Businesses along Minnesota Avenue in St. Peter, Minn., are sighing in relief now that a summer and autumn of reconstruction of the main drag that also serves as Hwy. 169 is coming to an end. The busy thoroughfare reopened to pedestrian traffic on Saturday, a day after a sinkhole cave-in caused massive traffic jams on both ends of town for drivers, including U.S. Rep. Tim Walz.

Cars and trucks should be back on the rebuilt artery within another week. The 4-1/2-month shutdown has been tough on business, but now St. Peter has a commercial spine with new concrete pavement and water and sewer mains that will last for decades to come.  Dave Neiman, owner of St. Peter’s Ace Hardware store, told the Mankato Free Press he plans to get a T-shirt that says: “I survived the construction of 2009.”

This reminds me of the merchants along University Avenue in St. Paul who are up in arms over forthcoming construction of the Central Corridor light rail line. The work will cut into their business, to be sure, but as in St. Peter every effort will be made to maintain access for customers while the street is torn up. When it’s done, the businesses will enjoy greater traffic counts at their doors.

No one in St. Peter tried to stop the Minnesota Avenue project because of its temporary effect on traffic and sales. They understood that the work was necessary for the continued vitality of the city’s commercial heart. And they were thankful for the $17 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds (non-user stimulus money) that made it possible, along with 300 jobs.

According to the Metropolitan Council, light rail is necessary for the continued vitality of University Avenue, one of the most congested commercial arteries in the Twin Cities. St. Paul’s urban density calls for a different solution than the pavement that works for small-town St. Peter. But the outcome of light rail will be the same: a revitalized business corridor that promotes prosperity for decades to come.

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If your city or school district has a primary, don’t forget to vote! Here’s your daily news roundup:

St. Cloud Times: Saving city money means losing elsewhere

Another example of why LGA is good for Minnesota communities and what life without it means.

“Less is not more for area cities preparing their 2010 budgets without millions of dollars of their usual Local Government Aid.

Officials are looking for ways to save money without reducing services, and while line-item reductions are being found in many budget areas, some things — people, equipment replacement and others — are in the budget crosshairs in most cities around the area. They’re prime for cuts because they cost a lot. And cities have to save a lot.”

Mankato Free Press: Area unemployment figures worse than rest of state

Star Tribune: Editorial: U of M was key in Borlaug’s story

“Within a year, his good grades and work ethic won him admission to the College of Agriculture.

His studies were threatened again less than two years later by financial problems. This time, it was the federal government — and in particular, Eleanor Roosevelt — who came to the rescue. The First Lady was behind the first federal foray into student financial aid, the National Youth Administration (NYA), born in 1935 just in time to finance Borlaug’s education. It assigned needy students to work for top professors in a variety of capacities. Borlaug’s assignments exposed him to scientific enterprises about which he previously knew little.”

AP: Warm Weather Speeds Crop Progress In Minnesota (via WCCO)

Star Tribune: Sublime to slime

MinnPost: New Train Brain app should ease life for light rail riders

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Ready for another week? We are! Here’s today’s news summary:

Mankato Free Press: Our View: The end of small-town Minnesota?

No comment required.

“The viability of small communities may be at risk as we hit what some are calling the “perfect storm” of local government finance.

State aid has been cut significantly. Mankato stands to lose $3 million over the next two years as the result of Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s unallotment decision. North Mankato, St. Peter, Wells, and other small towns will also be hurt. They’ll lose significant state funding. Counties won’t be in any better shape.

And while those kind of reductions in state aid have been experienced before over the last several years, a growing local economy always provided a growing base of property value from which to increase local property tax collections without increasing the rate.

That era appears to be ending. Proposals for double digit tax increases may be the norm.”

Star Tribune: Lois Quam: Health care needs that public option

Take it from one of the most respected health care policy experts in Minnesota.

“In 1989, I was asked by Gov. Rudy Perpich to chair the Minnesota Health Care Access Commission. The commission’s report led to the bipartisan creation of MinnesotaCare, a successful public option that offers health coverage to Minnesotans who work in lower wage jobs. At UnitedHealth Group, I worked with Medicare and Medicaid and saw firsthand the vital role these public options play in our health care system. For health reform to be most effective, a public option similar to Medicare and MinnesotaCare should be available to all Americans.”

MPR: Man says insurance agent encouraged lobbying against ‘public option’

Star Tribune: Something to cheer about at the U

Having attended a large state school with an on-campus Division 1 football stadium, I can tell you the intangible benefits are amazing.

WCCO: Homeless Having Longer Stays At Crowded Shelter

“People Serving People President Jim Minor calls it new territory. He wasn’t surprised Thursday morning when he learned the shelter had the most people it’s had since July 2000. For the past few months, some families have had to double-up in single rooms.”

MPR: City will use $10M in stimulus to repair Camden Bridge

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Attention Mankato area readers: Fill out a quick and easy survey and receive shorter commutes, better bike paths, and more convenient busing services! OK, so maybe the process isn’t as simple as clicking the banner ad target to win a free laptop, but the third iteration of the Mankato Area Transportation and Planning Study (MATAPS) allows those who live or work in Blue Earth or Nicollet Counties to weigh in on local transportation issues through an easy online survey as a part of the greater study that will culminate in policy proposals for improving transportation in the region.

The study, which will be completed in 2010, is different from its 1996 and 2003 MATAP predecessors because it focuses on the expansion multi-modal transportation, which focuses on bike lanes, bus transit, rail and walking instead of merely focusing on roadway improvement. The 39 question online survey is also a new feature of this year’s study; the previous iterations only collected public opinion via small-group meetings. In addition, the study will also utilize traffic data and input from engineers and planners to create a holistic plan to improve transportation.

The goals of the MATAP studies are to gain the data necessary to create a transportation system that will serve the community in the long term and to promote inter-agency cooperation between local, state, and regional transportation authorities. As a result of the ’96 MATAP study several road improvement projects were finished including the completion of the Mankato South Route, the opening of Trunk Highway 14, and the realignment of Trunk Highway 22. Improvement projects based on the 2003 findings are also beginning to come to fruition.

MATAP is a smart and effective approach to transportation expansion. By combining recorded data, expert opinion, and public insight, the proposals that are developed as a result of the program will provide long-term solutions that utilize the expertise of several levels of government. The current study’s focus on multi-modal methods of transportation should also be commended. This facet of the study means we can look forward to the expansion of more environmentally friendly travel. It is rare that the citizenry is afforded the opportunity to express its opinions in a forum that promises efficacy. Mankatans, seize this chance to participate in MATAP now!

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Today’s news summary is a bit self-promotional, but important none the less:

MPR: Report: most charter schools mismanage finances

“The study describes the charter school movement as “rife with mismanagement.” It found financial irregularities in 121 of the state’s 145 charter schools during an audit of the fiscal year that ended on June 30, 2007.”

Duluth News-Tribune: Think tank: Duluth Edison among charter schools to get poor reviews

“A progressive think tank released a report today slamming a number of charter schools in Minnesota, citing Duluth Edison Schools as one of the worst in the state for financial transparency.”

Pioneer Press: Accounting irregularities common at Minnesota charter schools says study

“More than 80 percent of Minnesota charter schools had at least one problem on their 2007 financial audits, according to a study released today by Minnesota 2020, a local think tank.

“That’s a huge red flag,” said John Van Hecke, the group’s executive director. “It really is amazing.”

Minnesota 2020 officials held a news conference Tuesday in front of Aurora charter school in Minneapolis, which they identified as the biggest offender in terms of accounting irregularities. The event was meant to draw attention to what they say is a need to tighten up oversight of charters, which are independent, tuition-free public schools that compete with traditional district schools.

We always hear about the need for accountability in public schools, Van Hecke said, but “is that same accountability standard being applied to all our public education investments?”

AP: Report slams bookkeeping at Minn. charter schools (via KSTP)

Albert Lea Tribune: Pawlenty can stop blaming Albert Lea for state budget mess

Jeff Van Wychen sets it straight, again.

“Indignant that Minnesota mayors would dare oppose his scheme to balance the state’s budget, Gov. Tim Pawlenty has lashed out at the city of Albert Lea. However, Mayor Michael Murtaugh and the other Minnesota city officials who stood with him at a recent press conference were right: the governor should stop shifting the state’s budget problems on to the backs of property taxpayers and local governments.”

Mankato Free Press: Fireworks reignited

“Mayor John Brady suggested that the lack of a high-profile event like the fireworks would remind the public that local governments are cutting services.”

Star Tribune: The poor are an easy target, or are they?

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Here’s what’s making news in Minnesota today:

The UpTake: Cold Spring, MN Middle School Closes After Probable Swine Flu Case

It had to happen sooner or later, a probable case of H1N1 has made it to Minnesota. In an update to my Monday post, people without health insurance exhibiting flu-like symptoms should call ahead to a doctor and confirm they are offering free screenings. (ht PolAnimal)

“A lab specimen from a Minnesota influenza patient has been submitted to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to be tested for the H1N1 novel influenza virus, also referred to as swine flu.”

KSTP: Brookdale mall loses another anchor

“Brooklyn Center’s struggling Brookdale Shopping Center will lose another retailer this summer. Barnes & Noble Inc. announced it will close its store at the mall on June 13.”

AP: Hutchinson Technology Lays Off Another 300 (via WCCO)

This is bad news. These are good-paying jobs in rural Minnesota.

“President and CEO Wayne Fortun says the company is cutting about 300 more positions companywide, mostly at its facility in Hutchinson.”

TC Daily Planet: Family mental health program cuts hurt troubled kids

The real impact of health and human services cuts.

“St. David’s is one of several programs supported by Hennepin County’s Family Focused Program, which serves young families with multiple risk factors such as poverty, mental health problems, chemical dependency, domestic violence or unstable housing. The goal is to reduce the risk of future child abuse and neglect.”

Mankato Free Press: Projects hinge on tax bill

“Economic development plans in Mankato and North Mankato are caught up in the larger debate at the state Capitol over whether to raise taxes to help reduce billions of dollars of red ink.”

MinnPost: Buffalo Wild Wings still hot despite economy

Good to see some positive news for a Minnesota company.

“The Minneapolis-based restaurant chain let investors know this morning that its net earnings for the first three months of 2009 were up more than 30 percent, compared with the same period a year ago.”

MPR: ‘Four Boxes’ comes home

MN2020 always urges you to buy locally. Here are some Minnesotans who film locally.

“A much anticipated Minnesota-made film gets its local premiere at the Minneapolis St Paul International Film Festival tonight. “Four Boxes” is a thriller shot in Rosemount by friends who met years ago at the Childrens Theater.”

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