GF continues to vet proposed Fufeng project

It wasn’t until near the end of a marathon six hour long meeting that the Grand Forks council gave preliminary approval to annexing land for the proposed Fufeng project.

During last night’s (Monday) session the council was briefed on everything from odor and water to transportation – plus state participation in financing infrastructure needs for the corn milling plant.
The council also heard public comments from those who were hoping to force a public vote on the project.

Fufeng’s Eric Chutorash says the Grand Forks facility will operate as a fully integrated stand-alone U.S. entity.  “Our chairman is 39% owner of the company…second is Treetop Asset Management which is out of the EU at 16%…and the rest is individual investors.”

On the annexation front City Attorney Dan Gaustad cautioned the council against accepting a “contingent clause” for annexation as suggested by the Planning and Zoning Commission.  “What’s the contingency…who decides if the contingency is satisfied…who will be the decision maker…how to notify landowners…and legal issues as well.”

A public hearing on the annexation is tentatively scheduled for June 6th.