DEED awards $1.2M in area grants

Talk about it

WORTHINGTON — It looks like joint applications were the way to go for the last round of Small Cities Project grants awarded by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).

Of the $15.9 million awarded, the large majority of applications approved were from cities that applied jointly. In southwest Minnesota, Lakefield, Heron Lake and Wilder were approved jointly for $449,004 to rehabilitate 24 owner-occupied houses; Windom and Mountain Lake will receive $354,000 to rehabilitate 20 homes; and Slayton and Hadley were awarded $454,920 to rehabilitate 18 owner-occupied houses, six single-family rental units and two duplex rental units.

The grants were awarded under the Small Cities Development Program through funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The program, administered by DEED, makes grants available to cities and townships with populations under 50,000.

Projects must meet one of three federal objectives: benefit low to moderate income people, eliminate slum and blight conditions or eliminate an urgent threat to public safety.

“More people in rural Minnesota will have access to decent and affordable housing, thanks to this program,” said DEED Commissioner Dan McElroy. “Altogether, residents of 103 Minnesota communities will benefit from program assistance this year.”

Windom City Administrator Steve Nasby said there was encouragement from DEED to apply jointly with other cities, which they did successfully.

“We thought it was a really good opportunity,” he stated. “We’ve had several grants in the past, and now we’re moving to another target area.”

Mountain Lake, Nasby said, opened up the grant opportunity to their community at large, but the target area in Windom is in the core part of the city just north and west of the downtown area. There were a number of pre-applications for the funding, but Nasby encourages anyone in that area interested in the funding to contact the Windom Economic Development Authority at (507) 831-6125 if they have questions.

“Now that we have the program, if we fill up we can start a waiting list in case other funds become available or if some projects come in less than expected,” Nasby explained. “Windom is putting in matching funds, and between those dollars and the grant money we estimate we can do 9 to 10 houses.”

Slayton and Hadley applied together, and Hadley Mayor Rick Like is pleased that some of the rehab money is headed their way.

“We worked the grant application in conjunction with the City of Slayton,” Like explained. “For smaller towns, it can take a big effort to get involved in something like this.”

The allocation of funds for Hadley is for 4 or 5 owner-occupied houses.

“For us to apply for it ourselves and be considered, you’d have to have a significant number of houses,” Like stated. “We would have quite a few that potentially qualify, but not everyone is interested in it.”

Like said he has tried to get some of the rehab funds several times in the past, and is happy that the City of Slayton will be handling the majority of the paperwork involved.

“Slayton is getting the majority of the funds, but I think its cool,” Like said. “It is neat that we are getting involved and getting some of the rehab money for us.”

District 22A Rep. Doug Magnus, R-Slayton, is also pleased to see the funding headed toward southwest Minnesota.

“I commend the local and state officials who worked hard to secure this funding,” he stated in a press release. “This grant will go a long way toward improving some neighborhoods in Slayton and Hadley.”

The grant program provides rural communities with a comprehensive approach in addressing their needs for activities which include residential and rental rehabilitation, public infrastructure improvements and the revitalization of downtown commercial districts, Magnus said.

Its goal, he added, is to provide a decent and suitable living environment for all households in rural Minnesota with an emphasis on benefits for low and moderate income families.

Tags: state and region, news, deed, minnesota, grants