Minnesota Business Developments

by Rhonda Mix - rhonda.mix@state.mn.us
June 2009

Northern

The Minnesota Public Facilities Authority (PFA) awarded funding for projects that will improve municipal infrastructure for drinking water and wastewater treatment throughout Minnesota and create many jobs. The award includes funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the federal spending bill designed to stimulate the U.S. economy through infrastructure investments and other efforts. The recipients in northern Minnesota are:

City of Duluth - $6.8 million to pay for building a wastewater overflow storage tank that can store up to 3 million gallons of wastewater.

Western Lake Superior Sanitary District - $2.4 million to pay for rehabilitating a wastewater pump station.

City of New York Mills - $813,335 to pay for improvements to the city’s collection system, including lift station repair, gravity sewer line rehabilitation, and manhole replacements. An additional $869,585 was awarded to pay for replacing the water main in several areas.

City of Verndale - $402,259 to pay for sections of the city’s sanitary sewer system that needs to be replaced. An additional $289,291 was awarded to pay for replacing the water main.

City of St. Hilaire - $307,217 to pay for repairing the sanitary sewer collection system and the relining of portions of the system.

The city of Brainerd received a $28.8 million low-interest loan from the Minnesota PFA to upgrade and expand its wastewater treatment facility, resulting in improved infrastructure and more jobs in the area. The PFA awarded the loan from its Clean Water Revolving Fund.

Central

The recipients of the Minnesota PFA awards, from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, that will improve infrastructure and create jobs in central Minnesota are:

City of Howard Lake - $10 million for a lift station and forcemain to transfer wastewater from Howard Lake to the new Annandale/Maple Lake/Howard Lake wastewater treatment plant.

City of Dassel - $440,827 to pay for improvements to the water main.

Twin Cities Metro

The national pharmacy chain, CVS, plans to open a branch on the ground floor of the Skyscape condominium tower in downtown Minneapolis. CVS will occupy 10,000 square feet of the retail space.

Austin, Texas-based Emergo Group Inc., a medical-device regulatory consulting firm, has opened an office in Bloomington. The company plans to hire more staff when the economy improves.

Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota held a grand opening for its new Children’s Specialty Center. The five-story center at its Minneapolis campus is the first phase of a $300 million expansion planned for its facilities in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Blu Dot Inc., a designer and manufacturer of contemporary furniture, is expanding its headquarters within Minneapolis and its warehouse to Rogers. Its headquarters and product showroom will move from 3236 California St. N.E. in Minneapolis to the Crown Center building at 1323 Tyler St. N.E. where it will occupy about 15,000 square feet. Its warehouse will occupy about 61,000 square feet of an industrial building in Rogers.

Southern

The city of Montevideo was awarded $14.9 million from the Minnesota PFA, from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, to finance major modifications and rehabilitation of the wastewater treatment plant, resulting in improved infrastructure and more jobs for the area.