Washington will foot 80 percent of the greater part of the reconstruction, the state and city 10 percent apiece. The historic district will almost certainly be approved by the National Park Service, but may or may not become active, depending on whether a majority of building owners are interested. If we want to do Main Street, we must proceed with mitigation,'' the mayor said. He also said the commission didn't want to delay and let the project slip to 2002, the year it plans to rebuild State Street.
Business people are opposed to any double construction whammy.
Commissioner Sandi Tabor shared Jensen's concern, but said regulations on federal dollars are an accomplished fact. What worries her, she said, is the possibility of the state doubling up on the downtown historical designation, as it has done in Bismarck's Cathedral District, and tying up the city's ability to spend its own money on future street projects.