ST. PAUL—Rep. Terry Morrow (DFL-St. Peter) was recognized by the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities (CGMC) July 31 at the Coalition’s three-day summer conference in Mankato, Minnesota for his outstanding accomplishments as a first-term legislator.The Outstanding First-Term Legislator Award is given to a representative or senator who demonstrates exceptional involvement in the Legislature during his or her first term.

Mayor Wayne Wolden (Wadena), Terry,

Mayor Gary Zellmer (North Mankato) and Mayor Tim Strand (St. Peter)

As a member of the Transportation Finance Committee and Transportation Conference Committee, Rep. Morrow teamed with other legislators to pass the most comprehensive transportation reform bill the state has ever seen. He was also a key player in amending the bill to provide increased funding to greater Minnesota projects.

“Rep. Morrow was an exceptional advocate during his first term in the Legislature,” remarked CGMC President Wayne Wolden, Mayer of Wadena. “As a first-term legislator, he has a solid understanding of the issues facing greater Minnesota and what needs to be done in order to find solutions.”

CGMC is a nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy organization representing 80 cities outside of the Twin Cities metropolitan area. The Coalition educates legislators about issues important to greater Minnesota.

CGMC Press Release, August 1, 2008

 

July 31: Senator Kathy Sheran arranged a meeting for Senators Tom Bakk and Tarryl Clark and Terry with Vikings owner Zygi Wilf at the team’s Minnesota State University-Mankato training facilities. The group enjoyed a very informative discussion and appreciated hearing from the team owner.

Vikings owner Zygi Wilf talks with the media

as Terry talks with Senators Tom Bakk, Kathy Sheran, and Tarryl Clark

and Vikings official Lester Bagley.

Photo: Mankato Free Press

“Legislators Meet with Wilf over Stadium” (August 1, 2008)

http://www.mankatofreepress.com/sports/local_story_214012656.html

See also
KEYC
http://www.keyc.com/article/view/146437/

July 31:

On Thursday morning, the Greater Mankato Area Economic Development Corporation held a discussion forum with Senators Tom Bakk, Tarryl Clark, Kathy Sheran, and Terry. The conversation covered a number of topics, including tax policy, manufacturing in Minnesota, and education investments.

Mankato Free Press, July 29, 2008

State transportation department officials were short of chairs and short of cash to meet the demand they found at a public hearing to discuss a new 20-year highway funding plan. Staff at the Best Western in North Mankato fixed the chair problem by bringing more seating to supplement the 120 chairs already filled.

Terry talked with MnDOT Commissioner Sorel after the meeting

A solution to the money problem wasn’t as easy to find. Minnesota Department of Transportation leaders showed slides to area city and county officials, slides filled with numbers that suggested virtually all of the new money from a rising gas tax would be consumed by inflation, bridge repairs and preservation of existing highways.

“It clearly shows that we don’t have enough funding for these major projects in the next 10 years, probably not the next 20 years,” said Lisa Bigham, the planning director for MnDOT’s Mankato-based District 7.

The response to that, at least from many of the southern Minnesotans who spoke at the meeting, was simple: Then you need to reprioritize.

The most common complaint was the plan’s focus — on bridges and maintaining existing roads — left no hope of funding for Highway 14 improvements, including the expansion of the highway to four lanes between North Mankato and New Ulm.

“That’s what they’re asking about,” North Mankato Mayor Gary Zellmer said of area residents. “This plan? Nice plan, but it’s not what we need.”

Blue Earth County Public Works Director Al Forsberg said he can relate to the challenges of trying to do major projects when funding is limited and inflation in construction costs is steep. But Forsberg said state officials need to rework the plan to leave more room for needed highway expansion projects.

That prompted Peggy Reichert, MnDOT’s statewide planning director, to ask Forsberg whether he wanted to free up that money by eliminating bridge repairs and replacements or letting pavement on existing highways deteriorate further.

Forsberg said that decision would have to be made by state officials, but it’s necessary that they do.

“We would urge that you do the hard work (of finding more balance),” Forsberg said.

New Ulm Mayor Joel Albrecht offered to make one difficult decision for MnDOT officials, who are planning to replace one of his city’s bridges over the Minnesota River in 2018. City residents would gladly close the bridge and use the money instead to speed up construction of a four-lane Highway 14, Albrecht predicted.

“It’ll be 2040, possibly 2050, at the present pace,” he said of the completion of the long-awaited expansion project.

Reichert said MnDOT’s hands are tied to a large extent.

“What they told us to do takes almost all the money,” Reichert said of the Legislature and the Office of the Legislative Auditor.

State Rep. Terry Morrow, DFL-St. Peter, challenged that assertion.

The auditor’s office suggested MnDOT was unwisely spending too little of its resources on maintenance and preservation of existing highways. But Morrow said the auditor’s report came out before lawmakers pushed through a gas-tax increase that will generate billions of dollars of additional revenue, and the report merely suggests — rather than dictates — how MnDOT should spend the money.

Morrow said the transportation funding legislation may have been worded in a way that left MnDOT officials believing they needed to spend $1.7 billion on bridges. He believes the Legislature’s intent was to mandate something closer to $600 million.

MnDOT Commissioner Tom Sorel said a more detailed 20-year plan will be presented in January and assured local officials that changes were possible.

“We will work with you to try to sort this out,” Sorel said.

Photo: Mankato Free Press

See also “Plans for Highways” New Ulm Journal (7/29/08)

http://www.nujournal.com/page/content.detail/id/502194.html?nav=5009

Star-Tribune, July 29, 2008

While a soaring new Interstate 35W bridge nears completion in Minneapolis, Saturday’s near-tragedy on its sister road, Interstate 35E, was a sobering, eerily timed reminder that we cannot let down our collective guard when it comes to the safety of the state’s and nation’s bridges.

Late Saturday afternoon in St. Paul, 1,200-pounds of concrete chunks fell from 35E’s Maryland Avenue overpass. The incident came less than a week before the one-year anniversary of the 35W collapse. Amazingly, no one was hurt, even though a concrete chunk hit a vehicle.

On Monday, the incident served as a thought-provoking backdrop to a news conference that had been called before the 35E incident by five DFL lawmakers (Frank Hornstein, Melissa Hortman, Terry Morrow, Jim Carlson, Scott Dibble). The group called for additional oversight of the Minnesota Department of Transportation and proposed a list of sensible, safety-minded reforms. Making the best of them a reality should be a priority when the Legislature is back in session.

The reforms build on two key reports on the bridge collapse completed earlier this year by the legislative auditor and by Gray Plant Mooty, a law firm hired by lawmakers. Those reports painted a picture of missed opportunities at MnDOT to prevent the collapse. Among them: poor communication between offices responsible for bridge safety, the loss of talented staff to better-paying competitors and institutional inertia when it came to dealing with “budget busters,'’ unsexy projects needing big-dollar repairs. The proposed reforms address many of those issues.

An exception to the state salary cap would be lifted to help the agency recruit and retain senior engineers. Agency reports noting bridge problems would need to include a timeline of when a fix would be made. MnDOT officials would also have to report back to the Legislature annually on bridge inspection issues, and communicate about management changes.

Greater legislative oversight may be the most controversial recommendation. MnDOT’s new commissioner, Tom Sorel, is an engineer who has moved quickly to make improvements. He deserves latitude to run the organization. But the reforms do not suggest a lack of confidence in Sorel lawmakers emphasized Monday. Rather, it’s an effort by lawmakers to help shoulder the awesome responsibility of transportation safety. Budget busters aren’t just MnDOT’s problem. By detailing them to lawmakers, plans can be made to find the money and make repairs.

The group of five legislators next plans to meet with MnDOT. For its part, agency spokeswoman Lucy Kender said in an e-mail that MnDOT welcomes the chance to work with legislators. Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s office said in an e-mail that the ideas offered by the group were sound and many are already being implemented by the agency.

MnDOT and lawmakers have made impressive progress in making the state’s bridges safer. But years of underfunding and inattention will take longer than a year to correct. The proposed reforms would help build trust and cooperation between MnDOT and the lawmakers who fund it. The agency may be moving in the right direction, but making these reforms state law would ensure that they continue to be part of MnDOT operations well into the future.

Associated Press, ST. PAUL - A group of Minnesota lawmakers today unveiled legislation that will improve bridge safety across Minnesota. The recommendations are based on two independent legislative studies completed in the months following last year’s collapse of the 35W Bridge in Minneapolis. The package of legislation includes provisions for more frequent inspections of Minnesota bridges, would make it easier for the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) to attract top-flight engineering talent and include safety in the agency’s primary mission.

Terry during the St. Peter Fourth of July Parade

The lawmakers include Rep. Frank Hornstein (DFL Minneapolis), Chair of the House Transportation and Transit Policy Subcommittee, Rep. Melissa Hortman (DFL Brooklyn Park), Rep. Terry Morrow (DFL-St. Peter), Sen. Scott Dibble (DFL Minneapolis) and Sen. Jim Carlson (DFL-Eagan). The lawmakers say the recommendations are critical as state transportation leaders continue to work to restore Minnesotan’s confidence in their system of roads and bridges.

“A year ago, state and federal officials promised to ensure that something like the 35W Bridge collapse never happens again,” said Rep. Hornstein. “As a state, it is important for us to continue to take the steps necessary to follow through on that promise.”

Earlier this year, the Office of the Legislative Auditor and Gray Plant Mooty law firm delivered investigative reports to bi-partisan legislative committees. In both cases, staff spent hundreds of hours interviewing MnDOT employees, reviewing inspection reports and other documents, as well as talking to other experts before making their recommendations.

“Those reports identified many issues that both the investigators and MnDOT employees wanted resolved,” said Sen. Scott Dibble. “Although we have already seen some important changes at MnDOT, this legislation will help continue the dialogue with the agency about other improvements that can be made to improve safety and efficiency.”

An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board focused on the collapse of the 35W Bridge continues. That investigation is expected to conclude later this year.

“The bridge collapse has caused people to look more closely at the roads and bridges they drive every day,” said Rep. Melissa Hortman. “We have to be better prepared to help Minnesotans understand how decisions are made about the repair and replacement of their roads and bridges. This legislation will help accomplish that goal.”

The lawmakers say the incident this past weekend with the Maryland Avenue Bridge on 35E in St. Paul underscores the need for frequent inspections of bridges throughout Minnesota. On Saturday, large pieces of concrete broke away from the overpass and fell onto cars passing under the bridge.

“I think it is a reminder to us and all Minnesotans just how important maintenance is right now across our transportation system,” said Sen. Jim Carlson.

“Our goal is to address safety issues throughout Minnesota,” said Rep. Terry Morrow. “As we have seen with the St. Cloud, Winona and Duluth examples, bridges in Greater Minnesota have concerns as well”.

The bridge safety legislation will be formally introduced early next year when the 2009 legislative session gets underway.

Mankato Free Press, July 27, 2008

Area residents concerned about the state of area highways are being encouraged to attend Monday’s public hearing on the state transportation department’s 20-year construction plan.

“The Monday meeting is critically important,” said state Rep. Terry Morrow, a member of the House Transportation Committee.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation plan focuses on preservation and reconstruction of existing highways and bridges. That would potentially result in long postponements in many expansion projects — such as plans to add lanes and interchanges on Highway 14 from Mankato to New Ulm and make improvements on Highway 169 from Mankato to Jordan, according to critics of the plan.

“MnDOT is clearly trying to avoid expansion projects, instead trying to preserve what they have,” Morrow said. “I understand that. I get it.”

But Morrow said some planned expansions are vital to the safety of drivers and to the economic growth in the region, the Highway 14 expansion being a case in point.

“If you look at safety, Highway 14 is a grim picture,” he said.

The plan’s release comes five months after lawmakers passed a $6.6 billion transportation funding bill after years of gridlock on the issue. While $600 million is reserved for bridge work, and other funds are reserved for transit, MnDOT has flexibility on how to spend much of money, Morrow said.

He believes the department’s focus on preservation comes from a critical report by the Office of the Legislative Auditor that suggested MnDOT was failing to maintain existing highways in favor of new construction. Morrow pointed out that the auditor’s suggested focus on preservation came before the new transportation bill was approved.

MnDOT Commissioner Tom Sorel and other top department officials will be at the meeting to present the plan and listen to comments from city and county officials, business leaders and area residents.

MnDOT spokeswoman Rebecca Arndt also encouraged attendance while asking people to be willing to hear the department’s rationale for the plan.

Arndt emphasized the plan is not final and changes are possible based on comments made at hearings around the state.

“The most important thing is it’s not over, and come to the meeting,” Arndt said.

The meeting begins at 12:30 p.m. at the Best Western motel off of Highway 169 in North Mankato and is expected to last until 4 p.m.