Lancaster applies for grant to fix senior apartments

By Anna Jauhola
The Lancaster City Council approved submitting a final application for grant funding to rehabilitate the north wing of the senior living apartments in town. During a public hearing at the council meeting on Wednesday, March 12, John Wynne from Northwest Community Action outlined the process.
“I’ve been working with the city for two years or more with the problems they’ve had with the foundation at Lancaster Homes,” Wynne said.
In November, he submitted a pre-application for funding through the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. When DEED invited Wynne to submit a final application, he said that’s a good sign they are interested in supporting the project.
The application is due Thursday, April 17, and one requirement of submitting the application is for the city to hold a public hearing and hear comments from the public. Gary and Diane Rice attended the meeting as members of the Lancaster Homes Inc. board, the nonprofit that operates the apartment complex. The board got two estimates for the foundation restoration, but only one company can do everything required to make the building stable, said Diane Rice.
Innovative Basement Authority of Fargo, N.D., estimated the project would cost $118,178.
“Thirty percent of the total project cost has to be borne locally by the owners of the rental unit,” Wynne said. “Seventy percent is in the form of a grant, what they call a deferred loan, for five years.”
Wynne added they got a $30,000 zero-interest loan from the housing authority for Lancaster Homes to help with their portion of the cost.
Wynne said he will ask for the full amount possible per unit, which is $12,500, and administration costs of $18,750, for a total of $143,750 on the final grant application. He added that it takes months for the application to be approved, and they may not hear until September. If approved, DEED gives the recipient 30 months to complete the project.
Fire Department Building
The council approved spending up to $55,000 from the fire fund to purchase materials for the new building the department plans to build. Firefighters brought two bids for building materials to the meeting – KTB Lumber in Hallock bid $53,004.76 and Lancaster Lumber bid $52,577.30. The stick-frame building will be 50-by-80 feet and will be uninsulated to begin with. The department will build it as funds allow.
The materials they will order is everything they need to construct the building, except the two overhead doors. The material will be stored until the department decides whether to hire a contractor or recruit volunteers to build it.
In other business, the council:
• Appointed Kevin Grabowska as a councilor to fill the vacant seat.
• Approved receipt of several donations the fire department received through its letter campaign, totalling $14,540.
• Approved making a donation request to the American Legion Gambling Fund for $3,000 to help the fire department with its building fund.
• Approved making a donation request to the Hallock Eagles Club, on behalf of the Lancaster Riverside Golf Course, for $3,000 to help with grounds equipment maintenance.
• Approved making a donation request from the American Legion Gambling Fund for $3,000 to finish the Lancaster mural.
• Approved accepting a $2,000 donation from the American Legion Gambling Fund to support Lancaster’s 105th school celebration.
• Approved accepting a $5,000 donation from Lancaster Lions Club to the city’s community center debt service fund.
• Approved a resolution to remove Michael Olson, Carol Johnson and Jim Hilman from the American Federal Bank signature card, and to add Kathy Bernstrom, Janet Johnson and Teresa Halvorson.
• Approved paying up to $200 for Clerk Janet Johnson becoming a notary public.
• Approved Johnson to attend the Safety and Loss Control workshop and training in Bemidji in March, for up to $395.
• Approved retroactively applying for phase two of the state lead line inventory. The application was due March 7. Bollig Engineering has a grant from the Minnesota Department of Health to cover this inventory, which will look at any unknown water lines reported in Lancaster, so there is no cost to the city.
• Set a liquor inventory for Tuesday, April 1 at 10 a.m. in the liquor store.
The next regular meeting will be Wednesday, April 9 at 7 p.m. in the Lancaster City Hall.