Workman Township | 24301 480th Street, McGregor, MN 55760-6010 | 218-426-3634

Welcome to the Workman Township Website

We are pleased to have this available for our township residents and others who may be interested in the activities of our township. As we go along we will be making improvements and additions to our website. We will appreciate your comments and suggestions.

Mission Statement:  The Workman Township Board is dedicated to providing safe travel to its citizens and visitors throughout the year. We invite everyone traveling to enjoy the beauty of our township including woods and wildlife, lakes and rivers.

Workman Township is located in Aitkin County, Minnesota. The township, named for a pioneer settler, borders the west side of Big Sandy Lake and the Sandy Lake flowage. Workman Township was established in 1901 and Lakeview Cemetery was established in 1903, the same year Henry Ford started Ford Motor Company.

As of the U.S. Census of 2010, the population was 207; the median age was 52; and the median income was $44,688.  Minnesota State Demographer states that the 2018 Population and Household Estimates for Workman Township for April 1, 2018 is a population estimate of 203 and household estimate of 95. These numbers are for residents with permanent residency in Workman Township and does not include seasonal (weekenders) in the estimate.

Wildlife Photos: Taken by Brenda Hadrich, area wildlfe photojournalist and contributor to McGregor Voyager Press. Go to Photos page to see more photos and larger images.

Workman Township Updates

American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) for Townships The ARPA is designed to deliver economic relief to local governments, which includes townships. This was signed into law by the Federal Government in March. This (hopefully) is a big improvement over the COVID 19 program which was very difficult to make application and even harder to get approval to use the funds. Under that program we were awarded $5,075 which we could never get permission to use resulting in the funds being turned over to Aitkin County. The new application at this time shows funds of $10,899 which will be received twice - once this year and once next year. While we have received some preliminary information on the use of the funds, at this time it appears that infrastructure use for currently unserved or underserved broadband areas in our township would be the most suitable use for the funds. We will expect to receive the first fund payment within 60 days and will post on the website when the funds are received.

Recently the township received a phone call from a gentleman having the last name of Workman. He was attempting to get information about his family surname and the process of our township being named Workman. Some of our oldest records have been reviewed, but no information was found. If anyone has information concerning how our township was named and information on the individual we would appreciate receiving the information.

Drought conditions have taken a toll on our crops this year making crop harvesting disappointing for our farmers. While we are scheduled for some rain showers at the end of August and early September it likely will be a story of "Too little too late." Farmers are optimistic people and we certainly hope that next year will be a normal year and their crops yields will be acceptable.

Contributions: Lakeview Township received two spontaneous contributions to our cemetery fund on Monday. We thank Tom and Suzanne Andresen, and William and Judy Haapoja for their generous contributions to our cemetery.

The final phase of County Road 3 has been completed by the county. We thank John Welle, County Engineer, and his staff for the fine addition to our county and township. The changeover from old State 232 to County Road 3 is a tremendous improvement.

COVID 19 INFO: For current updates and information on Covid 19 in Aitkin County go to the Aitkin County website.

New Homes: Over the last year at least four new homes have been built in our township. These are very attractive and add much to our community. We welcome these families to our township

Workman Township Annual Meeting: The Annual Meeting of the Township was held on Tuesday, March 9th convening at 9 am at the Palisade Community Center/Firehall with 8 Electors and 1 guest present. The Agenda included a vote on bonding for a new town hall and snowplow garage in the amount up to $120,000. After some discussion, The Elector vote was unanimous in favor. The annual levy starting in 2022 was also approved by the Electors in a unanimous vote. Other general subjects were discussed and the meeting was adjourned at 10:23 am.

Township Road Checks: Workman Township conducts two road inspections - spring and fall. At this time the roads appear to be in good condition after winter. Spring rains have not affected our roads to this point and no frost boils have appeared. The winter snow runoff has been steady with no problems with overflowing or clogged culverts.

Monthly Meeting Location Change: While our township has conducted our monthly and annual meetings at the Palisade Community Center/Firehall for approximately two years, a decision has been made by the board to relocate the meetings to the Minnesota National Golf Course Club House. This is in our township and is centrally located. We will be charged the same amount as we were charged by the City of Palisade.

Workman Township Culvert Inventory: Aitkin County Soil and Water Conservation District has prepared a book showing site, size, and culvert condition for Workman Township. Workman Township was the first one in the county to be selected for the survey. Our township has 270 culverts which includes culverts on county roads. Plans are to conduct the survey in all townships and from the information gathered develop a master plan for water flowage in the county. Thank you to Steve Hughes, head of the ACSWD and Sam Seybold, Buffer Specialist for this important work. This is something that the township would not have available funding to complete.

Workman Township Board accepted with regret the resignation of Supervisor Fred Kamrowski as of December 31, 2020. Fred and his wife will be relocating to southern Minnesota to be near relatives. Fred was in charge of the physical grounds for Lakeview Cemetery. We will miss Fred and his witty sayings and wish Fred and Lu the best in their relocation.

Our township was very fortunate in finding a replacement for Supervisor Kamrowski. The Workman Township Board is very honored to have Marvin Ketola accept the vacant supervisor position effective January 20,2021. Marv and his wife Judy are retired and live on Big Sandy Lake. Previously Marv was Carlton County Attorney until his retirement. Marv also spent several terms as a state legislator. He enjoys outdoor sports including fishing and golfing. We are very pleased to be able add a person with a very strong background to our board.

COVID-19 GRANT UPDATE: Our township officers were very optimistic that the Covid-19 Grant could be put to good use in our township. We had plans to distribute a package that included an electronic thermometer, hand sanitizer, face masks, brochure on Covid-19 symptoms and necessary actions to be taken, to the 95 year-round residences in Workman Township. Unfortunately, when applying for approval of our plans we were rebuffed. It was very likely that we could not expect reimbursement, and the funds would have to be taken from township funds. We felt we could not justify the risk or cost. However, we were able to transfer the $5,075 to Aitkin County for their use.

AITKIN COUNTY NEWS RELEASE (June 23, 2020) - Public Input Wanted as County Updates Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan: Tornadoes, straight-line winds, ice storms, blizzards, flooding, wildland fires and droughts are the kinds of natural disasters most likely to cause widespread economic loss and personal hardship in Aitkin County. Taking steps to minimize the damage from a natural disaster is key to the County’s multi-hazard mitigation plan (MHMP); and as the County works to update the plan, it wants to hear from the public. For more info see link to News Release

HIGH SPEED INTERNET: After constant attempts over the last four years Workman Township has received funding for County Road 3 (480th Street) and two miles on Grouse Street going west from state hwy 65. It is unbelievable the number of meetings, phone calls, and emails that have taken place to achieve high speed internet for our township. Plans for completion of the approved area is fall of 2021. We will continue to address the other areas in our township in need of high speed internet. We hope it will not take an additional four years to be successful.

TAXABLE MARKET VALUE & NET TAX CAPACITY 2020/2021: The Workman Township total market valuation increased over $1 million from last year, the net tax capacity increased over $10,000. The total taxable market valuation is $64,562,941. The net tax capacity is $642,492. Based on our levy of $84,000 voted on at our last annual meeting we use only 13.007% of our net tax capacity.

SCHOLARSHIPS: Junior and senior high school students living in Workman Township are eligible to compete for scholarships, including:

1) Minnesota Association of Townships (MAT) Scholarship. Scholarship is for $2,000 but must apply during junior year in school. Click for more info.

2) Irene Bright Scholarship sponsored by Aitkin County Association of Townships (ACAT). Scholarship is for $1,000 and students apply during senior year.

3) Palisade Fire District Scholarship. Scholarship is for $1,000 and seniors living in Workman Township qualify. Application due date is April 1st.

4) J & J Wickstrom Scholarship/ Palisade Area Lions Club. Scholarship amount is $1,000 for graduating seniors, See school counselor or contact Workman Township for application. Due date is April 1st. Scholarship may be used to attend any type of trade school, tech, or college after graduation.

5) Lake Country Power Co-op Scholarship. January is scholarship month at Lake Country Power co-op. The eastern half of our township is serviced by Lake Country Power co-op. $4,000 scholarships for either college or technical school at $1,000 per year are available for up to 30 students. Application period is January 1 through January 31st. Please visit www.lakecountrypower.coop for additional information.

6) Marshall H. and Nellie Alworth Memorial Fund. High school seniors in Aitkin and surrounding counties are eligible for a $20,000 scholarship for students pursuing an education in mathematics or scientific fields of study. (STEM). The Memorial Fund is celebrating its 70th year of scholarships. Applications must be completed by January 15th. Visit AlworthScholarship.org to learn more about eligibility.

Each of the scholarships can be used for academic or vocational programs. Please see your high school counselor or contact Workman Township for more information or application forms.

WELCOME PHOTOJOURNALIST: Workman Township welcomes Photojournalist Brenda Hadrich as a contributor to to our website. You will be impressed with the quality of these wildlife and scenic photos. Additional photos will be added on a regular basis. Not all of these beautiful photos were taken in our township, but are indicative of what can be seen in Workman Township. You can also see Brenda's photographic artistry in the McGregor Voyager Press.
We welcome photos from all readers who have taken photos of wildlife in the area including birds, wild game animals, fish, turtles frogs, etc. as well as scenery taken in our area such as pretty autumn foliage, scenes of lakes and rivers, attractive cloud formations, lightning strikes, etc. We will display your photo credit if you wish. Please forward photos to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

YEAR IN REVIEW 2019: To read a recap of Workman Township activities and events throughout 2019, go to our Meetings page.

WEBSITE VISITS: 5,889 in 2020; 7,770 in 2019; 3,182 in 2018; 5,585 in 2017