GREENWOOD TWP- The Greenwood Town Board, at their July 11 meeting, voted to close out the Isle of Pines Bridge Fund, and return the $31,166 to the Isle of Pines Road Association, a nonprofit that maintains the road that rings the island. The money came from an assessment on island residents back in 1984, and was part of the local match for the bridge replacement project, which was mostly funded with federal monies. The local assessment was used to pay for work on the road approaches to the bridge, and other items not covered by the federal grant. The unspent portion of the assessment has been sitting in a special township fund, reserved for future bridge maintenance.
Isle of Pines resident Lee Peterson said he had been researching the issue, and discovered that St. Louis County owns the bridge, and that any future maintenance costs would be covered by the county. The county does regular inspections of the bridge, and has been doing any minor repairs as needed.
“I was told by county officials that the county has no claim on the money in the bridge fund,” he said.
The board approved terminating the bridge fund, pending review by the township attorney.

Fire department
Fire Chief Jeff Maus reported that the department is still looking at options for replacing the leaking cistern inside the fire hall that is used to fill the tenders. The existing cistern is 43 years old and rusting. Many of the tanks available are too large to fit into the existing space, so they are looking at having a custom tank built, or possibly finding other options. The current tank holds 3,000 gallons and Maus said a new tank would need to hold at least 2,300 gallons.
The department responded to 14 fire pages and 18 EMS calls last month, and is continuing to do twice-monthly trainings, including some joint trainings with the Tower Fire Department. First Responders are doing additional training so they can administer some drugs on scene, such as aspirin, glucagon, and epi-pens.
The board agreed to purchase a new battery for the LUCAS automatic CPR device. The current battery is about 10 years old. A new battery will cost around $850.
The fire department roster still stands at seven members. The department does have automatic mutual aid with both the Tower and Breitung departments.

Pickleball
The board discussed the growing popularity of pickleball in the township and the idea of privately raising funds to build a stand-alone pickleball court.
“There are sometimes as many as 20 people playing,” said Supervisor Barb Lofquist.
“Everyone wants to play in the mornings,” said Supervisor Rick Stoehr.
Lee Anderson, one of the pickleball players, said he would talk to other players about the idea of raising funds for a second court, just for pickleball. Currently, players make use of the township tennis courts for pickleball.
“The list of players is phenomenal,” Anderson said. “There aren’t other places around to play, even in Cook.”

Other business
In other business the board:
 Approved hiring A-Z Property Management to mow and trim at the town hall grounds, at a cost of $250 per time. Mowing will only occur if the grass is two inches or taller.
• Approved hiring TNT Sealers to do blacktop crack sealing and pothole repair on Twp. Rd. 4136 (Birch Point Extension) at a cost of $4,000. “This is basically just a band-aid until the road is redone,” said Supervisor Paul Skubic. “There are not a lot of options. I think this estimate is more than fair.” Supervisors Barb Lofquist and John Bassing both abstained since they own property on the road in question.
•  Will advertise for propane and snowplowing at the town hall, and will also be looking for quotes for plowing of Rd. 4136 if the county will not agree to continue plowing.
• Will advertise for someone to do cleaning at the town hall, approximately two hours per week.
• Passed a motion to send a letter to St. Louis County Public Works to see if they would continue to plow Rd. 4136 if the township signs a hold-harmless agreement for any damage the plow does to the aging pavement.
• Will ask residents on Rd. 4136 to brush roadsides along their property. Resident Lee Anderson said he could work with the township to help speak with property owners. “We can get together with those property owners and show what needs to be done,” Anderson said.
• Passed a motion to retain the $50 deposit on a town hall rental because the areas were not left in clean condition. They also passed a motion to accept volunteer work done by Mary Bassing to clean up after aforesaid rental.
• Passed a motion to increase the deposit for use of the town hall or pavilion to $200.
• A motion by Lofquist to purchase a lockbox for the key for the recreation shed, to allow for easier use of the equipment, failed for lack of a second. Supervisor Rick Stoehr said his number is posted on the shed, and people can call him to have the shed unlocked since he is only a few minutes away from the town hall. Keys are also available from the clerk if the office is open.