By Anne Thom

At the city council meeting Tuesday night, Aug. 8, Stacy City Councilman Mel Aslakson wanted to talk about what is called the 315th Street Development in Lent Township.

The development is formally known as Miller Heritage Estates and has been the subject of discussion at previous council meetings.

The council had seen little information on the scope of the development until construction was underway and wondered if all of the proper channels had been covered for approval of the plat.

Aslakson said, ìThe neighbors have come to me and said that they donít think itís fair that the people of Stacy will pay for 315th but the development residents in Lent benefit.î

He said he had received complaints from the Richland Meadows residents who had expressed concerns about traffic and that the development was making use of the Stacy right of way at 315th.

Aslakson wants ìNo Trespassingî signs posted so that the development contractors and residents cannot use the right of way.

He said those development residents can approach the development from the west side, and it is about 700 feet out of their way.

Aslakson had also approached city attorney Peter Grundhoefer to ask if the council had received notice of the proposed subdivision, saying if the development had proposed to use the right of way they should have notified the city.

City clerk Sharon Payne went to retrieve the file and returned with the information the plat was recorded on Sept. 9, 2005. An initial look didnít produce an answer to the question.

Grundhoefer said, ìIf they (the development) were proposing to use the right of way, they should have notified us.î

Grundhoefer offered the initial legal opinion that if the city had not received notice, they could close the right of way.

Mayor Michael Carlson directed Grundhoefer to continue to look into the issue saying traffic from contractors and construction equipment does present a safety concern for the neighbors at Richland Meadows.
More road issues

Stacy has been working with Chisago County officials to complete mill and overlay work on the primary roads through Stacy.

In previous meetings the council and Stacy City Engineer Chuck Schwartz had requested City Maintenance Supervisor Tom Archibald work with the county to complete the work by fall.

Archibald had been working on this all summer. On July 11, city officials met with representatives from the Minnesota Department of transportation (MNDOT) and county officials regarding the state of roads within the city.

Now that building of the County Road 17 interchange is underway, and federal funds were secured to underwrite that project, Stacy officials are maintaining that there should also be funding secured for a new County Road 19 (Stacy Trail) interchange.

The city council reviewed a letter from Chisago County Engineer Bill Malin who said if the city intended to pursue what is known as High Priority Project (HPP) funding to replace the interchange at Stacy Trail from I-35, the county did not want to spend any money on an upgrade that they had planned.

Malin did say that the county would do what it could with mill and overlay in order to maintain the road until the funds could be secured and the road reconstructed. Malin asked for the city to confirm by Friday Aug. 11 if this is indeed the plan.

In other news:

ï Stacy thanks the community members who volunteered their time to make Stacy Daze a successful event. Stacy-Lent Fire and Rescue and the Stacy Lionís Club especially had devoted a great deal of their time and talents to the event.

ï Council member Mel Aslakson is maintaining that a Stacy city council member does not reside in the city. City Attorney Peter Grundhoefer advised the council they would have to set a hearing to discuss it and then take action if this were found to be true.

ï Stacy has adopted a new logo. Maintenance supervisor Archibald asked if new uniforms should be ordered for the maintenance department that reflect this update to the city.

ï The City is accepting bids for winter snow removal. There was some concern about rising fuel prices and their impact on the city budget. Already, one of the bids reflected the possible imposition of a fuel surcharge.

Comment from kristi nelson, 8/21/06

The development has never been known as "315th street development" it is "Miller Heritage Estates" -- Which was platted according to the rules of Lent Township & Chisago County. Let's also put it into perpective that this property will only involve 3 single family homes, so we are not talking about a large amount of traffic.
In response to Mr. Aslakson's comment that the "The neighbors have come to me and said that they donít think itís fair that the people of Stacy will pay for 315th but the development residents in Lent benefit.î The residents should remember that 315th street has always been used by Lent Township residents. It originally was a driveway for a home that is in lent township and was donated to the city to provide access for those that live in Richland Estates. There are many city streets that Lent township residents use and many township streets that city residents use. Is this really an issue? Or is Mr. Aslakson just trying to stir another pot?