Moorhead City Council Meeting
March 9 2015
Chuck Chadwick
Fargo Parking at the Moorhead Center Mall
The City Council discussed the City of Fargo’s request to operate a shuttle between the Center Mall and downtown Fargo and use public parking lots for the service at the Moorhead Center Mall.
Tim Mahoney, acting Fargo mayor presented the program to the Council. Because of the proposed flood protection plans, the City of Fargo will lose significant downtown parking spaces. They approached the City of Moorhead with a plan to establish a new transit route that would connect proposed stops in downtown Fargo to the Moorhead Center Mall in 15-minute intervals with no cost to the riders. The proposed commuter bus service would be on a 9-month trial basis with Monday – Saturday service hours. It is requested that a portion of the Moorhead Center Mall ramp accommodate 100-200 cars and transit users daily. The cost of operating the bus route would be a City of Fargo expense. Other costs such as parking lot striping, signage, sweeping, and snow removal for parking areas not currently utilized by Center Mall businesses or patrons would be negotiated later.
Matt Maslowski, Moorhead’s Economic Development Director and Moorhead Center Mall General Manager Melissa Rademacher spoke in favor of the proposal because it has the potential to increase customer traffic to the mall and surrounding businesses. They said that the businesses contacted responded positively to the idea.
Even though the Council agreed that uniting the two downtowns is a worthy goal, the Council questioned if this specific proposal was in the best interest of the city. Council Member Durand questioned whether just one Moorhead stop was sufficient and several other members questioned the fairness of the arrangement as well. Wanting more details on how the proposal would benefit Moorhead, a task will be formed to explore the opportunities of the plan and report the findings.
Center Mall Background
The Center Mall ramp and parking lots surrounding the complex were constructed in various phases during Moorhead’s urban renewal period beginning in the early 1970s. The hallways located inside the Center Mall and the ramp and adjacent parking lots are owned and operated by the City of Moorhead, a developer, and the individual condominium owners who own their retail spaces. According to a joint resolution adopted by the parties in 2007, the City participates in maintenance and operational costs of the parking surfaces at a rate of 18.4%. The developer and condominium owners are responsible for the balance of maintenance and project costs when permanent improvements are constructed at the facility.
Presentation: Jim Gartin, Greater Fargo-Moorhead Economic Development Corporation (GFMEDC)
As the lead economic development organization for Cass and Clay Counties, the GFMEDC is charged with understanding the overall economic priorities for the area and determining how best they can be addressed.
The Cass-Clay plan is an opportunity to focus on what has been working, take on new tasks, and once again build on a solid foundation that has led to a more diversified and sustainable economic base.
Gartin explained that beginning in the spring of 2014, the GFMEDC initiated a process to update the Cass-Clay County Economic Plan. Previously adopted in 2007, the Plan had identified five components necessary to becoming a destination for high growth, high wage industries.
While the region is growing in population, it is not growing fast enough. There is a need to attract and grow talent in order to remain competitive. Employment and wages are increasing, but wages still lag the national average. There is a highly educated talent base with the capacity to innovate and start new businesses, but that opportunity may not be fully realized given limited access to risk capital. And finally, while the Fargo-Moorhead region is gaining new recognition for its economic performance, employment opportunities and place-based assets, selling the region to new residents without any previous connection or experience to the region remains a challenge.
Other Council Actions
1. Approved the Moorhead Youth Hockey Association request to conduct gambling activities on May 3, 2015 at the Moorhead Youth Hockey Arena
2. Approved the First Reading of the proposed ordinance regulating Massage Therapy
3. Approved the First Reading to amend the code relating to Taxicabs and limousines
Driving ranges at The Meadows
and Village Green Golf Courses are open
With the warm temperatures we’re enjoying and a promising long range forecast, we are happy to announce that the driving ranges at The Meadows and Village Green Golf Courses opened on Wednesday, March 11. This is the earliest opening date for the driving ranges in the history of either course.
The Meadows is located at 401 34th Street S, Moorhead. Village Green Golf Course is located at 3421 30 Ave S, Moorhead.
http://www.cityofmoorhead.com/departments/parks-and-recreation/golf-courses
Art of Tasting Tea
Learn the preferred way to select, steep, sip, and store fine loose leaf tea. Taste a variety of teas paired with treats.
Presented by A Woman’s Perspective. Hosted by the Fine Arts Club, 601 4th Street S., Fargo. Tuesday, March 17, 1 pm. Reservations encouraged. (701) 232-5389, awp@handworks.org .
Bloch moving on
The Bloch is leaving Moorhead after traveling Europe (Switzerland and Germany) in 2012, Asia (China, Taiwan, and Singapore) in 2013, and last summer continued its journey to North America by visiting the Hjemkomst Center and North Dakota in July and August 2014.
To see where the Bloch is traveling next visitwww.bloch23781.com.
Terry Shoptaugh Presents
New Red River Flood Book at HCS
Local historian and retired MSUM professor Dr. Terry Shoptaugh presents his newest book Red River Floods at the Hjemkomst Center on Sunday March 22, 2015 at 2pm. This new book presents a detailed photographic account of the ebb and flow of Red River flood waters in the Fargo/Moorhead area since 1871. A wide variety of images offer a multifaceted perspective from residents, local flood-fighting crews, and state and federal agencies. An opportunity for book signing and questions will follow the presentation which is free and open to the public
Shoptaugh’s new book goes beyond explaining the flood waters themselves and dives into the local community as well as industrial and agricultural issues that arise along with the flood waters. More than 200 images show the changes of this region’s reactions to the flood over time.
Pedestrian Bridge
has been raised
The pedestrian bridge at Memorial Park in Moorhead has been raised in anticipation of the Red River’s rise. The bridge connects to Oak Grove Park in Fargo. For more information or if you have questions, please contact Moorhead Parks and Recreation at 218.299.5340.
West Central MN Small Bus. Dev. Ctr Presents Student Internship Discussion
The West Central Minnesota Small Business Development Center (WC MN SBDC) is hosting a Student Internships Discussion in Moorhead. The discussion will focus on ways to provide hands on experience for students interested in working with small businesses.
Who: Small business owners, community leaders, and individuals seeking to start a business
What: Interactive discussion to prepare, educate and inform small business owners on topics that affect their business
When: Wednesday, March 18 from Noon-12:45 p.m.
Where: Grant Center, Room 119, 901 8th St. S., Moorhead, Minn.
The WC MN SBDC will be hosting similar discussions around the region on a monthly basis. Each discussion will last for 30 to 45 minutes. There is no cost to join the discussions and no need to register. If there is a need to cancel or reschedule due to weather or another concern, the SBDC will be posting this change on their Facebook page at facebook.com/MnSBDC.
These discussions are held in conjunction with the WC MN SBDC Satellite Days. Each month, the WC MN SBDC has satellite office hours in Alexandria, Detroit Lakes, Fergus Falls, Hawley, Moorhead, Morris, and Perham. The Satellite Days are designed for business managers or those interested in starting a business to walk in or schedule a meeting with a SBDC business consultant to discuss their business related questions. For more information contact Sheila at with the West Central MN SBDC at (218) 299-3037 orsbdc@cord.edu.
Moorhead Business Association
begins the hunt for a new Executive Director
The MBA has announced its search for a new Executive Director. The Executive Director is the Chief Executive Officer of Moorhead Business Association (MBA). The Executive Director reports to the Board of Directors, and is responsible for the organization’s consistent achievement of its strategic and operational mission objectives. This position is contracted by and serves the Board of Directors.
Interested parties can e-mail board@moorheadbusinessassociation.org for more information on the position.
Felony Financial Credit Card Fraud Arrests
Three California Men in Custody in Moorhead
On Monday March 9, a Clay County Deputy conducted a traffic stop on a silver Ford Fusion rental car that was believed to be associated with an on-going credit card fraud investigation in Moorhead. The three occupants, DONGJU CAO (26 years old), XIONGJIE LIN (22 years old), and JIAJIANG ZHOU (20 years old), all from California, were taken into custody without incident. These three individuals had attempted to make purchases at the EastTen Target Store using cloned credit cards that contained stolen personal information. This investigation is on-going and involves not only our Fargo-Moorhead metro area, but appears to extend into the Twin Cities area. Any business, or individual, that discovers that they have been a victim of credit card fraud is asked to contact their local law enforcement agency to make a report.