Anderson Brothers Construction plans to relocate its facility from Highway 210 in east Brainerd to the city’s industrial park off Thiesse Road.
Brainerd City Council members agreed Monday, Sept. 21, to sell Anderson Brothers the remaining 13 lots of Phase IV of the industrial park for $1 per acre. The company will pay development fees and already submitted a $10,000 development payment for the lots on Thiesse Road and County Highway 45.
With the move, Anderson Brothers will consolidate the three different sites it runs, resulting in about 10 employees relocating to the new facility in Brainerd.
“The EDA and the council worked together and laid out a process in 2019 for sale of these properties,” Community Development Director told the council’s personnel and finance committee Monday.
Though the city currently owns the land, it will convey the lots to the EDA for sale. Under state statute, the EDA has the right to take the land back and resell it if the developer does not meet the development timeline outlined in the purchase agreement.
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On top of consolidating three locations, Anderson Brothers CEO Terry McFarland said in a letter to the council the move will help with easier and safer access to facilities and expanding yard capacity to store the company’s ever-increasing fleet of equipment.
When asked about what will become of the current location, McFarland said the company leases that property, so its future will be up to the owners.
Council member Dave Pritschet thanked McFarland for considering Brainerd for the move.
“I like to think we always welcome businesses to open and develop here,” Pritschet said.
In other business Sept. 21, the council:
Accepted the resignation of Dixie Sandborn, records management technician at the police department, effective Sept. 25. The council also authorized staff to begin advertising and interviewing to fill the position.
Hired Swanson Haskamp Consulting to perform a comprehensive update of the city’s zoning code. Costs are not to exceed $90,000. The city budgeted $50,000 for the expense in 2020 and planned to budget the same amount in 2021.
Renewed its contract with Ratwick, Roszak & Maloney Law Firm for civil legal services for 2021 and 2022. Rates will stay the same for 2021. In 2022, hourly rates will increase by $5, and the retainer will increase by $2,000.
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Approved an event/street closure application for the Bikers for Kids Kinship Partners event from 8:30 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 3, on Front Street in front of the Brainerd American Legion. Front Street will be closed between Seventh and Eighth streets during the event.
Approved an event/street closure application for the Visit Brainerd open house from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, on Laurel Street in front of the Visit Brainerd store. A portion of Laurel Street will be closed from South Seventh Street to the alley until 7:30 p.m.
Accepted a downtown snow remove bid from Tom’s Backhoe for 2020-21. There will be a 2.5% increase from the past year’s services, which staff said is similar to past increases. The city solicited bids from five firms and got a response only from Tom’s Backhoe.
Approved the final payment of $48,583.80 to Knife River for the Old Stonebridge Trail project.
Reappointed Marie Kirsch to the Economic Development Authority, with a new term to expire Sept. 7, 2021.
Accepted a Babe the Blue Ox statue from the Brainerd Lakes Chamber of Commerce to be placed in the right-of-way downtown. The chamber will work The Crossing Arts Alliance to select a local artist to paint the statue.
Scheduled four assessment hearings for the regular council meeting Oct. 19. The council will host assessment hearings for: 2020 nuisance abatement and downtown special services district, Old Stonebridge Trail lift project, northeast Brainerd resurfacing project, and Buffalo Hills Lane and Mississippi Drive reconstruction project.
THERESA BOURKE may be reached at theresa.bourke@brainerddispatch.com or 218-855-5860. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/DispatchTheresa .
