The Crookston City Council met on Monday, June 24, in the Council Chambers in City Hall.
The council began by approving the June 10 City Council meeting minutes. After this, they approved the payment of bills and disbursement of the billed money of $1,055,308.71.
WARD 5 VACANCY
The first resolution mentioned during the meeting concerned the vacant Ward 5 City Council Member position. The council approved that they are still seeking someone to fill the position; those interested may contact City Hall for more information or to apply. This resolution was unanimously approved.
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE GRANT
The second resolution the board discussed was regarding a Department of Commerce grant. “This is an application by our community development director with help from Northwest Regional Development Commission,” said City Administrator Corky Reynolds. “We are seeking up to $3.3 million for use at the industrial park, and the idea would be for a rail spur to be in there so that could potentially attract other businesses.”
If awarded the grant, the city must commit a 1 to1 match of the grant, so they may need to put forth up to $3.3 million. This resolution was unanimously approved.
WATER & SOIL GRANT PROPOSAL
The Water and Soil Grant is a proposal to apply for up to $500,000 from the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources. The application would be for the Habitat Enhancement Landscape Program (HELP), and the money, if received, would go towards planting natural and indigenous grasses throughout the city. The grass, as it is perennial and only grows to a certain height, may eliminate the need for mowing over the summer. This resolution was unanimously approved.
CENTRAL PARK CAMPGROUND
The board spoke about Central Park, its campground, and the finances behind the projects. “The city of Crookston is the recipient of a legacy grant. The grant allocated up to $1,026,000 to assist with construction in Central Park and the placement of a bathhouse. There is a deadline, and all of the paid invoices with documentation was paid for need to be submitted by June 30, 2024. June 30 is coming up quickly, and some vendors or people who have helped us with construction have yet to submit their invoices,” said Reynolds. “We added them to the agenda tonight because we have been asking these vendors and strongly encouraging them before last Wednesday. A few vendors just brought them in today, and that’s fine. So we just asked the council to authorize payment, which they did so we can pay those invoices tomorrow. Then we can submit before the June 30 deadline.” The resolution was unanimously approved.
The next Crookston City Council meeting will be on Monday, July 8, at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.
To watch the Crookston City Council meeting, click on the video below.
