The Crookston Housing & Economic Development Authority (CHEDA) met on Tuesday for a regular meeting at 7:00 a.m. at the Valley Technology Park. After the Call to Order, the meeting began with the board approving their meeting minutes from their last meeting on Monday, December 19, and their special meeting on Tuesday, December 27, which they approved unanimously.
CONSENT AGENDA
The Consent Agenda had one item: comparing the Crookston Housing & EDA Budget vs. Actual. However, Administrative Assistant Theresa Tahran reported that she did not have the budget available for the meeting and chose not to move forward with a motion.
APPROVE CROOKSTON HOUSING & EDA PAYABLES
The board then began discussing their payables. CHEDA President Dylane Klatt reported that their CHEDA Checks totaled $69,397.23 for the month. The board approved the payables unanimously.
HOUSING REPORT: TAHRAN
The board then heard from Tahran with an update on a Public Housing Report on the Oak Court Apartments, she reported that they had their HUD react inspection recently, and everything had gone well. They had not heard any report of them coming back in the last two weeks, but there were a few items the inspector had said they needed to improve, which their workers were already working on. She also noted the tenants had to recertify their income and medical expenses to help them recalculate their rents for the new year. “Each tenant has to come in and do a recertification of their income and medical expenses, and then we recalculate their rent because their rent at Oak Court has increased slightly for this year,” Administrative Assistant Theresa Tahran explained. “They’ll start coming in at the end of January, and we start processing all of their paperwork, and that way, we can make sure that we get all of their new rents to them 30 days prior to April 1.”
Section 8
Tahran then gave an update on Section 8. She reported they were continuing to pull vouchers and had cleared their waitlist, minus their daily clients.
OLD BUSINESS
The board then heard from City Administrator Corky Reynolds on an update on the 90-acre Industrial Park north of the Ag Innovation Campus south of Crookston. “We’re progressing to get the roadway construction to the Ag Innovation Campus and then extending it south as far as the funding goes. We’re also talking about doing the water modeling for that area,” City Administrator “Corky” Reynolds explained. “Initially, it was thought when Epitome Energy was here that there was some urgency, and there still is some to get that modeling done because there are some water issues there, and there may be some in the future.” Reynolds reported they were waiting on some specifics of the road’s design, then would send out terms of the construction bids and bid requests once they had them.
Pirate Drive Update
The board then heard from Reynolds on an update on the 60-acre area on Pirate Drive, north of Drafts Sports Bar and Grill. He reported that the water study and modeling were nearly complete, and they would be working with the county to help with modeling a potential living development and with the city in constructing whatever needed to be made to help remove excess water from that area. Once the model and study would be complete, they would then send designs for the construction of whatever was needed to remove the water from the area.
MAIN AGENDA
The board then began a discussion to confirm their meeting schedule for 2023. Tahran reported that they hoped to switch it back to one meeting a month, but that was still in the works, so they would continue doing the approved payables meeting separately and have two meetings for the first few months. Mayor Dale Stainbrook asked if the time would still be good to meet, as two members could not come, but he would have issues at times as well. It also needed to be a good consistent time for citizens to come in case they wanted to attend a meeting. The board said they would continue meeting on the third Tuesday of each month at 7:00 a.m. but would consider other options for future meetings. CHEDA’s 2023 Meeting Schedule can be seen below-
Development of Community Advisory Team for Housing
The board then began discussing the development of a Community Advisory Team for Housing. Tahran reported that Kirschbaum would be working with former Fire Chief Tim Froeber to develop a team of board and community members to work with the Section 8 clients and Oak Court tenants to discuss certain subjects and housing developments.
Re-establishing Community Members of EDA Council Discussion
The board then began discussing re-establishing community members to join the Economic Development Authority (EDA) Council. Reynolds explained he was working with CHEDA Attorney Tanner Holten, saying he had created a resolution to have members of the community site on the EDA board like they had in the past. Reynolds explained there were certain requirements under state law they had to follow to reenable the EDA, with the first being to bring it forward to the City Council on Monday, January 23, to request a public hearing.
Redevelopment of B3 Grant
The final item the board discussed was the redevelopment of their Building Better Businesses (B3) Grant. Reynolds explained he was working with Kirschbaum on the grant’s criteria to have them be more focused on their expenditures made in Crookston. “Kari and I are trying to tighten up the criteria for those grants,” City Administrator Corky Reynolds explained. “One of the concerns expressed by board members here today was, Would it be possible that the expenditure of the B3 Grant funds to be done in Crookston?” So, they asked me, in conjunction with Tanner Holten, to explore that possibility of, if you get a B3 Grant for Crookston, should you spend those monies in town if able as well.” Reynolds explained they had started the process and were hoping to have those results soon. Reynolds also reported that the program currently has no money in it, but they could fund it out of the city or the EDA’s own funds. The board agreed they first will work to develop the grant’s criteria before they worry about funding it.
The next CHEDA meeting will take place on Monday, January 23, after the City Council meeting in the City Hall Council Chambers.
