2015 Becker County Business & Industry Review

BUSINESS & INDUSTRY2015 BECKER COUNTY

REVIEW M State is working directly with businesses and high schools to better prepare students for manufacturing careers.

A P U B L I C AT I O N B Y DETROIT LAKES N E W S PA P E R S

Tourism has been a main source of revenue in Becker County for many, many years.

BECKER COUNTY BUSINESS & INDUSTRY REVIEW 2015 |

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Non-emergency walk-in care at Sanford Health Detroit Lakes Clinic is quick and convenient.

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Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Saturday, 8:30 a.m.-noon Learn more at sanfordhealth.org 1500-51220-0041 1/13

BECKER COUNTY BUSINESS & INDUSTRY REVIEW 2015 |

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BUSINESS & INDUSTRY REVIEW SUPPLEMENT TO THE TRIBUNE APRIL 29, 2015

Welcome

By Pippi Mayfield

From nearly the establishment of Detroit Lakes, it has been known as a town for tourists.

Maybe it’s the lakes.

Maybe it’s the hospitality. Maybe it’s the friendly people. Regardless, tourism has been a large contributor when it comes to revenue for Detroit Lakes — and for Becker County as a whole.

Our newest addition of Business & Industry takes a turn from our previous years and showcases the history and financial impact of tourism in Detroit Lakes, Becker County and Minnesota.

Not to ignore the industry side of the county though, we also took a look at how Detroit Lakes compares to other communities in the manufacturing field. We also took an in-depth look at how businesses, M State and Detroit Lakes High School are working together to better prepare students for jobs.

And of course, there are plenty of other awesome amenities in the area — from the opening of Detroit Mountain Recreation Area to the mile-long beach, the Detroit Lakes Community and Cultural Center to Sucker Creek Preserve.

With all the amenities — business or recreation — Detroit Lakes and the surrounding area have to offer, it’s no wonder so many people want to come visit or call it home.

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Tourism & Industry 6 Tourism History 12 Economic Impact 16 Comparing City Industry 20 MState, high school involvement

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Amenities Detroit Lakes Community and Cultural Center Detroit Lakes Library Living at the Lakes Becker County Museum Sucker Creek Preserve Detroit Mountain North Country Trail Heartland Trail Mahube-Otwa Detroit Lakes Utilities Media outlets

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Resources BES at M State Tourism Bureau Detroit Lakes Development Authority Midwest Minnesota Community Development Corporation Banks

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Education M State Public schools School to Work program

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Transportation Airport Transit/ taxis Highway projects

Healthcare Essentia Health St. Mary’s Sanford Health

DETROIT LAKES NEWSPAPERS

MARY BRENK publisher/advertising manager

511 Washington Avenue Detroit Lakes, MN 56501 218.847.3151 www.dl-online.com

PIPPI MAYFIELD magazine editor

CONTRIBUTORS: Nathan Bowe Vicki Gerdes Paula Quam Brian Basham

VIOLA ANDERSON circulation manager

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James & Sheila Gardner :: James &since Sheila Members 1989 Gardner :: Members since 1989

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We are excited and proud to be opening a branch in Detroit Lakes! Our location will be downtown at 1135 Washington Avenue this summer.

This in branch means accessibility to personal and business We are excited and proudopening to be opening a branch Detroit Lakes!

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1135 Washington Avenue opening this summer. This branch means accessibility to personal and business banking and lending options for those in the Detroit Lakes area.

The ultimate goal of MMFCU is to give all individuals throughout the area the necessary tools for financial success by “Credit Union Difference” andthe helping improve theirtools financial well-being.

I invite Theexposing ultimate Becker goal ofCounty MMFCUtoisthe to give all individuals throughout area the necessary for financial success youexposing to learn more all the products services MMFCUand has helping to offer at www.mmfcu.org. by Beckerabout County to the “Creditand Union Difference” improve their financial well-being. I invite you to learn more about all the products and services MMFCU has to offer at www.mmfcu.org.

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TOURISM

Clem’s Big Dock was at the base of Washington Avenue and West Lake Drive. Lakeside sits in the background on the left, while The Park Hotel is the large building on the right. (Photo 1955-1965)

Discovering a liquid gold mine BECKER COUNTY PIONEERS SAW TOURISM POTENTIAL IN AREA LAKES  story by paula quam | photos courtesy of becker county historical society Ah, summer.

Around Becker County it not only brings the fuzzy feelings of warm sunshine and time spent swimming, boating and grilling, but it also brings the hustle and bustle back to the area after a long, sleepy winter.

That hustle and bustle is what all the locals know to be as tourism.

It’s the precious few months that gives local businesses that nice “boom” for the bottom line.

People seem to be happy; they’ve traveled to be here, and now they finally are.

Tourism has always been the heart of what makes Detroit Lakes and surrounding towns tick. It is who we are, and who we have always been.

FROM THE BEGINNING When Detroit, which is what Detroit Lakes was first called, was incorporated in 1871, it took only 10 years for necessary infrastructure to be put into place. It had the railroad and a handful of businesses.

The area was primed for some solid foresight.

That would come in the form of a couple of men with a vision.

John K. West was an east coast man who came to Detroit in the 1870s with the idea of investing in available land in Becker County.

When he arrived, he met another man named E.G. Holmes, a well-to-do land speculator and businessman who had arrived a few years prior.

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Together, they looked just beyond the bricks and mortar of the up and coming town and down towards something with unlimited, raw potential — the lake.

“They talked about the fact that there were all these amazing natural resources around them, and they could capitalize on that,” said Amy Degerstrom, executive director of the Becker County Historical Society.

West had a vision of building a large hotel down by the lake and using local water resources as a drawing point to pull visitors (and their money) to the Detroit Lakes area. Holmes would finance it, West would manage it.

West started the Pelican River

Navigation Company, which built a series of locks and dams that connected Big and Little Detroit lakes with lakes Sally and Melissa. Insert some state of the art steamboats and people were talking.

“These were very high tech steamboats for that time; people were not used to seeing that type of thing around here,” said Degerstrom, who says West worked with people around the Shoreham area to get them to build cabins and resorts.

“He was very good at finding people to finance his ideas and others to realize them,” said Degerstrom. “He would convince people that maybe we need a chapel here, and maybe a restaurant there, so he started the seeds with other people. He was the connector, the father of tourism for Detroit Lakes.”

West’s idea was to market the concept of getting visitors from train to steamboat to cabin, all within an hour.

He made it easy for travelers, too, as locals would whisk them off the train, straight to the steamboat and to the cabins. The lack of roads didn’t have to be an issue for tourists.

Beautiful pamphlets were sent back on the train to entice people out east to visit, tempting them with photos of fishing and idealistic summer scenes.

It worked.

People came from miles around to spend time at the lake and to stay at the famous Minnesota Hotel, which West and Holmes built down by the lake.

The Fairyland Cabins, which were on West Lake Drive, were part of the growth of family-style cabins that became popular in Detroit Lakes.

(Photo 1935-1945) “Even dirty laundry from Shoreham would be sent back on the steamboat to be done at the Minnesota Hotel,” said Detroit Lakes Chamber of Commerce President Carrie Johnston.

“So they didn’t have to do laundry or cut their own ice, so you when you came to vacation, you were treated well.”

The Main Street Restaurant opened up in 1883, followed by Lakeside Tavern in 1891, as well as many other business that popped up in part due to tourism.

Both gentlemen’s and ladies’ groups from around the country would travel to Detroit Lakes to meet up and socialize.

The wives of Holmes, West and other investors made their own mark, too.

“They started up the library, and really wanted to bring in some culture and other things for people to do other than visit the boarding house, aka the brothel,” said Degerstrom.

A city park was created down by the lake, and a short time later, the Pavilion was built for people to gather, socialize and dance.

The stage had been set for the very lucrative industry of tourism, and locals were beginning to play.

BUILDING ON SUCCESS Heading into the 1920s, ’30s and ’40s, the feeling of tourism shifts from mostly adult tourism to more of a family-friendly atmosphere.

“The cultural perception changes, and people started thinking about what their children wanted and they needed,” said Degerstrom. “So they started offering swimming lessons, renting swim suits and paddle boats and put in a big slide…”

Boat builders were also popping up in the 1920s and ’30s.

The Junior Chamber of Commerce (now the Jaycees) created the Northwest Water Carnival in 1934 to

The Lakeside Tavern, which is the oldest business in Detroit Lakes, opened in 1891. It was originally a boarding house and restaurant before cabins were added to the west to become a resort. It served as a grocery and cafe during the time this photo was taken in 1960.

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The Mayflower, top right, was a boat that was part of the Pelican River Navigation Company line, which built and operated the lock and dam system that went between Detroit Lake and Lakes Melissa and Sallie (Photo 1895). On a tinted postcard from around 1900 (above left), The Minnesota Hotel was built in 1883 and burned down in 1915. It sat on the corner of Washington Avenue and Frazee Street and was considered world-renowned. provide a week of fun, free events to cheer people up coming off a long, hard Depression.

It too would bring people in from miles away.

“But tourism was year round, too,” said Johnston. “We had a lot of ski jumps — one out at Shoreham was huge, and high school teams would come from all over to use it.”

Cross country skiing and ice fishing would also bring people into town.

Into the 1940s and ’50s, a lot of

little family resorts started dotting area lakes. They were places for families to vacation and build memories. People were looking for things to do with their families after World War II, and they found it in Becker County.

It was also around that time that America really began its love affair with music.

“The ’50s, ’60s, ’70s — that was the height of music,” said Johnston, “and the Pavilion brought in the Bobby Vee’s of the world; lots of celebrities, a lot of things were happening here.”

In the 1960s, the city of Detroit Lakes built the mile-long city beach, and soon it became known as a hot place to “drag the strip” with hot cars.

Peoples Bazaar, right, was a candy, cigar and stationary shop that sat on Washington Avenue where Price’s Jewelry is now. Owner George Peoples is in the white shirt, and E.G. Holmes is next to him. (Photo 1910)

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“DL beach was the place to go,” said Johnston.

Adding that public beach once again changed the tone of tourism of the area.

“It shifted from ‘we’re going to the cabin’ to ‘we’re going to the beach,’ so it not only brought more of a focus to the city of Detroit Lakes, but it also gave access to people who wouldn’t have it otherwise,” said Degerstrom, who says not everybody could afford a cabin, but everybody could go to the beach.

This beautiful, natural resource became very inclusive. So inclusive, in fact, that Detroit Lakes became known as the place to go to party down by the beach.

Zorbaz popped onto the scene, “Playboy” magazine had the city listed as one of its top 10 beaches, and particularly in the summer, Detroit Lakes was hoppin’.

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BECKER COUNTY BUSINESS & INDUSTRY REVIEW 2015 |

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This undated photo shows a candy shop that stood at the south end of Washington Avenue in Detroit Lakes along the public beach on the 4th of July.

Pettibone Lodge, above, was a resort in Shoreham. (photo1933) The Pavilion, right, was built in 1915 and still stands as the heart of Detroit Lakes today. (photo 1935-45)

“You need places like Zorbaz where you can go and get a little wild, then places like Lakeside where you can go and get a burger and a beer, and places like Fireside where you can go and get a fancy meal,” said Degerstrom.

“And you need places like Hotel Shorham that’s got a long history and draws people there for that reason — you have to have many choices.”

TODAY’S TOURISTS A place of diverse offerings of different hotels, resorts, restaurants and entertainment is where Becker County sits today.

MODERN DAY TOURISM The party atmosphere began to die down somewhat around the turn of the century, as the demand for a more family-friendly environment once again took over.

“People were looking for and were really wanting that precious family time,” said Degerstrom, who says with that demand came another shift in what Detroit Lakes would provide.

Because families had become so diverse, so too did local businesses.

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Throughout all of the changes, ebbs and flows, tourism is just as strong and vital to the community as it ever was.

“And I think we’re really lucky that people are still wanting to invest in new things in our community because that’s how it started out,” said Degerstrom. “We’re fortunate that we have people who grow up here, stay here and want to make our community a better place.”

And according to Johnston, it will take TLC from the people of Becker County to keep it desirable and a strong tourist destination.

“As long as we protect the resources we have — the good water, the clean air, the nature, the workforce, the customer service and friendliness…” said Johnston. “It is what people are looking for, and it’s still right here.”

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BECKER COUNTY BUSINESS & INDUSTRY REVIEW 2015 |

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TOURISM

Visitors head to Detroit Lakes, especially in the summer, increasing tourism revenue.

Tourism dollars add up in DL BECKER COUNTY POPULATION SWELLS, AS DOES THE REVENUE  story by pippi mayfield | photos by brian basham It’s no secret that Becker County’s population swells during the summer months.

Whether it’s visitors on vacation or more semi-permanent people with second lake homes, anyone can see an increase in traffic, and businesses certainly see an increase in sales.

According to a study done in 2013 through Explore Minnesota, with assistance from the Minnesota Department of Revenue and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, Becker County is the fourth highest in gross tourism sales for the northwest region.

The county brings in nearly $72 million in gross sales and $4.5 million in sales tax.

Cass County is the highest, with $101 million in gross sales, and Beltrami County with $84 million and Clay County with $79 million round out the top three.

Fun facts: The highest grossing county in the state is Hennepin County, with $4.4 billion. The least grossing county in the state is Traverse County, with $1.8 million a year.

With events like Festival of Birds, WE Fest, Northwest Water Carnival and several area powwows, it’s not hard to see people pouring into Becker County.

A 2007 University of Minnesota Tourism Center survey showed that 85 percent of tourists are repeat visitors. The primary reason they come to

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this area is for pleasure or recreation (43 percent). Other reasons included combined business and pleasure (10 percent) and festivals or special events and visiting friends or relatives (8 percent each).

Detroit Lakes was the primary destination (83 percent), with Frazee accounting for 13 percent, Mahnomen accounting for 7 percent, White Earth accounting for 4 percent, and 15 percent listing other destinations.

Of those visitors, 72 percent said they would definitely be back within the next year, and 16 percent said they probably would be. It’s no wonder tourism continues to grow in Becker County.

percent of the state’s sales tax revenue.

If there was no tourism in Minnesota, to make up for that lost revenue, each household in Minnesota would need to be taxed an additional $543 a year.

While these numbers prove that tourism is alive and well in Minnesota, they have grown substantially over time. Leisure and hospitality businesses grew 49 percent from 2003 to 2013. In 2003, the leisure and hospitality gross sales were $8.7 billion, and in 2013, that number grew to $13 billion.

Compared to other states, Minnesota ranks 22nd on traveler spending, 18th on travel-generated employment, 14th on travel-generated payroll and 10th on travel-generated tax receipts.

Obviously summer is the most popular season in Minnesota, bringing in 37 percent of the travel expenditures, but fall and winter follow closely behind at 25 percent and 24 percent, respectively. Spring makes up the remaining 14 percent of the travel expenditures pie.

Another interesting aspect of tourism in Minnesota is where the money is spent. The estimated 69 million visi-

tors to the state — both day trips and overnight — spend the most on food, 23.5 percent. The rest breaks down to 21 percent on lodging, 17 percent on retail, 16.5 percent on transportation, 16 percent on recreation and 6 percent on second homes.

So who are these people coming to Minnesota?

Well, 98 percent of the visitors are domestic, meaning they are coming from somewhere else in the United States, and 87 percent of them came for leisure.

Nearly 1.5 percent is from Canada and just under .5 percent is from overseas.

With that said though, Canadian and overseas travelers spent more money per trip than domestic travelers.

About 56 percent of Minnesota visitors are here on day trips, while the rest stay at least one night.

In a University of Minnesota Tourism Center study done in 2004, specific to Becker County visitors, 27 percent of tourists were from the Minnesota metro area. North Dakota visitors and non-metro Minnesota visitors each made up 23 percent. The remaining visitors reported were from

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IMPACT ON MINNESOTA AS A WHOLE These increases aren’t just in Becker County, however. Minnesota is known for its tourism — it is the land of 10,000 lakes, after all.

According to Explore Minnesota, Minnesota generates about $13 billion in tourism sales each year, which translates to about $35 million a day.

With the increase in visitors, that means an increase in jobs as well. Each year about 250,000 full and part-time jobs are added for the season. Nearly $4.5 billion is spent in those extra wages each year.

Just over 5 percent of all jobs in Minnesota – one of every 19.7 jobs – are supported by traveler spending. Travel is an employment intensive industry, directly supporting 29,106 lodging jobs in 2013, along with nearly 44,000 jobs in the food and beverage industry and more than 25,700 jobs in recreation and entertainment.

Secondary benefits are seen across the entire economy, through the supply chain and incomes as they are spent though.

Tourism brings in about $840 million in state sales tax, which is about 17

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TOURISM

WE Fest is one of the major events in Detroit Lakes the first weekend of August each year. It brings in tourism dollars for most businesses — hospitality to food and beverage to retail.

Iowa and other locations in the United States (6 percent each), Nebraska, Illinois and Indiana (3 percent each), Wisconsin and South Dakota (2 percent each) and local and Canada (1 percent each).

THOSE WITH SUMMER HOMES Not only are tourists big contributors to Minnesota’s economy, those who have second homes in the state are also. And course, Becker County is chock full of people who travel to the lakes on the weekends and spend more money locally.

According to a study by Ryan Pesch and Merritt Bussiere of the University of Minnesota Extension, second homeowners, or seasonal residents, are economic contributors just like tourists.

Besides Becker County, the counties used in the study include Otter Tail, Douglas, Pope, Hubbard, Cass, Crow Wing and Aitkin. About 31 percent of all housing units across all eight counties are vacant at least part of the year, due to seasonal, occasional and recreational use.

Fun facts: Of those responding to the survey, 65 percent have a bachelor’s or graduate degrees, 65 percent

of all respondents were in their 50s or 60s, and 59 percent earn $100,000 or more annually.

According to the study, seasonal households spend an average of $120 a month in groceries and liquor, $74 in dining and bars, $74 in gas, $95 in home maintenance, $75 in entertainment and recreation, and $1,066 in construction and remodeling.

Not surprisingly, when looking to buy a second home, the largest component is location — lake location, that is. Seventy-one percent said they looked for property on the lake.

Other key reasons for purchasing their home were peacefulness (63 percent), scenic beauty (57 percent), water quality (48 percent), family ties to area (33 percent), proximity to family (33 percent) and proximity to recreational amenities (32 percent).

The quality they were least looking for when purchasing a second home was rental income, with 1 percent.

About 56 percent of seasonal residents plan to make it their permanent home in the future. About 27 percent are undecided what they’ll do with the home, and 17 percent do not plan to move there permanently.

CLOSER TO HOME A few years ago, the City of Detroit Lakes passed a Food and Beverage Tax, trying to raise more money for city projects, but at the same time taxing all of the people who used the amenities, and not just the city’s citizens.

The tax was approved in 2011, and that first year collection was started in April. The city profited $244,000 that year. That number continues to increase, and in 2014, the city collected $364,000.

There is also a 3 percent lodging tax imposed on Detroit Lakes resorts and hotels, which is then used for advertising and other methods to get visitors back to the area.

The income from that tax has continued to grow each year as well. In 2010, lodging tax collected was $164,000. In 2014, that amount swelled to $232,000. And while that number grew, the amount of rooms available didn’t increase substantially. In 2010, there were 379 rooms for rent, and in 2014, there were 383.

The lodging tax, which started in 1990 at 1 percent, was increased to 2 percent in 1992 and has been at 3 percent since 1994.

A city ordinance specifies what the lodging tax funds can be spent on — getting people to come back. The money has to be spent on out-of-area advertising markets.

In 1990, when the lodging tax was still at 1 percent, it generated $23,600.

That amount increased — as had the percentage by then — to $164,000 in taxes generated for 2010. In 2011, it was $176,000. In 2012, it was $194,000, and in 2013, it was $213,000.

The county also passed a SMART (Safe, Multi-Modal, Active, Responsible Transportation) tax last year, and that adds on a half percent sales tax to all things sold in Becker County that are already taxed. The money raised from that tax goes back to transportation infrastructure.

Bottom line: Minnesota, Becker County and Detroit Lakes depend on tourism dollars to keep taxes down, employment up and visitors coming back for more.

BECKER COUNTY BUSINESS & INDUSTRY REVIEW 2015 | 14 14 | BECKER COUNTY BUSINESS & INDUSTRY REVIEW 2015

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BECKER COUNTY BUSINESS & INDUSTRY REVIEW 2015 |

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INDUSTRY

BTD is one of the leading manufacturing companies in Detroit Lakes.

Making good things happen BUSINESS THRIVES WHEN COMMERCE, CITY AND COMMUNITY WORK TOGETHER  story by nathan bowe | photos by brian basham It’s more than just good luck when manufacturing flourishes in a small city like Detroit Lakes or Perham.

It takes commitment from business, civic and government leaders, according to Bob Louiseau, who has served as city administrator of both Perham and Detroit Lakes.

Growth in both cases happened “in spite of the city administrator,” Louiseau said, poking fun at himself.

All kidding aside, “I don’t think it happens just by accident,” Louiseau said. “There are a couple common elements in Perham and Detroit Lakes that are an important part of why those communities have seen industrial growth at the level we’ve seen over the last 10 or 15 years.”

The most important thing is probably community leadership, he said.

“That’s not confined to political leadership – that’s important and is one component – but business leadership, and also lenders committed to business and willing to take the risk to see business grow. They cooperate,” he said.

The communities have also made a strong, determined effort to provide an atmosphere attractive to business, industry and their employees, and that includes quality community centers in both towns, strong theaters in both towns, and in the case of Detroit Lakes – helping make the Detroit Mountain Recreation Area a reality.

Combined with strong public edu-

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cation systems and the community college in Detroit Lakes, “that functions to give you a complete package of things,” Louiseau said.

“Both communities provided opportunities for people that move into the area to grow and enjoy the high quality of life.”

DL Community Development Director Larry Remmen agreed: “Luck favors the prepared,” he said. “We’ve gone after grants to develop an industrial park, so land is available if someone needs space,” he said. “We’ve built spec buildings if someone needs a building, that’s worked out well for us.

We’ve done a housing study that has led to a lot of different kinds of housing.”

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INDUSTRY

Welding in Detroit Lakes: The city has a lot of businesses related to metal works, and welders are busy.

Detroit Lakes and Perham have also benefitted from virtual circles in which one type of industry leads to more of that type of industry.

“Detroit Lakes has a lot of businesses related to metal works – machines, tooling, that sort of thing,” Louiseau said. “Perham has a lot of businesses related to the food industry. Both have real strong support businesses that have been able to grow in part because they serve the larger businesses and they themselves then grow, you get a mushroom effect that spreads slowly…”

Successful communities also tend to be supportive of those who have new ideas, Louiseau said. “They can build a business in a supportive environment – they don’t have to make the same

mistakes everyone else did. It’s simple things, like if you need a part, someone can build one for you, some of the things that go on day-to-day.”

Both Detroit Lakes and Perham have a strong agricultural base, a good tourism industry, strong manufacturing and professional sectors and healthy medical facilities.

Both communities have also done a good job of making tools available for business growth, including revolving loan funds, tax increment financing packages, and professional help in the form of economic development staff, Louiseau said.

Detroit Lakes also helps businesses land state grants, Remmen pointed out, such as a $175,000 Job Creation Fund grant that went to Team

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Industries for an expansion project, and a $91,000 Public Development Infrastructure grant that went to BTD Manufacturing for street improvements associated with its expansion project.

The city has also used federal grants to build and expand its industrial parks, Remmen said.

Other key elements to city growth are an involved, active media and a community vision, Louiseau said.

“Both communities have a vision of what they’d like the community to be, whether downtown or the industrial area,” Louiseau said. “We may fight about how we’re going to get there, but once we’re on the road, everybody gets behind and pushes pretty hard.”

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INDUSTRY

The mobile welding trailer at M State helps give students hands-on experience in specialized forms of welding.

It’s all about science, technology, engineering and math IN THIS AREA, MOBILE TRAINING LABS ARE COMING FROM THREE DIFFERENT SOURCES  story by vicki gerdes | photos by brian basham A couple of years ago, when area businesses were experiencing a shortage of skilled welders, Minnesota State Community & Technical College (M State) responded to that need by developing a mobile welding lab that could not only travel to any of M State’s campuses for welding classes, but provide on-site, specialized training when requested by local businesses.

A cold storage semi-trailer previously used for grocery transportation was transformed into a mobile classroom, containing 12 welding stations

with state-of-the-art equipment for learning gas metal arc welding (MIG), fluxed cored arc welding, gas tungsten arc welding (TIG) and shielded metal arc welding (STICK), among other applications.

The mobile training lab was built through a partnership between M State’s Custom Training Services and Rural Minnesota Concentrated Employment Program (CEP).

The program proved to be such an unqualified success in its first full year of operation that this past fall, M State received word that it would be

20 | BECKER COUNTY BUSINESS & INDUSTRY REVIEW 2015

the recipient of nearly $2.5 million in federal grant funds for M State’s “CU Succeed” program.

Shortly before the start of 2015, the M State project partners held a kickoff meeting to begin finalizing plans for outfitting three 53-foot semitrailers as mobile training labs, which will serve all four of M State’s campuses — Detroit Lakes, Wadena, Moorhead and Fergus Falls — as well as a variety of area businesses.

“That (mobile welding lab) was our prototype,” said Monty Johnson, senior dean of academic affairs at M

State-Wadena. “We think we’ve done something pretty innovative. The possibilities are limitless — we don’t even know what all the capabilities of these trailers are yet.”

Meanwhile, at the high school level, a similar idea initiated by a pair of northwest Minnesota school superintendents — one of them from Detroit Lakes — is seeking funding from the Minnesota State Legislature during its 2015 session.

If approved, the Rural STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) Experiential Learning Pilot Project would provide funding for up to 16 rural Minnesota school districts to develop traveling labs — known as STEM modules — that would bring specialized equipment such as a three dimensional (3D) printer, virtual welder, computer numerical control (CNC) milling machine, laser engraver, and about a dozen others to each of the participating districts on a rotating basis.

The proposed legislation includes a $570,000 initial investment by the state in purchasing the necessary equipment for the eight proposed STEM modules.

In return, each of the 16 participating districts would be expected to pay $5,000 for each of the four years of the pilot as their “buy-in” to the project, said Rothsay Superintendent Warren Schmidt, who along with CromwellWright Superintendent Ron Bratlie (a resident of Detroit Lakes) is credited with putting together the initial legislative proposal for the STEM pilot project.

Lake Park-Audubon is among the schools that have expressed early interest in being one of the 16 pilot schools if the STEM project becomes a reality.

And that’s not all.

TEAM Industries is “teaming” up with the Detroit Lakes, Lake ParkAudubon, Park Rapids and Bagley school districts — the four communities in which it has manufacturing facilities — to bring computer numerical controlled (CNC) equipment and training resources into each district.

In return, the districts will house a Department of Labor and Department of Education-accredited apprenticeship

The mobile welding trailer constructed by M State in 2013 is serving as the prototype for three new mobile training labs that are expected to be in operation by August of this year. program. Students can become certified to go directly into manufacturing work following completion of the course.

M STATE’S MOBILE LABS M State’s three new mobile labs, which are expected to be up and running in time for the start of the 2015 fall semester, will host equipment for commercial driver’s license training; electrical, construction and

manufacturing safety instruction, as well as Occupational Safety and Health Administration certification; and precision measurement and blueprint reading, catered specifically for use in the manufacturing industry.

DRIVE A BIG RIG The CDL lab will offer driver’s training for a variety of different commercial vehicles, “from tanker trailers to straight trucks,” Johnson said.

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U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, left, visited M State’s Detroit Lakes campus on March 31 as part of a tour to promote the Innovate America Act legislation she co-authored with Sen. John Hoeven of North Dakota.

The initial training will be done on simulators, with the full-size vehicles to be brought in at the end to finish up the students’ certification.

The safety training lab will include materials for OSHA certification in a variety of industries, as well as fall protection and “some confined space training,” Johnson said. “We’re working with industry to see what types of (safety) training they want, and putting together an umbrella package.”

The precision measurement trailer will include a 3D printer and some CNC equipment as well as providing “the real nuts and bolts of precision measurement for new workers to learn the necessary skills to get into these (manufacturing) firms,” Johnson said.

The training available will be for all skill levels, he added.

HAVE LAB, WILL TRAVEL In addition to being able to house the trailers on any of M State’s four campuses where the training is most needed, the trailers will also be available for area businesses, for a fee.

“If BTD (Manufacturing, one of the project partners that is based in Detroit Lakes) comes in and says we need to have some training in precision measurement, we will bring the trailer out and do a class,” Johnson said, citing just one possible use for the training

labs.

When a business requests one of the trailers, that trailer will be housed on-site for the duration of the training, with the hourly fee to include both use of the equipment and training by M State-certified instructors.

“For custom training, we can go all over the state if the need arises,” said Johnson. “For example, if it (the trailer) is requested by a business in Alexandria, or even further south, they can purchase the hourly usage from us and we’d send down our trailer and instructors to do the training with them.

“Our instructors go with the trailers,” he added, noting that the welding trailer has had “fantastic success” since it was first introduced a couple of years ago. “That thing is booked up almost every day,” he said.

Eventually, the mobile training program could possibly be expanded to include high schools as well, Johnson said.

He said he expects all three trailers to be operational by August.

“August is our target,” he said.

“We’re very excited about it. This is going to be a lot of fun once we get it off the ground.”

NATIONAL RAMIFICATIONS U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who

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toured M State’s welding trailer during a recent visit to the Detroit Lakes campus, seemed equally excited by the possibilities.

“This is a huge need in our state,” she said, adding that programs like this could expose students to careers in a field they might otherwise have never considered.

Klobuchar and Sen. John Hoeven of North Dakota also toured Moorhead’s Horizon Middle School and West Fargo’s Sheyenne High School with during her visit to the area on March 31. The visit included discussions with the students about the STEM curriculum being implemented at the two schools.

“To stay competitive in the global economy, we need a 21st century education system that prepares our students for the jobs of tomorrow,” Klobuchar said. “It was great to see students in Minnesota and North Dakota engaged and enthusiastic about science, technology, engineering, and math.”

Klobuchar and Hoeven have authored the Innovate America Act, a piece of proposed 2015 federal legislation that would, if enacted, add 100 new STEM schools, support scientific research and help remove burdensome regulations for small- and mediumsized businesses.

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INDUSTRY The legislation would also help increase the competitiveness of smalland medium-sized businesses by promoting and rewarding schools, technical colleges and universities that focus on science, technology, engineering and math, as well as removing red tape and reducing production costs for manufacturing businesses.

RURAL STEM PILOT PROJECT When Campbell-Tintah business and technology instructor Richard Osman brought a handful of his students to the 2014 Minnesota School Boards Association convention to demonstrate one of their innovative education programs, little did he anticipate where it would lead.

As it happened, the students’ demonstration of some of the STEM modules available to their class — a 3-D printer, laser engraver and welding simulator — was seen by a couple of area school superintendents who were inspired to try to bring a similar STEM program to their own districts.

That idea led to a piece of proposed 2015 legislation — known as Senate File 471 and House File 555 — that would, if approved, develop a Rural STEM Experiential Learning Pilot Project for up to 16 rural Minnesota school districts.

This past December, Ron Bratlie saw an article in a Detroit Lakes newspaper about Minnesota state senators who were trying to help rural manufacturers find workers with the training and skills they needed to fill gaps in their workforce.

Senators Kent Eken and Tom Saxhaug were in the photo accompanying the story. Something clicked in his mind.

“I had an idea of how high schools could create interest (in those careers) among students not planning to pursue a four-year college program or any other (post-secondary) training,” said the Cromwell-Wright school superintendent.

The idea was to use a similar STEM module program to Campbell-Tintah’s to expose those students to careers they might not otherwise have considered, or even known about, in a handson way that could stimulate their inter-

est.

“I sent a letter to Sen. Eken, who had been a student at Twin Valley when I was the high school principal there,” Bratlie said.

Eken, in turn, spoke to Senator Saxhaug, who said that he had been approached by Rothsay Superintendent Warren Schmidt with a similar proposal. “He (Saxhaug) said, ‘You two need to talk,’” Bratlie added.

Schmidt had also seen the presentation by Osman’s students at the MSBA convention.

“I thought, ‘Why can’t we apply that to us?’” said Schmidt. “We have been trying to get industry to bring in this kind of equipment (to the school), but they’re very reluctant when we only have 5-10 kids in a class that would be exposed to it.”

The proposed STEM pilot project is based on one that has been in place in North Dakota for several years.

Because of its proximity to the North Dakota border, Campbell-Tintah was invited to be part of that project — the only Minnesota district to be invited to do so.

“This is our seventh year (in the STEM project),” Osman said. “We were able to get into this program because of our affiliation with the North Dakota Southeast Vocational Technical Center in Oakes.”

Through a cooperative agreement with the participating schools, the Oakes facility was able to purchase the advanced equipment necessary for the STEM project — equipment such as a three dimensional (3D) printer, virtual welder, computer numerical control (CNC) milling machine, laser engraver, and about a dozen others.

“The State of North Dakota provides a lot of funding for the program,” Osman said. “There’s a $3,000 buyin each of the participating schools does each year that helps maintain and update the equipment and buys some supplies.”

In all, a total of 15 STEM learning modules are made available to each of the schools on a six-week rotational basis. This enables the students to get a taste of a wide range of potential careers, using advanced technology that is so expensive it would likely be

24 24 || BECKER BECKER COUNTY COUNTY BUSINESS BUSINESS & & INDUSTRY INDUSTRY REVIEW REVIEW 2015 2015

unavailable to them otherwise.

Osman said that even with his background in architectural engineering, he didn’t know how to operate all of the equipment when they first started using it.

“I didn’t have a clue what we were doing when we started,” he said. “I guess we (he and his students) all learned together. It’s fun to watch them take what they’ve learned in their other classes — math, science, English — and use those skills to run this equipment.”

It’s also fun to see the creativity that arises from using the various types of equipment available in the STEM modules.

“It’s only limited by their imagination,” said Bratlie, who became very excited after watching the presentation

by Osman’s students.

Osman, Bratlie and Schmidt were all invited to testify when the House and Senate heard the proposed legislation in committee this February, along with Jody Whiting, a Cromwell-Wright student who demonstrated a robot and a drone — “They loved him!” Bratlie said — and Tony Haugen, Lakes Country Educational Cooperative executive director.

The bills were laid over to be included in the education finance omnibus bill, to be heard by both houses toward the end of the session in May. “Since then, I have met with all of the (bill) authors, including Sen. Eken and Rep. Marquart,” Bratlie said. “All of them believe it is good legislation and have experienced much support. I have also met with several of the committee members of both houses.”

“It’s a great idea,” Marquart said.

“Instead of each school district purchasing this (very expensive equipment) they can share it.

“What we’re seeing is a real need in the job force for these skills,” he added. “There are a lot of career and technical jobs available, there’s just a shortage of people with the right skills.”

The hope is that programs like these can fill the gap, he added.

Eken agreed.

“There’s a lot of opportunity out there,” he said. “There are jobs avail-

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able, and jobs that would be available if we were able to ensure that the workforce was there.”

TEAM CONSORTIUM CNC equipment training will soon become an educational component of four area high schools, propelling interested students on a post-secondary career path that could lead to virtually guaranteed employment.

TEAM Industries is providing CNC equipment and training resources to schools in Detroit Lakes, Lake ParkAudubon, Park Rapids and Bagley, as well as apprenticeships, internships and scholarships in their machines trade programs.

In a news release, TEAM Industries described the goals of the collaborative project: * Investing in our local students to provide opportunities for quality jobs in our local community; * Building machine trades programming; * Building curriculum that fosters development of technical skills; * Reaching out to middle and high school programs and providing exposure to technical skill development that complements TEAM needs; * Creating pathways and steps to engage young learners in technical education; * Creating formal apprenticeship programs; * Creating formal internships; * Creating scholarship programs to sustain technical education in our local area; * Sustaining the partnerships by formalizing participation in the collaborative effort.

“The goal of the project is to expose students to more in depth techniques in manufacturing,” says Vern Schnathorst, School to Work program coordinator for Detroit Lakes High School.

“They (TEAM Industries) are not just giving us a piece of equipment, they’re training the instructors and providing support, both from a supply standpoint helping us maintain the equipment.”

Schnathorst also said that TEAM is in the process of working with the district to develop that apprenticeship program.

“There’s a huge shortage in skilled labor right now,” Schnathorst said.

“We’re trying to connect the kids that

Sen. Amy Klobuchar visited with officials from M State and Detroit Lakes High School on March 31 about plans to create 100 new STEM schools as part of the “Innovate Now America” legislation she is proposing. have an interest in that area with an opportunity (to explore that interest in depth).

“They (TEAM) are going to set up a really well-rounded apprenticeship experience where the student will be exposed to everything that goes on at their plant from a manufacturing standpoint.

26 | BECKER COUNTY BUSINESS & INDUSTRY REVIEW 2015

“It will be a true apprenticeship program,” he continued. “They’re working with Department of Education and Department of Labor to work out all the legalities to get an apprenticeship process set up correctly.”

Follow Detroit Lakes Newspapers reporter Vicki Gerdes on Twitter at @ VickiLGerdes.

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AMENITIES

Detroit Mountain opened in the winter of 2014 to much success.

A host of amenities

DETROIT LAKES, AND SURROUNDING TOWNS, HAS PLENTY TO OFFER UP  story by pippi mayfield | photos by brian basham

So many places to go and things to see.

It easily describes Detroit Lakes and the wide variety of amenities that lie just within the borders of the city, not to mention the surrounding county and communities.

From hiking through the woods to downhill skiing, historical events to riding bike, reading a book to swimming laps, Detroit Lakes has a little taste of everything.

DETROIT LAKES COMMUNITY & CULTURAL CENTER For just over a dozen years now, the Detroit Lakes Community & Cultural Center has been providing entertainment, a good workout and artistic out-

lets for students and adults alike.

Open since Dec. 14, 2001, the community center portion offers fitness classes, swimming lessons, Zumba, PiYO, boxing, massage therapy, Silver Sneakers program and more.

Together, the fitness center and the adjacent Historic Holmes Theatre — which opened in May 2002 — bring in over 300,000 visitors annually.

And that doesn’t including the various outreach programs operated by the DLCCC in other parts of the community, from the summer recreation and youth baseball programs at Washington Park to the Freeze Your Buns Run and Ice Tee Golf Tournament, both held during the annual Polar Fest winter celebration in February.

30 | BECKER COUNTY BUSINESS & INDUSTRY REVIEW 2015

The Dick Beardsley Run in September is also managed by DLCCC staff, and each year, the Historic Holmes Theatre offers two summer arts programs, the Tuesdays in the Park concert series and Shakespeare in the Park, both held at the Detroit Lakes City Park.

One of the biggest and most exciting changes to the DLCCC (at least for the young ones) was the Backyard addition, which opened in summer 2011, adding about 8,000 square feet of new space, and another 2,500 square feet of remodeled space in the existing center.

For more information about the DLCCC’s facilities and programs, call 218-844-4221, or visit the website www.dlccc.org.

The Detroit Lakes Public Library is the site of one of the last remaining Carnegie libraries. In 2013, it turned 100 years old, and since it was built, the library has been added onto and upgraded. Those upgrades are both to the physical building and to what it has to offer inside.

DETROIT LAKES LIBRARY Since fall of 2013, the Detroit Lakes Library has been celebrating 100 years in Detroit Lakes.

Over those 100 years, the library has seen many, many changes both physical and technological.

Located at the corner of Frazee Street and Washington Avenue, the library offers multiple classes, public computers, books, e-books, DVDs, guest speakers and more.

The women of Detroit Lakes formed the Library Club, and in June of 1910, the city voted in favor of supporting the library. In 1911, Andrew Carnegie began his foundation that would fund libraries across the United States.

In order to receive a Carnegie grant, there needed to be property dedicated for the site, and a governmental entity had to support the effort towards the library.

On December of 1911, the city passed a resolution to give $1,000 a year to support the library. E.G. Holmes donated the land where the library stands.

Based on city population, the city

received a Carnegie grant for $10,000 to build the library in Detroit Lakes.

It cost exactly $9,923.60 to build the library.

On May 28, 1913, the cornerstone was laid, and as of October, the building was completed except for 51 storm windows that were put in later and the screens were purchased the following spring.

It opened to the public on Nov. 14, 1913.

The building measured 4,142 square feet, and the upper floor housed the library, while the lower level included rooms for meetings.

The Library Club then used their collection of books and money they had collected to fill the library shelves.

About 75 years later, the library expanded its footprint, and last summer the city landscaped the yard to fix a leakage problem.

LIVING AT THE LAKES A great place to play, a great place to do business.

Yes, Detroit Lakes is known for doubling in population over the summer

from both tourism and those opening their lake cabins back up. But what about the roughly 8,500 people that call Detroit Lakes home all year?

With 412 lakes in a 25-mile radius of Detroit Lakes, you can’t help but be a lake lover if you live here.

From manufacturing to agriculture, retail to hospitality, the Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber of Commerce boasts about 450 members, representing 12,000 employees.

And all those businesses are what make Detroit Lakes the strong community it is. Through donations, fundraisers, and other events, those businesses support the community.

And who could ignore the activities scheduled throughout the year, with many crammed into summer.

From Polar Fest in the winter to Street Faire of the Lakes to officially kick off summer, Festival of Birds to Santa’s Parade, Northwest Water Carnival to fireworks on the beach, Pine to Palm golf tournament to WE Fest, there’s bound to be something for every taste in entertainment.

And just outside the city limits,

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AMENITIES

The Becker County Historical Society is planning to build a new building in 2016. The capital campaign will kick off this summer. The building will be located directly west of where the current building sits. there are plenty of other activities, like the North Country Hiking Trail, the Tamarac Wildlife Refuge, the Hamden Slough and more.

So whether you want to take a walk along the beach, snowmobile or cross-country ski the trials, go golfing, stand-up paddleboarding or hiking, the opportunities abound for visitors and for those who call Detroit Lakes home.

For a full calendar of events throughout the year, visit the chamber’s website at www.visitdetroitlakes. com.

BECKER COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY & MUSEUM The Becker County Historical Society has grown leaps and bounds over the last handful of years.

A variety of displays, traveling exhibits, events, fundraisers, research information and people fill the county museum.

The Historical Society Museum, located at 714 Summit Ave. in Detroit Lakes, contains the Walter D. Bird Memorial Library — filled with many archived files, newspaper clippings, photos and more.

The Historical Society can offer history on townships, churches, cemeteries — compete with a cemetery database online — and plat maps.

The public is welcome to come

research on their own, or the society employees can do searches for a fee.

The Heart O’Lakes Genealogical Society is also a tool for finding family history.

At its website, beckercountyhistory. org, visitors can do a search of historical photographs contained in the museum’s database.

The Historical Society building itself houses a museum with periodically changing exhibits, along with a gift shop and a meeting room.

One of the biggest recent additions was the completion of the Marty Rislund Traveling Exhibit Gallery, so named for a Historical Society volunteer who contributed many hours toward the project.

The 400-square-foot gallery has been used to house traveling exhibits from the Minnesota Historical Society, Minnesota Children’s Museum and Minnesota Humanities Center, National Museum of the American Indian and Minnesota’s Historic Northwest, to name a few.

The museum also plays host to a monthly Brown Bag Luncheon with a different topic and speaker each month, and every few months the museum hosts Hidden History Happy hour, which offers a fun look into the “darker” side of history – the subjects everyone wants to hear about, but no one talks about — like bootlegging,

32 | BECKER COUNTY BUSINESS & INDUSTRY REVIEW 2015

prostitution and drugs.

The museum also celebrates Museum Day each May and Kids’ Day every Thursday throughout August and provides educational materials for History in a Truck, digitized photographs and about 18,000 historic artifacts.

With an old building crumbling around them, the BCHS will be building a new building in 2016. There will be more space, and a roof that doesn’t leak. The capital campaign kicks off this summer, and groundbreaking will be at the start of the 2016 construction season.

For more information about the Becker County Historical Society and Museum, call 218-847-2938, visit the website at beckercountyhistory.org, or stop by during regular museum hours, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every Tuesday through Saturday (the museum is closed on Saturdays during the winter months).

SUCKER CREEK PRESERVE The borders of the Sucker Creek Preserve have expanded to include a 46-acre tract of land across the street from the park, now dubbed Upstream Sucker Creek.

There are 10-15 springs that feed Sucker Creek on that 46-acre tract — a major reason park matriarch Sally

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Hausken of Detroit Lakes says it’s of “monumental importance” for the city of Detroit Lakes to own the land.

Last year, the city applied for and received a Legacy grant to build a bog walk, bathrooms, picnic shelters and a parking lot at the newest piece of land. The construction will take place this year.

Sucker Creek has long been designated as a trout stream.

“A chance to fish a trout stream in a city is a unique opportunity,” Hausken said.

Besides the importance of having springs on the property, the land is filled with rare and interesting wetlands and plants.

The land consists of 38 acres of wooded land, three acres of meadow and five acres of bog.

DETROIT MOUNTAIN The time has finally arrived.

In the winter of 2014, the slopes of Detroit Mountain were filled with skiers, snowboarders, tubers and just those looking to get outdoors in the winter and enjoy the newest asset to Detroit Lakes.

Those who formed Detroit Mountain Recreation Area Inc. knew they had a solid idea to bring back Detroit Mountain.

They found support from the community and beyond, but

Detroit Mountain, which re-opened in 2014, and the North Country Trail are just two of the outdoor amenities Becker County has to offer residents and visitors alike.

34 | BECKER COUNTY BUSINESS & INDUSTRY REVIEW 2015

what they didn’t find with the financial help from the state they had hoped.

But, after being turned down for a DNR Parks and Trail Grant, they found the financial support they needed from individuals and businesses throughout not just Detroit Lakes and Becker County, but a surrounding area that knew the ski hill would provide an enormous opportunity.

With the facility completed and upper management in place, the mountain opened for winter filled with skiing and snowboarding. This spring, the mountain area will be open for mountain biking, hiking and more outdoor activities.

Initially, the total cost of the Detroit Mountain project was estimated at $6.2 million but has climbed to about $8 million.

Besides the work being done on the chalet, crews also raised the top of the mountain by 20 feet, lowered the parking lot by eight to 10 feet and constructed a bunny hill. They also built a 4 million-gallon retention pond, which is used for snow making.

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Clearwater County to the Becker–Otter Tail county border south of the City of Frazee.”

As the trail is constructed, primitive campsites are created at various points along the way. There is space for two tents, a wilderness toilet and a fire ring. Everything else brought in must be taken back out with the hiker.

Money to fund the construction of the trail comes from the National Park Service and donations, but one large benefit to the Minnesota portion of the trail is funding from Legacy Funds. The trail is strictly for foot traffic, which means walking and hiking in the warm months and snowshoeing or cross-country skiing in the snowy months.

HEARTLAND TRAIL Within the next two years, residents and visitors of Detroit Lakes and Frazee will be able to ride back and forth via the Heartland Trail.

After plenty of rallying, lobbying and planning, the state approved $3.1 million for the Heartland Trail extension, which will run between the two cities. The project is estimated at $3 million, and the remaining $100,000 would be used to plan a design of the trail from Hawley to Moorhead.

The Heartland Trail, which already extends 49 miles from Park Rapids to Cass Lake, would continue to stretch west to Moorhead in the future.

The state has already invested $1.75 million in prework on the trail with design, land acquisition and the tunnel under Highway 10 at the east edge of Detroit Lakes.

The cities of Frazee and Detroit Lakes and Becker County have all contributed funds to the project.

The DNR will be responsible for the trail and its construction, which is planned

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with snowmobiles, ATVs, boats, bicycles or other evidence that those carloads of people are in town with a purpose. But, hikers account for the largest piece of the recreation pie in Minnesota.

According to a study done at the University of Minnesota Tourism Center in 2009, “Minnesota is home to about five million people of whom 54.4 percent participate in walking-hiking, 29 percent participate in biking, 14.2 percent participate in running, 10.3 percent participate in ATV riding, 10 percent participate in snowmobiling, 6.3 percent participate in cross-country skiing, and 4.5 percent participate in horseback riding.

“Overall, recreation participation in Minnesota is expected to decrease or plateau by 2014. However… running and walking-hiking are expected to increase.”

Helping contribute to those tourism statistics and trails is the North Country National Scenic Trail.

When completed, the trail will run 4,600 miles from New York to North Dakota. It will be the longest continuous hiking trail in the United States, linking natural, historical and scenic areas across seven states — New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and North Dakota.

In 1982, a plan was published as to where the trail should run through the states. While there is that basic idea of where the trail would likely go, it’s a 10-mile-wide corridor, so there is nothing specific about the trail route in areas where it has not yet been established According to the website, the local Laurentian Lakes Chapter “trail section runs from the intersection of the Nicollet and Eagle Scout Trails in the middle of Itasca State Park through

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AMENITIES for 2015.

Those who have lobbied for the trail extension for the last couple years say it will be a boost to tourism, the local economy, physical activity and solidify the area as a tourism destination.

The Detroit Lakes in-town trails will be completed this summer, which will connect to the Heartland Trial as well.

MAHUBE-OTWA COMMUNITY ACTION PARTNERSHIP In 2012, Mahube Community Council expanded its boundaries to serve the people of Otter Tail and Wadena counties as well as the counties they already served — Mahnomen, Hubbard and Becker.

Detroit Lakes has remained the headquarters for the agency, and each county has a site office. The agency also has been adding staff because of the increased numbers.

The services that Mahube already has been offering for years have simply been extended to the two added counties.

That includes Family Health, which includes family planning counseling, physical exam clinics, pregnancy and HIV testing, birth control and contraceptives and sexually transmitted infection screenings.

Other programs offered through Mahube-Otwa include Community Service Block Grant, Child Care Resource & Referral, Emergency Assistance, Energy Programs, Family Development, Head Start, Housing and Senior Programs.

“We’re pleased with the systems we have in place so we’ll just replicate them in the two new counties,” Executive Director Leah Pigatti said after the addition took place.

DETROIT LAKES UTILITIES Detroit Lakes owns and operates its own electrical utility.

Residential electric Available to residential customers for domestic uses including heating and cooling, which may be required in single-family dwellings and individually metered apartments, condominiums, town houses, or mobile homes.

• Service Charge- $12.50 per month

• All Kwh per month payable JulySeptember- 10.5 cents per Kwh • First 1,000 Kwh per month October-June- 9.4 cents per Kwh • Balance Kwh payable October-June - 7.2 cents per Kwh Seasonal cottage Applicable to seasonal residential customers outside of the incorporated City of Detroit Lakes who normally utilize their dwellings for six months or less of any consecutive 12 month period.

Under this rate customers are to be billed twice annually with one bill being issued in May for half the annual service charge plus Kwh usage between the approximate dates of Oct. 1 and May 1; with a second billing in October.

• Service Charge- $120 per year • All Kwh May-September- 10.5 cents per Kwh • All Kwh October-April- 9.4 cents per Kwh Off-Peak Heating Available to all electric heating customers with acceptable dual fuel or storage heating systems capable of maintaining living or working temperatures throughout the heated area for 10 continuous hours during controlled periods.

All electric heat within the customer’s designated Off-Peak area is controlled and must be no less than 8 KW per installation. Service under this rate is metered separately from the customer’s standard rate schedule and all such systems require approval by the Public Utilities Department prior to service.

• Service Charge- $5 per month • All Kwh per month on bills payable October-June- 4.5 cents per Kwh • All Kwh per month on bills payable July-September - 10.5 cents per Kwh Water Rates General Water Rate Applicable to all residential, commercial and industrial customers.

Each water customer shall be charged a monthly service charge, as established according to size of meter, and a commodity charge based upon consumption.

• Meter Size Monthly Service

38 | BECKER COUNTY BUSINESS & INDUSTRY REVIEW 2015

Charge: 5/8-inch and ¾-inch = $11.

For more information, contact the City of Detroit Lakes at 218-847-5658 or http://cityweb.lakesnet.net/utilities.

MEDIA OUTLETS Detroit Lakes and Becker County are served by a twice-weekly newspaper, a weekly shopper, three radio stations and a local cable TV station.

The newspapers are the 4,500-circulation Detroit Lakes Tribune and Becker County Record. The Lake Area Press shopper goes out to about 11,000 homes. All are published by Detroit Lakes Newspapers, which is under the umbrella of the family-owned Forum Communications Co. of Fargo. The phone number is 218-847-3151.

Leighton Broadcasting of Detroit Lakes operates TV3 Lakes Area Television, and radio stations KDLM AM 1340, Wave 104.1 and Real Country 102.3 KRCQ. KDLM Radio offers news, sports, weather and information for the lakes area of north central Minnesota. It is affiliated with CBS and the Minnesota News Network. Sports coverage includes the DL Lakers, Minnesota Twins, Vikings, Wild, Timberwolves and Gophers.

Wave 104.1 offers a variety of popular music, local DJs, The Morning Splash show, an all request lunch show on weekdays, John Tesh in the afternoons, Deleliah in the evenings and also broadcasts Viking games. All three radio stations operate 24 hours. The phone number is 847-5624.

TV3 provides exclusive local programming that “features the people, places and events of the lakes area.”

The service is provided to the 15,000plus subscriber households of the Arvig cable System. The phone number is 846-9669.

KRCQ 102.3 FM Radio of Detroit Lakes offers news and a mix of classic and new country music in a “real country” format. Popular shows on KRCQ are the Swap ‘n Shop, where people buy and sell items live on the air and Bob Becker’s Old Time Variety Show.

KRCQ now also broadcasts NDSU Bison games and Hawley High School sporting events. The phone number is 8472001.

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HEALTHCARE

Sanford Clinic is one of two clinics in Detroit Lakes.

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In the past several years, the face of health care in Detroit Lakes has undergone some extensive changes. And both Essentia Health St. Mary’s and Sanford Health continue to grow and change.

ESSENTIA HEALTH ST. MARY’S In 2008, St. Mary’s completed a 40,000-square-foot addition to its campus that encompassed both a new, integrated Therapy Center and an expanded nursing home — with the name of that nursing home being changed as well, from St. Mary’s Nursing Center to Oak Crossing.

In May 2011, St. Mary’s EMS completed a construction project of its own, which included 10,939 square

feet of space for a garage, office, two conference rooms and a kitchen.

And in August 2011, work was completed on a 49,315-square-foot remodeling and expansion project at the Essentia Health St. Mary’s Clinic, which includes 90 exam rooms, nine procedure rooms and seven registration desks.

There is now one main entry for the hospital and the clinic, which is located off Frazee Street, along with new patient and visitor parking on the east side and a drop off lane at the main entrance.

There is also a retail pharmacy, complete with drive-through, and Urgent Care is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week.

40 | BECKER COUNTY BUSINESS & INDUSTRY REVIEW 2015

Earlier this year, the imaging department remodel was completed, and a new MRI machine and CT scanner are now in place.

Last summer, the new Essentia Health clinic in Frazee opened as well.

Essentia Health-St. Mary’s employs about 850 people in the Detroit Lakes, Lake Park and Frazee area, both fulland part-time.

SANFORD HEALTH No stranger to expansion, Sanford Health announced plans in 2009 for a 33,000 square foot expansion and 28,800 square foot remodeling project at its existing Detroit Lakes clinic for about $15 million.

Completed in October 2011, the

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HEALTHCARE

clinic’s 60,000 square feet of total space now encompasses a surgery center with two operating suites and an endoscopy suite; expanded imaging and lab services; expanded and relocated physical and occupational therapy spaces; outdoor space for mobile medical units with over-head canopies on the south and north entrances; and expanded clinic space for future growth of up to 36 providers, both primary and specialty care.

The pharmacy and optical shop got completely redone as well.

One of the biggest moves was bringing behavioral science, which was down the block from the main clinic, under the same roof.

Services now offered at the Detroit Lakes clinic include dermatology, diabetes education, dialysis, hematology, nutrition, obstetrics and gynecology, oncology, optometry, orthopedic surgery, internal medicine, family medi-

Essentia Health St. Mary’s plays host to a clinic, hospital and emergency room. The healthcare provider also houses a pharmacy. The campus has continued to grow over the years, offering more space and services, like the new MRI area. cine, psychology, physical and occupational therapy, occupational medicine, surgery and urology.

The clinic now employs one full

42 | BECKER COUNTY BUSINESS & INDUSTRY REVIEW 2015

time RN strictly as a “health coach,” whose job is to coordinate patient care before, during and even after each clinic visit.

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EDUCATION

Detroit Lakes Public Schools continue to grow with technology advances and other student needs.

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“Will you succeed? Yes you will indeed! Ninety-eight and three-quarters percent guaranteed.” – Dr. Seuss Detroit Lakes and the surrounding communities can help with that success with both private and public school options and a community college.

M STATE An important part of any organization’s staying power is its willingness to embrace change.

Nowhere is this more evident than at the Detroit Lakes Campus of M State, also known as Minnesota State Community & Technical College in Detroit Lakes.

Since the school began its opera-

tions more than 50 years ago, it’s been creating and redesigning programs that teach students the skills and knowledge employers want.

MSCTC serves about 9,200 students annually on campuses in Detroit Lakes, Fergus Falls, Moorhead and Wadena and through online coursework.

While M State’s Detroit Lakes campus still offers traditional two-year programs such as accounting and nursing, the college has steadily increased its offerings of new and improved programs to meet the needs of the 21st century workforce.

M State offers more than 100 career programs and liberal arts transfer degrees. The college is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and

44 | BECKER COUNTY BUSINESS & INDUSTRY REVIEW 2015

Universities System, which comprises 32 state universities and community and technical colleges serving the higher education needs of Minnesota.

The addition of the Associate of Arts program became possible with the merger of the Fergus Falls Community College with the Detroit Lakes, Moorhead and Wadena campuses of the former Northwest Technical College.

With that merger, the institution became a comprehensive community and technical college and the A.A. degree be-came the equivalent of the first two years of a four year degree.

In the past six years, M State’s transfer options have continued to greatly strengthen, giving students the option

of studying closer to home before solidifying four-year goals.

A.A. degree-level courses in English, math, science, history, speech, political science, psychology, art, sociology and introduction to humanities are among the classes offered.

Online programs have also bolstered the school’s growth, as nonconventional students flood the web, hungry for educational opportunities that fit into their schedules.

In addition to the transfer degree, the Detroit Lakes campus also manages eight other online programs in their entirety.

These include radiology technology, web development, network technology administration, IT or information technology support, administrative management technology, paralegal and entrepreneurial A.A.S. M State is also placing more emphasis on working with other community entities throughout the workforce and high school to better prepare local students for in-demand jobs in the region, whether it be working more with adult basic education, a school-to-work program at the high school or professional mentor.

PUBLIC SCHOOLS Schools, often called the “heart of the community,” are certainly that in Becker County. And while they all strive for excellence in educational opportunities, they also all have their own special ways of shining.

Detroit Lakes The Detroit Lakes Public School District is a conglomerate of five schools — Roosevelt Elementary, Rossman Elementary, the Middle School, the High School and the Lincoln Education Center.

A private Catholic school, Holy Rosary, also sits in the heart of downtown Detroit Lakes. Private schools Faith Christian School and Adventist Christian School are also located near Detroit Lakes.

Keeping up with the changing times, Detroit Lakes students are putting down some of their old text books and picking up their new iPads.

The district’s iPad initiative put the devices in the hands of every fifth

M State in Detroit Lakes offers a variety of courses for students of all ages. Besides graduates, many high school students also take advantage of the post-secondary program, earning college credits before they graduate from high school. grader, and so far school leaders are glad they did. And there are no plans to stop there. Many school leaders are hoping the iPad initiative continues to grow throughout several other grades.

The district offers a variety of Advanced Placement courses to enable high school students to get a jump start on their post-secondary education.

Its Area Learning Center provides educational alternatives for those kids who may struggle, academically and otherwise, in a traditional school setting.

At the Lincoln Education Center, the district provides a full spectrum of community education courses and activities for all ages, in areas including computers, driver’s education, crafts and hobbies, safety courses, trips, tours as well as cultural, athletic and youth enrichment activities.

The center also houses Early Childhood Family Education and Early Childhood Special Education.

Frazee-Vergas The Frazee-Vergas School District has undergone several positive changes in the last few years, including the hiring of Superintendent Terry Karger,

implementing a one-on-one technology initiative with iPads and ramping up their course offerings.

The school district continues to boast high test scores academically and high achievements in other areas like its Future Farmers of America organization, its newly formed Robotics program and of course, wrestling.

Its wrestling program remains topnotch as the team has made it to state eight out of the past nine years.

Lake Park-Audubon Change came fast at Lake ParkAudubon, too, as students not only continued to get used to their newly remodeled and expanded elementary school, but also began the year in their new high school.

Grades 7-12 are settled into their new $17.5 million, 105,000 square foot building.

The facilities, which uses geothermal heating, has a gym that holds 1,000 spectators and customized classrooms, is located on the west edge of Lake Park.

The facility also provides wireless Internet access and is monitored by 50 cameras spread out throughout the grounds.

While the elementary school was

BECKER COUNTY BUSINESS & INDUSTRY REVIEW 2015 |

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remodeled at the same time, it has already tight on space, and school board members and district leaders are going back to the drawing board to see what their next move will be to add more space for the growing population.

The district recently moved to make laptop computers available to students.

Waubun-OgemaWhite Earth The Waubun-OgemaWhite Earth School District has also been going through tremendous change over the past few years.

In March of 2010, the district was identified as a “turn around school” after receiving low test scores.

School leaders rallied and have since taken a $1.4 million grant and used it to implement change.

An hour of instruction has been added to the curriculum daily, and profes-

sional learning communities were formed to ensure teachers were as effective as possible.

But an area where the Waubun-Ogema-White Earth School District needs no help in its technology, as iPads and other app devices are used daily.

SCHOOL-TO-WORK PROGRAM Helping students find their calling in life earlier rather than later is the goal of the School-to-Work Program at Detroit Lakes High School.

Matching students with their desired career choice, teens are able to get out into the workforce and see firsthand what the career is all about. For many, the move solidifies the student’s choice. For others, it may be the best wake-up call to a career they really weren’t cut out for after all.

This can save students

lots of time and money in unneeded costs.

First implemented in 1996 in Detroit Lakes High School, the program has grown from a few manufacturing-type jobs to pretty much any career a student wishes. (There are a couple exceptions like physician assistants because with confidentiality laws, doctors can’t have high schoolers in the exam rooms with them. Coordinator Vern

Schnathorst tries to find the closest thing possible though.)

There are about 120 students a year going through the School-to-Work program, and about 50 percent try a couple internships out before they find the right fit.

Some internships have even turned into a job after graduation, so the program can benefit the businesses as well as the students.

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RESOURCES

Those building businesses in the county have several avenues for financial help.

Help is on the way

ASSISTANCE IS OUT THERE TO GET TOURISTS TO TOWN AND IN THE DOOR ď ° story by pippi mayfield | photos by brian basham

Starting a business? Need a little boost? There are several resources available.

Need some information about where the best location in town is for a business? There are resources for that too.

Need a loan? Got that covered as well.

BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURIAL SERVICES The Business and Entrepreneurial Services at M State offers services for start-up companies that need a little extra boost.

It operates from offices at M State in Detroit Lakes and has satellite sites in Frazee, Perham, Park Rapids, New

York Mills and Hawley.

The Business and Entrepreneurial Center originally opened in October of 2009 with eight offices at M State.

In addition to the office space grouped around the BES administration center, the site offers light industrial space in an area that had been used by the neon sign and tube program.

BES incubator spaces have been opened in Frazee, Hawley, Perham and New York Mills.

In all those places, the incubator model is the same — the BES provides space and manages it on behalf of an EDA, an EDC or a city.

The governmental unit acts as landlord of the incubator building, be it

48 | BECKER COUNTY BUSINESS & INDUSTRY REVIEW 2015

leased or owned outright. The BES provides business start-ups in its incubator system with basic office furniture, a desktop computer and Microsoft software programs.

There is also a common work area with coffee, a fax machine, a printer, PowerPoint technology, a screen and Skype for web-based face-to-face conference calls.

They also get the services of the BES incubator manager and the BES administrative assistant, who can answer the phone for anyone at any location that has a local phone line.

The incubator system offers business counseling, workshops and training, free SCORE, a free mentorship program, a Small Business

Development Corp. satellite office, shared business services, (fax, copy, notary public) a resource library and professional phone answering.

All that plus utilities is included in the lease price.

The average office space leases for $100 to $160 a month, depending on square footage, location and similar considerations.

In return, tenants have obligations. They must take a QuickBooks (accounting software) class and meet with BES staff once a quarter to discuss growth and challenges they are facing. They must provide BES staff with a business plan, and they must be doing the business of business — that means being active with their financials.

The incubator helps start-ups get registered with the state and licensed if necessary.

Businesses can’t stay in the incubators forever. There’s a three-to-fiveyear maximum stay. After three years, BES staff starts moving them towards graduation.

TOURISM BUREAU Though they work hand-in-hand

on projects and are housed in the same office, the Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Detroit Lakes Tourism Bureau are two separate entities, with separate boards, separate funds and separate purposes.

The chamber is in place for the businesses and members within about a 50-mile radius, and the tourism bureau exists to entice people from at least 50 miles or more away to come to Detroit Lakes.

Last year, the chamber fielded 7,000 phone calls, 3,250 walk-ins and distributed 60,000 Visitor Guides, including getting the regional guide into places like the Mall of America, airports around the state, travel information centers and several expos.

It also had 152,000 website visits at VisitDetroitLakes.com.

When someone calls in for referrals to hotels, restaurants, etc., Executive Director Carrie Johnston said the chamber first promotes its members and then other businesses in town that aren’t members. It’s part of the perks of being a member.

There are nearly 500 chamber members. The chamber’s job is to support those businesses and employees first

and foremost.

By supporting those businesses, it helps keep the town “economically viable” for visitors and tourism. She works to keep her members “in the know” with trends, local campaigns and events.

The DL Regional Chamber is one of the largest in Minnesota. It is in the top 25 for number of members, and the area chamber is also a member of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce.

The chamber is also a part of Grow Minnesota, which provides chamber members with information across the state, not just local resources.

Also statewide, the DL chamber is a part of Explore Minnesota, which makes it a location for Minnesota maps and a hotline that accesses information on birding, trails and fishing updates.

Networking events remain a priority for the chamber with functions such as Sunset and Sunrise Socials — for members.

Any business can be a member of the chamber, with many of them coming from within a 50-mile radius.

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RESOURCES recognition and tourism visit support as well.

The chamber, and its subcommittees, helps with organizing Ag in the Classroom, the tractor parade during the Becker County Fair and a legislative forum. The Promotions and Events committee also takes care of Crazy Days and Light up the Lakes.

Two of the main fundraisers for the chamber are Art in the Park and the shuttles during WE Fest. Not only are the shuttles good for cutting down traffic and parking congestion at the WE Fest grounds they also benefit businesses in town.

The chamber’s mission, though promoting the city as a whole, is to its members first.

A board of directors made up of 12 community members governs the chamber and oversees Johnston. A third of the board is made up of tourism representatives, a third from retail and a third are at-large.

If the chamber’s job is to support business, it’s the tourism bureau’s job to get out-of-towners to those businesses.

The 3 percent lodging tax charged in Detroit Lakes’ lodging establishments goes to the tourism bureau to promote the area and get tourists into town, generating more money for business owners in the county.

The advertising dollars are spent in national and regional magazines (including some for Canada) and marketing pieces rather than local pieces.

The tourism board is smaller than the chamber board, with only five members and one liaison from the Detroit Lakes City Council. The mayor appoints, and the council approves, the members of the board, but the council has no control over the board and how the tourism money is spent.

DETROIT LAKES DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY The Detroit Lakes Development Authority is open for business, with a full kit of economic development tools available and lots available in a new industrial park.

A couple years ago, the city added onto its second industrial park, encompassing 60 acres and features 20 new

There are several different sources for help when it comes to funding new building projects in Becker County. lots. It is located north of town on Richwood Road.

The total project cost was $2.2 million. The city paid about half and the rest was covered largely by the federal Economic Development Administration, which chipped in $1.1 million, and the state of Minnesota, which came through with $250,000.

The federal EDA helped pay for the first Detroit Lakes industrial park on Eighth Street in 1971, and with an expansion there later.

It also helped with the city’s second industrial park, paying $500,000 of the total $1 million cost back in 1998.

There are also six lots available in a smaller park off North Tower Road.

The city utilities department has its

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headquarters there now.

Detroit Lakes has several revolving loan funds available to qualified business developers.

The DLDA has a $400,000 loan pool for gap financing and the city’s public utilities department has a $1.5 million loan pool.

The West Central Initiative, which includes the Becker County area, has a $600,000 loan fund available.

In all, there is about $3 million in loan funds available in the Detroit Lakes area.

The city also offers tax increment financing to qualified developers, and in the past has provided tax abatement packages and participated in the state’s JOBZ program.

Becker County also has a revolving loan fund and an economic development department with a full range of programs available.

Frazee and Lake Park also offer development incentives through an EDA and have industrial parks available. Other communities have industrial parks available, including Audubon and Callaway.

The White Earth Reservation also welcomes business development, and developers there may well be able to tap into sizeable loans and federal tax credits available through the Midwest Minnesota Community Action Agency in Detroit Lakes.

MIDWEST MINNESOTA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION Looking for a business loan from $5,000 to $20 million?

That’s an unusual range, but the Mid w est Mi nnes ot a Com m unit y Development Corp. MMCDC is an unusual organization.

With headquarters in Detroit Lakes, the MMCDC is a non-profit organization that provides capital resources and innovative ideas to assist in successful business and community development throughout Minnesota and the Midwest.

The MMCDC is one of the largest non-profit lenders in the state.

It lends to businesses — both established businesses and start-ups — that aim to improve their community by creating new jobs and greater financial opportunities for residents.

In brief, here are the services offered by MMCDC: • Business lending for new business and business expansions that generally serve to improve the community, such as the creation of new jobs, with loans ranging from $5,000 to $20 million.

• Community development and technical assistance.

• Affordable housing initiative: The MMCDC manages rental properties that accommodate everyone from lowincome and handicapped individuals to senior citizens in need of assisted living.

• The MMCDC pro-vides affordable loans for home purchase and home

repair by using a combination of lowinterest loan products and down payment assistance.

The MMCDC offers a number of advantages to businesses: • Low interest rates – MMCDC can often provide a loan with a below-market interest rate, so eligible business owners can save on interest expenses.

• Flexible terms –MMCDC’s loan programs offer business owners flexible terms, providing more options when it comes to the length of the loan.

• Community development – By teaming up with MMCDC, eligible business owners get the personal satisfaction of knowing that they’re helping to improve the community in which they live.

• A wide variety of programs and financing options – Through MMCDC, eligible business owners are granted access to a number of loan programs that traditional lenders can’t always offer.

These programs feature low, and often fixed, interest rates, reduced closing costs and minimal down payments, so you need less money at closing.

In 2012, MMCDC’s track record of successful rural community development was recognized and rewarded with an additional allocation of federal New Markets Tax Credits. This allocation is to be used exclusively within qualified rural areas of North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming and Minnesota.

New Markets Tax Credits make difficult-to-finance projects viable through lower interest rates, partial debt forgiveness, higher loan-to-value ratios, extended amortization periods, reduced debt service requirements, and/or interest-only payments for seven years.

Synergy loans are designed to help with everything from jump-starting a new business to expanding an existing one. These loans are made possible when you work with MMCDC to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the federal government’s New Markets Tax Credit pro-gram.

Eligible borrowers for the IRP Business Loan Program include most

for-profit businesses that are located in rural areas and provide employment opportunities to community residents.

Loans are available in amounts up to $250,000 or 75 percent of the project costs (with a $250,000 maximum).

For larger projects, another lender may be involved to provide additional debt.

The term of your loan depends upon the type of asset you’re interested in financing.

Equipment loan terms range from 3-10 years. Real estate loan terms range from 15-25 years. Loan terms of up to 30 years are available if special circumstances exist.

Eligible borrowers for the Rural Business Enterprise Loan Program include most for-profit businesses that provide employment opportunities in rural areas. The MMCDC also has a special loan pool for Native American businesses in rural areas.

Loans are available in amounts up to $450,000, collectively. Up to 75 percent project financing is available for existing and start-up businesses on a typical structure.

The term of your loan depends upon the type of asset you’re interested in financing.

BANKS The multiple banks located in Detroit Lakes have something that sets them apart yet brings them all together when it comes to business and mortgage lending.

• Bremer Bank is located at 115 Holmes Street or call 218-847-9292.

• Midwest Bank’s main office is located 613 Highway 10 East. Phone is 218-847-4771. There is also a branch office at Wal-Mart. Phone is 218-8479700.

• First Security Bank is located at 611 Summit Avenue or call 218-8473042.

• Bell State Bank and Trust is located at 920 Lake Avenue or call 218-8443000.

• American National Bank is located at 1325 Highway 10 West or call 218847-1383.

• Wells Fargo is located at 211 Holmes Street West or call 218-8471361.

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TRANSPORTATION

The Detroit Lakes Airport is used by both hobbyists and businesses.

By ground or by sky

DETROIT LAKES OFFERS SEVERAL TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS  story by pippi mayfield | photos by brian basham

AIRPORT The Detroit Lakes-Becker County Airport is a publicly-owned, publicuse airport located two miles west of the central business district of Detroit Lakes.

The airport covers 288 acres and has two runways — a 4,500-foot by 75-foot asphalt surface open yearround and a 1,880-foot by 250-foot turf surface which is closed during winter months.

It is managed by Detroit Lakes Aviation, a full-service FBO, which provides hangar space, maintenance, fuel and rental cars.

It currently maintains light sport aircraft, piston twins, turbo props and jet aircraft.

It offers annual inspections, event or phase inspections, 100 hours pre-buy inspections and exports.

In addition, Detroit Lakes Aviation offers avionics, pilot services, pickup and delivery services, and fuel — 24-hour 100 low lead fuel and a full service Jet A fuel with single point are available.

Aircraft sales and float plane service are also offered.

Operating hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, but after-hour and weekend services are available.

GETTING RIDES Getting around Becker County has become a lot easier in the past few years thanks to several public services

52 | BECKER COUNTY BUSINESS & INDUSTRY REVIEW 2015

that are happy to bring you where you want to go.

• Rob and Roxanne Fairbanks started DL Taxi Service in June of 2006. The service serves all of Becker County and beyond. The service provides service rides and deliveries at a discounted rate.

Fairbank’s taxi service, DL Transportation, can be reached at 8473456.

• The Becker County Transit system provides service throughout the county for $1.50 per five miles traveled. The transit system has four buses and one car operating Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Although 28 percent of the riders are seniors, the transit service is avail-

able to anyone who wishes to use it.

The buses can take people to work, medical appointments, shopping, visiting, school children to day care facilities and disabled individuals to their appointments. Becker County Transit also offers door-to-door service and can accommodate individuals with disabilities and most mobility aids in service today.

The Becker County Transit System can be reached at 847-1674 or 1-888847-1674 and operates Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

• The White Earth Public Transportation service operates Monday through Friday, driving people to various stops in Mahnomen, White Earth and Detroit Lakes. The service has daily scheduled stops at the Depot in Detroit Lakes, Shooting Star Casino and various stops in White Earth in between. A full daily schedule is available at the Depot.

Every Monday and Wednesday, it offers a free shuttle to and from the Shooting Star Casino from the Depot in Detroit Lakes. This free shuttle leaves the Depot at 10 a.m. and arrives back at 2:45 p.m. Users receive a free gaming package — coupons for $5 off din-

Becker County Transit provides transportation for those in need of a ride. ing and $10 in free slot play.

White Earth Public Transportation can be reached at 218-983-3283.

HIGHWAY PROJECTS Big changes will be seen on the streets and highways in the Detroit Lakes area in the next couple years.

The roundabout at the intersection of Highway 59 and Willow Street is complete, as is changes along Highway 34 east of town. Many are familiar with the stretch of Highway 34 east of Detroit Lakes that was re-constructed last year, which put in a two-lane passing area heading east and a no-pass-

Moving your business forward As a trusted advisor to area business owners for generations, Bremer Bank has built its reputation on delivering personalized solutions with our Business Banking experts.

Together, we’ll help you choose the products and services that meet the unique demands of your business. Because the right fit can make all the difference. Call or come in today.

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All rights reserved.

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The Highway 59 roundabout has been in place for a year now, and drivers are getting used to the new design. ing zone heading west. More changes are planned for this summer.

Beginning at the edge of Detroit Lakes near the Pelican River and heading east, there will be a left-turning lane added for those turning onto County Road 141. From that point of Highway 34, there will be road construction that will stretch intermittently for 57 miles.

Six more locations along that stretch will see those same passing lanes added, with some being added to the eastbound lane, some to the west-bound lane.

Also coming up soon, there will be a frontage road from downtown to the Walmart area, courtesy of an underpass at Highway 59 south. Work on

that project begins this summer, with even more work in that area next summer.

The frontage road along Highway 10 that will connect the existing frontage road there in front of Walmart and Kmart, will keep going through the swamp and connect to the frontage road in front of MnDOT. That frontage road will then connect to Morrow Avenue, which will eventually become a frontage road.

There will also be a new signal added on the frontage road around the former Grover’s property, and there are some access changes in there; some of the medians in there will close.

The estimate for the project comes

in at about $10 million, which will be shared between the state and the city.

The project will include a frontage road from Holmes Street to the Walmart area with an underpass at Highway 59.

The southern portion of Washington Avenue (the city’s main business district) will get the facelift the north side saw a few years ago. Ground has already broken on the project, and the street will look similar to the streetscaping of North Washington Avenue.

The project will continue down Washington Avenue to Willow Street and will likely take majority of the summer.

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Buy or build a new home in beautiful

LONG BRIDGE HEIGHTS For a limited time, Midwest Minnesota Community Development Corporation is offering affordable financing and down-payment assistance

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Go to www.mmcdc.com Visit our mortgage loan office, 718 Washington Ave., Detroit Lakes Call Britton or Natalie at 218-847-3191 Long Bridge Heights is located on Bayridge Drive near the intersection of Long Bridge Road and Shorewood Drive in Detroit Lakes

D004037686

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