By Robert Williams

Editor

The Frazee Community Development Corporation (FCDC) is planning to complete a grant application to the Blandin Foundation for the small communities grant with involvement from the Frazee Economic Development Authority (EDA) for a volunteer from the EDA to attend monthly meetings of the core team for one year, according to City Administrator Stephanie Poegel.

FCDC will make an official presentation to the EDA in the near future and Poegel is scheduling a meeting with Polly Andersen and Mackenzie Hamm to discuss more details of what FCDC is doing with the grant and how the EDA will participate.

“What is their plan on what they want the EDA to do and I’ll bring that back and see if it aligns with what the EDA is doing before they go too far,” Poegel said.

The groups have plenty of time to meet as the grant application deadline is not until April of 2027.

“It requires planning because those are competitive grants,” said EDA Community Coordinator Joe Tonihka.

Blandin Foundation is a private foundation based in Grand Rapids that has previously collaborated with CornerStone: Frazee Community and Youth Project for community engagement and mapping work. 

The Blandin Foundation and the University of Minnesota Extension visited Frazee in 2024 to partner on a Ripple Mapping project highlighting the impact of Cornerstone on the region.

Ripple Effect Mapping is an interactive, visual evaluation method combining mind mapping, group interviews, and qualitative analysis to track both planned and unexpected outcomes of community projects.

On Monday, Aug. 24, Blandin announced awarding 46 grants totaling $4.54 million through its 2026 Rural Minnesota competitive grant round.

More than 60 percent of funded projects serve communities with fewer than 3,000 residents, and nearly half of all grant dollars support projects focused on communities least able to access resources in rural Minnesota.

The grants reflect Blandin Foundation’s continuing commitment to Charles K. Blandin’s vision that rural communities thrive when local people have the knowledge, relationships and resources to shape their own future. Monday’s investments build on that legacy by helping communities become more resilient, self-reliant and better equipped to respond to changing economic and social conditions.

“We continue to see extraordinary leadership emerging from rural Minnesota,” said Tuleah Palmer, president of Blandin Foundation. “These grants invest in the people, relationships and local capacity that help communities move from good ideas to meaningful action. When communities have the tools to solve problems together, they create stronger local economies, more welcoming places and opportunities that benefit generations to come.”

These resources are critical. Only seven percent of philanthropic dollars nationally are directed to rural communities, despite 20 percent of the U.S. population living in rural areas — making this not merely a population difference, but a chronic underinvestment.

Among the local ideas rural Minnesotans are turning into lasting change:

• The Bridge Center in Pelican Rapids connects youth to leadership training opportunities, then provides roles for them to put those skills to work on activities that connect the entire community.

• The small community of Comfrey (population 396) has focused on climate resilience by incorporating solar power into its water treatment plant.

• Northwest Minnesota Neighbors has designed a new type of community land trust to make homeownership more affordable across that region

• Nikoosamig Corporation is revitalizing Ojibwe language learning in Redby.

In Pelican Rapids, the conception of The Bridge Center is nearly identical to how CornerStone was started. 

The Bridge Center received $200,000 to renovate a donated church into a welcoming community hub where youth, families and neighbors can gather, build relationships and access services. 

The project grew directly from local students who asked community leaders for a place where young people could connect, learn and lead. 

Today, youth continue serving in leadership roles while helping shape programming that brings together longtime residents and newer immigrant families. The completed facility will include community gathering space, a youth center, a family resource center and a commercial kitchen designed to strengthen belonging, leadership and civic participation in one of Minnesota’s most culturally diverse rural communities.

For more information on The Blandin Foundation and its funding efforts visit: www.blandinfoundation.org/news-room/

Chamber

The EDA renewed the annual membership with the Detroit Lakes Chamber of Commerce. EDA committees are not allowed to be members, so the EDA sponsors the Event Center’s membership. Cost is $295 and approval was unanimous.

Coordinator

Tonikha gave the EDA his final report and a tracking system on grant opportunities in the works, including one for additional park benches. He also set up coordination with the county EDA and the Detroit Lakes EDA on updating policy and procedures for future grant opportunities.

At July’s EDA meeting, Tonikha’s position was eliminated as of the end of this month as the EDA looks to save funds while waiting for more downtown business opportunities to present themselves and create a more pressing need for a coordinator position.

Seip Drug

Seip Drug was sent a follow-up letter regarding a Sept. 1 deadline to come square with months of owed rent on the largest suite of the East Main Retail Center. Once that deadline passes, Seip’s case will be sent to legal counsel to begin an eviction process.

There was no legal text in the lease regarding late payments or being in arrears, according to Poegel. 

In July, the EDA passed measures to put Seip in default and terminate the lease.

Vet services

Council Liaison Andrea Froeber commented on the status of Acorn Lake Veterinary Service in Frazee. Dr. Randall Lindemann has been seeking out a replacement and buyer for his business as he desires to retire. That search continues.

The company also lost a veterinary technician who has worked there since 2008.