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FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
12/01/2015
Contact: Carolyn
Marinan, Communications, 612-348-5969
County board actions
Votes Tuesday awarded recycling expansion grants, funded trail crossings along the Green Line Extension and approved funding for Three Rivers Park District.
 Solid Waste Enterprise Fund grants expand recycling opportunities in public spaces
The
board awarded eight grants totaling $97,786 to improve recycling in public
spaces. Grants were awarded to the cities of Bloomington, Brooklyn Park,
Minneapolis, New Hope, St. Bonifacius, St. Louis Park and Tonka Bay and the
University of Minnesota. The projects will add recycling receptacles to parks
and high-traffic pedestrian routes and expand organics collections programs.
The public space recycling program, established in 2014, provides a financial
incentive to municipalities and public entities to explore new opportunities to
reduce, reuse, recycle or compost waste. Up to $100,000 from the Solid Waste
Enterprise Fund, which is funded by fees that waste haulers pay to dispose of
garbage generated by residents and businesses in the county, is available
annually for these grants.
Learn
more about the county’s public space recycling grants.
The board authorized negotiations with the Metropolitan Council to fund three trail grade-separated crossings adjacent to the Southwest LRT (METRO Green Line Extension) route, in Hopkins and St. Louis Park. Construction of the three trail grade-separated crossings will be incorporated and move forward as part of the METRO Green Line Extension project. The county will contribute up to $2.6 million. Three Rivers Park District will reimburse Hennepin County $1.1 million for its share of the local construction costs.
Learn
more about the proposed trail crossing projects.
The
board reviewed and approved the Three Rivers Park District superintendent’s proposed
$35.9 million operating budget for 2016. The proposed budget reflects an
increase of 3.45 percent from 2015. The total budgeted property tax levy
including debt service is about $41.5 million, an increase of 0.66 percent over
last year.
Learn
more about the Three Rivers Park District budget.
The board approved two contracts for the Sentencing to Service Homes program effective January 1 to December 31, 2016. This construction and carpenter training program will receive as much as $225,000 from Greater Metropolitan Housing Corporation (GMHC) and as much as $140,000 from Three Rivers Park District, for STS Homes work crews to assist with home rehabilitation, new home construction and other construction related projects for both organizations. STS Homes has partnered with GMHC since 2007 and with Three Rivers Park District since 2004. Program participants are men and women, primarily Hennepin County residents, who are incarcerated in Minnesota Correctional Facilities such as Lino Lakes and Stillwater, or who are on probation in Hennepin County and participating in the Summit Academy OIC Rehabilitation Technician Program. They are expected to be ready for pre-apprenticeship, apprenticeship, or union-scale jobs once they complete the program.
Learn
more about the STS Homes program.
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Look for more news on
the Hennepin County website at www.hennepin.us/news.
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