Local Lawmakers Push for New Hope ‘Regional’ Pool
Taxes. Guns. Elder abuse. The MNLARS mess. All are expected to be prominent issues as the Minnesota legislative session got underway Tuesday. Local legislators are hopeful about the session ahead and that local projects can receive funding.
Rep. Sarah Anderson, R-Plymouth, says a bonding bill will be a major focus of the session.
“This is all capital improvement projects from roads and bridges like the Rockford Road project to things like other infrastructures,” said Anderson.
Anderson is pushing to reconstruct the Rockford Road/County Road 9 bridge over I-494. This area is congested everyday and averages more than 30 accidents each year.
New Hope ‘Regional’ Pool Talk Surfaces
Another local project that will be talked about is the New Hope pool. At the state Capitol, you’ll hear lawmakers refer to it as the New Hope ‘regional’ pool.
“When you qualify for bonding, it has to be a statewide or regional issue. When we refer to the New Hope pool, it’s regional significance,” said Rep. Lyndon Carlson, DFL-Crystal.
Carlson and other local lawmakers are pushing for state dollars after swimmers from all over the metro rallied to keep a 50-meter pool size in the city of New Hope’s plans. New Hope officials had thought about building a less-costly pool that would be half the size of the old pool, which is being demolished to make way for a new city hall and police station.
“It’s always booked from swim teams all over the region and even in the state for swim meets over the course of the year,” said Rep. Mike Freiberg, DFL-Golden Valley. “I think it is a regional amenity.”
The cost to complete the New Hope regional pool project is $2 million.
“Hopefully we can get the New Hope pool in there,” said Carlson, “but quite honestly, there will be quite a lot of competition for those dollars.”
