Carver County GOP: June 2009

As reported by FOX Channel 9 News at http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpp/news/metro/County_Accused_of_Ignoring_Septic_Problems_june_29_2009:

WACONIA, Minn. - Some people are accusing Carver County of ignoring septic problems that are required to be fixed.

For the past three years, Janet Carlson and her husband have been battling Carver County after inspectors discovered that the septic field on her five-acre farm was too close to the water table. Code requires at least 36 inch separation.

“I don’t know what the problem is,” said Carlson. “It works just fine. They just say that the separation isn’t there.”

In December, a judge ruled the Carlson family would have to pay to have the system repaired. The repairs could cost as much as $15,000.

But some, like the Carlsons, wonder why they should be forced to pay for costly repairs when the same problem is going unchecked on county-owned property.

Carver County Commissioner Tom Workman says the septic system at the Waconia Event Center is too close to the water table and just 60 feet from the city's prized attraction.

Last year, the county paid $2.5 million for the lakefront complex that has been plagued with mechanical issues, namely a septic system that some say doesn't meet code.

“I’m saying the taxpayers paid for something they didn’t get,” said Workman. “And the county should follow the same rules that they’re holding their taxpayers to.”

Workman did what he says the county has been unwilling to do which is making a simple visual inspection to see if critical components were as the installer claimed. As he suspected, the design was not as advertised.

Until now, the county attorney's office and board members have accepted the initial inspection as face value and rejected the idea that system could be flawed.

As reported by the Chanhassen Villager and Chaska Herald at http://mobile.chanvillager.com/news/county/commissioner-takes-cover-ballroom-septic-system-106 :

Commissioner takes cover off of ballroom septic system
By Richard Crawford
Carver County Commissioner Tom Workman took matters into his own hands Monday morning in an effort to satisfy lingering questions he has about a septic system on county-owned property in Waconia.
Members of the media were invited out to the Waconia Regional Park Ballroom property to watch Workman uncover a problem he suspected with the system.Workman, who represents Chanhassen, said he has had concerns about the septic system that serves the ballroom since last winter when he saw trees growing in the septic field. Trees aren’t allowed to be planted in septic fields, according to codes.
Before digging up the cover on the septic tank on Monday, Workman reviewed the history of the county’s purchase of the ballroom and concerns he’s had about the septic system.
History Last year, Carver County purchased nearly three acres of property where the ballroom is located. The land acquisition has been discussed since 1996 as an addition to the Lake Waconia Regional Park property. The county purchased the property for $2.5 million, and is being reimbursed by the Metropolitan Council.
The property had been owned by the Rick Wagener and Lucille Wagener family since 1982 but the ballroom's history dates back to the 1930s. Prior to the sale, the Wageners had an inspection done of the septic system and the system was found to be in compliance by a licensed inspector who also installed the system.
The septic system was a focal point of a County Board discussion in February, when Workman was the only commissioner to vote against a contract with hospitality vendor to continue operating the ballroom. At that meeting, Workman presented pictures of himself standing amid the trees in the septic field. This spring, county crews cut several trees down on the property.
Workman said he became more concerned after reviewing a blueprint for the system that showed pipes draining from the bottom of a septic box, which he said wouldn’t have met code specifications for the septic system. He said in an e-mail exchange in May with county Land and Water Services employees, he was told that the installer had modified the system so that the pipes were draining out of the side of the box, which would have met the code.
Workman said in recent weeks he’s been pressing the County Board for a follow-up inspection to make sure the system is built to code. He said he was even prepared to pay $300 for it so it wouldn’t be at taxpayer expense.
Workman said in a June 4 discussion with county officials it was decided “not to proceed with any additional inspection of the system.”
Prior to uncovering the septic system Monday, Workman said his main interest was determining whether the pipes were draining out the side or the bottom of the box to determine whether the system met septic codes.
“This is a very political issue in Carver County and other counties,” Workman said of septic system regulation. “The county has prosecuted people because of sub-standard systems.”
Workman said the county couldn’t afford to be hypocritical with its own system, especially since the ballroom septic field is next to Lake Waconia. With video cameras rolling and several county residents in attendance, Workman dug the cover off the septic tank on Monday and confirmed his suspicion that drain pipes were flowing out of the bottom of a box, meaning there wasn’t adequate separation to meet codes, Workman explained.
After several minutes inspecting the box with a measuring stick, Workman said he thought uncovering the septic tank was “a cost-effective way for the board to find out that somebody is lying and the staff is repeating it.”
Workman said without a proper septic system, the taxpayers “paid for something they didn’t get.” He estimated it would cost at least $200,000 to hook the ballroom up to the city of Waconia’s septic system.
More questions Workman said a septic system that doesn’t meet proper codes leads to many questions.“I think it puts into question the price we paid for it, our commitment to the environment,” he said. “It puts into question just about everything.”
County Administrator David Hemze and other county commissioners learned of Workman’s visit to the ballroom site Monday afternoon. Hemze said the county was relying on the certificate of compliance issued by the licensed inspector.
“This new observation needs to be looked at,” Hemze said. “Whether that makes it out of compliance or not needs to be determined.”
He said the county’s primary interest is to protect the environment and make sure the system is in compliance.

Richard Crawford can be reached at editor@chanvillager.com [2].

As reported by the sun news at http://waconiapatriot.com/articles/2009/07/03/waconia_patriot/news/news02.txt:

Commissioner points finger at county

A TV news story has resurrected a simmering debate among Carver County officials. The topic: the condition of the septic system at the county owned Waconia Event Center (formerly the Lakeside Ballroom).
KMSP Fox 9 aired a news story on June 29 during which Carver County Commissioner Tom Workman showed the camera crew what he believes to be code violations within the system.The county did have the system inspected and the inspector granted the county a certificate of compliance.
Still Workman is unconvinced by the inspector’s report, saying it does not match the actual septic system. During the news story it was revealed that the system’s distribution pipes come up through bottom of the system, rather that through the sides as the inspector apparently indicated.Workman said the county comes across as hypocritical if it is indeed failing to adhere to its own rules.
“The county should follow the same rules that they’re holding their taxpayers to,” Workman told KMSP.County Administrator David Hemze said the discovery of the pipe’s orientation was new information to the county and that staff is already looking into the issue. Hemze said he was unsure if the vertical distribution pipes were in violation of code, but that was one question the county is seeking to answer.
“We’re working on it,” Hemze said. “If there is a problem with (the system) we’ll fix it.”This status of the system was a topic of discussion for the county board in the past. Most recently during a Feb. 24 meeting, when Workman shared his concerns with his fellow commissioners. At that time Workman passed around photographs he had taken of the septic system’s drainage field. He used those photos as evidence of what he believed to be code violations. One example he noted was the growing of small trees in the field.
During the discussions at the February meeting, the other four commissioners conceded the septic system was old and in need of future updating but they felt confident in the inspector’s findings. Today Carver County still accepts the inspector’s findings as accurate and valid.The long-term plan is to have the Waconia Event Center hooked up the City of Waconia’s sewer line.

As reported by the Belle Plaine Herald at http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:WXlxgZhqL-0J:www.belleplaineherald.com/AroundTheArea/AroundTheArea.html+lakeside+ballroom+septic&cd=9&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

Carver County Commissioner Tom Workman of Chanhassen apparently doesn’t think much of the work of county septic system inspectors.With a metro TV crew at his heels, he recently led his own inspection of the Lakeside Ballroom’s septic system.

The county recently purchased the ballroom and land it sits on for $2.5 acres and hired a firm to operate it as part of its acquisition and operation of a regional park on the shores of Lake Waconia. Citing the state of the ballroom’s septic system and the cost to bring it up to county standards, Workman cast the only vote against the contract with the vendor, Lancer Hospitality.The ballroom’s former owner had the system inspection. The system passed and a certificate of compliance was issued. County staff recognized the state of the system in the inspection, but accepted the inspection signed off on its meeting standards. The county said the profits from operation of the ballroom would help repair or replace the aging system or a hook-up to municipal services.

Workman says it will cost $200,000 to hook-up to municipal services. He contends the county should follow the same standards landowners must follow. He also claims county taxpayers paid for something they didn’t get. County staff learned of Workman’s visit with TV news crew after the fact.

The Carver County Republicans will sponsor the first Minnesota Gubernatorial Debate 7-10 p.m., Sept. 17, at the new Chanhassen High School, 2200 Lyman Boulevard in Chanhassen.

An invitation to the Carver County Republicans debate was sent today to all Republican candidates that have officially filed to run for Minnesota Governor, which include state Rep. Paul Kohls of Victoria who represents much of Carver County. The other candidates are: former state Auditor Pat Anderson of Eagan, state Rep. and former Asst. Minority Leader Tom Emmer of Delano, former state Rep. Bill Haas of Champlain, state Sen. David Hann of Eden Prarie, State Sen. Mike Jungbauer of East Bethel, state Rep. and former Minority Leader Marty Seifert of Marshall. The candidates must indicate that they will participate by July 31.

The Carver County Republicans are a grassroots organization elected for two year terms by the citizens and voters of Carver County. Carver County Republicans have not officially endorsed a candidate for governor. Delegates to the Minnesota Republican Party will cast a straw poll for Governor in October.

All citizens are welcome to attend the debate.