***FINAL VERSION 4-21-22***

Good afternoon.

Thanks for attending the East Grand Forks State of the City, and welcome to everyone
watching online live or streaming later on.

First I want to thank the sponsors for today’s event. Our sponsors are located on both sides
of the river, creating a nice bridge between the two cities.

Thanks to the East Grand Forks—Grand Forks Chamber of Commerce for organizing this
event, especially Kimberly Strom and Barry Wilfahrt.

Thanks to Tommy Kenville, Chamber Board Chair. You have shown great leadership in this
community for many years, and your work on behalf of our businesses and citizens is much
appreciated.

Pastor Sonja Brucklacher, thank you for providing the invocation today.

Thanks to the Honor Guard from the East Grand Forks Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 3817.

I would like to thank Misti Koop for singing our National Anthem today.

Thanks to Megan Nelson, our City Clerk and Corey Thompson, technology manager, EGF
Water & Light.

Thanks to HB Sound and Light for all the work you have put into this.

I would also like to thank David Murphy, our City Administrator, and all our department heads
and City staff who give such great service to our residents.

Thank you President Mark Olstad and City Council members. There’s great teamwork around
here, even though we butt heads once in a while. The ability to have strong, respectful
disagreement, while maintaining friendship, is a big deal. My wife and I do it all the time.

One important reason to have the State of the City event is to keep us accountable. We need
to make plans according to the preferences of the people we serve, and we need to follow
through on those plans. At last year’s State of the City, I shared our plans for 2021. Many of
them were long-range plans and so are still being worked out. We have made progress on
each of the goals identified.

Our number one goal for 2021 was to move forward with our Park and Recreation updates,
including ice arenas and baseball diamonds. We have continued working on the plan, and
currently have legislation in St. Paul to bring it to a vote of the people this fall.

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I am proud of all our Park and Recreation programs. I am a big believer in lifelong fitness,
and everything we do requires teamwork. It is good for these young men and women to get
off the couch, get into the game, and have fun doing it. This year our Pee Wee A and Bantam
A teams both won their respective State Tournaments, so it looks like our high school
program will continue to be strong in future years.

I would like to invite Reid Huttunen, East Grand Forks Parks and Recreation Superintendant,
to bring us an update on our ice arenas and baseball complex, along with some exciting news
about our Greenway and boat launch project.

**Introduce Reid Huttunen

One of our top goals for 2021 was to make progress toward completion of two south end
bridges. We need a neighborhood bridge to connect residential areas, and a bridge further
south, probably at Merrifield Road, to handle commercial, agricultural, truck, and other traffic.
This planning is ongoing.

Along with that, we know that we need to make Bygland Road improvements including
improving pedestrian safety, especially at 13th Street SE, and improving access for motorists,
especially where Bygland intersects Rhinehart Drive. We have progressed nicely along this
corridor, and at this time, I’d like to introduce Brian Larson of the EGF City Council to share an
update.

**Introduce Brian Larson

Another goal for 2021 was to take care of the existing pavement on our City streets.

 We have been working on 20th Street and 5th Avenue NW. We prepared plans and
specifications. We had the project bid, and are now in the process of considering next
steps.
 I would like to invite Mist Koop, a resident of this neighborhood, forward at this time to bring
us up to speed on the project on 20th and 5th.

**Introduce Misti Koop

Another goal for 2021 was to enhance our business community. We were focused on
business retention and expansion.

 A little later on in today’s program, we’ll take a walk around the community and see that
great progress has been made with more to come.

We set a goal for 2021 to keep financial reserves on target. With careful spending and
accounting by City staff, and with the help of the Federal and State governments, we are
coming out of the COVID pandemic in excellent shape, about the way we went into it, with
strong reserves, and having kept property taxes down to about the rate of inflation.
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We continue to focus on entry-level housing. With building material costs as high as they are
right now, this is extremely challenging.

We continue working on Local Government Aid for our community with the State of
Minnesota. It appears that we have leveled off in terms of reductions, and are seeing slight
increases in the future.

The City of East Grand Forks has a lot of important linkages with groups in our community.

Pre-K to 12th Grade Education

Our schools are amazing. Superintendent Mike Kolness, along with all the faculty and
administration, give amazing service to our school-age kids. They led our facilities through
the COVID-19 pandemic, and accomplished major facility updates in the past year including
parking lots and new roofs on several of our schools. Bring in Sacred Heart School and
Riverside Christian School, and the educational opportunities for our children are almost
endless.

City of Grand Forks

Mayor Bochenski and I have a great working relationship, and I really enjoy attending various
functions with him. Now that I know he cheats at zip line racing, I’ll be ready next time.

We work closely with Grand Forks City Administrator Todd Feland, Council President Dana
Sande, and the rest of the Grand Forks City Council. We tend to be more cordial toward one
another in person than we are in the media.

Grand Forks Air Force Base

We are blessed to have the Grand Forks Air Force Base in our community. Over the past
year, I have gotten to know Base Commander Colonel Timothy Curry, who took command of
the Base on June 30, 2021. Colonel Curry is an amazing young man—young because he is
more than ten years younger than I am. Our Air Force Base personnel are fortunate to serve
under his command.

I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have leading our Air Force Base into future challenges and
changing roles than Colonel Curry.

Thank you to everyone from the Grand Forks Air Force Base, and to all members of the
United States Armed Forces—active duty, National Guard, Reserves, and retired.

Northland Community and Technical College

Northland is a comprehensive two-year community & technical college offering 80+ program
options. Northland also has a liberal arts & transfer program which offers students the first
two years of a bachelor's degree.
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Over the past year I have enjoyed getting to know Dr. Sandy Kiddoo. I have learned that she
grew up in Wisconsin and most recently lived in Hazard Kentucky—the inspiration for the TV
show, The Dukes of Hazard. I also learned that she operates a small chicken ranch. We
recently met in one of the labs on campus at Northland. Here’s how that went.

**Northland Video**

University of North Dakota

The University of North Dakota is an invaluable resource for this area. UND’s enrollment is
over 13,500 students. UND employs almost 2,500 people from our region. UND brings tons
of sports and cultural events to our community. We’re glad you’re here!

UND President Andrew Armacost has been with us for almost two years and is doing a great
job. He has the respect of students, faculty, and administration, and is also well-respected in
the community. I see good things ahead for UND.

In past years I have requested and received detailed reports from our City department heads
about their accomplishments for the past year and their plans for the future. This year, I gave
them a break—but be prepared—next year I’ll be back for more information. We do have City
Council President Mark Olstad to tell us about awards given out in our Police and Fire
Departments this past year. President Olstad, would you come on up please?

**Presentation by Mark Olstad**

For the year 2022, many of our priorities have remained constant, and a few have been
tweaked.

 We plan to continue moving toward approval of a local option sales tax to fund updates
to our ice arenas and baseball facilities.
 We plan to continue moving toward construction of two south-end bridges
o We have purchased land along one of the proposed bridge corridors because it
came up for auction and we had an opportunity to acquire it at a fair market price
o We are bringing in a consultant to make sure we follow the right steps in the right
order in the design and construction of the bridges
o We are working with the City of Grand Forks, the two counties, states, and federal
government to line up the necessary approval and funding
 We plan to sell commercial property and some bare land owned by the City
o This will free up our resources for other priorities
o These activities are better left to the private sector

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  We are revising and implementing an overall transportation infrastructure plan for the
city—including Bygland Road, the Industrial Park, and other streets in need of repair or
replacement
 We are focused on business development, including commercial, industrial, with an eye
toward child care and affordable housing as these ultimately impact business
development

The theme for this year’s event is “You love our downtown…Just wait 'til you see the
rest of our city!” We really are proud of our downtown—Cabela’s, the movie theatres, the
State Campground, the greenway trail and boat launch area, and all the great restaurants.

That said, East Grand Forks is so much more than that.

 I took a loop south of town, and came across R. J. Zavoral and Sons Corporate office.
They have been a great employer in East Grand Forks since 1951, and are incredibly
generous when there is a need in the community.
 I passed by Higher Ground and Superior Fenders
 To the south and east, I discovered Simplot Grower Solutions and Thompson Elevator
 I came by Vigen Construction. Tucked away right there is a world-class builder of slip-
form grain elevators and many other things—another great employer in our region since
1938.
 Then I went by Todd’s Trailer Sales and Rental—if you haven’t been in there, Todd has
a nice place.
 Next, there was Bert’s Truck Equipment—they’ve been in East Grand Forks since 1939
and are still going strong in the third generation.
 There’s Mayo Manufacturing—Founded in 1952, and constantly expanding ever since.
 Next was Lumber Mart—originally established in 1949, becoming Lumber Mart in 1982,
they supply lumber and all building materials, they manufacture trusses, and they
provide complete drafting services, among other things.
 Next was American Crystal Sugar Company, so I decided to stop and visit with Lloyd
Kennedy for a bit.

**Insert American Crystal Video

 I went by the Strata Ready-mix concrete plant—welcome to East Grand Forks

 I saw Folson Farms, which is a 5th generation, family owned, grower, packer and
distributor of red and yellow potatoes right here in East Grand Forks
 Right next door was A&L Potato. They are another family business, established in
1941. They grow, store, wash, and market red and yellow potatoes.
 Next was the newly expanded Northland Custom Woodworking

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  Back to the east I found the Hefty Seed Company. I’m not sure what they do, but their
property looked cool, so I took a couple of pictures.
 Coming back into town along Highway 2, I went by the Nelson International Truck
dealership
 And there was Fert-l-Lawn, a full-service, 4-season landscaping and lawn care service.
They’ve been in business in the greater Grand Forks area since 1980.
 I saw Midwest Ag Sales. I’m glad that they opened in that building—I’ve driven by there
dozens of times and thought that’s a prime location to open a business—Good job folks!
 I swung past Northern Valley Machine, so I decided to stop in for a visit and say hello to
Frank Walski.

**Insert Northern Valley Machine Video

 Just down the road was the North Country Food Bank, and I decided to stop and visit
with Susie Boelter, Executive Director.

**Insert North Country Food Bank Video

 Some of these streets are among those slated for reconstruction in the near future.
 I drove past Hawkes Manufacturing and Dakota Peat. Hawkes Manufacturing, with their
Dakota line, is a world leader in the design and manufacture of golf course maintenance
equipment. And Dakota Peat has a complete line of products to enrich the soil.
 I went by St. Michel Furniture, a recent addition we are glad to have in our community
 I saw East Grand Inn, a longtime part of our community.
 Fairfield Inn is an important part of our business district. I see great opportunities for
them in the future as we move forward with our recreation plans. Along with that, the
entire neighborhood is improving.
 I went by Hugo’s. As I have considered this company, they have really anchored our
eastern business district for decades, bringing lots of traffic and many satisfied
customers.
 I went by the commercial lot west of Hugo’s which is staked for construction, with steel
and construction equipment on site. This will be the future home of a new Dollar
General Store.
 On the corner, there is a new Walgreen’s Store where a vacant building once stood.

The US Congress enacted a law in the year 1988 that set aside the first Thursday in May in
each year as a national day of prayer, and empowers the President of the United States to
make that proclamation. President Biden has made that proclamation for May 5th, which is
two weeks from today. For the cities of Grand Forks, East Grand Forks, and the entire region,
we will observe the National Day of Prayer this year with a breakfast at the East Grand Forks
Eagles Club. Our plan is to make this an annual event, alternating between Grand Forks and

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East Grand Forks. Please mark your calendars, and go online to reserve your ticket. Tickets
are free of charge, and a free will offering will be received.

We still have lots to do.

There are buildings available near the intersection of Highway 220 North and Highway 2. The
way things are going, I believe that they will be occupied before too long.

There is commercial land still available along Highway 2 East—east of Hugo’s and also east
of the Holiday Gas Station.

There is land north of the Dairy Queen that is prime for development.

One property also worth mentioning is the former Whitey’s building. Many of us remember
the original location of Whitey’s restaurant along DeMers Avenue. After the original building
was lost in the flood of 1997, Whitey’s reopened in a new location, with their iconic horseshoe
bar intact.

Later, the property was the home of Sickies Garage. We were sad to see them go. Their
burgers and rusty bucket tater tots hit the spot.

It’s tough to see that building empty. There is some activity there—it appears to be mostly
clearing out the space for whatever will be there next…

There are rumors of what may go in there next. Those rumors could be just wishful thinking,
watching a certain national food celebrity preparing mouth-watering dishes week after week
on her show Girl Meets Farm on the Food Network. That’s probably too good to be true.

And yet, it is true! Molly Yeh and Nick Hagen, married since 2014 and living on Nick’s family
farm, will be opening a restaurant at this location in the fall of 2022. I can’t wait to see what
they will be serving—I know it will be tasty!

Well, I hope you have enjoyed the tour of East Grand Forks. Every one of you in this room is
part of the success we have enjoyed as a city, as well as the success of the entire region.
Thank you for all you do to make this community a great place to live!

No State of the City Address would be complete without a trip to a local watering hole. This
year it was Casa Mexico.

Thanks again for being here. I hope you leave with a smile and a bit more knowledge about
what’s going on here in East Grand Forks.

**Casa Mexico Video

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