By MaryHelen Swanson

The Chisago County commissioners accepted the recommendation of the county planning commission and approved the conditional use permit (CUP) for Daniel Hanson to operate an intermediate solid waste facility on the Earl Schweigert property in Rushseba Township. At the site of an old gravel pit, Hanson will have tree and brush disposal with waste to be burned during the winter months during proper weather conditions and with proper DNR burning permits.

Hanson explained that there will be one or two truck trips per day to deposit the wood products on site. Only Hanson will use the site and there will be only one truck.

The permit also includes occasional "resource recovery" activity in that Hanson will permit occasional private pickup of firewood from the site. There will be no stockpiling or retail sales of firewood on site. Any material not burned will be deposited into the existing holes and buried. A letter from William and Jean Peno had been received at the planning commission suggesting that the waste be chipped and/or composted to avoid possible air pollution from burning.

The CUP was approved with six conditions which state, among other things, that hours of operation will be limited to daylight hours, vehicles will be limited to one driven by Hanson himself, Hanson will obtain a yearly Intermediate Solid Waste Disposal Facility license, and include instructions for disposal of any ashes.

In a related issue, Commissioner Mike Robinson stepped down from the chair and moved to direct County Administrator John Moosey to send a letter to the East Central Solid Waste Commission (the five-county joint powers entity of which Chisago is a member) requesting that they stop competing with private businesses such as a debris landfill operation. His motion carried unanimously.

At the same time, the commissioners, upon recommendation of director of Environmental Services Mary Darragh Schmitz, denied a tobacco license for Ray Abrizenski of Ray's Bait on East Rush Lake. The ordinance amendment that allows this business to sell bait and tackle does not include retail sales of anything else. And to be consistent with the denial to hold a public hearing for a off-sales liquor license for the same business this fall, she recommended the denial of this request also.