Re-post of story by: Dan Feldner – Staff Writer, Minot Daily News
Minot took a big step forward in its recovery from the devastating Souris River flood last June as MarketPlace Foods at Arrowhead Shopping Center reopened Wednesday morning to a throng of excited shoppers.
While the grocery store opened bright and early at 8 a.m., a press conference was held at 11 a.m. with local and state dignitaries on hand to share some remarks. After the press conference a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held in Arrowhead Shopping Center, then another one took place immediately afterward in MarketPlace Foods.
Along with a drawing for shoppers to sign up for, a light lunch, including an elaborately-decorated cake in the shape of the Arrowhead MarketPlace Foods grocery store, was spread out for everyone to enjoy.
The press conference took place in Arrowhead Shopping Center just outside the entryway to MarketPlace Foods, and was jam packed with people from wall to wall who were on hand to celebrate a large milestone in the city’s recovery efforts.
Tim Mihalick, president and CEO of Investors Real Estate Trust, which owns and operates Arrowhead, said the reopening of MarketPlace has been a long time coming.
“I know I speak for many, not only within Arrowhead but throughout the city of Minot, when I say it’s been a long road to get to the state of recovery where we are at today,” Mihalick said. “Though we have a long way to go in our efforts (to recover) from last summer’s Souris River flood, I am happy to be here among so many distinguished guests to celebrate the post-flood grand opening of Arrowhead Shopping Center as one sign that we are all moving in the right direction.”
IRET acquired the mall in 1973, and Mihalick said throughout its history, Arrowhead has stood as a cherished commercial location for that part of Minot, housing everything from hardware stores to medical clinics to the neighborhood grocer.
Gov. Jack Dalrymple said the grand reopening of Arrowhead Shopping Center and MarketPlace Foods might be the most uplifting moment he can remember since the Souris River inundated the Magic City last year.
“As I look at this facility this morning, MarketPlace Foods down there, what a beautiful, beautiful job of rehabilitation,” Dalrymple said.
He talked about being in Minot last summer cleaning out a house with his wife,Betsy, in the surrounding neighborhood after the flood, and said his heart just sank when he drove by Arrowhead.
“I remember driving past the shopping center here, and just saying, ‘Oh my.’ This we know is kind of like the heart and soul of the neighborhood, and actually a big part of the city, and I’m saying that’s going to really, really take some work to get that back,” Dalrymple said. “And it is just inspiring to come in here today and see how beautiful this is. It really is a kind of message to the community that this is going to happen, this renewal, this recovery is going to happen, and it’s going to happen in your neighborhood. And if you invest money and you invest time, your property is not going to go to waste.”
Dalrymple said 14 tenants are already back in Arrowhead, including the Department of Motor Vehicles, and he’s sure more will be coming soon.
He made a point to state that North Dakota is firmly behind Minot and the surrounding communities impacted by the Souris River flood. In a special session last November, the state Legislature approved $60 million for the rebuilders loan and grant program, $50 million for starters for the creation of a new floodway through Minot, and a $30 million flood impact fund that Dalrymple is sure Minot will use substantially.
“People are waiting to see what the next step is in terms of building up a floodway through the city. The state of North Dakota is going to be there, and the Legislature, I know, is going to be there for you,” Dalrymple said. “And I’d like to say to Tim (Mihalick) and especially to mayor (Curt) Zimbelman, thank you for your sacrifice and your commitment to the community.”
Zimbelman said it’s always nice to speak after the governor because at that point everything has already pretty much been said, which allows Zimbelman to keep his own speech short and sweet.
“You know, when I was driving over here I was thinking about how we’re going to come together as a community, and it’s going to be slow,” Zimbelman said. “But it’s going to be a neighborhood at a time, a block at a time, probably a house at a time. But when you get something like what has happened here with IRET’s building and you get that grocery store that’s so important to this neighborhood, it’s going to change the outlook on a lot of people who are trying to make decisions right now. It’s going to change how they look at what they should do next.”
North Dakota tax commissioner Cory Fong said he wasn’t going to bring the celebration down by talking about taxes, but he did commend the leadership of Dalrymple and Zimbelman, and Maj. Gen. David Sprynczynatyk and Maj. Gen. Murray Sagsveen of the North Dakota National Guard, throughout the whole ordeal of the flood.
“I think they deserve a lot of credit for being the right kind of leadership at this very difficult time for this community,” Fong said. “So I applaud all of them for their efforts.”
Fong said the reopening was a day of celebration, of moving forward and moving on, a celebration of triumph and achievement.
“We are here to celebrate the reopening and the comeback of one of the landmarks of your community that really became a symbol for the areas hardest hit by the flood,” Fong said.
Fong talked about watching the news the day the levees were topped, and seeing Minot landmarks like the Holiday Inn Riverside, the North Dakota State Fairgrounds and Arrowhead Shopping Center being overtaken by water.
“And that’s when I knew, as I was watching, that this became personal for me, because these were places that I knew, these were places that I had a connection with, these were places that I cared about,” Fong said. “Most notably this shopping center because it has been the home for our tax department office for 25 of the 30 years. So it was at that point that the flood became very personal to me, because I knew that it was going to affect our staff.”
Fong also lauded the staff at the Minot office for taking on whatever assignments and duties were required of them during and after the flood, which included working at the one-stop shop for licensing contractors at the Job Service Center on North Hill.
In recognition of the tax department’s help at the one-stop shop in the immediate aftermath of the flood, Sprynczynatyk sent a certificate of appreciation, which Fong gave to the staff of the Minot office.
Keith Johanneson of MarketPlace Foods said the experiences of the past year have been life changing for not only him, but the employees and the entire company as a whole.
He said the whole endeavor forced them to empty out the grocery store not once, but twice within a two-week span. When the roadways through Minot were closed they put up a tent on North Hill to serve people there who were cut off from the south part of town. He also mentioned employees who worked 32 hours straight trying to empty out MarketPlace Foods and save the store and grounds from the flood.
Johanneson was proud that not a single employee lost a single hour of work, and he said MarketPlace’s employees mean everything to the company. He said more than 50 employees lost their homes to the flood, which was a gut-wrenching experience for everyone involved. Through it all, Johanneson said he never heard a single complaint from anyone as they worked to rebuild. It’s probably safe to say that after all is said and done, he will remember the people more than he will remember the flood.
“The one thing I’ve learned through this tragedy, and now rebuilding and hope, is that North Dakota people have got a lot of backbone,” Johanneson said.
IRET 