Property Assessed Clean Energy
The UMVRDC has secured grant funding to establish a regional Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Revolving Loan Fund (RLF), set to launch in spring 2026. This innovative financing tool will support local businesses in making energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements without the burden of significant upfront costs.
PACE financing allows businesses to complete building upgrades—such as heating, cooling, insulation, refrigeration, and lighting improvements—by repaying the cost through a special assessment on their property taxes. In many cases, the increase in property taxes is offset by reduced energy expenses, helping businesses maintain a stable bottom line while improving their facilities.
Eligible projects will be guided by energy audits that identify improvements with measurable energy savings. In addition to efficiency upgrades, PACE funds can also support renewable energy installations, including wind, solar, and geothermal systems.
This new regional RLF will provide a valuable resource for businesses looking to reduce operating costs, improve building performance, and invest in long-term sustainability.
Housing Needs Assessment
Access to quality, affordable housing continues to be one of the most pressing challenges facing communities across our region. To help local units of government better understand and respond to these needs, UMVRDC offers a comprehensive Housing Needs Assessment (HNA) service.
This service is designed to provide communities with a clear, data-driven picture of their current housing landscape—along with actionable strategies for the future.
A Housing Needs Assessment goes beyond a traditional housing study by placing strong emphasis on local input. Through extensive community surveys and direct engagement with key stakeholders, the HNA captures real, on-the-ground insights that help paint a more accurate and meaningful picture of housing needs.
The process, which typically takes about six months, includes multiple layers of data collection and analysis. Community members are surveyed to better understand housing preferences, affordability, and current living conditions. In addition, input is gathered from realtors, homebuilders, rental property owners, and major employers to assess availability, pricing, and workforce housing challenges.
A windshield survey is also conducted to evaluate the condition of housing throughout the community, while demographic and economic data is compiled to support the analysis. The process is guided by local input, with committee meetings focused on public engagement and the development of meaningful housing goals.
The final assessment provides a detailed look at:
- Housing inventory and market conditions
- Affordability and demand across different population groups
- Gaps between existing housing and community needs
- Specific recommendations and next steps for improving local housing options
Importantly, the HNA evaluates housing across all life stages—from young professionals and first-time homebuyers to families and seniors—ensuring communities can plan for a full range of housing needs. Communities also receive a comprehensive appendix with full survey results, demographic profiles, housing data, and potential funding resources to support implementation efforts. By combining local insight with detailed analysis, the Housing Needs Assessment equips communities with the tools they need to make informed decisions, support economic growth, and enhance quality of life for residents. For communities ready to take a proactive approach to housing, this service offers a valuable roadmap for the future.
Childcare DEED Grant
Regional Coalition Seeks DEED Grant to Expand Childcare
With financial support from SWIF, the UMVRDC helped prepare and submit a DEED Childcare grant application, with Prairie Five acting as the lead applicant. The grant provides one-time funding to support childcare business start-up or expansion, staff training, employee retention incentives, facility improvements required for licensing, and assistance with licensing and other regulatory requirements. This funding is not intended for ongoing operational costs but rather for investing in new child capacity at either new or existing facilities, in both center- and home-based settings.
Childcare availability has been a long-standing priority for local leaders. According to the 2025 First Children’s Finance Child Care Needs Summary for Southwest Minnesota, the region is currently facing a shortage of 574 childcare slots. As part of the grant preparation, all local providers were surveyed to determine potential expansion opportunities. Two providers were identified that could meet the grant’s timeline and are included in this proposal. These projects will receive sub-awarded grant funds to directly address the regional childcare shortfall.
The total DEED funds requested for this initiative amount to $49,500, representing a significant step toward expanding childcare access and supporting families in the region.
Streetscape
Enhance Your Community with SCDP Streetscape Projects
Streetscape projects, funded through the Small Cities Development Program (SCDP), improve safety, health, and aesthetics in downtown and community gathering areas. Eligible improvements include decorative streetlights, ADA-compliant sidewalks, trees and landscaping, benches, monuments, signage, and garbage cans. Maintenance and repair work, like pothole filling or streetlight bulb replacement, are generally ineligible.
Projects must be part of a documented community plan approved by the City Council. When combined, streetscape elements create inviting spaces, encourage walking and biking, and promote physical and mental well-being.
Funding & Timeline:
- Maximum grant: $600,000 (including admin/engineering)
- August 2026 – Proposal packets available
- November 2026 – Preliminary proposal due
- January 2027 – Preliminary determinations
- April 2027 – Full proposal due
- Spring/Summer 2027 – Grant awards
- Fall 2027 – Contracts/environmental complete
- Spring 2028 – Project funds available
Streetscape design can transform your community—beautiful, functional, and inviting for everyone.
Inspiring Our Future Workforce: Bringing Local Opportunities into View
One of the key priorities identified in our recent regional survey was the need to better expose youth to local career opportunities. It’s a challenge many rural communities face—how do we encourage our young people to explore the world while also helping them see a future back home?
With that goal in mind, we recently implemented a targeted marketing effort to help address this priority.
Using Explore MN Tourism grant funding we placed 4 billboards spread out throughout the region. The campaign was designed to reach high school upperclassmen—especially seniors—as well as their parents and grandparents. The message was simple but meaningful: go explore, grow, and pursue your dreams, but remember there are opportunities waiting for you here when you’re ready.
This campaign aimed to plant a seed. Whether students choose college, technical training, military service, or enter the workforce right away, the messaging reinforces that our region remains a place where they can build a career, reconnect with community, and enjoy a high quality of life.
EDA Webinars
Planning for Water & Sewer Infrastructure in Your Community
According to our Annual Survey, water and sewer infrastructure planning and funding is consistently a top concern for communities in our region. Aging systems often need repairs or replacement, and these projects can be costly—but careful planning and knowing available funding resources can help ease the financial burden for you and your residents. In response to this issue, the UMVRDC is holding a series of four webinars covering capital improvement planning and project budgeting, internal funding options and external funding sources (state/federal agencies) to help you plan for and fund infrastructure projects.
The first webinar was held Wednesday, March 18 at 12pm and featured Rebecca Kurtz & Keith Dahl of Ehlers Public Finance Advisors. They covered project planning, budgeting, and capital improvement planning.
Future webinars include…
- Webinar #2, April 23, 12pm – Local sources of funding, TIF, bonding, assessments, etc. (Ehlers)
- Webinar #3, May 13, 12pm – Economic development funding (Ehlers)/DEED programs – Transportation Economic Development Infrastructure (TEDI), Greater MN Public Infrastructure Grant Program (Jeremy LaCroix, DEED)
- Webinar #4, mid-June (TBD) – Water/sewer/storm sewer funding (state/federal agencies)
Watch for email reminders as well as our social media for upcoming webinars.
Board Recognition
This quarter we recognized the following board members for years of service to the UMVRDC.
Gary Hendrickx 20 years
Jim Schmaedeka 15 years
Bill Pauling 5 years
Ben Bothun 5 years
Aaron Koosmann 5 years
Harmon Wilts 2 years
Their commitment and dedication to the region is much appreciated!
