Cop House Exploratory Committee Report II

Posted by Brandon Gliem on Apr 18, 2023

St. Cloud Rotary Club

 
The following was learned about the funding of the Cop House from St. Cloud Rotarian Troy Fritz:
  • Our original donation from our club was $75,000 ($15,000 per year for 5 years) during the early stages of the build.  After the house was built, we contributed another $50,000 to help with paying off the mortgage.   Over the past five years our club provides between $20,000 -$30,000 per year towards the youth programming and activities budget for the house.  We contribute to the Public Safety Foundation as the 501©3 that then manages that money for the COP House.   I anticipate we will continue this pace for a while.
  • Total cost for this project will all be determined by size, scope and placement of the house. I would think a minimum of $500K to get it going outside of the assigned officer costs.  
 
St. Cloud PD Presentation
 
The main partner of the house and its chief operator is the St. Cloud Police Departments-Community Engagement Division.  The Division is made of up of 6 Officers who split their time between working with youth at the COP house and hunting the city’s worst violent offenders. Officers wear “plain clothes” and drive unmarked police cars. Officers and community partners have initiated the following programs out of the COP house:
 
  1. COP house Hockey
    1. 50 kids 
    2. Most kids had never skated
    3. Hockey equipment was donated by Herb Brooks foundation and St. Cloud State University
  2. COP house fishing club
    1. 11 kids participated
    2. Kids were able to fish on area lakes with Officers
    3. At the end of the year kids were able to go to the Boundary Waters area with Officers!
  3. COP house Soccer club
    1. Over 100 kids
    2. Most poplar activity at the house
    3. Youth coaches had to be called in to assist Officers
  4. South Side Hoops
    1. Established before the COP house
    2. Very successful with many area kids participating
 
St. Cloud Area Public Safety Committee
 
Rotarians also met with Sonja Gidlow, the executive director of the St. Cloud Public Safety foundation.  Sonja gave a brief presentation about her foundation and their role as the owner and operator of St. Cloud’s COP house. The following is taken from a document called a History of Greater St. Cloud Public Safety Committee Cop House.
 
 
To support the project financially, a non-profit entity, the Greater St. Cloud Public Safety Foundation (GSCPSF), was established. The purpose of the foundation was to raise the funds needed to construct, and ultimately own, the physical building where an outpost was to be located. The GSCPSF obtained non-profit tax status (501c3) and developed a business plan. During this process it was decided that the foundation’s mission was to be broader than the physical police outpost alone and would include support for all public safety providers in a three-county area (i.e., Benton, Sherburne and Stearns), including police, fire and emergency medical personnel. The mission of the GSCPSF was identified: To be the leading advocate of public safety in the greater St. Cloud region. Two local foundations, the Initiative Foundation and the Central Minnesota Community Foundation, provided initial funding to cover start-up costs of the GSCPSF. A governance board was established with community volunteers, who set about raising funds needed for the COP House. The first lead matching gift was $75,000 from the St. Cloud Rotary Club. This was leveraged to raise in-kind and cash donations totaling nearly $500,000, which were used to purchase the selected property and build the neighborhood facility.
 
 
Faribault Foundation
 
The Faribault Foundation is an established 5013c foundation already well established in Faribault.  Here is a brief description of their organization from their web site:
The Vision:  To serve current and future generations in the Faribault area through robust philanthropic support to enhance the quality of life in Faribault.
The Mission of the Faribault Foundation is to identify the areas of greatest interest and opportunity in Faribault.  Gather and invest philanthropic gifts from individuals, families and businesses to support what is good for our community.
 
Brandon Gliem reached out to fellow Rotarian Kymn Anderson, the Faribault Foundations Executive Director.  Discussed was the COP house project, and the possible formation of a Faribault Public Safety Committee. The Faribault Foundation will be exploring the idea of establishing a public safety committee and is recommending a small taskforce of their board connect with the committee to explore the details of operating a Public Safety Committee through the Faribault Foundation’s existing 5013c.
 
Recommendation
 
It is the purpose of this committee to determine the suitability for the Faribault Rotary Club to coordinate a project involving the formation of a COP house in the City of Faribault.
 
A Faribault COP house would be used for outreach and building good will and bettering friendships. A place to host community engagement and community enrichment activities.  A place to act as a base for community engagement and youth services and a HUB for community related events.
Should the Faribault Rotary Club commit finances and resources to this project? - YES
 
  • The impact a project like this could have on the Faribault community would be massive. The Faribault Rotary club’s moto of Service Above Self along with the Rotary’s clubs 4 Way Test of Things We say and Do, both apply to a COP house project.
It is the recommendation of this exploratory committee our club do the following:
  1. Hire a consultant firm to conduct a “Needs Survey” reference this project
    • St. Cloud hired a firm to study the impact of their COP house
      • The results of that survey were overwhelmingly supportive of the project
    • The committee recommends hiring a firm to establish whether there is need for community outreach
  2. Provide a large initial donation to the Faribault Foundations public safety board
    • Recommend $100,000 initial donation commitment
      • Funds would be specifically ear marked for a COP house
      • This amount could be a one-time donation or spread over a period
  3. Provide an annual commitment to the monthly expenses of a COP house
    • Recommend a $30,000 annual donation to operational expenses
    • This money would benefit youth programing run out of the house
    • This money would taper off to $15,000 after 5 years as other community organizations are invited to assist with funding/grants
  4. Appoint a Rotary board members to the Faribault Foundation Public Safety Board
    • This will ensure Rotary is directly involved in the continued success of the COP house
  5. Work with the Paradise Center for the Arts to re-organize a Rotary public safety event similar to one held in 2022
    • Funds from this event would be used to provide funds for the public safety committee and COP house specifically
 
Respectfully Submitted,
 
 
Exploratory Committee Members
 
Brandon L. Gliem, Paul LaRoche, Laura Bock, Nate Cunningham, Summer Cunningham, Cindy Yerington, Mary Ellen Bondhus, Carri Ann Pollard, Ken Weaverling, Megan Dalland, Theresa Vold, Ibrahim Khalif, Kay Hoaglin