Assessing Infrastructure: Moving Communities Forward

Imagine you are charged with attracting new economic development to your community (as a community leader, perhaps that really is your job).

Could you ensure a business that might be interested in locating or relocating to your town that there was adequate access to water and sewer and high speed Internet?  What about your roads, could they handle increased traffic from a new manufacturing facility that needs to move large volumes of product?  Is your housing stock sufficient if hundreds of new workers moved in?  Do your schools have the capacity to absorb dozens of new students?

Road construction or a new wastewater treatment plant may not be exciting to most, and for that reason, they can be tough initiatives to win over a critical mass of participants.  But, infrastructure is essential to
long-term community health.   Without adequate infrastructure, any community
is at a distinct disadvantage in the quest to retain and attract business and to provide citizens with high quality of life.

In this edition, Community Leader talked to leaders in three different communities about the infrastructure challenges they face and how they are seeking out opportunities in both the present and the future.

Duluth: Bringing infrastructure to the forefront:
Duluth Mayor Don Ness, 2005 BCLP alum, knows that the city he leads has challenges when it comes to its infrastructure.

“Duluth has very old infrastructure, most of it was built in the early 1900s. For many years it was largely neglected,” said the mayor.  “In recent years we’ve seen the result of that neglect.  Streets and sewers have deteriorated.  We’re now faced with a tremendous need to upgrade and a lack of resources to do it.”

The city has 450 miles of streets in need of repair.  With a construction rate that peaks at about six to seven miles each year, it would take about 80 years to complete.  “We’re falling further and further behind,” he said.

Shining the spotlight on the need for infrastructure improvement hasn’t been an easy task.  Don noted that people often have an almost “visceral opposition” to infrastructure investment ¬ not seeing it as forward thinking.

But, the costs of not investing are large.  They include: government fines for sewer overflows, wear and tear on vehicles from poorly maintained streets and water main breaks.  The negative perception created by aging infrastructure also can inhibit investment.

Although the mayor acknowledges that the needed improvements are far from completed, he has put the issue at the forefront of his city’s planning.  A comprehensive program to eliminate sanitary sewer overflows by the year 2016 has been launched.  His office also put forth a similar plan for dealing with street improvements this summer.

Framing the issue for the public in a way that connects the issue to their lives is key to gaining the support needed to move an initiative forward, he believes.

“Highlighting the effects of sewer system overflows running into Lake Superior connects infrastructure to people’s lives in a very real way,” said the mayor.

Pipestone: Infrastructure growing pains
Economic growth is a plus for any community.  In Pipestone, however, growth came quickly and resulted in growing pains.

When Suzlon, a wind turbine manufacturer opened a new plant in November of 2006, the net result was both opportunity and challenge for the community of about 4,200 – as of the last census.  The new plant has brought with it hundreds of new jobs which couldn’t be matched by the number of Pipestone residents seeking employment.  Workers from the nearby communities of Worthington and Sioux Falls helped fill the gap, said Sharon Hanson, Pipestone, 2008 BCLP alum, who is Pipestone County Coordinator.

A lack of local rental properties has meant that workers are being bussed in by the company rather than moving into the community.  Low average housing values also mean that some managers hired to work at Suzlon, can’t find adequate housing within Pipestone and are living in nearby Sioux Falls.

Sharon and other leaders know the community has much to offer, such as its local school district and a low crime rate.  Capitalizing on those assets and other assets in the future to attract new residents is essential to meeting workforce needs locally.

To that end, the city of Pipestone is currently looking at a plan to build an apartment complex to meet housing needs.

“Suzlon is a wonderful addition to our community even with some of the growing pains,” said Sharon.  “We’d like to see it continue and expand.”

Northeast Minnesota is planning ahead
As northeast Minnesota prepares for huge regional growth (see Range
Readiness) leaders in that region have focused on future housing needs to ensure the local housing stock does measure up against regional growth.

Mary Ives, Grand Rapids, 1992 BCLP alum, chairs the Range Readiness Housing Team.  Housing, she said, moved to the forefront of northeast planning priorities because of the need for temporary housing for construction workers as the projects move forward and permanent housing for the influx of permanent workers.

Right now, housing in the region is adequate to meet local needs.  But, leaders know all that could change quickly with even one major economic development project coming to fruition.  That realization prompted a housing study, the results of which were released in June of this year.  The study assessed existing housing in 31 communities spanning more than 100 miles and future needs under three growth scenarios: high, medium and low.

“(This initiative) is unique because we’re working together as a region and not being parochial.  We’re looking at the full continuum of housing.  The strategies we select will impact all infrastructure,” said Mary.

The study concluded that northeastern Minnesota has an aging housing stock with much need for rehabilitation ¬ that will be essential in meeting future housing needs.  How much new construction is needed will greatly depend on the level of projects that go from drawing board to reality.

The housing study doesn’t provide all the answers, but does provide an important first step and a springboard for discussion and planning.

“I think that the data we’ve collected will help determine where housing is most needed for each community on the Iron Range,” said Mary.