by Anthony Gockowski
Gov. Tim Walz and his family will temporarily relocate to a $17,000-a-month lakeside mansion later this year during renovations to the St. Paul governor’s residence.
The Minnesota Department of Administration entered into an 18-month lease agreement with MFM Properties II, LLC for a five-bedroom, 7,900-square foot home in Sunfish Lake.
The lease agreement began Monday and expires Sept. 30, 2024, with an option to renew for three additional months, according to a copy obtained by Alpha News.
The lease stipulates that the state is expected to pay $17,326 monthly for the property, which is owned by former Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike McFadden, MPR News reported. This will cost taxpayers a total of $314,662.
The state will also be required to reimburse the owner $14,919 for carpet replacements. McFadden will still be responsible for paying the property taxes, according to the lease.
The Walz family is expected to move into the temporary governor’s residence sometime in May, MPR said.
The home sits on 3.5 acres and includes a six-car garage, according to a Realtor.com listing. It was previously on the market for nearly $2 million and was built in 1990.
Renovations to the permanent governor’s residence are expected to cost up to $6.3 million. The Summit Avenue mansion is more than 100 years old and needs security and plumbing upgrades as well as exterior fixes. The Department of Administration announced in January that it was looking for a temporary residence and said it needed to be suitable for “official ceremonial functions of the state.”
The primary governor’s residence is 16,000 square feet and sits on one acre. It contains seven bedrooms and 10 bathrooms.
Sunfish Lake is one of the most expensive places to live in America, with average home prices exceeding $1 million.
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Anthony Gockowski is Editor-in-Chief of Alpha News. He previously worked as an editor for The Minnesota Sun and Campus Reform, and reported for The Daily Caller.
Photo “Tim Walz” by Tim Walz.
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