Lutsen Township Board Meeting Minutes
September 16, 2025
Lutsen Town Hall
Present: Carl Friesner, Chris Homyak, Lolli Cooper, Carl Frienser, Ashley VanDoren, Samantha Mcquatters-Spangle, Sharon Hexum-Platzer, Steve Duclos, Ginny Storlie
Call to Order: Meeting called to order by Chairperson, C Friesner at 7:00 pm.
Approval of Agenda: C Homyak made a motion to approve the July agenda, C Friesner seconded. Motion passed.
Approval of September Meeting Minutes: C Friesner made a motion to approve the agenda, C Homyak seconded. Motion passed.
Commissioner’s Report: (Ginny Storlie)
· Howard Hedstrom came before the county board to inform people that the Superior golf course is in the process of being sold. They reviewed the last 3 applicants and found a buyer who will retain the original use of the golfcourse with hopes of the golf course opening next spring.
· Bonding signed for law enforcement center addition with construction to start soon. This will be the last currently approved capital improvement until more strategic planning is commenced.
· The new apartment building construction is under way at the west end of Grand Marais
· Truth and taxation meeting is set for December 2nd at 6pm.
· Current cook county levy is set at 7.57% which is the highest is can go with hopes to lower it down as close to 5% as possible.
· Thank you, Brandon, for attending the Firewise meeting last month; the more people that can attend emergency planning events and meeting means greater outreach; Thank you Chris Homyak and the group that went out to help with search and rescue this last month.
· Public health is in a big transition with new administer stepping up and bringing in more people in the evaluate. Public health and human services will be advertising for a new director in the next few days with hopes of a more cohesive group of people.
· Cardboard trailer still proposed to go to Tofte recycling center; citizens requested commissioner Storlie to request extended hours as they conflict with most people’s working schedule or propose using the snowmobile entrance area off of Caribou trial?
Clerk’s Report: S. Mcquatters-Spangle Deputy Clerk: S. Hexum-Platzer
Correspondence: 10 phone calls forwarded; P.O.Box renewal, Email correspondences: OSA Weekly Update, Minnesota Association of Townships newsletter, Public Works & Housing Programs –Applications Due August 27, tax exempt forms send on behalf of Fire crew, AAAA Newsletter, August Update, Entire United States - Half-Staff Alert - Annunciation Catholic School, Minnesota Releases Draft Proposed Federal Broadband Funding Package, 2026-2027 Affordable Housing Plan Available for Public Comment, Webinars for support with Clean Energy Direct Pay Tax Credits, E-Updates Notification: Planning Commission, Full 13 County Focus Clean Air, Healthy Communities Public Meeting, Superior National Forest Fall Prescribed Fire Notice, Entire United States - Half-Staff Alert - Charlie Kirk, CCHE September Newsletter, Next PERA Webinar September 25: Membership Eligibility,
· Township Tuesdays webinar
· Parking lot resurfacing alerts/barriers
· Personal baking insurance info sent
· Quorum notices
· Talked with contact about emergency management group
· Multiple beer license letters of support submitted
· Minutes submitted to paper/supervisor after regular meeting
· Sharon working on IRRRB grant; all quotes including playground equipment cost, leveling and materials cost needed before IRRRB grant can be submitted.
· Sharon drafted personal fire crew vehicle resolution for review
· Worked with Phil on new website; currently undergoing training for new site format but requesting a motion from the supervisors to switch over website platforms once all documents and pictures can be correctly imputed. Supervisor Friesner made a motion to allow the clerk to launch official website, supervisor Cooper seconded. Motion passed
· Talked with Credit Union on accounts; updated authorized personnel lists needed with approved meeting minutes.
Treasurer’s Report; Ashley VanDoren: As of August 31, 2025;
North Shore Federal Credit Union-Checking $212,527.08; General Building Fund-savings $57,558.51, General Money Market $86,014.55, Fire/EMS truck fund $82,425.47 totaling $438,525.61; CD investments;
o 7 Month CD at Grand Marais State bank-$102,613.70 at 4.0%,
(The 7 Month CD accrued interest will not show until the CD matures because of the short length of time but is earmarked to return to the fire truck fund) Matures 2/19/26
o 29 Month CD at Grand Marais State bank-$104,512.33 at 4.5%
Matures 6/2/25
Fire truck fund
o 7 Month CD at Grand Marais State Bank-$10,000 at 4.25%
Matures 10/20/25
Vehicle refurbish/Maint
o 7 Month CD at Grand Marais State Bank-$10,000 at 4.25%
Matures 10/20/25
Vehicle refurbish/Maint
Total funds including CD investments $227,126.03
Year to Date Receipts $251,099.49; Year to Date Disbursements $271,291.71.
2025 General town Budget $40,850.00, 2025 Fire District Budget $363,795.00 for a total budget of $404,645.00.
2025 General town Levy $40,000.00, 2025 Fire District Levy $300,000.00 for a total 2025 Levy of $340,000.00.
C Homyak made a motion to accept the treasurer’s report. L Cooper seconded. Motion passed
Town Park and town hall electric lines corrected. Treasurer VanDoren created a first rough draft spreadsheet created to better illustrate what deposits will look like versus the planned capital expenses including building maintenance, expenses to the parking lot and larger fire/EMS equipment.
Supervisor Friesner made a motion to approve the following people access to the Lutsen Township accounts:
Approved authorized North Shore Federal Credit Union personnel for Lutsen Township checking account:
· Carl Frienser
· Chris Homyak
· Ashley VanDoren
· Samantha Mcquatters-Spangle
· Sharon Hexum-Platzer
Approved authorized North Shore Federal Credit Union personnel for Lutsen Township credit account:
· Carl Frienser
· Chris Homyak
· Ashley VanDoren
· Samantha Mcquatters-Spangle
· Sharon Hexum-Platzer
Supervisor Cooper seconded. Motion passed
Review and Approval of Claims:
· Clerk S. Mcquatters-Spangle provided the invoiced September Claims. Details; 15 claims for a
total of $25,113.61 This included $1,200 for hydro-testing, $1,640 for SDC communications (pagers for emergency personnel), $16,600 to KTM paving for resurfacing of townhall parking lot and line painting, $2880 to Boreal Enterprises for mowing services of both townhall and town park over the summer.
C Homyak made a motion to approve claims, C Friesner seconded. Motion passed.
· Clerk provided September 2025 payroll; 25 claims totaling $23,311.23; this included 3rd quarter payroll for fire/EMS crew of which we are now fully staffed with 19 trained volunteers.
C Friesner made a motion to approved payroll. C Homyak seconded. Motion passed
· Claims approval and Payroll distributions were signed by Supervisors; copies are on file
in the town office.
· Cash Control for September 2025 presented and matches with treasurers; Both signed by all supervisors and on file in town office.
Fire and EMS Chief’s Report: (Steve Duclos)
· EMS responded to 5 calls and Fire responded to 8
· Training included on I.V. emergencies, c-spinal mobilization around the neck
· Pumped water from dry hydrants at both Caribou Lake and Tate Lake
· Contacted by grant writer Jane to create a partnership and acquire funding on behalf and for Lutsen volunteer fire department. It was advised to either contact Supervisor Carl Friesner or Deputy Clerk Shaon Hexum-Platzer.
· Hydro testing completed and all major cylinders passed
· New BK radios to be delivered in the next month; old 2500 radios will be traded in. Testing in various spots to confirm reliability.
· Pancake breakfast hosted by the fire department for September 21, 2025. All proceeds to go to a new fire truck.
· Responded to a new propane tank in Lutsen that was installed in a ditch. Neighbor informed the state of the violation; fire chief informed the regional manager that it does need to be moved for major safety risks by the end of the month.
· EMS refresher courses scheduled for January 2026
Supervisors’ Report:
C Friesner:
· KTM communication with unfinished parking lot
· “No parking” signs for parking lot
· Talked with Mr. Nordlund about playground construction; footings and base levels needed would be great experience and he would love to help keep costs low for the local community.
Mr. Nordlund also expressed interest in the maintenance/plowing bids for the Lutsen bike trial during winter months. Supervisor Friesner will contact the Patric who donated his services last year to inquire about an estimated working quote.
L Cooper:
· WTIP radio scheduling worked on
· Outreached for community fall celebration donations and picks up
· Correspondences with emergency management and the west end emergency management
· Sharon attended the County emergency management meeting for supervisor Cooper; the emergency plan had to be updated in order for the county to be eligible for HMA or FEMA funding. Deliverables in this process is a copy of this plan, a risk analysis of all the different kinds of risks assessed including winter storm, wild fire and tornadoes and an action chart. Lutsen short term shelter needs to be listed. Use of local capabilities to enlist the plan which included fire and EMS and contacts for local shelters. Treasurer VanDoren also attended on behalf of Arrowhead electric and also commented; the assessments where much more fixated on the higher level’s operations at county levels and different projects over the next five years. What mitigation projects do each risk align with. This is good information to have but completely different then the information the west end emergency management group is looking for at a resident level.
C Homyak:
· Worked on insurance claims with multiple companies
· Gitchi Gami trail meeting; 5.5-million-dollar bond request for this coming year of which a portion would be reserved for the Lutsen arrowhead to steam engine section.
· Talked with resident who were upset with the townhall parking lines, although not initially the design requested for the legal sizes required a new design was implemented.
Old Business:
· Lutsen Township emergency shelter; generator has been delivered and has been placed on property; now waiting for electrical hook ups to be installed. Lutsen already has a working kitchen, cots, blankets, showers and has already talked with other emergency shelter groups on needs. Commercial propane application submitted with propane installation anticipated. Supervisor L Cooper will be the main contact for Mr. Keyport about his hazard mitigation request. Supervisor Friesner will be working with setting up the necessary work to have propane tank installed, new heater put into bay and Como gas installation. Hoping to have installation completed by the end up summer 2025. Clerk will finalize paperwork with Como propane.
· Grand view park:
o Grandview Park outhouse door handle: Supervisor Friesner will repair the broken door handle
o Driveway: Supervisor Friesner contact Mr. Rose to help will fill at entrance of town park road.
o Spruce tree located on top of the pump house is dead and will need removal
o 4 new signs needing to be replaced and a new “no camping” sign to be placed
o Grill located on lower side in disrepair and needing to be replaced
o Bench located on lower side broken and needing to be removed
o Invasive Tanzy weeds need to be removed
o Lower driveway washed out and new gravel fill needed
o Pavilion vertical post at bottom needs to be fix/repair as the wood is sitting directly on concrete; proposed to hire contractor to raise building, cut back wood and have concrete poured.
o Apple trees that have survived need to be fenced before deer get to them
o Seedlings need to be planted
o Hand sanitizer needs to be placed in outhouse
· Citizen request for installation of personal convection oven at town hall kitchen; Tabitha Blanchard requested discussion about installing a personal high end convection oven she has received through a grant to help grow her cottage license baking business but currently does not have the space to house and would require a 240 outlet or a normal oven outlet which the townhall kitchen currently has. As the oven only requires a standard oven outlet which is easily accessible in the open space near the current oven only one shelf will need to be moved.
o Is enough to cover full loss should anything happen to either the building or if the oven would be damaged by a renting party?
o Where is the line drawn as this is a type of rental?
o What would happen if someone because sick from the food would the town be liable for be sued?
o Is there a timeframe for this rental/lease to be held to?
o What would happen if this person were to move away and left the oven?
o How to enforce use and payment of time
o Deposit for damage to the kitchen like any other rental with kitchen use?
Supervisor Friesner wanted to clarify that the charge will be $10 per hour with a minimum of 1 hour per use in one-hour increments. Supervisor Homyak seconded. Motion passed.
Kitchen was measured at 180 square feet for contractual purposes on lease.
Supervisor Cooper has taken lead in talking Smith Law to draw up a legal document to cover all interests.
· New web design for township suggested. Deputy Treasurer Philip Creighton presented the topic of a new web design and layout for Lutsen township as the current webpage is about 10 years old and outdated. The only stipulation Philip mandated was that once the page is approved, designed and personnel trained he would not be tasked with maintaining the page on a daily basis. Phil has started training clerk and once all relevant documents and pictures are correctly inputted and base training is completed the site can be launched.
· Fall celebration for Lutsen: October 11th, 2025
Hotdogs and brats, condiments, hot chocolate and apple cider will be proved by supervisor Homyak; potluck sides are encouraged. Donation prizes will be raffled off to those who attend. Please come and get to know your neighbors and community members!
· Community flea market; previously a flea market used to be help in conjunction with the art show which has moved to Grand Marais but since the church is not doing a yard sale this year a flea market on the Lutsen ball field would be a great alternative. Individuals can bring their own supplies, price their own things and collect their own money in a communal area. Perhaps the local parent pitch could open the concession stand for the day to fund raise and ask for donation on behalf of Lutsen fire for either new truck or rescue drone purchase? S Hexum-Platzer advised a great time to have this flea market open is on the Saturday before the Fire/EMS pancake breakfast on September 20, 2025, set up at 11pm and sale from 12pm-4pm and has created a poster. S Hexum-Platzer has requested a small amount of funds to purchase a few posters and advertise around Cook County the month leading up to the event. Clerk will contact parent pitch parents and look into have concessions stand open to raise funds for equipment
New Business:
1. Letter of support for Lutsen liquor store liquor license renewal; C Friesner made a motion to approve a letter of support, C Homyak seconded. Motion passed.
2. Insurance policy for personal emergency service vehicles; Supervisors discussed specific instances and what would constitute coverage, liabilities, damages and best incentives to ensure damage to personal vehicles is not a deterrent to attending a fire/EMS call. C Friesner expressed concern over a volunteer fire/EMS having to come up with $500-$1000 deductible if an incident occurs while on call to their personal vehicle. Active fire calls currently charge $500 through insurance and could be used to offset the proposed line item. Sharon Hexum-Platzer wrote resolution 2025-09 in which the townhall would be willing to cover up to $2500 verified claim in total to go an insurance deductible for an emergency personal vehicle.
Supervisor Friesner made a motion to approve resolution 2025-09, supervisor Cooper seconded. Motion passed. The resolution was approved and signed by two supervisors with supervisor Homyak abstaining due to conflict of interest; document is available in the clerk’s office
3. Cook County school referendum; Mr. Lindholm volunteered to attend the October monthly meeting to better inform the public on the school district fall bond referendum; supervisors agreed it was a great opportunity.
4. Wind sock for ball park helicopter lading; visually helps the pilot locate to directional wind and helps when landing in a more confined area. The best spot is the top of the firehall tower; rough cost at life link 3 is about $50 for the sock, frame $150 and mount around $100. In total the fire department is asking for with installation $500 for purchase of a windsock. Supervisor Friesner advised possibly needing to be grounded; estimation with ground will be closer to $1000. Supervisor Friesner made a motion to approve fire department spending of $1000 for windsock, supervisor Cooper seconded. Motion passed.
5. Clerk request for purchase of mouse trap for clerk office and firehall entrance.
Donations: Steven Horne Homes LLC, Village at Lutsen MTN Condominiums association, Townhomes at Lutsen MTN associations, Poplar Ridge townhomes association. Thank you! Supervisor Friesner made a motion to accept the donations. Supervisor Cooper seconded. Motion passed.
Citizen Comments: N/A
Adjournment: C Friesner made a motion to adjourn; seconded by L Cooper. Motion passed and the meeting was adjourned at 8:21 pm
Respectfully Submitted, S Mcquatters-Spangle; Townhall Clerk Carl Friesner; Chairperson