Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, from all of us at the UMVRDC!
Byway Secures Grant for Website Redesign
The Byway Alliance, during its December 12th meeting, approved the continuation of the UMVRDC as the Byway Coordinator. A significant focus of the proposal is the creation of a new website for the Minnesota River Valley National Scenic Byway. With the City of Appleton acting as the fiscal agent, the Byway secured a $75,000 grant from the Minnesota Historical Society to support this project.
The grant funding will cover the costs of a website developer, a project coordinator, and a designer for the visitor’s guide. The primary goals for the new website include enhanced security and maintenance, with plans to upgrade to PHP (8.2) and incorporate Gutenberg as the WordPress editor, ensuring the platform is secure, easy to maintain, and up-to-date. Improved usability is another focus, with efforts to restructure the website’s information architecture to make Discovery Sites more accessible and navigable, reducing clicks and adding direct links for individual sites. Additionally, interactive features, such as a custom travel itinerary tool, will allow users to create accounts, save favorite sites, and plan visits to historic locations.
Accessibility and inclusivity are central to the project, with the incorporation of ADA-compliant features to ensure the website is usable for individuals with disabilities and aligns with updated printed materials.
These efforts collectively aim to enhance the user experience, broaden engagement, and advance the Byway’s mission of promoting the rich historical and cultural heritage of the Minnesota River Valley.
Meander 2024 Success 
In its 21st year, the Meander Art Crawl continues to draw art enthusiasts from all over to browse the art of 42 local artists. The UMVRDC continues to serve as the fiscal agent for the Meander. The annual event offers a chance for the public to meet with the region’s top artists in their studios nestled among the small towns and family farms found in the Upper Minnesota River valley. The event has been a huge economic boost for our region over the years.
Meander 2024 Economic Impacts2024 MADO All Staff Retreat
In early October, employees from regional development organizations across Minnesota came together for the Minnesota Association of Development Organizations (MADO) All Staff Retreat in St. Cloud. The three days were filled with presentations from RDCs and state and local partners. Topics included housing, artificial intelligence in the workplace, history of RDCs, marketing and social media, leadership, employee engagement, and more. Staff enjoyed a beneficial breakout session where they met with staff from other RDCs that worked in similar areas. It was an excellent opportunity for networking with other RDCs and learning from one another.
Granite Falls Electric Grid Resilience
The UMVRDC is proud to assist the City of Granite Falls with grant writing assistance for the Minnesota Electric Grid Resilience Grant Program via the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. The proposed project consists of the replacement of two aging 5/7 MVA, 69-4.16 kV substation power transformers with 10/14 MVA, 69.4-1.6kV models. The new models would be rated by the Department of Energy for improved energy efficiency and will improve the City’s grid system and be more reliable in times of extreme weather. In addition, the new transformers will double the current capacity and virtually eliminate the possibility of future unexpected power interruptions and inefficiencies. The new, larger capacity transformers would provide adequate load transfer capabilities between substations in case of maintenance or equipment failure, meaning the City could operate on one transformer temporarily without interruption. The increased load transfer capabilities and added capacity will also allow for economic growth in the community, including the ability to add electric vehicle (EV) charging stations and other facility expansions to the system. Renewable energy from private sources or other utility infrastructure improvements will also be able to be added to the current system without disruption. With regular maintenance, the new transformers and switchgear have an expected useful life of 35-40 years.
Montevideo Solar on Public Buildings
The UMVRDC is proud to assist the City of Montevideo in completing the Readiness Assessment as the first step in applying for the Solar on Public Buildings Program via the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. The proposed project would construct a 40 kWh solar array adjacent to the City’s recently constructed public works building. By adding solar to the public works building, the City hopes to continue its leadership role in forward-thinking for balancing environmentally sound policies with tax payer responsibility. The project would fund 70% of the project up to $84,000 with the potential of a 30% funding match via federal Elective Pay via clean energy tax credits. If the City’s proposal is accepted, it will be invited to complete a full grant application to finalize the project with a developer.
UMVRDC Employer Lunch & Learn
The UMVRDC recently held its sixth Employer Lunch & Learn featuring Vivid Image Marketing’s Beth Gasser and our own Melissa Streich. Beth gave several tips and ideas for employers to increase the visibility of their current job openings. Melissa highlighted how her work with the Prairie Waters regional marketing program and the community toolkits can help employers attract job seekers to the region for not only the job itself, but also the many amenities our region has to offer.
UMVRDC has held six Lunch & Learns which feature topics related to workforce issues and are aimed at helping employers address the shortage of workers in the region. Past topics of the sessions have included employer/youth connections, legislative updates related to employment, marketing job openings, resident recruitment. If you weren’t able to attend previous sessions, visit our website to watch the recordings and view the slide decks of past presentations. Watch for future Lunch & Learns in early 2025!
UMVRDC assists with Regional Application to DEED’s Main Street Economic Revitalization Program
In November, the UMVRDC partnered with Southwest Initiative Foundation (SWIF) and the cities of Appleton, Benson, Holloway and Ortonville to submit a grant application for the third round of MN DEED’s Main Street Economic Revitalization Program.
Eligible applicants were limited to foundations engaged in economic development, community development financial institutions (CDFIs) or nonprofit organizations engaged in housing and commercial development. SWIF served as the applicant on behalf of the four communities that were identified for this project due to their status as disadvantaged communities according to the Justice40 Initiative’s CEJST tool.
If awarded, SWIF will use the awarded grant funds to establish funding programs in each city that provide assistance, up to 30% matching grants, for businesses and organizations for property repair or renovation, building construction, landscaping and street scaping, demolition and site preparation, predesign and design, engineering, non-publicly owned infrastructure or related site amenities.
SWIF submitted successful regional applications in prior rounds of funding which included Montevideo and Granite Falls. Funding announcements for this round are expected to be made in January.
Funding Available for Business Start-Ups or Expansions
There is currently $1.7 million in loan funds available in the UMVRDC’s Revolving Loan Fund (RLF). The UMVRDC Revolving Loan Fund is designed to provide gap financing for business and industry starting up or expanding in the five-county region of Big Stone, Chippewa, Lac qui Parle, Swift and Yellow Medicine. The primary focus of the program is manufacturing and industrial-related businesses that will create or retain jobs.
Since 1988, 157 loans have been made for a total of over $10 million providing access to affordable capital through gap financing for business start-ups or expansions. Buying or creating a small business takes money. Many times, the people with the passion and idea to start a business don’t have the dollars. Gap financing through the UMVRDC can help. If you or someone you know is looking at a business start-up or expansion, please contact Dalen Roe, UMVRDC Loan Specialist dalen@umvrdc.org . We are here to help.
UMVRDC Service Recognition
Bernice Robinson, Grant Management Specialist, started at the UMVRDC on October 1, 2020. Berny manages the Small Cities Development Program in our office. She works closely with the cities, contractors, and anyone else associated with these contracts. Berny has a finance background so she also assists the finance director on various tasks. Berny is a great asset to our team and is a joy to have around! Thank you for four years of great service to the UMVRDC!
Board Recognition
At the November board meeting we said goodbye to a couple board members.
Brett Buer who represented the Dawson Boyd School Board has been on our board for 16 years. Several of those years he was also a board of director. Brett said he enjoyed his time on the board, loved the annual tours of the region, and learned so much.
Erich Winter, Mayor of Montevideo, represented Chippewa County Municipalities and has been a board member for the past three years. Erich said he enjoyed meeting so many other people and said this is by far the most worthwhile board he’s ever been on.
A special thank you for their commitment and dedication to the UMVRDC. Both took their duties as board members seriously and were strong advocates for our region. We wish them all the best!
Upcoming Events
December 25: UMVRDC Office closed for Christmas Day Holiday
January 1: UMVRDC Office closed for New Years Day Holiday
January 20: UMVRDC Office closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day Holiday
January 28: UMVRDC Monthly Meeting
Appleton Civic Center || 6:30 p.m.
February 17: UMVRDC Office closed for Presidents’ Day Holiday
February 25: UMVRDC Monthly Meeting
Appleton Civic Center || 6:30 p.m.
March 25: UMVRDC Monthly Meeting
Appleton Civic Center || 6:30 p.m.
