In addition to the

LETTER TO THE EDITOR The mine is getting bigger and louder

My concerns about the mine remain, but I wanted to add some understanding to them: 1) The size: I have been told I knew when I bought this house it was near a mine. It is similar to others who live on Hwy 35 or near the airport. To that I say: NOT the same thing. Hwy 35 is likely busier than it has been - but it is still a two-lane highway with a 55 mph speed limit. The airport is likely busier - but it is still just one runway that accommodates smaller planes. In the past 18 months the mine has grown enormous and the plans are to only quadruple in size if they get their wishes. 2) In addition to the recent tax increase at my property, I am now having to add a $510+ (likely to increase each year) yearly water test to ensure the water my family drinks is safe and not poisoning our bodies. And when it does start to become dangerous - how much am I going to have to pay to “clean” it up and how big of a fi ght am I going to have to put up to get the Mine to pay for anything?

3) I’m receiving notices of weekly blasts. My house has shaken, sometimes more severely than others, with every blast. Earth is living - when are we going to allow Her time to heal herself? How much can the land my house is on (near Bluffs) sustain before something starts to give? 4) The noise. This mine is located primarily around residential living. It is not in a business park, there has never been a regular fl ow of semis, dump trucks, etc. driving in the area. I really struggle with how people view one business interest over so many citizens. I don’t think asking for quiet until 7am Monday-Friday is so unreasonable. I attended the Osceola Board meeting virtually and I heard the goal of being good/nice to your neighbors.

We are all neighbors who deserve to be heard and treated with respect. I continue to feel that philosophy is not shared with all. The fact that the Mine Owners have had a say in the proposed regulations and Citizens have not is, for me, proof of that.

I am not asking for a business to be shut down. I would simply appreciate

VILLAGE OF OSCEOLA NOTICE OF OPEN BOOK & BOARD OF REVIEW

Pursuant to Sec. 70.45 of Wis. Statutes, the assessment roll for the Year 2020 assessment will be open for examination on Wednesday the 5th day of August, 2020 at the Village of Osceola Hall located at 310 Chieftain Street, Room 105 Lower Level), Osceola, Wisconsin from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Instructional materials on Board of Review procedures under Wisconsin Statutes and how to fi le an objection will be provided at the Open Book and on the website at https://www.vil.osceola.wi.us/ to those wishing to fi le object to valuations under WI §70.47.

The Village of Osceola, Board of Review will meet on Thursday, August 20, 2020 from 4:00 p.m. to at least 6:00 p.m. at the Village Hall located at 310 Chieftain Street, Room 105 (Lower Level), Osceola, Wisconsin for the purpose of calling the Board of Review into session, pursuant to Wisconsin Statutes Sec. 70.47(1).

Please be advised of the following requirements to appear before the Board of Review and procedural requirements if appearing before the Board. • No person shall be allowed to appear before the Board of Review, to testify to the Board by telephone or to contest the amount of any assessment of real or personal property if the person has refused a reasonable written request by certifi ed mail of the Assessor to view such property. • After the fi rst meeting of the Board of Review and before the Board’s fi nal adjournment, no person who is scheduled to appear before the Board of Review may contact, or provide information to a member of the Board about the person’s objection except at a session of the Board. • No person may appear before the Board of Review, testify to the board by telephone or contest the amount of any assessment unless, at least 48 hours before the fi rst meeting of the board or at least 48 hours before the objection is heard, if the objection is allowed under sub. 70.47(3)(a) that person provides to the Clerk of the Board of Review notice as to whether the person will ask for removal under sub. (6m)(a) and if so, which member will be removed and the person's reasonable estimate of the length of time that the hearing will take; • When appearing before the Board of Review, the person shall specify, in writing, the person’s estimate of the value of the land and of the improvements that are the subject of the person’s objection and specify the information that the person used to arrive at that estimate. • No person may appear before the board of review, testify to the board by telephone or object to a valuation; if that valuation was made by the assessor or the objector using the income method; unless no later than 7 days before the fi rst meeting of the board of review the person supplies to the assessor all of the information about income and expenses, as specifi ed in the manual under s. 73.03 (2a), that the assessor requests. The municipality or county shall provide by ordinance for the confi dentiality of information about income and expenses that is provided to the assessor under this paragraph and shall provide exceptions for persons using the information in the discharge of duties imposed by law or of the duties of their offi ce or by order of a court. The information that is provided under this paragraph is not subject to the right of inspection and copying under s. 19.35 (1) unless a court determines before the fi rst meeting of the board of review that the information is inaccurate. those that have a voice and that can see signifi - cant change happening rapidly with very little regard to our natural resources and our community to step up and slow down until everyone can grasp the entire picture of what is going on. The mine has been here for decades with no issues - I had never complained, and suddenly with new owners there is great change to the landscape and our available resources at the expense of everyone around.

Stephanie Kampschroer Osceola

The Rybak mine was a mistake

How many hours of the day, days of the week, and months of the year are Osceola’s tax-paying residents entitled to the quiet enjoyment of their homes and property? Osceola limits construction projects within the village to “normal daylight hours,” i.e., 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., which is standard practice for any municipality. Why would a open-pit mine be permitted to operate heavy, noisy machinery at any time, let alone

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and expand, but where?”

The topic of extraterritorial zoning was mentioned, with some public members (who attended via video conference) asking the Board to enforce it now.

Board President Jeremy Buberl wasn’t ready, saying he preferred to discuss the revised resolution before going down that road.

“I don’t want to run roughshod over the town,” added trustee Bruce Gilliand.

Board members originally set another meeting both before and after these statutory limits?

Any reasonable person would agree, if there’s a proper place to locate an open-pit mine, it is not less than a half mile from the center of Osceola’s historic business district, and adjacent to over 20 existing residences, a retirement home, and a hospital. No other mine in the states of Wisconsin or Minnesota is located so close to so many residences, and for good reason. The risks to local drinking water from mining in and below the water table, the migrant silica dust, the constant vibrations from the digging, crushing, blasting, and heavy truck traffi c, are unacceptable in a residential neighborhood. The mine is simply out-of-place.

The Rybak gravel pit should never have been allowed so close to the center of Osceola Village. The homes on Ridge Road were there for decades before the Rybak mine was sold to North 40 just last year.

North 40 Resources seeks to dig below the water table, which the Rybak owners never did, and to expand to 280 acres, removing an “overburden” of fertile with the Farmington board for 6 p.m., Thursday, but the time and date fell through due to scheduling confl icts. As of Monday, no new time and date have been set.

Special Events denied

The Board had two special events permits on its agenda. First, was one titled “Breathtaking God Invites You…” scheduled for Aug. 28 in the Osceola Braves parking lot. The event was described as a non-denominational Christian outreach for the community, featuring music, Bible message and comedy.

“I don’t feel comfortable farmland soil, to create an enormous mining operation similar in scale to the Aggregate Industries mine across the river, bringing at least 100 trucks per day to the roads of Polk County.

The Rybak mine was a mistake. A vastly larger open-pit mine located so close to the village center, and just a few hundred yards from, and draining into, the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, would be a tragedy.

Stop this mine before it’s too late. It provides no material benefi t to the citizens of Osceola and Farmington, and it promises many costs. It is not the responsibility of the boards of Osceola Village and Farmington to ensure the owners of North 40 Resources LLC have a profi table business. It is their responsibility to protect the interests of their citizens.

Please contact the Osceola Village Trustees at: https://www.vil. osceola.wi.us/electedoffi - cials and tell them to stop the expansion of the North 40 mine.

Eric Utne Formerly of Osceola Township Now of St. Paul MN

with this at this time,” said Burch.

Burch’s thoughts were echoed by his fellow Board members especially with the increase of COVID-19 cases in Polk County.

“We are in unchartered territory right now,” said trustee Bob Schmidt.

The request to deny the permit was unanimously approved 7-0.

The second event was from the Osceola Chamber to hold a “Picnic to Go” event July 30. It was scheduled to be on First Avenue and described as an event “that promotes safe distancing while still being able to gather as a community.”

With the uneasiness the Board showed in denying the fi rst permit, it came as no surprise the Chamber’s permit was denied as well, which was also by a unanimous vote.

Village President Jeremy Buberl expressed

On June 28, the St. Croix Valley Christian Community Choir gave us a concert in Mill Pond Park. They sang ‘songs of hope, peace, and perseverance.’ That is what our society currently needs, and that is what this singing group delivered. The choir sang many patriotic songs and several hymns. To this observer the core of their message was their recitation of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Cemetery Address that includes ‘…dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.’ They saluted those who have served our country or currently perform vital community services. How different their expressions of gratefulness were from the iconoclastic social activism now troubling our society. About 70 people attended. There were no demonstrations, signs, or riots. Please come again, St. Croix Valley Christian Community Choir. Your music was a blessing to

Doug Wellumson Osceola

VILLAGE: Money, mines headline village board meeting

many of us. both parties could reapply at a later time.

Staff Reports

Pedrys updated the Board for the month of June on the Police Department’s activities. The Department made fi ve arrests and issued 22 traffi c citations. Pedrys also reported two parttime candidates were hired and the hope is both should complete their fi eld training by the end of October.

Todd Waters, Public Works Coordinator, informed the Board, parks are seeing very high traffi c and the department is meeting the demands by maintaining the cleanliness of restrooms, sanitation and cutting of grass in public spaces.

Permits and Licenses

Approval was also granted for the Pizza Cellar to have a Class “B” Beer and Class “C” Wine License under new owner Zac Stoklasa.

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