FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Oct. 14, 2014
Contact: Kayla Bromelkamp, public affairs, 612-348-8536
News release
County to provide outreach to victims of domestic abuse
in East African communities
The board approved a contract with the Voice of East African Women to
provide culturally specific advocacy to victims of domestic abuse and
harassment in East African communities. These services will be part of the Hennepin
County Domestic Abuse Service Center, which provides centrally located services
to victims of domestic abuse and harassment, including advocacy at order for
protection hearings and criminal hearings as appropriate. They will also
provide information, referrals, safety planning, financial planning,
coordination with other community agencies and information about the criminal
justice system. This is a program of the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.
New pollution control equipment at HERC to reduce
emissions of nitrogen oxides
The board approved a plan to install new pollution control equipment at the
Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC). The new $1.5 million system will reduce
emissions of the air pollutant nitrogen oxide (NOx) by about 25 percent.
In Hennepin County, 38,000 tons of NOx are released
annually. Only 1.5 percent comes from waste incineration at HERC. About 80
percent comes from transportation sources. The amount of NOx released into the
atmosphere in Minnesota has decreased by nearly 20 percent in the past decade.
NOx contributes to the formation of ground-level ozone,
commonly known as smog. Smog can aggravate asthma and other respiratory
conditions. The county has contributed to the reduction of NOx by improving
energy efficiency in county buildings and its fleet, and by promoting public
transportation and bicycle use. Every reduction of NOx contributes to
protecting human and environmental health.
The new system injects a nontoxic urea solution into the
boilers, which reduces NOx levels. This technology has been tested for
effectiveness and efficiency at other waste-to-energy facilities. The cost of
installation and maintenance of the process will be paid out of the Solid Waste
Enterprise Fund, which comes from tipping fees paid by waste haulers delivering
garbage to HERC. For more information see the news release.
Support of funding commitment for Orange
Line BRT
The board, acting as the Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority, voted
in support of the Metropolitan Council’s request for project development
funding from the Counties Transit Improvement Board (CTIB) for the Orange Line
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project. Approval of CTIB funding will move the project
forward in order to be granted entry into Federal Transit Administration Small
Starts project development phase.
The funding commitment request of CTIB is for $6 million -- $3
million for 2015 and $3 million for 2016. It represents 60 percent of estimated project development costs and will be
matched by previously-awarded state bond and Metropolitan Council
funds (40 percent or $4 million) for a total estimated project development cost
of $10 million.
CTIB requires formal
support from host counties (Hennepin and Dakota) prior to granting a funding
commitment.
Commissioners appointed to Blue Line Extension Corridor
Management Committee
Commissioner Mike Opat and Commissioner Linda Higgins will serve on the
Blue Line Extension (Bottineau) Corridor Management Committee, which will advise the Chair
of the Metropolitan Council on the design and construction of the proposed
light rail line. Committee members will play an important role in identifying
issues and discussing potential solutions. Issues the committee will address
include environmental review, preliminary engineering, final design, overall project
cost, transit connections, construction issues and business mitigation
strategies. Commissioner Peter McLaughlin will serve as an alternate.
Budget public hearings and meetings
The board will launched a series of budget hearings to discuss
the budget and gather public input. Meetings can be viewed live on Metro Cable
Network/Channel 6 or online at www.hennepin.us/boardmeetings.
All budget meetings are held in the Board Room on the
24th floor of the Hennepin County Government Center, 300 S. Sixth St. in
downtown Minneapolis and are open to the public.
Upcoming meetings:
Tuesday, Oct. 21
Public hearing for operations and library budget from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Thursday, Oct. 23
Public hearing for the county’s 2014-2018 capital improvements
budget at 9:30 a.m.
Public hearing on proposed changes to fees for county services at 10 a.m.
Monday, Oct. 27
Public hearing on public works budget from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 4
Public hearing on Hennepin County Housing and Redevelopment Authority levy and
budget beginning at 1:30 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 13
Public hearing on human services and public health budget from
10 a.m. to noon
Friday, Nov. 14
Public hearing on public safety budget from 10 a.m. to noon
Tuesday, Dec. 2
Public meeting on the proposed budget and levies at 6 p.m. (Truth in
Taxation meeting)
Tuesday, Dec. 16
The final county, Hennepin County Housing and Redevelopment
Authority and Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority budgets and tax
levies will be adopted beginning at 1:30 p.m.
For more information, see the budget news release.
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Look for more news on the Hennepin County website at www.hennepin.us/news.
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