02-08-2006 Council Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

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ST. JUDE MEDICAL January 12, 2006 Gov. Tim Pawlenty Office of the Governor 130 State Capitol 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. St. Paul, MN 55155 Facsimile: (651) 296 -2089 Dear Gov. Pawlenty: St. Jude Medical, Inc. One Lillehei Plaza St. Paul, MN 55117 651 481 -7789 Direct 651 481 -7796 Fax acraig @sjm.com Angela D. Craig Vice President Corporate Relations I am writing on behalf of St. Jude Medical to thank you for your continued support of business development of our industry within the state. As you know, St. Jude Medical provides cardiac, pain management and neuromodulation devices that help treat patients suffering from life threatening illnesses. We have experienced enormous growth over the past few years and now have four divisional sites and technology centers as well as our corporate headquarters in the Twin Cities area. Our total employee base in the state is now estimated at 2,000 and we expect this number to continue to expand over the coming years. Toward this end, I would like to formally express St. Jude Medical's concerns regarding the timeline for improvements to the bridge and transportation infrastructure at Rice Street and Hwy. 36 in Little Canada. Employees and visitors to our corporate headquarters, as well as to our Cardiac Surgery technology center, use these roadways as the primary corridor for entering and exiting our facility. These close intersections at the Rice Street /Highway 36 interchange are problematic in the best of traffic times in this busy commercial /industrial area. Our understanding is that improvements to the bridge infrastructure is currently scheduled to take place in the 2020 timeframe. We certainly understand the need to prioritize the state's road improvement projects, but we would respectfully ask that the State reconsider the prioritization of these needed improvements. Additionally, St. Jude Medical is extremely concerned with any proposed plan to place a Park & Ride at the intersection of County Road B and Rice Street. The design of the bridge and on /off ramps already creates a difficult transportation and safety issue for our employees that would only be exacerbated by the proposed Parlc & Ride. At a minimum, we would ask that the Parlc & Ride plans be delayed until the bridge improvements are implemented. As the largest employer in Little Canada and one of the largest in Ramsey County and St. Paul, we feel that it is important to support mutually beneficial projects within our Global Leadership in Melical Technology ATRIAL FIBRILLATION CARDIAC RHYTHM MANAGEMENT CARDIAC SURGERY CARDIOLOGY