On December 28th, 2020 the residents of Madelia Mobile Village in Madelia, Minnesota were notified that they were the recipients of a $700,000 grant from Minnesota Housing’s Manufactured Housing Community Redevelopment Program to complete the much needed renovation of two water and sewer lines within their community.
Madelia Mobile Village Board President Marjory Gilsrud leads their new property managers on a tour of the community.
Because manufactured home communities typically have private infrastructure, their lot rent goes to pay for the costly repairs to their roads, water and sewer systems. When the residents of Madelia Mobile Village bought their community in 2008, they were unaware their water and sewer system would need to be overhauled. But as the community kept experiencing costly breaks in their water main and sewer connections, they knew something was not right. In 2017 NCF received a grant through the USDA Socially Disadvantaged Group Grant pool to do an investigative study of Madelia’s water and sewer infrastructure. The study confirmed what the community had suspected for quite some time — their entire sewer and water system needed replacement.
Because Madelia is a resident owned community, they were invested in finding a wholesale solution to their aging water and sewer lines in order to prevent expensive repairs and ensure the long term sustainability of their community. Using funds set aside during their 2016 refinance, Madelia Mobile Village Cooperative invested over $300,000 in the replacement of two of the six lines in the community. The 2021 grant dollars from Minnesota Housing allowed them to finish the remaining two ‘priority’ lines in their replacement plan. To date, Madelia has invested over $1 million dollars in their water and sewer infrastructure, which will set them up for long term success as a manufactured home community.
A team of engineers from WSB, a design and consulting firm specializing in engineering, community planning, environmental, and construction services, led the project from design to execution. The project broke ground in April of 2022 and wrapped up in June. The community is thrilled that they will see less frequent water main breaks and can start setting their sights on a new infrastructure project — building a storm shelter and community center for residents.
