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Project Update: January/February 2015 Construction update Work is progressing quickly on the Rice Creek Commons site. Demolition of Building 502 – the last of the 44 buildings onsite when Ramsey County purchased the parcel – is nearly complete. The first stage of hazardous soil removal is 90% complete. Crews will remove the remaining non-hazardous soil underneath Building 502 in the next two months. We anticipate that environmental remediation will be completed by the beginning of summer. Infrastructure improvement project update Ramsey County is in the process of updating the highway and freeway connections surrounding Rice Creek Commons to provide adequate and safe access to the site. Work will begin on the I-35W/Highway 96 interchange project in the spring. The project will include constructing a diverging diamond interchange, a new type of interchange which improves traffic safety and mobility. (Here is a video simulation of this interchange.) This fall work will begin on the Rice Creek re-meander project near County Road H, and in 2016 work will be completed on the spine road and I-35W/County Road H interchange. Development update In February we launched a new website (RiceCreekCommons.com) to provide information about Rice Creek Commons and to promote development on the site. The new website provides all of the due diligence information that developers have requested and will ensure that we maintain our commitment to transparency and information sharing. We have received strong interest from major residential and commercial developers in the Twin Cities, as well as some national developers. The Joint Development Authority plans to issue an RFP for residential development in mid-2015. Additionally, the JDA is working with the Saint Paul Port Authority to issue a solicitation for commercial development in mid-2015. Energy resiliency update The Energy Resiliency Advisory Board (ERAB) is working with Ever-Green Energy and their team of energy systems and planning experts to develop a long-term energy vision for the site and framework to accomplish the vision. In November, the team finalized an Energy Integration Resiliency Framework Policy white paper, which provides a unifying vision for the site’s energy future and identifies the most beneficial opportunities for energy efficiency and efficient energy supply options. The executive summary and the full white paper are available on the Rice Creek Commons website.