The Town of Morse board discussed two complaints involving plowing of township roads at Tuesday’s meeting.
The main complaint came from Sandy Wilt who lives on Hendrickson Road. She contacted clerk Nick Wognum over an incident where a plow truck nearly ran her over. Morse contracts with St. Louis County for plowing and sanding township roads.
The complaint included: “I was walking our dog on Hendrickson Road I do that two to three times a day. I came out of the driveway and take a left and go to the river at the end of the road.
“First complaint they are not sanding this road at all, it is like an ice ink, like a luge at the Olympics. After I fell and almost got run over, Matt Urbas sanded by his house and by Blueberry Road.
“The plow truck driver scared the life out of me. I heard the plow coming, put the dog on the leash, he crested the hill by Urbases, I put my hand up for him to stop and he kept coming. I put the dog on the snowbank and I fell on the road and he blew by me. I thought I’m dead, I truly did.
“That road is not wide enough. That’s why I put my hand up when he was on the top of the hill.
“I got up and walked back to the end of my driveway and waited for him. He stopped and I was pretty upset. He said ‘Lady, have you ever been in one of these and tried to drive one of these?’ I said no. He said I can’t stop on this road it’s too God damn slippery. I told him he better f-ing stop.
“He said, ‘If I would have stopped I would’ve put this in the ditch.’ I said, ‘Would you have rather run me over? Then he said ‘F-you lady’ and drove off.”
Supervisor Mike Velcheff said the driver was not based in Ely. He said the driver was a substitute driver from Virginia.
Supervisor Bob Berrini said a dog was hit and killed by a county truck recently near his house. He said it was not a plow truck.
The board asked that the complaint be sent to St. Louis County Public Works’ Ely office and to Commissioner Paul McDonald.
In other business the board: • Heard the county will be doing poll pad training with election judges prior to the March 10 election.
• Will again contact St. Louis County on getting a deputy to attend a Morse meeting.
• Heard from Berrini who reported the Ely Area Ambulance Service will not be able to get the additional state funding due to not losing enough money.
• Heard Berrini met with IRRRB Commissioner Ida Rukavina on funding for a Morse-Fall Lake fire department building and a well. He said the IRRRB will not fund road improvements in Romberg Acres. He suggested the board get estimates for the different road sections to pave them. He said three roads in Morse will be done by the county this year, Kawishiwi Trail from Hwy. 169 to the county line, the Ely-Winton Road and the South White Iron Road where a boat landing is being improved.
• Was informed McDonald is also looking to put up county lands for sale with 10 acre parcels in two 40s.
• Moved the next meeting to March 3 at 5 p.m.
