Hefty Roster Of Public Works Projects Lands Before Lawmakers
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Jostling has begun among Minnesota cities, counties and state government agencies to get road projects, nature trails, amphitheaters, prison repairs and much more into a public-works borrowing plan that Gov. Mark Dayton and the Legislature will assemble next year.
The Department of Minnesota Management and Budget informed lawmakers Wednesday that $3.2 billion in preliminary construction requests had poured in — from $500,000 for a community center in Victoria to $151 million toward the construction of a light rail line from Minneapolis to the southwestern suburbs. If history is a guide, far more projects on the wish lists will be rejected than those that prevail.
Dayton's budget chief, Myron Frans, said that by Jan. 15 the governor plans to compile a $1 billion proposal — less than one-third of the roster already on the table.
"We'll have to subtract from it get to our number," Frans said Thursday, while adding, "To the outside world, we're saying yes to a $1 billion worth of projects."
Republican legislators who run the House will be "advocating for something leaner," said House Capital Investment Committee Chairman Paul Torkelson of Hanska, who cautioned it's too soon to put a number on it.
Torkelson's committee and the counterpart panel in the Democratic-led Senate are preparing for weeks of touring this summer and fall to scope out potential projects. Frans said administration teams will also be fanning out to determine whether proposals are priced appropriately and whether they qualify for state-backed bonds.
They will have no shortage of projects to sort through. The local government submissions alone run 600 pages long and account for $767 million in requests, with the actual value of projects even higher given the requirement for matching dollars from community or private sources.
State universities and executive branch agencies have submitted $2.5 billion in requests.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation is trying to secure $100 million for a local bridge replacement program and $61 million to improve rail-grade crossings on routes where crude oil tanker cars roll through. The Department of Natural Resources says it needs $80 million to repair buildings, trails and other state park features. The Department of Public Safety requested about $30 million for a new state emergency operations center to prepare for and manage catastrophes. The Department of Human Services is after $85 million for upgrades to its secure treatment hospitals, including the center that houses dangerous sex offenders.
The Minnesota Historical Society is seeking $34 million for a new visitor center at Historic Fort Snelling, the military fortification nearing its 200th anniversary at the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers. The existing below-ground center, built in the early 1980s, is succumbing to frequent water leakage and hampered by space limitations. The new one would be built into a 1904 barracks and provide 50,000 square feet for exhibits, classrooms, restrooms and other amenities.
"It's an important place and a favored place," said David Keliher, director of public policy at the historical society. "We need to make it a better place for our visitors to go."
While many lawmakers will be pushing for new projects they can tout back home in an election year, Torkelson said he plans to place an emphasis on addressing problems with existing structures.
"It's really important to take care of things that we have," he said.
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