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Marion Greene
Commissioner, 3rd District
612-348-7883
Ray Hoover
Principal Aide
612-348-7125
Pam Fahlstrom
Administrative Assistant
612-348-0863
The 3rd District serves
the city of St.
Louis Park, and parts of west and downtown Minneapolis.
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Career fair matches jobs with workers
Hennepin County Work and Economic Resource Center is sponsoring a
career fair today from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Sabathani
Community Center, Room 216, Banquet Center, 310 East 38th Street,
Minneapolis, 55409.
Health and safety fair kicks-off Summer on the Plaza events at Hennepin County Government Center
Hennepin County is hosting a Health and Safety Fair today on the North Plaza of the Hennepin County Government Center. More than 25 health and safety resources will be available during the fair from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
This event is just the first of many Summer on the Plaza events. The series runs June through August during the lunch hour on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Performers include singers, drummers, dancers and educators.
A full schedule of events can be found here.
County departments, agencies & other entities
Hennepin County libraries
Hennepin County Medical Center
Hennepin volunteers
Online services
Phone directory
Service Center information
Southwest Light Rail
Understanding your property tax
City of Minneapolis
City of St. Louis Park
May
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Greetings!
I hope you enjoy this month's District 3 newsletter. Visit our website to find more ways to connect with the county.
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. I value your opinions.
My best,
Marion
 SDEIS Published for Southwest LRT
The Southwest LRT Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) was published on May 22, 2015, and evaluates potential impacts in three segments of the proposed Southwest LRT route. The open comment period has been extended until July 21st, 2015. To learn more or download the document, click here. These potential impacts are the result of adjustments to the design of the Southwest LRT Project since the publication of the Draft EIS in 2012. The three segments are:
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Eden Prairie: Generally from the intersection of Technology Drive and Mitchell Road to the intersection of Flying Cloud Drive and Valley View Road.
- The location of a proposed Operations and Maintenance Facility (OMF) in Hopkins.
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St. Louis Park/Minneapolis: Generally between Louisiana Avenue and Penn Avenue.
The Metropolitan Council will hold three public hearings and open houses on the Supplemental Draft EIS.
To provide opportunities for the public to comment on the content of the SDEIS; no action will be taken at the hearings. There will be a hearing in Minneapolis on Thursday, June 18th at Dunwoody College of Technology at 818 Dunwoody Boulevard. The open house will start at 5pm, and the hearing will begin at 6. For more information about the hearings, click here.
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 Community Conversations to be held on Menthol
Menthol
is the most common flavoring in tobacco products, providing a minty flavor and
cooling sensation. Its ability to mask the harshness and taste of tobacco encourages youth to start smoking, and facilitates addiction. Nearly half of Minnesota high school smokers smoke menthols.
Tobacco
companies specifically market menthol cigarettes to African Americans,
advertising in publications and venues that target African Americans as well as
at tobacco retailers in African American communities. National
data show that 84.5% of African American cigarette smokers use menthol compared
to 26.9% of White and 33.6% of Asian American smokers.
From June 17-19, join members of your community in a conversation around the issue of menthol cigarettes featuring national experts from the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council.
For more information, click here.
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 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Park Playground breaks ground
On May 6th, we celebrated the groundbreaking of a new Playground area at Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Park in south
Minneapolis. I was on hand along with Commissioner Peter McLaughlin for the ceremony, along with other community leaders whom you may recognize in the photo.
Hennepin County is proud to be one of the several partners involved in
making the new playground a reality through our Youth Sports initiative.
Since 2009, more than $15 million in Youth Sports grants have
been distributed to 93 capital projects (facilities) and 137 equipment and
small asset projects, including multi-purpose fields, soccer fields, baseball
fields, playgrounds, lighting, tennis courts, and more.
The new playground at Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr. Park Playground is a particularly remarkable example of this program’s
ability to make a real and empowering difference for the young people in our
county. The grand opening for the new playground will take place August 22nd.
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 Hennepin County and Minneapolis Bike Coalition celebrate Minneapolis Bike Week
In May, Hennepin County, Minneapolis, and the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition hosted Minneapolis Bike Week. Bike Week showcases the ease, simplicity, and enjoyment of going by bike.
Bike Week featured a series of events and activities promoting all types of bicycling with a focus on encouraging those like me, who would like to ride more, to give it a try.
As part of the festivities, I participated in the Commuter Challenge, racing Minneapolis City Council Member Lisa Bender (bike), and Car2Go representative (car) from Target Field Station to South Minneapolis. I took the light rail. I finished second to Lisa Bender. This light-hearted race highlights effective options for commuting to and from work each day. To see a play-by-play, click here.
On Friday, your District 3 team participated in Bike to Work Day along with officials from the City, the Park Board, and the Met Council.
For more information about bike week, click here. To learn more about biking in Hennepin County, click here, and to request your new Hennepin County bike map, please call or email us.
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 Open Streets MPLS summer starts on June 7th on Lyndale
For the past five years, streets in Minneapolis have transformed to allow residents to experience their city in a whole new way — by bike, by skateboard, however they please- but out of the cars. Open Streets Mpls has grown from one event in 2011 to eight in 2015 events all across the city.
Open Streets will start this summer on Lyndale Avenue South between 22nd and 42nd streets, from 11am-5pm. For more information, click here.
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Hennepin County seeks
feedback on draft natural resources strategic plan
Hennepin
County has developed a natural resources strategic plan to help guide
the county and its partners in responding to natural resource issues and
developing internal and external policies, programs and partnerships that
improve, protect and preserve natural resources. This is the county's first
comprehensive strategic plan focused on the protection and preservation of
natural resources.
The county will be providing opportunities to give feedback on
the plan through meetings and online surveys throughout June and July. The
first opportunity to learn about the plan and provide feedback is at the next Hennepin Natural Resources Partnership Forum
on Tuesday, June 2 from 1 to 3:15 p.m. at the Ridgedale Library in the RHR
room.
For more information,
contact Randy Anhorn at randy.anhorn@hennepin.us or call 612-348-2027.
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May 12
The board approves economic development
funding criteria
The
board approved criteria and
authorized $500,000 for a newly established Economic Development Infrastructure Fund. The objective of
the fund is to enhance the economic competitiveness of Hennepin County by
leveraging private investment, increasing the tax base, and creating and
retaining jobs. The Economic Development Infrastructure Fund will be used to
offset extraordinary costs and infrastructure upgrades associated with
relocating, starting or expanding a business. Requests for funding will be
reviewed based on the following project evaluation criteria:
- Job creation and/or retention
- Need for financial assistance,
including justification for use of Hennepin County resources
- Readiness to proceed
- Tax base enhancement
- Leverage from private or other
public sources
- Alignment with other Hennepin
County priorities and interests
This new fund will help support business recruitment and expansion
in Hennepin County and create/preserve an estimated 160 – 300 jobs.
Transit oriented development funds awarded
The board, acting as the Hennepin County Housing and
Redevelopment Authority (HCHRA), approved transit oriented development grants and loan
agreements to support development in areas that
promote and support transit use. The
awards include an agreement with Bader
Development for the Encore project for the construction of
approximately 150 units of housing, 28 of which are
affordable and 20,000 square feet of office space. The project is located
on County Road 25 and France Avenue, which is located in the West Lake
Station area on the Green Line extension (SWLRT) in St. Louis Park.
The HCHRA also reallocated funds from a previous agreement to
fund the recommended 2015 transit oriented development projects. Projects
are selected based on criteria developed and approved by the board in 2003.
Since 2003, the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners and the HCHRA has
approved a total of $25.3 million for 94 transit oriented development projects.
For a full list of projects, see the news release here.
 Board approves affordable housing agreements
The board, acting as the HCHRA, approved 11 Affordable Housing Incentive Fund (AHIF)
agreements totaling $2.7 million under the 2015 Affordable Housing Incentive
Program. These projects will assist a total of 1,220 affordable housing units
in Hennepin County, including 154 households/individuals at or below 30 percent
of adjusted median income; 1,059 at or below 60 percent adjusted median income;
and seven at or below 80 percent adjusted median income.
For the full list, click here.
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Bottineau LRT Community Works program funding
The board voted to formally establish the Bottineau LRT
Community Works Program. The program will develop structure, partnerships,
and an investment framework to maximize the return on investment for the
Metro Blue Line extension (Bottineau) LRT project by integrating land use
planning and transportation investments that support transit oriented
development and economic development, increase transit ridership, and support a
multi-modal transportation system.
Public hearing to issue housing revenue bonds for A-Mill Artist lofts
The board, acting as the Hennepin County Housing and Redevelopment Authority, established a public hearing on Tuesday, June 9 to issue $5 million in housing revenue bonds for the A-Mill Artist Lofts project. The project is located at 301 Main Street S.E. in Minneapolis (the historic Pillsbury A-Mill building). The project is being developed by Plymouth-based Dominium. The project will create 251 housing units serving households at or below 60 percent of area median income. The project was originally estimated at $156 million and received $85 million of revenue bond proceeds ($30 million from Minneapolis and $55 million from Hennepin County Housing and Redevelopment Authority). The project cost has increased and the developers are asking for an additional $5 million in HCHRA bonds.
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You're invited! In addition to our regularly scheduled board meetings, the County Board often meets for updates on Thursday mornings. These are informal opportunities to discuss emerging issues. No decisions are made, and the topics are subject to change. Board briefings occur in the board room on the 24th floor of the Hennepin County Government Center and are open to the public.
June 11
Medical Examiner
June 25
Casey Foundation
review
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