Dan Hodgman came close, but there was no cigar.

Wednesday, August 23, 2000

Dan Hodgman came close, but there was no cigar.

Hodgman had a good idea. Everybody admitted that, but residents of Red Rock Township said "not in my back yard" and the Mower County Board of Commissioners agreed.

Hodgman’s petition for a conditional use permit to plat and develop a nine-hole golf course and residential development around it failed.

By the narrowest of margins, 3-2, the county commissioners voted Tuesday to deny the request.

Richard P. Cummings, First District county commissioner, made the motion to deny the request. Cummings said it was because of the ag-zoned land surrounding the proposed site and that a golf course and residential development "could impede agricultural development."

According to Cummings, the testimony that a horse owner was denied a feedlot permit because of the existing residential development in the same area helped convince him to reject the request.

David Hillier, Third District county commissioner, seconded Cummings’ motion.

When the roll call vote of the five-member county board was taken, Cummings and Hillier registered "aye" votes to deny. Len Miller, Fourth District, and Gary Nemitz, Fifth District, each voted "nay."

That left Ray Tucker, Second District and chairman of the county board, to cast the deciding vote. After a brief pause, Tucker announced his "aye" vote and the motion to deny the permit request passed.

The Mower County Planning Commission voted to recommend denial of the request July 25. The reason given was that the golf course and residential development would be "injurious" to the use and enjoyment of properties around the site and concerns for traffic safety along Mower County No. 24.

When the county commissioners first received the request a week ago, they delayed action pending a visit to the site. That was conducted Tuesday morning prior to the commissioners’ meeting.

At the request of the commissioners, County Engineer Mike Hanson and County Zoning Administrator Daryl Franklin measured CSAH No. 24 and found it to be 23 feet wide with 2.5-foot shoulders on each side. Also, the average daily traffic count on the blacktop roadway is 460 vehicles.

Larry Grinstead developed ag land in Lansing Township into the nine-hole Meadow Greens Golf Course. The blacktop roadway along the golf course is 22 feet wide with 2.5-foot shoulders on each side and has an average daily traffic county of 800 vehicles.

Franklin read into the record a letter from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s Don Abrams.

The MPCA south district remediation project manager wrote Franklin about the close proximity of the former Red Rock sanitary landfill, which was closed and sealed by the state.

He cautioned against a shallow high-capacity irrigation well that could have the potential to draw contaminated ground water from the landfill and introduce it to surrounding areas.

Abrams also said it was imperative to inform potential purchasers of the existence of the closed landfill.

Hodgman told the commissioners he had moved two potential residential lots in a new plat to comply with the county’s regulation of a minimum of 1,000 feet between feedlots and dwellings. Hodgman also said the entrance to the proposed golf course would come from CSAH No. 24 and not a nearby township road.

The commissioners also heard from Roger Slindee, chairman of the Red Rock Township Board, who said Hodgman needed to comply with the township’s own zoning laws.

"I feel it fits into the neighborhood," Hodgman concluded.

Tom Finnegan didn’t agree. The township resident presented a petition containing 43 signatures of residents opposing the development.

Also speaking against the proposal was Dr. Steve Bartelt, who said he owns 39 acres adjoining the proposed site and where he boards, breeds and raises horses.

He was also against the proposal, citing traffic concerns if a second access to the area were developed to the township road as well as how it might infringe upon animal livestock operations on existing residents’ land.