July 1, 2020
This is a special-edition email sent to Lake Shamineau Lake Improvement District (LSLID) newsletter subscribers to notify them of:
- Recent LSLID Board action regarding the High-Water Outlet project;
- An announcement regarding nominations; and
- Recent action by the Morrison County Board.
High-Water Outlet Project
At the LSLID Board meeting on the evening of June 1, the Board approved action to 1) alter the High-Water Outlet project away from infiltration in the NE part of the lake and 2) determine alternative water deposit locations.
With this action, the LSLID Board has not abandoned the High-Water Outlet project but will instead be determining an alternative water deposit location.
Alternative options will be considered with the project goal in mind:
Determine a solution that is
most feasible, cost-effective and timely
, and will minimize ongoing maintenance and future operating costs.
During June there have been several meetings and discussions regarding next steps, with the DNR and other agencies, engineering firms, as well as with a project team made up property owners, to discuss possible water deposit options. These discussions have included options for a route to Stanchfield Lake to the NE, creating a West Outlet, as well as more expensive options to pipe directly to either the Crow Wing or the Long Prairie rivers.
One of the Board members has had conversations with all but one property owner on Stanchfield Lake and the stream to the north. While there have been positive conversations with these owners, unfortunately we understand that there continues to be other property owners and farmers to the NE of the lake that have conveyed continued opposition to the project which creates a roadblock to moving forward with any NE project.
Due to the continued opposition with a project to the NE of the lake, Board Members are currently shifting focus away
from the NE and will begin a review of a project that includes a west outlet. This
West Outlet Project
would utilize the newly cleaned ditch to Fish Trap Creek and take advantage of recent work of the Emergency Task Force.
This option was discussed with Houston Engineering due to their experience with similar projects in Northwestern MN and other lake outlet projects.
To assist with the work that needs to be done for determining a West Outlet solution, the LSLID approved an agreement with Houston Engineering at a Board meeting on June 25, 2020 for Outreach and System Capacity Analysis. This agreement includes services to provide preliminary technical information and a high-level cost estimate for the West Outlet Project to be used for communications and mailing to property owners and agencies. A summary of the services included in the agreement can be found on the LSLID website. The project manager for these services will be Mike Opat who recently led the Little McDonald, Kerbs and Paul Lakes Improvement District (LMKP LID) through the successful development and construction of their high-water outlet project near Perham, MN. In addition, Mark Aanenson will provide support to the project and will be involved in the outreach and coordination efforts. Jeff Langan will also be involved on an as-needed basis.
These services also include the preparation of a report required for DNR grant funding to obtain $52,000 grant funds for pre-construction services. There would be an immediate focus on outreach with agencies and property owners along the route for coordination and planning. The project will also consider volume pumping rates to balance the timeliness of reducing the water in the lake against the impact to the downstream properties. It is anticipated that these services will be completed no later than September 30, 2020 at a cost not to exceed $35,000. We will continue to update you with project information through our newsletters, a mailing to lake property owners at the end of July, an online informational meeting on August 6 at 6 PM, and at the LSLID Annual meeting.
Nominations Open
There are three Board of Director seats open for election at the August Annual Meeting. Incumbents for the open seats are: Cindy Kevern (permanent), Rick Rosar (seasonal), and Fred Comb (seasonal).
The open permanent seat requires that the nominee is a permanent resident. Permanent residency requires that your lake address must be your primary residence. For more information on residency information, contact Morrison County. Two of the open seats are open to seasonal property owners.
Each nominee must be a property owner on Lake Shamineau.
You may nominate yourself or another Lake Shamineau property owner that meets the requirements.
Nominations are due and must be received by July 14, 2020.
For each nomination, submit the name of the nominee, their lake address, their mailing address, their email address and their phone number. Also note if the nomination is related to the permanent residency seat or a seasonal seat. We will verify that the nominee meets any required residency requirements. We will also contact each nominee for background information to send out with the ballots. Submit nomination information to LSLID, PO Box 394, Motley MN 56466 OR send an email to LSLIDBD@gmail.com.
Project To Prevent Inflows to the Lake
On June 9, the Morrison County Board approved the funding and the oversight of the "Turn off the Faucet” project which creates an impoundment system
to minimize inflows
to Lake Shamineau and to return the Scandia Valley watershed to its natural flow. While this project will assist with redirecting inflows away from the lake, as stated by Steve Backowski, Morrison County Public Works Director, "This is not meant to and will not solve the issue that Shamineau has. The LID has got to move forward with their project and come up with a way to draw that water down." The LSLID would like to recognize the work of the Scandia Valley Township, Morrison County, Soil and Water, the DNR and especially the Emergency Task Force to achieve public consensus. We greatly appreciate all their efforts.
