Industrial park zoning issues a hindrance to new business

By Robert Williams

Editor

The potential removal of the sewer pipe that crosses the Otter Tail River was discussed at the most recent meeting of the Frazee Economic Development Authority on Tuesday, Feb. 28 at the Fire Hall.

While the removal is more of a discussion for planning and zoning, it has come up in discussions by the members of the Frazee Community Development Corporation (FCDC) while in St. Paul lobbying for Wannigan Park. Funding for the removal could be tied into potential grant funding for the Park or as part of future construction on East Main Avenue, which is up for funding if and when a new bonding bill is passed by the legislature or with financing provided by the Minnesota Public Facilities Authority (PFA).

The FCDC announced that in lobbying state legislators about the park they were invited to bring an infrastructure bonding proposal back to the capitol in April.

“In meeting with them, we made some inquiries on what we could be doing now to prepare for the growth of Frazee,” FCDC member and lobbyist Polly Andersen said in an email to the Forum. “We specifically talked about that sewer pipe across the Otter Tail River on the east end of town. As it relates to Wannigan, we were particularly concerned about it. There is a clear risk of people getting caught under it while enjoying the river, especially in the spring when the water is high. Almost everyone is aware of it, and we have been talking about fixing it as far back as anyone can remember.”

Andersen, on behalf of the FCDC, noted the potential benefits Wannigan Park brings to the city.

“While it is a complicated project; it is very doable,” she said. “The city has to prepare for the coming growth to our area. This is an opportunity for the state to give us a nice gift, because none of this would need to be paid back, it would be fully-funded. This is exactly the sort of private/public partnership that we can use to leverage the positive attention that Wannigan Regional Park is bringing. From this experience, we hope many more good things will come.”

Andersen, along with Hank Ludtke and Karen Pifher, represented Frazee on the recent lobbying trip and plan to return in April.

If approved, the pipe would be moved under the river, according to Ludtke, along with pump station work that was installed for the former Swift Turkey Plant. The entire lift station situation would need to be changed, a project with a rough estimate of near $1 million. 

The only construction planned for the park site in 2023 is noxious weed treatments and conservation planning.

Preliminary plans for 2024 are a connection to the North Country National Scenic Trail, along with working with the Department of Natural Resources on canoe and kayak access, and creating primitive camping sites.

The park continues to garner large donations from area companies. BTD Manufacturing recently donated $50,000, which will be dispersed in $10,000 increments over five years, according to Ashley Renollet.

Industrial Park zoning issues

In an update on the county industrial park at the end of Main Avenue West, city administrator brought up a call that was received by the city office on a company that wanted to move to the area. In suggesting the industrial park and subsequent research into the zoning of the area it was found the park is not zoned industrial. 

Instead, it is zoned commercial 3 (C-3), intended for general commercial uses. A portion of the park is also zoned residential.

None of the land there is zoned industrial, which will need to be changed to allow for potential additions to the park.

The current buildings that are there were constructed under the tax-incentive laden JobZ program that ended in 2014.

The industrial park was originally planned to be where the Red Willow Heights is, according to Ludtke. The city worked with Becker County to create a county industrial park, but the center of that land was purchased by Midwest Minnesota Community Development Corporation (MMCDC) and will not allow the property to be crossed by infrastructure. 

  “It has kept that industrial park from growing,” said Ludtke.

Ludtke cited two examples of businesses that did not move here because of the situation, including Steve’s Sanitation of Perham and Mid-Central Ice of Ottertail.

The land is borderline useless under the current agreements. 

“That’s why we sold that corner off for the storage units (Stow Away Self Storage),” said Ludtke.

Sanders Oil, former Seip buildings

Discussions continue about the removal of the Sanders Oil building and potentially the former Seip Drug building. Phllip Erb of Phil’s Excavating indicated to Lutdke that both buildings can be brought down. The proximity of the post office to the former Seip building makes the job a difficult one.

A portion of the footings that abut to the post office will have to remain and cold temperatures would aid in the removal. 

Mayor Mark Flemmer and Ludtke will be contacting the owners of the post office building, who requested a two-week notice before construction was slated to begin.