Corcoran and regional leaders seek $10M in bonding for West Metro public safety training center
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Summary
Corcoran officials told the committee HF 4032 would fund a $10 million state contribution to a roughly $50 million regional public safety training facility that would serve small cities across western Hennepin and Wright counties and expand access to mandated training.
Representative Kristin Robbins presented House File 4032, a bonding request including a $10 million state ask to build a West Metro Regional Public Safety Facility intended for shared training and emergency-management uses across several small and mid-sized municipalities.
Tom McKee, mayor of Corcoran, said the project is regional, not a single-city asset, and emphasized that many small departments lack affordable training space. Matt Gottschalk, Corcoran's director of public safety, described routine training constraints and said the project is "shovel ready" with site ownership and utilities already in place; he estimated a total project cost just under $50 million and said state bonding is essential to secure participation from neighboring agencies.
Committee members asked about total costs and whether neighboring communities would contribute; witnesses said the state's bond dollars are critical to recruiting partners and that lease agreements would likely be used for operational participation.
Ending: the transcript includes discussion and supportive remarks but no recorded final committee vote.
