ST. PAUL – A number of regional projects are set to receive funding through a pair of bills the Legislature recently approved and the governor enacted.
The majority of the funding is provided via a $987 million bonding bill Rep. Dean Urdahl, R-Acton Township, authored as chairman of the House Capital Investment Committee to support construction projects throughout the state. Urdahl said the bill placed a heavy focus on infrastructural work.
“I am pleased with the geographic balance we achieved in this year’s bonding bill,” Urdahl said. “The amount of funding requested for projects always outweighs the bill total, so it really comes down to establishing priorities. We did that with this bill and I am pleased with the outcome, both from a statewide perspective and what we were able to accomplish in our area.”
Area provisions: Omnibus capital investment bill (S.S. H.F. 5)
- $7.5 million for a new 16-bed psychiatric hospital facility to house the Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Services program to be located in Willmar.
- $2.4 million for a grant to McLeod County for a new urban Morningside Project street extension of Highway 15.
- $4 million for a grant to the city of Litchfield to conduct electrical generation improvements. This, in part, allows for increased production at First District Association.
- $2.6 million in funding for the Glacial Lakes Trail to complete an approximately 6.25-mile trail connection between New London and Sibley State Park, and repair of the bicycle trail in Sibley State Park.
Urdahl also advocated for a couple of area projects set to receive funding in a bill which appropriates revenue generated by the Legacy Amendment, which Minnesota voters approved in a 2008 referendum. The regional provisions in the bill, authored by Legacy Funding Finance Committee Chairman Rep. Bob Gunther, R-Fairmont, include:
Area provisions: Omnibus legacy bill (H.F. 707)
- $80,000 for interactive exhibits and outreach programs on arts and cultural heritage at Hutchinson’s Wheel and Cog Children’s Museum.
- $50,000 for a grant to restore and renovate the historic Litchfield Opera House.
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