County Board actions: Water cleanup and mobility projects, NorthPoint expansion and contract disparity study

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Carolyn Marinan, Communications, 612-348-5969

County board actions

Tuesday's votes included projects for water cleanup, bike and sidewalk projects, the NorthPoint expansion and contract disparity research.

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Funding approved for bicycle and pedestrian projects

Projects were selected to receive funding from the county’s annual solicitation to improve bicycle and pedestrian systems. These projects will improve safety, reduce crashes and increase non-motorized transportation use.

Bikeway Program discretionary fund: $200,000 for two projects in the City of Eden Prairie and Three Rivers Park District trail system within Hopkins to fill gaps between existing bike trails. Since 2002, the county has participated in 32 bicycle gap projects at a total cost of $2.6 million.

Bikeway Development Participation: $340,000 for five projects in cities of Rogers, Hopkins, and Minneapolis and for Three Rivers Park District trails in Edina and Orono to build new bikeways. Since 1998, the county has participated in 48 bikeway development projects at a county cost of $3.08 million.

Sidewalk Participation Program fund: $203,128 for sidewalks in cities of St. Anthony and Edina, and crosswalk improvements in the City of Minneapolis. Since 2012, the county has participated in 20 sidewalk participation projects at a total cost of $902,389.

Read more about the Bikeway Program discretionary fund

Read more about the Sidewalk Participation Program

Read more about the Bikeway Development Participation Program

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County approves maximum levy for watershed management commissions

The County Board approved maximum levy amounts for several watershed management commissions to accomplish water quality improvement projects targeted to reduce phosphorus and sediment in lakes, streams and rivers.

Bassett Creek Watershed Management Commission: $1,303,600 for projects to improve water quality of Northwood Lake and Bassett and Plymouth Creeks.

Elm Creek Watershed Management Commission: $492,812 for projects to improve water quality of Fish Lake, the Crow River, Elm Creek and the Mississippi River.

Shingle Creek and West Mississippi Watershed Management Commissions: $367,200 and $132,600 for projects to improve water quality of Shingle Creek and the Mississippi River.

The board also approved watershed plan amendments for Elm Creek, Shingle Creek and West Mississippi watershed management commissions.

NorthPoint Health & Wellness Center expansion moves forward

Voting as the Hennepin County Housing and Redevelopment Authority, the board approved the transfer of $18 million to the authority, which will be used to purchase and clean property, and to start to develop and build the additional space for NorthPoint Health & Wellness Center and related properties, at the corner of Penn and Plymouth avenues north. The project aims to address the impact of  a 67 percent increase in patient load since 2006. The project is expected to be completed in late 2019 or early 2020.

Read more about the NorthPoint expansion.

County to participate with state, other agencies in contract disparity study

The board approved a joint contract with the State of Minnesota to complete a contract compliance disparity study. The study will examine utilization and availability of minority- and women-owned firms among a consortium of Minnesota public agencies to assess current measures to address potential discrimination. The state and other agencies are sharing in the cost. The county will receive a draft study in September 2017.

Read more about the contract disparity study.

Watershed district appointment

The county board reappointed Leslie Yetka as an at-large member of the Riley-Purgatory-Bluff Creek Watershed District Board. The Riley-Purgatory-Bluff Creek Watershed District Board’s function is to protect and manage the water resources within the district, which includes portions of the cities of Bloomington, Chanhassen, Deephaven, Eden Prairie, Minnetonka, and Shorewood.

Read more about the appointment process.

Slash your trash – join the Zero Waste Challenge

The county is looking for households to join a yearlong look at the goods we buy and the waste we create, to uncover opportunities and challenges to increasing recycling and reducing waste.

Participating households will get customized coaching, and classes on a variety of waste reduction topics, as they track and report the amount of waste their household generates weekly for a year. Participating households will receive a $350 stipend.

Apply to participate by August 26. 

Learn more about the Zero Waste Challenge.

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Look for more news on the Hennepin County website at www.hennepin.us/news.

Discover how we're making a difference in our communities at www.hennepin.us/stories.