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Community Project Funding Archive

Community Project Funding is an opportunity that allows Members of Congress to advocate for projects in their districts that will help constituents and provide a direct benefit to the quality of life. This allows Members to direct money in the most responsible way possible, instead of abdicating total allocation power to unelected bureaucratic officials.

Transparency is of utmost importance to this process which is why below is a list of the projects I requested for Fiscal Year 2022 and Fiscal Year 2023 and all necessary transparency documents to accompany these requests.

It is an honor to serve northern Minnesota and to advocate for projects that will help support and improve our way of life!

The projects I have requested funding for in FY22 are as follows:

Project Name: U.S. Highway 8 Reconstruction
Project Location: 8-mile project in the cities of Chisago City, Wyoming and Forest Lake, MN
Project Sponsor: Chisago County
Requested Amount: $20 million
Member Certification Form

Project Name: Two Harbors Wastewater Treatment Facility Improvements
Proposed Recipient: Two Harbors, MN
Address of Recipient: 522 1st Ave, Two Harbors, MN 55616
Requested Amount: $10 million
Member Certification Form
About the Project:

Improvements to the wastewater treatment facility include construction of a new activated sludge biological treatment system and mercury removal improvements. This includes new aeration basins, final clarifiers, biosolids treatment units, mercury filter backwash supply tank, operations and controls building, and associated electrical and controls equipment.

The project is needed to provide adequate treatment of sewage prior to discharge to Lake Superior. Much of the existing facility is at the end of its useful life and continued operation of the existing facilities puts Lake Superior at risk of contamination from release of untreated or partially treated sewage.

A local craft beer company has created a tremendous economic boom for Two Harbors. This economic growth that is helping create a vibrant and healthy North Shore community is threatened by the aging sewer plant infrastructure, the capacity limitations, and the ever-looming threat of a moratorium on new sewer connections.

Two Harbors is a small town and without funding assistance, the cost of the project would mean excessive user fee increases, which the community could not financially support.

Further, a recent effluent mercury limit has led to the installation of filters that cannot withstand existing loadings leading to unreliable treatment at the sewer facility resulting in bypass events. The improvements are necessary to protect Lake Superior and to provide reliable treatment to support local residents and businesses.

This project would not only support the local economy through the city's partnership a local brewery, but would also provide the city with the opportunity for possible future partnership with Silver Creek Township to help the Township solve their own wastewater treatment issues. The project would provide treatment capacity for a potential future connection of a portion of Silver Creek Township to the city's system which would eliminate failing septic systems that are currently polluting Lake Superior.

Project Name: Little Falls Childcare Facility
Proposed Recipient: Little Falls, Minnesota
Address of Recipient: 100 7th Ave NE Little Falls, Minnesota 56345
Requested Amount: $1.5 million
Member Certification Form
About the Project:

The City has been advocating for childcare providers, including providing multiple testimonies by the City Administrator for State legislative committees, and a special forum with Governor Tim Walz in 2019. The City continues to work with the Initiative Foundation, the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities, League of Minnesota Cities, Sourcewell, Community Development of Morrison County, First Children's Finance and others to advocate for legislative funding to support providers and communities to help solve the crisis of childcare. What they have discovered is there is no "silver-bullet" solution to this crisis, but a wide variety of options that need to be brought to the table to give existing providers the support, resources, and respect they need to continue to do this work and to provide the funding, creativity, and encouragement to create opportunities for new or expanding providers to operate within our community.

There are several variables to increasing the available childcare slots in our community: capital facility costs, operating expenses, available childcare providers, and demand for childcare. As previously stated, they have a great need for childcare, and over the past 4 years they have addressed many of the variables; however, the lone variable that they have not been able to solve has been funding for the renovation or construction of a facility. The request for funding would be used to fulfill the variable of financing a facility. The site would be owned by the City of Little Falls, and access would be given to a provider or providers to use the space at no cost in the early years of operation so that they can get established. The City will work to create a partnership with a childcare provider to ensure there is access to reliable, affordable and quality childcare.

Access to reliable, affordable, quality childcare is the main barrier for parents in Little Falls seeking to enter the workforce. The community has a critical need for workers, and by increasing the availability of childcare, hundreds of capable, productive employees could enter the workforce. The community is poised for growth and improvement, but solving the childcare issue is a challenge that requires public-private partnerships and access to financial resources beyond what the City can provide on its own.

Project Name: Pine County Broadband Expansion
Proposed Recipient: Pine County
Address of Recipient: 635 Northridge Dr NW, Suite 200, Pine City, MN 55063
Requested Amount: $7.435 million
Member Certification Form
About the Project:

Pine County, located in Minnesota Congressional District 8 is seeking funds to complete Broadband initiatives to underserved areas within Pine County, specifically census tract 9504. According to MN Compass, there are 4,835 people who live in census tract 9504 who will be supported by the broadband infrastructure project. The desire is to bring reliable, convenient, and affordable broadband to the 2440 households and businesses within census tract 9504. The project will also provide service to approximately 50 farms, St. Croix State Park, St. Croix State Forest, Pine Grove Academy, Mille Lacs Band Health and Human Services, Lake Country Homes, Pathfinder Village, St. Croix River Resort, Countryside Campground, Two Creeks Campground, 49'rs Training Camp, and many other small businesses and resort communities.

This census tract encompassed all the ingredients to be one of the worst areas hit medically and economically by the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, given its high poverty and heavy reliance on the leisure and hospitality industry.

From an education standpoint, the lack of reliable technology resulted in many students not having the necessary technology to safely distance learn. Many families resorted to sitting in their cars in a parking lot to utilize a business free Wi-Fi, or even worse their children did not complete their assignments at all. And finally, the lack of technology has left many community members without the ability to utilize telehealth visits with their medical providers, leaving them to either miss appointments altogether or put themselves at risk to be in person.

Closing the gap for broadband services in the community is a high priority. Census Tract 9504 has historically been underserved, despite neighboring communities developing infrastructure. There are 2,440 household within Census Tract 9504 who will enjoy a better quality of life with reliable and affordable broadband service. The area will also be equipped to handle an expansion of commerce once the technology infrastructure is in place.

Project Name: City of Virginia 2021/2023 Street and Infrastructure Improvements Project - Phase One, Stage Two
Proposed Recipient: City of Virginia, MN
Address of Recipient: 327 1st Street South, Virginia MN 55792
Requested Amount: $2 million
Member Certification Form
About the Project:

The City of Virginia Comprehensive Plan (2017) challenged City Leaders to "Review opportunities for multimodal transportation improvements enhancing access, walkability and aesthetics to primary thoroughfares in the Community". After the adoption of this Comprehensive Plan, the City took this challenge into consideration and identified that one of their top priorities was street repair and restoration –not only for vehicle traffic but for all modes of traffic. At their regular Council meeting on November 26, 2019, the Virginia City Council ordered preparation of a Feasibility Report for the 2021 Street and Infrastructure Improvements project.

During the preparation of the Feasibility Study, they identified the "worst road segments" and found that they exhibited alligator cracking, settlements in pavement, potholes, and serious deterioration of the surface. All road surfaces are considered to be in "poor condition". Sidewalks (varying in width from 4-5 feet) are present in many areas but are also deteriorated, broken up, and heaving/settling and are not Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant.

The curbs and gutters are cracked, heaved/settled, and chipped and do not properly facilitate the drainage. The storm sewer manholes, catch basins, and 12-inch to 18-inch diameter vitrified clay pipe (VCP) storm sewer pipe have also passed their design life.

Many of the utility mains, pipes and connections to water and sanitary sewer are old and deteriorated. In many instances, the utilities are beyond the intended life span of their original design and installation. Inflow and infiltration was apparent due to the poor condition of storm water and sewer connections to the City mains.

The project is proposed to be completed in two separate phases that will occur in two separate stages. Phase One, Stage 1 and Stage 2 will require all construction to occur in calendar years 2021 and 2022.

Proposed road segments for Phase One, Stage One, which are to be substantially completed in 2021, are:

  • 8th Avenue West from 8th Street South to 3rd Street South

  • 10th Avenue West from 3rd Street South to 2nd Street South

  • 3rd Street South from 9th Avenue W to 6th Avenue West

  • Pine Mill Court

Proposed road segments for Phase One, Stage Two, which are to be substantially completed in 2022, are:

  • 3rd Avenue West from 1st Street North to 2nd Avenue West

  • Southern Drive from 14th Avenue West to 20th Street South

Proposed improvements to the roads include a full reconstruction of the subgrade, base, curb and gutter, ditching (where applicable), and surface. The roads will be surfaced with bituminous pavement. The overall width of the road will be designed to meet typical design standards. Perforated polyethylene (PE) drain tile pipe will be installed at the bottom of the road section to allow for subgrade and base drainage to help keep water out of the road bed and significantly reduce possible failures (i.e., settlement, heaving, cracking, etc.).

Sidewalks will be reconstructed to meet current ADA standards, including widths, grades, and accessible pedestrian ramps. Utilities (storm sewer, sanitary sewer, and water main) will be upgraded to provide many years of continued service to the citizens of Virginia.

This is a priority to the City of Virginia residents as improved streets not only allow for better mobilization, but it also improves the appearance of the City, reduces repairs and maintenance costs, and instills a greater sense of pride when one can traverse a street safely.

Project Name: Minnesota Meat Cutting & Butchery Program Development
Proposed Recipient: AgCentric
Address of Recipient: 1830 Airport Road, Staples, MN 56479
Requested Amount: $3 million
Member Certification Form
About the Project:

The Minnesota State Northern Agricultural Center of Excellence (AgCentric) is an educational leader in connecting industry and education to meet the regions' needs. AgCentric is housed at Central Lakes College and is one of eight Centers within Minnesota State.

This project has three major phases to bring about a meat cutting and butchery career pathways and service industry needs:

  • Phase 1: Form a comprehensive industry advisory that covers farm to plate including inspection agency considerations. Phase 1 task is to assess the current situation and provide guidance on program design that is comprehensive but also time sensitive to meet immediate industry needs. Additionally, facilities and processes need to adhere to food inspection standards as the product moves from the farm to plate.

  • Phase 2: Secure funding. Phase 2 commences as funding is provided to build out the existing facilities at to accommodate training. Hanging carcasses will be brought from farms and processed by enrolled students. Accommodations will include walk-in coolers large enough for up to 15 students and multispecies areas within the facility. The college has an industrial, fully-inspected kitchen to allow for the retail cuts side of the training. Funds will also allow the college to purchase processing equipment to allow multiple students to train simultaneously.

  • Phase 3: Develop and open new mobile processing trailer. AgCentric and Central Lakes College will partner with an organization that has established farmer relationships to develop and operate a mobile slaughter and processing unit, but keep it separate from the state college system. This unit will be utilized both by the training program and serve the region's producers. There is a model of the partnership working in Montana: Montana recently partnered to purchase a USDA-inspected mobile slaughter unit as a part of their meat processing curriculum. Private entities in Minnesota also operate mobile slaughter units.

The needs study indicates that this program is needed to assure a more diverse network of meat cutters and local outlets for processing. The hands-on and entrepreneurial program design, short-term format and business ownership orientation will ensure that the program serves as a driver for economic growth within the District. While the meat processing "bottleneck" has long been recognized as a regional issue, the pandemic exacerbated the issue and clearly demonstrated both the negative economic impact and risk that the bottleneck poses to the industry and the region. The farmers experienced financial losses when animals could not be slaughtered in a timely manner, and in some cases were required to be desiccated all together.

Project Name: Twin Ports Interchange Work Package #4 Garfield/I-535 Interchange
Proposed Recipient: MnDOT District 1 – Duluth
Address of Recipient: 1123 Mesaba Avenue, Duluth, MN 55811
Requested Amount: $29.6 million
Member Certification Form
About the Project:

This project (Twin Ports Interchange Work Package #4 Garfield/I-535 Interchange) was part of the original Twin Ports Interchange project, which began the fall of 2020, and will be completed the summer of 2024. Due to a lack of funding, it was deferred until 2028. The original scope of the TPI project was to replace the main interchange of I-35, I-535 and US Highway 53 in addition to the interchange of I-535 and Garfield Avenue near the Port of Duluth. The project goals are to increase safety (the main interchange has the fourth highest crash rate of any MnDOT interchange), to replace aging infrastructure (the interchange was coming to the end of its life at the same time as the Blatnik Bridge) and to increase freight mobility.

In regard to freight mobility, the main interchange and the I-535/Garfield interchange are on the first and last mile to the Port of Duluth. There is a tremendous amount of oversize/overweight (OSOW) freight in and out of the port. They cannot travel on either interchange because of load restrictions and substandard geometry and are forced to travel city streets and county roads in order to leave or enter the port – causing increased time and cost, travel delays for the public and decreased competitiveness for the port. The main interchange is now being constructed and will be complete in 2024, but until the I-535/Garfield interchange is reconstructed, OSOW loads will not be able to directly access the interstate and will continue to leave Duluth on local roads. In addition, the project in totality was staged and designed to reconstruct the I-535/Garfield interchange with a complete closure of I-535 in conjunction with the main I- 35/I-535/USTH 53 interchange because I-535 is cut-off from I-35 as a result of the man interchange reconstruction. If this project is awarded funding in 2022, it can be reconstructed as currently staged and designed, will eliminate an additional two years of I-535 closure or restriction, will eliminate or minimize re-design/re-staging of the I- 535/Garfield project, will save approximately $14 million of inflation costs and allow OSOW loads to enter and leave the port directly on the interstate meeting the original TPI project goal of increasing freight mobility. This is currently the closest project to shovel ready in MnDOT's current program.

Project Name: Trunk Highway (TH) 95 Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Rail Switch Relocation
Proposed Recipient: City of Cambridge, Minnesota
Address of Recipient: 300 Third Avenue NE, Cambridge, MN 55008
Requested Amount: $800,000
Member Certification Form
About the Project:

The project relocates the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railroad switching equipment approximately one-half mile from its current location next to TH 95 in Cambridge. In its current location, switching activities block the BNSF rail crossing of TH 95 for extended periods of time.

Relocating the railroad switch is vital to the City of Cambridge. During switching operations, closures of the TH 95 rail crossing can last up to 45 minutes. With only two other locations for drivers to cross the BNSF rail line in Cambridge, the closures create gridlock. Approximately 15 trains travel through Cambridge each day. Closures are especially disruptive to public safety and emergency services, school buses, commuters, and freight providers. The switch relocation is the first phase of a project programmed for 2025 to reconstruct TH 95 in Cambridge.

The projects I have requested funding for in FY23 are as follows:

Project Name: City of Cromwell Broadband Project
Proposed Recipient: City of Cromwell
Address of Recipient: 1272 Highway 73, PO BOX 74, Cromwell, MN 55726
Requested Amount: $607,970
Member Certification Form
About the Project:
The City of Cromwell is in desperate need of Broadband. This project will provide last mile connectivity. Every resident representing 134 locations within the City of Cromwell and all new facilities including the soon to be constructed 55+ senior living facility will be connected. In addition to the approximately 100 residential locations, services will be made available to the nearly 25 businesses in the City including the United States Post Office.

Project Name: East Mesabi Water Project
Proposed Recipient: City of Aurora
Address of Recipient: 16 West Second Avenue North, Aurora, MN 55705
Requested Amount: $4,000,000
Member Certification Form
About the Project:
The East Mesabi Water Project is a multiple phase project which will provide drinking water to the City of Aurora, Town of White ("TOW"), Hoyt Lakes and Biwabik. The completion of this project will provide safe, reliable, and affordable drinking water for the communities of Aurora, Town of White and the cities of Biwabik and Hoyt Lakes. Studies have shown that the new water source (Embarrass Mine Lake) has an abundance of water, contains water of a quality that has 81% less sulfates and water hardness that is 63 % lower than the existing St. James Pit source. In contrast, the existing St. James Pit water source is subject to rising water levels, Zebra mussel infestation and increasing sulfate concentrations.

Project Name: US Highway 8 Reconstruction
Proposed Recipient: Chisago County Public Works
Address of Recipient: 313 N Main St. City Center, MN 55012
Requested Amount: $3,000,000
Member Certification Form
About the Project:
Highway 8 is an important interregional corridor that serves a variety of transportation needs. It is vital to sustaining local commerce and energizing future economic growth and vitality. In recent years, Highway 8 has become increasingly strained due to high levels of daily commuters, large trucks hauling freight, and spikes in weekend recreational traffic. A proliferation of secondary roads and private driveways provide direct access to and from Highway 8 which contribute to safety and mobility issues. The funding would be used to complete the US Highway 8 Reconstruction Project. This critical project expands eight miles of US Highway 8 between Interstate 35 and Karmel Avenue in the cities of Wyoming, Chisago City, and Forest Lake, Minnesota.

Project Name: Shorewood Park Sanitary District Expansion
Proposed Recipient: Shorewood Park Sanitary District
Address of Recipient: PO Box 718 Rush City, MN 55069
Requested Amount: $1,900,000
Member Certification Form
About the Project:
This project extends the community sewer around part of Rush Lake and expands its wastewater treatment pond to lower phosphorus levels. This project is important to the water quality of the entire Lower St. Croix River due to private septic systems that are impacting the water quality of Rush Lake and Rush Creek. Rush Lake is the largest lake in the I-35 corridor between Forest Lake and Lake Superior.

Project Name: Milaca Airport Road
Proposed Recipient: City of Milaca
Address of Recipient: 255 1st Street East Milaca, MN 56353
Requested Amount: $1,500,000
Member Certification Form
About the Project:
This project improves a one-mile-long road located within four local jurisdictions in central Minnesota (City of Milaca, Borgholm Township, Milaca Township, and Mille Lacs County). The project will provide a vital link between the municipal airport and two industrial park areas. When completed, the project will improve conditions for economic development in the region. The project will also improve safety conditions and improve access for all corridor users.

Project Name: CSAH 91 and CSAH 54 Reconstruction
Proposed Recipient: St. Louis County
Address of Recipient: 4787 Midway Road Duluth, MN 55811
Requested Amount: $2,400,000
Member Certification Form
About the Project:
St. Louis County plans to resurface (mill and overlay) Haines Road and Piedmont Avenue in 2023. The project on Haines Road begins at Morris Thomas Road and ends at Airport Road for a total length of 4.0 miles. The project on Piedmont Avenue begins at Haines Road and ends at Chambersburg Avenue for a total length of 0.94 mile. Haines Road provides several significant functions for the regional transportation system. It serves as the primary access to the Duluth International Airport. Haines Road has one of the highest Annual Average Daily Traffic volumes at greater than 10,000 vehicles per day.

Project Name: Beltrami County CSAH 20 Reconstruction
Proposed Recipient: Beltrami County
Address of Recipient: 701 Minnesota Ave. NW Ste.200, Bemidji, MN 56601
Requested Amount: $3,000,000
Member Certification Form
About the Project:
Beltrami County will be reconstructing CSAH 20 from the intersection with CSAH 21 to Lake Bemidji State Park. The road project is approximately 1.5 miles in length. This road is a critical access point to the area that is home to thousands of acres of public land and numerous lakes, used for hunting, fishing, boating, hiking and other recreational uses. The route is also used by commercial businesses such as timber haulers and aggregate producers. Improving the road will benefit all of these users.

Project Name: Northern Township Sewer and Water Infrastructure Project
Proposed Recipient: Northern Township
Address of Recipient: 445 Town Hall Rd NW, Bemidji, MN 56601
Requested Amount: $7,900,000
Member Certification Form
About the Project:
Northern Township will be installing water and sanitary sewer extensions from the City of Bemidji. The project would start at the termini of facilities on Birchmont Drive and continue north and east along CSAH 21 and CSAH 20, ending at Lake Bemidji State Park. The water and sewer project is approximately 3 miles in length.

Lake Bemidji is the focal point of the thriving regional center of Bemidji with over 15,000 residents and serves as a center for economic development in northern Minnesota. This resource welcomes hundreds of thousands of recreational users every year. There are currently many old septic systems that need updating and with a low water table around much of the Lake, this puts the future water quality of the Lake in jeopardy.

Project Name: Aitkin Regional Water Tower Upgrade
Proposed Recipient: City of Aitkin
Address of Recipient: 130 Southgate Drive - Suite 200, Aitkin, MN 56431
Requested Amount: $2,320,000
Member Certification Form
About the Project:
The City of Aitkin has a small, undersized, outdated water tower that has met the end of its functional life cycle. As the years have passed and businesses have expanded in our region, the limitations of the existing tower are becoming clearer.

For future economic development, community growth and regional development, a new water tower is needed that will meet the needs of the community and region. This project will fund the construction of a new hydropillar, (water tower) well house, pumping station and connection to the existing municipal water delivery system.

Water Resources Development Act of 2022
Project Name: Section 569 - Northeastern Minnesota
Location: The Section 569 program area includes the northeastern Minnesota counties of Aitkin, Beltrami, Carlton, Cass, Chisago, Cook, Crow Wing, Hubbard, Isanti, Itasca, Kanabec, Koochiching, Lake, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Pine, St. Louis and Wadena.
Sponsor: Program responsibilities are shared between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District and the Detroit District.
Requested Amount: Sec. 7001 recommended authorization of $80,000,000
Member Certification Form

The projects I have requested funding for in FY24 are as follows:

Project Name: Silver Bay Water Treatment Facility Improvements
Proposed Recipient: City of Silver Bay
Requested Amount: $6,500,000

Member Certification Form
About the Project:
Rehabilitation & upgrade to the municipal Water Treatment Facility to include construction of a new booster station/distribution main, replacement of raw water pumps, valve actuators, filter media, chemical feed equipment, roofing & building repairs, electrical & control upgrades, and bring facility up to regulatory requirements.

The facility is over 70 years old and mostly operating with original equipment and needs replacement of various treatment and pumping components to ensure reliable ongoing treatment and production of water for city’s users, including Cleveland-Cliffs Northshore Mining. 

The most urgent concern is the original high-service pumps and finished water piping, which are used to convey water from the treatment facility to the water tower. The pumps are operating at an extremely rare high pressure of 230-psi (normal system is 50-80psi), which pump the water supply through a 2.5 mile main without any intermediate pumps between the water treatment facility and the water tower.  By adding a booster station, it would likely decrease pressures about 50%. 

The City of Silver Bay is an eligible applicant and solely owns the Water Treatment Facility and the land for the new booster station. The project will maintain the safe drinking water for the entire community, it will upgrade the existing water treatment facility, will improve the extremely high, rare, & unsafe pressures to a safer level, will minimize the risks of potential contaminants from entering the system, and will extend the useful life of the municipal existing system.

Final engineering has been completed and approved by the MN Department of Health.  The project is on the State’s Project Priority List (PPL) & Intended Use Plan (IUP) of the Minnesota Public Facilities Authority (PFA), but no confirmation of funding being secured. 

Project Name: City of Braham Water and Wastewater Treatment Improvements
Proposed Recipient: City of Braham
Requested Amount: $5,000,000

Member Certification Form
About the Project:
The City of Braham is requesting federal funds to upgrade our water and wastewater plants and replace our primary City Well No. 3 and backup Well No. 2. Well No. 3 is currently listed as vulnerable for Tritium.

Water System – Replace existing cast iron watermains, hydrants, gate valves, lead water service lines, new well.

  • Project will improve water quality and flow throughout the system by eliminating deteriorated cast iron mains and improve looping of the system to eliminate stagnant water. It will replace components of the system that contain lead, including joints in the existing watermain and lead service lines to individual residents.

Ground Water Well – Install a new well to provide water for the City.

  • The City currently utilizes one well to supply the City with water. The City has an emergency well that was constructed in the late 1960s, however it is not capable of providing a reliable amount of water for an extended duration.

Wastewater Treatment Facility – Rehabilitate the existing treatment facility with updated controls and process equipment.

  • The project will improve water quality of treated wastewater to meet MPCA requirements and will reduce operation and maintenance costs by upgrading controls and replacing equipment that continually breaks and needs replacements/repairs.

Wastewater Collection System – Replace existing vitrified clay sewer, deteriorated brick manholes, and vitrified clay sewer service laterals.

  • Project will help eliminate inflow and infiltration of ground and rainwater into the system which the collection system and plant cannot handle. The project will reduce the number of pipe collapses that cause service disruption and potential sewer backups to residents and businesses.

Project Name: Northern Township Sewer and Water Infrastructure Project
Proposed Recipient: Northern Township
Requested Amount: $5,500,000

Member Certification Form
About the Project:
Northern Township is requesting funding for phase 2 of our project to install a wastewater system around the Northwest end of Lake Bemidji.

Northern Township will install a wastewater system from the termini of the City of Bemidji system and continue north and east along CSAH 21 (Phase 1) and CSAH 20 (Phase 2), ending at Lake Bemidji State Park. The total wastewater system project is approximately 3 miles in length.

At the same time, Beltrami County will be reconstructing CSAH 20 from the intersection with CSAH 21 to the intersection with County Road 414 which is the entrance to Lake Bemidji State Park. The project will include storm sewer, curb and gutter, a multi-use trail along with Northern Township's water and sewer. The concurrence of the two projects will potentially save $1.5 million dollars on costs for the wastewater system project.

Lake Bemidji, the first city on the Mississippi river, is the focal point of the thriving regional center of Bemidji with over 15,000 residents and serves as the center for economic development for all of northern Minnesota. This resource welcomes hundreds of thousands of recreational users every year.

The wastewater system project will help maintain water quality of a shared natural resource of great importance to our region. There are currently many old septic systems that need updating and, with a low water table around much of the Lake, this puts the future water quality of the Lake in jeopardy.

 Timing is also important for this project as the major resort on the Lake, the MN DNR Regional Headquarters, and Lake Bemidji State Park all need to replace their major septic systems and favor connecting to central sewer services as the best long-term environmentally sound solution.

This project will realize a 50 plus year regional planning goal of adding sanitary sewer services to the northern side of Lake Bemidji and enhance the quality of life of residents and visitors for generations to come.

Project Name: Tower Stabilization Pond Expansion
Proposed Recipient: Tower-Breitung Wastewater Board
Requested Amount: $3,750,000

Member Certification Form
About the Project:
The Tower-Breitung Wastewater Board (TBWWB) is requesting funding to expand the wastewater capacity for the Tower and Breitung communities. The TBWWB serves over 1,100 residents between the City of Tower and Breitung Township.

The TBWWB has operated under a joint powers agreement since 1986 between the City of Tower and Breitung Township. TBWWB operates and maintains two wells, a water plant, a water tower, a wastewater plant consisting of three stabilization ponds, two sanitary sewer lift stations, and 15,000 feet of force main lines. The TBWWB’s existing facility was constructed in 1988 and is operating at near full capacity, which is a wet weather flow of 172,000 gallons per day.

The City of Tower and Breitung Township have reached their treatment capacity with the current system. The communities are expanding, especially with business development, and are unable to accommodate more growth without expanding capacity. Over the last several years, in order to mitigate the loss of capacity, the TBWWB, City of Tower, and Breitung Township have all implemented plans to reduce the inflow and infiltration (I&I). The communities continue their focus on decreasing I&I to maintain the limited capacity of our wastewater system; however, these efforts do not provide for the growth the communities are experiencing. After exploring different options, the TBWWB found that the installation of an additional cell to our existing pond system would be the most cost-effective and environmentally friendly option to provide the additional capacity needed for continued growth.

The TBWWB is requesting funding for the construction of a fourth stabilization pond which will increase the existing three-cell, 26.4-acre pond facility by 13.2 acres, increasing the wastewater capacity from 172,000 gallons per day to 258,000 gallons per day. This project is environmentally friendly and uses natural processes to treat wastewater.

Project Name: Moose Lake Inflow & Infiltration Reduction Project
Proposed Recipient: St. Louis County
Requested Amount: $2,400,000

Member Certification Form
About the Project:
Moose Lake has proposed residential and commercial developments in the City that are currently stalled up by the lack of treatment capacity in their wastewater ponds. The City treats wastewater flows from the City, Moose Lake Township, and the Moose Lake Department of Correction (DOC). Currently, the City wastewater pond system is at 93% of design capacity. The MPCA typically begins evaluation of pond facilities at 80% of treatment capacity. In their current situation, the City can either increase pond capacity or reduce the amount of Inflow/Infiltration (I&) into their collection system. Ultimately, the wastewater pond capacity is limiting growth and development in the City of Moose Lake.

The purpose of this project is to quickly create capacity to allow for new development. As of early 2023, the proposed developments in the City that are pending include:

  • City campground expansion (21 site expansion)
  • Moose Lake Brewery Expansion (proposed 4 times current production)
  • Sand Lake Resort (proposed 70 units)
  • Residential Development on TH 73 (single-family homes)
  • Old Moose Lake School Redevelopment (TBD)

In addition, the DOC campuses are not at full capacity and if their population increased, the City would not be able to treat the additional wastewater flows.

The City is proposing to line 15,000 feet of sanitary sewer mains and 88 manholes to reduce the I&I in their system. Being proactive, the City has completed three lining projects and had positive results with this method. Even with this success, the City budget limits how much improvement they can make on an annual basis. Most of the sewer mains and manholes in the City are over 50 years old and experience some level of I&I.

Project Name: Harris Interchange/Downtown Redevelopment Project
Proposed Recipient: City of Harris
Requested Amount: $1,679,000

Member Certification Form
About the Project:
Phase I of the Project is to extend municipal sewer and water from where it currently ends at the intersection of County State Aid Hwy 10 (CSAH 10) and Garden Avenue to a point on the east side of the CSAH 10/Interstate Hwy 35 Interchange.

Phase II of the Project will continue extending the municipal sewer and water under I-35 to the northwest quadrant of CSAH 10/I-35 Interchange.

The City of Harris is located approximately fifty miles north of the Twin Cities and spans both sides of Interstate Hwy 35, which connects Duluth, Minnesota to/from Minneapolis/St Paul, MN. There is one interstate interchange in Harris at CSAH 10. The area around this interchange has room for business growth, but expansion cannot occur without Phase I and Phase II extension of municipal sewer and water. The lack of municipal sewer and water has significantly limited growth. Having areas ready to develop is necessary for business expansion. The City of Harris has missed opportunities because we are one of the few municipalities on the Interstate corridor that do not have sewer and water at the Interchange.

Project Name: City of Ely Water Supply Improvements
Proposed Recipient: 
City of Ely
Requested Amount: $3,384,750

Member Certification Form
About the Project:
The City of Ely’s water pump house, intake structure and intake line were originally constructed in 1932, over 90 years ago. The intake line runs approximately 25,000 from Burntside Lake to the municipal water plant located in the northwest corner of Ely. In most areas, the water line was buried less than four feet deep.  However, where the line crosses the rivers and other wetlands the intake lines are exposed or have very little insulation. The wooden bridges that support the open water crosses were last updated in 1970.  Over the past 53 years, these bridges have become structurally unsound, with severely deteriorated cross beams and pilings. The pilings that support the crossings are believed to be original from 1932. The exposed sections of water line have connecting hardware that has experienced corrosion.  The water intake structure in Burntside Lake also has significant corrosion on the pipe flanges and hardware and is in immediate need of repair. Multiple leaks have occurred along the water line due to movement during the winter months due to the lack of insulation and the minimal depth at which the line was buried. When this line leaks the City must respond as an emergency situation as this is the sole source of drinking water for the City which typically uses 600,000 gallons per pay. Access to the water line is very difficult due to the wetlands and open water crossings. Replacement of this infrastructure is necessary to insure the reliability of water supply to the City of Ely.

Project Name: Aitkin, MN Wastewater Plant Upgrade
Proposed Recipient: 
City of Aitkin
Requested Amount: $5,000,000

Member Certification Form
About the Project:

The City of Aitkin has an undersized, outdated wastewater treatment facility that has met the end of its functional life cycle. Time has taken its toll on the facility, and continued maintenance is futile. Discharge regulations have become more stringent, and our old facility was not designed to meet thresholds in effect at this time. Residences have increased, medical facilities and businesses have expanded in our region, and the limitations of our existing wastewater facility are at our doorstep:

  • The City of Aitkin provides Regional Wastewater Treatment for the City and surrounding area. 12 Townships that are considered rural benefit from our facilities operation.
  • As a Regional Center, Aitkin provides wastewater and City services to over $200 million dollars in “non-profit” government, medical, law enforcement and non-tax paying organizations. Although these employers are good for our community, the lack of revenue limits our ability to provide upgrades.
  • The City of Aitkin has businesses in our community that need improved treatment at the Wastewater Facility to support the process utilized in their manufacturing operations.
  • The City of Aitkin lacks the capacity needed to expand workforce housing and utility services to a growing Regional Medical Center.
  • There is an $80 million dollar expansion for a new surgical center at Riverwood Regional Medical Center. This new facility would be near this Regional Center, and City of Aitkin could provide continued high-quality service to them.
  • The City of Aitkin school system has acquired a new site location on the South end of Aitkin, and if the school is ever able to build there, the City of Aitkin will need an upgraded wastewater service for the school and housing development.
  • Workforce Housing and multi-family housing will all need upgraded services for us to grow and develop in the future.

Project Name: City of Buhl Water Infrastructure Improvements
Proposed Recipient: 
City of Buhl
Requested Amount: $3,047,500

Member Certification Form
About the Project:
Phase 3 of the Buhl Capital Improvement Project (CIP) consists of the repair/refurbishment/restoration/reconstruction/replacement of the city’s aging/deteriorating water storage system, including elevated tower and ground storage basin, additional infrastructure piping and services installation for its municipal South Industrial Park, and complete new development of additional residential infrastructure and services.

The City of Buhl, population 1,000, has completed phases 1 & 2 of this CIP. To date, the City has invested over $10,000,000 toward these municipal infrastructure upgrades, including upwards of $1,100,000 in 2022 alone. It is important to note that all of these upgrades have come without increasing the municipal property tax burden on the city’s residents & businesses, and has continued to allow the City to maintain some of the lowest utility service rates on Minnesota’s Iron Range.

The city is strategically positioned mid-way and between larger, more developmentally mature, municipalities on Minnesota’s central Mesabi Iron Range, and, as such, is in a favorable position for growth if it can offer facilities and amenities desirable to business and the general populace alike. One of the best ways of strategizing and marketing these future growth opportunities is to complete the important improvements in the City’s utility infrastructure and services components that are considered here. These outcomes will contribute substantially to and solidify the City’s desirability position in attracting future and retaining existing developmental initiatives.

Currently, the City does not and cannot offer utility services reasonably expected by commercial or industrial investors due to the lack of infrastructure and/or services. Consequently, the City cannot compete with nearby communities to locate these investments in its boundaries.  

Phase 3 is time-sensitive, and is intended and designed to serve the community as a whole, well into the next several decades.

Project Name: Bridge 58510 replacement on CSAH 61 over Snake River, Pine City, MN
Proposed Recipient: Pine City
Requested Amount: $2,800,000

Member Certification Form

About the Project:
Bridge 58510 located in Pine City over the Snake River was constructed in 1976 and is owned by Pine County.  The 325’ long bridge is 49’ wide including an 8’ sidewalk and carries 8,400 vehicles/day.  The last 5 years, the prestressed box girders and steel shell piling have shown signs of significant deterioration that requires major rehabilitation or bridge replacement and has reduced the capacity of the bridge requiring a load posting. Due to the bridge approaching 50 years of age and the cost of rehabilitation, replacement has been chosen and the current estimate is approximately $3,500,000.

Project Name: Downtown Traffic Reliever Route, Walker, MN
Proposed Recipient: City of Walker
Requested Amount: $2,000,000

Member Certification Form

About the Project:
The proposed project includes the construction of two road segments on either end of the existing Tower Avenue on the south edge of the city. The first segment is 1,500 feet in length starting at the intersection of Division Street and extending east to connect Tower Avenue to TH 371. The second segment is 1,100 feet in length starting at the intersection of 5th Street and extending west to connect Tower Avenue to TH 34. The planned roadway includes an urban street section, with stormwater collection and treatment.

The project, as proposed, will be designed to increase safety by reducing seasonal traffic congestion on TH 371 within the heart of the city, providing an additional access to TH 371 east of town and TH 34 west of town, and allowing residential, commercial, and school traffic to bypass the city's downtown area.

The project will provide access to a significant amount of undeveloped commercial and residential property that is currently landlocked due to previously adopted MnDOT highway access restrictions. This roadway extension complies with current MNDOT highway access restrictions and allows further economic development and growth for the city and county along this corridor.

An Intersection Control Evaluation Report for the TH 371 connection was completed and reviewed by MnDOT in April of 2018.

Project Name: US Highway 8 Reconstruction
Proposed Recipient: Chisago County Public Works
Requested Amount: $5,000,000

Member Certification Form

About the Project:
Highway 8 is an important interregional corridor that serves a variety of transportation needs. It is vital to sustaining local commerce and energizing future economic growth and vitality.

In recent years, Highway 8 has become increasingly strained due to high levels of daily commuters, large trucks hauling freight, and spikes in weekend recreational traffic.

A proliferation of secondary roads and private driveways provide direct access to and from Highway 8 which contribute to safety and mobility issues.

If awarded, the funding would be used to complete the US Highway 8 Reconstruction Project. This critical project expands eight miles of US Highway 8 between Interstate 35 and Karmel Avenue in the cities of Wyoming, Chisago City, and Forest Lake, Minnesota.

The corridor is part of the National Highway System and is vital to the local and regional economy. It connects the region to the Twin Cities metropolitan area, Wisconsin and beyond, and it serves commercial freight, agricultural traffic, and commuter traffic. There is also significant traffic on weekends, and throughout the vacation season, as travelers move between Minneapolis-St. Paul and Northwest Wisconsin.

Federal funds will address critical capacity, access and safety issues along the eight-mile segment of US Highway 8. Currently, over 22,000 vehicles a day utilize the two-lane highway, creating safety and congestion issues that severely restrict economic development along the corridor. This project will also construct approximately 6.5 miles of the Swedish Immigrant Regional Trail that will connect into the Hardwood Creek and Sunrise Prairie Regional Trails, serving bicycle and pedestrian users.