MNDOT: It s rare to be ear-marked for ADA project
Mike Christopherson
Crookston Times
It’s “very rare” for $4 million to be earmarked for a “stand-alone” Americans With Disabilities Act project like the one proposed for 2024 by the State of Minnesota to make Crookston’s sidewalks along the U.S. Highway 2 corridor downtown ADA-compliant, the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s manager of the proposed project told City leaders this week. But if the Crookston City Council decides not to move forward on the project, MnDOT’s Matt Upgren said, that’s their prerogative.
Asked by Ward 1 Council Member Kristie Jerde what would happen if the council decided not to pursue the sidewalk replacement project, which will likely result in reduced motorized traffic lanes and/or reduced parking on Main and Broadway (U.S. Highway 2) downtown, Upgren said the only thing that would likely happen is traffic signals along the downtown corridor would be replaced becau
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Mike Christopherson
Crookston Times
They were the hot topic at a sometimes-heated discussion at a Crookston City Council meeting last September, two proposed development projects involving apartment complexes also featuring multi-use/commercial opportunities on the main floor.
One, located on the former Crookston American Legion property and a couple of City-owned lots next door, had its developer and partners, Dakota Commercial, Community Contractors and JLG Architects, investing around $7 million in a multi-use apartment complex with underground parking and a relocated downtown square. The other project, put forth by APG Development of West Fargo, led by Crookston native Elliot Steinbrink, involved first one apartment building and then another on North Broadway south of Casey’s General Store, with multi-use opportunities in one of the buildings and parking garages for both.
City to boost B3 bottom line by $50K
Mike Christopherson
Crookston Times
With a balance down to $4,500 and currently four applications for grants to be considered, the Crookston Housing & Economic Development Authority’s (CHEDA) Building Better Business (B3) initiative needs an influx of cash in order to continue.
After much discussion, the Crookston City Council this week, citing the program’s benefit to the local business community since its inception in early 2019, agreed to take $50,000 from general fund undesignated reserve dollars to replenish the B3 budget.
Money from the City helped launch the B3 program, and it was pretty slow-going at first, but as word spread about the program’s benefits, more local businesses have been requesting grants over the past year or so. In all, a dozen businesses have been granted funds for projects large and small, all of which require an investment of their own money as well. B3 dollars have helped fund projects