With Emerald Ash Borer being a problem in more and more towns, residents in Balaton want the City to take a proactive approach in an effort to find a solution before any trees are lost.
Mike Wing, one of those concerned residents, spoke to the council Monday about pursuing a DNR grant to help pay for EAB mitigation.
“I’m asking the City to take a look at that grant and apply for it,” Wing said, “and also develop a short-term, long-term plan to how we’re going to deal with our ash trees dying on boulevards, City parks and other property.”
The grant, which is due Sept. 14, is a non-matching grant; the City will likely have to hire a grant writer.
“You have to do an Emerald Ash Borer Management Plan — you could get money to do that,” said Balaton Public Works Supt. Josh Torgeson. “It’s quite a process. I don’t think it’s a matter of if, it’s when we’re going to get hit.”
The DNR is offering $1.7 million in community grants to address the impact of emerald ash borer on community forests. Applications opened Aug. 3 for the 2026 Protect Community Forests Grants. Funds for these community grants are made available thanks to the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund, as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources.
Tribal governments, nonprofit organizations with 501(c) status, educational institutions, and local units of government are eligible to apply. The maximum grant award is $150,000.
Torgeson said Balaton is home to a lot of old trees that are especially susceptible to EAB.
Wing noted that the City of Marshall has applied for the grant four times and were successful on each occasion.
“Their primary plan is to chemically treat the trees to prevent them from dying,” Wing said. “Some of them, they’re taking out because they’re not desirable. You have to treat the tree for life; the treatment is good for two years.”
Emerald ash borer is an invasive insect that has killed millions of ash trees throughout the eastern half of the U.S. and southeastern Canada. Native to eastern Asia, emerald ash borer infests and kills both weak and healthy ash trees. All ash species native to North America are vulnerable to attack. With more than 1 billion ash trees in Minnesota, the spread of emerald ash borer has already had a serious impact on our forests and communities, and it will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
In other news from Monday …
• The council accepted three donations of $10,000 apiece from Apex and Channel for the fire department; and from the Balaton Area Community Foundation for the Legion-Lion Park restroom project.
• The City received just one bid for the Balaton Lift Station Rehab project. The bid was from Northern Plains Contracting for $299,870, which was well over the initial quote of $226,670 the City received in March from Electric Pump. The City has a 60-day window to accept or reject the bid. The City will pursue funding options, such as a grant; otherwise the project will be paid for from the City’s water/sewer fund, so there would be no burden on taxpayers.
• The council set a budget meeting for 6 p.m. on Sept. 14.
