by Dennis Dalman
The City of Sartell recently received a very welcome gift of $450,000 from Benton County – a gift that will help create an infrastructure for what has long been dubbed the “Paper Mill” site, now known as the “Mill District.”
The funds from the Benton County Economic Partnership came from money allocated to Benton County through the American Rescue Plan Act – for local fiscal recovery.
The money will be used mainly for the design and construction of sewer extensions at the Mill District, the large site along the east side of the Mississippi that used to be the location of paper mills for more than a century. That site was razed after an explosion and fire happened at Verso Paper Mill, forcing the huge plant to shut down permanently. One employee died in that disaster.
Of the grant money, $67,500 of it will be used for preliminary project designing, and the rest will cover the cost of installing utilities infrastructure.
The extension of utilities at the Mill District will be installed in the ground on a long area of what will become a future trail. The trail, a reconstructed version of a current trail, will lie north to south on the Mill District site. That project, too, will be funded by a grant.
The design phase of the Mill District project is expected this spring with construction set for the late summer and fall of this year. The infrastructure work will prepare the site for future development.
Sartell issued a thank-you statement to Benton County.
“The City of Sartell appreciates Benton County and its Benton County Economic Partnership for their foresight in recognizing the significance of the (Mill District) project to this area. By providing funding support, Benton County and its BEP have demonstrated commitment to fostering progress and prosperity within our community. We eagerly await the realization of the Mill District’s potential and look forward to the promising opportunities it will bring.”
