The Destination Medical Center Corporation board met last week to consider several pressing issues, including a transportation development plan and a parking shortage that could delay or jeopardize construction of the next two phases of the Discovery Square office buildings.
City staff and the DMC Economic Development Authority are recommending development of a dedicated lane for electric express buses, a $100 million project, rather than a streetcar line that would cost as much as $380 million.
A Mortenson Co. construction official said the Mayo Clinic doesn't want to share parking with tenants of Two Discovery Square, the next phase of a major research and commercial development. He suggested adding several floors of parking to the building. The board lacked a quorum and took no action.
DMC is a $5.6 billion Mayo project launched in 2013 to remake Rochester and grow the clinic.
Dan Browning
NEW LONDON
Highway dedicated to fallen soldier
A ceremony is set for Sunday to dedicate a portion of Hwy. 23 to a fallen soldier from Kandiyohi County.
The 5-mile stretch of road between New London and Spicer will be called the Ryane Clark Memorial Highway. The Minnesota Legislature approved the designation earlier this year. Clark, 21, was killed in Afghanistan in 2010.
As an Eagle Scout, Clark helped create a safe parking spot along the highway for people using an adjoining bike trail. In 2015, the SPC Ryane Clark Memorial Park was dedicated, with a bronze bust of Clark in his Scout uniform and a "story stone" telling his tale, with pictures of Clark and Cody Berg, a friend whose death in a bike accident prompted Clark's efforts.
JOHN REINAN
grand portage
Tribe awarded grant for marina upgrade
The Grand Portage Tribal Council will redevelop its Hat Point marina and ferry terminal on Lake Superior, thanks in part to a $3.2 million federal grant.
The U.S. Department of Commerce grant, part of a tax-incentive program to encourage investment in economically distressed communities, will get a $2 million local match. The project will help handle higher demand for ferry trips to Isle Royale National Park, according to a department news release.
A new building will serve as a place to educate visitors about the tribe and provide space for tribal businesses to process fish.
pam louwagie
