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BRHSC master reuse plan OK'd
Staff Writer The Brainerd City Council on Monday approved the master reuse plan for the Brainerd Regional Human Services Center.
The council had previously given its conceptual approval to the master plan.
The master plan offers a number of alternatives, ranging from razing the site, to sparing certain buildings and demolishing or mothballing others. The plan states that the best uses for the BRHSC property would be to continue in health and social service programs.
Specific revisions made by the council to the master plan include that the master plan would not expose the city and local taxpayers to financial risk or shift the burden of dealing with the surplus BRHSC campus to the city of Brainerd, and that the council president would appoint a committee to negotiate and make recommendations to the city council regarding the implementation of the master plan agreement. Also, the city council will strive to meet with the Crow Wing County Board regarding the master plan.
BRHSC is a state-owned, 127-acre campus at Highways 18 and 25 in southeast Brainerd. The county was a partner with the state in developing alternative uses for the campus after state programs moved or shut down. However, when the plan was completed, the Crow Wing County Board deferred its implementation to the city of Brainerd.
If the city purchased the campus from the state for $1, future costs to the city could include maintaining vacant buildings until they are sold. The state, in the 2008 Legislature, would seek funds to assist with abatement, demolition and marketing.
The plan suffered a setback last week when it was announced that the parent company of Mille Lacs Academy, currently located in Onamia, decided against building an estimated $7 million to $8 million project on 18 acres on the BRHSC campus.
In other action, the council:
Voted to continue its public hearing about downtown Brainerd street improvements for 30 days until its second meeting in May. Several downtown business owners attended Monday's meeting. Ed Menk of E.L. Menk Jewelers asked that the council continue the meeting in 60 days so business owners could meet and come to a consensus on road improvement proposals. The council gave them 30 days.
An agenda item requested by council member Bob Olson to discuss reimbursing Terry Moberg for providing information for a fire truck purchase was pulled from the agenda at the request of Moberg.
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