by April Scheinoha
Reporter

It’s that time of year when Pennington County commissioners expect to receive budget requests. Their latest meeting, held Tuesday, Aug. 23, was no exception. They heard requests from the Pennington Soil and Water Conservation District, Northwest Regional Library system and Advance Thief River. The requests were taken under advisement.

Peter Nelson and Larissa Fitzgerald, representing the Pennington Soil and Water Conservation District, sought an additional $4,868 in county funding for 2023. This year’s appropriation totalled $126,568.

One of the biggest changes is that the SWCD plans to add an engineer and three engineering technicians to its staff in 2023 to handle increased workloads in the area. The Pennington SWCD and other area SWCDs will be sharing the cost of those new employees with the Pennington SWCD being reimbursed for any work completed on behalf of the other area SWCDs.

The Pennington SWCD is outgrowing its current office space in Thief River Falls. Nelson said the SWCD is looking at renting other office space or constructing its own building.

Jim Trojanowski, director of the Northwest Regional Library system, sought a 3% increase in county funding for the Thief River Falls Public Library in 2023. Trojanowski is seeking a 3% increase from other governmental entities served by the NWRL.

If approved, the county would pay an additional $3,582. Currently, it pays $119,395.
It is expected that Trojanowski will ask for a similar increase from the Thief River Falls City Council. For 2022, the city has paid $170,791 for library services.

The Thief River Falls Public Library accounts for 35% of the circulation of the NWRL. This year’s circulation is well on pace to exceed 2020 and 2021 circulation rates, said Trojanowski, who noted COVID-19 impacted circulation. He briefly spoke about additional digital offerings now available at the library.

The Thief River Falls Public Library is staffed by more than one person at a time unlike other libraries in the system. It also accounts for about 21% of the system’s open hours.

Michelle Landsverk and Brian Carlson, representing Advance Thief River, sought a $25,000 allocation. In years past, the economic development organization has received a $25,000 allocation from the county. It is also seeking a $25,000 allocation from the City of Thief River Falls. The organization plans to provide an additional $25,000.

Landsverk told commissioners that she had nearly 40 conversations with business owners this summer. Ninety percent of those businesses felt excited to be doing business here or feel that Thief River Falls is a good place to do business. Landsverk indicated 70% plan on making an investment in their facility or equipment. Despite the tough labor market, 56% plan to increase their staffing.

When pressed by Commissioner Seth Nelson, Landsverk noted she was unable to provide specific details regarding those businesses and the conversations. Drew Erickson, who is employed by 5 Stone Financial Group, attended the meeting for another matter. He said he had met with Landsverk about his business and knew other local business representatives who had met with her.

Advance Thief River is focusing on attracting more people, specifically those ages 30 to 45, to move here. Landsverk plans to focus on the safety and slower pace of life here to attract additional residents.

To that aim, Advance Thief River has applied for a grant through the Blandin Foundation to start a program similar to Greater Bemidji’s 218 Relocate. That program, said Landsverk, garnered national attention and drew 50 families to the Bemidji area in its first year of operation. Unlike that program, Advance Thief River will focus less on telecommuting. If Advance Thief River were unsuccessful in obtaining the grant, it plans to scale back its residential recruitment plan.

Landsverk is also working on strategic planning with First Children’s Finance regarding childcare in the Thief River Falls area. “You can’t be fully employable if you don’t have childcare,” she said.

In addition to those activities, Advance Thief River hosted or cosponsored six training sessions in the first six months of the year. One focused on helping businesses stay resilient and enabled business owners to receive one-on-one consulting services with a business professional.

Carlson, president of the Advance Thief River Board, spoke positively about the community resources here and the unparalleled economic development strategies provided by Advance Thief River. He noted he lived for 18 years in Duluth and 14 years in the Brainerd Lakes area before moving here. Carlson has served on the board for several years and reminded commissioners that Advance Thief River has had a static budget for the entirety of its three years of existence. He praised Landsverk’s work.

Commissioner Darryl Tveitbakk thanked Landsverk for her work on the county’s CARES Act Committee. The committee provided grants to eligible Pennington County businesses and nonprofit organizations from the county’s Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act funds. Tveitbakk said he knows a number of businesses wouldn’t be in existence today without the funding provided.