COON RAPIDS, Minn. — Buoyed by bipartisan support from the Minnesota Congressional delegation and the public, proponents of the Northstar Corridor commuter rail have vowed not to let the project die, according to the Blaine-Spring Lake Park Life.
“We have been told by the public that we can’t give up now,” said Anoka County Board Chairman Dan Erhart, who is also a member of the Northstar Corridor Development Authority.
The commuter rail project, planned to run on existing Burlington-Northern Santa Fe railroad tracks in an 82-mile corridor through Anoka County from Minneapolis to Rice, west of St. Cloud, appeared to have been dealt a fatal blow by the 2002 Minnesota Legislature when it failed to include funding for the state’s share of the project cost in its bonding bill because of opposition from the House Republican caucus.
Federal funds earmarked in Congress for the Northstar project and included in President George W. Bush’s budget were expected to go elsewhere.
That may still happen, according to Erhart.
But in talks with 8th District Congressmen Jim Oberstar, ranking Democrat on the House Public Works Committee, options will be explored for federal funding if the state provides its share of the project cost, Erhart said.
“We have been encouraged to continue with the project by our Congressional delegation,” he said.
That means commuter rail proponents will be going back to the 2003 Minnesota Legislature to seek the state funding.
“Absolutely,” Erhart said.
In the meantime, the Northstar Corridor Development Authority and the Anoka County Regional Rail Authority, which comprises the seven members of the Anoka County Board, will mount a public information campaign.
The Anoka County Regional Rail Authority (ACRRA) has authorized the hiring of the public relations firm of Himle Horner Inc. to provide public information services through Dec. 31.
The cost of the contract, $320,000, will be funded by a $95,000 contribution from the Northstar Corridor Development Authority and $225,000 from the Anoka County Regional Rail Authority’s budget.
“The proposed contract is consistent with the 2002 ACRRA budget, which has funds available and designated for Northstar purposes,” said Tim Yantos, deputy Anoka County administrator and executive director of both the Northstar Corridor Development Authority and the Anoka County Regional Rail Authority.
According to the Northstar Corridor Development Authority’s communication plan, the target audiences for the public information campaign will be corridor residents, project supporters/potential supporters, other transportation groups/interests, and candidates for governor and the Minnesota Senate and House.
The public information effort has three main goals.
— Further elevate Northstar as a viable, cost-effective and needed component of the region’s transportation system.
— Build additional active support for the project with the corridor and from entities throughout the state.
— Inform candidates running for governor and the Legislature about the Northstar project and its merits.
Commuter rail proponents have met with the Minnesota congressional delegation in Washington D.C in recent months, and there was unanimous, bipartisan support, according to Erhart.
That includes Republican Congressmen Mark Kennedy and Jim Ramstad, whose districts now encompass parts of Anoka County, Erhart said.
The district of Congressman Martin Sabo, ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee now includes the southern Anoka County communities of Columbia Heights, Fridley and Spring Lake Park. Sabo has always been a strong backer of Northstar, Erhart said.
In addition, Yantos said the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) recently ranked the Northstar Corridor as one of the top projects in the country, listing it as a “meritorious” project.
Commuter rail proponents had sought $120 million from the 2002 Legislature as the state’s share of the project cost to match the $147 million that had been expected to be appropriated by Congress for the project.
The Anoka County Regional Rail Authority committed to its share of the local match some years ago.
Even with the state’s failure to approve the funding, Erhart said his talks with Oberstar have raised the possibility that federal money would still be available for the project if the state acts.
“There is the caveat that a lot of other people are after the federal funding as well,” Erhart said. “But we believe there are some options available.”
The Himle Horner contract is designed to build on the public support the project already has, according to Erhart. “The public is driving this,” Erhart said.
And, Erhart believes that public support is critical to electing legislative candidates this fall who support Northstar, he said. Indeed, according to Erhart, the corridor through the northern suburbs between Minneapolis and St. Cloud may well hold the key to the governorship in 2002.
“Himle Horner has been very successful in getting the message out before,” Erhart said. It has had prior contracts with the Northstar Corridor Development Authority, he said.
The new contract will involve preparing, printing and distributing lots of materials, as well as holding meetings throughout the corridor, Erhart said.