The Koochiching Economic Development Authority Board approved funding of the Koochiching Community Development Association for the next year.
Ed Oerichbauer, representing Ranier on the KCDA, and Laura Larson, representing Big Falls, provided the KEDA Board with a list of projects funded in 2009 and a request for $25,000 for continued operation.
The KEDA Board approved the $25,000 funding and noted the impact that the KCDA has for businesses in the county’s smaller communities.
“I think some of the small towns have definitely benefited,” Larson said.
Larson and Oerichbauer exemplified some of the projects as success stories that the KCDA has helped fund, such as: $3,000 for renovations to the Big Falls Motel; $4,500 for the purchase of computers and newspaper software as part of the start-up costs of the Northome Area News; and $4,133 for the purchase of technology for a new scanning and copying business at the Occupational Development Center
Other projects funded include updates to the Mizpah Community Center; a storage unit for Shirley Nelson’s Hog Heaven shop; construction of a memorial arboretum by Northome Kids Plus; new radios for the Big Falls Fire Department; Koochiching County Senior Center Meals on Wheels program; and new cubby holes and outside signs for Curves of International Falls.
In total, the KCDA gave $27,350 in grants to 12 projects in 2009, and paid $200 to KCDA secretary/treasurer Laura Larson. The KCDA started with $49,900 in checking and $100 in savings at the start of the year, and ended the year with $22,350 in checking and $100 in savings.
The money for the KCDA will come from the KEDA cold weather testing account, the board decided.
“One of the goals was to establish means to get some of these smaller communities communicating and also to understand the economic development needs for these communities is different from International Falls,” said KEDA Director Paul Nevanen, who has attended many of the KCDA meetings. “I think the relationship with the communities is actually pretty good.”
KEDA Board member Allen Rasmussen suggested that the KCDA next year provide information about how many jobs each funded project provides, so that a clearer idea of the tangible benefits of these projects can be formed.
And while the KCDA representatives noted that innumerable benefits are often felt, such as impacts on neighboring businesses and the community as a whole, they said they would try to tally that information.
Oerichbauer described the system developed by the KCDA to decide which projects get funded. Board members rank each proposal based on a number of key topics and then average the responses. Those that don’t hit a threshold do not get funded or may be asked for more information.
In addition, businesses requesting the grants meet with Small Business Development Center’s Jenny Dougherty, who also provides recommendations to the KCDA.
KEDA Board member Wade Pavleck reminded the group that the KCDA funds were available county wide and could be sought even from outside the represented communities of International Falls, Ranier, Littlefork, Big Falls, Mizpah and Northome. A county representative completes the seven-member panel.
