With the process of meeting minutes delayed, ABC reporting is helpful because of quick turnaround between a meeting and a report. We can be thankful for the papers' coverage. The report is this link. Title and date are, "Ramsey delays awarding parking ramp expansion," THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2011.
The report is short, and the gist is that with the state shutdown and channeling of funds through MnDOT, the question has been postponed into August. There apparently is some August deadline for either spending grant money or forfeiting it. While an argument can be that it is "free money," a counterargument is that it is taxpayer money, simply from a different pocket than the one set aside and labeled "local Ramsey property taxes." Some may question whether expansion of the ramp now is wise or justified, grant availability aside, should Ramsey do it. Apparently Tossey and Backous, the two newest council members, have such a concern.
Yet that goes beyond the ABC News report, again, read it here, for detail, such as dollar amounts and August dates. There were five bids on the project, as identified in the online ABC News report.
_____________UPDATE_____________
The issue of ramp expansion has been discussed by council in terms of the Flaherty-&-Collins rental housing plan, with ramp space contemplated to be dedicated to those renting there - if the thing is built. However, my understanding is that the ramp grant is not specifically earmarked to any other project as a condition to the cash being paid over to Ramsey if the thing is enlarged. It is more a question of whether a presently greatly underutilized ramp should rationally be made bigger so that underutilization ratios become greater. In effect, it would be parking expansion in excess of any near-term foreseeable demand, absent the FC endeavor taking spaces in the event the thing ends up being built. And, the wisdom of that entire FC adventure is an entirely separate question, with sidebar poll sentiments being registered with a pattern evolving; yet, with time left before the poll closes.