Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has put the final touches on his four-part, $2 billion package for public construction projects. That price tag is a record amount for public works projects.
On Wednesday, Walz announced his requests for police and fire stations, National Guard armories, local roads and bridges and other public safety projects, plus state grants to cities and counties to build town halls, libraries, parks, trails and other local facilities. Over the past few days, he made similar pitches for housing, water and higher education projects.
Walz pleaded with reporters Wednesday not to characterize his plan as what he wants. Instead, he said, “this is the plan that Minnesotans asked for.”
Regardless of who wants it, Republican legislative leaders have said it’s too much, and Walz is almost certain to get less than he is seeking.
The state received requests totaling $5 billion for public works projects this year, including $3.7 billion from state agencies and another $1.3 billion from cities, counties and other local entities.
The DFL governor recommended the Legislature borrow a total of $2 billion — financed by the sale of general obligation bonds to investors — plus provide an additional $600 million from other sources, including cash, user fees and other types of bonds for building projects.
In his fourth and final proposal in the past two weeks, Walz called for borrowing $673 million for public safety and transportation projects and an additional $536 million for local government facilities. He called for funding more local projects than any previous governor.
MILLIONS SOUGHT FOR EAST METRO
Among those local projects are more than a dozen in the east-metro area. They include:
- $11 million to the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley to convert its closed monorail track into a 1.25-mile elevated walkway for visitors.
- $8 million to the Ramsey/Washington Recycling and Energy Center in Newport for expanding its recycling and composting facilities.
- A $7.1 million grant to the Ramsey County Historical Society for new and renovated buildings at Gibbs Farm.
- $5.5 million for a new building to house the International Institute of Minnesota in St. Paul, which provides language learning and job training for immigrants.
- $2.5 million for a new orangutan exhibit at Como Park Zoo in St. Paul.
- $2.4 million to renovate the vacant Victoria Theater into a community arts center for St. Paul’s Frogtown and Rondo neighborhoods.
- $2.1 million to Ramsey County for snow-making equipment for cross-country and downhill skiing, tubing and sledding at Battle Creek Regional Park in St. Paul.
- $2 million to Washington County for a new multi-purpose building at the Cottage Grove Ravine Regional Park Lower Landing.
MANY PROJECTS LEFT OUT
St. Paul and Ramsey County did not make the cut for their top-priority projects.
Walz did not recommend funding the city’s request for $55 million to repair the partially closed Kellogg Boulevard/Third Street Bridge between downtown and the East Side. He also didn’t support the county’s ask for $40 million to help pay for the public sections of Riversedge, the proposal to build four multi-use skyscrapers along the downtown St. Paul Mississippi River bluff.
Overall, the governor backed funding about 40 percent of the requests, meaning he said “no” to three in every five. State Management and Budget Commissioner Myron Frans said previous governors and legislatures have typically funded about one-third of bonding appeals.
A FOCUS ON NEW EMERGENCY CENTER
Walz announced the final installment in what is known as the bonding bill at the State Emergency Operations Center in downtown St. Paul’s Town Center office tower. He chose the site to illustrate the need for new and larger facilities. He recommended allocating $29.5 million to acquire land and build a new emergency center to coordinate state agency and local government services during disasters and provide a training center for emergency personnel.
State Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington said the current emergency center is “way too small” for the state’s needs and in a “less-than-desirable location,” in part because it’s crowded and lacks adequate highway access. He said state officials have started exploring potential building sites in the metro area.
Some other major projects in Walz’s final bonding installment are:
- $322 million for local roads, bridges and grade separations, such as bridges and underpasses, at busy railroad crossings.
- $55 million to design and build bus-rapid-transit corridors in the metro region, plus $10 million in grants to Greater Minnesota transit systems.
- $50 million for low-interest loans to farmers to buy land, farm equipment and other facilities and improve farmland.
- $45.5 million to repair and upgrade state prisons.
- $12 million to renovate National Guard armories in Fergus Falls, Marshall and Moorhead and design a major renovation in Rosemount.
In previous bonding rollouts in the past two weeks, the governor has called for borrowing $276 million for affordable housing, $300 million for clean water infrastructure and $447 million for higher education facilities.
The bonding bill will be the top priority for the Legislature, which convenes Feb. 11.