St. Paul, MN—Yesterday, Governor Dayton signed the bonding bill into law. The bonding bill includes: $2.3 million for flood mitigation in the DeCola Ponds area of Crystal, Golden Valley, and New Hope; $2 million for New Hope’s 50-meter pool; and $5 million for the inflow and infiltration grant program that will benefit our area.
“It is important we invest in our community and our state,” said Representative Mike Freiberg (DFL-Golden Valley). “The pool funding will help the city of New Hope retain its 50-meter pool, which has become a regional amenity. With the recent heat wave, funding for a pool sounds particularly welcome.” The planning and design process for the pool will take place over this summer and fall. Construction is tentatively scheduled to start next summer.
Representative Freiberg also noted the how important it was to address the flooding issues around DeCola Ponds. “As we continue to see the effects of climate change with more extreme rains and weather events, we have to upgrade our infrastructure. That’s why I’ve worked with other policymakers to ensure we get some assistance addressing the problem,” said Rep. Freiberg. Storm water from Crystal, New Hope, and Golden Valley flows into DeCola Ponds and regularly causes property damage and prevents emergency vehicles from using Medicine Lake Road.
Finally, inflow and infiltration has been a problem dating back to Representative Freiberg’s time as a Golden Valley City Council Member. Although the funding is available around the metropolitan region, it is likely that it will benefit District 45B.
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