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<br />ITEM 6. 1. <br /> <br /> <br />TO: <br /> <br />FROM: <br /> <br />MAYOR & CITY COUNCIL <br /> <br />WILLIAM RUBIN, ED COORDINATO~~ <br /> <br />FEBRUARY 17, 1993 <br /> <br />GRANT SPONSORSHIP/OLD COURTHOUSE <br />PROJECT <br /> <br />DATE: <br /> <br />SUBJECT: <br /> <br />INTRODUCTION <br /> <br />At its February 22, 1993 meeting, the Elk River City Council <br />will be asked by a group comprised of Rolf Anderson, <br />Preservation Alliance of Minnesota, Britta Bloomberg, Minnesota <br />Historical Society, and John Kuester, Sherburne County <br />Historical Society, to sponsor a grant request to purchase and <br />rehabilitate the old courthouse and adjacent County <br />Administration building in downtown Elk River. <br /> <br />BACKGROUND <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />The City Council may recall that the Preservation Alliance of <br />Minnesota successfully obtained an injunction which prevented <br />the Sherburne County Board from demolishing the old <br />courthouse. During the injunction period, the Preservation <br />Alliance and other groups (i.e., State Historical Society, <br />County Society, Concerned Citizens, etc.), have attempted to <br />identify funding sources to acquire and rehabilitate this <br />structure. <br /> <br />The latest potential funding source may come from Federal funds <br />that are available through the Minnesota Department of <br />Transportation (MnDOT). The Federal funds are available as a <br />result of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act <br />(ISTEA, pronounced "Ice Tea"). Of the three Ice Tea funding <br />categories, it is lik~ly that the courthouse would qualify as <br />an "historic preservation project". The linkage of MnDOT-Ice <br />Tea funds is that of converting the rehabilitated building into <br />a transportation museum in honor of Charles Babcock, who is <br />credited with designing the State's highway system. <br /> <br />So that it is clear, ownership of this project by the City of <br />Elk River is not suggested or proposed. Rather, requests for <br />the Ice Tea funds must be submitted by: <br /> <br />- Cities with a population of 5,000 or greater <br />- Counties <br />- State agencies <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Because it is proposed that the old courthouse and the adjacent <br />administrative building would be acquired through Ice Tea <br />funds, it is not practical to suggest that the County submit <br />the request for the funds. Further, it is not likely that a <br /> <br />720 Dodge Avenue N.W., Elk River, Minnesota 55330 (612) 441-7420 <br />