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Home My WebLink About[04b] SC Times Forum on Economic DevelopmentDATE: February2, 2011 MEMO TO: St. Joseph Economic DDevelopment Authority FROM: CynthiaSSmith-Strack, Municipal Deevelopment GGroup RE: St. Cloud Times Forumm on Economic Developmeent Backgroundd The attachedd email includes informatioon regarding aan event hosteed by the St. Cloud Times on Wednesday, February 16 from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. at tthe Public Libbrary, Mississippi Room. The Times is limiting thoose allowed too speak to a mmaximum of twwo persons pper City. As evident froom email excchanges I havve offered to sspeak at the fforum. Mayor Schultz has ddone the same. Action: A discussion about the forrum is kindly requested. Ð¿¹»ïì±ºïè Page 1of 4 From "Cynthia Smith-Strack MDG, Inc." <cstrack@municipaldevelopmentgroup.com> Subject: Fwd: RE: Times Editorial Board Our View calls for forum Date: February 2, 2011 01:58PM To: <dheinen@aol.com>, "Steve Frank"<sfrank@stcloudstate.edu>, "Tom Skahen"<sean.skahen@sunset-mfg.com>, "Chad Davey"<chad.davey@edwardjones.com>, "CMS AUTOBODY"<cmsauto@clearwire.net>, "Wick, Dale"<Dale.Wick@wolterskluwer.com> Cc: "rick" <rschultz25@msn.com>, " jweyrens@cityofstjoseph.com" <jweyrens@cityofstjoseph.com> Hello everyone! FYI below from Randy Krebs at SC Times. I will add this to our agenda for next Wednesday's special meeting (to consider St. Joe Meat Market TIF request preliminary application) since we are limited to a maximum of two speakers from each community. The limit means we need to choose who will speak for the St. Joseph EDA. Thank you! -- Cynthia Smith-Strack Municipal Development Group, Inc. 888-7MDG-INC (toll free) 952-758-7399 (Metro) 888-763-4462 (fax) 25562 Willow Lane New Prague, MN 56071 http://www.municipaldevelopmentgroup.com ----- Forwarded message from ----- Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2011 12:53:04 -0700 From: "Krebs, Randy" <RKREBS@StCloud.gannett.com> Reply-To: "Krebs, Randy" <RKREBS@StCloud.gannett.com> Subject: RE: Times Editorial Board Our View calls for forum To: "Cynthia Smith-Strack MDG, Inc." <cstrack@municipaldevelopmentgroup.com> Hi again, Here is the latest email/info. Randy ********* Hi again everyone, First, on behalf of the Times Editorial Board, I would like to thank you for agreeing to be part of this educational public forum. We appreciate your willingness to help residents learn about this important issue! Second, we have set a time, date and place. The forum will be from 3:30-5 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 16 in the Mississippi Room of the St. Cloud Public Library. More details will come on the agenda/format, but we wanted to let you know these details so you can plan accordingly. (And because we realize that date is fast approaching.) Please contact me with questions as needed, and look for more details within a week. Thanks again, Ð¿¹»ïë±ºïè http://webmail.bevcomm.net/mail/message.php?index=13379&mailbox=mail/sent-mail2/2/2011 Page 2of 4 Randy Krebs Opinion Page Editor St. Cloud Times 255-8762 P.S. As we noted, this is for the public so please feel free to spread the word encouraging people to attend. -----Original Message -----Original Message----- From: Cynthia Smith-Strack MDG, Inc. [mailto:cstrack@municipaldevelopmentgroup.com] Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2011 1:38 PM To: Krebs, Randy Cc: Steve Frank; Wick, Dale; dheinen@aol.com; Tom Skahen; Chad Davey; CMS AUTOBODY; rick; jweyrens@cityofstjoseph.com Subject: Times Editorial Board Our View calls for forum Randy, I received the following email from Judy Weyrens this morning. I'm contacting you to let you know I'd be pleased to take part in a forum regarding economic development in the St. Cloud Area. I'm the consulting director for the St. Joseph Economic Development Authority. I'm cc'ing our EDA Board Members for their information as well. Please advise of progress made toward forum. -- Cynthia Smith-Strack Municipal Development Group, Inc. 612.232.7399 (cell, please call) 888-7MDG-INC (toll free) 952-758-7399 (Metro) 888-763-4462 (fax) 25562 Willow Lane New Prague, MN 56071 http://www.municipaldevelopmentgroup.com Quoting Judy Weyrens <jweyrens@cityofstjoseph.com>: > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Krebs, Randy [mailto:RKREBS@StCloud.gannett.com] > Sent: Friday, January 28, 2011 11:47 AM > To: Dave Kleis; Matt Glaesman; michael.williams@ci.stcloud.mn.us; > Teresa Bohnen; >info@scapartnership.com; Patti Gartland; rolson@ci.sauk-rapids.mn.us; >tschultz@ci.sauk-rapids.mn.us;cityhall@waitepark.org; Shaunna Johnson; Judy > Weyrens; staugusta@mywdo.com;bmccabe@staugustamn.com > Subject: Times Editorial Board Our View calls for forum Ð¿¹»ïê±ºïè http://webmail.bevcomm.net/mail/message.php?index=13379&mailbox=mail/sent-mail2/2/2011 Page 3of 4 > > Hello everyone, > I have tried to contact most of you by phone today. If I missed you, my > apologies. > > On behalf of the Times Editorial Board, I e-mail you this rough draft of the > Sunday Times Our View. As you can see, we want you to be part of a > public forum > addressing economic development efforts in the metro area. > > Please read the piece and let me know your response. As the Edit Board notes, > this plan will proceed based upon responses. > > Also, if you have any questions, please let me know. > > Thanks! > Randy Krebs > Opinion Page Editor > St. Cloud Times > > ********************* > > We have made no secret about questions regarding St. Cloud's effort to create > and staff its own economic development authority. It's not that we oppose the > idea; rather, we struggle to see how this fits with the many other > entities and > efforts already working to attract businesses and increase economic > development. > To their credit, backers of this effort have done their best to > provide answers. > We want to tap that spirit of openness again by asking them and > leaders of other > key economic entities to be part of a public forum in which they join > together > to explain to residents not just the vision for St. Cloud's EDA, but > how it fits > with the many other local entities geared toward building the area's economy. > Given the economy, St. Cloud's struggle to get its EDA launched, and other > developments lately, such a forum offers a much-needed opportunity to > clarify to > metro-area residents how the many entities involved in local economic > development work. > > Who's invited? > First, we seek participation from: > * The city of St. Cloud - Mayor Dave Kleis along with acting Planning > Director > Matt Glaesman, who is serving as the interim economic development director. > * One or two members of the St. Cloud EDA board. > * Leaders from the St. Cloud Area Economic Development Partnership. > * St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce President Teresa Bohnen. > * One leader from each of the five neighboring cities who can speak > about their > city's vision for its economic development. > > Why them? > While there are about 20 entities - public and private - involved in Ð¿¹»ïé±ºïè http://webmail.bevcomm.net/mail/message.php?index=13379&mailbox=mail/sent-mail2/2/2011 Page 4of 4 > some way in > the metro area's economic development efforts, we see these > organizations as the > driving forces. > Look no farther than the city of St. Cloud creating an EDA to "create a more > effective, efficient and accountable economic development program." > Similarly, > other area cities each have staff who focus on economic development. > Meanwhile, > the Partnership and chamber represent a myriad of interests. > > The details > We want to stress that the purpose of the forum is educational. > We envision the event starting by having each of these invited guests explain > their specific roles as well as how they interact with each other. > After that, > we hope they are willing to answer questions from the public and, of course, > this board. By the time it wraps up, our goal is to come away with a better > understanding of how all these entities foster economic development > in the metro > area. > Consider this your invitation to attend. The entities listed here have been > contacted, too. Once responses about participation come in, we will pursue a > time, date and place for this forum. Keep reading here for updates. > So would you participate or attend? Let us know by calling 255-8762 > or e-mailing > us at letters@stcloudtimes.com. > > > *************** > > Randy Krebs > Opinion Page Editor/ > Community Conversation > > Times Media > 3000 7th Street North > St. Cloud, MN 56303 > 320-255-8762 > FAX: 320-255-8775 >rkrebs@stcloudtimes.com >rkrebs@stcloud.gannett.com >http://www.sctimes.com > > "Reaching more than 85% of Central Minnesota adults each week." > > Connect with us: > > > > > ----- End forwarded message ----- Ð¿¹»ïè±ºïè http://webmail.bevcomm.net/mail/message.php?index=13379&mailbox=mail/sent-mail2/2/2011