and the community can work together to solve existing or potential wastewater problems. Some came to learn about what constitutes a working system and why maintenance is so important. And some came to express their concern that they may be forced to spend their dollars when they do not have a wastewater treatment problem on their property. All came to find out more about the sewer planning that is happening in their township.
That is exactly why the Township Supervisors provided the opportunity for people to find out more about the direction of the community’s wastewater initiative. What was learned at the workshops and the follow-up informal roundtable discussions the next day reinforced a basic tenet promoted by the community’s Wastewater Committee: The one size fits all “Big Pipe” solution to Kabetogama’s wastewater needs does not fit this community. A developing vision is one where the community works with individuals or geographic clusters of development around the community to solve wastewater problems, maintain working systems and plan for future development. 

The group supported this basic goal for the community: The Township and the community’s citizens will be partners in assuring that every home, cabin and business has a working wastewater treatment system and all systems are maintained to assure continued proper treatment for the purpose of protecting and enhancing the community’s health and the environment as we grow into the future. 
The participants helped the Wastewater Committee outline steps to continue the effort to engage the community in this important initiative. Expand the committee to include a broader representation of the community. Develop better communications through newsletters, the township website and postings at community businesses. Conduct research to gain a better understanding of existing or potential problems; collect site information and develop a planning map. Continue educational outreach programs.

Jack McMahon, Chairman of the Kabetogama Township Board of Supervisors and the Community Wastewater Committee encourage citizens of all points of view on the wastewater issue to become involved in the process of learning and working together to solve our wastewater problems. Another series of Community Education Workshops will be held on August 17. There will be two sessions, one starting at 1 PM and one at 4 PM. The sessions will be held at the Kabetogama Fire Hall. Free informative pamphlets will be available in advance of these sessions at the community Pancake Breakfast on August 10 at the Kabetogama Senior Citizens Building.

WASTEWATER COMPREHENSIVE LAND USE COMMITTEE
June 22, 2003

Turn out for the pancake breakfast was very good. Over 200 people attended. Interest was shown in the waste water information presented by Ken Olson of the University of Minnesota. Ken answered lots of questions about septic systems and him models were very informative.

Bridget Chard was on hand to answer questions and help with the financial aspects of a treatment system.
Phase one of public education was very productive with lots of positive response from the public.

The next phase will be on July 7th & 8th when workshops will be set up to further explain and educate people about waste water for our community.

Mailings will be sent out to residents again. Plan to attend either session.

Respectfully submitted
Larry Warrington

WASTEWATER COMPREHENSIVE LAND USE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
June 12, 2003


The meeting convened at 9:00 a.m. with members Ron Moyer, Carolyn Litwiller and Jack McMahon in attendance.The mailing concerning the pancake breakfast was addressed and stamped. It was decided to pay for the lodging that Arrowhead Lodge had so graciously offered for Bridget and Ken. Also the members of theW/W group will be expected to attend during the four hours of the brkfst. Meeting adjourned 9:45 a.m. Submitted by Jack McMahon

MINUTES OF THE WASTE WATER
COMPREHENSIVE LAND USE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
MAY 28, 2003

The meeting was called to order at 9:00 a.m. at the Kabetogama Fire Hall. Members present were; Jack McMahon, Larry Warrington, Caroline Litwiller, John Stegmeir, Ron Moyer, and Don Granger.

The proposal from Ms. Bridget Chard was reviewed and discussed. It was then decided to sign a formal contract with her. Ms. Chard will be our coordinator with the University of Minnesota, Kabetogama Township, and St. Louis County. She will lead the seminars and gather and organize the information that will be presented to the residents of Kabetogama Township.

The first of these informational sessions will be held at the Pancake Breakfast on June 22. The University of Minnesota will have information present. St. Louis County will be asked to be available to answer questions. Members of this committee will also be present to answer questions. Funding for these sessions, and other expenses, will be drawn from grant money already available to the project.

A newsletter will be sent out to residents prior to the July session and will include a brief synopsis of the progress that has been made in the program. Ms. Chard will format the newsletter using information from her studies, the committee and the University of Minnesota. 

The next meeting of this committee will be held June 12, 2002 at the Kabetogama Fire Hall at 9:00 a.m. Continuing meetings will be held on the second Thursday of each month.

Respectfully Submitted,
Larry Warrington

MINUTES OF THE WASTE WATER 
COMPREHENSIVE LAND USE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
April 14, 2003


Meeting was called to order at 9:30 a.m. at the Kabetogama Fire Station. Present were; Jack McMahon, Caroline Littwiller, John Stiegmeir, Ron Moyer and Larry Warrington.

Jack asked that we meet early to discuss the conference call with Bridget Chard and University of Minnesota’s Engineering Team. A conference call was asked for by Bridget to help everyone involved with the project to be in agreement as to how to proceed. We need to set up a contact person for Bridget in Kabetogama and supply her with information on the comprehensive land use plan.

The conference call took place at 10:30 a.m. The University of Minnesota Team needed information also about where and when the project would begin and to what extent it would cover. All parties agreed to slow the pace of the project so as to not get ahead of themselves and make unnecessary moves.

Community education is the first place we need to begin. A tentative date of June 22, 2003 was set to allow the U of M Team to set up informational material about the project so everyone could become more familiar.
Following the June date, a community meeting would be set for July 7 and 8, 2003. July 7 there will be two sessions, one at 9:00 a.m. and one at 6:00 p.m. U of M Team will be there to inform and field questions from the community. The July 8 session will be held from 9:00 a.m. until noon. A mailing will be sent to all residents with the above dates and other advertising will follow. Another session will be held at the September 3 meeting of the Lake Association to inform any resort owners who might not be able to attend the two July sessions.

Budget and contracts were discussed and a plan for payment will be drafted by the University and Bridget. 

The call was ended at 11:30 a.m. The meeting was adjourned at 11:45 a.m.

These minutes are subject to approval at the next meeting of the committee.

Respectfully submitted;
Larry Warrington

Wastewater/Land Use Committee 
4-1-03

Meeting convened 10 am.

Members present: Carolyn Litwiller,Jack McMahon, Ron Moyer, John Stegmier, and Larry Warrington.

There was much discussion about Bridget Chard and how she and Ken Olson of the Univ. of MN would work together to develop a wastewater plan for our township.

It was decided to seek approval from the Kab town supervisors , to hire the aforementioned parties.

Further discussion determined that the committee would also recommend the township seek a Community Block Development Grant thru the office of Nancy Larson, St. Louis Cty. Development Director.

Furthur meetings as needed; will post on this site date, time and place.Adjourned 11:30 am Submitted by Jack McMahon

Wastewater/Land Use Committee
Minutes
12-20-02

Meeting convened 10:30am

W/water and land use met to hear a presentation from Bridget Chard, co-author, with the U. of MN.'s Ken Olson, of Small Community Wastewater Solutions.

After a lengthy meeting and ensuing discussion, the group determined they will ask that the town supervisors hire Bridget Chard to direct our efforts in solving our wastewater problem.

Adjourned 12:45pm.

Members present: Carol Bryant, Carolyn Litwiller, Jack McMahon, Ron Moyer and Larry Warrington Submitted by Jack McMahon