East Metro Recovery

Tracking Economic Recovery and Stimulus Projects in Ramsey, Washington and Dakota counties

Posts Tagged Economy

Recovery Act has brought $2.6 billion to Minnesotans

Jul 12

Posted by Art Coulson in ARRA, Minnesota | No Comments

From the Minnesota Budget Project, an effort of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits:

Minnesotans have received approximately $2.6 billion in direct federal assistance from February 2009 through May 2010 as a result of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The direct assistance was provided through increased benefits for existing federal programs, through new tax credits and through direct cash payments. The collective impact of this direct assistance has been to put additional income into Minnesotans’ pockets to help struggling working families avoid falling into poverty and to save jobs in our local economy through increased consumer spending. Most economists agree that increased consumer spending is the key to a sustained economic recovery.

Read the whole thing here.

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Looking at the Big Picture on the Recovery Act

Nov 17

Posted by Ramsey in ARRA, Jobs, Stimulus | No Comments

From Recovery.org:

Recovery-Accountavility-Board-logoLast month, in a first-ever effort by the federal government recipients that received Recovery Act funds had to file a report saying how much they had received, what they had done with it, and how many jobs these funds had saved or created.  The reports were due just 10 days after the end of the federal fiscal year on September 30th, and were posted on Recovery.gov just 20 days later.

More than 130,000 such reports were filed.  You can go to Recovery.gov and look them up by zip code, or search for them on a map.  It’s a “real-time” update on your tax dollars at work that is unmatched by any federal initiative, ever, of this scale. …

Last month, something happened that has never happened before.  Critics – some well intentioned, some who just wanting to discredit the Recovery Act — have had over two weeks to try to make hay with  the data.   But no criticism has come close to discrediting the larger and most important point:  that the Recovery Act has helped save or create more than 1 million  jobs across America and across various sectors of the economy.   The data will get better and better – but in the noise over counting jobs, we shouldn’t lose sight of the Recovery Act’s progress in creating them.

Read the rest of the article here

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Big Week for Union Depot

Sep 1

Posted by Ramsey in ARRA, High Speed Rail, OnBoard Midwest, Ramsey County, Union Depot | No Comments

Commissioner Jim McDonough leads a tour of the depot concourse for members of Sen. Amy Klobuchar's staff.

Commissioner Jim McDonough leads a tour of the depot concourse for members of Sen. Amy Klobuchar's staff.

Three significant pieces of news regarding St. Paul’s Union Depot, future home of the East Metro’s multimodal transit hub:

  • From OnBoard Midwest — “The State of Minnesota has submitted a request for $135.8 million in funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to renovate Union Depot as a multi-modal transit hub. The Minnesota Department of Transportation worked with the Ramsey County Regional Railroad Authority to submit an Intercity Passenger Rail grant application for Track 1 capital funding. This is another key milestone in the effort to create a high-speed rail connection between downtown Saint Paul and Chicago. Money from the grant request would be used to renovate the concourses, upgrade the tracks, and prepare the building to be a hub for light rail, passenger rail, high-speed rail, and bus service. Union Depot is considered a Track 1 project to qualify for the funding because it meets key standards:
    - It is a capital project
    - The project is ready to begin work
    - Project level environmental review (NEPA) has been completed
    The decision to submit the funding request was based on recommendations from the Aug. 3 Intercity Passenger Rail Forum meeting. MnDOT is also working to prepare an additional request for a grant for Track 2 projects next month that would include funding for corridor development work for the Milwaukee to Twin Cities portion of the Chicago to Twin Cities corridor. This would involve some additional planning and environmental review. On Board Midwest will continue to keep you updated as things move forward. “
  • Staff members from U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s office toured the depot, including the concourse and recently purchased head house, with Ramsey County Commissioner Jim McDonough, chair of the Regional Rail Authority, and Tim Mayasich, its executive director.
  • Ramsey County and its partner agencies published an Environmental Assessment of the Union Depot project Aug. 24, setting in motion a 45-day public comment period. More information about the Environmental Assessment and how to submit comments is listed below.

    • For more information about the Union Depot project, visit the depot web site or the Regional Rail web site.

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Ramsey County Stimulus Update

Aug 25

Posted by Ramsey in ARRA, Ramsey County, Stimulus | No Comments

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Ramsey County has updated its list of projects and grant applications filed under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. To read the latest information on stimulus-funded projects in Ramsey County, click here.

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Union Depot Project Moves Forward

Aug 24

Posted by Ramsey in High Speed Rail, Ramsey County, Stimulus, Transit, Union Depot | No Comments

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Environmental Assessment Published

In order to secure federal funding for the purchase and renovation of Minnesota’s Union Depot, Ramsey County and its partner agencies were required to perform an environmental assessment of the project. A notice of availability was published in the August 24, 2009 EQB Monitor on behalf of the Federal Highway Administration and Ramsey County Regional Railroad Authority in cooperation with the Federal Transit Administration.

The comment period for the Draft EA will remain open from August 24-October 8, 2009. Written comments on the Draft EA will be accepted until the close of business on October 8, 2009.

Comments may be made by:

Mail: Steve Morris, Transit Project Manager, RCRRA, 50 W Kellogg Boulevard, Suite 6560 RCGC-West, St. Paul, MN 55102

Phone: (651) 266-2795 (note: This line will record comments only and is not staffed. To ask questions about the project or the environmental assessment, contact Steve Morris at (651) 266-2784)

Fax: (651) 266-2761

E-mail: Steve Morris

Public Hearings Scheduled

To afford an opportunity for all interested persons, agencies and groups to comment on the EA, two public hearings have been scheduled for September 9, 2009, at the Union Depot Head House, 214 4th St. E., St. Paul, MN 55101:

  • 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
  • 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

The public hearings will be open house format with formal presentations. The formal presentations during the afternoon meeting begin at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.; for the evening meeting the formal presentations will be at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. A court reporter will be on hand to record oral comments. Individuals with a disability who need a reasonable accommodation to participate in the public meeting or comment on the Draft EA should contact the RCRRA Project Manager (651-266-2784).

Copies of Environmental Assessment Available for Review

Copies of the EA for the rehabilitation and reuse of Minnesota’s Union Depot as a multi-modal transit hub are available for review online (Click here for the complete assessment, broken into sections. Some of the sections are still large and might require some time to download) or at the following libraries and RCRRA offices during regular business hours:

  • St. Paul Central Library, 90 West Fourth Street, St. Paul, MN, 55102
  • Rondo Community Outreach Library, 461 N. Dale Street, St. Paul, MN, 55103
  • Hamline Midway Library, 1558 West Minnehaha Avenue, St. Paul, MN, 55104
  • Merriam Park Library, 1831 Marshall Avenue, St. Paul, MN, 55104
  • St. Anthony Park Library, 2245 Como Avenue, St. Paul, MN, 55108
  • Dayton’s Bluff Library, 645 East 7th Street, St. Paul, MN, 55106
  • Ramsey County Regional Railroad Authority, 50 W Kellogg Boulevard, Suite 6560 RCGC-West, St. Paul, MN 55102
  • Mn/DOT Library, Minnesota Department of Transportation, M.S. 155, Room 175, Transportation Bldg., 395 John Ireland Boulevard, St. Paul, MN, 55103

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New High Speed Rail Video

Aug 3

Posted by Ramsey in High Speed Rail, Ramsey County | No Comments

Check out this new video from OnBoard Midwest about the benefits of Midwest High Speed Rail to St. Paul and Ramsey County. To find out more about the project, visit OnBoard Midwest or Ramsey County Regional Rail on the web.

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Attention: Women and Minority-Owned Businesses

Jul 31

Posted by Ramsey in Ramsey County, Transit | No Comments

In August, the Metropolitan Council and three Hmong organizations will hold a business and workforce opportunity session featuring the Central Corridor Light Rail Transit project. This is the Met Council’s fourth large community meeting in less than a year for minority-owned, women-owned and small businesses or job seekers to learn about job opportunities on the biggest public works project in state history. The latest session is targeted at Hmong business owners and Hmong workforce advocates who have an interest in ensuring Hmong inclusion in the Central Corridor LRT line’s construction, which will begin in late summer 2010. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. Aug. 12 at Lao Family Community of Minnesota Inc. at 320 W. University Ave. in St. Paul. To register, contact Lu Hang at the Hmong Chamber of Commerce by Aug. 6 by email or by phone at 651-645-6777. To read more about the Met Council’s outreach to disadvantaged business enterprises, read the council’s new DBE Newsletter. To get the latest information about the Light Rail Transit project, read the Met Council’s monthly Central Corridor newsletter, Making Tracks.

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Midwest Well-Positioned for High Speed Rail

Jul 1

Posted by Ramsey in ARRA, High Speed Rail | No Comments

From the Mesabi Daily News:

Oberstar confident of Midwest rail plan/Congressman believes it’s positioned well for $8 billion

WASHINGTON — Will the federal $4 billion high-speed rail initiative be launched in California or the Midwest, which would then touch on Minnesota?

Rep. Oberstar

Rep. Oberstar

The answer is clear to U.S. Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn., who is chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. And it’s not just because of the Chisholm native ‘s obvious affinity for the nation’s Heartland. It’s because he believes Midwest officials have done their homework and the area is far ahead of California on the issue.

“This really should be called the Rudy Perpich high-speed initiative. The former governor (of Minnesota from Hibbing) and I talked about it back in 1989 and ‘90. I think it’s looking very good for the Midwest to get the high-speed initiative,” Oberstar said in a recent interview.

Karen Rae, deputy administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration, said recently that the Midwestern states’ proposal and one from California are the leading candidates for $8 billion in stimulus money for a new high-speed rail project. She cited the cooperation of eight Midwest states to formulate a network plan with Chicago as a hub and 12 metropolitan areas — including the Twin Cities — within a 400 mile-radius.

Read the whole article here.

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Minnesota Ports Assn. supports On Board Midwest

Jul 1

Posted by Ramsey in High Speed Rail, Ramsey County | No Comments

From the On Board Midwest blog:

The Minnesota Ports Association, a statewide group, has unanimously passed a resolution supporting On Board Midwest, a growing coalition to create a high-speed rail connection between St. Paul and Chicago. The Minnesota Ports Association was created in 1994 to help secure support and funding to maintain and improve the inland rivers and Great Lakes port facilities in Minnesota. The members understand how important it is for Minnesota to have efficient and economical ways to transport goods from Minnesota farmers and manufacturers to worldwide markets.

In addition to bringing new passenger options, a new high-speed rail connection will improve and expand the freight rail capabilities in our region.

Members of the Minnesota Ports Association
• Saint Paul Port Authority
• Minneapolis Port Authority
• Winona Port Authority
• Red Wing Port Authority
• Duluth Port Authority

For more information, contact Dennis Egan at 612-325-1330 or by email.

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Energy Incentives and Economic Stimulus

Jun 26

Posted by Ramsey in ARRA, Energy | No Comments

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Energy efficiency funds available for homeowners, businesses and local governments

Click on the category titles below for economic stimulus funding resources for homeowners, businesses and government agencies compiled by the state Office of Energy Security:

General Information

Details on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Includes full text of legislation, tracking of the implementation process, and investments and grant programs underway by government agencies.

Local Government

Information for cities and counties including the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants (EEBG), Weatherization Assistance Program, and State Energy Program.

Job Seekers and Contractors

Resources for energy job seekers and weatherization contractors. Includes information on training opportunities such as the Dunwoody College of Technology Energy Auditor Training program.

Businesses

Learn how stimulus funds can help make your business more energy efficient. Includes our funding goals, energy-related tax credits, and details on the State Energy Program.

Homeowners

Find out how the stimulus can help make your home more energy efficient. Includes information on the weatherization program and energy-related tax credits.

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