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PRESORTED <br />STANQARO <br />u.s.1}osTAOE <br />PAID <br />PERMIT NQ. 706 <br />ElK RIVER, MN <br />130b5 Orono Pkwy <br />Etk River, MM 55330 <br />Northstar Rail Line !oaks to be on track for 2UQ9 <br />LEGISLATURE, GOVERNOR APPEAR COMMITTED TO APPROVING FINAL PROJECT <br />or O,e past couple ofyears, Elk <br />Ri?°er (ngnflicials tnd horsiness <br />owners hstee heeu btg supixmers <br />oi' dte proposed Nortirstar Commuter <br />Rail Line, which would trtnkc a 4i}-mile <br />~un benveeu Minneapolis and E3ig Lake <br />;carting as Bunn as 2t?04, <br />~~~ <br />~, ~~ <br />Included in the proposal is a commuter <br />station in Flk River, which would be <br />at a Park K Ride lot within walking <br />dis[ance oY the C'ity's Northstar <br />Business I?ark, near l `.S, t{ighways 10 <br />anal 169. <br />SAS 01 reCetit 1vCCkS, Lhe t3ews C07ntztg <br />from the Mitinesata [,egislarnre <br />concemSng Northstar ccmtinued m ttc <br />positive. <br />Fhe giwd news started in spring 2005, <br />u4ten the Legislature committed ~3?S <br />million to the project, <br />Later in the year, [he Federal Transit <br />Admitrisuation {FTA) placed the <br />Nurthstar Commuter project on <br />s "recurmncnded"fist -meaning <br />htimtesuta would, in all iiketilacmd, <br />mceive 50 percem of the project costs <br />ffum the iedcral goceenrnuit. The <br />most recent espmates indicate that the <br />Rarthctarproicct would cost nbuut <br />5300 million. <br />in January of this year, Gov. `tiro <br />Pawlenty propt?sed S(i0 million in his <br />bonding bill fiir'.4orthstar -the amour <br />needed to recene ledenl finding. In <br />recent weeks, the ivtinnesutt Senate <br />Follo++ed the governw''s load, voting <br />in favor ofallacatinc St;O nt131ian t+, <br />tiaxthstar m its bonding bill. <br />t_ater, in April, the Minnesota Nrntsa <br />voted #i>r a hooding bit{ that included <br />550 million ti>r Northstar. <br />l`he discrepancy in the amounts is <br />likely to be ironed out before the 200ti <br />legislature concludes. <br />""1'he Legistautre has ahead}-put lots of <br />money into this project and?+'e realh <br />expect the dollar:nnuum to be worked <br />out,",ttys Elk River Mayor Stephanie <br />Ktinzutg, wfio has been involvtd in the <br />Northstar project. <br />It is expected that the hvo h<?uses of <br />the Legislature wilt a?ma together and <br />agree un SCrO million -~ the amour! <br />needed to garner full tederal funding, <br />Ms. Klinziag ssys. <br />As noted cattier, the gu.xt ne++s fnnn <br />the i..egistature is great news fur Elk <br />River. <br />Load business owners say cumpletiun <br />of the Notzhstar line, to be added to <br />tracks operated by Burlington Northern <br />5ama Fe (BNSFl railroad, s+ill help <br />them recruit and retain employees from <br />througfiunt the llcin Cities. <br />Furore t?hales of the convnuter litre <br />wutdd ct>nnec[ In places as far away <br />as tit. Cloud, the Mall afAnreriea, <br />-Minneapolis-St. Paul International <br />.Airpott and downtowro St. Paul. a~ <br />ride from EIk River to duwnto+vn <br />hlinneape?Its is expected to take just 30 <br />minutes -with no time lost sitting in <br />tralfir jams. <br />`7t's a selling point for campanias <br />when they're Irnrking to hire or <br />recruit employees," says Mayor <br />Klinung "because it allows thorn to <br />hire people -quality people -- fitmt <br />a variety of places in the metro area. <br />The employees who worm to take the <br />cumnmter tine don't have to u~urrv <br />about being stook in traffic, or parking <br />issues. That's why throughout the <br />cotmtry iPs been proven that eompauies <br />prefer to be located near commuter rai3 <br />lines." D <br />--- <br />,3t} o Rxver Fcv~tt>mic' l~c~e>c>Jt~~inzent Spring 20Q6 <br />