Of the many unknowns lingering in this legislative session, one of the big questions that remains is whether a bonding bill will pass.

Gov. Mark Dayton in January released his public works proposal, and we and others across the state are eagerly waiting to see if local projects will be included in the House and Senate bills.

Dayton’s $1.5 billion proposal included $6.8 million to Riverland Community College for relocating its truck driving and collision programs from Austin to Albert Lea and integrating the programs into shared spaces with auto diesel programs. The college hopes to demolish the Gateway Building and construct 7,482 square feet in additional space. The bill also included almost $700,000 for the college to replace its HVAC system.

Will this project be included in the House and Senate versions? It is too soon to tell.

With over $3 billion in bonding requests across the state, we know not every project will be included, but we encourage the House and Senate to release their bonding proposals quickly after returning from the Easter break to give legislators time to review the projects and have a more transparent negotiation process for a final bill. This also gives time for constituents to reach out to legislators with feedback.

Many of the projects included in Dayton’s proposal — such as the funding for Riverland’s Albert Lea campus — would help boost not only communities, but the entire state.

We are afraid that needlessly delaying the release of the bills could hurt the chance of any bill passing in the long run. The prices for these projects — many of which have been in bonding proposals but never approved in the past — often only continue to rise as time goes on.

In addition to the Riverland projects, we encourage Dayton and House and Senate leaders to keep in mind other area projects, including requests to develop Blazing Star Landing and for a bridge over Albert Lea Lake to connect the Blazing Star Trail from Myre-Big Island State Park to Hayward. The trail has been in the works for many years with previously awarded state dollars, and this would be the final piece necessary to complete that project.