The Minnesota Senate released its $496 million bonding bill Wednesday, but the way the bill distributed its funds neglected a number of Twin Cities-based projects.
According to the Star Tribune, the bill's finalized amount is a compromise between $775 million, requested by Gov. Mark Dayton, and the $280 offered by the House.
The Star Tribune also reported that the Minnesota State Colleges system requested $127 million for construction and rebuilding projects on the U campuses, but only $39 million was written into the bill.
Funding for a new, 7,000-seat stadium for the St. Paul Saints baseball team was also left out of the bill, reported the Pioneer Press. The stadium, which should cost around $54 million, would be built on the old Diamond Products building site.
Money for Nicollet Mall renovations and Central Corridor Light Rail Transit construction was also excluded.
But the bill did include $179 million for higher-education projects, and $125 million for state asset preservation; $30.5 million for flood mitigation; $35 million for roads and bridges, and even $7 million for the dolphin tank at the Minnesota Zoo.
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