Summer Update

Efforts this summer have been primarily focused on fundraising. The Design Facility Committee has had bi-weekly meetings to discuss potential sources. The City of Fargo, Lynn Fundingsland (Fargo Housing & Redevelopment Authority), David Crutchfield (NDSU Architecture), Bremer Bank, IDC staff and some volunteers and IDC board members attend these meetings. We've written a number of grants and are pursuing both small and large opportunities. We've had some private donations and continue to seek out more. We are discussing an online donation option for our IDC website, which has been updated by the way! The address is www.idcfm.org.

The total project budget including the first year's operating reserve is $2,012,081 and we've secured $1,007,300. We have a ways to go yet! If anyone has any suggestions, or wants to schedule a meeting with me, please feel free to do so!

Facility Design Committee Meeting

On Thursday, May 21st we held a meeting for the Facility Design Committee to brainstorm ideas for getting the International Market Plaza Project back on track. We generated a list of ideas. Through a combination of the following ideas, we will work toward resuming progress.

1. Go through construction budget line by line. David Crutchfield and I met this morning and were able to take out approximately $50,000, mostly related to the list already created by Shultz & Associates (handed out at meeting).

2. Use only used kitchen equipment.

3. Seek corporate donations.

4. Hold silent auction with art given to IDC by immigrants.

5. Stimulus dollars. This option sounds unlikely after Lynn and Dan had discussions about it.

6. Send out postcards asking for donations (Ex. $50 donation from 2000 people). Set up an online payment site.

7. Possible design phases.

8. Partnerships (Awaiting response from NDSU/Possible FHA)

9. Continue grant seeking (Future meeting with Bremer Foundation for more dollars/may not be possible to get more but we're looking into it)

Until we are able to secure/confirm/eliminate dollars, the project will be on hold. All past due and current invoices have been paid.

PROJECT ON HOLD

The project has been put on hold for design work. We will resume when more funding has been secured. See blog for updates.

Meeting RELOCATED!

Shultz & Associates meeting has be relocated to the Fargo Housing Authority in downtown Fargo to accommodate a 10:30 am conference call regarding the budget.

RESCHEDULED!!

Our meeting with Shultz has been moved to Friday, April 17th at 9:30 am.

Meeting Scheduled!

We have a meeting scheduled:

Wed. April 15th, 2009 @ 9:30 am

With:
Shultz & Associates, LTD.
612 1/2 Main Avenue
Fargo, North Dakota 58103
Tel: 701 476 0714
mail@thearchitectfirm.com

4/8/2009 Meeting @ Shultz & Associates, LTD.

Agenda:

• Construction Schedule
• Exterior Materials Selection
• Kitchen Equipment Selection
• Kitchen Space Planning Decisions
• Tenant Menus
• Grant’s Mechanical Concrete Survey
• Other Surveys
• Easements
• Salvation Army Storage

Meeting Notes:

• Construction Schedule

1. Handout

• Exterior Materials Selection

1. E.I.F.S. (Exterior Insulation Finish System) Colors: Dryvit Chocolate Fizz & Sandalwood Beige.
2. Standing Seam Roofing. Color: Una-Clad Terra Cotta.
3. Tensile Fabric Awnings (Color not yet selected)
4. Signage Externally Attached (Not yet designed)

• Kitchen Equipment Selection

1. BACK-END of individual kitchens to be identical, all including:
• 4 burner stove with convection oven below and griddle (72”)
• Fryer (18”)
• Open space for individual tenant fit-up (24”) Note: This area is provided for individual tenant equipment needs. Example: Vertical Rotisserie (sometimes called a Trompo) or a surface mixer/blender.

2. FRONT-END of individual kitchens to be selected by Tenant
• 3 potential options to be provided for Tenant choice. Example: One option may include hot tables for food display, another may be open counter/serving space with no food display.

3. Cold Storage
• Lockable quadrants (padlocks)

4. Additional Equipment Discussed
• Combi-Oven
• Salamander Broiler (A typical salamander broiler is positioned above the oven. It has several uses including broiling fish, melting cheese, or caramelizing sugar.)
• Dishwasher (Possible an alternate could include this piece of equipment or at least its electrical/mechanical rough-in) Note: Dishwasher cleaning chemical manufacturers sometimes supply dishwasher if their chemicals are used. This may be an option for us.
• Garbage Disposals (To be located on shared 3-bowl sinks)
• Compost Disposals (May be an option)

• Kitchen Space Planning Decisions
1. Individual kitchens will remain separate with no connections at front-end. Future expansion could potentially include larger kitchen spaces.

• Tenant Menus
1. To be completed by Monday, April 13^th for Dakota Food Equipment’s use and sent to tiamthomas@gmail.com)

• Grant’s Mechanical Concrete Survey
1. Used to determine the thickness of concrete so that mechanical can move forward with their design work.

• Other Surveys

1. Lynn Fundingsland will notify/seek permission of area property owners for some surveys.

• Easements
1. Lynn Fundingsland will look into easement issues on the north side of the property. We would like 5-10 feet more to use as exhaust space or window openings, but not to build in.

• Salvation Army Storage
1. Discussed the Salvation Army’s request to use our building as a storage and possible site location (flood-related) for 90 days. However, we will begin construction before that time. Lynn Fundingsland will inform them of our discussion.