The recently passed Minnesota House and Senate Capital Investment Bills include a number of provisions that may benefit the Granite Falls area, including possible appropriations for flood mitigation, the Roebling Suspension Bridge, the Minnesota Trail and the Minnesota State College and University (MNSCU) system.
Funding for the senior center/ library project was not included in any of the bills.
In an effort to take advantage of the upcoming construction season, the House, Senate and Governor Tim Pawlenty have all approved bonding bills and will move to conference committee quickly.
The initial Senate and House proposals each include just under $1 billion in funding requests, while the Governor’s recommendations don’t quite reach $700,000. Overall appropriation requests totaled $3.5 billion.
Both the House and governor include $50 million for flood mitigation projects, while the Senate put forth $70 million.
The City hopes that a portion of those dollars will be funneled toward its $2.3 million request for additional improvements to the levee that runs from behind the city garage to the BNSF railroad near Martin Marietta.
Funding for approximately half of what it is expected to cost to renovate the Roebling Suspension Bridge looks promising after $512,000 was set aside in both the House and Senate bills. The dollars are contingent on a state match, which means that remaining expenses could be covered by the city, federal or other sources.
Only the Senate bill lists a provision for the Minnesota River Trail. If appropriated, a portion of the $400,000 could go toward the development of the trail – which is set to run from Big Stone to Fort Snelling – in the Granite Falls area.
The MNSCU system includes 32 technical colleges, community colleges and state universities, but Minnesota West Technical College in Granite Falls may be one of the schools who benefits from the Health Education Asset Preservation and Renewal request. The senate version of the bonding bill includes $110 million for such projects while the House and Governor set aside $60 and $50 million respectively.
Next up, the House and Senate will enter into conference committees where a joint Capital Investment Bill will be passed by the legislature in what is expected to be Mid-march. That bill will then be issued to Pawlenty who has the power to line-item veto the bonding bill to whatever extent he deems fit.
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The recently passed Minnesota House and Senate Capital Investment Bills include a number of provisions that may benefit the Granite Falls area, including possible appropriations for flood mitigation, the Roebling Suspension Bridge, the Minnesota Trail and the Minnesota State College and University (MNSCU) system.
Funding for the senior center/ library project was not included in any of the bills.
In an effort to take advantage of the upcoming construction season, the House, Senate and Governor Tim Pawlenty have all approved bonding bills and will move to conference committee quickly.
The initial Senate and House proposals each include just under $1 billion in funding requests, while the Governor’s recommendations don’t quite reach $700,000. Overall appropriation requests totaled $3.5 billion.
Both the House and governor include $50 million for flood mitigation projects, while the Senate put forth $70 million.
The City hopes that a portion of those dollars will be funneled toward its $2.3 million request for additional improvements to the levee that runs from behind the city garage to the BNSF railroad near Martin Marietta.
Funding for approximately half of what it is expected to cost to renovate the Roebling Suspension Bridge looks promising after $512,000 was set aside in both the House and Senate bills. The dollars are contingent on a state match, which means that remaining expenses could be covered by the city, federal or other sources.
Only the Senate bill lists a provision for the Minnesota River Trail. If appropriated, a portion of the $400,000 could go toward the development of the trail – which is set to run from Big Stone to Fort Snelling – in the Granite Falls area.
The MNSCU system includes 32 technical colleges, community colleges and state universities, but Minnesota West Technical College in Granite Falls may be one of the schools who benefits from the Health Education Asset Preservation and Renewal request. The senate version of the bonding bill includes $110 million for such projects while the House and Governor set aside $60 and $50 million respectively.
Next up, the House and Senate will enter into conference committees where a joint Capital Investment Bill will be passed by the legislature in what is expected to be Mid-march. That bill will then be issued to Pawlenty who has the power to line-item veto the bonding bill to whatever extent he deems fit.
