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| Dangerous Intersection!! (photo credit) |
This link. This quote:
The lineup of legislative “big guns” — former Transportation Commissioner Elwyn Tinklenberg, former state representative Kathy Tingelstad — associated with a $17 million funding bid by Anoka County, the City of Ramsey, and other local officials caught the attention of transportation committee members.
“Wow,” Dibble said.
The Anoka County contingent seeks to upgrade the busy intersection of Hwy. 10 and Armstrong Boulevard in the City of Ramsey.
“It’s one of the most dangerous intersections in the state,” said freshman Sen. Branden Petersen, R-Andover.
The intersection ranks 104th in the state in terms of highest crash costs, according to advocates.
The local officials, in a sleek presentation including video showing the existing highway as a liability in terms of speedy emergency response, depicted the intersection as peculiar in layout and strategic in importance.
Anoka County Engineer Douglas Fischer described the Hwy. 10 corridor as having a railroad track just 45-feet away on one side, the Mississippi River on the other, with the highway needling through the middle.
Local officials, including Ramsey Mayor Sarah Strommen and Council Member Jason Tossey, pointed out the multi-modal implications as the intersection as its located a half-mile from a new Northstar Commuter Line rail station.
[...] Petersen in his legislation asks for bonding dollars, but with smiles the local officials quipped they’d be willing to take the $17 million in any form.
The total cost of the project is estimated at $35 million, with the county and City of Ramsey contributing about $4 million apiece, the federal government $10 million.
As with all the bills, no votes were taken by the committee, the proposals placed aside for possible inclusion into a larger bill.
Other senators and mayors made their pitches.
[emphasis added] Conservative no-spending-nonsense Republicans, (Branden Petersen being what, a poster child), can smell a whiff of pork for the district from miles away
- AND up wind.
_________UPDATE_________
Abeler carrying water in the Minnesota House, this link. But some say he lost his "conservative Republican" bona fides as one of the veto-override six so that this highway pursuits effort will not lessen his esteem in the eyes of the adamant "don't spend, don't tax" folks; as in what do you think Taxpayer League thinks of Petersen's putting that hummer in the hopper? See if the Watchdog barks. Barked like crazy over Northstar starting, Erhart, fairly quiet over the Ramsey Northstar stop, now this. Half a watch is better than no watch at all?
________FURTHER UPDATE________
And how did the ET get there so fast? By consent agenda (Item 8, nobody caring to take it off the consent agenda, as a separately discussed item). Just done. More televised discussion needed in ushering Landform out the door? The untelevised work session consensus a week earlier was enough to not flag it to the public, to pass it by undebated consent when the cameras were rolling? Gotta get to St. Paul ...
The Tinkster had best get his name on the list.
Right there next to "Tingelstad, Kathy."
He seems tardy that way. Missing a Happy Valentines, the list lacking his name being captioned, "This report includes filings through: 11:13 pm, February 14, 2013."
While there in St. Paul, you would think Tink would have put in his pro forma "I lobby for Ramsey" notice the day before Valentines Day, the day he was at committee hearings.
There is the balance of today, Friday, Feb. 15, if he chooses to move as quickly to register as he did for gaining his lobbying/consulting contract. IF ...
_______________FURTHER UPDATE______________
City of Ramsey needs to register with Minnesota's CFB, as being represented by its lobbyist, ET. It needs to get on the other list.
City of Red Wing is the only "City of ..." on the have-hired-loyybists - "C" list.
City of Ramsey has the balance of the day too, to promptly make it to the proper list.
Anoka County is on the "A" list.
Can any reader tell me, was Tinklenberg hired to lobby federally, for Ramsey? Please leave a comment if you have the answer.
Anoka County has been reported to have hired a "Ken Butler" as its federal transportation lobbyist. All I have seen is that single ABC Newspapers reference. Readers knowing more detail are asked to leave a detailed comment.
FURTHER UPDATE: A bark. Watchdog, here. A different publication, posted Valentines Day.