McCollum Successfully Secures $11.93 Million for Local Arts, Community-Building Projects

Congresswoman Betty McCollum (MN-04) released the following statement today after the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass the Fiscal Year 2023 conference agreement, paving the way for President Biden to sign it into law. The agreement includes funding for all 15 of Rep. McCollum's requested Community Projects that will directly benefit the Fourth District.

Within the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development portion of the agreement, McCollum secured $11.93 million across three projects to boost local arts and community-building projects in the Fourth District:

• Project: North End Community Center ($4,000,000)
  This funding will help complete the construction of the North End Community Center and provide state-of-the-art amenities to encourage social and physical activities.
• Project: Playwrights' Center Renovation ($4,000,000)
  This funding will be used for the redesign and renovation of the Playwrights' Center, which supports playwrights and promotes new plays to production at theaters across the country.
• Project: Ordway Center for Performing Arts Facilities Improvement ($3,930,000)
  This funding will help replace the roof above the Ordway's Music Theater, upgrade its lighting infrastructure, and install LED light fixtures – so it can continue to provide opportunities to engage, entertain, and inspire our community.

"Minnesota's Fourth District is home to a thriving arts and humanities community," McCollum said. "The Ordway and Playwrights' Center provide significant cultural value, and I'm proud to advance this federal funding that will help these institutions thrive. Additionally, the North End Community Center will be a fantastic space for young people to build community and engage in healthy and fulfilling activities."

"This investment in Playwrights' Center's future is an investment in not only the art of storytelling, but a public commitment to entrust artists to see our world forward together," said Playwrights' Center Producing Artistic Director Jeremy B. Cohen. Managing Director Robert Chelimsky added: "We're grateful to Rep. McCollum for her deep support for this vibrant new home for Playwrights' Center, which we know will have a transformational impact on this corner of Saint Paul, and the larger national and international community."

"This funding would provide critical support for much-needed capital improvements at our venue, including replacing a roof that is past the end of its life and upgrading an aging lighting system," said Ordway President and CEO Chris Harrington. "These funds would ensure that the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts continues to be a state-of-the-art, energy-efficient gathering place where everyone can experience the wonder of the performing arts."

"The North End Community Center will be a hub of activity and service in the most deeply diverse and statistically young community in Saint Paul," said Saint Paul City Council President and Ward 5 Council Member Amy Brendmoen. "Representative McCollum has been a leading advocate for this state-of-the-art, eco-conscious, deal-changing investment in her district. The building design is forward-thinking with green construction and energy efficiency from the in-ground geothermal heat to the massive solar array on top. The design is unique also in its ability to orient toward sports that are traditionally dominated by girls and women; this flexibility makes it accessible and welcoming for more of the community, and creates a regional setting to host these sports' tournaments. We can't wait to start this major construction project in the North End!"

Background:

The 2023 Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies funding bill provides funding of $87.3 billion, an increase of $6.3 billion – nearly 8 percent – above 2022.

The legislation:

• Creates and sustains tens of thousands of good-paying American jobs by rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure with significant investments in airports, highways, transit, passenger rail, and port systems
• Grows opportunity through homeownership and rental assistance, including more than 140,000 new housing vouchers targeted to individuals and families experiencing or at risk of homelessness and approximately 5,600 new units for seniors and persons with disabilities
• Supports the vulnerable with public housing safety, maintenance, and improvement investments, such as the remediation of lead paint and radon and installation of energy and water efficient systems
• Promotes safe transportation and housing with a skilled and growing workforce to conduct inspections, mitigate hazards, and study emerging threats and innovative solutions
• Includes more than $2.6 billion to reduce emissions, increase resiliency, and address historical inequities in transportation and housing programs

Read Chair McCollum's full statement on final passage of the omnibus here.

The text of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 is available here. A list of bill highlights is here. A full summary of the appropriations provisions in the bill is here. In keeping with the Appropriations Committee's commitment to transparency, information on Rep. McCollum's Community Project Funding requests is available here.

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