ST. PAUL—Three familiar topics were featured at the 13th annual Bemidji Day at the Capitol on Wednesday, with the proposed veterans home project as the headliner.

The project was the top priority both at a meeting with Gov. Mark Dayton’s staff and a House State Government Finance Committee hearing. At both, Veterans Services Officer Scotty Allison described the need for a home in Bemidji, citing the number of veterans in the northwest Minnesota area, which stands at 26,802.

According to Allison’s data, 77.3 percent of those veterans are age 55 or older, and the nearest veterans home for many of them is in Fergus Falls, a 128-mile drive from Bemidji.

“There is a huge waiting list and when one opens, it’s filled almost instantly,” Allison said while testifying before the committee. “We feel, considering how far we are from other veterans homes, that one should at least be built in Bemidji.”

Bemidji’s proposal is to construct a veterans home on the northern side of the city on land donated by Sanford Health. So far, the task force advocating on behalf of the project have received support from 33 communities, including the Red Lake Band of Chippewa, the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, the White Earth Nation and the Bois Forte Band of Ojibwe. Additionally, Beltrami County has pledged $1 million in financial support.

When a veterans home is built, Allison said the federal government covers two thirds of the cost, with the state handling the rest. The average price of a facility is estimated at $45 million. However, in order to receive federal support, the state must first pledge money with either an appropriation or bonding.

If the state does pledge funding for the homes, the projects are placed on a federal list. Currently, there are three proposed veterans home locations, with Preston and Montevideo also having concepts for facilities. Once the projects are on that federal list, they must meet a certain criteria, and Allison said the Bemidji project meets most of the criteria for federal backing.

The communities of Bemidji and Montevideo have joined together on the effort, with an idea of a 70-bed facility in each city. Those numbers were based on an estimate of federal funding available for 140 beds in Minnesota. However, District 5A Rep. Matt Bliss, R-Pennington, said that new numbers from the Department of Veterans Affairs puts that number closer to 240.

During the meeting with Dayton’s staff, Bliss discussed how the governor took the project off the legislative table in 2017 and advocated on why the project is needed in Bemidji.

“Last year, when it was removed, the governor’s statement was that we hadn’t put enough thought into the location and into the money it takes to operate it,” Bliss said. “For these people in Bemidji, this has been their No. 1 priority for more than a decade. They have the land already dedicated and they have the designs. That’s why I suggested they get in touch with the governor’s office today, to let him know about that.”

“Generally speaking, relative to a bonding bill, the governor is always very interested. That is one of his priorities this legislative session,” said Erin Campbell, deputy chief of staff for legislative and policy affairs at Dayton’s office. “He always views it as a conversation with the Legislature… He’s really open to that conversation, so this information will certainly be helpful.”

Bliss also touted the project at the hearing later in the day, sharing the issue of distance with his colleagues.

“There’s one area in the state that’s completely void of veteran home services,” Bliss said. “That includes the Red Lake Reservation and the Leech Lake Reservation. That also includes Bemidji, Warroad and Thief River Falls. Those areas are unserved.”

“A crucial dimension to the Northwest Veterans Home concept in Bemidji is the close proximity to Bemidji State University and Northwest Technical College,” said Beltrami County Legislative Liaison Joe Vene in his testimony. “Both have career preparedness programs in the healthcare area. So, we have immediate access to staffing.”

Education and roads

Other topics discussed Wednesday included the proposed replacement of Hagg-Sauer Hall on BSU’s campus and the idea of expanding Highway 371.

BSU’s plan is to demolish the 48-year-old building and replace it with a new academic learning center, while retaining the same name. The university is seeking $22.5 million from the state Legislature this year for the demolition and replacement.

The push for a new building is based on the current facility sustaining water damage and having poor accommodation for students with disabilities. The new Hagg-Sauer building is planned to be much smaller, with the current facility at 82,000 square feet and the proposed replacement set at 27,700 square feet.

“I was really encouraged today. I felt there was awareness of the project and appreciation that it’s No. 1 on the Minnesota State bonding list,” said Scott Faust, BSU executive director of communications and marketing. “You can’t take anything for granted, which is why this process is so important. I really appreciate the fact that we have all these people who are pitching in and promoting each other’s projects.”

“I believe that was included in the governor’s bonding bill. The governor feels strongly about higher education bonding provisions,” Campbell said. “In part, because these are the places where our students are trying to get an education to prepare them for a changing workforce. He’s wanting to make sure our facilities are able to accommodate those kinds of things.”

If approved, demolition and construction would begin in summer 2019 and completion would be expected in fall 2020.

The idea to expand Highway 371, dubbed the Paul Bunyan Expressway, has been an idea pushed by local advocates to increase the number of lanes between Little Falls and Cass Lake. Over the years, progress has been made on the expansion between Little Falls and Hackensack.

“We are focusing on improving the transportation to northern Minnesota,” Bliss said during the governor’s staff meeting. “It’s a long way before anything happens with this. But, north of Walker, there is fairly decent road. So, maybe we add a turn lane, or a passing lane. It doesn’t have to be a four lane all the way up, but maybe we can still improve corridors of commerce.”