INFORMATION #1 03-09-2009iPd~®RM~Ti~~l
....
^^ ^^
Minnesota
Housing
Finance Agency
February 27, 2009
Ms. Catherine Mehelich
400 Sibley Street ~ Suite 300 ~ Saint Paul, MN 55101-1998 ~ 651.246.7608
800.657.3769 ~ fax: 651.296.8139 ~ tty: 651.297.2361 ~ www.tnnhousing.gov
Equal Opportunity Housing anG Equal Opportunity Employment
City of Elk River
13065 Orono Parkway
Elk River, MN 55330
RE: Notification of Minnesota Housing Finance Agency Neighborhood Stabilization
Program (NSP) Award
NSP Grant Agreement ID Number: 02-2009-06-NSP
NSP Award Amount: $593,820
Dear Ms. Mehelich:
Congratulations! Your Neighborhood Stabilization Program Request for Proposal application
was approved for funding on February 26, 2009 by Minnesota Housing's Board of Directors.
The execution of a grant agreement and disbursement of funds is subject to completion of
contract negotiations and the Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD)
signing of a grantee agreement with Minnesota Housing.
In addition, as outlined in its NSP Action Plan, Minnesota Housing already identified projects
in Minneapolis, Saint Paul and Saint Cloud through its fall 2008 Community Revitalization
RFP process to receive $3.68 million through NSP. These projects will be funded under the
NSP grant agreements for proposals submitted by these jurisdictions.
In many cases, funding was reduced from the application amount requested, or other
programmatic changes will be required prior to grant agreement execution; therefore
Minnesota Housing will be contacting you to schedule a meeting to discuss the .revised
proposal. The executed NSP grant agreement will have exhibits that specify revisions to your
NSP program activities as they will be administered by your agency. A list of attachments that
may require revision and submission with the final grant agreement is attached. Minnesota
Housing staff will contact you in the near future to discuss the meeting time and place, and
will work closely with you in the coming weeks with a goal to complete the NSP grant
agreement on, or as close to Apri11, 2009, as feasible.
Minnesota Housing will be hosting a subrecipient training in April. This training is
mandatory for key NSP staff and contractors working on the program. Information will be
sent once the agenda is finalized.
Minnesota Housing is creating a NSP Program Procedural Manual and forms; these will be
available on the Minnesota Housing website once developed and will be discussed fully at the
NSP Subrecipient training..
It is important for you to know that since your proposal will be funded with federal dollars,
that it carries certain obligations and requirements. So that you do not do anything to make
your projects ineligible for these funds, please note that you should not undertake any actions
on the project, such as acquiring a property (which must be done in accordance with federal
standards) or begin rehabilitation, before you receive further guidance from Minnesota
Housing. It is permissible, from a federal program perspective, to enter into an option to
purchase a property or to purchase it subject to funding approval, including federally-required
environmental. approvals. Other federal requirements that may apply are listed here:
• Uniform Relocation and Real Property Acquisition
• Lead-based Paint
• Debarred and Suspended Contractor
• Section 3 Employment Opportunities for Low-income Persons
• Minority- and Women-owned Business Enterprise Outreach
• Davis-Bacon Labor Standards
Enclosed you will find an electronic funds transfer form for the purpose of completing the
information we need to successfully transfer payments to your account. Please complete the
form and return it to the attention of Ruth Simmons as soon as possible.
In addition, be advised that Minnesota Housing will require documentation providing
confirmation of the party authorized to sign the grant agreement.
Minnesota Housing staff looks forward to working with you throughout the program term. E-
News Alerts will be posted on Minnesota Housing's website. If you have not already done so,
please sign up for E-News. Go to Minnesota Housing's website at: http://wunv.mnhousing.govl and
choose E-News Newsletter Signup on the left-hand side of page. Signing up for E-News will allow
us to notify you of program changes and updates.
If you have any questions regarding your grant agreement, procedural guide, required forms
or need additional information, please feel free to contact Ruth Simmons at 651-297-5146, or
email ruth.simmonsC~3state.mn.us. Ca111-800-710-8871, if calling from Greater Minnesota.
Sincerely,
Katy Lindblad
Assistant Commissioner
Community Development
Att.
cc: Mr. Dan Roberts, Tri-County Action Program