Jessica Foster
Staff WriterGaughan Properties and St. Croix Forge Monday night took a step for progress.
Forest Lake City Council approved a resolution to enter into a development agreement with Gaughan for the construction of a St. Croix Forge factory at the airport industrial park site.
The commercial building would be located along Fenway Avenue. The city will be selling the property to Gaughan for $588,060.
ìSt. Croix Forge needs a new home, they need to double their facilities,î said Robert Griffin, vice president of Gaughan Properties, Forest Lake.
ìWeíre hoping to kickstart the industrial park with this. They want to stay here. Weíd like to help keep them here,î Griffin said.
Mark Finnemann is architect of the proposed 80,000 square foot building. The new building is necessary as St. Croix Forge is moving to a robotics facility.
Councilwoman Susan Young expressed concern, with regard to robotics, the number of jobs the business would generate.
ìIt was the intention of the council that this would create more jobs,î Young said.
While St. Croix Forge was unable to attend the meeting, Griffin speculated the new facility would bring higher quality, higher paying jobs than a traditional factory.
Young was the only council member voting against the development agreement.
Lakes Academy
The Lakes International Language Academy had planned on opening in the former Town íN County Lanes. On Monday, they got the go ahead for a new location.
The city council approved a Conditional Use Permit and a Zoning Text Amendment for the school to be located at the former District Memorial Hospital building.
Lakes International Language Academy plans to utilize about 8700 square feet of the 40,000 square foot building.
ìItís a much better situation as far as access, itís much safer,î said Community Development Director Doug Borglund.
Councilwoman Young supported the change and said the school was a good fit for the building.
ìItís not really a significant change in use,î she said. ìIt makes good use of an existing structure that really has been vacant.î
Other tenants in the building include the Fairview Recovery Center for drug treatment programs, North Ambulance and the Minnesota State Patrol.
Other business
In other business, the city council:
ï Accepted the donation of five Safe-Lite vests from Mainstreet Bank for use by the Forest Lake Police Department. The vests sell for $195 each.
ï Approved hiring B.J. Bryan as Payroll/Accounts Payable Senior Accounting Clerk.
ï Approved hiring Brenda Hoffman as Receptionist Accounts Receivable Clerk. Bryan has served in this job before being hired as Payroll/Accounts Payable Senior Accounting Clerk.
ï Approved hiring Stephanie Hanson as city planner.
Meetings
The Forest Lake City Council regularly meets at 6:30 p.m. the second and fourth Monday of each month in the Forest Lake City Council Chambers. The next regular meeting is scheduled for Monday, June 28.
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