1. Please Provide Your Contact Information

1. Please provide your contact information

Contact Person Name: - Dean Uselman
Municipal or Agency Name: - Wadena Development Authority
Address: - PO Box 30
City/Town: - Wadena
State: - MN
ZIP: - 56482
County: - Wadena
Email Address: -

2. Is the applicant (check all that apply)

Economic development organization
Local unit of government

3. Project Name

Wadena Business Park

4. GIVE A DESCRIPTION OF YOUR PROJECT IDEA: 1. Project Description details (descriptive for novice readers) Please address the following very briefly: (a) What is your project? (b) What need does it address? (c) Who will benefit or what will change if your project is implemented? (d) What specific activities (or strategies) are you going to undertake so that benefit or change will occur? (e) What resources do you have and what resources do you need to implement your activities? (or strategies). (f) Will this have a regional impact (5 county)? (g) Is this project a "want", "need" or "must have"? (h) Does your project impact the quality of life for residents? (i) Does your project have economic or environmental benefits? (j) Does your project align with other local or regional plans (comprehensive plans or the Resilient Region plan located at (k) Is there a committed group of people poised for implementation?

The Wadena Business park project is a redevelopment of commercial land and buildings on US Highway 71 S in Wadena. With extensive recent activity and construction projects in the Wadena Industrial Park there are only 2 remaining buildable lots and it is imperative that we begin development in 2014 to provide for orderly development. The project will develop approximately 23 acres of land into 13 lots of various sizes to accommodate business and industry expansion in Wadena. The Wadena Development Authority (WDA) has completed the environmental assessment, preliminary engineering study, and wetland delineation for this project to have minimal environmental and residential impact while providing space for new job creation. The WDA is in the beginning stages of researching options for funding partners for this development project and feel it is critical that we identify the funding and move the project forward in 2014.

5. Space for additional narrative if needed.

No Response

6. Timeline (implementation period i.e. 12 - 24 - 36 months)

The WDA would like to identify funding partners, finish final design, bid the project and begin construction by mid-2014 with project completion by September 1, 2014

7. Budget

Income: how much will it cost to implement this project? - The Preliminary Engineering Study shows an estimated cost of the project at $964,000.00
Expenses: category and amount. (examples; equipment, supplies, travel, personnel) - Sanitary Sewer- $143k; Watermain- 250k; Service laterals- 41k; Street construction- 274k; Storm sewer- 256k
Existing resources: (grants, in-kind) - The WDA has purchased the land and has identified tax levy funds as a local match to any additional grant funds available.

8. Identify which of the 4 disciplines below your project idea addresses. (Check all that apply)

Economic Development (energy, local foods, broadband, emerging high growth sectors)
Land Use

9. Ordinances are in place or will be in place to support the idea.

Ordinance are in place

10. Evaluate Success: What metrics will be used to evaluate success? (Check all that apply)

Green Step Cities

11. Region-wide benefit; Does the project benefit a wide range of people in the 5 county region: (check all that apply)

Municipal jurisdictions
Watersheds
Businesses
Socio or economically diverse groups

12. Please list any other information, comments or concerns about your community that you want us to know or feel would be useful for us to know.

The City of Wadena has been rebuilding from the effects of the 2010 EF 4 tornado and there has been substantial interest in business expansion, relocation, and startup which has driven this project forward faster than we had originally anticipated. Without this dedicated space for business and industry there is a concern that we may lose out on potential tax base and jobs or that development will occur that would negatively impact residential or other zoning districts.

1. Please provide your contact information

Contact Person Name: - Stacey Stockdill
Municipal or Agency Name: - Ensearch, Inc
Address: - 20652 Pike Ave
City/Town: - Aitkin
State: - MN
ZIP: - 56431
County: - Cass, CW, Todd, Morrison, Wadena
Email Address: -

2. Is the applicant (check all that apply)

Other
Ex-Officio Health care

Show this Page Only

3. Project Name

Resilient Region Five-County Public/Private Health Partnership

a. What is your project? The Resilient Region Public/Private Health Partnership is a flagship project of the Resilient Region Health Champions. The full list of recommendations and action steps are listed in the Resilient Region Plan This year we surveyed over 100 health resource organizations. We learned from this that we needed to better coordinate our work and our health messages. More of this coordination has been taking place in the counties of Todd, Wadena and Morrison. We want to build on this wonderful work. In addition, the new CEO of Essentia Health was engaged in a county-wide health initiative Mower Refreshed. We would like to learn from his experience and then, together, determine how best to build on our collective wisdom to improve the health of our five-county region. In our initial conversations three flagship projects have emerged as priorities for our public/private health task force: 1) Tri-County Health Care and Wadena Regional Wellness Center, 2) Essentia/Cuyuna/Crow Wing County Community Case Management Model and 3) synthesizing the data from the public and private health assessments recently completed. b. What need does it address? As stated in the Resilient Region Plan, the issue we are trying to address is “A healthy workforce is important to future regional success. Healthy workers are more productive and lead to lower health care costs for workers and employers. Health care services must be accessible and sustainable for all residents.” c. Who will benefit or what will change if your project is implemented? The residents of the five-county region – Cass, Crow Wing, Morrison, Todd and Wadena. d. What specific activities (or strategies) are you going to undertake so that benefit or change will occur? We are seeking funding, at this juncture, to help facilitate our collaboration on the three flagship projects above. By working together, we can, together, identify sources of funding to help all 3 projects above move forward. e. What resources do you have and what resources do you need to implement your activities? We all bring a wealth of public/private resources, skills and expertise to the table. f. What is the regional impact? All 5 counties – Cass, Crow Wing, Morrison, Todd and Wadena g. Is this project a “want”, “need” or “must have”? Must Have h. Does your project impact the quality of life for residents Eventually we hope to address the health issues within the region. We believe that together we can accomplish more than we can alone. i. Does your project have economic or environmental benefits? Yes, indeed, health in all policies means that our work can affect both the economic and environmental benefits throughout the county. j. Does your project align with other local or regional plans? (Resilient Region plan – located at Indeed – Theme 8: Valuing Interdependent Communities and Neighborhoods – Health Care provides the foundation upon which our work is based. k. Is there a committed group of people poised for implementation? Yes: Our task force membership includes: Adam Rees, Essentia Health Anna Wistrom-Thesing, Essentia Health Arlene Jones, The Farm at St. Mathias Bonnie Paulsen, Morrison County Public Health Cathy Hartle, Co-Manager, Virtual Highway Project, (and chief strategist and team leader for Morrison County’s LiveBetter! LiveLonger! Wellness initiatives) Cheryal Hills, R5DC, Cheryal Schneider, Todd County Cindy Pederson, Wadena County Public Health Dan Frank, Initiative Foundation Gayle Nielsen, Essentia Health Gwen Anderson, Crow Wing County Public Health JaniWeibolt, Resilient Region Health Care Champion, Essentia Health Jeri Seegmiller, Cass County Joel Beiswenger, Tri County Hospital John Solheim, Resilient Region Health Care Champion, Cuyuna Medical Regional Medical Center Katherine Mackendanz, Todd County Public Health Kyle Bauer, Cuyuna Medical Regional Medical Center Mark Blessing, Todd County Robert McLean, CEO, Hunt Utilities Group Tami Lueck, Crow Wing County Tim Houle, Crow Wing County Tim Rice, Resilient Region Health Care Champion, Lakewood Health System

5. Space for additional narrative if needed.

No Response

6. Timeline (implementation period i.e. 12 - 24 - 36 months)

12 months

7. Budget

Income: how much will it cost to implement this project? - 100.00
Expenses: category and amount. (examples; equipment, supplies, travel, personnel) - Coordinator and grant writer, Meeting stipends, Meeting expenses

8. Identify which of the 4 disciplines below your project idea addresses. (Check all that apply)

Housing
Transportation
Economic Development (energy, local foods, broadband, emerging high growth sectors)
Land Use
With the focus on “health in all policies”

9. Ordinances are in place or will be in place to support the idea.

N/A
At this juncture – there are no specific ordinances that minimize our ability to do the work identified above.

10. Evaluate Success: What metrics will be used to evaluate success? (Check all that apply)

Triple Bottom Line Matrix
If we are able to move forward the three priority projects listed above.

11. Region-wide benefit; Does the project benefit a wide range of people in the 5 county region: (check all that apply)

Municipal jurisdictions
Businesses
Socio or economically diverse groups

12. Please list any other information, comments or concerns about your community that you want us to know or feel would be useful for us to know.

No Response

1. Please provide your contact information

Contact Person Name: - Tim Poland
Municipal or Agency Name: - Oasis Central Minnesota, Inc.
Address: - PO Box 542
City/Town: - Little Falls
State: - MN
ZIP: - 56345
County: - Morrison
Email Address: -

2. Is the applicant (check all that apply)

Non-profit

Show this Page Only

3. Project Name

Fix A Home Program

Oasis Central Minnesota is 501(c)3 non-profit celebrating its 25th year of service to the residents of Morrison County. 20 years ago, Oasis began an annual Paint-A-Thon available to low-income senior citizens, low-income homeowners, and persons with disabilities in Morrison County. Each year, approximately 10 homes are chosen via an application process that then receives exterior paint through the generous donation of paint through the Valspar Corporation and the contribution of hundreds of hours of time by volunteer paint teams. After the first few years of painting, it became apparent that the houses needed minor exterior repairs before they could be painted. The Fix A Home Program was initiated and has been repairing homes since 2000. During the last two years, efforts have begun to expand this program to include houses that do not necessarily need painted. Several cities have contacted us about the possibility of referring homeowners to us whose homes have code/ordinance violations but are unable to complete the repairs themselves. Much of the housing stock in Morrison County is aging. The need for exterior home repairs is growing exponentially and there are no other programs in this county that provide exterior home repairs like this. We are consistently receiving calls about resources for replacing roofs but there is no agency currently able to do that either. We would like to expand our program to be able to offer more repairs to more eligible homeowners. We are also looking at weatherization possibilities and the possibility of rehabbing vacant/foreclosed homes to be then sold at affordable rates to those who need them. This project initially will impact Morrison County. We have received requests from Todd County to expand into that area but we cannot currently do that due to a lack of funding to expand. This project is a "need" in many cases and in some instances (code/ordinance violations, loss of homeowner's insurance) it is a "must have". This project directly impacts the quality of life for the homeowners. It is very stressful for a homeowner to know that their house is deteriorating or that they are going to be fined by the city and that they do not have the available resources to fix their house. Additionally, as deterioration begins, it can quickly snowball into a major problem if it is not dealt with in a timely manner. For instance, a rotted window sill can lead to the need for a completely new window or perhaps water entering the walls of the home and leading to major repairs. The economic benefits of this project reach well beyond the individual homeowner. As homes are repaired and rehabbed, the value of the home can be maintained if not enhanced. Further, the economic impact on the neighborhood is also present as the values of surrounding homes are impacted by the condition of the other nearby homes. Our program meets several action steps of the Housing Issue IV Housing Rehabilitation goal of the Resilient Region Plan. For instance, Action Step H6N is elderly and single parent homes. We currently focus on those type of homeowners for inclusion in our program. Action Step H6J talks about helping nonprofits (like Oasis) find available funding sources. Action Step H6H is about using volunteers to provide housing rehabilitation work. We have been doing just that since 2000. Additionally, there is the recommendation to prioritize small towns and rural areas in the effort to continue preserving affordable housing in Greater Minnesota. We serve all of Morrison County and have a presence in all of the small towns throughout the county. We have a Board of directors as well as a Fix A Home committee that are already implementing this program. It would be advantageous to our county to be able to expand this service to many more who could utilize this program.

5. Space for additional narrative if needed.

No Response

6. Timeline (implementation period i.e. 12 - 24 - 36 months)

This program is ongoing but further expansion would take place as soon as more funding is available.

7. Budget

Income: how much will it cost to implement this project? - $10,000 to begin the first phase of expansion.
Expenses: category and amount. (examples; equipment, supplies, travel, personnel) - We do not currently have an itemized break down of costs. We currently budget $4000 annually for supplies. Expenditures would increase in conjunction with availability of funding as the need is likely greater than the funds available.
Existing resources: (grants, in-kind) - We have a steady financial bas including grants from United Way and several Foundations, civic groups, individual memberships, and fundraisers.

8. Identify which of the 4 disciplines below your project idea addresses. (Check all that apply)

Housing

9. Ordinances are in place or will be in place to support the idea.

Ordinance are in place

10. Evaluate Success: What metrics will be used to evaluate success? (Check all that apply)

Triple Bottom Line Matrix
We currently do a homeowner survey after projects are completed. We would like to develop a more robust evaluation process moving forward.

11. Region-wide benefit; Does the project benefit a wide range of people in the 5 county region: (check all that apply)