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3/24/2016
IN THIS ISSUE
 Two decades ago, the Midtown Greenway was a derelict railroad trench. Now, each year people take more than a million trips on this nearly car-free trail to a host of destinations, many along Lake Street, the important commercial corridor just a block and a half to the south.
Yet barriers, both physical and cultural, still exist for people who might want to leave the greenway -- or get onto it. These missed connections limit the greenway’s effectiveness as a transportation route, economic driver, and neighborhood asset.
As the county looks to wrap up the Midtown Community
Works project, it has been working over the past year with the Midtown Greenway Coalition, Lake Street Council and the City of Minneapolis on a plan to address these barriers, connect greenway users to nearby commercial and cultural destinations, and ensure the greenway serves nearby residents.
The plan, which was developed with extensive research and community outreach -- including 2015's street design experiments -- is currently being reviewed by policymakers, technical staff and key stakeholders, and will be available for public review within the next several weeks. Watch for an announcement at www.hennepin.us/midtown.
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 The process is now open for qualified landscape contractors to bid on the next phase of the Cepro greenspace restoration. This county-owned site between 10th and 11th avenues hosts the most accessible ramp on the Midtown Greenway. Last fall volunteers planted 13 trees and more than 30 shrubs as part of the restoration’s first phase. The second phase includes a variety of native, flowering perennials.
Please
share this information with professionals you know; we are reaching out to
local landscapers with good references and a history of working with community
gardens. More
details and bid forms are available through April 12 at supplier.hennepin.us.
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Do It Green! Minnesota helps keep good stuff out of landfills by organizing swaps of clothing and other items. Recently more than 100 people exchanged more than 1,200 pounds of clothing, with leftovers donated to a local charity. Get their “Swapping Made Easy” guide and dates for upcoming events at www.doitgreen.org — or stop by the Do It Green! kiosk at the Midtown Global Market.
Cycles for Change is expanding their youth apprenticeship program to their Minneapolis location this spring. The program trains high schoolers in bicycle mechanics and helps them explore careers in the bicycle and transportation field, while encouraging bicycling as a means to healthy living and sustainable communities.
The county’s 2016 Green Partner grants support the work of these and 13 other organizations to engage residents -- many of them underserved, harder-to-reach or youthful populations -- in recycling, composting, reducing and properly disposing of waste and protecting air and water quality. Learn more at www.hennepin.us/greenpartners.
 Get the latest information and provide comments on the I-35W transit/access project at one of two open houses focused on the Environmental Assessment (EA) for the project. The EA outlines the project's purpose and anticipated social, economic and environmental impacts.
Public Open Houses
Tuesday, April 5 and 19, 6 to 8:00 p.m. (presentations at 6:30 p.m.)
Colin Powell Center, 3rd Floor, 2924 4th Avenue South
The EA can be viewed at www.35lake.com/ea or at Franklin, Hosmer and Walker libraries. Written comments may also be submitted until April 20 to richard.dalton@state.mn.us or Richard Dalton, Minnesota Department of Transportation, 395 John Ireland Boulevard, St. Paul, MN 55155-1899.
The I-35W transit/access project includes the Lake Street interchange area between 32nd and 26th streets, the Lake Street Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) station and the Green Crescent pedestrian/bicycle connection between the Midtown Greenway and Lake Street. Estimated cost is $150 million. Construction is planned for 2017.
 Get household items fixed for free and learn valuable repair skills at an upcoming Fix-It Clinic. Bring in small household appliances, clothing, electronics, mobile devices and more and receive free guided assistance from volunteers with repair skills to disassemble, troubleshoot and fix them.
Fix-it Clinic
Saturday, April 23, noon to 4 p.m.
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Rec Center
4055 Nicollet Avenue South
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Do you live near or use Currie, Diamond Lake, East Phillips, Powderhorn, or Todd park? New concepts for those parks are the topic of discussion at an open house on Monday, March 28. It's part of the ongoing effort from the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board to develop new plans for all neighborhood parks south of downtown and east of I-35W.
Open House - South Service Area Master Plan
Monday, March 28, 5 to 6 p.m.
Powderhorn Recreation Center
3400
15th Avenue South
The public is encouraged to attend the Community Advisory Committee meeting that follows the open house from 6 to 8 pm. Park concepts to be discussed are available
on the South Service Area Master Plan project. Share your thoughts by completing an online survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3SFDZJF.
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 Please mark this date for the 16th annual Midtown Greenway Arbor Day. Since 2001, the Midtown Community Works Partnership has hosted a yearly community planting event on the Midtown Greenway, Hundreds of volunteers have planted thousands of trees and shrubs along this important green space, adding to the urban tree canopy, keeping the "green" in greenway and promoting sustainability in the region. This year's planting will take place between Girard and Colfax avenues on the south side of the greenway.
Arbor Day Planting Celebration
Saturday, May 7, 9 a.m. rain or shine
Between Girard and Colfax avenues
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