The Minnesota Senate Capital Investment Committee is currently traveling across Minnesota, looking at projects under the investment committee’s guidelines. Committee chair Sandra Pappas explained what the committee looks to invest in.

“It can be water, wastewater, roads, community centers, and occasionally library or playground,” she said. “Here in Southwestern Minnesota has been mostly sewer and water projects.”

New Ulm’s project is no exception to the trend, as the city is looking for funding on its Gravity Sewer and Water Main replacement project. The city requests $2 million to complete the Gravity Sewer and Water Main Project on Front Street and the demolition of a Lift Station on Center Street due to rapid decline. This would cover half of the project’s remaining cost, the rest being funded by the city.

This is to complete the three blocks remaining to connect the gravity sewer and water main on Front Street. A resolution was first passed in January for potential inclusion in the 2023 version of the bill. The project was not added, leading to renewed efforts for next year’s inclusion.

Senators and city officials alike stand together in front of the Center Street lift station New Ulm is looking to demolish. Kim Williams, Dan O’Connor, Derek Nelson, Scott Dibble, Joseph Stadheim, Dan Pirsig, Sandra Pappas, Tou Xiong, John Jasinski, Gary Dahms, and Eric Pratt (L-R) participated in the visit to the sewer station.

State Senators who attended the meeting were Sandra Pappas, Scott Dibble, John Jasinski, Eric Pratt, Tou Xiong, and Gary Dahms. City Engineer Joseph Stadheim, Public Utilities Commission Administrator Dan Pirsig, Wastewater Supervisor Dan O’Connor, Energy Services Representative Derek Nelson, and Public Utilities Commissioner Kim Williams represented the city.

Stadheim said the main thing they wanted to convey was the upsides for the city and state and the impact it is having on their infrastructure. Once completed, the gravity sewer station will last for 75-100 years. The gravity sewer station will also eliminate the electrical and communication needs from the current lift station. The entire gravity sewer station would operate using gravity.

The sewer lines contain waste from industrial, commmercial areas. If the current decrepit lift station were to fail, sewer lines would back up to customers and waste could enter the Minnesota River. The water mains looking to be replaced are from 1897 and 1937. They are subject to frequent breaks and issues. Replacing them will also remove any lead left within them.

After listening to the report from the city, Pappas gave her analysis of the project and its potential.

“We know the infrastructure is aging, it’s over 50 years old,” she said. “It was originally paid for by the federal government primarily and now local communities are struggling with the replacement costs. We’ll take a very serious look at it, but our dollars have to go pretty far because everybody’s having the same problem.”

Though the committee looks at all of the infrastructure and public utility needs across Minnesota, including the Twin Cities, Pappas wants to assure the public the committee is fair geographically and politically.

“I want to assure people we are a bipartisan, one Minnesota committee,” she said. “Our metro legislators learned about rural districts. Our rural legislators learned about metro needs. Doesn’t matter Democrat, Republican, whatever, we take care of the whole state.”

The committee will make their decisions on which projects will be approved in the Spring of 2024. To learn more about the committee and its responsibilities, visit https://www.senate.mn/committees/committee_bio.html?cmte_id=1002.