CRANE LAKE WATER & SANITARY DISTRICT (CLWSD)

BOARD OF MANAGERS’ REGULAR MEETING

Crane Lake Visitor Center

Wednesday, June 3, 2026 – 1:00 PM

The meeting was called to order at 1:10PM

Members present: Mark Anderson, Bonnie Caughey, Deena Congdon and Rob Scott. Also present: Maintenance Worker Jeff Truebenbach and Clerk/Treasurer Jo Ann Pohlman.

Members absent:  Darrell Scott.

Minutes: A motion was made by M. Anderson, supported by B. Caughey, to approve the minutes of the 5/6/26 Regular Meeting.  All voted in favor and the motion carried.

Correspondence:  The correspondence list was reviewed by the Board.  A motion was made by R. Scott, supported by B. Caughey, that the correspondence be placed on file and acted upon as required. All voted in favor and the motion carried.

Treasurer’s Report:  Clerk/Treasurer J. Pohlman presented the April 2026 Financial Statements to the Board.  May 2026 payroll:  Admin – $2,884.00 & Operating – $7,436.00.  Payroll Taxes:  PERA – $1,100.40, Fed Dep. – $7,798.14, MN Dep. – $296.00. $249.99 was transferred from Capital Reserve Savings to Checking to pay for the Can-Am winch.  $6,497.89 was transferred from Debt Service Savings to Checking for the MPCA-CWP loan payment. A motion was made by M. Anderson, supported by R. Scott, to accept the Treasurer’s Report as presented and to approve the bills as follows:  Admin Fund – $2,338.36, Legacy VI Fund – $20,775.58, and Operating Fund – $21,789.38. All voted in favor and the motion carried.

Grant & Loan Balances:  The Board reviewed the balances.

Administration

• Ordinance 3 review:  The Board continues the Ordinance 3 review for updating.
• LMCIT Liability Coverage Waiver Form:  A motion was made by R. Scott, supported by M. Anderson, stating that the Managers do not waive the monetary limits on municipal tort liability established by Minn. Stat. 446.04.  All voted in favor and the motion carried.
• Short-Term Rental Permit Applications:  A motion was made by D. Congdon, supported by B. Caughey, to advise St. Louis County that the two applications (Downs & Hancock) would not negatively affect the District’s infrastructure and could be issued as proposed.  All voted in favor and the motion carried.

Joint Powers Board

• State and Federal Grant Funding:  The CLWSD’s request for bonding funds for plant improvement was turned down.  The Costin Group approached the IRRRB for the funds and were successful.  The District will received $200,000 from the IRRRB for the plant improvement project.  Ash River has been unable to use all their remaining $300,000 Legacy Funds that needed to be spent by June 2026.  The funds will be transferred to Kabetogama and Crane Lake for their Legacy projects.

S.E.H. Engineering Update 

• Plant Improvement Project:  Improvements are being reviewed.

O & M. Update (Decentralized)

• Jeff Truebenbach Report: Ron and I will be putting pump truck on the barge very soon. All the parts have been moved from Rutchasky’s. Ryan has the container roughed in for wire. Checking with Shawn to see when he can foam it. We had an issue at partridges.  Cracked fitting which has been repaired.  (A heat tape and heat block will be installed at Partridges.) Schwanke’s had an issue Ron thinks a rock got stuck in the pump. It’s working now
• Management Program Update:  A report was provided to the Board.
• Yearly O&M Review:    There was nothing new.
• Maintenance Facility:  See above.
• Mark Anderson reported that repairs need to be made to the ISTS at the Tufte property.
• Jeff Truebenbach will act as a liaison for ISTS installs.

CLWSD Meeting Minutes –June 3, 2026

O & M Update (Centralized)

• Jeff Truebenbach Report: – Running About 28,000 gallons per day.  Water meter for dnr well is being installed. Steve and I got a lot of clean up done at the plant. Scott should be hauling out sludge soon.
• Operations Report:  Rob Scott, Jr. provided the following report:  We met all the MPCA effluent limits for the month of April.  The plant is operating well. The influent volume is starting to see a little increase due to the start of the summer season. The plant water temperature has been in the 40’s regularly now.  The first phase of the plant upgrades will be starting up in June. The final phase will be scheduled once the last of the parts arrive later in June or early July. We are also purchasing more grinder pumps and chemical to increase our inventory. I have been in discussion with Jason Chopp with SEH regarding upgrading our sand filter system, possibly next year. The current sand filter system is still working but it is approaching the end of its designed use. More to follow on this subject over the next few months. The second container box will be getting wired and insulated soon. Also, Jeff will have more to discuss on the day-to-day operations and the status on the container boxes at the meeting.
• Maintenance Vehicle:  There was no discussion.
• Pumper Truck:  There was no discussion

• Summer Operations:  Completed.

Public Comments: There were none.

The meeting was adjourned at 2:15PM

Jo Ann Pohlman, Clerk/Treasurer

NEXT MEETING:   Board of Manager’s Meeting – July 1, 2026 – 1:00PM, Visitor Center

This draft of the CLWSD minutes has been posted solely for preliminary informational purposes.  Minutes are unofficial and subject to change until they have been approved by the CLWSD Board of Managers.