Priorities for 2006 District Board = Continue public education programs. The Freeborn County Board appoints Shell Rock River the managers of the Shell Rock River = Continue water monitoring program. Watershed District Board of Managers. = Continue working with others who Chairperson: want to improve water quality. Watershed District Harley H. Miller 909 Luther Place #100 = With the City of Albert Lea, seek state Albert Lea, Minnesota 56007 funding for water quality projects. Annual Report for 2005 507-373-0900 = Finalize design options for replacing [email protected] the dam on Albert Lea Lake. Annual Meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 28, at Albert Lea City Council Chambers Term expires 6-25-07 The District will continue education efforts on restoring = Implement Pickerel Lake and White Vice-Chairperson: Lake (Lake Chapeau) management plans. and preserving shoreland. Sales tax to fund Alan Bakken water resources. The Pickerel Lake area 16691 740th Avenue = Work with Freeborn County to start the would be a priority for this program. Albert Lea, Minnesota 56007 process of bringing Individual Sewer watershed projects 507-373-6686 Treatment Systems into compliance with = Draft water management plan for Keeping its promise to property owners, ceeds from the sales tax will go toward [email protected] state and local laws in order to protect Fountain Lake Lakeshed. the Shell Rock River Watershed Board watershed projects to achieve cleaner Term expires 6-25-07 District Staff District Consultants rescinded two tax levies for 2006 after lakes in the Albert Lea area. In 2006, the voters overwhelmingly approved a local sales tax will help fund: Treasurer: Administrator: Attorney: option sales tax. Paul Overgaard Cathy Rofshus Don Savelkoul = Storm water retention systems to slow 1728 Bay Oaks Drive 507-377-5785 Peterson, Savelkoul & Benda, Ltd. Each levy would have raised a maximum down and filter water draining to Albert Lea, Minnesota 56007 211 Newton Ave S. of $99,000. One levy would have funded Pickerel, Fountain and Albert Lea lakes. 507-373-8510 Office Support Specialist: Albert Lea, MN 56007 projects in the Pickerel Lake = Replacement of the Albert Lea Lake [email protected] Connie Kaupa Subwatershed. The other levy would dam. Term expires 6-25-07 507-377-5785 Engineer: have helped to pay for a new dam on Albert Lea Lake. Secretary: Wenck Associates, Inc. = Helping the City of Albert Lea meet Technician: 1800 Pioneer Creek Center Donald R. Sorensen “Property owners will see a decrease in new storm water mandates. Andy Henschel P.O. Box 249 Eighth-graders 72803 220th Street the Shell Rock Watershed portion of their = Restoration of the floodplain along Albert Lea, Minnesota 56007 Freeborn County Maple Plain, MN 55359 from Southwest property tax in 2006,” said Cathy Main Street and 400 feet of degraded 507-373-4925 Environmental Services 763-479-4200 Middle School Rofshus, watershed district administrator. shoreline at the City Beach. [email protected] 377-5186 Accountant: didn’t mind Albert Lea Tax Service, LLC “Yet we will start to meet state and feder- getting dirty to Term expires 6-25-06 = Purchasing a vacuum truck to remove Conservation Technician: 220 W. Clark St. plant a rain al mandates for clean water.” dirt, grass clippings, leaves and debris Managers: Brett Behnke Albert Lea, MN 56007 garden. from Albert Lea streets. Kenneth L. Nelson Farm Service Agency 507-377-1625 The half-cent local option sales tax will 20681 794th Avenue 402-4806 raise $15 million for watershed projects. The District still levied $250,000 for its Hands-on education Albert Lea, Minnesota 56007 Recording Secretary: The sales tax will be in effect from April administrative fund, which pays for per- part of District’s focus 507-377-1512 Shell Rock River Watershed District Irene Anderson 1, 2006, for 10 years, or until $15 million sonnel, office rent, accounting, attorney Take 150 geography students, 1,000 [email protected] Freeborn County Historic Courthouse 22903 790th Ave. is raised, whichever comes first. All pro- fees, insurance, and similar expenses. Term expires 6-25-06 411 S. Broadway / P.O. Box 1147 Albert Lea, MN 56007 native plants, and mix them with mud for City of Albert Lea Albert Lea, MN 56007 507-256-4478 a fun time. Southwest Middle School stu- Gary Pestorious Local Option Sales Tax Referendum Results Nov. 8, 2005 dents, taught by Mr. Gerry Bizjak, will Ward Polling Place Yes Vote No Vote 20770 707th Avenue 2006 Advisory Committee The Shell help make a cleaner Fountain Lake Albert Lea, Minnesota 56007 1 Brookside School 976 86% 165 14% Name Residence Rock River 2 First Baptist Church 496 80% 123 20% through the rain garden they planted at 507-373-6758 Larry Anderson, Chairperson Albert Lea Watershed 3 United Methodist Church 652 82% 148 18% Lakeview Park on May 23, 2005. [email protected] Tony Trow, Vice Chairperson Albert Lea District meets 4 Grace Lutheran Church 721 82% 156 18% Term expires 6-25-08 Jack Gillard, Recorder Glenville at 8:30 a.m. 5 City Center 229 73% 87 27% A rain garden is a landscaped area that is 6 Halverson School 461 77% 140 23% slightly sunken to help collect and soak Roger L. Peterson Don Flatness (SWCD Director) Glenville the second Totals 3,535 81% 819 19% up rainwater before it drains to a storm 25619 750th Avenue Michael Hanson Albert Lea Tuesday of sewer and eventually a lake. The rain gar- Clarks Grove, Minnesota 56016 Don Kropp (SWCD Supervisor) Albert Lea Number of pre-registered voters 10,328 each month den was one of several projects the 507-826-3229 Glen Mathiason (County Commissioner) Alden at Albert Lea Number that registered Nov. 8, 2005 236 Total number of voters 10,564 District participated in last year. [email protected] Clayton Petersen Albert Lea City Council Term expires 6-25-08 Steve Wirtz (City of Albert Lea engineer) Albert Lea Number voting 4,359 Chambers. Percentage voting 41% Learn more about the District inside.

Financial Information Activity Report What is a watershed? Shell Rock River Watershed District 2005 Combined Statement of Revenue and Expenditures 2005 activities focus on planning, education A watershed is an area of land that Revenue 2005 Budget 2005 Actual Below are the Watershed District’s 2005 Andy Henschel drains to a common point, such as a A) General and Administrative Levy $ 250,000.00 $ 263,020.64 priorities and status of achievement to is the lake, river or wetland. B) Survey and Data Acquisition Fund 50,000.00 50,000.00 date. C) County Loan ------watershed technician for In this case, it’s the 246 square miles D) Interest: 100.00 Checking Account --- 569.54 Conduct a comprehensive public edu- both Freeborn that drains to the Shell Rock River. All C.D. --- 1,495.89 cation program County and the of the Shell Rock River Watershed E) Carryover from 2004 194,325.00 194,325.00 District staff members and managers Watershed District is within Freeborn County. F) Reimbursements --- 127.00 spoke at township board meetings, serv- District. The The District includes all of Albert Lea, G) Lakescaping Books --- 106.00 ice clubs, senior citizen housing, schools, District Hayward, Glenville, Twin Lakes, H) Lakescaping Contribution From City --- 1,000.00 and many more places in 2005. Topics monitors four Manchester, and the southern part of Total Revenue $494,425.00 $510,644.07 included the local option sales tax, lakes and Clarks Grove. Expenses: 2005 Budget 2005 Actual lakeshore restoration, watershed activi- 10 stream 1 What is a 1.0 Personnel $152,613.00 $114,467.56 ties, and conservation programs. sites for 2.0 Travel 17,360.00 8,364.26 phosphorus watershed district? 3.0 Personnel Training 6,100.00 6,027.24 The District has a monthly live interview 4.0 Office Expense 26,200.00 12,403.34 and other Watershed districts are local units of 5.0 Professional Services 62,500.00 36,790.44 2 on KATE radio and the Albert Lea parameters. government that work to solve and pre- 6.0 Capital Expenses --- 1,818.06 3 Tribune publishes a monthly column by vent water-related problems. The 7.0 Project Expenses 106,500.00 69,997.93 Administrator Cathy Rofshus. 4 Lake Subwatershed and White Lake Wenck Associates of Maple Plain to con- boundaries of the districts follow those 8.0 Survey and Data Acquisition Fund 50,000.00 36,370.92 (Lake Chapeau) Lakeshed duct the feasibility study for replacing the 9.0 Debt Service --- 52,325.33 5 of a natural watershed. The District partnered with the City of Albert Lea Lake dam. Wenck presented 10.0 Matching Grant Fund 5,000.00 --- Albert Lea on a campaign called, “Leave 11.0 Miscellaneous Fund 5,000.00 --- The District Board approved the Pickerel the interim report on hydrology and Because water does not follow politi- It on the Lawn,” which directed people to 12.0 Reserve Fund 63,152.00 --- Lake Subwatershed Plan on Sept. 20, hydraulics at the March 14, 2006, cal boundaries, it makes sense to man- Total Expenses $494,425.00 $338,565.08 keep grass clippings out of streets in order 2005. SRRWD Board meeting. The next step is age natural resources on a watershed Carryover to 2006 --- $172,078.99 to decrease the amount of phosphorus to identify dam design options. basis. This type of management allows Notes: entering lakes. The White Lake (Lake Chapeau) plan is for an overall approach to resource 1) Per diem paid to SRRWD Board Managers totaled $9,405 or an average of $1,343.57 scheduled for Board review in April Establish local option sales tax with the per manager. The rest of the personnel fund went toward professional staff. conservation. The District also manned a booth at the 2006. City of Albert Lea for funding lake Freeborn County Fair and the Party for 2) Professional services include engineering, legal and accounting services. cleanup Minnesota's 46 watershed districts are the Lakes fund-raiser. Implement reclamation of Pickerel On Nov. 8, 2005, the City held a referen- each governed by a board of managers 3) This capital expense was surveying equipment for conservation technician. Lake Subwatershed dum on the half-percent sales tax, which appointed by the boards of commis- With funding from the Lakes Restoration The District is working with the passed with 80 percent voting "yes.” sioners of the counties that have land in 4) This fund paid for the environmental overflight of the watershed and for portions of Committee, the District started offering Department of Natural Resources to the feasibility study for replacing the Albert Lea Lake dam. the district. Lake Ecology curriculum kits to local reclaim Pickerel Lake. Establish technician position with the schools. 5) The District paid off its start-up loan from Freeborn County. Freeborn County Farm Service Agency Watershed Districts are special purpose Start planning for study of storm water to increase the amount of rural acres in units of local government whose 2003-2004 audit report: Finances in order With funding and in-kind services from in the City of Albert Lea conservation programs in the District boundaries follow those of a natural Hill, Larson, Walth and Buhs conducted position of the governmental activities of the City and Freeborn County, the District The first step was to secure funding for The FSA and District hired Brett Behnke watershed. the 2003-2004 annual audit for the each major fund, and the aggregate held lakescaping workshops and awarded this study, which was accomplished with for the technician position. Behnke start- District. The audit was conducted in remaining fund information of Shell three $500 grants for restoration and rain the local option sales tax passed by Albert ed Jan. 31, 2005, and has helped sign up Watershed Districts are established accordance with standards generally Rock River Watershed District as of gardens. The District received grants Lea voters in November 2005. land for filter strips and other best man- when water management becomes accepted in the United States of America December 31, 2004. from the DNR and Lakes Restoration agement practices (BMPs). greater than one community can han- and the standards applicable to financial Committee to hold workshops in 2006. Establish a greenbelt around Pickerel dle. Water management on a watershed audits contained in Government Auditing The complete 2003-2004 audit is at Lake Start planning for Fountain Lake basis is important for uniform and Standard, issued by the Comptroller www.shellrock.org. The three governments also worked Because of legal constraints, the District Lakeshed effective controls, not only to correct General of the United States. Hill, together with 8th-grade geography stu- took no further action on this idea in On March 14, 2006, the District Board problems but to prevent them. Larson, Walth & Buhs gave the opinion The 2005 audit will be completed later dents from Southwest Middle School to 2005. It continues to work with landown- appointed the Fountain Lake Lakeshed that the financial statements referred to, this year. plant a rain garden in Lakeview Park. The ers on the lake to preserve and restore Committee to develop this plan. Watershed Districts were authorized by present fairly, the respective financial Albert Lea Medical Center awarded a their shoreland. the Legislature in 1955 when it passed grant to help pay for the project. Contact Information Work with other groups that want to the Watershed Act, MSA103D. This Seek engineering proposals for replace- improve and protect waterways Shell Rock River Watershed District legislation sets out the role and respon- In addition, the District continues to ment of the Albert Lea Lake-Shell The District works closely with the City, sibilities for watershed districts in 411 S. Broadway 507-377-5785 expand its web site, www.shellrock.org. Rock River dam County, DNR and Minnesota Pollution Minnesota. P.O. Box 1147 [email protected] In June 2005, the District hired Jones, Control Agency to make local waters Albert Lea, MN 55007 www.shellrock.org Complete water plans for Pickerel Haugh and Smith of Albert Lea and swimmable and fishable.