RCED awards $33,000 grants at March meeting
The Ransom County Economic Development board met at the Sheldon Community Center on Tuesday evening, March 11th. By the end of the evening, the board had awarded a total of $33,000 in grants to non-profit organizations and the Cities of Lisbon and Elliott.
RCED board members attending were Roy Spiekermeier, Rick Mairs, Terry Thompson, John Otterson, George Bunn, and Maynard Torbenson. Absent members included Wayne Jones and Nancy Farnham.
John DeVries, Save The Hens Foundation (STHF) manager, spoke to the board about the progress of the Sheldon Community Center, which is located in the former Mel’s Country Grocery building.
DeVries spoke to the board about the development of the Center where the meeting was being held. He said that with the sale of the Sheldon School, which local people had hoped to acquire for a Community Center, there was a need to find another place. An eight-member steering committee was developed in the search for an adequate facility. Mel’s Country Grocery, which had recently closed and is owned by Harold and Alice Krueger was considered.
According to DeVries, the building was assessed for structural soundness and found to be good. A one year lease was arranged with the Kruegers. A broad scope of people from the community and area worked together, with over 400 volunteer labor hours donated, and began remodeling the old grocery store. A kitchen was their main priority for the building.
Matt Bartholomay, a former Sheldon School Board member and a member of the Sheldon Lions Club, spoke to the board, telling them that they still have approximately $4,200 left to pay on the kitchen improvements and that additional dollars are needed to put the front windows back and do outside brickwork on the building.
Board members asked the Sheldon group whether they charge for the use of the Center. Bartholomay said that a fee of $50 is charged, but that the Lions Club, Sheyenne Braves 4-H Club, American Legion and Sheldon Seniors organizations may use the building free for their meetings. He said the fee does not cover their expenses, but the group did not want to overprice it and force people to seek a facility out of town.
RCED member, Roy Spiekermeier, told the rest of the board that the Sheldon Senior Center has had to close their meeting place due to high costs of heat and overhead. They plan to meet in the Community Center beginning in April.
RCED member, Rick Mairs, said that he had looked back through their minutes and found that Sheldon has never asked for money. He made a motion to give the Sheldon Community Center group $10,000. The motion was seconded by Dan Wagner. During discussion, it was mentioned that the amount was more than the group normally gives. The group approved the grant.
The Ransom County Fair Board submitted a request for financial assistance on an addition to the Expo Center. It was discussed that the Fair Board had previously received a grant of $2,500 but had been told to come back again, if needed. After discussion, $10,000 was allocated to the Fair Board.
The Lisbon Opera House submitted a request for financial assistance to remodel the Opera House’s basement. The removal of dirt and concrete and remodeling for a potential tenant will cost approximately $5,500. Following discussion, in which it was mentioned that the Opera House and Hospice of the Red River Valley, which is located in the building, are valuable to the City and County, the request for $5,500 was approved. The dollars will be used to generate additional matching funds for the project. Otterson abstained from voting because of a conflict of interest.
The City of Elliott requested a grant for the building of a city park shelter. The entire project is estimated to cost $6,000. In consideration, the RCED granted Elliott $2,500.
In a final request, the City of Lisbon asked the RCED for $10,000 for the remodeling of the former Bremer Insurance building that will be remodeled and used by the city auditor and police department. It was explained that the city had completely gutted the building, replacing inside walls, carpeting but that additional funds were needed to replace the front windows with more energy efficient openings.
Maynard Torbenson made the motion to grant the City $5,000, the same amount that was granted the City of Enderlin when they requested financial assistance in the remodeling of their City Auditorium. The motion was seconded and approved.
The group’s business meeting included Secretary Rick Maris providing the board with a year-end report for 2007. The total income for the year was $70,308.24 and expenses totaled $29,453.92. Maris said that the RCED has committed $15,500 which includes $10,000 for alternative energy sources, $5,000 in previous grants, and $500 for the printing of county maps, leaving a total of approximately $85,000.
Discussion about the county maps, Mairs reported that a Jamestown printer has been contacted. George Bunn asked how many maps were going to be printed to which Mairs said he did not know. Bunn said that too few were printed last time. He also asked if everyone who wished to advertise on the new map had had the opportunity to do so?
The group decided that they needed to meet more often. The next meeting of the RCED will be the third Tuesday of the month, April 15th at 7pm at the Lisbon Opera House, if the facility is available.