Capital investment committee hears funding requests for roads, water, lift stations and a campus for adults with autism

The House Capital Investment Committee on April 10 heard a slate of local infrastructure funding requests, with presenters asking state lawmakers to fund road safety projects, sewer and water system upgrades, utility and lift‑station replacements, and a permanent campus for a nonprofit serving adults with autism.

The hearing mattered because several projects—Cottage Grove’s arterial realignment and Wabasha’s highway realignment among them—rely on matching federal funds or are time‑sensitive; committee members and sponsors repeatedly emphasized the need to secure state money now so local governments do not lose federal grants already awarded.

Benton County asked for $21,000,000 for the Mayhew Lake Road Safety and Improvement Project. Jared Gapinski, Benton County Commissioner, said, “Today we are seeking $21,000,000 for the Mayhew Lake Road Safety and Improvement Project.” He said the corridor is a “high speed rural roadway with limited trail facilities” and that a 2022 corridor access and safety study recommended roundabouts at multiple intersections. Commissioner Steve Heine added that voters in the Sauk Rapids‑Rice School District recently approved a bond for a new early‑childhood center adjacent to the corridor and that the county has applied multiple times for a federal RAISE grant; “we have applied 3 times for the RAISE grant and we've never been accepted yet,” Heine told the committee. County officials said the $21 million figure is scalable and that a phased first construction phase would cost roughly $8,750,000 and focus on the section in front of the new school.

Several smaller cities described stormwater, sewer and lift‑station needs. Robin DeCappellino, mayor of Spicer, urged support for a $2,100,000 grant to replace the city’s aging lift station, which she said was installed in February 2006 and sits on private property. “If it fails, the consequences will be severe. Sewage backups, contamination of Green Lake, and serious health hazards,” she told the committee. Butterfield officials said their sewer system requires phased replacement of lift stations, manholes and treatment ponds and discussed a phased ask (the applicant cited numbers ranging from about $7.9 million for an initial phase to a larger total).

Local road and safety presentations included: - Cottage Grove: Washington County Commissioner Karla Bingham and Mayor Myron Bailey asked for $22,500,000 toward construction of a new arterial (County Road 19A/100th Street realignment). Bingham said the county and city have secured $13.6 million in competitive grants but could lose that federal funding if the project cannot move forward. Bailey said the realignment would open 500 acres of land to development and remove grade crossings that restrict truck movement. - Trunk Highway 14 corridor (Byron/Olmsted County): Michelle Rossman, Olmsted County Commissioner, asked for predesign and environmental work for two interchanges identified in a corridor plan; she said the intersections have multiple crashes, including fatalities, and removal of two signals would improve safety and regional mobility. - North Branch: Mayor Kevin Scheiber described a $4,000,000 request for planning and right‑of‑way to establish a new interchange on State Highway 95 to divert commercial truck traffic from downtown and improve emergency response. - Winona County: Representative Tim Jacob described House File 366 (presented as House File 3 66) to restore an auto‑seal surface to Trunk Highway 74 after MnDOT removed the surface in 2021; Jacob said the estimated price tag is $1,200,000 and that auto‑seal had previously lasted 20 years and reduced dust and maintenance costs. - Lakeville/Dakota County: Dakota County officials asked for funding to widen and rework the County Road 50 interchange under I‑35, citing unusually high crash rates and emergency‑vehicle access problems; County Commissioner Mary Liz Holberg said the county and city have already provided substantial local match and right‑of‑way.

Other municipal requests included pavement and utility extensions in Gaylord (Thirteenth Street/Casa 21), road reconstruction in Sturgeon Lake (a request updated from $2.5 million to $2.7 million to reflect higher costs), reconstruction of First Street North in Crosby (about $1,800,000), a $2,000,000 ask for Lake Park street reconstruction with local match, Hornsby Street improvements in Columbus (about $762,000 for a local gap), Slayton’s 0.8‑mile reconstruction request (estimated $5,000,000 with a 50/50 local match), and other roadwork across Greater Minnesota.

The committee also heard a request from Minnesota Independence College and Community (MICC), which asked for $11,000,000 in state funding toward an $18,000,000 permanent, purpose‑built campus in Richfield. Amy Goodmstead, MICC chief executive officer, said MICC serves autistic and neurodivergent young adults and currently operates out of rented, inaccessible spaces. “We are seeking 11,000,000 in state funding to construct a 27,000 square foot, 2 story learning center and headquarters,” she said, adding the organization had raised $3.5 million in pledges toward a $7 million capital campaign.

Committee members repeatedly asked about local matches, federal funding applications and project phasing. For example, when asked whether Benton County sought the full $21 million as a single appropriation, presenters said the request was scalable and could be phased. Freeport’s mayor told the committee that a bridge and interchange over Interstate 94 needs full replacement sooner than MnDOT’s schedule and asked for $6,000,000 to replace the overpass to address safety, pedestrian access and local economic viability.

Votes at a glance - Approval of minutes: motion moved by Representative Frederick; committee took the voice vote and the minutes were approved. No other formal votes or final actions were recorded during this hearing; the bills presented were heard as requests and testimony only.

What happened next: The hearing consisted of question‑and‑answer exchanges and no binding appropriations were approved during the session. Committee chairs said staff would post future meetings and next steps.

Why it matters: Several projects presented have time‑sensitive dependencies—federal awards that could be lost if state matching or enabling funds are not secured—and many sponsors stressed the local economic and public‑safety consequences of delay.

A recording of testimony and the committee packet include maps and handouts referenced repeatedly by presenters.