Anoka County Board insists it isn't playing favorites

The Anoka County Board's endorsement of Anoka to be home to the new VA clinic in the northwest suburbs doesn't override its first endorsement of Ramsey.

By PAUL LEVY, Star Tribune

Last update: October 13, 2009 - 10:51 PM

Four months after passing a resolution endorsing Ramsey as the site for a new veterans clinic in the northwest suburbs, the Anoka County Board passed a similar resolution on Tuesday, this time endorsing Anoka.

The resolution, which came after a request by Anoka city officials, means little to the ultimate decision, because Veterans Administration contractor Lee Wiech has said VA officials in Minneapolis will select the most attractive bid, ignoring outside influences.

But the board's endorsement of Anoka may raise eyebrows in neighboring Ramsey.

"I'd gotten wind of this," said Ramsey Mayor Bob Ramsey. "I don't know what to make of it.

"We asked the board to endorse us [in June] with a resolution, and I suppose if we can do it, Anoka can do the same."

The board is not playing favorites, said county administrator Terry Johnson. He said it's simply throwing its support behind all potential Anoka County sites.

The VA has set no timetable for selecting a bid -- the deadline for entries was last month -- but Wiech said recently that he expects a clinic to open next year. The operation will be at least 19,900 square feet and have a minimum of 100 parking spaces; it will provide an alternative in some cases for veterans who currently use the VA centers in Minneapolis and St. Cloud.

Some factors unknown

Like Johnson, board Chairman Dennis Berg said the resolution passed Tuesday wasn't a case of playing favorites.

"We would never try to promote one of our cities at the expense of another," Berg said.

But the board can't be sure which Anoka County cities have had bids submitted on their behalf. And the cities themselves might not know.

For instance, Bob Kirchner, Anoka community development director, said Ryan Companies filed an application with the VA on the city's behalf. But Ryan official Joanna Hicks said the company filed submissions for "a few sites." And at least two other developers are interested in building the VA clinic in Anoka.

Two developers are believed to have applied to build the site in Ramsey -- although Mayor Ramsey can't be certain. Coon Rapids? Officials there had not heard anything by last month's application deadline, but because contractors weren't obligated to tell cities of their plans, it remains a possibility. Coon Rapids is the largest Anoka County city within the area delineated by the VA for the clinic.

Elk River in the mix

Then there is Elk River -- the Sherburne County seat and believed to be a primary contender, along with Anoka and Ramsey.

Five years ago, Elk River was chosen as the clinic's future home. Fourteen months ago, Elk River was endorsed by U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, an endorsement that presumably means no more than the Anoka County resolutions for Ramsey and Anoka.

A month ago, city administrator Lori Johnson estimated that seven or eight contractors were bidding on behalf of Elk River. Now that estimate appears conservative, she said at a meeting this month at the Elk River American Legion hall. That meeting, put together by Bachmann's staff, was attended by Anoka County officials.

Wiech, who did not immediately return a phone call from the Star Tribune, said repeatedly at a meeting in Elk River this month that he would not name any applicants.

In Tuesday's resolution, the County Board said that Anoka is ideally suited for the Community Based Outpatient Clinic because of its proximity to Hwy. 10 and its Northstar commuter rail station. In June, the board noted Ramsey's proximity to Hwy. 10 and that the city is expected to have a Northstar station in the near future.

Paul Levy • 612-673-4419

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