It’s bad luck to predict misfortune because such predictions can become self fulfilling prophecies. That said, its looking grim for the DECC’s hope of receiving state funding this year.
Things looked good after the Governor taunted Duluth into holding a referendum on funding half of a DECC expansion through local sales taxes. When Duluth took up the challenge and passed a referendum there was real optimism for the project. Unfortunately, the state’s putative half of the financing is not in either the Senate or House bonding proposal.
Although the Tribune recently editorialized that the Governor was our best hope for adding the full 30 million to a final bonding bill that seems unlikely to happen. Our Senator, Tom Bakk, has been crowing about a humungous $118 million in miscellaneous bonding for northland projects in the Senate Bonding Bill. This boasting is a subtle warning to Duluth not to tamper with the current Senate proposal by trying to add the DECC.
In answer to the DFL controlled Senate bill the House bill included $3 not $30 million for the project. If our own DFL Senator has no interest in pushing it who can blame the Republicans who control the House for only offering up 10% of the Governor’s proposal?
As someone who wrote a pro-DECC column I find this disappointing but not very surpising. I don’t see anyone with any political muscle who has anything to gain by pushing the DECC this year. On the other hand the Governor’s intervention and the City’s referendum have brought the DECC to the state’s attention. In a sense its like a plane circling the airport waiting for the legislature to give it clearance to land. Ahead of the DECC are the long debated stadiums for the Twins, Vikings and UM Gopher Football team.  Â
If these other stadiums are finally approved this year it will be hard to deny Duluth in the years to come.
