While the past couple of months have been hot and humid, that has not stopped the city’s Building Inspections Department from helping multiple Commercial Building projects move from blueprints to reality. Crookston Building Inspector Greg Hefta has revealed that many projects have been going on over the past six months and are either well underway or nearing completion.
The biggest one is the construction of the Ag Innovation Campus on the corner of Ingersoll Avenue and Highway 75, which has begun the first of three construction phases to a campus containing a soybean crush plant, office center, and research center. The Campus is looking to add many new jobs to the city and surrounding area based on their projections in agriculture and research. However, Hefta has mentioned that what they are currently constructing is only a partial portion of the building and is looking at potential future funding in order to complete the next two phases. “I think for the Ag Innovation itself, from what I understand, it’s just a partial portion of the building. They’re looking at future funding. It’s phase one of three,” Greg Hefta explained. “They may combine it and do it down the road, but that is totally up to them. It is a great project.”
The construction on the Fournet Building for the Tri-Valley Opportunity Council in downtown Crookston is still in progress. Hefta has reported that they are currently waiting to do a walkthrough for substantial completion with its owner, Jeff Evers, to let them decide if they will begin allowing occupancy of the building. “We’re just waiting for the owner to do substantial completion so we can look at occupancy for the building,” Hefta explained, “Until that’s done, we have to wait as things have to be correct before we allow people to move in.”
Hefta also reported that the New Flyer of America, Inc. building on 5th Avenue SW recently added a new addition to its bus manufacturing facility and is substantially complete. “The New Flyer building was a 12,700 square foot addition to their bus plant,” Hefta explained, “Basically, it was for painting and undercarriage maintenance, and other work. As far as that goes, it looks like a nice building and is substantially complete.” Hefta reported that they have granted the plant a temporary occupancy permit to let the employees continue work in the building but say there are still some items that need to be completed within 180 days before they allow the company to have full occupancy of the building again.
The Building Inspection Department is open for anyone looking to purchase a permit for their buildings and property additions. If you wish to purchase a permit for any building project, you can contact Building Official Greg Hefta at City Hall at 218-281-5713 or at ghefta@crookston.mn.us.
Pictures of the AG Innovation Campus and the New Flyer building can be seen below-
