10.01 - Highway 371 Resolution - Laserfiche WebLink

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Resolution # 09- RESOLUTION SUPPORTING THE EXPANSION OF TRUNK HIGHWAY 371 BETWEEN THE CITY OF NISSWA AND THE CITY OF PINE RIVER, INCLUDING THE CITIES OF PEQUOT LAKES AND JENKINS AND THE COUNTIES OF CROW WING AND CASS, MINNESOTA WHEREAS, Highway 371 is a critical interregional corridor, providing an economic link between the Twin Cities Region and the Central Lakes Region of Minnesota, and WHEREAS, the Federal Government and the State of Minnesota have recognized the significance of the Highway 371 corridor in the past and, in doing so, have made considerable investments in order to improve the corridor south of Nisswa to a 4 -lane Expressway Design, and WHEREAS, the 16 miles of Highway 371 between Nisswa and Pine River requires similar improvement to a 4 -lane Expressway Design in order to address safety, travel -time and environmental concerns, and WHEREAS, the cities of Nisswa, Pequot Lakes, Jenkins and Pine River have worked in partnership with Crow Wing County, Cass County and the Minnesota Department of Transportation to study and plan for improvements to Highway 371 within each jurisdiction, and WHEREAS, the improvements to Highway 371 have been thoroughly reviewed and agreed to by each municipality in the corridor, and '%' WHEREAS, each community is aware of the local cost sharing aspect, and WHEREAS, without assistance from the Federal Government, the project is unlikely to proceed in the foreseeable future due to the size of the project and the limited availability of State funds for projects of this type, and WHEREAS, despite the strong commitment from each municipality, ambiguity over the timing of the Highway 371 project remains, creating unnecessary and counterproductive complications to planning for, budgeting for and implementing local economic development initiatives, and WHEREAS, this project is ready to move forward now, to the great benefit of the Central Lakes Region and the entire State of Minnesota. THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the municipalities of Nisswa, Pequot Lakes, Jenkins and Pine River formally join in their support for the Highway 371 corridor improvements and hereby request that the Federal Government and the State of Minnesota make funding the improvement an immediate and critical priority. Passed and adopted by the City of Pequot Lakes, this 7th day of April, 2009. Mayor City Clerk