Success Stories: Commercial Kitchen

Connection to Community Action Plan: Goal 2

Context

A community commercial kitchen is beneficial for the community because it helps people prepare and sell foods that are up-to-date with USDA and FDA safety standards, allowing potential vendors an avenue to sell food products in markets. The idea of building a community commercial kitchen is not new for Pelican Rapids. In 2016, community members explored how the upper floor of City Hall could be transformed into a community commercial kitchen, to be used by area caterers and cottage food producers alike, as well as an event space with a capacity of up to 250 people. When it came to a vote before City Council, the project was not approved, and the idea was put on the back burner until the Local Foods Local Places workshop took place in 2020.

Vision

Many commented that the senior center would be an ideal space for this kitchen to be located, given its existing amenities and ideal location. In 2021, the group managing the Senior Center disbanded, and the ownership was returned to the City. Management of Meals on Wheels continues through a contract. The Park Board of Pelican Rapids also desires to set up bathrooms accessible from the outside, water fountains, and a bicycle repair station for the planned trailhead near the Senior Center. Additionally, the Park Board has expressed interest in working with the Steering Committee to renovate the Senior Center. However, due to needed repairs, the building’s lack of ADA compliance, and a number of large capital improvement projects already on the City ' s plate

Success Stories: Commercial Kitchen (Continued)

(Including highway reconstruction, pool renovations, and river dam removal and replacement with a pedestrian bridge), renovating and upgrading the building is not an immediate priority for the city. While a through walk-through of the building with an inspector has not been undertaken as of this writing, the senior center building requires roof repairs, bathroom renovations to make them accessible from the outside of the buildings, and renovations to meet ADA compliances.

Resource identification to date

The Steering Committee has worked over the last year to compile a list of resources available to help move this project forward, including gaining free commercial kitchen equipment at the old Fergus Falls food hub, and digital copies of the original blueprints of the senior center. With regards to funding, a USDA Community Facilities Grant with a rolling deadline can cover up to 75% of the project costs and Harold Stanislawski, an AURI, is available to help with financing. Furthermore, Pelican Rapids is developing a new economic development position for the city in 2022. This person could potentially aid in writing grant applications necessary to secure capital for renovations. When it comes to people, the Steering Committee is lucky enough to have Holly Fowler (the facilitator of the original Local Foods workshop, who has access to resources related to similar models across the country), Ronald Batcher (an architect who works with USDA Rural Development and can provide architectural design services for free if provided with original blueprints of the space, a list of ideal users, and list of ‘ uses ’ of the space).

Success Stories: Commercial Kitchen (Continued)

As it stands today, given the current load of the City staff and the varied interests in this the Steering Committee will be working to prioritize the following items in the coming year: Conducting a feasibility study for the commercial kitchen to develop proof of concept and compare pricing structures/usage to communities of a similar size/demographic Community visioning to engage the public in helping co-create the design of the physical space (both indoor and out) Identifying and leveraging local and federal capital and in-kind contributions for renovation, construction, materials, and equipment, as well as long-term management.

Two exterior shots of the Senior Center Building, the intended location of the commercial kitchen.

Image Credit: Ellie Litzinger