Ward 8 Update Oct. 12th, 2018

CM Andrea Jenkins

612.673.2208

andrea.jenkins@MinneapolisMN.gov

Office Hours: Monday 9-11 a.m.

Sabathani Community Center, 310 E. 38th St.

Meet the New Ward 8 Policy Associate Zoë Bourgerie

We are excited to announce a new addition to our staff team in the Ward 8 Office!  Zoë Bourgerie joins our office after 2 years of invaluable experience as an Urban Scholar in government, including Minneapolis City Council and Hennepin County. Zoë’s background is in Geography and Public Health. 

After spending the 2018 legislative session doing advocacy work at the Capitol, Zoë’s passion for public policy and local governance began to take shape.  Zoë is excited to work as the Policy Associate and first point of contact for the Ward 8 Office. Zoë looks forward to connecting Ward 8 constituents to their Council Member and other City services.

Zoë’s onboarding is part of a staff transition in the Ward 8 office. In late September we bade farewell to Sara Lopez on her exciting new journey as Political Director for SEIU Local 26. Deebaa Sirdar was promoted to become the new Ward 8 Senior Policy Aide. We look forward to continuing to serve Ward 8 as a new team!

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City Council passes measure expediting development of temporary Navigation Center for those living at the Hiawatha Encampment

The City Council passed a measure suspending procurement rules to expedite the creation of the temporary Navigation Center for people currently living at the Franklin/Hiawatha homeless encampment.

The measure under Minnesota State Statute 12.37 allows the City to provide emergency aid in a timely manner unencumbered by bidding and procurement regulations. The Council also passed a motion establishing a City work group on the encampment seeking participation from Hennepin County leadership.

The City Council recently approved a site at 2109 Cedar Ave. for the Navigation Center, which will provide a safe and service-rich environment for people at the encampment who face challenges connecting to traditional shelter housing. The site includes parcels owned by the Red Lake Nation and the City.

Hennepin County, nonprofit partners and community will take the lead on developing and implementing services at the Navigation Center with support from the City. The goal is to have the Navigation Center open early December.

City staff have been directed to report back on the progress of the Navigation Center on Oct. 24 to the Council’s Housing Policy and Development Committee.


City releases final draft of 2040 Comprehensive Plan

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The City of Minneapolis has released the final draft of its 2040 Comprehensive Plan, a holistic document that will guide the city’s development over the next 20 years. The Planning Commission and City Council will review the draft and seek additional community input this fall, with final adoption expected in December 2018.

The Comprehensive Plan is based on 14 goals adopted by the City Council, including reducing disparities, providing access to affordable housing and living-wage jobs, creating a sustainable community, and remaining a healthy and diverse economic center. The final draft of the plan is the product of a two-year engagement process and integrates more than 10,000 public comments collected during a robust, four-month community engagement period. The City made significant changes to the plan in response to public input, which are shown in the marked-up version of the plan available at minneapolis2040.com.

Highlights of changes:

  • The updated draft plan addresses many comments that expressed a lack of clarity in the first draft. The final draft attempts to clarify these provisions, define terms and better organize some sections to create a more understandable document. For example, the City clarified the definition of the acronym AMI (Area Median Income), which was used several times throughout the plan without explanation.
  • It reduces the number of units allowable on a single-family lot to three following further analysis. These multi-unit buildings will need to fit within the setback, height, massing, and other requirements of single-family homes. The plan also recommends increasing design quality standards when the zoning code is updated. This change to the draft plan acknowledges physical constraints identified during the public comment period, while still accommodating the need for increased housing choice throughout the city.
  • It addresses concerns raised about building heights along main high-frequency transit corridors. Two major changes include revisions for the areas north of Lowry Avenue and south of 38th Street. The plan was changed from allowing up to six-story buildings on main commercial corridors to allowing only four-story buildings. A major change was also made for the side of interior streets adjacent to those transit corridors (essentially buildings across the alley). The change will now allow two-and-half story buildings and not three stories as previously proposed.
  • It responds to the need for more detail in the affordable housing chapter, which now is edited to align with citywide efforts to develop a strategic plan to create more affordable housing. The chapter now includes an enhanced narrative outlining the need for both additional housing supply and affordable housing, more definitions, and additional charts and action steps pertaining to affordable housing production, preservation and homelessness issues.

Public comments can be submitted to the Planning Commission and City Council online at minneapolis2040.com. The interactive website provides opportunities to view either a marked-up or clean version of the plan segmented by topics. A clean version of the plan is available for download as a PDF document.

Next steps

The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing Oct. 29, and the City Council will also hold a public hearing the week of Nov. 12. The City Council is expected to vote on the Comprehensive Plan in December before submitting the plan to the Metropolitan Council.


Early Voting Information: now through Nov 5th

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Early Voting has begun and there are 3 ways to participate:

1. Vote-By-Mail

Vote-By-Mail (VBM) allows voters to cast their ballots from any location with the same security protections, but without the hassles and pressures associated with the narrow window of time on Election Day. VBM enables active military service members and their families, voters who are overseas and/or away from home on Election Day, and anyone who otherwise cannot cast a ballot at the polls on Election Day to participate.

Details on VBM are available on the EVS website; instructions, tools to track your ballot, helpful hints, etc. There is also a video that provides step-by-step guidance on how to complete a VBM absentee ballot. You can access that video here.

Any voter wishing to participate in VBM can request an Absentee Ballot Application through one of the following methods:

In-Person: Elections & Voter Services – Room 201, Minneapolis City Hall
50 South Fifth Street, Minneapolis, MN 55415

Email: minneapolisabsentee@minneapolismn.gov

Fax:  612-673-2756

Online: Applications can be completed online through the Secretary of State here

NOTE: Applications are available in 11 different languages on the EVS website.

2. Early In-Person – Early Vote Center

Early Voting (In-Person absentee balloting) gives voters the option of casting their ballot prior to Election Day and this is primarily operated from the City’s Downtown Early Vote Center located at 217 S. Third Street, one block northwest of City Hall. There, voters can receive their ballot as well as assistance in accessing and marking their ballot from election judges. As in years past, the service hours for in-person voting will be expanded during the final two weeks before Election Day and include weekend hours.

More details on in-person voting and the service hours can be found on the Elections website here.

Important note: The Downtown Early Voter Center is the only site open the full 46 days of Early Voting

3. Direct Balloting

Direct balloting allows a voter to cast their ballot at the Early Vote Center in the exact same manner as at the polls on Election Day, with the same securities and protections, just earlier. In direct balloting, the voter completes the ballot and puts it directly into the tabulator and have it processed and counted right then – the exact same experience for voters at the polls on Election Day. Direct ballot is authorized during the final seven days immediately prior to Election Day, which begins Tuesday, October 30 and runs through Monday, November 5.

Minneapolis will be opening 3 additional Early Vote Centers during the direct balloting period to maximize convenient access to all voters throughout the community. More details on these locations can be found later through the elections website. The EVS website will be updated to provide site-specific details about each of the Early Vote Centers, including details on service hours, transportation and parking options, and similar matters.

Here are the locations:

Downtown EVC

217 S. Third Street

North EVC

Urban League

2100 Plymouth Avenue North

East EVC

University of Minnesota – Fieldhouse

1800 University Avenue SE

South EVC

Regents Assembly Church

810 W. 31st Street


An Event for Women and Girls interested in STEM on Saturday, October 20th

An engineering experience for middle and high school girls, parents and educators

The Society of Women Engineers Presents: Invent it. Build it. An engineering experience for middle and high school girls, parents and educators that will take place on Saturday, October 20th, 2018. The Expo takes place from 9 am to 12 pm. After there are programmed sessions for middle school and high school aged girls and their parents.  Registration is required for attendance, register here Financial assistance is also provided for those who cannot afford it.


Election judges needed, earn $15.75 per hour

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Election judges are needed for the general election on Nov. 6 to serve voters in local polling places. Election judges are paid $15.75 per hour for their service, which includes training. Judges who are fluent in a second language – including Spanish, Somali, Hmong, Oromo, Lao, Vietnamese, Russian and American Sign Language – are especially needed to provide additional language support in the polling place.

Selection and placement of judges is based on qualifications of applicants and political party balance within the precinct. Preference will be given to those willing to serve a full day in a precinct with a vacancy.

The Minneapolis Elections & Voter Services Division is responsible for administering elections in the City of Minneapolis. For information about registering and voting in Minneapolis or to serve as an election judge, visit vote.minneapolismn.gov or call 311 or 612-673-3000.


U.S. Census 2020: now hiring

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The U.S. Census Bureau is currently hiring throughout Hennepin County to support the 2020 census. The U.S. census creates hundreds of jobs every 10 years in Minnesota. If you or someone you know is looking for a job and wants to make a positive impact on Minneapolis, please encourage them to apply at the Census Bureau's online job portal: 2020census.gov/jobs.

An accurate count of the state's population is crucial for all of us in Minneapolis. U.S. census information determines the political and financial resources available to our communities. U.S. census data determines how many residents live in Minneapolis, which in turn determines funding for public programs such as:

  • Public schools
  • Health care
  • Transportation

2020 census data will also determine how many people will represent you in Washington, D.C., the state capitol and in Minneapolis City Hall. Government, nonprofits and businesses also use U.S. census data to make public policy decisions.


Minneapolis Health Department endorses call to action on climate change

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The City of Minneapolis Health Department is an initial endorser of the Global Climate and Health Forum’s Call to Action on Climate and Health. Commitments include efforts by hospitals, doctors, nurses and health professionals to take meaningful action to protect public health from climate change. Among these were more than 176 health care institutions representing 17,000 hospitals and health centers in 26 countries that are committing to reduce their carbon emissions by more than 16 million metric tons a year, the equivalent of shutting down four coal-fired power plants. More than 1,200 of these hospitals are also committing to use only 100 percent renewable electricity to power health.

The forum’s call to action outlines 10 priority actions that will significantly protect lives and improve people’s health in the era of climate change:

  1. Meet and strengthen the commitments under the Paris Agreement.
  2. Transition away from the use of coal, oil and natural gas to clean, safe and renewable energy.
  3. Transition to zero-carbon transportation systems with an emphasis on active transportation.
  4. Build local, healthy and sustainable food and agricultural systems.
  5. Invest in policies that support a just transition for workers and communities adversely impacted by the move to a low-carbon economy.
  6. Ensure that gender equality is central to climate action.
  7. Raise the health sector voice in the call for climate action.
  8. Incorporate climate solutions into all health care and public health systems.
  9. Build resilient communities in the face of climate change.
  10. Invest in climate and health.

Climate change threatens to undo decades of health and development gains. Extreme heat and weather events caused thousands of deaths and displaced more than 200 million people between 2008 and 2015. Air pollution, whose primary driver — fossil fuel combustion — is also the primary driver of climate change, caused more than 7 million deaths in 2016. The agricultural, food, and water systems we depend on for our survival are under threat; and the frequency and severity of droughts, floods, and fires are increasing.

Climate action in the energy, transportation, land use, agricultural and other sectors would avoid millions of preventable deaths each year. Shifting to renewable energy, sustainable food production and diets, active transportation and green cities will lower climate pollution and reduce the incidence of communicable and non-communicable disease, improve mental health, and bring significant health care cost savings.

Find more information at www.globalclimateandhealthforum.org.


Tobacco sales age rises to 21 in Minneapolis

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Adults must now be at least 21 to buy tobacco products in Minneapolis. Minneapolis raised the age from 18 to help protect younger generations from lifelong nicotine addiction, tobacco-related illnesses, and the tobacco-related health disparities between white populations and people of color.

Research shows raising the age to buy tobacco will keep an estimated 30,000 young people from starting to smoke over a 15-year period in Minnesota. Almost all adult smokers – 95 percent – started smoking before age 21, and nicotine is addictive. If people don’t start smoking by age 21, there’s a good chance they won’t start at all.

Tobacco use is one of the main causes of death in the U.S. and in Minnesota. In Hennepin County, one in seven adult deaths is attributed to smoking. The nicotine in tobacco products can also harm adolescent brain development.

Minneapolis joined more than 340 cities nationwide in raising the tobacco sales age to 21. Ten other Minnesota cities have raised the tobacco sales age to 21: Bloomington, Edina, Falcon Heights, North Mankato, Plymouth, Richfield, Roseville, Shoreview, St. Louis Park and Saint Peter. Some states have also raised the minimum age to 21 including California, Hawaii, Oregon, Maine, Massachusetts and New Jersey.


Xcel Energy begins switch to more efficient LED streetlights in Minneapolis

Xcel Energy is upgrading all 24,000 of its streetlights in Minneapolis to LEDs by the end of the year. You can expect to see its crews installing the lights throughout the city on the Xcel Energy-owned wooden poles, mainly along alleys and side streets.

LED fixtures use about half the electricity of the existing lights and have a longer life, which means less maintenance, lower costs and fewer replacements.

There are no costs to Minneapolis for the streetlight replacements. For more information or if you have concerns about the new lighting call Xcel Energy’s Customer Care at 1-800-895-4999.


Public Works trainee program info session, Oct. 18

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What: Public Works information session

When: 3-5 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 18

Where: Sabathani, 310 E. 38th St.

The Public Works trainee programs are helping the department change the face of its workforce to better reflect the community it serves. Public Works is hiring for service worker positions and for service worker trainee positions. See the required qualifications and experience here.

Public Works is accepting applications throughout October for the 2019 trainee programs. Trainees perform manual labor to support construction and maintenance work while also learning the fundamentals of the construction industry and how to drive and operate Public Works equipment. Through the course of the program, they earn their Class B commercial driver’s licenses or their water supply systems operator certifications.

Applicants can attend an information session or apply online at www.minneapolismn.gov/jobs.


Fall street sweeping begins Oct. 23

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I-35W Closures: Prepare for detours

On Tuesday, Oct. 23, Minneapolis Public Works will begin the big task of curb-to-curb sweeping and leaf collection on streets throughout the city. During the four weeks of the comprehensive fall street sweep, crews will clean about 1,000 miles of city streets. To make sure crews can do the best job possible, temporary “No Parking” signs will be posted at least 24 hours in advance so streets will be clear of cars when they’re swept. Anyone who parks on the street will need to follow posted parking rules or their cars may be ticketed and towed.

Ways to stay informed of the parking rules: 

  • "No Parking” signs – City crews will post “No Parking” signs at least 24 hours before sweeping any streets. Parking will be banned from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on the day a street is swept. The “No Parking” signs will be removed as soon as possible after a street has been completely swept to allow people to resume parking. Vehicles not in compliance with “No Parking” signs may be ticketed and towed to the Minneapolis Impound Lot.
  • Social media – The City will use Facebook and Twitter to post periodic street sweeping updates and information.
  • Facebook: To “like” the City of Minneapolis Facebook page, go to www.facebook.com/cityofminneapolis.
  • Twitter: To follow the City’s Twitter account, go to www.twitter.com/CityMinneapolis.
  • Phone calls to residents – In addition to the “No Parking” signs that will be posted the day before sweepers come through, the City will make about 3,000 automated phone calls each evening to let residents know their street will be swept the next day. There’s no guarantee that the calls will reach everyone, so residents should be sure to check the various ways to be aware of the rules, and watch for signs.
  • Interactive web feature – Folks can use a feature on the City’s website to find out when the sweepers are coming through their neighborhoods. The tool is available at www.minneapolismn.gov/streetsweeping. The fall street sweep takes four weeks, and visitors to the website will be able to find out which week their street is scheduled to be swept.
  • Videos – There are street sweeping videos explained in English, Hmong, Somali and Spanish as part of the City’s “Did you know...” series of short videos.  

                

Upcoming I-35W overnight closures

I-35W: Both directions closed 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 19 to 5 a.m. Oct. 22 for a traffic switch. The detour route is WB Hwy 62 to NB Hwy 100 to EB I-394 to EB I-94.

I-35 Closed both directions Nov. 2-5 from I-94 to Highway 62. This is to demolish the 28th Street bridge. The detour route is WB Hwy 62 to NB Hwy 100 to EB I-394 to EB I-94.

To excavate for a retaining wall, Stevens Ave. from E. 31st St. to E. 35th St. will be closed starting October 22, 2018, until June 22, 2019.

Get the most updated info related to the 35W@94 Downtown to Crosstown project

  • To learn more about this project, including all current traffic impacts and detour routes, click here to visit the MNDOT website.
  • Metro Transit bus routes will be impacted as a result of construction. For updated route information, and to sign up for Rider Alerts, click here.
  • Follow MNDOT on Facebook at facebook.com/mndot and Twitter: @mndotnews
  • Email the MNDOT project team at: info@35w94.com
  • Call the project MNDOT hotline at: 612-284-6125 

For real-time travel information anywhere in Minnesota visit http://www.511mn.org/ or dial 5-1-1.

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Visit us at minneapolismn.gov/ward8

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Andrea Jenkins, 350 S. Fifth St., City Hall Room 307, Minneapolis, MN 55415

 

For reasonable accommodations or alternative formats please call 311 at 612-673-3000.

People who are deaf or hard of hearing can use a relay service to call 311 at 612-673-3000. TTY users can call 612-673-2157 or 612-673-2626.

Para asistencia 612-673-2700, Yog xav tau kev pab, hu 612-673-2800, Hadii aad Caawimaad u baahantahay 612-673-3500.

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