OATH OF OFFICE Marilyn Lenth, our newly appointed board member from Postville, took her oath of office.

Transcription

1 The regular meeting of the Clayton County Conservation Board (CCCB) was held at the Osborne Conservation Center on Friday,. (The meeting had been rescheduled from Tuesday, December 8, because of lack of a quorum.) Gary Kregel called the meeting to order at 2:02 p.m. Other members present were Daryl Landsgard, Marilyn Lenth, and Larry Stone. CCCB director Jenna Pollock and office manager Harry Luster also attended. Mark Tschirgi was a guest. OATH OF OFFICE Marilyn Lenth, our newly appointed board member from Postville, took her oath of office. AGENDA Landsgard moved to approve the agenda as posted. Lenth seconded. Carried MINUTES Stone moved to approve the minutes of the November 11 meeting as printed. Landsgard seconded. Carried. COMMUNICATIONS Pollock noted that our cooperative ad with the Fayette County Conservation Board and the Turkey River Recreational Corridor appears in the January-February issue of IOWA OUTDOORS magazine. The magazine also includes an article by former CCCB naturalist Brian Gibbs about Bluffton Fir Stand State Preserve. CLAIMS AND FINANCIAL REPORT Luster reviewed the claims since the November meeting. Stone moved to approve the claims as submitted. Lenth seconded. Carried. Luster also gave the board an Expenditure Status Report showing our income and expenditures for November, as well as our year-to-date income and expenditures. Lenth moved that the board had reviewed the financial report. Landsgard seconded. Carried. ELECTION OF OFFICERS Stone moved to nominate Elizabeth Jaster as chair of the Conservation Board. Lenth moved to cease nominations and cast a unanimous ballot. Carried. Landsgard moved to nominate Kregel for vice-chair. Stone moved to cease nominations and cast a unanimous ballot. Carried. Kregel proposed that CCCB staff keep minutes of board meetings. After some discussion, the board tentatively agreed to continue the practice of having an elected secretary keep minutes. Page 1 of 5

2 Lenth moved to nominate Stone for board secretary. Landsgard moved to cease nominations and cast a unanimous ballot. Carried. OLD BUSINESS TSCHIRGI EASEMENT As a courtesy to Mark Tschirgi, the board agreed to consider this item next on the agenda. Pollock read a letter from the attorney for Mark and Julie Tschirgi, who have requested an easement across CCCB property to reach their home at Emerald Valley Estates. Although the board acknowledged and appreciated the Tschirgis effort to resolve their access problem with minimal disruption to county property, Pollock and the board members agreed that such an easement could set a bad precedent and lead to future problems with management and trespassing. Stone moved to deny the Tschirgis request for an easement. Lenth seconded. Carried. TRAILS/DOT GRANT Pollock has had a continuing dialogue with Iowa DOT trail officials about an alternative route for the Motor to Elkader trail for which we had received a grant. The Conservation Board in October rejected a route along the Turkey River due to landowner objections. The DOT is now deciding whether the grant can be used on a route along highway 13 to connect the ends of the Pony Hollow Trail to make a loop. One complication is that DOT rules say engineering for a project only can be done once. We spent about $30,500 on engineering for the Turkey River route. It still is unclear whether CCCB can use the remainder of the $160,000 engineering budget for an alternative route. ENO PROPERTY Pollock has communicated with Matthew Erickson, attorney for the John Eno estate, about CCCB alternatives for the Eno property. Erickson said the estate has been closed, so the CCCB cannot refuse the Eno bequest. However, Erickson said the CCCB could declare that we cannot fulfill the bequest, which means we would relinquish all rights to the property. He suggested discussing options with Bill Eno and the Iowa Natural heritage Foundation which Pollock has been doing. Kregel wondered whether CCCB could sell the property and use the proceeds for a project (perhaps remodeling the third floor of the visitor center?) that could be named for the Eno family. Stone cautioned that selling property that had been donated to us could discourage any future gifts. Page 2 of 5

3 BECKER AND PLEASANT RIDGE TIMBER Anderson, Mulford, and district forester Dave Asche walked the Becker and Pleasant Ridge Wildlife Area on December 1 to assess damage from last summer s tornado. Anderson s summary: Becker west lowest priority; needs TSI work and replanting Becker east salvage timber and low quality trees to promote already excellent maple stand Pleasant Ridge potential to manage for oak, with extensive work; little salvageable timber Asche will prepare a more extensive management report in He suggested taking bids for a salvage harvest on Becker east in fall RETZ MEMORIAL FOREST Scott Moats, director of stewardship for the Iowa Nature Conservancy (TNC), has met with Pollock about the potential transfer of Retz Memorial State Preserve to CCCB. The 49-acre preserve is just downstream from the north unit of Motor Mill. The discussion is still preliminary, with uncertainties about the opinion of the TNC board, and the impact of the State Preserve designation on a land transfer. Conservation Board members directed Pollock to continue the discussion. FLOORING BIDS Six businesses submitted bids for replacing the floor covering on the first floor of the Osborne Visitor Center. The bids ranged from $15,692 up to $30,426 although not all bids were for the same items. Lenth moved to reject all flooring bids and to seek more comparable specifications. Landsgard seconded. Carried. NEW BUSINESS NATURALIST VAN After staff members experienced brake problems with the van being driven mostly by Harkrader and Slocum, Pollock has refused to allow the vehicle on the road. She asked that we buy a new van. The expected cost of about $25,000 could come from that amount budgeted for a new mower, which will not be needed. Stone moved to authorize Pollock to take bids for a new van, asking dealers to give us state pricing, and to submit bids with and without trading in the old van. Lenth seconded. Carried. Page 3 of 5

4 SLOCUM SIX-MONTH REVIEW Pollock reported that naturalist Kenny Slocum has done excellent work in his first six months on the job, and recommended that he receive a pay raise bringing his total annual salary to $35,608.75, as calculated on our salary scale. Lenth moved to approve the raise. Landsgard seconded. Carried. IWILL RESOLUTION The Iowa Association of County Conservation Boards has urged all Conservation Boards to pass a resolution asking their state legislators to fund the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund by raising the state sales tax 3/8 of 1%. More than 63% of Iowa voters approved a constitutional amendment setting up the fund in 2010, but legislature must act on the sales tax increase. Landsgard moved to approve the resolution. Stone seconded. Carried. FY17 BUDGET DISCUSSION Luster provided the board with financial materials to review before the budget discussions scheduled for the January meeting. One of the main decision items will be staff salaries. The board also discussed the need for a new shop, and the potential cost. The board (and the board of supervisors) agreed that a $250, cost estimate from Martin-Gardner Architecture was too expensive. Other issues include: open outdoor public plumbed restrooms/showers at Osborne; finish the third floor of the Welcome Center; new educational displays in the Welcome Center; recycling containers in the Welcome Center; a new phone system in the Welcome Center; accepting credit cards in the Iowa Room; renovating the Osborne Pond; seeking more grants to help with projects and programs. UPCOMING PROGRAMS Pollock distributed a tentative Calendar of Events for UPDATES Slocum, Harkrader and Pollock reviewed and updated the Naturalist I & Naturalist II Position Descriptions to reflect current responsibilities. BOS (Board of Supervisors) strongly encourages that Conservation use Hawkeye Sanitation. (This will be reviewed when a contract with Waste Management ends in 2016.) Pollock made contact with Farm Bureau, Farm Credit Services of America, and ISU Extension for an Estate Planner Speaker- possible public program/series. (The board briefly discussed the intent of such a workshop, and the possible inclusion of conservation easements in the program.) Page 4 of 5

5 Slocum wrote two articles for Guttenberg Press, worked on Indian Tales and Holiday Walk preparations and cleaned and fed Nature Center critters/tanks. Anderson & Mulford wormed and bedded the animals, continued with routine park maintenance, winterized vehicles, and Mulford moved snow. Luster, Schoulte, and Kraus welcomed visitors, updated data, helped advertise for programs, and staffed IA Room. Luster continued work on budget for FY16 and put together data for FY17. Harkrader presented to 71 participants in over 4 programs. Harkrader and Slocum organized winter classroom programs schedules and relayed to teachers. NEXT MEETING The next meeting is scheduled for January 12 at Osborne at 6 p.m. ADJOURNMENT Stone moved to adjourn the meeting at 5 p.m. Landsgard seconded. Carried. Respectfully submitted, Larry A. Stone, secretary Page 5 of 5