Lt. Governor Smith Highlights Need for Comprehensive Investments in Critical Infrastructure
ST. PAUL, MN – Lt. Governor Tina Smith and Transportation Commissioner Charlie Zelle today toured the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) District Two Facility in Crookston, which has been consistently identified as one of the worst MnDOT facilities in Minnesota. The facility currently is comprised of three outdated buildings, including a repurposed horse barn that was constructed prior to 1930. Right now, the buildings are too small to house MnDOT snowplows and do not meet modern safety codes. To improve the facility, Governor Mark Dayton has proposed a $6.8 million investment in his
Jobs Bill to modernize and expand MnDOT’s Crookston office.
“Our Jobs Bill puts Minnesota families and communities first by investing in priorities like transportation, food and housing, and education,” said Lt. Governor Tina Smith. “Modernizing the MnDOT facility in Crookston is essential to maintaining safe, high-quality roads in northwest Minnesota. The North Country Food Bank provides a lifeline to basic nutrition to thousands of Minnesotans across the region. I urge the Legislature to pass a significant Jobs Bill this year that invests in the basic necessities that Minnesotans depend upon every day.”
“I thank Governor Dayton and Lt. Governor Tina Smith for their leadership. Minnesota’s needs a robust bonding bill to address decades of deferred improvements,” said Sen. LeRoy Stumpf, who is a strong proponent of these new investments. “Their bonding bill would help revive aging infrastructure around the state, including projects of regional importance such as the MnDOT plow facility and North Country Food Bank in Crookston.”
Following the tour of the MnDOT District Two facility, Lt. Governor Smith visited the North Country Food Bank in Crookston. The food bank provides 7.4 million pounds of nutritious food products to people living in northwest and west central Minnesota. This is equivalent to approximately 5.8 million meals each year. However, the current facility has inadequate food storage space, especially for foods that require freezing or refrigeration. The food bank also struggles with logistical problems and parking due to limited space. To alleviate these problems, Governor Dayton has included $3 million in his Jobs Bill to help expand the facility.
In addition to the MnDOT facility and North Country Food Bank, Governor Dayton’s Jobs Bill also would allocate $1.09 million for basic infrastructure improvements at the University of Minnesota Crookston. These include building code upgrades to the Lysaker Gymnasium and electrical distribution system improvements.
About Governor Dayton’s Jobs Bill
Governor Dayton’s Jobs Bill would invest $1.4 billion in infrastructure projects statewide, creating an estimated 39,900 Minnesota jobs. This new Jobs Bill would help address many of the state’s critical infrastructure needs, including essential water infrastructure, while strengthening Minnesota’s economy and putting thousands of people to work.
The Jobs Bill includes critical infrastructure projects distributed across Minnesota. It balances the needs of the state, with 35 percent of projects in Greater Minnesota, 35 percent in the Twin Cities Area, and 30 percent having impacts statewide. And Governor Dayton’s Jobs Bill is designed to make state resources go further, by leveraging more than $600 million in private, local, and federal dollars.
