Senate Capital Investment committee hears bonding requests

Nov. 28—The Senate Capital Investment Committee stopped in Albert Lea Tuesday on its tour across the state to hear requests for bonding dollars.

Its first stop was to learn about the request for $40 million for Albert Lea's new $80 million wastewater treatment plant. In addition to the plant having aging infrastructure, the city is facing new regulations from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency for phosphorus removal.

The committee also stopped at Riverland Community College's Albert Lea campus to look at some of the equipment in the college's carpentry, diesel technology, automation robotics and construction electrician programs and to see a portion of the space that was updated with state bonding dollars in 2019 and 2020.

Afterward, they had dinner while they heard a request for $3 million in state funding that would go toward a new $7.8 million Semcac Head Start building in Austin.

Jennifer Hengel, incoming executive director with Semcac, said the facility will be 12,000 square feet for both preschool and childcare and include 10 classrooms.

It will be right off of Interstate 90 on the site of the former KAAL-TV building, which Semcac acquired.

Hengel talked about the shortage of spaces for child care and how at their current facility, there is a waiting list. The current building also has accessibility concerns and only two restrooms for the entire facility.

She said Mower County already contributed $600,000 toward the project, which was used to purchase the property, and the Hormel Foundation also gave $2.7 million.

Pending funds include $1 million through the Office of Head Start and $500,000 through a Minnesota Department of Human Resources Child Care Facilities grant.

Hengel said the project would be shovel-ready next summer.

She also pointed out the possibility to partner with other organizations, such as the Austin school district, to make the space a community hub.

On Wednesday, the committee was slated to visit the city of Clarks Grove first to hear about a project there before traveling to Austin to stop at the Hormel Bio-Imaging Center and Riverland Community College's Austin campus, where there is a request for bonding dollars.