Colfax approves variance for 95-foot Anderson Bridges driveway
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DRIVEWAY VARIANCE — The Colfax Village Board has approved a driveway variance for Anderson Bridges to construct a 95-foot driveway so drivers can back onto Bremer Avenue and head east to state Highway 40. The option to back straight across Bremer Avenue to the Timber Technologies lot is no longer an option because of the Timber Tech expansion. —photo by LeAnn R. Ralph
By LeAnn R. Ralph
COLFAX — The Colfax Village Board has approved a variance for Anderson Bridges LLC to construct a 95-foot wide driveway.
The existing driveway is 55 feet wide, and drivers who are hauling bridges have backed across Bremer Avenue and onto the Timber Technologies driveway to be able to turn east and use Bremer Avenue to reach state Highway 40, said Carey Davis, village trustee, at the Colfax Village Board’s July 22 meeting.
Davis also is an employee at Anderson Bridges.
The Timber Tech driveway was right straight across from the Anderson Bridges driveway, but the problem now is that Timber Technologies is expanding, and the method of backing across Bremer onto the Timber Tech lot is no longer an option, Davis said.
Drivers have to try to back out at an angle, so widening the Anderson Bridges driveway by 40 feet to 95 feet will solve the problem, he said.
The drivers cannot go straight out, and now they are driving over the curbs all of the time, Davis noted.
The cost of the driveway expansion would be covered entirely by Anderson Bridges, he said.
“It would be like what is there now, only wider,” Davis said.
Anne Jenson, village trustee, asked about the regulations for driveway width in the village ordinances.
The ordinances state driveways must be 30 feet, but since Anderson Bridges currently has a 55-foot wide driveway, presumably a variance was granted in the past, Davis said.
Timber Technologies asked for a variance for a wider driveway, too, and the request was granted, said Lynn Niggemann, village administrator-clerk-treasurer.
The expansion would be west of the intersection with Bremer Avenue and Willow Street, Davis said.
The Anderson Bridges address is 111 Willow Street.
Anderson Bridges is on the “high” side of the street, so while Timber Tech deals with stormwater runoff, Anderson Bridges does not. None of the stormwater generated on the Anderson Bridges lot goes off site to the street, Davis said.
The drivers “do not like driving over the curb,” he noted.
Chad Berge, village trustee, asked about snow removal along the expanded driveway.
Anderson Bridges completely takes care of snow removal, Davis said.
Scott Gunnufson, village president, said he was “definitely in favor of catering to the businesses.”
“We are fortunate to have Anderson Bridges, Timber Tech, Big Timber and Woods Run — the whole industrial park. Any accommodations we can do … (and) they are going to run over the curb if we don’t,” he said.
The Colfax Village Board unanimously approved a variance for a 95-foot driveway for Anderson Bridges.
In addition to Gunnufson, Jenson and Berge voting in favor of the motion, Village Trustee Keith Burcham also voted in favor.
Village Trustees Margaret Burcham and Mark Halpin were absent from the meeting.
Davis abstained from voting on the motion.
According to the company’s website, Anderson Bridges manufactures prefabricated steel truss bridges using Pratt trusses, bow trusses, box trusses and tied-arches.
The bridges are used for pedestrians, bicycles, snowmobiles, ATV/UTV, golf courses, overpasses, pipe support, utilities, skywalks, parks, hiking trails and other applications. The designs range from functional and economical to complex and ornamental.
Other business
In other business, the Colfax Village Board:
• Approved a chicken license for Heather Pyka, 504 High Street, from July 22 to June 30, 2020.
• Approved a temporary Class “B”/ “Class B” retailers license (picnic license) for the Colfax Woman’s Club for the annual pig roast at the Colfax Health and Rehabilitation Center on August 9.
• Approved a temporary Class “B”/ “Class B” retailers license (picnic license) for the Colfax Firefighters Association for an open house at the Colfax fire station on August 4.
• Approved bartender operators’ licenses from July 22 until June 30, 2020, for Jeremy Artist (Synergy Cooperative); Taliah Eiseth (Synergy Cooperative); Katherine Walters (American Legion Post 131); Kali Tuschl (The Blind Tiger).
• Approved a pay request for Haas Sons Inc. for the Roosevelt Street project in the amount of $71,878.66. The entire contract price for the street project is $252,781.07. After all of the final calculations have been made for quantities associated with the street project, the final pay request will be submitted, said Gareth Shambeau, a civil engineer with Ayres Associates.