Senator Tarryl L. Clark

Transcription

1 E-News Volume 2007 Issue 12 Senator Tarryl L. Clark Senate Assistant Majority Leader July 31, 2007 Events Serving St. Cloud, St. Augusta, Waite Park, Rockville and Haven Township Thursday, August 2, 10-11:30 am Town Hall Meeting on Higher Education Whitney Senior Center, 1537 Northway Drive, St. Cloud Wednesday, August 8 Marie Reigstad s last day of work at the Capitol Marie has been my assistant since February 2006, just a month after I was sworn in to office. Marie does a great job and I will miss her. I am confident she will do well in law school and I wish her the best of luck. Tuesday, August 14, 10-11:30 am Town Hall Meeting on Senior Issues Whitney Senior Center, 1537 Northway Drive, St. Cloud Photos Last week my staff, Charlie Vander Aarde and Marie Reigstad, visited St. Cloud to meet with constituents and civic leaders. We started our tour at the Law Enforcement Center in downtown St. Cloud, where we met with Crime Prevention Specialist John Justin, Assistant Chief of Police Susan Stawarski and Sergeant Jeffrey Janssen. We discussed public safety issues particular to St. Cloud and Charlie had a chance to sit in the front seat of a squad car. We also looked at plans for the new police station, where construction is scheduled to begin in

2 From the LEC we walked a couple blocks to the office of the Downtown Council where we met with Pegg Gustafson, Executive Director. We journeyed across the street to have tea at Mississippi Bean coffee shop. There were many friendly faces at the Bean to chat with, including this group of Somali community leaders who I have worked with in the past. Later Monday, we visited the Labor Home to meet with representatives from the local labor unions and several others working on getting Northstar extended to at least the St. Cloud/Rice area; the St. Cloud Chamber of Commerce where we spoke with Teresa Bohnen, President; the Mayor s office to meet his staff and other City employees; and the VA hospital where we discussed veteran s reintegration efforts. We topped off the day with dinner at Granite City, then got some rest so we could have energy for all of Tuesday s plans. 2

3 Tuesday morning began with a trip to SCSU where Steve Ludwig, Vice President of Facilities, showed us some of the current and future construction projects. We saw the first stages of construction for a 31,000-square foot addition to the Wick Math and Science Building and renovation of 120,000 square feet of the existing building. This project will add laboratories, classrooms and room for new biology and chemistry equipment. The $14 million project is scheduled for completion in We also toured Riverview, the oldest classroom building on campus and also on the National Register of Historic Places, which is being updated in a $4.5 million renovation scheduled to be completed in While its historic integrity is maintained, the building will receive a new roof and windows, masonry repairs, code corrections, air conditioning, a ventilation system and repairs to classrooms. Pictured is one of the chemistry labs in the building. As you can see, it needs much updating! Both Riverview and Wick received bonding money from the Minnesota Legislature during the 2006 session. 3

4 After SCSU we made a mad dash to Whitney Senior Center where Rep. Larry Haws and I hosted a Town Hall meeting on education. About 40 community members attended, including many teachers and school administrators. After lunch we met with Joyce Helens, the President at SCTC to discuss their bonding requests for the upcoming session, as well as other issues. From there we drove to Rockville to check out the new city hall, which is really beautiful. Even the conference table is made from donated local granite! After Rockville we met with staff at the St. Cloud Hospital, including President/CEO Terry Pladson and Vice President Jim Davis. It was an exciting and information-filled tour of Senate District 15, and Charlie will certainly be traveling to the district again later this summer. If you have thoughts on particular people or places he should visit, please send us an or give the office a call. 4

5 How to Contact Me By Mail: By Phone: Senator Tarryl L. Clark (651) Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. 208 State Capitol By Electronic Form: St. Paul, MN District 15 Fun Fact Granite City Food and Brewery, whose original location is at the corner of Hwy. 15 and 2 nd Street South, opened their 20 th restaurant on July 3 in Rockford, IL. 5