Minnesota briefs: New crisis and detox facility opens in St. Cloud

State and local officials will celebrate Tuesday the opening of a new crisis and detox facility operated by Central Minnesota Mental Health Center in St. Cloud.

The new 12,000-square-foot building serves residents in Benton, Sherburne, Stearns and Wright counties with a 24-hour detox center and residential crisis care beds, allowing people experiencing mental health crises to receive targeted care away from the emergency room.

The facility is a partnership between Stearns County and Central Minnesota Mental Health Center in collaboration with CentraCare, law enforcement and local legislators. The county received about $5 million in mental health crisis grants from the state to help build the facility.

The building replaces a smaller, aging building at the site on 13th Street N. with a larger space and additional room for the adult crisis unit. The building is open to the public during an open house from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday.

JENNY BERG

ROCHESTER

DMC to give out $3M in business grants

The DMC's economic development agency is launching the Main Street Grant program, funded through the state Department of Employment and Economic Development's Main Street Revitalization Economic Program.

The grants will cover up to 30% of infrastructure work for businesses, from landscaping to building construction to pre-design work. Businesses could get anywhere from $3,000 up to $750,000 in funding.

DMC Executive Director Patrick Seeb said the grants are designed to help bolster business improvements and DMC hopes many local businesses will apply. Local officials plan to give out $1.5 million by October and the remaining amount by April 2023.

For more information, go to dmc.com/main-street-grants.

TREY MEWES

Storm sewer improvements begin on Park Point

Work resumes on Park Point's storm sewer project Monday, and is expected to last for most of the summer.

It involves installation of new storm sewer pipes and drainage structures to provide connections for sump pump discharge under the sidewalk and curb along Minnesota Avenue for several blocks. The work will run through the end of July.

That means temporary driving lane shifts and sidewalk closures to accommodate work, and on-street parking will be lost. Some driveways will lose access for days at a time; those residents will be notified in advance. The city Public Works and Utilities project began last fall, and stopped for the winter season.