OurWeek The Grant County Record in Grant County · Redevelopment Commission, January 5, 2026 · 2026-01-05 · full transcript https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRXmox_suGk Exported Mon, 14 Sep 2026 20:33:38 GMT Source: Search derivative of the 2026-08-10 proxy capture of YouTube auto-captions (rolling-caption duplication collapsed), mirrored from the county record index. Auto-captions garble names and numbers — verify wording against the recording before quoting. These transcripts are machine-generated. They garble proper nouns badly — company and personal names especially. Watch the recording before repeating any name, number, or quotation. The video is the record. ============================================================================== Indexed at https://ourweek.in/grant-county/reports/grant-county-record 0:02 I think I put in that one that the president of the commissioners is always you want to do it in between you say or after after after 0:33 >> I mean, with us getting Venezuela, I mean, what what are we thinking? >> Well, evidently they like it. That's all I can say. Chevron's up high. Really high, too. 1:31 Did you have fun scoring him? >> Yeah, quite a process. >> Is everybody here except Marty? I I I >> think so. 2:07 somebody like to say the prayer? Anyone? I can. >> Is it 12:01 yet? >> Yeah. >> Hello and welcome to this Grant County Redevelopment Commissioner meeting. Today's January the 5th, 2026. The time 2:39 Today's January the 5th, 2026. The time is 12:01. We'll have the prayer led by Miss Herring and the pledge of allegiance led by Mr. Leming. If you would stand. >> God, thank you for this new year, new beginnings and new possibilities. Pray that you'd guide us uh on the work that we do for the betterment of Grant County today. Amen. >> I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to theublic 3:11 States of America and to theublic stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Welcome and happy new year. We'll move right into the election of officers. Um I'll open up the floor for nominations for the president's seat. 3:43 Mr. President, I'd make a motion to uh keep officers the way they were in the previous year. >> I'd second that. >> So, I have a motion. Is is there are there any other nominations on the floor to to to seeing any? I have a motion for Mr. Lemming, a second for Mr. Street to retain the same officers as last year. um myself as president and I believe Victoria uh Herring as the vice president 4:13 president president this time. Is there a motion to close nominations or do you want to do it that way? Do we have to? >> You don't have to. You can, but you don't have to. If there's no motions made, then you're fine. >> Yeah. Okay. So, I have a motion and a second. Um all those in favor signify by saying I. >> I. All opposed. same sign. Motion carries. carries. carries. We'll move on to Thank you, by the way. And um 4:47 obviously, uh we got a lot ahead of us this year and each of each one of you. Um I value each one of your opinion and so I think that if we can put our heads together, I think we're going to have a great year and with Mr. Book out and I think Grant County is going to have a great year. So, thank you. We'll move on to item number two, approval of meeting minutes, uh, dated 121 of 2025. Are there any corrections to those minutes? minutes? minutes? >> Thank you, Mr. Bookout, for preparing the minutes. >> I did make sure that only 5:19 >> I did make sure that only >> Thank you. >> If there's no corrections, I'd entertain a motion for approval. So So >> second. >> I have a motion for Mr. Street, a second from Mr. Lemming to approve the Grant County Redevelopment Commission meeting minutes from December the 1st, 2025 at 12:00 p.m.. All those in favor signify by saying I. >> I. All opposed. Same sign. Motion 5:51 >> I. All opposed. Same sign. Motion carries. Minutes are approved. We'll move on to item number three, the 400 South Miller Avenue. the request for proposals uh scoring discussion regarding the Dana site. At this time, I'll turn it over to Mr. Book Out. Let's thank everyone for your time and due diligence. That wasn't an easy task that you were under 6:21 scores accordingly. I provided you a scoring summary. I was fortunate to get back proposal development redevelopment 6:55 question question 7:26 going to uh method or what they'd like to propose as the project. Correct. >> Is that the that that that through process like this top 8:00 >> I I I guess the question I have is and I know we got the top three scored but are either one of the top three are they best what's for Marion or for great county right now for us? I mean and how long is how long have we marketed this property? How long has this property been on I mean actually I mean has it been six months or has it been >> our RFP was distributed for 60 days? >> Yeah. I mean okay. okay. okay. >> Yeah. I I just don't see marriage for everything. I my opinion is 8:32 marriage for everything. I my opinion is I don't think any of them are what's best for that property in Great M. That's just opinion. >> No, I think that's a fair opinion. >> But this is my first uh walk through the process as well too. >> And so it uh >> this is a process that we've employed in the past >> without doing this exercise. >> It sits as it is. Sure. >> Agreed. >> So what I undertook on your behalf was 9:03 >> So what I undertook on your behalf was to call business which like machinery who's right across the street was you know very interested in in in we also try to circulate it amongst other group of developers around the state who may have get some interest from people who are not interested 9:48 for sale. Well, I can tell you since the public has started talking about it, >> yeah, >> I've gotten a lot more questions and it seems like a lot more interest from other people other than who are here, you know, that's just me and that could be total BS, right? I mean, you know, people say always, oh, I would have, but um, you know, I >> I think sometimes what I've seen too is once that people see that somebody, they think that something's there. >> So, initial interest. Exactly. 10:18 >> So, initial interest. Exactly. >> We're not going to have any response to this. And then once they see, wow, there were five and there was even six proposal which was not considered because they wanted for solar farm, but it was not that was not considered because it was not a lease. lease. lease. >> But yeah, once that initial interest became widely 10:49 >> Right. Right. >> My thought on the property, my opinion's always been that one uh we need to be able to fund RDC. And so I think that uh you know whether that's the half a million or million dollars that we've got to be able to take that burden off the county council to be able to fund our RDC since we're newly developed. And so that's kind of like goal number one. How do we fund long-term RDC? Number two is I just want to see it cleaned up. 11:19 is I just want to see it cleaned up. >> And so, no matter um as long as the the site is cleaned up and able to market somehow for something else, I personally would be happy. Not to say that I want to pick the end use. I just want to see this site cleaned up with the potential to be used. That's the way I feel. I mean, I just don't I mean, I I don't think think think it's our job to our job is to help decide who buys it or 11:52 our job is to help decide who buys it or gets it. But if we're going to clean it up, I mean, does that is that something that we should say, should we spend $100,000 cleaning it up? And was that more marketable then? >> I'm going to ask a question. I missed last meeting, so if anything is repetitive, I'm sorry. Yeah, I know some of the proposals like uh you know part of that was part of the cleanup >> in each of the proposals >> the proposals but that's that's that's on them if we decide to go with them. >> Yeah. And I would assume um and I hate that word but let's say you chose one 12:22 that word but let's say you chose one and they didn't live up to the expectations. Is there any teeth on the back end? >> Yes. In the proposal, it was written that they agree to pay the property taxes for a period of five years going forward or for the property tax. tax. tax. >> Okay. >> I was just kind of surprised that the American American Research and Aluminum, the one that was going to provide the most jobs, which I think is probably number one for Grant County and Marian was the lowest score. That was because none of the 12:53 score. That was because none of the others really create any jobs per se, right? Um, that was it was surprising. >> I I would look at it. My call to to Brad would was more like, well, how do I know that what they're writing is is accurate? Do we we don't have a balance sheet? We don't have anything from that company to say they have money to invest. So, I felt like there were in my my personal there was opportunity to say, well, you're leaving it up my discretion to say, do they really have this? Are they really going to do what 13:23 this? Are they really going to do what they say they're going to do? So I think that the next process and I and I've never done this either is to find that out if we're going to go to the next step is to say hey how do you really how are you going to do it? >> The next step would be to have that executive session do that due diligence do that deeper dive to find out are they legitimate can they do what they say they're going to do. >> Okay 13:53 to an economic development agreement for this body to and Mr. Street that would also uh continue the discussion um through the executive session the uh the commission would still have the ability to just reject all proposals. >> Yeah. Yeah. So >> I'm not that's not what I was it was just like I said it was just surprising you know some of the things looking at >> but but also should we say okay we are only going to limit to these since there is some more >> interest should we say okay we're only 14:23 >> interest should we say okay we're only going to limit to these three three or four people I mean should we say okay we're going to >> well what what that would look like and Brad you can correct me if I'm wrong is if the commission thinks that there's more interest the commission would just reject all bids and we could issue a new RFP. >> Well, is is there a way of not rejecting but continuing? >> Yeah, just reopening it. >> Reopen it for, let's say, we're going to reopen it for 60 days. >> Um, you know, these people can with if they have the chance to withdraw the bid. I mean, if they don't like, you know, reopen it for 14:53 like, you know, reopen it for 15:23 back back >> I'm just telling Brad what what been said, right? Whether anybody actually does that and follows up anything, I don't know. But I think it just seems kind of a small amount of time to you know make us say okay pick from these three people because especially when we don't know all the details and >> um >> but the reason we have the property 15:53 that's in my mind in going through that process um any business could have purchased it through the tax >> in our local area. Right. That is true. >> Yes. Absolutely. >> Opportunity. >> Yeah. I'm not saying statewide or something else. And I agree with you. I was a little disappointed when I and my scoring was probably matched some of that is is all the jobs. But then when I looked at the economics, I didn't feel like they had they didn't answer the question like they had the economics to go with what they were proposing. So >> a data center sounds good as long as we can get it done or you have the 16:23 can get it done or you have the wherewithal to build it. >> I think we go ahead and do the executive sessions. I don't think that or an executive session. I don't think there's any no foul no harm, but I think that uh we could be in the meantime looking through legal just to see has there ever been one back up for 60 more days. 16:55 been one back up for 60 more days. >> Yeah. >> I mean, >> Marty, is that legally? I mean, are we legally bound to do anything with any of these? these? these? >> You know, you could you can reject them at any time. They could all be rejected. It would just we just start over. >> It's very explicit in the actual document also that it says 17:27 so if you did reject them all, you reserve the right you could still negotiate with at the same time respondents do get their feelings hurt because they put a lot of work into something and they they come here to visit and they they do a lot of you saw some of those responses were people spent hours putting them together went pretty quick >> yeah some of some a couple of them went pretty quick right I mean >> couple were 20 minutes >> a couple of the top three so >> we don't want We don't want to also be 17:57 >> we don't want We don't want to also be very careful messaging back to them that we're not I respect the word rejecting all bids but also want to temper that that we still leave that door open if that's something we want to come back to shut that door 18:27 I hope it open everyone's eyes when you have a taxpast it definitely opened the eyes and you know 18:57 in the tax sale and different things and um it uh I think it was an eye openener for the other units of government government as well like oh we can do this so I think it's just setting the stage stage stage >> yes >> I think that there'll be more to come so so I guess I'll entertain a motion on how we're supposed to proceed 19:34 I mean I would make a motion. I mean as long as legally we can do this is you know for 60 more days if we're more to for other entities to come forward to put more >> if I mean like I said Marty legally or I don't want to make everybody mad, but I don't mind making a couple people mad. 20:05 there's anybody else that wants to come forward. So, So, >> so to clarify, the motion would be to open the RFP for 60 more days. Is that >> I don't know if there's a time frame that we want to put on it. I guess maybe that's some discussion. 20:37 that's some discussion. >> I don't know if the time frame is right or it is right. I guess territory like you said territory I've not done it before. I want to make sure we legally my only recommendation make the motion subject to council review. >> Okay. >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> Makes sense to me. I mean I actually don't want to do anything that's >> Yeah. I'm going to have to look in to see um how that can 21:08 have to look in to see um how that can be done. I'm not saying it can't, but I want 21:39 I'm not expecting to to find any. >> So but I'm going to look. >> So just so that I can comply to make sure the way you want to do itch. >> Yeah. I mean I don't know if a time frame I mean I guess I hate to put time frames because but you have to understand understand understand >> I would maybe suggest 22:10 maybe suggest that you >> that's what I would >> so the motion is to open the RFPs uh for the for 400 South Miller Avenue um to March the 2nd. Right. Right. Right. >> And then pending legal uh council review. 22:40 review. review. >> And we'll t we'll table these until that time. time. time. >> Table till that time. >> All right. >> I guess my only question is Mr. What would you like to see as far as >> um >> you know I don't know hope hopefully five other people some of those 500 jobs to do it right but you know it's probably not going to happen but um you like I said I think I don't think it was >> I guess and I'm just going based on what 23:11 >> I guess and I'm just going based on what you know >> see is you know everybody says well if I had known if I had known >> um and I don't know how I mean they obviously had the opportunity to know agree I mean you know I'm They'll get one chance. >> What's that? >> They'll get one chance. >> What do you mean they'll get one chance? >> I mean, they they already had one chance. They're only going to get one more. more. more. >> Y >> um people should know going forward from here on out that um there probably won't be anything rebid >> and reopen. >> Well, who who makes that decision? 23:41 >> Well, who who makes that decision? >> Well, I think this board will >> No, but that's not set in stone that there's going to be no that we can't do this again. Well, I understand, but it makes it a challenge for everyone. If we send out bids and everyone just keeps dribbling them in um and keep asking for extensions, it makes it extra challenge for for the developers to get timelines and have some predictability and and how they um respond to these opportunities. >> I understand that. >> Okay, I have a motion. I have a second. 24:11 >> Okay, I have a motion. I have a second. We're all clear on the motion in the second. second. second. >> Do you want to do a roll call or voice vote? vote? vote? or I mean okay all those in favor signify by saying I. >> All oppose same sign. >> Just for clarification would you like it or would you like me to send it to certain individuals? >> Both. >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> Right. Right. I mean as I don't know I 24:41 >> Right. Right. I mean as I don't know I mean I guess as much attention as we can draw to it >> Yeah. uh would be my suggestion. Um I don't know how to do I mean that's >> where do you advertise >> but not mine >> where do you advertise >> in the chronicle tribune and then also it also picked up a national projects like this 25:11 projects like this >> is there I mean is there anything statewide Brad that you could where you could post it or put it that would >> yes the contractors contractors and we did have one interesting 25:41 county tour as a result of that yeah and they ended up they didn't like that particular site but they're looking at other spots >> well that's what they want to do way. >> So, it's generating other interest, >> right? >> Absolutely. Yeah. >> Yeah. I mean, any place that we could advertise it to put it out there to to potentially get a lead, I think that would be, you know, what we should do. 26:11 >> I have distributed already several within the community who if you have other names of someone, I'm guessing someone that didn't receive it. >> There's been more than one, but >> share those names with me and I'll be happy to make sure. >> Okay. We'll move on to item number four, declaratory resolution 001 2025 and 002 2025 update. >> Yeah. So this is uh when Dustin Meeks from Barsburg was here at the last two meetings, he talked to you about a 26:41 meetings, he talked to you about a timetressing workinger workinger with Attorney Marker to have that on the plane commission meeting. >> Yeah. Which I think it goes to the area plan this month. Correct. 27:13 plan this month. Correct. 27:44 March what? Uh I don't have the date in front of me. February >> the second. February the second. Motion to adjurnn. >> So move. Second. Second. >> I have a motion for Mr. Limming, a second for Mr. Street to adjourn. All those in favor signify by saying I. >> I. All oppose. Same sign. I'll see you in February. 28:16 I'll see you in February. >> Grand in our county. It's It's a uh gerbil or something. something. something. >> Didn't you see the mayor last time? >> Oh.