Gov. Tim Pawlenty signed the Capital Investment Bill Monday, but not before using his line-item veto power to slice more than $200 million from the bill.

But, while Pawlenty trimmed the bill from $925 million to $717 million, two projects with significance to the Meeker County area survived the cut.

Both $6 million in funding for upgrades to Litchfield's wastewater treatment facility and $2.4 million for additional land purchases for Greenleaf Lake State Recreation Area were in the bill signed by Pawlenty.

Litchfield sought funding for its wastewater treatment facility, which must undergo improvements so the city can meet more stringent emission standards set by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Just as importantly, the funding will help pay for upgrades that will help the city expand its treatment capacity, allowing it to handle an anticipated expansion by First District Association.

The $2.4 million for Greenleaf Lake State Recreation Area will be an enormous boost to the Department of Natural Resources' efforts to purchase additional land for the recreation area. The first piece of land for the area was purchased earlier this year from landowner Mark Geyer. 

Pawlenty had threatened to veto the entire Capital Investment Bill if the Legislature sent him a bill that he viewed too unwieldy — he set a threshold of $825 million. But Monday, he cut even deeper. Among the 52 casualties of the governor's line-item veto:

— $70 million for various University of Minnesota and Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system projects, including $24 million for a new Bell Museum of Natural History on the St. Paul campus;

— $18.5 million for improvements to various metropolitan area parks and trails, including $11 million for improvements to polar bear and gorilla exhibits at St. Paul's Como Zoo;

— $13.7 million for proposed rail and transit projects, including $4 million for planning of a high-speed rail line connecting St. Paul to Chicago; and

— $7.7 million for various sports centers proposed through the Amateur Sports Commision.

Read Thursday's print edition of the Independent Review for more information about the local projects included in the Capital Investment Bill.