By Robert Williams

Editor

Seip Drug failed to respond to correspondence from the City of Frazee and did not submit a payment for any of past due lease payments, according to City Administrator Stephanie Poegel.

She informed the Frazee Economic Development Authority (EDA) board that through the city attorney’s office, Seip was notified that the eviction process was scheduled to begin on Tuesday, Sept. 15.

“We cannot legally lock the doors and change the locks until we have been given clearance by a judge; that’s part of the eviction process,” she said.

Seip Drug did announce via social media the store is closing and had two sales on Sept. 14 and Sept. 18 to reduce inventory.

Poegel has compiled a list of pharmacies to contact, from local to larger, regional stores, to gather interest in potentially moving into the Seip space.

Working sessions

Council Liaison Andrea Froeber proposed the EDA conduct a working session on the second Wednesday of each month, aligning with city council meeting dates, beginning Wednesday, Oct. 14, at 11:30 a.m.

The sessions are part of the August proposal that eliminated the EDA Consultant position. 

“For the next calendar year, I think the EDA could have these working sessions and be productive without spending money on a consultant,” Froeber said.

Campground

The EDA is discussing splitting up the South River Drive campground lot into two separate lots to house future businesses. The campground is currently run by the city on EDA property. The property will be surveyed, split, recorded and likely deeded over to the city.

Housing

Poegel discussed the differences between the Small Cities Development Program versus Minnesota Housing applications after attending a relative training seminar.

Minnesota Housing applications are forms and intake processes used to apply for state-backed affordable housing, rental assistance, homebuyer loans, or home repair grants through Minnesota Housing and local agencies.

The Small Cities Development Program (SCDP) is a federally-funded grant program managed by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) that helps local governments finance housing rehab, commercial upgrades, and public infrastructure.

The board instructed Poegel to look into submitting a letter of intent to SCDP, a mandatory pre-application step required by DEED to signal a local government’s or organization’s intent to apply for federal community development and rehabilitation funding.

TBEX

Currently, three social media bloggers are signed up to visit and document Frazee during the Travel Blog Exchange (TBEX) annual summit in Fargo. Council members Jim Rader and Andrea Froeber will be accompanying the group.

As a part of the summit, bloggers from the summit visit neighboring cities looking for material and attractions to feature. The Detroit Lakes Chamber of Commerce will be participating and offered to include Frazee for a $500 sponsorship fee. 

TBEX Summit America 2026 (tbexcon.com) opens at Brewhalla Wednesday, Sept. 30, from 6-9 p.m.

The bloggers’ visit is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 5, at 10 a.m.

Don’t miss out on the world’s favorite travel content creator conference of the year.

TBEX tickets will sell out. Space is extremely limited.