A signifi cant piece of Minot’s National Disaster Resilience (NDR) Action Plan recently took a major step forward with the City Council’s approval of the subrecipient agreement with Dakota College at Bottineau (DCB) to rehabilitate, equip, and operate the Center for Career and Technical Education (CTE) facility. The creation of the facility, which will be located in downtown Minot, is a partnership between the City, DCB, and Minot State University (MSU); the CTE’s future site was acquired from Trinity Health in October.
Key aspects of the subrecipient agreement include Minot State University Development Foundation using $800,000 in MAGIC Fund dollars to purchase the property located at 120 Burdick Expressway, with DCB leasing the property for a minimum of 10 years. Minot Area Chamber Economic Development Corporation sponsored the $800,000 request.
The key partners held a kick-off meeting in mid-December to review milestones and timelines for the overall project.
The CTE must operate for ten years from the date of the certifi cate of occupancy granted by the City to meet the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) standards and qualify for the NDR funds.
Lisa Olson, CTE Committee Chair said, “It is exciting to see this project moving forward with such strong support from the city to leadership across the state. The skills and training provided in postsecondary CTE plays a signifi cant role in addressing the changing workforce needs of today’s economy.” Olson added, “This project is a win for not only Minot, but the region and I want to thank all the partners who came together to get this done.”
MSU and DCB will provide programming and management for the CTE. These institutions will work with schools to develop postsecondary training options for targeted career programs. The CTE will offer one- and two-year certifi cate programs, customized technical training for area businesses, and associate degree programs.
Trinity Health President and CEO John M. Kutch noted, “At Trinity Health we believe that by working together we can make more possible for our patients, residents and communities – the CTE project is a great example of that. As we move towards completion of our new healthcare campus and medical district, we seek opportunities to repurpose identifi ed Trinity Heath assets in concert with Minot’s revitalization plans, for the good of the community,” Kutch said, “The CTE center will greatly benefi t the entire Minot region and we are excited to be part of this project.”
DCB has invested $100,000 in curriculum development; discussions on initial programming have centered around high demand programs tied to courses in dental, health, hospitality, dealer parts/logistics, and computer related fi elds.
“Dakota College at Bottineau and Minot State University are most appreciative for the support from the City of Minot and look forward to the next steps in preparing to open this Center for Career and Technical Education in Fall 2023,” said Minot State and DCB President Dr. Steven Shirley. “This CTE Center will create important new educational opportunities for residents of Minot and the surrounding region and will also help area businesses and organizations by creating a more diversifi ed and well-prepared labor force in our community.
This will be yet another important asset
Center for Career and Technical Education Project Moving Forward
as Minot continues expanding and demonstrating its community resilience.”
Initially identifi ed by the Minot business community during the earliest stages of the NDR Competition, the need for a local CTE was a priority, as the closest community college and technical training facility is in Bottineau, which is an 85-mile drive from Minot. Understanding the signifi cant value the CTE could provide to the area, the City earmarked $3.54 million in NDR funding for the project, which seeks to foster economic resilience and diversifi cation. Ultimately, the new CTE will bring Minot in line with other larger communities like Fargo, Bismarck, and Grand Forks, which have similar facilities. The facility’s rehabilitation, and eventually its occupancy, are scheduled to occur prior to the September 30, 2023, HUD NDR deadline.
Lisa Olson CTE Committee Chair
John M. Kutch Trinity Health President & CEO
Jerry Migler Dakota College & Bottineau
Dr. Steven Shirley Minot State & DCB President
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
Acquisition Program
• Overall, the City of Minot has acquired 209 properties to date: 81 properties using NDR-CDBG funds and 128 properties using State Water Commission Funds; 7 properties included in the 81 NDR properties were partially funded with State Water Commission funds. These properties are needed for on-going or upcoming flood mitigation projects.
• So far, the City has demolished 193 properties in the first five buyout areas. A new demolition contract will be advertised and awarded in spring 2022 to continue demolition activities in the buyout areas. The City’s structure and salvage auctions continue, and all sales generate program income which will be fed directly back into acquisition program future purchases.
Affordable Housing
• 190 people have applied to the Resilient Homebuyer Program (RHP): 63 RHP applicants have purchased a home under the program; 26 RHP applicants are in the project pipeline (i.e., working with lender or realtor, looking for a property, etc.), 101 RHP applicants have withdrawn their application (i.e., moved away, lender determined they were not eligible, etc.). The program continues accepting applications.
• Milton Young Towers (MYT) renovation project continues to make progress; the contractor did revise activity timeframes, but the project is still slated for completion June 2023. Construction will be paused during the holidays but shall resume in the new year
• Construction is ongoing on Park South II, a 22-unit affordable housing development. The project is on schedule; all utilities are in and the units on the west side of the property are framed in. The units on the south side are in progress, with the walls mostly done. It is anticipated that substantial construction work will resume Spring 2022.
• Construction is underway on Souris Heights, a 54-unit affordable senior housing complex. A quarterly report was recently submitted to the City and everything appears to be in order.
• The City continues to work with Project BEE to move the development of the 17-unit affordable housing complex forward. The revised subrecipient agreement between the City and Project BEE was approved by Council in September, but not signed by the Mayor until December when Project BEE was registered in the SAM. gov system
Family Shelter
• The City continues to work with Project BEE to move the development of the family homeless shelter forward. The revised subrecipient agreement between the City and Project BEE was approved by Council in September, but not signed by the Mayor until December when Project BEE was registered in the SAM.gov system.
City Hall
• Tenant relocation activities are near complete with just one more tenant who will be relocating within the new City Hall building.. Bid opening took place on December 7; bids were significantly more than the engineer’s estimate. Because of the significant cost increase, the City is evaluating their need to do a substantial amendment to revise their approach to this project.
Center for Career and Technical Education
• The kickoff meeting for the CTE was held on December 15.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Reduce Flood Risk/ Improve Water Management
A. Buyouts / Acquisitions / Demolitions / Relocations
