2015 Progress Edition - Part 2

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September 3, 2015 • September 7, 2015

NONPROFIT

www.brainerddispatch.com

NJPA quietly tries to SAVE TAXPAYER MONEY

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NFO

National Joint Powers Alliance • Location: Staples. • Number of employees: 90. • By the numbers: The NJPA gave $1.4 million in Innovation Funding to projects across Cass, Crow Wing, Morrison, Todd and Wadena counties for fiscal year 2015-2016.

By ZACH KAYSER Staff Writer

National Joint Powers groundbreak Alliance groundbreaking attendees take part

STAPLES — Although you may have nev nev-

in a groundbreaking

er heard of it, the National Joint Powers

ceremony July 21 for

priAlliance has its hand in public and pri

a planned 30,000-plus square-foot office building on their Staples campus. Photos by Steve Kohls • steve.kohls@brainerddispatch.com

vate operations across the country. The nonprofit’s mission: helping more than 50,000 governments, schools, agencies and nonprofits in the U.S. and Canada to become as efficient as possible. Originally created by the Minnesota Legislature in the mid-1970s, the NJPA consists of nine facilities across the state. The Staples branch broke

ground in July on construction for a new two-story facility, in which they plan to eventually house 150 employees after 10 years of growth. International contracts are handled out of the Staples office, but the focus is on five counties making up Region 5: Crow Wing, Cass, Morrison, Todd and Wadena. Chad Coauette, CEO, said the NJPA has particularly expanded over the last five years in the area of “cooperative purchasing.”

HOW DOES IT WORK? When a local government wants to buy something — say, a new squad car for a city’s police department — it advertises for bids, where sellers compete to offer the lowest-priced squad car that

still satisfies what the city wants. It’s a bit like a reverse auction, where the lowest bidder is usually selected by the city as the winner. The process is designed so taxpayer dollars don’t go toward paying for things or people the city doesn’t need, or that the city council members would benefit personally from if the city paid for them. Although it’s a great deal more open and accountable than the way private companies buy things, the bid process can sometimes bog down a local government with red tape. That’s where the NJPA comes in. When they write up a cooperative purchase contract, cities don’t have to go through the bid process every time they buy a squad car.

See NJPA Page S15

Advertorial

International Vintage Boat Show to dock at Bar Harbor Sept. 25 and 26 BY JODIE TWEED

LAKE SHORE – More than 100 of the most beautiful vintage boats from around the world will be coming to the docks at Bar Harbor Supper Club for an International Boat Show, hosted by the Antique and Classic Boat Society, that you won’t want to miss. The highly anticipated event is expected to draw more than 15,000 visitors to Bar Harbor and the Gull Lake area Sept. 25 and 26. Bar Harbor plans to host live music inside and outside during the two-day public event. “We’re really excited to be able to host an event of this magnitude and prestige here on Gull Lake,” said Steve Shoop, president of the Bob Speltz Land O Lakes (BSLOL) Chapter of ACBS. “The folks at Bar Harbor have really rolled out the red carpet for this event, including completing a major dock expansion to accommodate the expected number of boats.” The vintage boats on display at Bar Harbor will be some of the best from around the country. The two-day event is open to the public. This is the first time such a prestigious vintage boat show event has been hosted in the Brainerd lakes area. The Inter-

national Boat Show has been held at Lake Tahoe, Gravenhurst, Ont.; Branson, Mo.; Lake George, N.Y.; and Lake Geneva, Wis., to name a few. “It’s great for us and for the Brainerd lakes area, too,” P.J. Severson, Bar Harbor chef/ general manager, said, of the International Boat Show. “It’s bringing in almost 400 people involved with the boat show who need hotel rooms and places to eat, and it gives the community the ability to view boats

they would never have seen in their entire life unless they traveled to the east or west coasts where the boats are coming from.” Dave Bortner, event chairman for BSLOL, said the International Boat Show is an event not to be missed. “We’ve worked hard to plan the event well in advance, and the volunteer support has been very gratifying. We’ll have plenty of help in making sure the event runs smoothly; we’ll have volunteers available to

talk about the vintage boats we love, and to explain the nuances of the various boats spectators will be able to see,” Bortner said. Bar Harbor is the perfect Gull Lake venue for such an event. The historic restaurant, built in 1938, underwent a major restoration a few years ago and offers a retro 1930s fine dining experience. People have been making memories for 77 years at Bar Harbor. Bar Harbor hosts other events and activities to support the community. In October Bar Harbor hosts a fishing tournament with Walleye Dan that raises money for Kids Against Hunger. Last year they had 74 anglers who fished in the event, the first place prize was $15,000. Anglers could win prizes based on how they fished or how much money they raised as a team. It was a big draw, said Severson. Last May Bar Harbor hosted its first kids’ fishing contest the morning of the Minnesota fishing opener. Children who fished off the docks at Bar Harbor were eligible to win prizes. Five children won $500. It was such a huge hit, that the kids’ fishing contest will take place next May, too.

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THANK YOU!

Thank you to our guests, staff, culinary team and the entire Brainerd Lakes area for a wonderful summer! North End of Gull Lake on CR 77

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2015 Progress Edition - Part 2 by Brainerd Dispatch and Echo Journal - Issuu