The University of Minnesota Board of Regents will consider renting Eastcliff, which is typically where the institution’s president resides, to Gov. Tim Walz and his family while the Governor’s residence is renovated.
The regents will consider the $4,400 monthly lease agreement during a special meeting at 3 p.m. on Monday, according to a university statement. Joan Gabel, the current university president, is expected to leave this summer for a job at the University of Pittsburgh.
Walz had plans to rent an 8,000 square-foot Sunfish Lake home for $17,000 a month or roughly $300,000 for the time the family needs to relocate. Some Republican lawmakers were critical of the high cost of renting the home.
The Governor’s Residence on Summit Avenue in St. Paul is set to get a $6.3 million renovation starting in June and lasting about 18 months.
If the regents approve the deal, in addition to rent the state would be responsible for utilities, snow removal, internet access and other costs while the governor and his family live at Eastcliff. The 10,000 square-foot home at 176 N. Mississippi River Blvd. in St. Paul, was donated to the U in 1958 by the Brooks family and has been home to eight university presidents since 1961.
