The Crookston Housing & Economic Development Authority Board met on Tuesday, February 25 at Valley Technology Park. The meeting started with Wendy Ault reading her Oath to become an official member of the CHEDA board. It then continued with the approval of the agenda and the January 28, 2025, Board Meeting Minutes.
The consent agenda for Tuesday’s meeting included two routine items: the Crookston Housing & EDA Payables and the Financial Report. The board unanimously approved the consent agenda. Next, the board approved the Crookston Housing & EDA Payables and turned to Housing Supervisor Theresa Tahran for the Housing Report. Tahran told the board that Oak Court is currently at a 97% occupancy rate and continues to pull from the waiting list as units are vacated. Tahran also reported that the security camera project at Oak Court should be wrapped up in the next couple of weeks. For Section Eight, Tahran says there are currently 128 vouchers and five project-based vouchers.
CROOKSTON EDA AND ECI FORM CHILDCARE ALLIANCE
Karie Kirschbaum and Taylor Wyum gave the EDA/Community Development Report. One of the topics Kirschbaum covered at Tuesday’s meeting was Childcare in Crookston. An alliance is being formed between the EDA and the ECI to realize what is needed for our area children and how important it is for the community to do what is best for its youngest residents. Board member Morgan Hibma has been following these developments closely. “The ECI has decided to put together and start back up the Early Childhood Summit,” says Hibma. “Last fall, the EDA and Karie had put together and brought up The Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain and Presented.”
Hibma says the EDA met with many people in the Early Childhood Initiative arena. When the ECI decided to start the Summit back up, Karie and Gina Gunderson, ECFE Director, connected. “They discussed maybe having a speaker from the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain come up, and we were able to get Dr. Michael Georgieff to agree to come up and speak,” says Hibma. “That’s really exciting, and it’s just really great to see different groups within our community working together.” Dr. Georgieff is the Co-Director of the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain. Karie Kirschbaum, Crookston Community Development Director, says that the EDA is working with the ECI to find innovative solutions to childcare. The Early Childhood Initiative Summit will take place in Crookston on April 24, and invites will be sent out to those who work with young children in our area, such as teachers, daycare facilitators, and healthcare professionals.
STOREFRONT REVITALIZATION PROGRAM
Taylor Wyum updated the board that the Storefront Revitalization program has been accepting applications. Some have come back incomplete, and some folks who have shown interest have not submitted applications. Kirschbaum also explained to the board that all projects are somewhat slow going as the EDA waits for things to even out at the Federal level.
REVOLVING LOAN REQUEST
On the Main agenda, the board approved applying for the RFP Local Housing Trust Fund and the RFP 2025 POPH Grant. The third item on the main agenda was the approval of a Revolving Loan Request. The board tabled this item until the board holds a special session next week, as some members did not have time to review the request.
POSSIBLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT BY CASEY’S GAS STATION
The last item on Tuesday’s agenda discussed the lot behind Casey’s gas station on Fisher Ave. and Broadway in Crookston. “There are some opportunities through various programs in Minnesota that can help us develop funding,” says Kirschbaum. “We are looking at developing this little like three and a half acres, a little over that, behind Casey’s to look at some townhomes, looking for some single levels for some of our seniors looking for single level houses. We are just getting into it. There are probably four or five different pools of finances out there through the state to bring it all together.”
Kirschbaum says the EDA is excited about this project and has even had some planning done with an architect to show ideas of what will fit into that space. “We did have an architect put together a FIT Plan of what possibly could be built there,” says Kirschbaum. “We are just getting started on it, and like I said at the meeting, 80% of the things we do fail because different things fall apart, or state funding dries up or things like that, but we are moving forward on that, and it’s an exciting thing.”
Kirschbaum says that these properties would be open to families with 115% AMI (Average Median Income), which averages about $128,000 per household or below. Kirschbaum says to stay tuned for more information about this project as it is just in the beginning stages right now.
