Senate Capital Investment Bill includes funding for Rochester

03/26/2007

ST. PAUL, MN (March 26, 2007) -- The Senate Capital Investment Committee passed a bill today that includes funding for several important projects across the state. The bill includes funding for the Rochester Mayo Civic Center and the Southeast Minnesota Regional Public Safety Training Center, both of which were introduced by Sen. Ann Lynch, DFL-Rochester.

The bill provides $2.5 million to support planning dollars for the renovation and expansion of the Civic Center complex. The expansion of the University of Minnesota, Rochester and proximity of the Mayo Clinic pose opportunities for Rochester to further support the high-tech medical and biosciences industries by providing a facility with the capacity needed for conferences and conventions.

“The expansion of the Mayo Civic Center will have a significant economic impact on Rochester,” Sen. Lynch said. “In 2006 alone, the city was forced to turn away 78 events that represented a $19 million loss in direct spending because of inadequate facilities and availability.”

The bill also provides $2.5 million to design, construct, furnish, and equip the Southeastern Minnesota Regional Public Safety Training Center in Rochester. The facility will include a live burn training simulator, an emergency vehicle driving range, and a weapons training facility. “Many of our regional law enforcement agencies cannot currently afford to send their police officers, firefighters, EMT’s and other public safety personnel to simulated training because the travel time and distance is too far,” Sen. Lynch said. “The establishment of this regional training facility will increase the public safety of the entire state because more local agencies will be able to attend high-quality, in-depth public safety training.”

Sen. Lynch added that the state support of these projects complement the desires of our community and will maximize our local investments in these projects.