Republicans and Democrats in the final hours of the 2018 legislative session Sunday night agreed on a bonding bill for state public works projects which now goes to Governor Mark Dayton’s desk. Senate Democratic Minority Leader Tom Bakk brokered the deal and predicts the governor will sign it, but, “He told me that… [there] probably would be some line-item vetoes potentially in the bonding bill.” The bill stays at Republicans’ original target of 825 million dollars in general obligation bonds, but taps money from other areas (including 125 million from the Natural Resources Trust Fund) to bring the total dollar amount to 1.57 billion dollars. There’s 542 million dollars for transportation projects. 400 million of that is for the Corridors of Commerce program beginning in 2022.
The University of Minnesota would receive 79 million dollars for buildings — state colleges and universities would get 129 million. The bill includes 32 million dollars for three new veterans homes in Bemidji, Montevideo and Preston. There’s also 25 million dollars for school safety grants.
Other projects of note:
6 million dollars for Moorhead – rail grade separation crossing at 21st Street South
16 million for upgrades at the state correctional facility in Saint Cloud
8 million to the National Eagle Center in Wabasha
5 million to demolish the RiverCentre parking ramp in Saint Paul to prepare for construction of a new ramp
15 million for renovating the Fort Snelling Visitor Center
D-F-L Senator Erik Simonson from Duluth says he’s extremely disappointed the port city’s request for 164 million was not included in the bill. It was to build out public infrastructure for a planned 800-million-dollar upgrade at Essentia Health’s Duluth Hospital and a 200-million-dollar upgrade at Saint Luke’s. Simonson says, “Thousands of construction jobs, good economic development for city of Duluth and for northern Minnesota, and there is absolutely no reason why that project didn’t make it into this bill.”
North Mankato Senator Nick Frentz applauded 400 million dollars designated for the Corridors of Commerce program, which he says will allow completion of the upgrade to a crucial stretch of Highway 14. “That connects the heart of southern Minnesota for the people, the families, the businesses, everyone that lives there and everyone that’s comin’ through,” Frentz says.
Minneapolis Senator Scott Dibble says 544 million dollars for roads and bridges is “great,” but there’s not one additional penny for transit. Dibble says that sends a message: “If you’re a student and you need to get to school. We don’t care…. If you’re a senior citizen and you want to stay in your home, can’t drive anymore, we don’t care.”