Minn. Libraries Resume Expansion Plans
After Lawmakers Override Ventura Veto
One day after the Minnesota legislature overrode Gov. Jesse Ventura’s veto of an appropriation bill to expand libraries in Watonwan County and Pelican Rapids, Watonwan County officials began planning for a $2-million expansion of their five-branch system. The May 18 meeting had been scheduled, but the change in agenda was dramatic.
“We thought we were dead,” City Administrator Malcolm Tilberg said, recalling how last fall he had heard Ventura proclaim “how we all needed to be wired for computers and communication to enter the 21st century.”
The legislature’s action funded $1 million for Watonwan County Library and $500,000 of a $1.2-million library expansion in Pelican Rapids. Both towns are envisioning upgraded libraries as technology training centers for a recent influx of immigrants stuck in low-paying jobs, according to the May 21 Minneapolis Star Tribune. “Maybe it’s a pipe dream,” Tilberg said, “but it’s our dream, and now we can start to move.”
Posted May 29, 2000.
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