At a special meeting held Monday, November 10, 2014, Tofte supervisors hired one of their own to be project manager for the senior housing development under way.
Tofte supervisor Jeanne Larson will be paid $20 per hour to oversee the work, said Supervisor Paul James.
“We need someone to stay on top of the project and keep everything moving forward and on time. Someone to make sure the proper permits are filled out and in place and someone to connect with the architects and contractors and keep it all straight,” James said.
Supervisors have been meeting weekly as the physical work is about to begin, said James, saying that as things have speeded up it was necessary to put one person in charge.
Dynamic Homes has been hired to build the 12-unit senior housing complex on the 29-acre township-owned property that also includes the Birch Grove Community Center and School.
At the November 10 meeting the board also hired Lamb Construction to do some blasting and McKeever Well Drilling to drill a well for the senior housing, said James.
“Charles [Lamb] will blast out a 50-foot trench through bedrock that will be 8 feet deep and 4 feet wide so that McKeever’s can drill a well and run a line, ” James said.
The well will be drilled near the site of the Birch Gove Community School’s former outdoor classroom. It is a new spot, but one that will save the township money because a long road won’t have to be built, said James. The new location also puts the well closer to where the homes will be put up, James said, adding, “Our whole goal is to keep the cost down as much as we can.”
Community Resource Development, which was hired by the township to assist with planning and grant writing, submitted a grant of $137,000 to the Iron Range Resources Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB) to help with infrastructure costs. To date the IRRRB has granted $223,000 for infrastructure work. James said the IRRRB would announce grant awards in December.
Ehlers & Associates has also worked with the township to secure and issue tax-exempt general obligation (GO) bonds in the amount of $1,500,000. The bonds won’t be issued until the township needs the money to save on interest costs.
Rents are expected to run from $950 to $1,050 per month with local seniors getting first chance to live in the two-bedroom homes. The first units are expected to be on site next July and ready for the first people to move into.
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