June 2016 E-Newsletter

Jan Callison banner 2016

Serving Deephaven, northern Eden Prairie, Edina, Excelsior, Greenwood, Hopkins, Long Lake, Minnetonka, Minnetonka Beach, northern Mound, Orono, Shorewood, Spring Park, Tonka Bay, Wayzata and Woodland.


June 2016


CONTACT INFO

Jan Callison
Commissioner
6th District
612-348-7886 

Allyson Lueneburg
Principal Aide
612-348-6885

Christine Hoyles
Administrative Assistant
612-348-3168


ABOUT THE 6th DISTRICT

The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners consists of one commissioner from each of seven districts. I am proud to represent Deephaven, north Eden Prairie, Edina, Excelsior, Greenwood, Hopkins, Long Lake, Minnetonka, Minnetonka Beach, northern Mound, Orono, Shorewood, Spring Park, Tonka Bay, Wayzata and Woodland.

View map enlargement

Callison 2013 district map

NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE

Find past issues of my monthly newsletter.


MORE COUNTY INFO

County departments, agencies & other entities

Elected & appointed officials

Hennepin County libraries

Hennepin County Medical Center

Hennepin volunteers

Online services

Phone directory

Service Center information

Southwest light rail

Understanding your property tax


Shady Oak Road (CR 61) Update

const.

Since last fall, the key detours have been removed and traffic is moving through the Shady Oak Road corridor. The reconstruction project is nearing the substantially complete phase. The contractor anticipates this will be happen early this summer.

Construction continued through the winter, but picked up considerably during April and May with work on walls and sidewalks. During the next few weeks crews will be paving the final layer of roadway, striping, installing paver blocks and the Hopkins Mainstreet monument and completing sidewalk and trails.

For those near North Service Drive in Hopkins, there is a bit more work to be done before the connection to Shady Oak Drive is reopened. A wall was completed in the late winter months, and it was painted and finished with a protective coating between rain events this spring. There is some underground work to be completed before the roadbed can be built. Then the sidewalk, curb and gutter need to be installed.

The cities of Hopkins and Minnetonka are working together with the county and local business owners on a separate – but related -- Community Works project that will improve the parking lot at the Hopkins VFW and build a new parking lot for a relocated business in the corridor. After the road construction is complete, the cities will move ahead with a landscaping project along Shady Oak Road. Additionally, the City of Minnetonka is working on a plan for redevelopment at South Oak Drive Lane. 


Check out a few updated county webpages

Hennepin County is currently working to improve its county webpages to better serve its residents and businesses.  Below are a few examples of updated webpages.  Feel free to browse Hennepin.us to view more.


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Greetings,

I hope you are enjoying my electronic newsletters, and find them interesting and informative about county activities. In addition to my monthly newsletter, the county sends various newsletters and notifications available by email or text message. To explore the many opportunities to subscribe or to change your preferences, visit the subscription webpage.

Please feel free to send me your comments through my feedback form on issues that concern you or you would like covered. I value your opinions.

Warm regards,

Jan Callison


Board meetings

May 10, 2016

Medical examiner reappointed

The board voted to reappoint Dr. Andrew Baker to another four-year term. The Medical Examiner is a licensed physician, trained in the specialty of forensic pathology. Baker leads the Medical Examiner’s office, which investigates unexpected deaths that take place in Hennepin County. The Medical Examiner is an independent entity, and does not work for the County Attorney or any law enforcement agency. The information gathered during these investigations, including autopsies, can be critical in civil or criminal court cases and may help to identify trends in health and illness.  

Learn more about the medical examiner's reappointment.

Transit-oriented development projects approved

tod

The board for Hennepin County’s Housing and Redevelopment Authority approved $2,325,000 in funding for six transit-oriented development (TOD) projects. These projects include a mix of infrastructure, housing, retail, services, workplaces and public plazas, all located within walking distance of transit. 

Learn more about the grants and see a list of projects

May 24, 2016

State grant will fund adult mental health services

The board accepted an $11.4 million grant from the Minnesota Department of Human Services to provide services under the Hennepin County Adult Mental Health Initiative. The 2016 Adult Mental Health Grant includes funding in four categories:

  • $3,633,586 for Community Support Services programs, which provide drop-in case management and related services to help people live on their own in the community.
  • $506,300 for the Project for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness program, which provides support services to people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and have a serious mental illness.
  • $6,499,267 for Adult Mental Health Initiative programs – an array of case management, crisis, residential, and non-residential services.
  • $651,000 for the Transition to Community grant, to assist residents of Anoka-Metro Regional Treatment Center and the Minnesota Security Hospital with the transition to a community setting.

There was an amendment to the agreement, which channels $122,538 in additional funding:

  • $20,000 for the Anti-Stigma and Promotion of Recovery Project
  • $35,000 for a supportive housing coordinator
  • $25,000 for a needs assessment for culturally responsive services for the African population
  • $42,538 to Lao Assistance Center of Minnesota to provide Lao Access to Mental Health Services

Learn more about the grant and the initiatives it will fund.

Strategic plan will guide natural resources work

plants

The board voted to adopt the Hennepin County Natural Resources Strategic Plan, which is valid through 2020. The plan will guide the county and its partners in responding to natural resource issues and developing policies and programs that improve, protect and preserve our natural resources. The primary need for the plan is to provide clear direction to guide natural resources work in the county and support applications for natural resources funding. The county has delivered conservation services for more than a decade and is currently the only county in Minnesota with the duties and authorities of a soil and water conservation district.

Learn more about the Natural Resources Strategic Plan.

Renovation makes space for crisis mental and chemical health programs

The Hennepin County Board approved a plan to expand mental and chemical health programming at its facility at 1800 Chicago Avenue. The nearly $300,000 renovation will create space for an expanded sobering center and new mental health crisis stabilization program.

Learn more about this project.


Agendas and minutes of action taken by the Hennepin County Board are posted under Hennepin County meetings and agendas. For greater detail on the above agenda items and additional board actions, visit county news releases.


Board briefings

In addition to our regularly scheduled board meetings, the board often meets on Thursday mornings to receive board briefings. These are informal opportunities to discuss emerging issues. No decisions are made. Board briefings occur in the board room on the 24th floor of the Hennepin County Government Center and are open to the public.

May 5, 2016

Strategic Facility Management Plan

Facility Services staff conducted this briefing relating to the construction and maintenance of county buildings.  Among the topics discussed were space efficiency modifications, workplace safety results and some of the challenges being experienced as county buildings age.

Information Technology Trends and Initiatives

This briefing prevented an opportunity to discuss the scope and breadth of IT services as well as the value proposition for business technology needs. It also gave staff and the board a chance to review industry trends with the members of the IT Advisory Board:  Alistair Jacques, CIO for Fairview Health Systems; Mike Martiny, VP/CIO Solutions Development with General Mills; and Steve Brown, Executive Vice-President and CIO for Caribou Coffee.  Among the topics discussed were data center strategy and major 2016-17 IT projects.

May 19, 2016

Sheriff Staffing Study

County staff and Sheriff’s Office staff reported on progress in implementing recommendations from the Staffing Study performed by Matrix Consulting Group.  This was the second briefing on this topic.

Capital Investment / libraries

The purpose of this briefing was to consider recommendations to sustain the Library budget.  Among the topics that were presented for discussion were strategic plan reframe, new Webber Park Library hours and staffing, buildings strategy, capital budget, technology strategy and collection strategy.

May 24, 2016

Level 3 Sex Offenders

This was the second briefing recently on the topic of mitigating Level 3 sex offender concentration in Hennepin County.  Staff presented information about the number of Level 3 sex offenders in Hennepin County, their status as supervised or unsupervised, their location in certain cities or neighborhoods, housing choices available to them and recidivism rates.  Staff proposes to manage concentration of these offenders by focusing on a revised four-factor assessment when requests for housing approval are received. 


County calendar


May 31, 2016

Southdale Service Center moves to Southdale Mall

southdale

The Hennepin County Southdale Service Center has moved to the Southdale Mall. The current location at 7009 York Avenue South, Edina, is permanently closed.

The new location opened Tuesday, May 31, at 1225 Southdale Center, Edina — inside the Southdale Mall.  

This new location has ample free parking, is accessible via many bus routes and allows customers to take care of their needs at the service center while shopping, seeing a movie or dining at the mall.

It will be located near the external entrance between JCPenney and Herberger’s.

The Southdale Service Center serves residents in Bloomington, Eden Prairie, Edina and Richfield, and provides the following services:

  • All-terrain vehicle (ATV) registration
  • Birth certificates or records
  • Boat or watercraft registration
  • Death certificates or records
  • Driver’s licenses and instruction permits
  • License plates or tabs
  • Marriage licenses
  • Marriage certificates or records
  • Marriage officiant credential filling
  • Minnesota state ID’s
  • Notary services
  • Property tax payments
  • Snowmobile registration
  • State park permits
  • Vehicle registration or title
  • Vehicle title, tabs or plates

The Southdale Library and the Southdale Courthouse for Fourth Judicial District Court remain at the 7009 York Avenue location.

More information about Hennepin County service centers is available at www.hennepin.us/servicecenters.

 

June 7, 2016

Health and Safety Fair

fair

Discover great ways to improve your health, stay safe, and help your loved ones do the same. More than 25 exhibitors will share a wealth of resources, demonstrations and activities at this year’s Health and Safety Fair, taking place Tuesday June 7, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on the skyway level of the Hennepin County Government Center.

The event brings together CenterPoint Energy, NiceRide, Minnesota Safety Council, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Department, Three Rivers Park District, Minnesota Department of Health and many other organizations and is hosted by Hennepin County’s Workplace Safety and HealthWorks.

Health and Safety Fair
Tuesday June 7, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Hennepin County Government Center, 300 S. Sixth St., skyway level, Minneapolis

July 7, 2016

Announcement of one vacancy on the Riley-Purgatory-Bluff Creek Watershed District Board

The Riley-Purgatory-Bluff Creek Watershed District provides for the management of the water and related land resources within the area tributary to Riley-Purgatory-Bluff Creek.  One of the most important responsibilities of the Watershed District is the preparation and implementation of a Plan for the management of the water and related land resources of the District. Project plans of private developers, the state, counties and cities must be submitted to the Watershed District Managers for review and approval. The District issues permits in order to protect the water and related land resources.

For more information or to apply please visit the citizen advisory board webpage.