VISITS MURRAY COUNTY SITES TO VIEW POTENTIAL BONDING PROJECTS
In preparation for the 2022 legislative session the Senate Capital Improvement Committee toured southwestern Minnesota sites on a list of those requesting grant funds to complete projects. It was only on the request of Senator Bill Weber that Murray County had been included on the schedule at the last moment. On the second day of the tour Senators from across the state arrived by bus on a rainy day to tour two sites in Murray County. The first was the current highway department facility at the intersection Highways 30 and 59. Highway Engineer Randy Groves presented a packet of facts to the approximately seventeen senators. Outlined in the packet were the deficiencies at the current location in the terms of space and safety and the efforts made to finance construction of a new building. The facts of the purchase of 25 acres, the savings in delay of road projects for the construction costs and the preparation of design and bid specifications were outlined. The unexpected results at the time the bids were opened with the costs totaling $23-24M after all the planning for a $17M result. With no other funding options, Groves then proceeded to forwarding a bonding request to the legislature.
The second stop of the morning was at Marsha’s Landing on Valhalla Island with the group meeting in the Fish Cleaning House. This, as Groves told the group, was the only covered stop nearby. The purpose of this stop was to explain the need to raise the level of the three dikes leading onto the island in an effort to alleviate flooding that occurs during heavy rain episodes. Of prime concern to the residents and visitors to the island is the number of bikers, walkers, golf carts and baby strollers,etc that are using the roadway as a walking path. This is especially true on weekends during the summer months. There is no pathway along Valhalla Drive to accommodate this use. As Groves, explained DNR is reluctant to allow the lake to be filled to widen the roadway. The area, as noted by Commissioner Malone, is an international point of interest for tourists familiar with Little House on the Prairie TV program. Recreation brings hundreds of visitors each weekend into the area. Grant dollars have been requested to fund a $4.2M rebuilding of the roadway.
At the conclusion of Groves’ presentation, the head of the committee addressed comments to the two County Commissioners, Walgraven and Malone who were in attendance. He commented that Murray County probably would not be successful in its request for funding of the new highway department building based on its lack of efforts to raise the sufficient monies. He based this on the fact that Murray County has the lowest personal property taxes in the State, its main source of income. He also added the County has not enacted the additional ½% sales tax as an additional source of income even though that is a minimal amount because of the lack of large retail stores within the County.
