January 2, 2025
Commissioner Grindberg Takes Lead on MFDA Board
FARGO, ND (January 2, 2025) – Leadership of the Metro Flood Diversion Authority’s Board recently changed with the new year. Cass County Commissioner Tony Grindberg will serve as Board chairman in 2025, taking the place of Moorhead Mayor Shelly Carlson, who chaired the Board in 2024.
“After having worked on the funding end of things more than a decade ago, it’s rewarding to come back in a new leadership role at a time when the focus is shifting to operations and maintenance,” Grindberg said. “With more than half of the construction work now completed on the FM Area Diversion, this year will be focused on pushing that percentage higher while also beginning to shift completed components to the O&M stage.”
In 2024, Grindberg served as the Board’s vice chairman. Prior to that role, he was active in working toward permanent, reliable flood protection beginning in 2013 as a state senator from south Fargo. He led the effort in the North Dakota legislature to pass the initial $450 million in state funding that was included in the Water Commission budget. Later, as a Fargo city commissioner, Grindberg chaired the MFDA Finance Committee and helped outline a clear plan to secure another $300 million in state and federal funding through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and North Dakota.
Grindberg replaces Carlson, who will continue to serve on the Board as well as its Finance and Planning committees.
“More visible progress than ever before was made this past year on the FM Area Diversion project, and I’m proud to have played a small role in that major accomplishment,” said Carlson, who also chaired the Board in 2021. “We had dozens of individual components under construction this year, a multitude of which were completed. There are still challenges ahead that we as a Board, alongside our many partners, will face as we move toward permanent, reliable flood protection for the Fargo-Moorhead metro area, but we’ve overcome more challenges than many thought possible when this project was in its infancy. I’m excited to witness the progress 2025 will bring.”
During her time as chairwoman, the FM Area Diversion project saw significant construction progress. Sixty-eight components of the flood protection project were under construction last year by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Red River Valley Alliance, along with other partners and subcontractors.
In addition to the change in chairmanship, the Board’s makeup also has changed for this year. Cass County Commissioners Chad Peterson and Mary Scherling had their terms come to an end. They were thanked for their many years of service and their dedication to moving the FM Area Diversion project forward during their last Board meeting in November 2024. In their place, the Cass County Commission appointed, and the MFDA Board approved, Duane Breitling and Jim Kapitan to serve on the MFDA Board.
The MFDA Board is led by 13 members who represent stakeholder entities of the FM Area Diversion project, which will provide permanent flood protection to Fargo, North Dakota; Moorhead, Minnesota; and surrounding communities. Board members are appointed by the Fargo City Commission, Moorhead City Council, Cass County Commission, Clay County Commission, Cass County Joint Water Resource District, and the West Fargo City Commission. The chairperson role rotates annually among the mayors of the City of Fargo and City of Moorhead as well as a member of the Cass County Commission. Fargo Mayor Dr. Tim Mahoney served as chairman in 2023.
About the Metro Flood Diversion Authority
The MFDA is a permanent North Dakota political subdivision that is cooperatively implementing the Fargo-Moorhead Area Diversion comprehensive project with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The MFDA works in partnership with the Red River Valley Alliance in a public-private partnership as well as the City of Fargo, City of Moorhead, Cass County, Clay County and the Cass County Joint Water Resource District. More information is available at www.FMDiversion.gov.