Rep. Omar Seeks $5M In Federal Funds For Richfield Nature Center

RICHFIELD, MN — U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar is seeking $5 million in federal funds to build an ADA-accessible, energy-efficient Wood Lake Nature Center Building in Richfield.

Omar submitted the request through the Community Project Funding program, which allows members of Congress to request funding for up to 15 specific projects in their districts.
The projects must serve the public good.

According to Omar's office, 100,000 thousand people visit the Center each year, and an annual average of 22,500 thousand people attend programs at the facility.

The current building at the nature center "is over 50 years old, in a state of disrepair, and the demand for visitors has outgrown the space - dozens of visit requests from schools are denied every year due to space constraints," Omar's proposal states.

"The goal of this project is to ensure that families in Richfield, which are majority people of color, and others throughout Minnesota’s Fifth can access the services and education offered at Wood Lake Nature Center."

Read Omar's certification letter for the project here.

The House Appropriations Committee said it intends to fund community projects on a limited basis in the fiscal year 2023 appropriations bills. Funding requests that address significant problems or provide a significant public good are more likely to be approved, according to officials.