Expected completion date for Frazee apartment project is mid-summer

By Robert Williams

Editor

A rehabilitation project at the Maple Avenue apartment complex in Frazee is scheduled for later this year after a nine-month delay to get the work re-bid.

The Becker County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution to accept the bid award for exterior renovation of the multi-family building and garage on Tuesday, April 7. The bid was accepted by the Economic Development Authority (EDA) Board of Directors and awarded to Timberland Exteriors, LLC, of Detroit Lakes.

Timberland Exteriors, LLC was identified as the lowest responsible and responsive bidder with a bid amount of $215,836.31 and recommended alternates up to $34,559.22 for a the total amount of $250,395.53.

There was one lower bid but the submission was missing all the required documents and a bid bond and was eliminated from contention, according to County Economic Development Specialist Cody Piper.

“We had some bids that were higher than that—the first go around last fall,” said Piper.

Bids were initially opened in August of 2025 but a portion of the project was “forgotten in the estimate” of an accepted bid and short nearly $70,000 causing the requests for proposals (RFPs) to be reissued after the accepted bid was withdrawn, according to Piper.

The rehabilitation project includes new siding, new doors and windows, as well as new decks. Maple Avenue Apartments have a dozen units that are income restricted.

Piper noted the EDA put a hard stop on a September 1 deadline for completion of the project.

“Their project deadlines are considerably shorter than that,” Piper said. 

The bid included an eight-week timeline for completion with an expected finish date of potentially as early as July.

Funding from the project is provided by Statewide Affordable Housing Aid (SAHA) and is the first project as part of the Local Housing Trust Fund (LHTF).

The Becker County EDA identified the need to establish a LHTF to support the development, preservation, and rehabilitation of housing throughout the county. A Local Housing Trust Fund provides a flexible, locally controlled funding source that can be used to address various housing needs and leverage state and other external funding opportunities.

The EDA proposes to initially capitalize the fund using available (SAHA) funds, with the intent to pursue additional funding sources from other eligible revenues, including matching grant funds.

Commissioners set a public hearing date of Tuesday, April 21 to consider adopting a Local Housing Trust Fund Ordinance.

Becker County will join 10 other counties with a LHTF: Chisago; Crow Wing; Goodhue; Hennepin; Lake; Otter Tail; Swift; Meeker; Sherburne, and Aitkin.

Food Pantry

Commissioners announced a $2,756 donation to the food pantry. The funds were raised during the county’s Beckerbay auction. A check was presented to Director Liz Lilja.