NORTHERN TOWNSHIP

Irvine Avenue NW road construction project set to begin June 9

Pioneer Staff Report — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 16:42:00 GMT

BEMIDJI — Beltrami County is set to start a road construction project along Irvine Avenue NW between Northern Township and Turtle River Township on Monday, June 9.

The project will begin at the intersection of Irvine Avenue NW and Townhall Road NW and continue to Turtle River Township. It will include blacktop asphalt overlay and operations along road shoulders.

The project area will remain open to traffic; however, the Beltrami County Highway Department is urging people to find an alternate route to avoid delays.

"Expect ongoing construction activities, including partial lane closures and a one-lane road with flaggers," a release said. "Beltrami County Highway Department urges motorists to slow down and use caution when traveling in work zones."

The county expects the project to be complete by Friday, June 27.

For more information regarding the project, one can contact the BCHD at (218) 333-8173.

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Resolution to file petition to annex approved by the Bemidji City Council

TJ Rhodes — Tue, 20 May 2025 16:26:57 GMT

BEMIDJI — On Monday, the Bemidji City Council passed a resolution to file a petition with the Minnesota Office of Administrative Hearings to annex a portion of Northern Township following a closed session.

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Click the image above to view the full PDF document.

Bemidji's decision follows a string of events, the most recent of which saw the Northern Township board approve a motion to file its petition to incorporate with the state during a May 12 meeting.

Northern Township's proposed wastewater treatment project plays a role in the city's decision as well.

Bemidji's resolution states that the city feels the incorporation of Northern Township would fix boundaries and prevent the city from growing or serving the area in the future.

The resolution also mentions that the city has invested millions of dollars to handle area growth and meet environmental standards, including work at the wastewater and water treatment facilities.

Because of this, Bemidji feels the Northern Township proposed wastewater facility is a "unnecessary and wasteful" duplication of services and that it is better served to provide municipal sanitary, sewer and water services for township properties along the Lake Bemidji shoreline

Bemidji will file its annexation petition no sooner than May 22, after Northern Township files its incorporation petition. Once both petitions are filed, the state will pair the two together and make one ruling for the area.

Either Northern Township will become a city and permanently set its boundaries, allowing the construction of the proposed wastewater facility, or Bemidji will be granted permission to annex a portion of Northern Township along the Lake Bemidji shoreline, preventing incorporation and the wastewater project.

A decision will be made within one year following the initial petition filing.

Following the resolution, the council approved a motion to appoint Mayor Jorge Prince, Ward 4 Councilor Emelie Rivera and At-Large Councilor Audrey Thayer as liaisons for any future discussions with Northern Township. Ward 3 Councilor Mark Dickinson was chosen as an alternate.

City manager evaluation

On May 12, the council held an impromptu meeting for a non-annual evaluation of City Manager Rich Spiczka. The council chose to wait one week before taking any action deemed necessary from the evaluation.

During Monday's regular meeting, the council revisited the topic and Prince summarized the evaluation.

"The city council chose to conduct a non-annual performance evaluation of City Manager Richard Spiczka," he began. "City Manager Spiczka is doing an effective job and is a good fit for the city. He's doing well with the communities he was supposed to. His temperament and composure facilitate strong leadership. He's improving the culture and stabilization and proficiency in handling the overall management of the city. He can improve on and be better and more timely and consistent in communications and responses, follow through on city council priorities and updates to the city council.

"Goals include being dedicated to service to the community, finding efficiencies and service in the budget and connectivity within all areas of the city and community. The mayor and city council are grateful to have Rich in this position, and thank Rich for his hard work on behalf of the city."

Following the summary, the council approved a step scale pay increase for Spiczka. His salary will incrementally increase over a time frame approved by the council. The specific amount and percentage of increase were not clarified during the meeting. The motion passed 5-1, with Rivera voting against. Ward 1 Councilor Gwenia Fiskevold Gould was absent due to illness.

Then, the council approved to alter Spiczka's contract to extend his severance package from four to six months. This motion passed 4-2, with Rivera and Thayer as the two dissenting votes. Neither expounded on their reasoning for voting against.

The council also discussed altering Spiczka's contract to add an evaluation or check-in every six months as opposed to the one annual evaluation, but did not move forward with the motion.

Spiczka did not comment on the motions during the meeting.

All �� Reunion

The council received a special event permit request for the Bemidji All �� Reunion in July, but did not initially approve it. Instead, the council held a discussion to hear recommendations from City Engineer Sam Anderson and Police Chief Mike Mastin that would alter the event.

Anderson requested that the event utilize street signage, which would direct traffic around closed streets.

Mastin requested that event organizers sign a contract with the Bemidji Police Department to hire two dedicated police officers for event safety.

In the past, the All �� Reunion has worked with the police department, so the recommendation was not unfounded.

The event is working with a private organization to provide event security. Event volunteers noted that this is cheaper, while providing more bodies than the recommended two. They also expressed a fear that a contracted city officer would leave the event if an emergency happened elsewhere.

Mastin countered that if necessity arose, hired security would not have the authority to use force, detain or arrest anyone. He then stated that a contract with the police department would ensure two officers would be at the event for the contracted hours, unless an emergency called for all officers on hand.

Dickinson asked if the department would be at the event regardless. Mastin answered that police may be there, either as spectators or via a routine patrol, but the contract guarantees their presence.

Ward 2 Councilor Josh Peterson spoke in favor of not requiring either recommendation to ensure the event continues without an additional or unplanned expense.

"This whole event, it's happened going on 30 years; we've had it 15 times successfully, without issue, historically, from what I've known," Peterson said. "I'm glad we really emphasize that these are recommendations, not requirements, because if they were requirements, they should be in the ordinance, and they should be directed in policy."

Ward 5 Councilor Lynn Eaton agreed with Peterson's comments and added that the council could hold a future conversation to discuss whether or not the police department should be in attendance for events that include alcohol.

Peterson also questioned if the department could handle the extra work since there is a shortage of officers. Mastin followed that the department cannot force officers to work overtime, but would figure it out.

Eventually, Prince was able to find a compromise. This requires contracted services with the Bemidji Police Department following Mastin's recommendations, but alters the hours served to save the event money.

Peterson made the motion to approve the event permit with the listed alterations.

Road reconstruction project

The council also approved a bid from Reierson Construction Inc. at $4,351,818 for the Middle �� Drive NW and Hannah Avenue NW reconstruction project.

This was initially the city's portion of the Trunk Highway 197 road reconstruction project in conjunction with the Minnesota Department of Transportation. However, the project was split during a March 10 council meeting due to a federal funding freeze.

This project will begin on Monday, July 7, and will take place throughout two construction seasons, concluding in September 2026. The first construction season will focus on a stretch of Middle �� Drive NW, including the construction of a roundabout at the intersection of Middle �� Drive NW and 23rd Street NW.

The project has not changed much since it was reevaluated in March; however, there is one new detail.

Otter Tail Power Company will now construct light poles along two streets in need, including Conifer Avenue NW and a portion of Hannah Avenue NW. Otter Tail expects to have new light poles installed by the end of 2025, but cannot guarantee the timeline. Thus, the poles could be operational by the end of 2025 or 2026.

The council will next meet for a work session at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 27, at City Hall to accommodate Memorial Day. All meetings can be viewed on the city website.

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Residents provide input on incorporation during Northern Township event

TJ Rhodes — Fri, 09 May 2025 18:09:52 GMT

BEMIDJI — On Wednesday, Northern Township hosted its second town hall in the last month and a crowd of roughly 300 filled the Beltrami County 4-H building with curiosity about the proposed wastewater treatment facility, the incorporation process and neighboring Bemidji's involvement.

Northern Township Attorney Mike Couri and Administrator Chris Lahn presented before welcoming attendees to a microphone for a public comment period.

Here, attendees were encouraged to share comments, ask questions and express support or opposition without concern for a time limit.

One notable voice was Bemidji Mayor Jorge Prince. Prince stressed that he spoke as a citizen and not for the Bemidji City Council.

"When I walked in here, I saw a lot of faces I knew," he said. "Why? Because we send our kids to the same schools. We cheer at the same football games. We shop at the same stores. We're neighbors. We were neighbors before this; whatever the outcome is, we will be neighbors after."

He asked the Northern Township Board to rescind its bid of incorporation. In turn, the city would rescind its bid to annex, allowing the two sides to reenter wastewater negotiations.

"The reason I'm asking you (to reconsider) is that none of us can predict what the outcome of a court case will be," Prince continued. "The choices that get made at the council and the town board won't just change what's going to happen in our community for a week, or a month, or a year, we're talking about changing our community for generations. If that's not worth a pause to take a little extra time to see whether or not we can figure this thing out, then I don't know what is. I think our community deserves that and I think they expect that from us.

"I really hope we get a chance to talk again before we end up at court and allow one person, one judge, to decide the future for all of us."

Prince's comment is a microcosm of the entire situation.

The topic sparked when Ruttger's Birchmont Lodge learned that its septic system was failing in 2021. Ruttger's reached out to Bemidji, asking to connect to existing infrastructure. Ruttger's, in Northern Township, is the reason both Bemidji and the township initially entered negotiations in 2021.

Bemidji and Northern Township failed to come to an agreement that would have connected some Northern Township homes in 2023. Northern Township decided to use secured federal grants to construct a new wastewater facility.

Then, on April 14, 2025, Northern Township issued a notice of intent to incorporate to become a city. This would establish boundaries and prevent further annexation to ensure the wastewater plant can be paid in part by a set taxpayer base.

Bemidji responded with a notice of intent to annex on April 21, 2025. This would annex two portions of the township that need wastewater services along Lake Bemidji, including Ruttger's. The city's petition, if successful, could interrupt or cancel the new wastewater facility and prevent Northern Township from incorporating.

Bemidji hoped that Northern Township would reenter negotiations. However, it seems that Northern Township will not shift course, meaning both sides will publish a petition with the state 30 days after it was issued, resulting in a combined trial with one ruling.

The Minnesota Office of Administrative Hearings adjusts boundaries in cases of annexation, detachment or consolidation. The boundary adjustment law is in Chapter 414 of the Minnesota statutes. Once Northern Township files its petition, the state will have 30 days to assign a judge. A ruling will come within one year. An appeal could follow, though standards are high and unlikely to yield a different result, according to Couri.

Challenges to incorporation are uncommon, making this case unique. The last township to incorporate was Empire in 2023. Empire actually gathered support from neighboring cities.

Town hall

All of the moving pieces made the additional town hall necessary. Residents used the time to share questions and opinions on incorporation, annexation, the proposed wastewater facility and negotiations with Bemidji.

Why not reenter negotiations with Bemidji?

The township believes the city will not negotiate without annexation.

"I just want to take a quick second here to respond to the mayor," Northern Township board member Michael Kelly began. "I just want everyone in here to know that this town board (has) recently — November (and) January — tried to set up additional meetings with the city ... In those recent meetings with them, (we) were told there's no policy change; no extension of services without some form of annexation. And so nothing changed."

"We'd be better off incorporating now, while we still have the federal grant and can install sewer service at a cost cheaper than we believe the city can," Couri said at a different time during the meeting.

What happened in closed or impromptu meetings can not be verified. However, the council passed a resolution to issue an intent to annex. The resolution states that Bemidji would rescind its petition if Northern Township did the same. If this happened, negotiations would ensue for municipal boundary adjustments, "including but not limited to an orderly annexation agreement."

Will residents have a voice or a vote in the process?

Sort of. Residents will not vote on incorporation or the proposed wastewater facility. However, if incorporated, the township board would be absolved and residents would vote to form a Northern City Council. A council would consist of four councilors and one mayor.

This means no annual meetings and a truth and taxation hearing every December. Job functions and personnel would not change. A future council could divide Northern into wards, but the first council would consist of at-large councilors.

Additionally, a trial will feature a public comment. Northern Township plans to provide details for this town hall when they become available.

Would taxes increase following incorporation?

Couri and the board believe the tax levy will fluctuate as normal, but will not be increased. He stated that incorporation does not require tax hikes, but additional city services could raise taxes.

"There is nothing in the statute that says when you become a city, you have to raise your taxes," Couri explained. "It's the city council that you elect that decides, 'Are we going to provide more services? Are we going to raise your taxes to do it?' It's entirely dependent on the people you elect."

Beltrami County property taxes could increase county-wide, due to economic pressure from both the federal and state governments, however. If the county does raise the tax levy, this would impact the entire county, not just Northern Township.

What will the assessment fee for the wastewater project cost?

Assessments are only for the proposed wastewater treatment project and will only be assessed to the residents who are in the project area. The assessment fee does not correlate with incorporation.

The total assessment is estimated at $5 million. This will cost $165 per equivalent benefited linear foot (EBF). The average township property clocks in at 85 EBF, meaning the average property-applicable resident will be assessed $14,025, or a $55 monthly fee for 15-20 years.

What will the incorporation process cost?

Couri estimates the incorporation process will take around eight or nine months and will cost around $200,000 to $300,000. This includes legal fees, among other costs. Couri stated it will cost more because it is being contested. Northern Township must pay this, regardless of the outcome.

Couri stated that taxes are not expected to increase due to these costs.

He also believes that if the township successfully incorporates, it will secure Local Government Aid, something not available for townships. This is estimated to be a six-figure number, which would help pay the incorporation cost.

What will happen to fire services if Northern incorporates?

“The township has a contract with Rural Fire Service, along with a number of other communities that are part of that,” said Couri. “(Northern has) a contract with the city of Bemidji Fire Service, that will not change. That contract will stay in place. The same response that you have now, you'll have then.”

This also applies to contracted sheriff services provided by Beltrami County.

Are local townships affected by this?

No, but that could change. If Northern becomes a city, local townships that share a border could be annexed in the future. Couri mentioned that this is extremely rare.

Would Northern Township addresses change if incorporated?

Physical addresses would not change. Township homes addressed to Bemidji would change to Northern. Future mail addressed to Bemidji would not be lost. Couri believes that over time, these discrepancies would dissipate.

Is the wastewater project a requirement to incorporate?

No. Couri does feel that incorporation solidifies the tax base, which is expected to bear some of the cost.

What is the estimate to connect to the Bemidji facility, independent of Northern Township?

Northern Township can not estimate what it would cost for residents to connect to Bemidji infrastructure without reentering negotiations.

Would it make more sense to connect to the Bemidji wastewater plant?

"Bemidji already has a city treatment plant. ... It seems to me that it makes more sense and is more efficient to utilize that plant," said a Northern Township resident, who asked the board to reenter negotiations.

The Northern Township perspective is that Bemidji would not negotiate without annexation and that constructing a new facility is both cheaper and easier. Again, it is impossible to compare unless both sides work together.

Is it possible to reclaim previously annexed Northern Township land?

Couri stated that Northern Township land annexed by Bemidji, "is the city of Bemidji, and it's going to stay that way."

Who does not support incorporation?

During the May 5 Bemidji City Council meeting, two township residents spoke in opposition to incorporation. Their main concern was an increase in taxes. The two also believed that connecting to the Bemidji wastewater facility is more practical.

Bemidji mentioned some residents have come to the city to share similar sentiments. Northern Township mentioned dissent as well, stating it is a small minority.

Who supports incorporation?

Incorporation is supported by Minnesota House 2A Rep. Bidal Duran, R-Bemidji, who is helping the township secure more grant funding, according to Lahn.

It is also supported by Beltrami County GOP Chair Doug Henry. Henry spoke during the town hall right after a speaker who received negative crowd feedback.

“This meeting is deteriorating and this has gone on long enough. We need to make a decision ... I have one other comment: why is the city of Bemidji so anxious not to have us incorporate? Well, that's pretty obvious,” Henry implied while drawing verbal support from the crowd.

Northern Township Board Chair Jess Frenzel ended the event by asking for participation. He first asked for folks who support annexation to raise their hand — only a handful of attendees did so. Frenzel then asked folks who support incorporation to raise their hand — a majority of folks raised their hand.

A Lakeland PBS poll on Facebook did the same thing, and saw split support from 152 votes.

Both of these informal surveys only represent a sample size and are not representative of the entire township.

To stay updated with potential future town halls, visit northerntownship.com. Additionally, folks can ask questions or share feedback at info@northerntownship.com or (218) 751-4989. Administrator Chris Lahn can be contacted directly at (218) 444-1857.

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Northern Township responds to Bemidji, will not reenter wastewater negotiations

TJ Rhodes — Mon, 05 May 2025 20:55:41 GMT

BEMIDJI — Northern Township has announced it will not be reentering wastewater service negotiations with the city of Bemidji. The township has instead opted to follow the process to incorporate with the state.

Northern Township cites financial commitment, an operational timeline, resident directive and "practical governance" as deciding factors in the decision.

"The Board’s decision is grounded in cost effectiveness and service delivery — not in animosity toward Bemidji," Northern Township's response letter reads. "Redirecting the project now would waste public funds and jeopardize environmental protections for Lake Bemidji."

Northern Township secured grant funding in 2022 to connect to Bemidji's city infrastructure. These initial negotiations fell through in 2023. Now, the township plans to use this grant funding to construct a new wastewater facility. The township plans to start construction in 2026 to keep pace with a Beltrami County State Aid Highway 20 reconstruction project, which will save the township roughly $1 million if done at the same time.

Incorporation and the new wastewater facility align with a township sentiment to avoid annexation, according to the township board and Administrator Chris Lahn.

These are reasons why Northern Township rejected a chance to negotiate with Bemidji once again.

Now, both sides will file a petition with the state. Petitions can be filed 30 days after issuing a notice — Bemidji's petition should follow Northern's by one week. In turn, the state will have 30 days to assign a judge and one year following the initial petition to issue a ruling.

Both sides noted that the two petitions will likely be paired together, resulting in one ruling.

The ruling will depend on a few key things. The general question will ask if Bemidji is better equipped to extend services or if Northern Township is better equipped to incorporate to provide its own services.

Either Northern will drop the township title and earn city status, or Bemidji will be allowed to annex portions of Northern, preventing incorporation.

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Click the image above to view the full PDF document.

The wastewater facility timeline could play a key role in the ruling.

If the state makes an early ruling in Bemidji's favor, the need for a new wastewater facility would diminish. This could affect construction efforts.

However, if the state does not issue a ruling until the end of its allotted time, the wastewater facility would be under construction. This would bolster Northern's claim that it is offering more city services for residents.

Until the state hears both sides, it is impossible to know what the official ruling will look like.

Northern Township does note that it will continue to work and coordinate with Bemidji on most issues in the future that do not include annexation.

To further detail the incorporation process and the new wastewater facility, Northern Township is set to host another town hall at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 7, at the Beltrami County Fairgrounds 4-H building. This town hall will allow residents to speak, differing from an April 22 town hall at Bemidji State University. All are welcome to attend.

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Northern Township details wastewater project amid Bemidji pressure

TJ Rhodes — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 19:25:10 GMT

BEMIDJI — The Northern Township long-planned municipal wastewater treatment facility project received its most comprehensive update during a town hall on Tuesday, April 22, at Bemidji State's Beaux Arts Ballroom.

The town hall, with roughly 70 in attendance, featured a presentation from Northern Township Administrator Chris Lahn. Following, the BSU Center for Sustainability Studies hosted a Q&A with Lahn alongside Freeberg & Grund Civil Engineering's Mark Fuller and BSU economics and environmental studies emeritus professor Pat Welle.

The trio detailed the project at length. But recent action from the Bemidji City Council could disrupt the township's flow.

Following a Northern Township notice of intent to incorporate on April 14, the Bemidji council unanimously approved a resolution to issue a notice of intent to annex during an April 21 meeting. The action followed a nearly two-hour-long closed session without any notice of potential action on the agenda.

Both notices will become petitions with the state 30 days after issuance. The city plans to follow through with its notice unless Northern Township rescinds its incorporation bid and halts any work on the wastewater facility to reenter negotiations with the city.

This reopens a rocky past between the two entities, which saw previous negotiations fall through in 2023, leading to the current predicament.

Historical timeline

There is a chance that water systems have been a hot-button item of discussion in Northern Township since the 1960s.

Things began to heat up when Ruttger's Birchmont Lodge, located within Northern Township, observed system inadequacies in 2021. Ruttger's reached out to the city of Bemidji, requesting to connect with the city infrastructure. Bemidji held a policy not to provide services without annexation for a variety of reasons.

This brought Northern Township and Bemidji to the negotiation table, but annexation was an initial hurdle as the township strongly opposes it.

"We've gone through annexation before, and then when we had this brought to us again ... at the time, as a supervisor, we were all taken aback and not exactly happy to hear this, because we thought we were done with that," Lahn said. "There was just an overwhelming consensus that nobody wanted anything to do with annexation. I don't think it's too hard to understand why our residents feel that way."

In 2022, Bemidji drafted six proposals following a joint meeting with Northern Township and the Greater Bemidji Area Joint Planning Board, which no longer exists. Five of the six options included some form of annexation, leaving one viable option. The option saw Northern connecting to city infrastructure as a paying customer so long as it could pay for installation.

Bemidji drafted recommendation letters that helped Northern secure $6 million in federal funds to cover costs of the option.

But negotiations fell through in 2023, and Bemidji recovered its policy of not offering services without annexation. This left the township frustrated.

"It just felt like we were so close to accomplishing this goal that has been sitting in this community for decades," Lahn said, "and the last thing we wanted to see was that money to just go away. So, we went back to the drawing board."

Northern Township then started contemplating what it would do next, noting that no action was not an option.

"That's not going to solve any of these problems," Lahn said. "They are there, whether we want to acknowledge it or not, and like I said, we have money now today that we've never had before. We are so close to pulling this off. Do nothing was absolutely not an option."

The township explored options with the Department of Natural Resources, which houses a facility in Northern Township, but the DNR noted progress would be slow and that Northern should explore other options if it wants to solve the issue quicker.

Thus, the township explored a pond system but had no available spot. Then, the board considered septic systems or a cluster system, but ran into more issues. A city-township merger and orderly annexation were other options listed by Lahn.

The township explored a new wastewater mechanical plant with low expectations. But to the surprise of the Northern Township Board, it was cheaper than expected and viable with the federal grants originally secured to connect to Bemidji infrastructure.

"We just assumed it was going to be way too expensive," Lahn explained. "We were pleasantly surprised. Once we had lost our other options, we thought we didn't have any, and just took a look to see what would happen, and it ended up being cheaper than we expected."

At a Dec. 23, 2024, meeting, Northern Township ordered the new project.

Land surveys followed. Northern Township eventually found a spot to construct the facility east of Lake Bemidji. The land belongs to Beltrami County and the two entities are working to reach a land transaction deal soon.

The transaction should occur. Beltrami County and Northern Township have established a steady partnership concerning the wastewater project. This is because the county has delayed its County Road 20 reconstruction project to 2026 to run alongside the wastewater project, which will save Northern Township around $1.5 million.

"One of the other big driving factors of this entire project has been the County Road 20 reconstruction," Lahn explained. "(Beltrami) County has been wonderful to work with throughout this whole process. They have been delaying that for a couple of years now to let us get our project going, because they're going to rip up the road, we're going to put our pipes in and it'll save our project a lot of money."

This leads to Northern Township's issue of intent to incorporate and Bemidji's retaliatory issue of intent to annex. Bemidji cites cost, redundancy and environmental concerns as key reasons to oppose Northern's action to incorporate and construct the new facility via the resolution passed earlier this week.

Financial feasibility

Bemidji asked that Northern Township reenter negotiations to save taxpayers' dollars. Indeed, the wastewater facility will cost township residents.

Phase one of the project is set to cost $12,810,136. Phase two is expected to cost around $6 million for a total of around $19 million.

Northern has $6 million of federal grants to offset costs. This will cover 100% of the plant installation and 40% of the collection system.

But the taxpayers will be assessed around $5 million, according to the township.

This will cost $165 per equivalent benefited linear foot (EBF). The average township property clocks in at 85 EBF, meaning the average resident will be assessed $14,025, or a $55 monthly fee.

Taxpayers will have roughly 15-20 years to pay off the assessment. The township will offer alternatives for those with financial constraints.

The township will require connection within 5-20 years, depending on the age of the resident's current system. The goal is to get all systems connected by the end of the timeframe.

Northern Township is still seeking more funds that could potentially lower or eliminate leftover costs. But its options are limited as a township. If it is successful and incorporates, more funding opportunities will open up, which could benefit taxpayers in the long run.

Duplication of services

Bemidji also states via the passed resolution that a new wastewater facility would "duplicate existing governmental services in the region." Bemidji believes that it is best equipped to extend services since it has invested ample money toward improving and expanding services in recent years.

Currently, the Bemidji facility is at around 60% capacity and existing studies demonstrate how Bemidji could provide Northern Township with services.

The township counters that this is supplemental and complementary. It is not a duplication of services; rather, it provides balance.

"These two systems don't have to fight with each other," said Lahn. "They can totally complement each other."

The Northern facility could provide portions of Lake Movil with services, if requested, as portions of the lake lie within Northern Township borders. Additionally, the township has an upcoming commercial district that could benefit from the facility.

Lahn then pointed out deficiencies within Bemidji city limits.

"There are many areas within the city limits right now that are not currently served by municipal services," he explained. "(Bemidji) could continue to expand its system to those residents. We can continue to expand services to places in our area and within the township.

"So again, (we do) not see this as a duplication of services. They're just two systems that can work in conjunction in sort of different areas of our region."

Environmental concern

Lastly, Bemidji points to environmental concerns. It states that it is dedicated to preserving Lake Bemidji and is best equipped to do so with existing infrastructure.

Northern Township expressed similar sentiments. Pat Welle, who was a panelist, shared in an April 9 article in the Pioneer the area's lengthy history to preserve and protect the lake, with a conclusion that a second facility only furthers this goal.

The township used many area studies that detail water quality to plan for its wastewater project as well. These studies can be found at northerntownship.com.

The project is continuously developing and could morph into something completely new following Bemidji's issue of intent to annex. The two entities will continue to provide progress updates at future board meetings.

Bemidji meets every Monday in various forms. The city council's next meeting will be a work session at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, April 28, at City Hall.

The Northern Township Board will hold a regular meeting at 6 p.m. on Monday, April 28, at Northern Town Hall.

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Bemidji approves resolution to reenter wastewater negotiations with Northern Township

TJ Rhodes — Wed, 23 Apr 2025 21:49:22 GMT

BEMIDJI — Following Northern Township issuing a notice of intent to incorporate on April 14, the city passed a resolution on Monday asking the township to renegotiate.

Taking place at the end of a Bemidji City Council meeting on April 21, the unanimously passed resolution asks that Northern Township rescind the notice of intent to incorporate and reenter wastewater negotiations with the city.

"(Bemidji) highly values the ongoing, long-term, positive working relationship with the township and wishes to restart negotiations with the township," the Bemidji resolution read, "to extend utility services, put aside previous unsuccessful negotiations and plot a new course forward as a united community that will provide for the most efficient and effective use of public dollars while extending utility services and addressing serious environmental challenges impacting Lake Bemidji."

Negotiations would include "extension of utility services into the township, including related municipal boundary adjustments, including but not limited to an orderly annexation agreement."

The city will now serve Northern Township with a formal notice of intent to annex a portion of the township land surrounding Lake Bemidji. The resolution cites Minnesota statute that states incorporation may be denied if the area "would be better served by annexation to an adjacent municipality" as a key factor toward sparking new conversation.

The city plans to follow through with this plan unless Northern Township rescinds its petition to incorporate and reenters "good-faith negotiations with the city to resolve issues without need for a contested boundary adjustment proceeding at further expense to the taxpayers of the township and city."

The resolution allows the city to develop proposals with parameters set by the council to negotiate with the township.

The resolution also cites many various reasons and concerns for the new action.

First, the Bemidji Wastewater Facility plant was designed to handle future growth from Bemidji and Northern Townships, and is currently operating at around 60%. The resolution mentions that the city has invested millions of dollars into building and supporting water infrastructure, and if Northern Township incorporates, it would "have the effect of wasting the city's significant investments in planning for and installing such infrastructure to serve growth areas in an orderly manner."

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Click the image above to view the full PDF document.

Another concern surrounds environmental issues. The city will explore other legal options if Northern Township continues working on the new wastewater treatment facility to "ensure environmental concerns are addressed appropriately and efficiently with the appropriate regulatory agencies."

Among other things, the resolution notes that the wastewater facility would duplicate existing services in the region, be an unnecessary expenditure of public funds, conflict with future growth, negatively impact Northern Township taxpayers and set boundaries, impacting Bemidji's growth.

The two municipalities negotiated this topic many times in recent years, but no resolution has been reached, leaving both sides frustrated.

Now, the passed resolution could bring both sides back together for negotiation.

The Northern Township administration was contacted, but told the Pioneer they do not currently have a comment as they have not formally received anything from the city at this time.

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Northern Township seeks city status, issues notice of intent to incorporate

Pioneer Staff Report — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 16:58:03 GMT

NORTHERN TOWNSHIP — On April 14, Northern Township issued Beltrami County and neighboring cities and townships with a notice of intent to incorporate, the first step toward dropping the township status to become a city.

After 30 days, the township will file a petition with the Minnesota Office of Municipal Boundary Adjustment Unit to continue the process. The township requested an incorporation study during a December meeting after years of weighing options.

"Community involvement has been central to this decision," a Northern Township release said. "In November 2022, the township hosted public meetings to share initial information and hear directly from residents. Feedback collected through those meetings — both in person and through follow-up submissions — strongly supported moving forward with the incorporation process."

If Northern Township is successful, it would leave the 41 other Beltrami County townships and become the ninth Beltrami County city.

The township has a growing population — the third largest in the county, with around 3,700 residents, according to the U.S. Census. Only Bemidji and Bemidji Township house more residents.

Additionally, Northern is bearing the responsibility of more city-esque services and is in the process of constructing its own wastewater treatment facility. Northern could have connected with the Bemidji facility, which has enough capacity to handle Northern Township households, but the deal did not go through. The decision to construct a new facility has sparked some contention among the community members it impacts. It is a multi-million dollar deal and involves a land transaction with the county.

“This step is about putting Northern Township in a position to manage our future effectively and protect the interests of our residents,” Chris Lahn, Township Administrator, said in the release. “As a large and active township, incorporation allows us to build on the services we already provide while ensuring we have the tools and stability to plan for the years ahead.”

The release also mentions that the Northern Township board is behind the decision as well.

Northern will continue to update residents about the incorporation process at northerntownship.com.

Those with questions, comments or concerns regarding the action can contact Lahn at (218) 444-1857 or chris.lahn@northerntownship.com.

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Lake Bemidji's lengthy history of water quality, wastewater facilities

Patrick Welle, Special to the Pioneer — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 13:10:00 GMT

BEMIDJI — An important process designed to protect the future quality of Lake Bemidji is underway.

Northern Township is embarking on a wastewater project to connect around 400 homes on or near the north shore of the lake to a centralized treatment plant. The plan is to build and operate a mechanical treatment plant east of the lake, north of the Mississippi River outlet.

An immense amount of deliberation and study has gone into the plan.

Over many years, Bemidji State University has conducted a great deal of research that enhances our understanding of Lake Bemidji, including both environmental and social science. Northern Township's website cites findings on how lake quality positively affects property values and other economic indicators.

Having worked for over 30 years on multi-disciplinary studies with BSU colleagues, I gained a perspective on significant research dating back as far as 60 years. I’d like to put the current project in the context of efforts over many decades.

Before the 1980s

Trends in the quality of Lake Bemidji were very troubling for decades leading up to the 1970s. Locals and visitors alike observed that Lake Bemidji was getting murkier, smellier and weedier with more frequent algal blooms.

Science revealed the lake was aging unnaturally and becoming more eutrophic — the result of overfertilization, which causes a lake to lose dissolved oxygen from excess nutrients, killing natural aquatic life.

Old-timers described unpleasant — to downright grotesque — experiences on the water by the inlet. After heavy rains, fluids and solids would spill out of the outdated and ineffective sewage settling ponds.

I’ll leave it to your imagination.

Suffice it to say that this was unacceptable to enough people that there was pressure to do something different. Unfortunately, the mindset back then — before a better environmental ethic became prevalent — was “dilution is the solution to pollution” and “out of sight, out of mind."

Our community’s initial action was not to improve treatment and discharge cleaner wastewater. Instead, steps were taken to pipe it around the south end of the lake to the river outlet. We sent our problem to those living downstream.

Researchers from BSU and elsewhere found that the problems of overfertilization worsened in the river east of the lake, in Stump Lake and down to the Leech Lake Nation's tribal boundaries. The north end of Big Wolf Lake where the river flows was so overgrown with weeds that it was “too thick to navigate, but too thin to walk on.” This was not a proud period of environmental responsibility for our community.

Bemidji got notoriety as “the first polluter on the Mississippi.”

A legal challenge by those downstream led to a judge’s ruling that we could not pipe our effluent downstream. It didn’t mandate that we improve our treatment; rather, whatever nutrient pollution occurred had to come out by Paul and Babe. Having to suffer the consequences gave us incentives to solve the problem.

Bemidji was not unique during this period in struggling to treat sewage properly. In fact, it was such a common problem that the federal Clean Water Act funded cost sharing to help struggling communities protect water. Proper treatment serves the public interest, so it should be affordable for all cities, not just wealthy ones.

The 1980s and '90s

Our community’s protection of Lake Bemidji transformed into a matter of pride over the ensuing years. Bemidji, with the use of federal and state funding, built a modern sewage treatment plant that has won various awards.

In addition to BSU studies on the treatment plant, research was conducted on runoff that flows through storm sewers and around the lake. Flows from around two dozen storm sewer pipes were monitored, showing potentially damaging discharge coming out of the pipes that drain into downtown and the neighborhoods north of BSU's campus.

In response, community groups and state representatives worked together to build the stormwater retention ponds you see today near Paul and Babe, Diamond Point and Cameron Park. As reductions in flows from discharge pipes — known as point-source pollution — were achieved, attention in the 1990s turned to the remaining pollution from sources of nutrient runoff, or non-point source pollution.

The last 25 Years

Further community collaboration built upon the lessons learned in the 1990s about non-point source pollution. Studies demonstrated that failing septic systems and fertilizer runoff were loading too much nitrogen and phosphorus into groundwater and surface water across the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

Leaky septic systems were so problematic that a lucrative business to provide aerial photos of shorelines across northern Minnesota developed. Plumes of leakage from septic systems were revealed by patches of unnatural weed growth protruding from the shores.

BSU directed research on septic systems to ensure that lakes weren’t getting excess nutrient loading. Seepage into groundwater from septic systems also emerged as a public health concern where wells provided drinking water.

Spanning these decades, public officials and community leaders implemented countywide efforts to protect area lakes. One early project was called the Beltrami Lakes Study. Along with subsequent BSU research, it revealed substantial support among most citizens to solve the problem of leaky septic systems. The support extended to helping businesses that might need financial assistance to invest in upgrading their systems.

Difficult social dynamics were also revealed through this research. Some households expressed concerns about making expensive improvements to their septic systems only to see lake quality degraded by nutrients from households and businesses that were out of compliance.

Other fairness concerns were evident.

Shouldn’t those who recently invested in their septic systems have a long grace period before they have to connect to a centralized treatment plant? Shouldn’t they pay lower assessments and connection fees than those who have been out of compliance for decades?

Those community efforts also identified an eventual risk to water quality from the septic systems around the north shore of Lake Bemidji. It was merely a matter of time before septic systems attached to aging cabins and bigger houses squeezed onto small lake lots would jeopardize the lake.

Northern Township project

A community vision then advocated overbuilding a city treatment plant to prepare for future growth.

Northern Township’s action to provide centralized treatment means that day has come.

It is noteworthy that the first option Northern Township pursued was connecting to the Bemidji plant. It has excess capacity that could treat Northern Township houses as well as neighborhoods within Bemidji not already connected. It also has ample capacity to accommodate growth south and west of town.

Initial discussions in 2021 — when the Joint Powers Board existed — moved toward connecting key households in Northern Township to the existing plant. But the discussions between Northern Township and the city broke off. From the macro view, it makes sense to connect to the existing city plant rather than build a second plant east of the lake. It would save millions of dollars to only build connecting pipes to avoid building a new plant. A unified campaign for funding from both jurisdictions could raise more outside funds so we can get more bang for the buck locally.

Perhaps the devil is in the details as to why the two jurisdictions couldn’t find a solution everyone would be happy with.

But Lake Bemidji is precious enough to our community to ask whether those obstacles still exist. If they do, it is in our community’s interest to know the reasons that a collaborative approach is not viable.

This retrospective shows we have made great strides in protecting our namesake lake,

Bemijigamaag. Hopefully, our improvements over the last 50 years will carry forward in a spirit of stewardship for the next 50 years.

Past community visioning exercises have highlighted the incredible natural endowment we have in the form of the isthmus between Lake Irving and Lake Bemidji. Historical factors unfolded so that the treatment plant occupies much of that unique setting. As that plant ages further, in a generation or two, could we replace it with a plant away from the lakes? Imagine the attractive gem that residents and visitors could enjoy if that area was reclaimed as public green space.

Our community will benefit from reaching the best possible consensus on connecting households on the north end of the lake to a centralized treatment system. Our decisions today will have tremendous implications for the future quality of Lake Bemidji and our region.

Northern Township is pursuing a long-term plan focused on the common good. Engaging the broader community in that long-term pursuit of the public interest behooves us all.

What legacy will we leave?

We have a great opportunity to learn more about Northern Township’s wastewater project with an informational session set for 7 p.m. on Earth Day, April 22, in BSU’s Beaux Arts Ballroom.

For those looking to learn more about the Northern Township wastewater treatment facility, a wealth of reference material is available on the Northern Township website — see the wastewater utilities link on the website.

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Northern Township orders wastewater project, incorporation study

Daltyn Lofstrom — Fri, 27 Dec 2024 17:34:15 GMT

NORTHERN TOWNSHIP — After years of discussion and numerous meetings, Northern Township is one step closer to implementing its proposed sanitary sewer system.

During its Monday meeting, the Northern Township board approved a motion to order wastewater project improvements alongside ordering plans and specifications.

Such a measure comes after a Dec. 9 public hearing where township residents voiced their support, opposition and concerns for the project.

What will eventually envelop the boundaries of Lake Bemidji, a feasibility report approved at a Nov. 12 meeting detailed the gravity flow design of the system. According to the report, gravity service connections are inherently more cost-effective and easier to maintain for users than pump-assisted systems that require ongoing energy use and equipment maintenance.

This approach minimizes the need for residents to invest in and maintain lift or grinder pumps, thereby reducing long-term costs and simplifying system use, the report adds.

The total anticipated cost for the project is estimated at $12.8 million, which includes expenses related to design, construction, treatment facility development and infrastructure installation.

The township has received $6 million in federal grants to offset the cost to local property owners, who would be responsible for 60% of the assessment value of non-treatment plant components of the project. Estimated assessments clock in at approximately $5.7 million.

All costs address phase one of the project, which would service properties extending from Northwoods Access on the northwest side of Lake Bemidji to Lavinia Access on the east side.

Phase two of the project would complete the remainder of the shoreline to the edge of Bemidji’s Ward 5. The mechanical plant would have already been installed east of the lake along Big Bass Road.

During discussion, board supervisor Mike Kelly alluded to potential plans to meet with the city of Bemidji in the New Year to discuss the project. Though ambiguous, the project could be fleshed out even further given conversations with the city.

“We’re really not 100% committed to the project until we advertise for bids, the bids come back and we accept the bids, which may be in late 2025,” Kelly said. “We have quite a bit of room to move in the next few months to further study this, discuss this and work with any partners that come forward.”

Just prior to the motion’s approval, board chair Jess Frenzel expressed his support for the project, keeping in mind the diversity of opinions from township residents.

“From the studies I’ve seen going back to the 1970s, I haven’t found anything that says a project like this is not the best option for our soils, our lot sizes on the lake,” he said. “I don’t think we’ve ever shut the door on anybody to find the best solution. It’s a huge deal for the residents who are paying for this, but I hope they see the benefits.”

Board supervisor Curt Blumhagen shared similar sentiments, adding, “I truly believe this project is needed, but I’m really torn when I hear so many people are against it. In saying that, I think this is something that we need to move forward with.”

After more discussion, the board approved ordering the project with board newcomer Rhonda Dockendorf abstaining.

Incorporation study

The only other item of new business was to consider ordering an incorporation study, which the board approved unanimously.

This study would detail the possibility of the township incorporating as its own city, a topic that took off in 2022.

Becoming a city would provide Northern Township with more opportunities for funding through programs that are only available to municipalities, such as Local Government Aid and Municipal State Aid.

Another benefit of incorporation would be the end of further annexation by the city of Bemidji, something that has been a hot topic at previous meetings. A majority of township residents have expressed support for incorporation.

“This is something our residents told us they really want us to do,” Blumhagen added. “I really feel good about this.”

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Public hearing brings smattering of opposition, support of Northern Township wastewater project

Daltyn Lofstrom — Fri, 13 Dec 2024 16:13:13 GMT

NORTHERN TOWNSHIP — Monday night’s public hearing regarding Northern Township's proposed sanitary sewer system brought forth an eclectic mix of opinions, concerns, opposition and support for the project.

The meeting kicked off with a report from Northern Township Administrator Chris Lahn regarding the need for a centralized sewer system that will eventually envelop the boundaries of Lake Bemidji.

Mark Fuller, owner of Freeberg and Grund Consulting Engineers, then presented the project’s feasibility report, which the board approved at a Nov. 12 meeting.

Numerous iterations of systems have been drafted for adoption, but the township has ultimately landed on a gravity flow design. According to the feasibility report, gravity service connections are inherently more cost-effective and easier to maintain for users than pump-assisted systems that require ongoing energy use and equipment maintenance.

“This approach minimizes the need for residents to invest in and maintain lift or grinder pumps, thereby reducing long-term costs and simplifying system use,” the report states.

Due to certain topographical or locational challenges, however, some properties would still require pump-assisted connections.

The total anticipated cost for the project is estimated at $12.8 million, which includes expenses related to design, construction, treatment facility development and infrastructure installation.

All costs address phase one of the project, which would service properties extending from Northwoods Access on the northwest side of Lake Bemidji to Lavinia Access on the east side. Phase two of the project would complete the remainder of the shoreline to the edge of Bemidji’s Ward 5. The mechanical plant would have already been installed east of the lake along Big Bass Road.

The public hearing

Numerous township residents expressed their thoughts following the reading of the feasibility report as well as submitted questions answered by the township board and staff.

Lavinia resident Paul Welle alluded to the ages of existing private septic systems, some of which have been recently installed.

In prior meetings, Lahn has noted that 63% of these systems are over 25 years old with an additional 30 properties having no records of installation. These 30 properties are grouped together with the over-25-year-old systems, which can be considered end-of-life systems.

Welle noted that 62 properties will be assessed in his area, 14 of which are year-round properties and 48 seasonal properties. In his comment, Welle said the average use of the seasonal properties is roughly four to six weeks — lowering the amount of usage of those respective septic systems.

“If you’re only using (a septic system) for two months a year, you could divide the 30 (years for an end-of-life system) by six, and you’re talking about an effective age of five years,” Welle said. “The actual effect of the age of these septic systems is probably quite a bit lower (than township data).”

Lisa Boulay, who lives on Lavinia Road, expressed concerns over the equitability of the assessments as well as the implementation of a centralized system versus addressing individual properties that may be non-compliant.

“Test their septic systems, and if they’re not compliant, make them fix it,” Boulay addressed the board. “Don’t make everybody fix the whole problem.”

Dee Sweeney voiced her support for the project, citing environmental concerns she feels could be addressed with the construction of the new treatment plant.

“The lake is an important asset and we as a community have not always been good stewards,” Sweeney said. “Having a wastewater treatment plant is forward-thinking, and I support that action.”

City connection

While supportive of the project, Birchmont Beach Road resident Rod Skoe presented an alternative option that would include connecting the township to the city of Bemidji’s treatment facility — an option that has been met with some resistance in the past.

“I don’t want to continue to bring this up, but we have a perfectly good functioning sewage treatment plant that the city of Bemidji is operating and is being utilized about 40% now,” Skoe said. “It doesn’t make sense to me to build another one on the other side of the lake.

“I know (the board) has tried to work with the city, but I would hope that people would talk to the city about how much common sense there would be if we could hook up to what the city already has.”

Conversations of connecting to the city’s system accelerated in 2021 when Ruttger’s Birchmont Lodge approached the city with the proposal due to issues with a failing septic system. The city drafted several options to address Ruttgers’ situation.

“We put out six different scenarios that might work and one of them did not include annexation,” Bemidji Mayor Jorge Prince told the Pioneer following the meeting. “At that time, we hadn’t vetted any of those options. They were just ideas to be explored.”

Throughout a host of meetings, the city and township would inch closer to a Memorandum of Understanding that would’ve allowed the township to connect to the city’s water and sewer infrastructure without being annexed into the city itself.

As the MOU became more fleshed out, however, the city would ultimately vote down the MOU due to engineering and legal concerns brought forth by staff.

“That is what finally caused the council as a body to say ‘We don’t want to change our longstanding policy of requiring annexation when extending services,’” Prince added. “From my perspective, it’s not that we ever guaranteed an offer. It was an avenue for us to explore, but once we vetted it, we did not believe it was viable and that was reflected in the council vote.”

An opportunity

Among other public comments, the board expressed appreciation for everyone who came forward on Monday to address several nuances of the project and its impact on the township beyond the two phases currently proposed.

“With most municipal projects, there are going to be people who are affected more than others,” board supervisor Mike Kelly said, “but that doesn’t mean, by any means, that it’s not the best thing for the whole.”

Township board chair Jess Frenzel shared similar sentiments as he hopes to create a system that will support the township in the long run.

“We understand that not everybody’s going to agree on this, but we see an opportunity to take care of this,” Frenzel said. “We’re trying to represent our constituents the best we can, protect our tax base the best we can, do what we think is best for our environment, do what’s right for our people.”

The board hopes to make a formal decision on the project at its Dec. 23 meeting.

The full recording of the public hearing and a copy of the feasibility report can be found on the Northern Township website.

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