Campground variance sought

By Barbie Porter

Editor 

Frazee will see two main thoroughfares under construction for two consecutive years beginning in 2022.

State Highway 87 through the city limits will receive a full reconstruction, which will be paid by state tax dollars. The city portion will include building a trail and installing new utility lines from where the road intersects Maple Avenue to Second Street SW.

City Engineer Kris Carlson said there is 80 percent grant funding for replacing water service and nothing for the sewer. 

The city council approved proceeding to the project bidding process. Once a bid is selected and grant funding reduces the cost, the residents along the work zone will be notified of assessments.

The project slated for 2023 has to do with reconstruction of East Main Avenue to State Highway 87. The council learned Becker County had the project scheduled and after looking at city service lines, saw it would be an opportune time to replace the aging systems.

The council approved having its engineer create a report that will identify challenges, solutions to those challenges and more. The hourly cost for scheduled work is not to exceed $3,600. 

Council seeks variance for RV campground 

The city’s Parks and Recreational Committee discussed offering a seasonal RV campsite at Eagle Park, but to do so a variance would be needed from Becker County Planning and Zoning, as the park is outside of city limits. 

Councilman Mike Sharp explained the county requires 300 feet of lake shore for such campsites, and the city park has 245 feet of shoreline. If any progress were to be made on the campsite idea, a variance would be needed for the county to overlook the shortage of shoreline. The estimated cost of the application for the variance was about $300.

The council approved the committee’s request to seek a variance from the county.

Sharp said if the variance was approved, the next step would be to seek a conditional use permit for the campground. If that step were approved, then the city would have a green light to offer the RV campground.

The preliminary drawing the Parks and Rec Committee reviewed at its October meeting had four seasonal RV sites. At the committee meeting, Sharp stated they would be limited to four sites, as more would mean additional regulations to adhere too, which translates to more costs. The four proposed sites would be located on a grassy area that is currently mowed by the city crew, but otherwise not given a designated use.

Offering the seasonal RV sites would be an avenue for the city’s to have a steady stream of funding for improving its parks and recreational opportunities. 

In other news

• The council heard the monthly police report for September, in which 789 calls were recorded, of which 17 were traffic related.

• Frazee Rescue reported 26 calls in September to the council. Of the 26, 11 were in town.

• Frazee Utilities Superintendent Larry Stephenson stated 4.6 million gallons of water had used in September.  There was 861/2 pounds of fluoride added to the water supply last month.

He expected the amount to drop as bulk water was purchased from the city for the State Highway 87 construction project.

Stephenson said the wastewater treatment plant processed 2.26 million gallons.

In September, 1.81 inches of precipitation was recorded in city limits. 

City hall addition 

discussions begin

The city council recently hired a third person to work in the city office to answer questions from the public and tackle simple time consuming jobs. 

The council was presented with the idea of having the police office used by the new clerk assistant, as three people in the current clerk area is becoming crowded.

There are two garage stalls in the police station. The idea presented would transform one stall into a temporary office. The council discussed option os where an addition could be made to provide a permanent office for the police and return the precinct to having two garage stalls to use. 

Frazee Police Chief Tyler Trieglaff was not at the meeting, and the council agreed it would be best to continue the conversation when he is present.