News from the Board of the
Lake Shamineau Lake Improvement District
As a subscriber, you are receiving an edition of the Electronic Newsletter for the Lake Shamineau Lake Improvement District (LSLID). The LSLID Board of Directors issues the monthly newsletter to provide updates on LSLID activities. Check out our website for detailed information, announcements and documents.
Message to Subscribers

To Lake Shamineau Property Owners, Neighbors and Friends:

The LID Board has been working diligently to move forward on a high-water solution and has some good news to share. See below for an update on project activities, engineering tasks and project detail. This newsletter also includes updates on the recent LID Annual and Board Meeting and Committee assignments, bogs, and other relevant topics.
LID Annual Meeting and October Board Meeting

The 2022 Annual Meeting of the Lake Improvement District was held on August 27th. The meeting was held through an online tool with Scandia Valley Town Hall available for viewing of the meeting. The agenda of the meeting included a report on 2022 activities, an update on the High-Water Project, plans for 2023 activities and an opportunity for candidates for the Director seats to speak. Minutes of the meeting can be found on the LID website under LID Meetings. (link here).

Following are the items that were approved by the LID members through online and mail-in voting that ended on August 31, 2022:
1.      The 2023 Non-Project Operations Budget of $38,000; approved with 76% voting in favor.
2.      The 2023 Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Project budget of $30,000; approved with 82% voting in favor.
3.      The 2023 High-Water Outlet Project budget for Planning and Operations of $295,000; approved with 66% voting in favor.
 
Election of Seasonal Residency Directors (2 Seats):
Fred Comb (Incumbent)
Rick Rosar (Incumbent)
 
Election of Permanent Residency Director (1 Seat):
Patricia Tvedt

Congratulations to Pat Tvedt on her election to the Board of Directors. As the newest member of the Board, Pat will be learning about the LID processes and issues, as well as listening to property owners about their concerns.

*****************************************************************

On October 6, a LID Board Meeting was held. At the meeting, the Board of Directors reviewed and updated the Board Officer positions. In addition, a 2022/2023 LID Board schedule was approved. Minutes of the meeting can be found on the LID website under LID Meetings. (link here). Detail of the assignments and schedule can be found below.
LID Board Officers:

Chair – Rick Rosar
Vice-Chair – Bob Koll
Secretary/Administration – Bob Ingle
Finance/Treasurer – Fred Comb
Director – Pat Tvedt

In addition, several Board Committee Assignments were approved:

High Water Project
Rick Rosar, Bob Ingle
High Water Project Oversight and Finance
Rick Rosar, Pat Tvedt
Bonding/Financing
Fred Comb, Pat Tvedt
429 Process
Bob Ingle, Pat Tvedt
Grants – Flood Mitigation
Fred Comb, Rick Rosar
Research of New Grants
Rick Rosar, Bob Koll
Legislation
Rick Rosar, Bob Koll
Communications
Bob Koll, Bob Ingle, Pat Tvedt
Bylaws
Fred Comb, Rick Rosar
AIS – Control, Morrison County AIS Partnership Grant Program, Ambassador Program
Rick Rosar, Bob Koll, Pat Tvedt
Legal Liaison, Insurance
Rick Rosar, Fred Comb
Administrator/Project Manager
Cindy Kevern
2022/2023 LID Board Meeting Schedule:

October 6, 2022
Thursday, 6:00 PM
Fall Board Meeting

January 10, 2023
Tuesday, 6:00 PM
Winter Board Meeting
 
May 15, 2023
Monday, at 6:00 PM
Spring Board Meeting
 
August 26, 2023
Saturday, Time TBD
Annual Meeting

September/October 2023
Date and Time TBD
 
Notes to Board Schedule:
  • Four Regularly Scheduled Meetings are held through the year and pre-announced on the LID website. These meetings will be held in the Fall, Winter, Spring, and the Annual Meeting that is held each year in August.
  • All Board Meetings will be held online with option to view and participate at a local meeting site (e.g., Scandia Valley Town Hall).
  • Other Special meetings will be held as needed and will be pre-announced on the LID website.
  • Meeting Notes are posted on the LID website.
  • To join online conference Board meetings, send an email to Fred Comb to receive an email invitation to the meeting at: fred@homeinspectionsofmn.com
High-Water Project

We have some good news to share on the high-water project. We have made tremendous progress with the project, and we also received a positive vote from property owners to move forward. While completing all of the project tasks have taken longer than we had hoped, we are pleased that we are able to now move forward with the final tasks and completion of the project.

High-Water Project Update

The High-Water Outlet Project plan includes construction of a lake outlet structure and pumping station adjacent to the shoreline at the west end of the lake. From the pumping station the water will proceed westerly along the Aztec Road and continue along Highway 10 to the south side of County Road 203. Flowage will then continue through a recently cleaned drainage ditch that passes under US Highway 10 before flowing west into Todd County and eventually reaching Fish Trap Creek, which becomes part of Ditch 41 at the properties adjacent to the railroad bridge and continues to the Long Prairie River. This route was chosen to accommodate landowners. A map of the pumping site and water flowage route has been posted to the website.
 
There has been tremendous progress on the project, and following is an update on recent key tasks:
  • We have good news to report – we have recently received approved permits from the DNR, MN DOT and Morrison County for the project.  
  • A wetland delineation of the route was completed by Houston Engineering and has been accepted by the DNR and the Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD) of both Morrison County and Todd County.
  • Houston Engineering completed groundwater monitoring near the lake with the drilling of several wells and has completed many technical tasks including soil borings, surveys, electrical design, completing route and design details for landowners, and providing right of way descriptions.
  •  An operating and maintenance plan has been developed which includes guidelines to balance the need to lower the lake while minimizing the impact on downstream property owners.
  • The petition to utilize Todd County Ditch 41 was approved by the Todd County Board of Commissioners on October 13, 2021.
  • An Environmental Assessment Worksheet was approved by the LID Board of Directors on January 17, 2022.
  • We have signed letters of agreement from landowners west of Highway 10 to provide easements; agreements with landowners near the lake in Morrison County are being finalized.

Following are some key features of the project:
  • The project has been designed to lower the lake level down to the Ordinary High-Water Level (1275.10).
  • The project will include a maximum pumping rate of 10 cubic feet per second (cfs).
  • The project will include pumping approximately 9 months per year.
  • The project includes a mechanical filter to prevent infiltration of Eurasian Water Milfoil (EWM) per MN-DNR guidelines and approval.
  • With the above pumping rate and time periods, pumping will primarily occur for 2 to 4 years.
  • Future pumping, after the initial period, would only be needed if the lake level increases.
Project Next Steps
Following are the next project tasks:
  • Houston Engineering will be working to develop construction plans to include the final design, including hydraulic features, AIS filtration, forcemain pipe and outlet, drainage system and lake inlet. Houston will also explore cost savings and ways to mitigate long lead times on materials.
  • Finalize easements with property owners.
  • Finalize any remaining approvals from key agencies.
  • Other tasks include continued outreach with landowners, agencies, and the public.
  • Upon completion of the above tasks, the project will be ready for developing bid and contract documents, issuing bids, and selecting the contractor for construction. 
High Water Project Schedule
Updates from the Board of Directors
2023 Budget Approved by
Morrison County

On October 4, 2022, the Annual Report for the LSLID was presented by Cindy Kevern to the Morrison County Board of Commissioners at a County Board Meeting. This report includes an update on 2022 activities as well as information on planned activities for 2023. A copy of this report can be found on the website (link here).

The LID also updated the County Board on the LID's Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) program. The AIS program has been successful in controlling Eurasian Water Milfoil (EWM). This spring a targeted survey of the lake was completed to determine areas for treatment, and in the summer a lake wide delineation was completed. Herbicide treatments were not needed since there were only limited amount of AIS found in the lake with the survey. However, the LID did engage Scuba Divers for hand pulling.

The Morrison County Board approved the budget items for the LSLID which were overwhelmingly approved by the LID members through online and mail-in voting that ended on August 31, 2022.

Legislative Update

We have received positive comments from legislators and the DNR regarding State funding for the High-Water Project and we understand that Lake Shamineau will likely receive funding if a bonding bill is approved. Any funding received would be utilized to reduce the local cost to the Lake Shamineau property owners.
Floating Bogs

As many are aware, there have been many large bogs that have been uprooted and have drifted from one shoreline to another. We have had several reports where these bogs have damaged docks, boat lifts and have blocked entire properties from one end to the other. Some bogs were spotted that were over 100 feet in length and at least 30-40 feet wide.
 
The Lake Association has a permit to relocate bogs bigger then 6 x 6 feet and remove smaller ones. The LID will be working with the Lake Association to provide matching funds for the removal of the larger bogs.

Lake Elevation Reading

The most recent lake elevation reading on October 21, 2022, by the DNR was 1276.28 or 1.18 feet above the Ordinary High-Water Level (OHW). This reading is slightly lower than the elevation level at the same time last year on October 16, 2021 of 1.51 over the OHW. An elevation chart that shows the history of elevation readings is located on the website (link here).
A Message from the LID Board
With the approval of Vote 4 that provided the required additional funding for the high-water project, the LID Board will be moving forward with the next High-Water Outlet tasks. We will keep you up to date with postings to the website, newsletters, and letters to property owners.

If you know of someone that would like to be added to our newsletter subscriber list, have them send a text to 22828 with the message LAKESHAMINEAU or send an email to LSLIDBD@gmail.com. You may want to add this email address to your white list to ensure that you will receive future newsletters.

Continue to let us know your comments and questions. We welcome your input.

Rick Rosar, Bob Koll, Fred Comb, Bob Ingle, and Pat Tvedt
Lake Shamineau Improvement District Board of Directors

Cindy Kevern
LID Administrator and Newsletter Editor