New Ulm mayor to lead Highway 14 Partnership

Promises

aggressive

expansion push

By RON LARSEN

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM--A changing of the guard in the top leadership of the Highway 14 Partnership signals the organization's return to an aggressive "junkyard dog" approach to moving the U.S. Highway 14 four-lane expansion project along at a faster pace.

Owatonna Mayor Pete Connor announced his resignation as Partnership chair during a steering-committee meeting Thursday in New Ulm. Connor, who is not seeking re-election as mayor next month, turned the leadership reins over to the vice chair, New Ulm Mayor Joel Albrecht, who will become chair at the group's annual meeting in January.

"Because I believe continuity is so important and because the Partnership must develop its lobbying strategy well in advance of the start of the legislative session, I am tendering my resignation as Chair. This will allow incoming Chair Joel Albrecht, the Steering Committee, and the full membership to be focused in its quest to secure funding for 'our favorite highway,'" Connor told the committee.

From its inception, the Partnership has pushed hard over the years for more federal and state dollars and an accelerated construction schedule for expanding a trunk highway that has earned the dubious title of one of the most dangerous highways in Minnesota.

Connor, author of the aggressive approach used by the Partnership, moderated his aggressive, attacking style after the 2002 elections. In picking up the reins from Connor, Albrecht is promising the Partnership will be as aggressive as ever.

"That was the general tone of the meeting, and several people made that comment that what we should do now is become as aggressive as we possibly can," Albrecht said.

"Also, (it was the committee's view) to work significantly harder in our Washington efforts because the money that's going to be available from now on basically will be coming from Washington. We're tapped out, so to speak, on a state level."

The committee also reacted to a recent report from Minnesota Department of Transportation that rural roads are more than twice as unsafe as metro roads, Albrecht said.

"So, we're going to be coming out with a new piece (brochure)--it will be the third one, this glossy hand-out--and, here again, we're going to be stressing the safety aspect of the roadway.

Albrecht said several people are making plans to go to Washington at various times "to take our case there."

The Partnership is seeking $64 million in federal funds to accelerate MnDOT's Highway 14 expansion construction schedule so that the New Ulm-Mankato segment can be put on the project's construction schedule. The state recently received $1.5 million in federal funds to complete a truncated Environmental Impact Statement for the New Ulm-Mankato segment.

"There was a lot that was already done on that segment which served as the state's match, shortening the amount of time needed to complete the EIS," Albrecht explained.

However, the fate of the Partnership's $64 million request remains in doubt.

Because the transportation committee working on the omnibus highway funding bill didn't designate specific amounts for projects, the bill will have to be amended on the House floor, Albrecht said.

"So, we have a lot of work to do there."