On Wednesday evening citizens and organizations were invited to a “Quality of Place” brainstorming session at the Tri-Valley Administrative office in Crookston. The meeting came about after a release from the Northwest Minnesota Foundation in early September that they are looking to create a collaborative agreement with one or two targeted communities that support community vitality. Included in becoming one of the targeted communities is the opportunity to receive assistance through a variety of tools including flexible lending, grand products, staff time and philanthropic services. While only rolled out in early September, communities wishing to be included need to submit letters of intent by October 5.
Tim Denney, who assisted with guiding the conversation through the meeting said he hopes if Crookston is chosen it will help guide one or two initiatives to completion over the next few years. The funding from the grant lasts for two years, but the chosen communities may have the opportunity to further long-term projects through loans. “They are looking also at longer-term help for us after the funding ends, including in the form of low-interest loans out of a revolving loan fund,” explained Denney. “We could use that to further projects that weren’t paid for under the grant dollars.”
The end result could be a collaboration lasting five years or longer. Ideas ranged across a wide variety of topics from natural resources like the Red Lake River to ways to improve the infrastructure for highspeed connectivity for businesses. Because of the short timeframe set forth by the foundation, the group decided to use the ideas set forth in past city planning initiatives such as the comprehensive plan or the downtown development master plan as the launching off point for the letter of intent. Members of the meeting will work on developing the letter of intent before the October 5 deadline and hope to receive a positive response shortly thereafter.
Organizations that participated in the meeting included Tri-Valley Opportunity Council, City of Crookston, Crookston Housing and Economic Development Authority, the University of Minnesota Crookston and Polk County Public Health among others.
Tim Denney (left) helps facilitate the meeting
