Warroad Community Development CEO talks about ongoing local projects, from housing to recreation

Mar. 29—WARROAD, Minn. — A new child care center, community center, housing and more are coming to Warroad in the near future, according to Warroad Community Development President and CEO Adam Deathe.

The projects, he said, have been spurred by area businesses and residents.

"A lot of this is happening because of people in the community," he said. "People want to see Warroad grow and thrive."

Among those projects are new housing, downtown revitalization, a new child care center and Warroad Riverplace. Marvin Home Center has built some spec homes in Warroad, Deathe said, and there are two new apartment buildings — one opened in 2023 and the second is being built. Also, Warroad Real Estate has refurbished some buildings, which are seeking tenants

"They're prime locations for new businesses," Deathe said. "With that expansion of the local community, people are moving to Warroad. We are seeing an uplift in needs for new businesses and that sort of thing as well."

The new child care center is on its way to opening and a director has been chosen, Deathe said. It will be linked to a nearby senior living center. Research, he said, has found that having these two types of centers closely linked benefits both generations. The child care center itself will alleviate the paucity of available child care in town, and provide more flexibility for those in the workforce, Deathe said.

Other recreational and community-minded things in the works include Warroad Riverplace, an arts, culture and events center and the developments on Warroad Point Regional Park, which will get started in the summer. Deathe said a channel will be dredged to link to Lake of the Woods, making Warroad the only American city on Lake of the Woods. There also are trails being planned throughout the city from

Wilderness Way

, which connects Warroad to Beltrami Island State Forest. The trails, Deathe said, will connect eastward to the Warroad River.

Through all these developments, Deathe said Warroad is a city that's going places.

"Warroad isn't just surviving," he said. "Warroad is growing (and) has aspirations. It is developing a sustainable and vibrant local economy that will stand out in northern Minnesota as being a center for the arts, for culture, for commerce, for investments."