FAIRMONT – On Monday, the Martin County Economic Development Authority (EDA) elected to hold off on approving $100,000 for the Lakeview Methodist Church’s Building Blocks daycare center project, while they decide the best way to do so.

The MCEDA had been looking to meet with a Lakeview representative for some time, to check on the current status of the project and whether the $100,000 they had set aside should still go to them.

Lakeview Representative Deb Barnes said the project will be completed and most of the funding needed is secured, but money from the county would be a great help to get it completed.

Board Member James Kloeckner asked what the ownership situation would look like when the project is finished. Barnes said there will be a change to make Building Blocks non-profit.

“Shea Ripley owns Building Blocks, and she rents space from us,” she said. “That’s the way it’s been since 2017 when they moved into the new space. We are purchasing all of her equipment and everything from her, and we are bringing Building Blocks under the not-for-profit umbrella of Lakeview.”

The new space would be able to hold 99 kids. Barnes said they are strongly considering keeping the old space open as well, which would bump the total capacity of Building Blocks to 149. This would cut into the need for childcare present in Martin County, which County EDA Community Development Specialist Celia Simpson said is at over 250 kids.

It also provides more space for parents who want to put their kids in a Childcare Center specifically, which Building Blocks is the only one in Martin County. All the other daycare’s are in-home variants.

At the current juncture, Board Member Richard Koons said they are looking at what the right method would be to facilitate funding for the project. He asked County Coordinator Scott Higgins if Building Blocks becoming non-profit would make that process easier, and Higgins said it would.

“What we’re sorting out right now is whether the EDA board has to put it back to the county and make it work that way, or we can figure out how to make it work through the EDA for auditing purposes,” Koons said.

Simpson said that while a motionable action to approve the $100,000 had been added, the main intent of this section was to have a discussion and establish clarity on where the Building Blocks project is and what the County EDA is looking to do moving forward.

With the goal established to determine how funding Building Blocks with $100,000 would work, that intent was met and the discussion ended with plans to bring it back up at June’s County EDA meeting.

In other news:

– The County EDA is working with Region Nine to put together a Federal EDA grant request. The request would seek assistance regarding recent manufacturing losses in Martin and Faribault counties.

– A Main Street Business Focused on Food and Ag (MBFFA) Program was approved by the County EDA. The program is free for the County to enroll in and would provide virtual seminars for local businesses in areas such as advertising and technical assistance. The seminars would be hosted in a physical space. Koons said it wouldn’t hurt to enroll in the program because it’s free, but was concerned about how much business owners can take away from one-and-done virtual programs.

– A proposal from the Text My Gov organization was considered. The service would allow for individuals or groups in the Martin County government to set up text alert chains for citizens to receive immediate information. Simpson said it would not require hiring any new workers, but would require a $4,000 investment the first year, followed by a $2,500 fee annually. It was decided to look into whether or not this would be worth the cost, and will be brought back at the June County EDA meeting.