Politics & Government
UPDATE: Dakota County Finishes Out of the Money in Bonding Competition
The $3 million Mississippi River Regional Trail project was not among the nine projects selected to receive funding.
UPDATE 3:45 P.M. SEPT. 13—Dakota County's bid to receive a portion of the $47.5 million in state bonding money ended Thursday when nine other projects were awarded the money.
The county sought $3 million to pay for completion of the Mississippi River Regional Trail through Spring Lake Park Reserve in Rosemount and Nininger Township and three trailheads.
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Gov. Mark Dayton had the final say on the projects that were selected, including:
• St. Paul Saints ballpark, $25 million
• Duluth infrastructure project, $8.5 million
• Wadena wellness center, $4.2 million
• First District Association project in Litchfield, $2.3 million
• Metropolitan Council Southwest Corridor, $2 million.
• Redville Regional Solid Waste Board, $1.9 million
• Midwest Cyrogenic project in Lonsdale, $1.5 million
• Ashwille Industries project in Hutchinson, $763,750.
Here is a portion of the press release from the governor's office announcing the awards:
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The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) announced today $47.5 million in competitive business development grants that will fund nine economic development projects statewide. These targeted investments will put an estimated 2,000 Minnesotans to work on projects of regional and statewide significance.
The grant winners were chosen from 90 applications, with requests totaling $288 million. The agency reviewed applications based on five criteria, including: project readiness, job creation, investment and leverage, regional impact, and public benefit. Projects were organized into three regions to achieve geographic balance, including: metro, north, and south.
Governor Dayton, his senior staff, and staff from the Department of Management and Budget reviewed DEED’s decisions. Only one project not recommended by DEED was funded: the Southwest Corridor Light Rail Line. It was decided that a more accurate analysis of the project’s job impact should be the total number of jobs, which would be created by the overall project, not just by this small component part.
A complete list of grant recipients and project impacts is below. A list of all applicants and grant requests is available on the DEED website. Governor Dayton’s original bonding proposal is available here.
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ORIGINAL STORY, SEPT. 11—Dakota County’s bid to secure $3 million in state bonding money to complete the Mississippi River Regional Trail doesn’t look promising.
In rankings released Monday by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, the project was tied for ninth among Twin Cities metro proposals vying for a portion of the $47.5 million payout.
Dakota County’s proposal, which would pay for eight miles of paved trail through Spring Lake Park Reserve in Rosemount and Nininger Township and three trailheads, received 29 out of a possible 100 points. Each project ranked by DEED was scored on readiness (whether the project ready for construction), employment impact, investment and leverage, regional impact and public impact.
St. Paul’s regional ballpark project, which is seeking $27 million in state money, earned the highest score among metro projects, with 77 points.
Ninety projects with a combined cost of $288.4 million were entered in the competition for bonding money. DEED ranked 37 of the projects.
Duluth’s $10 million downtown development and public parking ramp project earned the top score among Northern Region projects, with 92 points. Litchfield’s $2.55 million water infrastructure proposed had a Southern Region-leading 99 points.
Despite the low ranking, Dakota County’s project isn’t out of the running for state dollars quite yet.
According to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, DEED’s scores were sent to Gov. Mark Dayton, who has the final say over which projects will receive bonding money.
"The governor is taking DEED's rankings under consideration as he makes his decision, and we expect he'll have a decision this week," Katharine Tinucci, a spokeswoman for Dayton's office, told the Pioneer Press.
Click here to access project scores on the DEED website.
To read more about the Mississippi River Regional Trail project, click on the headline below:
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