Cirrus Design has paid the city of Grand Forks, N.D., $507,000 in back rent for manufacturing facilities and has $930,000 left to pay, according to the Grand Forks Herald. The company had stopped paying rent in January 2009.
In late May, the Duluth News Tribune reported Cirrus officials converted $187,500 in back rent to a loan for its use of a former Northwest Airlines maintenance facility at the Duluth International Airport. The loan will be forgiven if operations expand significantly. The company was released from a 25-year lease by the city.
Grand Forks city officials will meet with Cirrus officials in late July to discuss payment of the remaining back rent, the local newspaper reported. Cirrus lost money in 2008 and 2009. Employment at Grand Forks dropped from 330 in 2006 to 75.
