The LID Board has good news to share! The construction company has been hired and is moving forward to construct a high-water solution. 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 Meetings, committee assignments, Road Closure, DNR Grant Reimbursement, and other relevant topics.

The 2023 Annual Meeting of the Lake Improvement District was held on August 26th. 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 2023 activities, an update on the High-Water Project, plans for 2024 activities and an opportunity for candidates for the Director seats to speak. Special thanks were given to Bob Koll who retired from the Board. He was acknowledged for all his hard work with the LID and Lake activities. 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 30, 2023:

1.      The 2024 Non-Project Operations Budget of $42,000; approved with 63% voting in favor.

2.      The 2024 Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Project Budget of $26,000; approved with 75% voting in favor.

3.      The 2024 High-Water Outlet Project Budget for Start-up, Testing, and Operations of $250,000; approved with 59% voting in favor.

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

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On September 13th, a Special LID Board Meeting was held. At the meeting, the Board of Directors reviewed and approved the temporary financing that is required for project construction. In addition, a review of the contractor schedule was provided and reviewed.

On October 2nd, the Regular Fall Board Meeting was held. At the meeting, the Board of Directors reviewed and approved the Board Officer positions and Committee Assignments. In addition, a 2023/2024 LID Board schedule was approved.

Minutes of the meetings can be found on the LID website under LID Meetings (link here). Detail of the assignments and schedule can be found below.

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 Aztec Road and continue along Highway 10 to the south side of County Road 203. Flowage will then continue in the forced main pipe turning west which has been bored under US Highway 10. It will then enter a gravity flow pipe until it discharges into wetlands that flows to Fish Trap Creek, which becomes part of Ditch 41 at the properties adjacent to the railroad bridge and continues to the Long Prairie River. A map of the pumping site and water flowage route has been posted to the website.

We have exciting news to share about the High-Water Outlet Project. Landwehr Construction has been awarded the contract for construction of the High-Water Outlet. Construction has started on the outlet and the High Water Project page includes periodic construction updates and pictures to keep up on the progress. Click here to see the construction updates on the LID Website. A preliminary construction schedule for completion has been provided. This schedule is subject to change and is dependent on weather, material availability, etc. This schedule is posted on the website and includes the following key tasks:

Landwehr Construction

Temp financing has been acquired through Ehlers Investment Partners for construction to proceed. After construction is completed a Public Hearing will be held to review the final assessment and charge amounts. It is estimated that the final bonding will occur at the end of 2024 with notice provided to Property Owners in 2025 of the charge and assessment amount for their property. The property owners will have the ability to finance the amount due for an estimated 10 - 15 years.

Visitors and residents should note that part of Aztec Road is closed to thru traffic. The road has been posted with "Road Closed" signage which will be there until spring. This is a reminder to abide by the road closure. During the road closure, Landwehr Construction will be responsible for the snow plowing of that area.