Maple Grove Looks To Future After No Money from State Legislature for Projects
Cities across the northwest suburbs were left empty-handed, along with cities across the state, after the Minnesota legislature failed to pass a bonding bill this session in St. Paul.
“We usually have a couple of priority items, specific bills to Maple Grove that we pursue but also other other supporting statements of things that come up with other cities that we want to have positions established on,” said Maple Grove City Administrator Heidi Nelson.
The city’s priorities for bonding by the state included the expansion of the community center, improvements to the interchange at U.S. Highway 169 and Elm Creek Boulevard, and tax increment financing extension for development of the gravel mining area near that intersection.
The expansion of the community center was one project Maple Grove leaders had hoped to receive state bonding money for ahead of this year’s legislative session in St.Paul.
Community Center Funding Update
Nelson said the city’s local option sales tax, which took effect a year ago, is one income source to help fund improvements and expansions of the community center.
“We view the local option sales tax as sort of local or regional dollars,” she said. “So those are being generated within this community. We know we serve beyond just the north metro, we’re really sort of a state and regional facility, so that’s why we look to the state to help with the overburden of what the local community can support.”
The first phase of construction on the project–primarily the new sheet of ice–will begin later this summer, as scheduled. Nelson said the targeted state bonding money would not have paid for that. Instead, any state money would have helped with design and planning for the second phase.
“Even though we didn’t receive those dollars, we do have the local option sales tax and some of those other smaller funding sources from partners and grants and we’ll see how we proceed in the coming year, and we might look to the 2025 session,” said Nelson. “We’ll see where we are in the planning, but we’ll see we’re proceeding with the budget we have in place.”
Elm Creek/169 Interchange Improvements
Nelson points out that the interchange at Highway 169 and Elm Creek Boulevard is nearly 40 years old and does not provide safe crossings or travel lanes for pedestrians.
“With everything happening in the gravel mining area, it’s super-important that this interchange gets done,” she said. “We’re targeting 2027 for construction but we have pursued the community project funding through Congressman (Dean) Phllips’ office, and in the meantime we’ll keep pushing with MNDOT and Hennepin County to get this funded.”
Gravel Mining Area Development
Any plans for developing the gravel mining area near the interchange are dependent on tax increment financing, so Nelson said the city hoped the legislature would have approved an extension of that program.
The city “just wanted a little more time to have access to that tool to help support development,” said Nelson.
“We’ll continue to follow along through the rest of this year, see what the outcome of the election is, of course,” she said. “(The election) plays into what’s going to happen in the legislative session, what those priorities might be.”
