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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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