GRAND FORKS — The Grand Forks City Council will hold a public hearing on April 1 to approve the 2024 Annual Action Plan, which will include distribution of the city’s 2024 Community Services Grant and Community Development Block Grant funds.
The city received eight applicants for the competitive Community Development Block Grants by the Jan. 10 deadline. Applicants’ requests totaled more than $2.4 million; approximately $725,000 is available.
On Jan. 18, the Community Advisory Committee heard applicant presentations in a public hearing and eliminated three of the eight applicants based on a yes or no vote. The committee’s recommendations for the remaining applicants are:
- $63,000 for security upgrades at Northlands Rescue Mission.
- $32,000 for elevator upgrades at Prairie Harvest Mental Health’s Stern Place.
- $630,000 for a site acquisition that will allow the Grand Forks Housing Authority to build 42 to 50 affordable housing units.
The committee also recommended the Grand Forks Community Land Trust receive up to $50,000 in “second tier” funding, meaning its proposal — the acquisition of two homes for resale to low- and middle-income households — would only move forward if additional funding becomes available.
The Community Development Block Grant program is a federally funded program awarded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that aims to benefit low- and moderate-income people, alleviate or prevent conditions of slum and blight, or meet an urgent community need. This year, recommendations were based in part on projects’ ability to use the funds quickly, as funds must be expended by Oct. 15 this year.
In 2022 and 2023, $3.5 million was allocated to three large projects described as “shovel ready,” including the
When all three projects were delayed, the city missed the timely expenditure requirement set by HUD. Missing that requirement for a third year in a row could result in HUD withholding future funding.
In other council news:
- The council approved a proposal from Louisiana-based 365Labs to replace the city’s Computer Aided Dispatch System used by Grand Forks 911 operators. The current CAD system was purchased in 2016, and a report to the city noted that over time, staff have raised concerns that the system is unstable and the data inconsistent. The estimated 10-year cost of the 365Labs proposal is $3,413,488.
- The council permitted the UND Police Department to join the Special Operations Group Joint Powers Agreement for participation in North Dakota only. The Special Operations Group consists of law enforcement agencies throughout Grand Forks and Polk counties, and includes specialized teams such as crisis negotiations, water operations, the bomb squad and more. An Oct. 20, 2023, North Dakota Attorney General’s opinion stated that UNDPD would not be allowed to enter into the Joint Powers Agreement that governs the Special Operations Group, but an updated opinion issued Dec. 19 reversed that first decision, and allowed UNDPD to participate only in North Dakota under a separate Joint Powers Agreement.
- The council approved a proposal from Grand Forks-based Molstad Excavating to install a sanitary sewer in the U.S. Highway 81 annexation area along 27th Avenue North from North 32nd Avenue to Highway 81. That project is the second phase of a multiyear plan to provide wastewater utilities to the area. The approved total cost of the project is $879,211.
- The council approved the replatting of multiple lots on the south end of town where two new fast casual restaurants will be constructed. One restaurant, described as a common fast food chain, will be located on South Washington Street near Choice Fitness and the Holiday gas station, and the second, described as a quick service restaurant with an emphasis on beverages, will be located in the same area farther north, near the Marathon. It has not yet been disclosed what the restaurants will be, as application details are still being finalized.
