Posted: 10/12/04
Spraying upsets township residents
By David Heiller
Argus News Editor
Citizens angry about herbicide spraying in Money Creek Township spoke at the Houston County Board meeting on October 5.
Arlyn Frauenkron talked for about 15 minutes about the spraying, which occurred along township roads earlier this year as a brush control measure.
He also passed out photographs showing the effects of the spraying.
Concerned citizens had spoken to the township board about the situation, but to little avail, Frauenkron said.
Frauenkron was speaking on behalf of the people who were upset. He lives in Houston Township, but has cattle and hayland in the affected areas.
Frauenkron said the spraying extended beyond the legal right of way of 66 feet, and went into pastures, hay and corn.
It was also sprayed on trees larger than six inches in diameter, which by law requires notification of adjacent landowners, Frauenkron said.
Joan Redig agreed with that. She told the board that the spray is causing an elm tree on her fence line to die, and wondered who will be responsible for cutting it down. She thinks the problem needs to be cleaned up. ìTo me itís a big mess.î
One of the herbicides used, Garlon 4, drew harsh criticism from Frauenkron. He gave out information from its manufacturer, Dow AgroSciences, that states that the chemical is toxic to fish. Yet it was sprayed near a stream, Frauenkron said. ìYou want to upset people or get them excited, thatís the thing that will do it.î
Hay that is sprayed with Garlon 4 cannot be fed to lactating cattle, Frauenkron added. That fact raises liability questions to him, because he sells hay to dairy farmers, and some of the land that he hays is adjacent to sprayed areas.
He also pastures land on the Redig property which was next to some of the sprayed areas.
ìChemicals are just flat-out serious these days,î Frauenkron said.
Aside from the technical side of the spraying, Frauenkron said that communication about the spraying was poor, that people along the route were not notified, and no ads were placed in local newspapers.
ìAnytime you talk to people or inform them, youíre going to have a lot less reactions down the road,î he said. Much of Frauenkronís information came from the June-July issue of a newsletter called Minnesota Township News. He passed out packets of the data to the board.
Township responds
Phil Niesen, chairman of Money Creek Township, told The Argus on October 5 that safety and costs were the two main reason for the spraying, with safety topping the list. People need to be able to see traffic when they pull out of their driveways, he said.
It costs $5,000-$10,000 per mile to cut brush, he added. ìAs a township officer, it becomes an economic factor,î he said.
He noted that other townships and Houston County spray along roads. He also pointed out that people can put no-spray signs along their property. ìIn that case, they can do it [clear the roadside] themselves,î he said.
This is the third or fourth year that Money Creek Township roads have been sprayed, he said. This year the results might have been more noticeable because the spraying was done earlier than normal, Niesen said.
ìIt only kills the branches that it touches,î he added of the chemicals. ìThe rest of the tree will still grow next year.î
As for the complaint of poor communication, Niesen said he had been on the board for 16 years and never had that problem before. ìI can see their concern,î he added. ìIím not here to make problems for them.î
Niesen encouraged people to attend the monthly township meetings, and especially the annual meeting, where things like spraying are discussed.
ìWe canít appease everybody all the time,î he added. ìSometimes everybodyís not happy.î
County policy
The county board has no power in the situation, first district commissioner Larry Graf said. Frauenkron acknowledged that, but said he wanted commissioners to pass on the message to township officers to use care and good communication when spraying.
Third district commissioner Kevin Kelleher called spraying a waste of money and a potential liability problem. ìThis is the lazy way to do it.î
Fourth district commissioner Dave Corcoran said the best way to handle ditch growth is to cut the weeds and trees, and paint the tree stumps. Spraying is a quick fix, he said.
ìThis was a drastic action because it was let go,î Frauenkron replied.
County engineer Allen Henke said contractors who spray herbicides for the county are given a list of landowners who have requested no spraying near their property. But that applies only to county roads. Townships are responsible for their own roads, he said. Most of the county spraying is done by Farmers Co-op Elevator, which has stores in Rushford, Houston, Caledonia, and Spring Grove.
Frauenkron said the chemicals were applied from a pickup truck driving down the road. ìIím not criticizing the people that did the spraying,î he said.
Schedulerís hours reduced
Also at last weekís meeting, county commissioners passed several motions relating to the the public health department.
First they approved a staffing change that reduced the hours of a scheduler from 32 to 20 hours per week. This is due to a decline in home care work, and the loss of a grant, public health director Linda Grupa told the board.
Here are the other public health items:
ï The board also passed a motion adding respite care to home care services. This can be billed for medical assistance.
ï The board voted to contract with Good Samaritans, a home care agency in Preston.
ï The board passed a motion for establishing a budget of $32,075 for Child and Teen Checkups (C&TC) Administrative Services. This is used to assist people in getting medical exams for children.
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