ACHRA board approves lease amendment for disability services and extends senior-housing management contract through 2028

The Anoka County Housing and Redevelopment Authority board voted unanimously to approve two consent items: a lease amendment with Achieve Services to expand space for disability services at the Blaine Human Services Center, and an amendment to the county’s property-management contract with Great Lakes Management Company for four senior apartment buildings that adjusts fees and extends the contract through June 30, 2028.

Trustee Scholty moved approval of the minutes and later moved both consent items. Trustee Brasted seconded the motions. Because the first item is a lease, the board took a roll-call vote; Trustees Brasted, Reinert, Gamache, Scholty, Jepson, Meissner and Heinrich each voted "aye," and both measures passed unanimously.

The first consent item, contract CCON26000259, is a lease amendment with Achieve Services to add square footage at the Blaine Human Services Center to expand and improve services for people with disabilities. The board provided unanimous approval to proceed with the amendment.

The second consent item, contract SCON2600000186 (an amendment to prior contract C0009330B), updates the fee structure for Great Lakes Management Company, adds an asset-preservation fee intended to cover oversight of large projects, and extends the vendor’s term for property-management services for the authority’s four senior housing buildings to June 30, 2028. Board members noted that Great Lakes has previously been selected through RFP processes and that staff consider the company a reliable provider for these properties.

Tonya, a staff member, told the board that staff have been working with Great Lakes in recent weeks to finalize budgets for the senior buildings and are preparing for a substantial rehabilitation of the Willows building. She said Wald architects will hold oversight responsibility for that project and that staff have been meeting regularly with the architect and Great Lakes; the budgets are expected to come before the board next month.

With no further business, the chair closed the meeting and the board adjourned.