FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Carolyn
Marinan, Communications, 612-348-5969
County board actions
The Hennepin County Board passed a resolution to protect bees and other pollinators, to work with a restructured community action program and to accept funds to continue health care initiative for people experiencing homelessness.
Public works directive will protect pollinators
The board approved a resolution directing the Public Works
Department to protect and expand pollinator-friendly habitat, by limiting the
use of systemic insecticides, such as neonicotinoids, on county-owned property
and requiring that new plants and trees installed on county-owned property are
free of the pesticide. As part of the resolution, members of the board also
encourage county residents, school districts, nonprofit organizations, and
businesses to implement pollinator-friendly best practices on their properties.
Read more about the resolution to protect pollinators.
The County Board approved an agreement with the Central
Minnesota Vegetables Growers Association and the Downtown Council to relocate
the Thursday downtown Minneapolis Farmer’s Market to the South Plaza of the
Government Center. Construction in 2015 relocated the Thursday Farmers Market
to Hennepin Avenue. The market will augment efforts to bring downtown workers and
commuters to Government Center events over the lunch hour, which will include Summer on the Plaza
music, a new Little Free Library, and on Wednesdays lawn games and food vendors.
The Farmers Market will kick off Thursday, May 5 and will
be open each Thursday from 6 am to 6 pm through the outdoor Farmers Market
season ending November 10.
Learn more about the summer farmer's market on the South Plaza.
The Hennepin County Board voted to approve the amended
articles of incorporation for Community Action Partnership of Suburban Hennepin
County. CAPSH
approved the amended articles last year. The community
action agency works across suburban Hennepin County to improve the lives
of low-income people. Late last year, CAPSH
was designated by the Minneapolis City Council as the community action agency
in the city of Minneapolis. Based on this change, CAPSH will seek
administrative approval of the designation by the Minnesota Department of Human
Services as the community action agency for the City of Minneapolis.
Read more about the changes to Community Action Partnership of Suburban Hennepin County.
The county board voted to accept a $5.4 million grant from
the federal Health Resources Administration to continue the Hennepin County
Health Care for the Homeless. The board also approved an additional
appropriation of $352,574 to increase staffing. The Public Health program,
which operates clinics in nine homeless shelters, served 4,443 patients in
2014, over the course of 11,707 visits.
Read more about the grant to fund Health Care for the Homeless.
County Board Chair Jan Callison will deliver the 2016 State of
the County address on Tuesday, April 19, at 9 a.m. The event will be held at
the Hopkins Center for the Arts, 1111 Mainstreet, Hopkins.
Read more about the State of the County presentation.
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Look for more news on
the Hennepin County website at www.hennepin.us/news.
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