EDA keeps a focus on NYM Forward project

By Tucker Henderson

Reporter

The New York Mills Economic Development Authority met during its monthly meeting last week. As summer keeps the community busy, city development is no exception.

Two loan requests were made by Continental Divide Brew Pub, LLC as well as 15 East Centennial, LLC for renovations on their respective properties. Both requests were approved by the EDA as they met the criteria for loan requirements.

Latham Hetland said that the joint marketing internship between the Civic & Commerce and the EDA board has been going well. Lauren Snyder filled the position in early June and was very active in the planning of Lund Mania this summer. Further plans for her involvement were discussed for different EDA projects.

Julie Roberts provided an update on Country View as the city is in the process of selling two lots in the housing addition. A house and shed will be built to fill the property. She said that there are now 13 lots left for sale and they are listed with the county as well as on MLS search through Centennial Realty, a service that is offered free-of-charge to the city.

Hetland provided an update on NYM Forward which included an update on the Welcoming Communities grant. A seven-sector perspective will drive the 30-35 person committee towards their goals. The University of Minnesota will be facilitating meetings, which will start on September 20. 

Betsy Roder emphasized the importance of keeping the NYM Forward project completely open to the public. All interested parties are welcomed to be involved and share their perspectives with the group. Members are still being sought for the committee.

Roberts also provided an update on the South Point addition. The infrastructure has been completed. The last few items being completed are the street lights and electrical PEDs in cooperation with Lake Regional Electric.

Construction on the apartment building has been postponed until late August or early September as the loan process has become prolonged. Groundbreaking is now slated for this fall.

Roberts also said that the Otter Tail County HRA has put in a purchase agreement for the two lots in South Point. The agreement is contingent on grant funding, however, if approved, the county plans to build triplexes on the two lots for affordable senior housing. Similar projects in Ottertail, Dalton, and Vergas have already been completed or are in the works. The city applied for CDA grants to bring the cost of the lots down to facilitate the process.

Two last comments about South Point was that the shed that the city accepted bids for is being taken down and that the Lions Trail will be reopened in the near future.

A quick update on the Community Resource Center was given by Blaine Novak. The idea to share the center between Perham and NY Mills was given and the possibility of using office space in the City Center building was suggested. Novak said the Community Resource Centerwould be a go-to area for different services available to families in the area. He has not heard any recent updates from the county on the project.

Succession planning was also brought up again. The topic is important to the board and they discussed ideas of how to move forward with longterm planning and being proactive about businesses closing or business owners retiring. Several community members were mentioned as they have expressed their hopes to retire in the coming year or so. 

A CDA grant is available to businesses around Otter Tail County and the funding has been underused in recent years. A one-to-one match in funding is required as well as a plan in place for the project. Funding up to $25,000 is available per project and twice that amount is available per city.

The next meeting will be August 16 at 8:30 a.m. at the city hall.