Vice President Joe Biden added an extra stop to his schedule while in St. Paul, Minnesota, to commend the City on taking advantage of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to renovate St Paul’s Union Depot – a visit to St. Paul Fire Station 8.
A few weeks ago, the members of St. Paul Local 21 learned of Biden’s planned personal appearance at the depot, and the local’s Executive Board invited him to stop by.
Biden was greeted by IAFF 5th District Vice President Tom Thornberg, Minnesota Professional Fire Fighters President Chris Parsons, Local 21 President Michael Smith and several Local 21 members at the station where he was given a personal tour.
The purpose of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was to provide federal dollars to municipalities to renovate or improve facilities that would lead to economic growth. The renovation to the St. Paul train station has been credited with bringing in millions of dollars in private investment to the City’s Lowertown District.
