COLEMAN APPLAUDS $260,123 FOR CITY OF BAXTER Land & Water Conservation Fund grant will be used to acquire land to complete Mississippi River Overlook Project
November 13th, 2006 - St. Paul - Senator Norm Coleman today applauded the awarding of a $260,123 Land and Water Conservation Fund federal grant for the City of Baxter’s Mississippi River Overlook Project. The grant will be used by the City of Baxter to acquire 63 acres of forested land on the Mississippi River, completing their efforts to expand and connect area trails along the river while helping manage the remaining forested lands of the city.
“I am very excited for the folks in Baxter to receive this grant,” said Coleman. “As former Mayor of St. Paul, I appreciate what an enormous resource the Mississippi River is for a community, which is why I’ve worked to support this effort in the Senate. The community has worked extensively on this project, and this funding will go a long way toward helping them reach their goals of an accessible and protected Mississippi River in and around Baxter.”
“The City of Baxter is delighted with the news from Senator Coleman’s office regarding the $260,123 grant to acquire 63 acres of undeveloped area along the Mississippi River in Baxter,” said Baxter Mayor Darrel Olson. “The project, known as the Mississippi River Overlook, will preserve a piece of this sensitive area which has been of great concern to city officials and residents of the community. The acquisition could not be possible without the help of numerous other organizations and will benefit residents now and in the future. We appreciate the great support from Senator Coleman’s office in this matter.”
Senator Coleman has been a firm supporter of this project in Congress and has worked closely with the City of Baxter to ensure funding for the project. Earlier this year, Coleman made a funding request for the project in the fiscal year 2007 Transportation, Treasury, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Bill. The bill is currently awaiting consideration by the full Senate. He also supported funding for the linkage of the City of Baxter to the Paul Bunyan State Trail in last year’s transportation bill.
With the help of the grant, the City of Baxter has now reached funding to cover the final project cost of $1.2 million and is expected to close purchase of the lands on December 4th.