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City Sees Success in Hosting Coffee & Conversation Sessions

[Duluth, MN] The City of Duluth has received positive feedback from hosting the Coffee & Conversations series on how to redevelop or reuse existing buildings. The series which has held two of the three sessions, has been attended by approximately fifty-people. 

The first session entitled ‘Is this the right building for you’ had over thirty participants and was held at Bent Paddle. The session included examples that were a part of Bent Paddle’s expansion and how they related to building codes and other requirements. The second session was held at the NorShor Theater and was called ‘What does up to code mean to you’. This session focused on building code requirements and opportunities to meet with staff before starting a project.

Individuals that attended the sessions completed surveys that were very positive of staff’s efforts. Several comments of support included:

• “Excellent overview and general info….Good to see actual examples from Bent Paddle!”
• “Very good review for all- new and old developers.”
• “The most valuable thing that I took away from the session was economic assistance opportunities were helpful and it was a good overall walk through.

The third and final part of the Coffee and Conversation will be held on November 6^th at 8:00a.m. at The Crooked Pint. The topic of this session is ‘I think I have a plan, now what?’ and will focus on how staff can help individuals navigate their project through planning, permitting and review and construction. As a reminder, this event is free and open to the public to attend.

Special thanks to our series sponsors LHB, and the Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce.

The Coffee and Conversations series is facilitated by Elissa Hansen, President and CEO of The Northspan Group, Inc.

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