Cliff Buchan
News EditorRay Daninger, Forest Lakeís mayor, will continue his duties as president of the Economic Development Authority board.
At Mondayís business session, the board unanimously voted 3-0 to return Daninger as chair of the board for 2004.
The board also voted to retain member Glenn Neujahr as secretary, Tom Lynch as vice-chair and Bob Morehead as secretary. Moreheadís appointment was contingent on city council confirmation of his reappointment to a new term on the EDA board.
In other first-meeting-of-the-year business for the EDA, the board:
ïRecommended city council reapproval of a contract for economical development services for 2004 with the Forest Lake Area Chamber of Commerce. Chamber President Debby Feist reported to the EDA that the Chamber in 2003 fielded 1192 calls and requests for demographic information, general business questions, housing details, school information and city referrals.
The contract is a $2500 annual expenditure for the city and the EDA.
ïLearned from Feist that the plans for a Polaris facility in Wyoming is generating interest in housing in the Forest Lake area by Polaris employees. She said about 50 Polaris-related contacts have been received.
ïVoted to retain Dan Wilson and Wilson Development Services as the EDAís land acquisition and tax-increment financing specialist for 2004.
ïLearned from Chip Robinson, EDA executive director, that plans to sell the building at 280 W. Broadway Ave. are now on hold. The EDA last fall voted to put the building on the market, but Robinson said Monday it may be needed as a relocation area for the Forest Lake License Center in the event Washington County moves forward with plans for new facilities that could result in the center needing a temporary facility.
ïLearned from Dave Hebert, EDA attorney, that no response has been received from the Lake Park development group that had threatened legal action over the EDAís decision to terminate its involvement with the restaurant project near Lakeside Memorial Park.
ïLearned from Doug Borglund, city planner, the city is reviewing an application for a conditional use permit by Lakes International Language Academy for use of the former Town ëN Country Lanes building on south US-61 as a site for the Spanish Immersion elementary school that is coming to Forest Lake.
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