May we have your attention please….may we have your attention please….
This is an IMPORTANT call to action!!!
An important development and risk has occurred in our effort to preserve the integrity and uses of the Minnesota River Bottoms.
The City of Bloomington, seemingly with no public awareness, and certainly with no recent public input, has submitted a $2,350,000 request to Congressman Dean Phillips for federal funding to enable Bloomington to pave the River Bottoms from Lyndale west to Nine Mile Creek in order to extend a paved Minnesota River Valley state trail.
In the face of much opposition for over nearly 10 years Bloomington city officials have repeatedly asserted that paving the Minnesota River Bottoms is not their project, that it is a state project – well this appears to change all that. The City of Bloomington said repeatedly that it was only on the City’s Legislative agenda as “Support” or “Passive” and would not be a basis for utilizing limited city resources or competing with city priority needs. What changed?
The City should not raise money to pave this trail and the City should not undertake this controversial project. And to do so behind the back of the public is just plain wrong.
This is a cut and paste of the details provided in the full link below:
“Minnesota Valley State Trail – Lyndale to Nine Mile Creek Segment
• Intended Recipient: City of Bloomington
• Address of the Recipient: 1800 W 98th Street, Bloomington, MN, 55431
• Amount Requested: $2,350,000
• Explanation of the Request: This project will provide funding to the City of
Bloomington, Minnesota, to construct approximately 1.6 miles of bituminous multi-use trail and a bike/pedestrian bridge over Nine Mile Creek. This is a key section in the Bloomington segment of the Minnesota Valley State Trail. The Minnesota Valley State Trail is a multiple-use recreational trail that was authorized by the Minnesota Legislature in 1969 to run from the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers upstream to the City of Le Sueur, for an approximate length of 72 miles.”
Link to Full Document:
https://phillips.house.gov/uploadedfiles/phillips_fy23_community_project_funding_requests.pdf
We need you to reach out to Dean Phillips’ office and loudly and clearly explain to him that you are opposed to this controversial paving project and that he should withdraw support for this funding request and any future funding requests related to paving this trail. Please be polite and respectful. We suspect…but don’t know…that at this point he is simply doing his job and passing along a funding request by a municipality in his congressional district. Convince…don’t berate.
We must start with many voices to make one loud voice. Here are ways you can connect with Congressman Phillips:
Snail Mail:
Minnesota Office
13911 Ridgedale Drive
Suite 200
Minnetonka, MN 55305
Washington, D.C. Office
2452 Rayburn HOB
45 Independence Avenue SW
Washington DC 20515
Phone: Local Office: (952) 656-5176. Washington DC: (202) 225-2871.
Email: https://phillips.house.gov/contact/ (enter your zip code and hit “submit” to send him a message).
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RepDeanPhillips
Twitter: https://twitter.com/repdeanphillips?s=21&t=6hYvvtRL_qdiY_U2Jtgpqg
Instagram: https://instagram.com/repdeanphillips?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Snail mail is most likely to get read but you can also phone or fill out the contact form on his www below…..or ideally…all of the above
#savetheriverbottoms
P.S. Please share this post with your friends and family. Please share it on Dean Phillips’ Social Media (links above)