Leaders China bound
Delegation hopes to make Chinese institute at city’s RTC a reality
Published Tuesday, November 6, 2007
A 17-person delegation leaves Wednesday for a 10-day trip to China, hoping to bring the Minnesota Institute for Cross Cultural Studies (MICCS) closer to becoming a reality on the Regional Treatment Center campus.
Local members of the team include Economic Improvement Commission director Harold Stanislawski; Fergus Falls businessman Richard Anderson; and Dist. 10 Sen. Dan Skogen (DFL-Hewitt). Meetings have been set with representatives with three universities in Hunan Province and a university in Beijing.
A plan for redeveloping the Kirkbride into the MICCS was presented to the city by Institute Acquisition Partners, LLC, (IAP), late last summer. After buying the Kirkbride, IAP would lease it to MICCS. MICCS’s focus will be language immersion and business studies for Chinese and American students interested in international business and trade.
It’s not a matter of convincing the Chinese that this is worthwhile project, Skogen said. “It’s a process of working out the agreement and seeing if it works for all the parties.”
Dist. 10A Rep. Bud Nornes (R-Fergus Falls) was invited on the trip, but had to decline due to prior obligations.
“The goal is to get a letter of intent to bring back and to get to the next level, which would be a final letter,” Nornes said. “But a letter of intent is just that — it’s not a final agreement. But it means everybody is headed in the right direction.”
“We’re working in an unprecedented way to try and make something happen,” Stanislawski said. “To get the project to the next level, build a relationship and ask them to come here and look at the facility.”
IAP’s project vision, as outlined in the development proposal that will be presented in China, calls for construction starting in spring 2008 through 2013 (although a definite opening date has not been established); 1,000 university students attending each semester; faculty housing; 40 classrooms; and gymnasium and kitchen renovation to the Kirkbride.
Plans for sustainable construction include a geothermal mechanical systems to reduce maintenance cost; reuse existing buildings; on-site storm water management; efficient plumbing fixtures for reduced water use; and a complete asbestos abatement.
Comments
The Daily Journal is happy to host community conversations about news and life in Fergus Falls and the surrounding area. As hosts, we expect guests will show respect for each other. That means we don't threaten or defame each other, and we keep conversations free of personal attacks. Witty is great. Abusive is not. If you think a post violates these standards, don't escalate the situation. Instead, flag the comment to alert us. We'll take action if necessary. It's not hard. This should be a place where people want to read and contribute -- a place for spirited exchanges of opinion. So those who persist with racist, defamatory or abusive postings risk losing the privilege to post at all.Post a comment
(Requires free registration.)