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Kidz "n' Biz Fest kk.- -2011- —.-Io You 201t- You won't want to miss it! Sponsored by the Hugo Business Association and Hugo's Economic Development Authority. The event will bring to- gether businesses and residents of Hugo for a few hours of games, en- tertainment and fun. Kidz `n Biz Fest Saturday, April 21 Oneka Elementary 11:00am — 2:00pm Hugo Jr. Idol Auditions Saturday, April 14 KinderGardens Child Development Center 11:00am — 3:00pm *Pre -registration and song selection by March 31 is re- quired Economic Development EXTRA! The Economic Development Authority (EDA) welcomed several new businesses into Hugo over the last year. Flanagan Law Office opened in downtown Hugo in Octo- ber. Also, Anytime Fitness and Tawshi El Salon located in Victor Gardens Retail Centers in the fall. Grant Barrett owns office space in the Bald Eagle Industrial Park and after a tenant moved out he constructed several smaller office areas to be used as shared office space for three tenants. The spaces is now fully occupied by a psychologist, physical therapist, and insurance agent. HealthEast Clinic has expanded within its current building on Everton Avenue to include additional of- fice space and exam rooms. Xcel Energy to Locate in Hugo In December 2011, the City Council re- viewed a concept plan for a 50,000 square foot Xcel Energy gas and electric training center, to be developed in phases. Xcel Energy has now applied formally for site plan approval of a 20,000 square foot building in the Bald Eagle Industrial Park. They plan to conduct training 42 weeks a year and expect up to 50 trainees at the center per each week of training. Construc- tion of the building and site improvements are expected to start in the spring. $73,000 Grant Awarded Since May 2011, staff has been working with Pete Sampair, a property owner in downtown Hugo, on a grant application to the Metropolitan Council. The grant mon- ies are in the Livable Communities Dem- onstration Account for innovative planning and development. In December 2011, the City was awarded the grant for a total of $73,000. The grant will be used for survey- ing, title work, stormwater analysis, envi- ronmental evaluation, preliminary redevel- opment plans, and land acquisition strate- gies. The planning for the mixed-use rede- velopment will start in 2012. Mr. Sampair has put together a concept plan for the site to give the Metropolitan Council an idea of the project he would like to complete. The concept includes housing, commercial, and office uses integrated with a main street and town center atmosphere. BR&E Implementation Continues The Business Retention and Expansion (BR&E) Program commenced in April 2010, but the City continues to implement the action plans from the results of the surveys. The purpose of the program was to demonstrate support for local busi- nesses, help solve immediate business con- cerns, increase local businesses' ability to compete in the global economy, establish and implement a strategic plan for eco- nomic development, and to build commu- nity capacity to sustain growth and devel- opment. There were 38 businesses visited in the City and the survey results were evaluated by economic development pro- fessionals of the University of Minnesota. The four implementation projects include: 1. Market the City of Hugo 2. Create, Coordinate, and Encourage Events 3. Host Business Networking Breakfast Workshops 4. Address Highway 61 Access Issues and Improve Downtown Hugo The City of Hugo continues to work on each of the implementation projects. Most recently there has been an effort to revital- ize the downtown area. The City has worked with several property owners to remove the blighted buildings in down- town. The full report of the survey results can be found on the City's website at www.ci.hugo.mn.us under Business Info.