Nancy Grabko of Community Fundraising Solutions (CFS), the Cook County – Grand Marais Economic Development Authority (EDA) housing coordinator, introduced a new CFS employee, Steve Grabko, to the EDA board on Tuesday, December 14. Steve Grabko will be working in the Grand Marais office one or two days a week to meet with clients and to help set up new contractors. He has experience in the building field and is working toward LEED inspector certification. Nancy Grabko said there is no additional cost to the EDA for his services.
Grabko said the “big news” regarding housing is that the Cook-Lake County Housing Program has been invited to submit a final application to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) for funding for 2011. She said Cook-Lake was one of 87 applications and only 25 had moved forward, so that reflects well on the Cook-Lake program. She said it is not guaranteed, but looks promising and this is what she will focus on in coming weeks. The application is due February 8, 2011.
Grabko also reported that the Tofte Township Assisted Living Market Study interviews are completed. Preliminary results should be available in December.
She also gave an update on the plan to create a centralized location for meeting clients and distributing housing information. She asked someone from EDA to attend a meeting with the Lake County HRA to discuss this. Mike Littfin and Jim Hall volunteered to be there and Director Matt Geretschlaeger will also be there.
Finally, Grabko asked the EDA board if it wanted to approve the proposed agreement for CFS to act as EDA housing coordinator for the next year. Grabko provided a summary of housing activities for 2010. The board noted the $34,000 fee and debated whether it should make this commitment when the EDA’s 2011 budget is still in question. The EDA had learned that morning that the county was not granting its request for a levy increase. However, EDA Board Member Don Davison said even in the earliest EDA budget, funding was included for the housing program. A unanimous motion passed to approve the contract with CFS for a fee of $34,000.
The board discussed whether the payment to CFS should be made in a lump sum, quarterly, or monthly. Grabko said the contract set up payments monthly, but she said that could be adjusted if the EDA had financial difficulties and needed to wait for levy funds.
In other business, the board reviewed the Superior National at Lutsen financials as of November 30, 2010. Hal Greenwood pointed out that the golf course was “in the black.” He said he was tired of the negative press the golf course and the EDA had received regarding the loans the county had made to the golf course. “Those were loans, not grants, “ he said. “And they have been repaid.”
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