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Hennepin County is a great place to work!
Browse open positions or sign up to receive job notification emails from the county.
Browse current library openings.
Linda Higgins
Commissioner, District 2
612-348-7882
www.hennepin.us/higgins
Tina Sanz
Principal Aide
612-348-5335
Beverly Hammond
Administrative Secretary
612-348-3526
You can also send comments via my feedback form.
For past issues of my monthly newsletter, visit my webpage.
District 2 serves the cities of Golden Valley, Medicine Lake, north and northeast Minneapolis, southeast Plymouth and St. Anthony.
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Understanding your property tax
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Blue Line Extension
LRT project receives Federal Transit Administration approval to
enter engineering phase
Extension will connect
downtown Minneapolis to northwest metro, create 6,500 construction jobs
The Blue Line Extension (Bottineau) LRT Project achieved
another milestone with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) approving the
project’s entry into engineering in January. This action means the federal
government has authorized project staff to finalize designs in preparation for
the start of heavy construction in 2018.
The Blue Line Extension will connect Brooklyn Park all the
way to Target Field, the Hennepin County Medical Center, the VA Medical Center,
the Mall of America and the two terminals of the Minneapolis-St. Paul
International Airport. It also provides a connection to the Green Line going to downtown St. Paul and some day to Eden Prairie.
 Many
dignitaries joined together to break ground for Thor's new building in North
Minneapolis. A great day!
Photo: Kenzie
O'Keefe, North News
Ceremonial groundbreaking
marks start of new chapter for NorthPoint and North Minneapolis
On January 17, Thor Construction held a ceremonial ground-breaking
of what will be a several-building project designed to revitalize the
intersection of Plymouth and Penn Avenues North. The groundbreaking was held by
Ravi Nelson and Richard Copeland of Thor
Construction and included Governor Mark Dayton, Lt. Governor Tina Smith,
State Senator Bobby Joe Champion, Target Corporation CEO Brian Cornell, Hennepin
County Commissioner Linda Higgins, Minneapolis City Council Member Barb
Johnson, Minnesota Human Rights Commissioner Kevin Lindsey, Minnesota
Diversity Director James Burroughs, Minneapolis Urban League president and
CEO Steve Belton, and many other notable guests. The revitalization is part
of a multi-organizational effort to bring jobs, a workforce center, commerce
and retail opportunities to the Northside.
In addition to the Thor Development and Estes Funeral Home's new home across the street from the current facility, NorthPoint Health and Wellness Center will expand. The campus will expand by 74,000 sf. Services will continue
during construction.
Read
the North News article here (Facebook).
Read more about the expansion here.
Give
Kids a Smile provides free dental care for kids in need
Each year, dental professionals from across the state
participate in Give Kids a Smile, providing
free dental care to children in need. The event takes place on Friday, February 3, and Saturday,
February 4, 2017, and is made possible by the collaborative
effort of the Minnesota Dental Association, volunteer dentists, and
sponsors. To find clinic information to make a reservation, visit mndental.org/events/give-kids-a-smile.
Hennepin County District 2 participating clinics include Bassett Creek Dental; Bay
Creek Dental; Boger Dental; Children’s Dental Services; Larson Dental, LLC; and
NorthPoint Health and Wellness.
Park
Board seeking North Minneapolis residents for Citizen Advisory Committee
Planning for all
neighborhood parks north of I-394 and west of the Mississippi River
The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) is seeking
applications from the public to serve on the Community Advisory Committee (CAC)
for the North Service Area Master Plan (NSAMP).
NSAMP is a unique opportunity to set the vision for Northside
parks for the coming decades. The project will take a complete look at all
outdoor park facilities, create improvement plans for each neighborhood park,
and guide decisions on capital improvements.
Get Involved
Visit minneapolisparks.org
for details and an application or contact Adam Arvidson at
612-230-6470. Applications are due on February 17, 2017. Besides serving
on the CAC, there will be many other ways for Northside residents to get
involved in the project:
- Sign up to receive email updates by subscribing at minneapolisparks.org/subscribe. If you are already a subscriber, add “North Service Area Master Plan” to your subscription preferences (under Planning Projects).
- Attend CAC meetings; each meeting will offer a brief public comment period at the end of the meeting. Sign up for email updates to stay informed of upcoming dates.
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Services
for people with disabilities
Hennepin’s services help people with disabilities live in their
communities as independently as possible. Starting with disability screenings
and information sessions on community resources and county, state and federal
programs, Hennepin County can then help with short term service planning and
ongoing case management.
The Community
Informational Sessions for Seniors and People with Disabilities booklet has
been updated with new dates, times and locations. These sessions are free and open to the
public.
Community informational sessions are offered as a continuing
effort to keep families, clients and providers informed about service options
and application processes. Please visit services for people
with disabilities for more information.
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Hennepin County has $2.2 million available in grants and
loans for transit-oriented development (TOD) projects. This funding opportunity
is meant to support projects that encourage the growth of walkable communities
with a mix of uses and densities and that support transit infrastructure.
The Penn Avenue corridor, with high-frequency bus service
and the planned C-Line Bus Rapid Transit route, offers lots of development
opportunities that fit well with the county's TOD program goals.
This year, TOD development projects located within one block
of Penn Avenue between I-394 and 49th Avenue North may be eligible for
additional funding considerations through the Penn Avenue Community Works program.
Potential development project applicants for Penn Avenue
is encouraged to contact Kelsey Dawson-Walton with Penn Avenue Community
Works to learn more about this and other potential funding opportunities for
Penn Avenue projects. Proposals are due February 9, 2017.
Contact: Kelsey
Dawson-Walton, kelsey.dawsonwalton@hennepin.us, 612-348-4304.
Additional resource: KSTP did a recent story about TOD. See
a short video here.
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Plymouth uses
SkimStop program to prevent credit card theft
The Plymouth Police Department has recently launched
SkimStop, a program that helps prevent theft of credit card information at
gasoline station pumps, also known as skimming.
Skimming involves placing small devices at gas
station pumps to capture data each time a credit card is swiped. After
retrieving the names and card numbers from the pumps, perpetrators commonly
sell the data or use re-encoder devices to create new fraudulent cards using
the victims’ credit card numbers.
“With SkimStop, residents and businesspeople can feel
confident that their credit card information is safe at participating Plymouth
gas stations,” said Community Relations Officer Jim Long.
For further information with a list and map of participating
locations, see the city’s website, plymouthmn.gov/skimstop.
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St. Anthony library to celebrate reopening February
11
Visitors to Hennepin County Library in St. Anthony Village will
find a larger meeting room and new interactive learning space in the
children’s area, as well as refreshed carpeting, furniture and shelving.
The library, located at 2941 Pentagon Drive N.E., will hold
a reopening celebration Saturday, February 11, from 11 a.m. to noon after a
14-week, $850,000 renovation. All are welcome.
Other improvements include comfortable new seating areas
with natural light and accessible power outlets, and computer stations are
arranged to support individual and collaborative work.
Ceiling and interior walls were reconstructed to open up the
space. New automated materials handling equipment and a new work room reconfiguration
will improve behind-the-scenes efficiencies.
“Our investment in St. Anthony’s library is an investment in
our community,” said District 2 Hennepin County Commissioner Linda Higgins.
“This library will continue to be a gathering place for residents, and provide
resources, information and enjoyment for years to come.”
See
photos of the project in progress.
Library hours remain the same: noon to 8 p.m. on Monday and
Tuesday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday; closed Sunday.
St. Anthony Library has been providing service to St.
Anthony and northeast Minneapolis residents since 1963, when it opened in a
storefront in the east end of the St. Anthony Shopping Center. The library continues
to operate out of the shopping center, moving to its present location in 2002.
Learn
more about Hennepin County Library – St. Anthony. Learn more about the St. Anthony
Library Friends volunteer group. See our Events, below, for a February 4
St. Anthony Library book sale!
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Step-Up video at YouTube.
Hennepin County
Career Connections
Youth employment Step-Up Applications Now Open
Minneapolis’ youth employment program, STEP-UP, is now
accepting applications for 2017 summer interns. Eligible Minneapolis youths
ages 14-21 who are interested in participating in the 2017 STEP-UP class have
until February 10, 2017, to complete an application online.
In addition to summer jobs with more than 230 top Twin
Cities companies, non-profits and public agencies, STEP-UP also offers work
readiness training, advanced-level internships and industry-specific career
opportunities that help interns bring together their career exposure with
post-secondary education and career planning.
Hennepin County an employer with Step-Up. To learn
more, visit minneapolismn.gov/cped/metp/step-up_home.
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 January 3
Commissioners sworn in; Callison reappointed
as chair, Higgins as vice chair
Four Hennepin County Commissioners took office and the
Hennepin County Board reappointed Jan Callison, District 6, to serve as
its chair for 2017.
Mike Opat, District 1; Jan Callison, District 6; and Jeff
Johnson, District 7, who were all re-elected this term, were sworn into office
before the board meeting. Debbie Goettel, former mayor of Richfield, also was
sworn in as District 5 commissioner. With the addition of
Goettel, the board will have a female majority for the first time.
Callison will lead the seven-member board. Callison, who has
served on the board since 2009, has been chair since 2015.
In addition, the board reappointed Commissioner Linda Higgins, District
2, to serve as vice chair of the board. Higgins, who has served on the board
since 2012, has served as vice chair since 2015.
The board changed names of its committees to better
reflect the county's administrative structure and
appointed chairs:
- Public Works: Mike Opat,
District 1
- Health: Marion Greene, District
3
- Human Services: Debbie Goettel,
District 5
- Public Safety: Jeff Johnson,
District 7
- Operations: Linda Higgins,
District 2
- County Administration: Peter
McLaughlin, District 4
Other Hennepin County
leadership
Acting as the Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority
(HCRRA), the board re-elected Commissioner Peter McLaughlin, District 4, as
chair and Commissioner Jan Callison, District 6, as vice chair of the HCRRA.
Acting as the Hennepin County Housing and Redevelopment
Authority (HRA), the board re-elected
Commissioner Linda Higgins, District 2, as chair and elected Commissioners Debbie
Goettel, District 5 and Marion Greene, District 3, as vice chair and secretary
of the HRA respectively (January 10).
The county board normally meets at 1:30 p.m. Tuesdays at the
Hennepin County Government Center. Find a complete schedule, meeting minutes
and agendas at hennepin.us/boardmeetings.
January 24
Funding approved for fiber network along
Southwest Light Trail Transit corridor
The board approved funding for improvements related to the
Southwest Light Rail Transit project, including $2.2 million for installation
of fiber optic infrastructure along the entire transit corridor. Laying the
fiber optic infrastructure will lower county operating costs and support
Hennepin County’s growing need for a high-speed, reliable broadband network.
Hennepin County will also provide $1.7 million to construct a
trail and $400,000 to reconstruct traffic control systems at two intersections
along Flying Cloud Drive (County Road 61) in Eden Prairie.
Read
more about the improvements planned for the light rail corridor.
Read more about the Southwest Light Rail Transit project.
 Environmental Response Fund video at YouTube
Grants awarded to clean up contaminated sites
The board awarded $1.3 million for nine projects to assess and clean up contaminated sites where added environmental costs hinder site improvements or redevelopment. The Environmental Response Fund grants will fund asbestos and lead paint removal, contaminated groundwater monitoring and contaminated soil clean up.
Hennepin County awarded grants to the following organizations:
- Bassett Creek Watershed Management Commission, Minneapolis: $150,300 for disposal of contaminated soil along the streambank to help improve water quality and habitat along Bassett Creek
- St. Louis Park: $166,000 for cleanup of contaminated soil associated with development of new stormwater management structures and planned park improvements
- City of Lakes Community Land Trust, Minneapolis: $230,000 for asbestos and lead paint removal associated with the renovation of 10 houses
- Ebenezer Park Apartments, South Minneapolis: $142,654 for lead paint and asbestos removal at a 200-unit complex for low-income seniors and people with disabilities
- Minneapolis: $71,994 for contaminated soil cleanup associated with building 118 units of affordable housing at the Hook and Ladder Apartments development site in Northeast
- Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board: $142,000 for contaminated soil disposal during construction of the Sheridan Memorial Park in Northeast
- Minnesota Brownfields, countywide: $250,000 to continue the Brownfields Gap Financing Program, which provides small environmental assessment grants to government entities and nonprofit organizations
- Minneapolis: $41,769 for contaminated soil clean-up associated with development of affordable and market rate housing, a restaurant and office space at the Penn Avenue Union development site
- St. Louis Park Economic Development Authority: $92,230 for demolition and contamination cleanup in preparation for a multiuse development that will include 300 affordable and market rate apartments, a 110-room hotel, coffee house, bike shop and microbusiness space at the PLACE development site
Read more about the Environmental Response Fund program and grantees.
Environmental education grants awarded to 13 organizations
The board awarded $147,600 of Green Partners Environmental Education grants for projects than engage and empower residents to protect and improve the environment. Groups will engage 2,700 residents to protect the environment by reducing waste, recycling, composting organics, conserving energy, improving air and water quality and protecting pollinators.
Hennepin County awarded grants to the following organizations:
- Black Storytellers Alliance, Minneapolis: $12,000
- Boys and Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities, Mound and Minneapolis: $15,000
- Center School, Minneapolis: $14,500
- Clean Water Fund, Eden Prairie, Plymouth, Robbinsdale, St. Anthony and Wayzata: $8,000
- Cycles for Change, Minneapolis: $15,000
- Greater Mount Vernon Missionary Baptist Church, Minneapolis: $12,000
- Kids for Conservation, Minneapolis: $5,100
- Metro Blooms, Minneapolis: $15,000
- Minneapolis Toy Library, Minneapolis: $15,000
- Minnesota African Women's Association, Brooklyn Center: $15,000
- Nokomis East Neighborhood Association, Minneapolis: $8,000
- Pollinate Minnesota, Minneapolis: $8,000
- Wayzata Community Sailing Center, Wayzata: $5,000
Read more about the grants and award recipients.
Grants awarded for natural resources projects
The board approved a total of $284,015 in grant funding for projects to protect natural resources and water quality throughout the county.
Hennepin County awarded $225,000 of Natural Resources Opportunity grants to the following organizations:
- Greenfield: $25,000 to capture and filter stormwater onsite at the city’s Central Park
- Bassett Creek Watershed Management Commission, Plymouth: $50,000 to stabilize and restore streambanks along both sides of Plymouth Creek
- Metro Blooms, Minneapolis: $50,000 to work with property owners in the Harrison Neighborhood to install stormwater best management practices
- Mississippi Watershed Management Organization, Minneapolis: $50,000 to install stormwater best management practices for commercial properties along targeted corridors
- Riley-Purgatory-Bluff Creek Watershed District, Minnetonka: $50,000 to remove invasive plants and restore seven acres of forest at the Scenic Heights School
The county also awarded $59,015 for six Good Steward grants for smaller projects.
Read more about Hennepin County’s natural resources grants and grantees.
Look for more news on the Hennepin County website at hennepin.us/news.
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Northeast
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Tuesdays through February 14 – 10:30 a.m.
Family Story Time. Children of all ages can
talk, sing, read, write and play together in a format appropriate for young
children. Northeast Library,
2200 Central Ave. NE. Family
Story Time.com.
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Thursday, February 16, 11:30
a.m.
Senior Appreciation Valentine Luncheon. Cost $4. Community members 55 and above.1700
Second St., N.E. Appreciation
Luncheon.
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February 13,
3:30-7:00 p.m.
“The Value of Community and Choice as We Grow Older.” Dr. Atul Gawande will be livestreamed from
Boston. Reception to follow. St. Anthony Main Theatre, 11 S.E. Main St. Free. northloop.org.
North Loop
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February 10-11
Minnesota Opera presents The
Nightingale, based on the famous
Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale. The Project Opera with performers ages 8 to
18 and a student orchestra. The story of a Chinese emperor who prefers the
tinkling of a bejeweled mechanical bird to the song of a real nightingale. 700
N. First St. Tickets, Adult $15, children www.thelabtheater.org.
North
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Saturday, February
18, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Camp Capri. Arts
camp for students in grades 5-8. A screening of the movie Selma, with
discussion to follow. Capri Theater, 2027 W. Broadway. Free, lunch included.
Register at thecapritheater.org. Capri Arts Camp.
Golden Valley
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Sunday, February 12, 10 a.m.-3
p.m.
West Metro Home Remodeling Fair. The goal
is to provide residents with ideas, information, and resources to promote
improvements to the housing stock in each community. Eisenhower Community Center, 1001 Hwy 7, Hopkins Free. Remodeling.Fair.
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Thursday, February 23, 7:30-8:30 a.m.
State of the City Community
Update. All are invited to attend. Golden
Valley City Hall, 7800 Golden Valley Rd. Community
Update.
 Glenwood Avenue paving project information at hennepin.us/glenwoodgv
Bryn Mawr
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February 2, 9, 16, 23, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Family Gym Night at the Bryn Mawr Elementary
gym. 225 Upton Ave. S.
bmna.org.
Medicine Lake
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Thursday, February 9,
6:30-7:30 p.m.
Plymouth Lions Dinner Meeting, Social 6:30; Dinner 7:00. Speaker: Homeward Bound, Lori Merriam and Kristine Morin: Medicine Lake City Hall, 10609 South Shore Drive. plymouthlions.org.
Plymouth
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February 7, 3-7 p.m.
28th Annual Fire and Ice at Parkers Lake Park. Family friendly
festival with bin races, a youth ice fishing, hayrides and more.15205 County
Rd. 6. Fire
and Ice Festival
St. Anthony
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Saturday, February 4
St. Anthony Library Used Book Sale. 2941 Pentagon Drive
N.E. St.Anthony
Used Books Sale.
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Wednesday, February
15, 7:30 a.m.
St. Anthony Chamber of Commerce Coffee Club. Business networking and event
information. 2852 Johnson St. saint-anthony.coffee
club.
Multiple communities
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Thursday, February 2,
2017, 6:30-8p.m.
Black History Month: Movie Night. A movie will be offered every Thursday in the month of February to honor Black History Month. Central Gym. 3400 Fourth Ave. S.
Black
History Movies.
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February 4-5,
10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Health Life Expo, Minneapolis Convention Center. 200
local and national exhibitors showcasing health and wellness. Minneapolis Convention Center, 1301 2nd HealthLifeExpo.com.
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Monday, February 6, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
Job Development Career Fair, featuring over 25 employers. Sabathani Community Center, 310 E. 38th St., Minneapolis. Career Fair.
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Saturday, February 11, 9:30 a.m.
Twin Cities Snow Shoe Shuffle. Participants
from around the country participate in this fun and challenging winter race.
Proceeds will go
towards scholarships for urban youth to attend Camp Bovey. Sponsored by Eastside Neighborhood Services. Long Lake
Regional Park, New Brighton. esns.org.
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