Mills Town at the Legislature

(Submitted by Peggy Prowe)

Thursday, February 28, 2008
The Parks and Trails Council Day on the Hill

Thanks to Councilman Jon Denison, Steve Janusz, LaNelle Olsen, and Randy Perkins for their help.  We met with Representatives Patti Fritz, David Bly, and Patrick Garafalo.  Made contact with Representative Sandy Wollschlager and Senator Kevin Dahle.
We heard from DNR Commissioner Mark Holsten about how the State Parks and Trails are the key to getting young people involved in the outdoors, active in healthy pursuits that may lead to adult hunting and fishing.
Forrest Boe, DNR director of Trails and Waterways, discussed the need for maintenance and renovation of trails.  He emphasized the importance of citizen involvement with Legislators to encourage funding of development and maintenance.
Judy Erickson, lobbyist for the Parks & Trails Council, described the bonding packages for the House and the Senate.  The eastern end of the Mill Towns Trail had requests of $1.5 or  $1.7 million to acquire land on the south bank of the Cannon River between Cannon Falls and Byllesby county parks and to bridge between the Dakota and Goodhue County Parks.  Both the House and Senate decided to award $500,000 in their bonding proposals for the acquisition to connect to the Cannon Valley Trail.
For the western end of the Mill Towns Trail, Faribault had requested $1. million to fund the underpasses on #3 and #21.  Both the House and Senate committees put $150,000 in their bonding plans.  At least the Mill Towns Trail has markers in both bonding bills and they are the same.  Better than nothing.  Hopefully these allocations will materialize in the final bonding bill which goes to the governor.  Hopefully he will not line-item veto trail allocations.
Governor Pawlenty is very interested in the purchase from US Steel of 2,500 acres for Lake Vermillion State Park, a new one adjacent to Soudan Mine State Park.
Craig Bloomer, DNR Trails & Waterways, Rochester, has been assigned the eastern end of Mill Towns Trail.
Respectfully,  Peggy Prowe