The Koochiching Economic Development Authority Board Wednesday heard updates on cold weather testing and the progress of the foreign trade zone.
A bid for the refrigeration portion of a second cold box to be constructed at the current cold weather testing facility in the Falls was received in the amount of $268,615. The bid came from lone bidder Midwest Refrigeration out of Grand Forks, N.D., according to KEDA Director Paul Nevanen.
“(The bid) came in lower than we were expecting,” Nevanen told the board Wednesday.
The cold box will be used by Jaguar Land Rover of the United Kingdom to test at the facility for 10 years.
Nevanen added that Midwest Refrigeration is the current provider for the existing cold box.
No formal action was taken to accept the bid because the board is waiting on the second piece of the bid package that will come in this week, Nevanen said.
The second portion will cover the structure of the facility, which includes hydraulic doors.
Nevanen noted he submitted an application for a $200,000 grant from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development to be put towards construction of the cold box. The grant would require a local match, which would be covered by financial commitments of up to $350,000 by both the county and city of International Falls.
Nevanen said should the grant application be successful, the financial pledge from the county and city could be reduced to $250,000 each.
The estimated cost of the cold box is $605,000. The total cost of the project is estimated at $700,000.
Nevanen said the timeline to have the cold box constructed by Nov. 15 is “still looking good.”
Also Wednesday, Nevanen provided an update on progress of readying the foreign trade zone for development.
In June, the board agreed to put
developing the FTZ site back on the front burner and reconsider bidding options. The board urged Nevanen to contact Dennis Wagner of Wagner Construction Inc. about a proposal regarding the FTZ.
Nevanen said he spoke to Wagner and “he is not interested in revisiting his proposal or coming up with a new one.”
In lieu of that news, Nevanen said he and county Engineer Doug Grindall are working to come up with a secondary plan.
Last September, Wagner presented the board with an updated proposal regarding site development. The company withdrew its original proposal to blast and crush rock in 2010.
Nevanen said last September, that based on the revisions included in Wagner’s proposal, a new approach on rock removal and a lease agreement was taken back to the FTZ subcommittee. The committee in October, said it was reworking the approach to developing the site.
In other business Wednesday, Nevanen discussed new marketing techniques including a Facebook page.
“This could be really good. It is a positive thing for us and will help us get the word out there faster,” said Board member Soren Olesen said of the social media page.
Shawn Mason, International Falls director of economic and community development, spoke during the public forum.
She explained that it was her first day working in newly created position and that she will be regularly attending KEDA meetings.
