|










|
Meeting Dates
(all held at Avon Town
Hall, 16881 Queens Road, Avon, MN 56310)
Board of Supervisors:
1st Wed of each month; 7:30 P.M.
Planning Board:
Last Wed of each month; 7:30 P.M.
Annual Meeting:
Second Tues. of March, 8:00 P.M.
|
|
|
Welcome to Avon Township
Avon Township is located in central Minnesota, approximately 15 miles NW of St.
Cloud, Stearns County. The City of Avon lies roughly in the center
of the township. The landscape, which was shaped by past glacial
activity, is primarily rolling hills interspersed with lakes. The
pre-settlement vegetation was largely oak woodlands with scattered
lakes, wetlands and prairies. The flatter terrain and wetlands
have made good farm land while the oak forests, many of which remain
intact, provide the basis for the
Avon
Hills Initiative. The
township is committed to preserving the rural and agricultural
atmosphere of this area. Benedictine
monks settled in the SE corner of the township and founded
St. John's Abbey and
St. John's University. Only a
few miles away, in St. Joseph, Benedictine sisters established
St. Benedict's Monastery and the
College of St. Benedict. The
township is a hub of renewable energy resources: St.
John's is the site of the largest
solar array in the upper
Midwest and the
Blattner Energy Corporation is the largest installer of wind
turbines in the US. The
Lake Wobegon Trail runs east-to-west across the
entire the township highlighting the natural beauty of the area.
There are approximately 2100 residents in the
township (graph).
The township recently completed the construction of a Town Hall and
Maintenance Facility. It is located approximately one mile north
of Avon, off County Road 9, at 16881 Queens Road, Avon, MN 56310.
All meetings, elections and other Town activities are held at the Town
Hall unless otherwise specified. The Town Hall is available for
use by non-profit organizations (policy
& application).
The township is governed by a Board comprised of three Supervisors, a
Clerk and Treasurer. The main responsibilities of the Town Board
are to hold elections, maintain roads, hold Board of Appeal and
Equalization hearings, administer township finances (Board of Audit),
and be responsible for planning and zoning. The Supervisors make all
final decisions about township business. The Planning Commission
is comprised on five members. The
purpose of the Planning Commission is to make recommendations to the
Supervisors concerning variances and other issues.
Avon Township has a
Noise Ordinance.
An Exemption
Form should be completed if you are planning an event will violate
the ordinance. Avon Township also has a
Gopher Bounty. Gophers collected for the bounty are saved to
feed raptors at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Rockville, MN.
The Township Supervisors and Planning Commission meet on the first and
last Wednesday, respectively, of the month. Meetings are held at
Avon Township Hall 16881 Queens Road, Avon MN, 56310. Township meetings are open to the public and
all are welcome. To include an item on the agenda of the Board of
Supervisors or Planning Commission, contact the Township Clerk (Stephen
Saupe; 14493 325th St., St. Joseph, MN 56374; 320.356.2406;
email).
Items received less than a week before the meeting cannot be guaranteed
to be on the agenda until the following meeting.
Legal notices are published in the
Albany Enterprise and are posted at Dahlin's Grocery Store (Avon),
The Store (St. Anna),
and the Avon Township Hall (16881 Queens Road, Avon).

Eagles roosting in Avon Township - image by Kelly Martini |
|
|
Announcements:
STEARNS COUNTY AGGREGATE RESOURCE MAPS
The DNR has prepared Aggregate Resource maps that will be
available for public comment until Oct 15. The maps depict
areas with crushed stone potential in Stearns County. (Maps;
Details)
CAPX2020 POWERLINE REROUTED
The preferred route Excel originally selected was north of
I-94 cutting directly through Avon Township. The Avon
Township Board argued that this route would have greater impact
on people and wildlife than alternative routes. The
Administrative Law Judge hearing the case ultimately ruled in
favor of the Town and selected a southerly route and this
decision was supported by the Public Utilities Commission.
Many thanks to everyone who worked tirelessly on behalf of the
Town including Supervisor Richard Bresnahan, Jerry VonKorff (Rinke-Noonan
Attorneys) and our environmental consulting firm, Applied
Ecological Services.
ROAD INSPECTION RESULTS
On April 16, 2011 the Supervisors conducted
the annual road inspection (report).
TOWN HALL PROJECT SUMMARY
The
groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the
new Town Hall and Maintenance Facility was held in May 2010.
The facility was completed in time for the Planning Commission
to hold its October meeting in the new building. The
official
Open House was held in February 2011. The Town
received congratulatory letters from Senators
Franken and
Klobuchar. Residents are welcome to visit the new
facility.
MARCH 2011 ELECTION RESULTS
LeRoy Gondringer was re-elected to a 3-year
term as Supervisor. Kelly Martini was re-elected to a
2-year term as Treasurer. Congratulations to both LeRoy
and Kelly (legal).
AVON FIRE DEPT This is a link to
a great video of the excellent work by the Avon Fire Department
during an Albany/Avon Mock Drunk Driving Crash. (Click
here)
CLERK
SMITH PASSES
It is with deep sadness that we report the death of longtime
township clerk, Renee Smith. She worked tirelessly for the
township for many years and will be greatly missed by her
family, friends and the Township (Obituary)

REQUEST FOR IMAGES
If you have any images of our beautiful township that you would
like to share in our website, please email them to
Steve Saupe or Kelly
Martini. |
|
|
|