The Crookston Ways & Means Committee met on Monday night voting to have city staff move forward with surveying the Colborn Property for the land option agreements with Epitome Energy, the Soy Innovation Campus, and Vertical Malt.
Interim City Administrator Angel Weasner informed the board that while initial estimates to survey the property were between $8,000-10,000, Widseth Smith Nolting (WSN) updated that estimate to approximately $2,000 because the outside boundary lines for the survey had already been completed. “Council had asked what I thought the price would be, and I informed them of an estimate that was more than expected,” said Weasner. “The main line of the parcel is already drawn, they don’t have to do as much survey work. It is significantly less; it would be approximately a $2,000 bill versus a $10,000 bill.”
While the committee authorized staff to move forward, they didn’t discuss who would pay for the survey. Mayor Dale Stainbrook said, we can move forward with this, and when the bill comes, we’ll figure it out then. Weasner said, “They want this to continue moving forward, and we will determine at a later date who is going to pay for it.”
There was no established timeline for the survey to be complete, and Councilman Tom Vedbraaten asked Crookston Housing and Economic Development Authority Executive Director Craig Hoiseth when it would need to be finished for the land option agreements. Hoiseth said that as long as the survey is being done, they will be able to move forward with the language for the land option agreements and add the legal descriptions of the properties once finished.
The committee voted to move forward with the City of Crookston joining the Homeland Security and Emergency Management Joint Powers Board Agreement. Crookston Emergency Manager and Fire Chief Tim Froeber said that agreement is between 14 counties, plus the cities that have joined for assistance with emergency management during disasters. “The Homeland Security Emergency Management has a Joint Powers Board,” said Froeber. “What that will do, is it kind of signs like a mutual aid agreement with 14 of the upper northwest counties, with their emergency managers. So, if they or Crookston has any kind of a disaster, we’ll have 14 emergency managers who can give us help with damage assessments, working our Emergency Operations Center. We can get all kinds of help brought right into Crookston in the matter of a phone call.”
The committee also approved Phil Huck and Lynn Willhite for the Library Board.
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