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by Sara Meyer

It has been called an ingenious financingmechanism to help cities pay forredevelopment of blighted areas, but it hasalso been.called a taxpayer rip-off that~ses public funds to subsidize privateInvestment. It has been hailed a success inseveral Minnesota localities whereredevelopment projects are well on theirway to self-sufficiency, but it is visiblystruggling for survival in two of the largestdevelopment districts in Minneapolis.

"Tax-increment financing" is aredevelopment financing tool that is asubject of con.troversy among people inbu.slness and In government, and a subjectof Incomprehension among much of thepublic.

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During the 1978 legislative session theMin~esota Senate is taking a hard I~ok atthe Issue of tax-increment financing inhopes of tightening up the state's tax-increment financing laws.

itIn 1969 the legislatu re gave cities anopportunity to capture property taxrevenues specifically for redevelopmentpurposes. It works like this: A taxincrement district is set up and itsboundaries are defined. The countyauditor determines the dollar value of alltaxable property within the district beforedevelopm~nt. (This is the base value.)Then the city sells general obligationbonds to pay for certain "front end" costs-land acquisition, demolition of existingstructures, and the installation ofsidewalks, sewers, public utilities etc. Atthis PC?int the city hopes to sell th~ land, at abargain rate, to private developers who willa.rrange for construction on the improvedsite. Property taxes on the site go up asdevelopme~t proceeds, and the citycaptures this Incremental growth inproperty taxes.

Proponents of tax-increment financing saythat governmental financing ofredevelopment is legitimate andnecessary. They agree that there are risksassociated with it, but claim that it ispreferable to the blight that will remain ifnothing is done.

Sen. Jack Davies, at left, is among the criticsof tax increment financing.

Since the end of W.W. II, the federalgovernment has participated in urbandev~,lopment by offering loans and grantsto cities for construction and renovationBut during the last decade, many of the~eprograms were dismantled and have beenreplaced by revenue-sharing and blockgrants to localities. A large share of thesefunds goes to the suburbs, and cities havehad to rely on some other means to fundredevelopment. Tax-increment financingbecame one of the sources cities relied on.

Supporters of tax-increment financingargue that the government/privatecooperation in re-development is similar tothe widely accepted cooperation betweenthe two sectors in initial development.Government has traditionally facilitatedprivate development through buildingroads, sewers and other support facilities.In effect, they say, government has alwaysprovide~ the investment necessary tomake pr!vate development possible, so thesame principle should apply to re-development.

Although local government officials areeager to defend it as a sound~edevelopn:entfinancing tool, tax-Increment finanCing has been criticized onseveral counts. It has become clear thatpriv~te,investment doesn't always followpublic Investment. The Nicollet-Lake andLC?ring Par~ redevelopment districts inMlnn.eapolls are examples of this. In two ofthe city's largest development districts littletax increment has been generated. Landhas been left vacant in Loring Park for solong that the district's 9.ssessed value inrecent years has actually been lower thanthe value of its taxable property before

Avast expanse of cleared land (above)awaits redevelopment in the LoringRedevelopment district. At right: Signpromising 201 apartments.

development began. Thus tax-incrementfinancing may actually reduce a city'staxable value during the time after the oldbuildings are torn down and before thenew buildings are constructed. And even ifnothing new is built and the land liesvacant, the city must still repay its bondson time. In some cases increased propertytaxes may be required to payoff the tax-increment bonds during the period beforethe new construction is on the tax rolls.Critics of tax-increment financing say thatan impression is created that it costs thetaxpayer nothing, when in fact propertytaxes may be raised to payoff the city'sbonds.

Sen Jack Davies (DFL-Mpls.), the mostoutspoken Senate critic of tax-incrementfinancing, says that this Is one area wheregovernment and business don't mix.Davies argues that tax-increment financingdoesn't really attract any new business,and several members of the Senatesubcommittee working on the bill said theyfeel that the tool is being used in too manycases where development probably wouldhave occurred anyway.

The Senate subcommittee on Tax-Increment Financing, chaired by Sen.Marvin Hanson (DFL-Hallock), has workedout the details of the senate bill as follows:

Three types of projects would be able tomake use of tax-increment financing: 1)Redevelopment projects - those whichmust be located within generally blightedareas that have been designated a "publicimprovement district," or areas that areextremely costly to prepare fordevelopment; 2) Housing projects - onlythose for low and moderate income

persons; and 3) Eco!lomic DevelopmentProjects - those that add to the tax baseor in some way Improve the local economyby construction of improvements.

Each of the three types of permissibleprojects has a different time constraintduring which tax increments can be takenfrom the project. This means that bondsmust be repaid within a period of ten yearsfor economic development projects,twenty years for redevelopment projectsand twenty-five years for housing projects.Economic development projects have ashorter time limit under the Senate billbecause these projects would generallyinvolve land that is already clear ofbuildings.

A procedure for public hearings andappropriate agency approval Is alsoestablished in the bill. Detailed plans onthe proposed tax-increment project wouldhave to be presented to school boards,county boards, the State Planning Agency,the Metropolitan Council, and themunicipal planning commission forcomment, and the project would besubject to final approval by the city council.

An important feature of the new bill is therequirement that tax-Increment projects beapproved only after a large portion of theproject Is under contract with developers.This would insure that publicly improvedland would not lie vacant for excessiveperiods of time, and would also discouragethe use of tax-increment financing for thepurpose of luring future developers. Thenew law would require that 85 per cent ofthe project area be under contract.

An additional restriction on the use of tax-increment financing would be that aproject's cost could not exceed a certainpercentage of the total taxable value ofproperty in the municipality. The Senatemeasure provides a sliding scale todetermine this percentage, which rangesfrom a two to ten percent maximum.

The House and Senate measures arecomparable in general purpose and intheir restricting features. A fewcompromises of a technical nature willneed to be made in conference committee,and it is expected that the bill will be actedon before the end of the session.

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Problem out in open

by Karen Clark

The incidence of battered women, of childabuse, of family violence as a whole hasonly begun to gain national attention as aproblem of almost epidemic proportions.Until recently such issues were simply notacknowledged to exist. The MinnesotaLegislature, however, has both recognizedand then enacted laws to deal with twomajor areas of family violence. In 1974 thelegislature passed the Child Abuse Act andin 1977 The Battered Women Law waspassed and signed into law.

"Incid,snce st€:lQIC!enSen. B. Robert Lewis (DFL-St. LouisPark), sponsor of the Battered Women Lawis convinced though, that more needs tobe done. "We are finding the same thingswe found in 1974 after the child abuse lawwent into effect, that by requiring people toreport abuse, the number of incidents ofabuse is staggering." Lewis alsoacknowledges that one of the majordifficulties in dealing with problems suchas spouse abuse is the lack of concretedata, of knowing just how extensive theproblem is. "One estimate," he said, "findsthat the incidence of battered women maybe very high - perhaps as many as threeor four of every 10 women have beenbeaten at least once."

Sen. B. Robert Lewis, sponsor of legislationto aid battered women.

A report issued by a United Way TaskForce on Battered Women seems to agree,asserting that "physical abuse of womenby husbands, boyfriends or ex-matesoccurs more frequently than commonlybelieved." As an indication of the scope ofthe problem, the report goes on to say that"in 1976, the Minneapolis police estimatedthey had 2000 reports of spouse abuse."The report also concludes that althoughbattered women were more likely to be lowincome, separated or divorced, non-whiteand less educated, many battered womenwere of higher incomes, well educated,white and married. In short, batteringoccurs in all segments of the community.

In addition to information about batteredwomen, Lewis says, "We need a profile ofthe batterer." There are indications in theUnited Way study that in a high percentage

. of cases the abuser was unemployed orchemically dependent. Lewis also notedthat "often the batterer has been abused asa child."

The bill passed during the 1977 Sessionaddresses the information gatheringproblem directly by mandating datacollection on the part of police and hospitalpersonnel. In a bill, again sponsored byLewis, amending the original BatteredWomen Law, provisions are included foradditional agencies to collect summarydata and for the evaluation of the datacollected.

But knowing the scope of the problem isonly one part of the total area of concern.Shelters and emergency services to helpvictims of spouse abuse are necessary. Anumber of shelters have been establishedin various parts of the state but without astable source of funding. The BatteredWomen Law included a provision for statefunding of four such shelters to act as apilot program. The United Way reportstates that "many more shelters andemergency services are needed - thecurrent demand is about four times thepresent capacity." The bill amending theBattered Women Law would allow thecommissioner of corrections to establishmore than the original four shelters if fundsare available. '

The need for shelters and other relatedsocial services is of importance, Lewis said"because of the social stigma that exists ifa woman leaves her family." He pointedout that many women are first overcomewith guilt, assuming blame for thebeatings, and then bewildered when facedwith the dilemma of becomingeconomically self-supporting. "It is stillmore difficult for women to be as

. independent as men," he stated, citinglack of job skills as an example of themajor obstacles women face when forcedto leave home.

Another large area of concern to thoseattempting to deal with family violence isthe legal system and its response to suchcases. In many instances, according to theUnited Way report, "present legalprocedures are often ineffective for manybattered women." In addition, stated thereport "police officers appear to vary intheir response to calls from assaultedwomen." Testimony taken at informalhearings held during the interim on theimplementation of the Battered WomenLaw indicated that many people - victims,social service personnel and lawenforcement personnel - were frustratedby the lack of clearly defined guidelineswhen trying to get aid for or respond to theneeds of battered women.

A bill, introduced this year by Lewis,attempts to settle questions of courtjurisdiction and the proper role of lawenforcement agencies in handling cases ofabuse. The bill is designed, said Lewis, "totake over where the current bill leaves off."He added, though, that because of thetime constraints under which theLegislature is operating this session, hedidn't think the bill would gain passage thisyear. However, parts of the bill arecontained in other bills that have beenintroduced. S.F. 318, authored by Sen.William McCutcheon (DFL-St. Paul), forinstance, would allow police to arrest aperson suspected of assaulting a spouseor other member of his/her family if there isprobable cause to believe that assault hasoccurred. The bill would also give thepoliceman the option of issuing a citationto appear in court. The measure was thenapproved by the Judiciary Committee andwill soon be heard on the Senate floor.

Lewis, for his part, plans to continuesponsoring legislation that would addressthe needs of victims of family violence.Speaking of the Battered Women Law, hestated, "the more I worked on it, the moresupport I received." He indicated that nowthat there is more public awareness of theproblems of family violence there will be aneed for more legislation to address theissue. "I intend to pursue it," he said, "untilwe take care of the problem."

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Iit iii!iii!by Dave Peterson

Perhaps the most publicly visible of allSenate staff members are the eight menand four women who serve as SenateCounsel - they sit at the side of eachcommittee chairman at each committeemeeting; they frequently are called upon totestify at committee meetings or to briefcommittee members on complicated legalaspects of pending legislation; they workclosely with Senators on virtually every billfrom the initial draft to final amendments.

And there is even a seat set aside in theSenate chamber so that Counsel can assistwith any final matters that may come up onthe Senate floor.

If a poll were taken, most Senators wouldprobably agree that Senate Counsel isindispensable. Or if not indispensable,pretty difficult to get along without.

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Sometimes it seems that the collectivenature of the "Senate" or the "Legislature"overshadows and obscures the fact thatthe institutions are, after all, composed ofindividuals.

But the "Senate" in and of itself is only aconstitutional concept and 67 empty chairsin a beautiful and historic chamber. Thesenate comes to life through the lives of itsmembers - members like SenatorsGerald Willet (DFL-Park Rapids) andRonald Sieloff (I-R, St. Paul).

Perspectives chose to follow these twoSenators through a typical day during thelegislative session - Jan. 31, 1978. Thechoice of Senators was not totally arbitrary

Willet is a veteran senator who chairsone of the Senate's 15 standingcommittees; he is a rural legislator fromnorthern Minnesota; and he is a Democrat.Sieloff, on the other hand, is a senate

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freshman who served one term in theHouse of Representatives before beingelected to the Senate in 1976; he is anurban legislator from St. Paul; and he is aRepublican. The two men were selectedbecause they are illustrative of the diversebackgrounds of the 67 persons who servein the Minnesota Senate. They are not"typical" - for no one is, but they are"illustrative."

Both Willet's and Sieloff's days were long- packed with committee meetings,appointments, correspondence, and otherobligations that fill legislators' days and,sometimes, their evenings.

Photographer Mark Nelson followed Willetthrough his day while Steve Voeller, asession employee in the public informationoffice, followed Sieloff.

The stories of their days follow.

Sen. Gerald Willet's day began before dawn(top left) as he entered his car. Willet, whorents a room from a family in St. Paul,stopped at a local coffee shop to havebreakfast. Sen. Sieloff, who as an urbanlegislator has all the comforts of home, isable to have breakfast with his family (aboveleft). But like many other husbands he takesthe trash out before leaving for the Capitol(above).

Photos by Mark M. Nelson and Steve Voeller

Upon arriving at the Capitol (above top left),Sieloff climbs the stairs to the State OfficeBUilding. Outside his office, he discusses abill (top right), with Sen. Douglas Sillers (I-R,Moorhead). Willet, who arrived at the Capitolearly to attend a leadership conference onthe powerline problem, makes a point asHouse Speaker Martin Sabo (DFL-Mpls.)listens (above). Willet and others listen to acolleague; Senate Majority Leader NicholasColeman (DR-St. Paul) is at the left of thephoto, Sen. Roger Strand (DR-Cyrus) andSen. Wayne Olhoft (DFL-Herman) arepictured at center. At right: Sen. MelFrederick (I-R, West Concord) listens to apoint Sieloff makes about a bill.

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Clockwise from top lell: Willet goes over aletter with Committee Secretary BunnyGordon; Sieloff presents a bill to theEducation Committee; Sieloff raises hand toask a question during TransportationCommittee meeting; Willet and Sen. CollinPeterson (DFL-Detroit Lakes) hold pressconference to announce a plan to insurecitizen input for the Dept. of NaturalResources; and Willet confers with Sen.William Luther (DFL-Brooklyn Center), whochairs one of the Agriculture and NaturalResources subcommittees.

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Lunchtime

Clockwise from top left: Sieloff grabs a quick lunch in the Transportation Building; Willetenjoys a joke with University of Minnesota Regent L. J. Lee and an unidentified man (left);Sieloff uses free time to scan a newspaper while waiting for a committee; Willet luncheswith Senators Robert Benedict (DFL-Bloomington), Doug Johnson (DFL-Cook) andJerome Gunderson (DFL-Mabel); and Sieloff stops at his law office to check on his mail.

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Clockwise from top left: Willet looks overnewspaper while conferring with MikeRobertson, committee administrativeassistant; Willet phones to talk over aproblem with a constituent; Harold Stassencalls upon Sieloll; Sieloll appears pensive asGeneral Legislation Committee discussesZoo Board nominations; and Sieloll adds hissignature as a co-sponsor of a bill.

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Clockwise from top left: Willet meets witnesses scheduled to testify before the Agricultureand Natural Resources Committee, which he chairs; Sieloff uses part of afternoon forindividual meetings; Willet (center) and the rest of the Agriculture and Natural ResourcesCommittee listen to a witness (at podium); Willet in office later in the evening; Willet isrecognized at dinner he attended; and Willet listens to testimony at committee meetingearlier in the day.

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I rEditor's note: Various Senators areoccasionally asked to contribute opinionpieces on topics of their choosing for thissection. Sen. Howard Knutson (l-R, .Burnsville) is an Assistant Minority Leader.Sen. Winston Borden (DFL-Brainerd) isAssistant Majority Leader.

by Sen. Howard KnutsonProfessionals in the criminal justice fieldare not the rough and ready gangbustersthey used to be. The problems facing themhave become sophisticated and so havethe criminal justice professionals.

One of the problems deals withcommitment of individuals for treatment.Treatment, in this instance, means placingone's person under control, to a greater orlesser degree, of another person. Givingup this amount of freedom or liberty maybe done "voluntarily" or under legal order.

The concept of when the legal processshould interfere with freedom and libertiesis continually being refined; hence, theimportance of the commitment processand an understanding of "voluntary"treatment.

Once, every town had its town drunk andmental incapacity used to be an excuse foralmost anything. Now we say, "peopleneed treatment." Perhaps we should askthe basic question - does an individualhave the right to pursue his ownabnormalities as he sees fit. This topiccould be discussed endlessly.

Let's look at Minnesota. An 1873 HealthBoard report recognized alcoholism as ahealth problem. An alcoholism treatmentprogram was started in 1938 at WillmarState Hospital and in 1971 Minnesota wasamong the first states to decriminalizepublic intoxication.

In 1967 a comprehensive hospitalizationand commitment act was passed. Careranges from just being under the same roofwith another able person to appointing aguardian, to commitment.

In Minnesota there are essentially threetypes of commitment.

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Emergency Hospitalization: This kind ofnospitalization can be accomplished upona written statement from a physician that aperson is mentally ill, inebriate or mentallydeficient, is in imminent danger of causinginjury to himself or others if notimmediately restrained or a court orderedcommitment cannot be obtained in time toprevent such anticipated injury. Thissection also permits a peace officer to takea person who is publicly intoxicated intocustody and transport him to a licensedhospital. Persons held under this sectioncould be held for up to 72 hours. Ifdischarge is not deemed appropriate bythe head of the hospital he shall, absentany other filing, petition for thecommitment of such person.

Judicial Commitment: This means thatan interested person must file a petition inprobate court requesting commitment. Thepetition must be accompanied by a writtenstatement by a licensed physician statingthat he has examined the patient and findsthe patient may be mentally ill, mentallydeficient or inebriate and should behospitalized or that the petitioner has beenunable to obtain or could not obtain anexamination. A copy of the petition shall bedelivered to the county welfaredepartment. The court then will appointtwo examiners, one of whom must be alicensed physician. A hearing is held withthe patient guaranteed his various legalrights, including counsel, timely notice,independent evaluation, a full hearing onthe merits, a chance to cross examine thewitness and the right to dignified care andrehabilitation. If commitment is thedecision, it cannot exceed 45 days forinitial treatment.

Voluntary Admission: Upon one's ownrequest and upon consent of the head ofthe hospital one may be admitted forobservation, care, evaluation, diagnosis,and treatment. Such a person is free toleave the hospital within 12 hours.However, if it is a public hospital a personmay be held up to three days after herequests to leave. If the director of thehospital thinks the person should bedetained, the director shall petition for ajudicial commitment.

Sen. Howard Knutson

Suggestions for changes are as follows:

1. There should be a screening processwhere trained persons would screenpetitions to avoid the expensive lengthyprocess of formal commitmentprocedure.

2. If the case actually goes to a formalpetition, the county attorney shouldreview the petition for completenessand due process practice.

3. Written review should be required at theend of the commitment period.

4. Miscellaneous items to consider mightbe a patient advocate, longer treatmentperiod, and secure, quality aftercare.

We are recognizing early intervention isbeneficial. Education for voluntary use oftreatment and reminders for constantcommunication among professionals areessential. Solutions should be arrived atwithout infringement on individualfreedoms and liberties.

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·L,a,rn_rby Sen. Winston Borden

Crime control and corrections has been ahot topic in Minnesota and nationally inrecent years. We have heard how we mustspend less time dealing with "victimlesscrime" and concentrate on the violentoffender. One special type of crime whichvictimizes every man, woman and childevery day has largely been ignored inthese debates.

"White collar crime" now results inminimum losses of 40 billion dollars eachyear for American businesses. Thoselosses, nearly 20 percent of the totalbusiness income before taxes, are passedon to the consumer in the form of higherprices. Even with a conservative lossestimate, it becomes clear that white collarcrime is costing every man, woman andchild in our country $185 per year.

White collar crime is, in fact, becoming bigbusiness. According to a January 1977issue of the New York Times, the losses tothe American economy from white collarcrime exceeds the combined losses fromnarcotics, prostitution, murder, arson,aggravated assault and rape.

Just what constitutes white collar crime? Itcomes in a variety of forms including:bankruptcy fraud; bribery; businesskickbacks and payoffs; theft by computer;consumer fraud; deceptive practices;credit card and check fraud;embezzlement and pilferage; insurancefraud; theft of trade secrets; and thecounterfeiting of products.

Despite the fact that we know white collarcrime exists - and is growing - thecriminal justice system is finding itextremely difficult to deal with this type ofcrime.

Society seems to condone white collarcrime. A survey recently conducted by theOpinion Research Corporation found thatnearly 50 percent of the Americanbusiness executives interviewed sawnothing wrong with bribing foreign officialsto retain or attract contracts.

In-house white collar crime is no easier tocontrol, largely because businessmenshow a marked reluctance to prosecutetheir own employees. They prefer to avoidpublicity and handle the probleminternally.

Once in the courts, we seem no betterequipped to handle the problems. In 1976,91 percent of the nation's convicted bankrobbers received jail terms, with sentencesaveraging more than 11 years. That sameyear only 17 percent of those convicted ofembezzling bank funds were sent toprisons, and for terms averaging less than2 years.

Here in Minnesota we are beginning totake a look at white collar crime and howwe can best curb it. Since most white collarcrime is business-related, we have chosenthe more definite term, "economic crime."Regardless of the name, the problem is thesame.

Economic crimes are complex, difficult todetect and prosecute. Our AttorneyGeneral's Office has a special, federallyfunded Economic Crime unit including anexperienced prosecutor, a certified publicaccountant and two special investigators.That unit now works with state investigatorsfrom a variety of agencies in investigatingeconomic crime. The unit also worksclosely with county attorneys, oftenassisting those attorneys in the prosecutionof economic offenses. However, if thecounty attorney decides not to prosecute,the Attorney General's unit may stillprosecute on its own (with the countyattorney's consent).

The Economic Crime unit now facesserious financial difficulties, with federalfunding due to expire next year. I want thelegislature to provide for the continuationand expansion of the unit. To be effectivethe Economic Crime Control unit must beexpanded. White collar crime robs theconsumer and hurts the honestbusinessman. It will continue to growunless we are willing to commit greaterresources to combat it.

We must focus resources not only intoinvestigation and prosecution effort, butalso into a concentrated effort to educatebusiness on how to deter and detecteconomic crime within their organizations.The educational program must includeefforts to encourage the prosecution ofeconomic crime. As we allow economiccrime to be "swept under the rug," thewhite collar offender will feel free to takethe chance that ends up costing theconsumer an additional 15 percentmarkup on the products he buys.

Sen. Winston Borden

We must also look at our criminal code todetermine where we can strengthen ourlaws in relation to economic crime. Thecurrent penalty system seems to treateconomic crime, regardless of its impact,as a lesser offense. Consider, for example,the former chairman of the Oklahomabased Four Seasons Nursing Centers ofAmerica who, after pleading guilty infederal court to defrauding stockholders of8 million dollars, received only a one yearsentence. Generally we do not incarceratepeople for economic crimes, but if finesare seen as "license fees" to conducteconomic thievery, we'll have to put a fewfolks in jail. We must examine our statecriminal statutes to ensure that ourpenalties accurately reflect the seriousnessand potential impact of economic crime.

Overall, I would say our program inresponse to white collar or economiccrime, must include a stronger, well-funded Economic Crime ControlProsecution Unit; a business educationprogram; and stringent penalties for thosefound guilty of serious economic crime.

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MZG to open in May

One of the beluga whales seems asinterested in his visitors as they are in him.Among those looking up are Sen. AllanSpear (at right foreground).

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by Karen Clark

Someone told meIt's all happening at the zooI do believe itI do believe it's true.

Paul Simon

Recently members of a HouseAppropriation Subcommittee and a SenateFinance Subcommittee had an opportunityto find out just what was "happening at thezoo." Members of the subcommittee weretaken on a guided tour of the newMinnesota Zoological Garden in AppleValley by MZG staff members.

After a stormy legislative history, in whichat times it appeared the new zoo wouldnever be constructed, the MinnesotaZoological Garden is scheduled to open inMay of this year. Legislators taking the tourhad an opportunity, not only to assess thezoo's progress, but also to get a sneakpreview as to what is in store for the 1.8million visitors expected during the zoo'sfirst year of operation.

Zoo director Don Bridgewater began bypresenting a slide show describing thevarious stages of construction and theunderlying concepts of the project. "TheMZG is to be an environmental education,conservation, research center of nationalscope." The animals will be primarily fromthe Northern Hemisphere and will bedisplayed in settings imitating nature.Visitors will be introduced into the animal'senvironment. "The ideal is tocommunicate, to talk to people - that isthe justification for a zoo," explainedBridgewater.

Senators and Representatives then had therather startling experience of walkingthrough a tropical rainforest, all the whileknowing that it was a typical sub-zeroMinnesota winter's day outside. The MZGwill have over 600 different varieties ofplants, according to Bridgewater, andmany of those are already in place in therainforest area. At the time of the tourfinishing touches were being given theacre and a half exhibit. Some of the mostexotic animals - linsangs, flamingos,binturongs and leopards - will be housedthere. There will also be large free flightaviaries through which visitors can walkwhile touring the multi-leveled exhibit.

Zoo staff members explained an unusualnocturnal exhibit. Since many species ofanimals are only active during the night

Zoo Director Donald Bridgewater gestureswhile explaining a feature of one of theexhibits (below). Senators Hubert H.Humphrey III and Allan Spear are at the farleft and right respectively.

Below left: Bridgewater

time hours, special lighting has beendesigned to turn day into night so thatvisitors will be able to watch animals attheir most active hours.

A special Minnesota Exhibit was stillundergoing construction at the time of thetour, However, Bridgewater and his staffexplained that the exhibit sequence willshow Minnesota habitats ranging fromprairie, lakes and streams to northernforests, More than 100 kinds of nativeMinnesota wildlife will be on exhibit. And,by means of a special T,V, camera, visitorswill even be able to view the domestic lifeof beavers inside their lodge. An enclosedwalkway will provide a view of largerMinnesota animals going about theirnatural activities during the winter months,

The last stop on the tour was a visit to theonly animals as yet in residence at the newzoo - the Beluga whales, (Other animalshave been acquired but are either inquarantine or being held at other zoos untilconstruction is completed.) The whalesare, according to one zoo staff member,"the star eXhibits," and their performancegave credence to the statement. TheBelugas, closely related to dolphins, aresocial creatures with a lively curiosity, thestaff member said, The sound of people atthe lowest viewing levels brought them inclose to investigate, giving Senators andRepresentatives a chance to see thewhales at close range, Other marineexhibits will show animal and plant life as itis found in polar, temperate and tropicaloceans'{

Several other major exhibits are alsoscheduled for completion by the May 1978opening, inclUding a Japanese Macaqueor "snow monkey" exhibit, a Childrens Zooand a Northern Trek, showing large coldweather animals in their naturalsurroundings, A monorail, scheduled tobegin in October 1978, will follow the twomile Northern Trek all year round, Otherprojects on the drawing board will beginwhen funds are available,

The Minnesota Zoological Garden is anagency of the state of Minnesota, withplanning, construction and operationmanaged by an eleven member StateZoological Board. Creation of the ZooBoard as a department of stategovernment was accomplished by theLegislature in 1969, The actualgroundbreaking for the new facility was inMay of 1974, Funding came about through$23.025 million in state bonds, plusadditional state bonding of up to $2.35million as matching funds to privatecontributions. The construction budget iscurrently $29,25 million. Any additionalconstruction will be funded by MZGgenerated revenues, grants, donations andmatching funds.

The zoo is designed to be operationallyself supporting through revenue, Anadvertising campaign is already underwayto increase public interest and awarenessof the new zoo. Entrance fees will be $2,50for adults, $1,25 for children aged 7-16and free for children under 7, There willalso be one advertised free day per monthand school groups with reservations will bea?mitled free, In addition, a 20 percentdiscount on admission will be available togroups of 25 or more,

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Senate Public Information OfficeRoom B29 - State CapitolSt. Paul, Minnesota 55155

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Sl. Paul, MNPermit No, 2326

Published bySenate Public Information OfficeRoom B-29 - State CapitolSt. Paul, MN 55155

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David M. PetersonEditorKaren L. ClarkDebra FastnerSara MeyerAssistantsMark M. NelsonPhotographer

Majority LiaisonsSen. Hubert H. Humphrey IIISen, Roger D, Moe

Minority LiaisonsSen. Robert G. DunnSen. John Keefe

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3 24B Cap.41 121 Cap.45 306 Cap.

Senator

McCutcheon, BillMenning, Marion (Mike)Merriam, GeneMoe, Roger D.Nelson, TomNichols, JimOgdahl, Harmon T.Olhoft, WayneOlson, Howard D.Penny, Timothy J.Perpich, George F.Peterson, Collin C.Pillsbury, George S.Purfeerst, Clarence M.Renneke, Earl W.Schaaf, David D.Schmitz, Robert J.Schrom, EdSetzepfandt, A.O.H.Sieloff, RonSikorski, GerrySillers, Douglas H.Solon, Sam GeorgeSpear, Allan H.Staples, Emily AnneStokowski, Eugene E.Strand, Roger E.Stumpf, Peter P.Tennessen, Robert J.Ueland, Arnulf, Jr.Ulland, JamesVega, Conrad M.Wegener, Myrton O.Willet, Gerald L.

*Capitol or State Office Building

Dist. Room No.

67 29 Cap.26 28 Cap.47 27 Cap.

2 121 Cap.31 23E Cap.20 23A Cap.58 122 SOB11 29 Cap.27 325 Cap.30 323 Cap.

5 303 Cap.10 24C Cap.42 130S0B24 323 Cap.23 140 SOB46 205 Cap.36 328 Cap.16 205 Cap.21 23F Cap.63 128 SOB51 23D Cap.9 133 SOB7 303 Cap.

57 309 Cap.43 235 Cap.55 235 Cap.15 24D Cap.64 328 Cap.56 309 Cap.29 114 SOB

8 143 SOB52 24E Cap.12 328 Cap.4 205 Cap.

Tel. No.

296-4129417141542577487144744109417841874165414541354121416741254179715748408086431047004119418841914137419241044193888541054314410141564147

Perspectives is a publication of the SenatePublic Information Office. The office also issuesweeky news summaries and other publicationsthat are available free of charge to interestedand concerned citizens. For further information,call (612) 296-0504 or write to:Senate Public Information OfficeRoom B-29 State Capitol BuildingSt. Paul, MN 55155

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