Text: Gov. Mark Dayton introduced a bonding proposal Jan. 15 that would invest nearly $64 million in the Minnesota Security Hospital and sex offender program. In its entirety, the plan would mean $986 million in infrastructure projects statewide. The bill would help address many of the state's critical infrastructure needs, while strengthening the state's economy and getting people back to work, said a statement released Wednesday by the governor's office. It could also create more than 27,000 Minnesota jobs. "My proposals will put thousands of Minnesotans to work throughout our state," Dayton said. "This bill gives priority to projects that are ready to go. Many of them have been delayed for years and are crucial to revitalizing downtown business centers, modernizing MnSCU and U of M buildings and classrooms, and improving parks, roads, and local infrastructure."The governor has recommended that about $56.3 million of the new bond be used to design, construct, furnish and equip new residential, program and activity facilities at the Minnesota Security Hospital in St. Peter.About $7.4 million is set aside for renovating buildings located on the lower campus of the regional treatment center so they can be used for the Minnesota Sex Offender Program, according to the proposal. Matt Swenson, a spokesperson for the governor, said the proposed St. Peter investments total to the second largest investment in the proposal, coming in behind only the state capitol. Renovations at the security hospital are a long time coming and in the past, have been delayed. Last year, a large capital investment bill which originally set aside $36.3 million for the St. Peter facility, failed to garner House approval and was eventually slimmed down so drastically that the treatment center received none of that funding. The money would have given Minnesota's Department of Human Services the ability to split the campus into two distinct areas and move its forensics program to the upper half, Anne Barry, deputy commissioner of the state's Department of Human Services told the St. Peter Herald in May. It would have also freed up more space at the facility for Minnesota sex offender patients. When the capital investment bill failed to pass as written, the renovations were pushed off. Rep. Clark Johnson, DFL-North Mankato, said he is excited to see the security hospital so high up the list. "I was very pleased that [Gov. Dayton] has as a top priority the security hospital," Johnson said. "The safety of the patients that live there and the safety of our employees who work there is really critical. It's really just fundamental."Sen. Kathy Sheran was also pleased to see the project included, saying she thinks it should be a priority for the state facility's campus to be separated into two distinct areas for the safety of both patients and staff. "The current design is not conducive to good treatment," Sheran said. "It's not conducive to the physical safety of the patients or staff ... we have people from our area working there in a position that is not safe for them or the people they serve."Johnson also noted that money had been set aside for improvements and for the Mankato Civic Center and South Central College in North Mankato -- about $14.5 million is set aside for the events center while about $5 million is earmarked for the classroom renovations and lab space at the college. "It's great to have a chance to modernize the labs," Johnson said of the portion allotted to the college. "The way South Central is preparing people to move into cutting edge industries and to work in this region, those labs are really important."Sheran said money for the MnSCU system and South Central will also help ensure that area colleges are contributing to the region's workforce. "It will create the opportunity for better interaction for students and for our businesses to create the kind of education that fills the workplace and fills the type of jobs we have in our area," Sheran said. The new session opens Feb. 25. It will take a three-fifths (60 percent) supermajority in both the House and Senate to pass the bonding bill. Sheran said she plans to fight for the investments highlighted in the proposal, believing that they will create jobs not only throughout the state, but locally. "Opportunities like this that bring jobs to the area around capital investments are really important," Sheran said. Johnson voiced a similar belief and said he believes the investments highlighted in the proposal represent a significant reinvestment in Minnesota infrastructure"We're going to work hard and work together to get it done," Johnson said.