8.1. EDSR 01-21-2020 - Laserfiche WebLink

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11 11 2019—YEAR IN REVIEW (continued) Verizon Cell Tower – Temp Lease Agreement The EDA approved a temporary lease agreement with Verizon Wireless to construct a temporary cell tower on EDA property. The Verizon cell tower is currently located on property owned by Great River Energy, however they are in the process of de- commissioning their waste-to-energy electrical power plant requiring the need for a new home for the tower. The temporary site will allow Verizon to maintain wireless service in Elk River while they search for a permanent location. Distinctive Iron Microloan The EDA approved a $100,000 Industrial Incentive Microloan for Distinctive Iron, LLC., a woman-owned and operated company that designs, fabricates and installs structural and miscellaneous metal products. They purchased and renovated an existing building and constructed a 4,680 square foot indoor paint facility. They invested $1,529,480 to purchase, renovate and construct the new facility, while retaining 14 full time employees and two part-timers. Distinctive Iron anticipates bringing on five new full-time jobs in the next two years. The project added roughly $135,000 in taxable value and increased taxes by about $4,944 annually. Public Art Survey Data The EDA expressed a desire to support and encourage public art by engaging the community in a public art sur- vey. The survey results were released in early October and indicated 56% of the community would like to see more public art displayed in downtown Elk River. A nature theme in either a mural or sculpture medium was most popular. A grant will be submitted to the Central MN Arts Board in early 2020 for a potential fall art installa- tion. EDA Strategic Plan The EDA desired to embark on a strategic planning process to connect existing community plans and to incorpo- rate them into their vision for the community. Following a request for proposals, a facilitator was selected to work with the EDA utilizing the city vision, Mississippi Connections Plan, FAST Study, Comprehensive Plan, Parks and Recrea- tion Plan, Capital Improvement Plan, and other relevant studies that have set goals and objectives for economic growth and sustainability. The catalyst to creating an EDA strategic plan is to better understand future development in conjunction with the 169 Redefine project. Proposals are due March 2020. Welcome Packet Staff created a Welcome Packet in 2019 to provide information to our new and existing business owners on the resources and programs available to them from the city. Information in this packet will also help assist them with any future expansion of their facility.