Plymouth Seeks Bonding Money for Plymouth Creek Center
The city of Plymouth is requesting $15 million in state bonding money for a $52 million expansion and renovation of the Plymouth Creek Center. Members of the Minnesota House Capital Investment Committee toured the facility Thursday.
The committee has toured the state for 17 days, learning about how different projects could benefit from state bonding dollars. Thursday, it was Plymouth’s turn to state its case.
The Plymouth Creek Center was built in 1999 and draws about 300,000 visitors every year. Plymouth city officials call it a regional asset. After two decades of continuous use, city officials say the building needs maintenance and updates to meet the needs of the area’s growing population.
Some of the proposed amenities and upgrades include two gymnasiums, an indoor playground, a year-round indoor walking track and a redesigned Black Box Theatre.
State lawmakers assessed how Plymouth and the surrounding region would benefit from the $15 million bonding request.
“Plymouth has always been a city that pays its fair share. And we are looking to pay our fair share,” said Rep. Ginny Klevorn, DFL-Plymouth. “But one in five users of the Plymouth Creek Center are coming from other cities. It is truly a regional asset. That’s why we, the city of Plymouth, are willing to carry the bulk of the expense. And we’re just asking the state to help us with that part that we feel is really the regional part and to help us grow this regional economy and to serve the regional residents.”
Tuesday, the House Capital Investment Committee toured sites in Golden Valley and Crystal. The committee will decide what projects to include in the 2020 bonding bill during the upcoming legislative session.
