January 31, 2018
Looking back on accomplishments
By ALYSSA ADAM
The Garrison Area Improvement Association had a busy 2017.
At the annual meeting Monday, GAIA told a full room of the many grants and accomplishments the group did in the past year.
Mike Gackle, president, said GAIA donated more than $26,000 to Garrison community programs and organizations and almost $18,000 to the greater community.
Gackle said the group has had great success in, not only remodeling a Main Street building for a new dog grooming business, but also partaking in a hospital recruitment education program.
“We also maintain a mobile home for essential service workers in town, own and operate a taxi service and have recently purchased a new lot for development,” he said.
According to Gackle, since 2000, GAIA has provided 35 loans totaling over 500,000, since 1992, 112 businesses have received some form of assistance from GAIA and since 2006, 57 city lots have been cleaned up using community betterment grants.
“We have dispersed more than $40,000 of marketing grants and since 2008, $30,000 in business improvement grants,” he told the group.
Speaker Jay Schuler, head of the State Department of Commerce, then introduced himself and told the audience why North Dakota, and Garrison, are such great places to live.
From tourism to jobs, Schuler held the full attention of the room for the entirety of his 45 minute speech.
At the annual meeting Monday, GAIA told a full room of the many grants and accomplishments the group did in the past year.
Mike Gackle, president, said GAIA donated more than $26,000 to Garrison community programs and organizations and almost $18,000 to the greater community.
Gackle said the group has had great success in, not only remodeling a Main Street building for a new dog grooming business, but also partaking in a hospital recruitment education program.
“We also maintain a mobile home for essential service workers in town, own and operate a taxi service and have recently purchased a new lot for development,” he said.
According to Gackle, since 2000, GAIA has provided 35 loans totaling over 500,000, since 1992, 112 businesses have received some form of assistance from GAIA and since 2006, 57 city lots have been cleaned up using community betterment grants.
“We have dispersed more than $40,000 of marketing grants and since 2008, $30,000 in business improvement grants,” he told the group.
Speaker Jay Schuler, head of the State Department of Commerce, then introduced himself and told the audience why North Dakota, and Garrison, are such great places to live.
From tourism to jobs, Schuler held the full attention of the room for the entirety of his 45 minute speech.
