Month: December 2020

The Crookston School Board will have a special meeting on Thursday at 5:00 p.m. in the Crookston High School choir/orchestra room.

The main agenda includes –

Approval of the Learning model for the district.  The board will also be asked to approve the extension of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) emergency leave for employees, which are set to expire December 31, 2020.
The final item on the agenda is the approval of additional prep time for teachers per Governor Walz’s order.

AmericInn by Wyndham in Crookston recently received $27,935 from the CARES Act Small Business grants from the City of Crookston and the money was used to add new automatic sliding doors.

General Manager Cory Dallager said they used those funds to put in new automatic doors to help limit the spear of COVID-19. “Our project was to be new automatic sliding glass doors in,” said Dallager. “We knew the grant money was there and wanted to put it to put towards the doors right away. With the COVID stuff, you don’t have to touch the door. It is touchless and kind of helps not spread COVID. It’s one of the things we used the City of Crookston grant for. We’d like to thank the City of Crookston for getting us the grant money. That was a nice thing and helped the improvements of our property as well.”

Dallager said nearly all of the grant went to the doors. “Right now, it’s just the doors,” said Dallager. “That covered the portion of the doors. It was $27,000 we got from the City of Crookston from the grant fund. It was a good chunk with the electrician doing the work too.”

Dallager also expressed optimism that rooms will start to fill up with the approval of the Enbridge Line 3 replacement project, which he believes will help businesses across Crookston. “Hopefully, the business keeps on getting busy with the pipeline approved to come through,” said Dallager. “We’re starting to get some more business from that and hopefully, it continues on for the next couple of months. It’s starting to slowly fill up. Every day I’m getting calls about rooms and everything in the area is starting to fill up I am hearing. Hopefully, it brings more business to our town, fills up Crookston, and gives the restaurants and stores business in town.”

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On Monday, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency approved Enbridge’s Line 3 Replacement construction stormwater permit. This was the final permit required before Enbridge can begin construction of the replacement pipeline.

“Today’s announcement is the long-awaited news communities across Northern Minnesota were waiting to hear. Our Covid-battered economy and the safety of our residents and environment can all benefit from this project,” said Senator Mark Johnson (R-East Grand Forks). “For six years, Enbridge and the state have dedicated resources and time to create a safe replacement line. I am excited to see this project begin.

Unfortunately, there is still a risk that the Governor’s reluctance to support the project could again hamstring this critical work.  The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) may still hold a special meeting that could produce a stay, halting the 3 Replacement construction until the court of appeals case has concluded. It is my hope that no unreasonable stay is granted. As our economy continues to suffer from COVID and the ongoing lockdown, we must work together to secure high paying jobs and safer energy for Minnesotans when we need them most.”

Enbridge’s Line 3 stretches from Alberta, Canada, to a major oil distribution terminal at Superior, Wis. The line cuts across the northeast corner of North Dakota and continues across all of northern Minnesota. The line in Minnesota is the only portion of the line that has yet to be replaced. The other segments of the old line in Canada, North Dakota, and Wisconsin have already been replaced with a modern, safer, and technically superior pipeline.