Dakota County Project Down, But Not Out of Running for Bonding Dollars

Dakota County’s bid to secure $3 million in state bonding money to complete the Mississippi River Regional Trail doesn’t look promising.

In rankings released Monday by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), the project was tied for ninth among Twin Cities metro proposals vying for a portion of the $47.5 million payout.

Dakota County’s proposal—which would pay for eight miles of paved trail through Spring Lake Park Reserve in Rosemount and Nininger Township and three trailheads—received 29 out of a possible 100 points.

Each project ranked by DEED was scored on readiness (whether the project ready for construction), employment impact, investment and leverage, regional impact and public impact.

St. Paul’s regional ballpark project, which is seeking $27 million in state money, earned the highest score among metro projects, with 77 points.

Ninety projects with a combined cost of $288.4 million were entered in the competition for bonding money. DEED ranked 37 of the projects.

Duluth’s $10 million downtown development and public parking ramp project earned the top score among Northern Region projects, with 92 points. Litchfield’s $2.55 million water infrastructure proposed had a Southern Region-leading 99 points.

Despite the low ranking, Dakota County’s project isn’t out of the running for state dollars quite yet.

According to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, DEED’s scores were sent to Gov. Mark Dayton, who has the final say over which projects will receive bonding money.

"The governor is taking DEED's rankings under consideration as he makes his decision, and we expect he'll have a decision this week," Katharine Tinucci, a spokeswoman for Dayton's office, told the Pioneer Press.

Click here to access project scores on the DEED website.

To read more about the Mississippi River Regional Trail project, click on the headline below:
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