The Minnesota State Legislature is back in session. It started today. 2008 is supposed to be a “short session”. The traditional objective of the short session is to address the capital improvement needs of the state, pass a bill that provides capital funding for those needs and then to adjourn.
Eden Prairie has an interest in several issues at stake in the legislature this year. Our City needs the state to proceed with the planned improvements for the intersection of I-494 and T.H. 169. We need this project. We need the transportation improvements this project will bring to our Golden Triangle Office Park. There are businesses in that office park that are considering expansion. They are concerned about transportation issues for the future of the office park. Their concerns would be addressed by the 494-169 project – that’s why we need it.
We also have a project under consideration in the legislature’s capital bonding bill: the Camp Eden Wood project. We have asked the state legislature for $6.8 million to make improvements to Camp Eden Wood. The camp is leased by the City to Friendship Ventures. Friendship Ventures uses the camp facilities for its programs for physically and mentally disabled children. They do great work and make great use of this camp. The kids that go to Camp Eden Wood come from all over the state of Minnesota. We believe the legislature should provide funds to this project because it benefits a constituency that needs our help and because the project has statewide impact.
The session is off an running. Hang on. With a negative economic forecast in the foreground and election year politics in the background, it could be a very messy session indeed.
