Crookston Housing and Economic Development Agency at work on research project to make city more welcoming
Jul. 19—CROOKSTON, Minn. — The Crookston Housing and Economic Development Agency is most of the way through a research project that's part of an effort to make the city more welcoming and inclusive.
Results from surveys sent out during the project are still coming in, Executive Director Karie Kirschbaum said, and things are looking good so far.
"You always want to find out if you can do something better," she said.
Kirschbaum reached out to a past colleague, Mitchell Berg, to work on the project. Its focus has been asking people of different nationalities in the community how they feel about Crookston and what the city can do to better engage its residents.
Berg surveyed residents on how the city can better support the community. The project received funding from the Northwest Minnesota Foundation, which recently distributed grants to several organizations in the region focused on inclusion and welcoming people. The grant in Crookston was $10,000.
The idea for the project came from a realization that the Hispanic community in Crookston isn't as engaged in some aspects of the city, such as organized sports events and other local activities, Kirschbaum said. That led to a series of questions.
"Why is that?" she said. "What can we do differently? Is there something else that is going on that we're just not tapped into? Is this something we could do better?"
So far, the project has been fun, she said, and survey results have been positive. People have, for the most part, felt welcome, she said, but the agency is still receiving surveys. The next step will be to look into what can be done differently, such as changing the way the agency communicates and providing more information to people. It could also include collaborations centered on art and music or other activities downtown.
The agency has other work underway as well. It is working with the University of Minnesota Design Center to consider other projects to engage the community. There are also weekly Jolt and Jive meetings at the Cove Youth Center, at which Crookston residents and city officials talk about different projects going on in the city, as well as outreach to the community to hear what people would like to see expanded or improved.
Downtown, there is ongoing storefront revitalization for businesses to update signage and paint. Housing is a big topic, Kirschbaum said, and the housing portion of the agency is looking at four empty lots on which to possibly build homes. A bigger project is related to the Minnesota Northern Railroad and infrastructure surrounding it on the south end of Crookston's industrial parks.
With all the work going on, Kirschbaum said she and her agency are trying to revitalize the city and show people everything Crookston has to offer.
"We're all in it together," she said.
