CRANE LAKE WATER & SANITARY DISTRICT (CLWSD)

BOARD OF MANAGERS’ REGULAR MEETING

Crane Lake Visitor Center

Wednesday, October 7, 2026 – 1:00 PM

The meeting was called to order at 1:05PM

Members present: Managers Bonnie Caughey, Deena Congdon, and Rob Scott. Also present: Maintenance Worker Jeff Truebenbach, and Clerk/Treasurer Jo Ann Pohlman. A member of the community joined the meeting for a short time.

Members absent:  Managers Mark Anderson and Darrell Scott.

Minutes: A motion was made by R. Scott, supported by D. Congdon, to approve the minutes of the 9/2/26 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 August 2026 Financial Statements to the Board. September 2026 payroll:  Admin – $2,182.00 & Operating – $10,164.50.  Payroll Taxes:  PERA – $2,074.13, Fed Dep. – $3,213.92, & MN Dep. – $588.00.  A motion was made by R. Scott, supported by B. Caughey, to accept the Treasurer’s Report as presented and to approve the bills as follows:  Admin Fund – $2,078.22, Legacy VI Funds – $54,139.63, Service Connection Fund – $5,500.00, IRRRB Fund – $67,258.74 and Operating Fund – $23,038.02. All voted in favor and the motion carried.  A motion was made by R. Scott, supported by B. Caughey to transfer $60,000.00 from the Capital Reserve Savings Account to the Checking Account Operating Fund for cash flow purposes and to return the borrowed funds to Capital Reserve Savings in the future.  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. Work is on hold for the summer.

Joint Powers Board

• State and Federal Grant Funding:  R. Scott updated the Board on the JPB activities. The September JPB meeting was held in Crane Lake at the Visitor Center.  The state funding request is at 1.5 million.  A push to increase that amount to 3 million will be made when the Legislature convenes in January.  Federal funds will be requested for the Ash River project.

S.E.H. Engineering Update 

• Plant Improvement Project:  The project is in process.  D. Congdon will pick up an IRRRB sign to display near the project designating the project is supported by the IRRRB.

O & M. Update (Decentralized)

• Jeff Truebenbach Report: Everything has been good.  Ron is looking into fixing the cleanout at the Aune property.  A heat tape will be ordered for the Aune property.
• Management Program Update:  A report was provided to the Board.
• Yearly O&M Review (District):  There was no report
• Yearly O&M Review (SLC-Orton): Jim Orton provided a list of needed repairs as a result of his review of ISTS properties provided by St. Louis County.  Ron Rutchansky and Jeff will do the needed repairs and report back to the Board.
• Maintenance Facility:  Work is nearly complete.
• Partridge ISTS:  Installation of a heat tape and heat block is in process. There was no report.
• Tufte Repair:  Ron Rutchasky and Jeff will continue to work on the lifted tank at the Tufte property.
• Jeff reported that Todd Nelson’s cabin was completely hooked up to his new ISTS. Jeff will communicate with Ron Rutchasky regarding the ISTS install at the Mercil property before communicating with the Mercils.  Communication will be ongoing during the installation process with the property owner, Ron, and Jeff.

CLWSD Meeting Minutes – October 7, 2026

O & M Update (Centralized)

• Jeff Truebenbach Report: – Running at about 20,000 gallons per day. 3 valves got replaced at the plant yesterday. (Two more are needed). The sand filter is looking a lot better. Blankets and infuser’s will be on before I go to Alaska.
• Operations Report:  Rob Scott Jr. provided the following report:  We met all the MPCA effluent limits for the month of August.  The plant is operating well. The influent volume recorded so far for the month of September was also noticeably higher in volume than the previous years.  The plant was able to handle the increase in volume without a problem. Mn Pump came up and did some more work on the plant improvements.
• Maintenance Vehicle:  There was no discussion.
• Pumper Truck:  There was no discussion.

• Summer/Winter Operations:  The Board agreed that grinder blankets could be installed now with the infusers and heat tapes being connected closer to freeze-up.  Heat tapes will be inspected each fall going forward.
• Vacuum Trailer:  The vacuum trailer is being completed by Wastecorp and will be delivered soon.
• Norway Lodge RVs:  Orton Construction was consulted about adding 10 more RV sites to the Norway Lodge grinder station.  A new pump has been installed and it was agreed that the pumps in that station could accommodate 10 more RV sites.

Public Comments: There were none.

The meeting was adjourned at 2:00PM

Jo Ann Pohlman, Clerk/Treasurer

NEXT MEETING:   Board of Manager’s Meeting – November 4, 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.