At Anoka-Ramsey, a $16 million dollar renovation was approved to update classrooms in the nursing and business building on the Coon Rapids campus. It includes new technology and simulation labs for nursing students. When the work is done, capacity of the nursing program will be increased by 50 percent, making it one of the largest nursing programs in Minnesota.
The National Sports Center in Blaine is getting $3 million for a maintenance building to care for equipment. With 55 soccer fields and a golf course to look after, officials say it was needed.
Ladd says the center has approached re-opening events very cautiously during the COVID pandemic, even though those events also bring in income to keep the center running. The idea is to bring events slowly back online while following state guidelines and keeping as many full-time workers employed as possible. For example, a fall soccer tournament took place, but it was trimmed back and spread out over two weeks.
“We’ve taken Fall Cup from a 400 plus team tournament down to 180 teams this fall,” said Ladd. “We did it over two weekends, socially distanced, masked, the whole nine yards. From a financial perspective, we were able to make it through.”
Separate from the bonding bill, the center is also investing in the future. With the help of a sponsor, they’re about to open a huge seasonal sports dome.
“We’re excited about it because not only is it a nice new indoor space, but it’s actually the largest in North America,” said Todd Johnson of the Minnesota Amateur Sports Commission.
Johnson calls it a really big step, but one they had to take. He says the North Metro area doesn’t have much indoor space like it. Johnson says the dome is an important move for the future.
“Obviously I would not be telling the truth if I didn’t say there was a little bit of trepidation going ahead with this in the middle of a pandemic. But a few of us got together, and our board, and we sat down and thought it through, and said, if we don’t believe in our future, who does?”
The bubble should be open for teams in November after final work is completed.
