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FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Carolyn
Marinan, Communications, 612-348-5969
County board actions
The board approved funding for a regional energy benchmarking program, approved agreements that will move the Highway 252 project in Brooklyn Park and Brooklyn Center forward, accepted a grant to provide navigators for youth experiencing homelessness, approved funding to provide housing and support for youth aging out of county services and more.
 County program will help cities improve building
energy efficiency
The board approved funding to develop a consistent building energy benchmarking program for cities across the county and region. Energy benchmarking helps building owners evaluate energy performance and identify conservation opportunities.
Local governments across the country, including the City of Minneapolis, have passed policies that require building owners to track their energy use. This new program will provide resources to cities interested in implementing these types of ordinances. Owners with multiple buildings across the county will have one reporting system and the same support to reach energy-saving goals.
On Tuesday, the board accepted a $50,000 grant from the McKnight Foundation and approved a $105,000 agreement with a consultant to develop the program.
Read
more about this board action.
Read
more about how the program works.
The board approved agreements that will move forward with the Highway 252 project in Brooklyn Park and Brooklyn Center. Five of the six intersections in this corridor are among the 100 most dangerous in the state, with a high number and severity of crashes, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT). This project has developed concepts to address safety concerns and convert the corridor into a freeway.
In September, the Federal Highway Administration recommended that the project begin its next step of preparing an environmental document, which will outline any potential environmental impacts and strategies to mitigate them. Hennepin County is entering a cost-sharing agreement in which the cities and MnDOT will fund nearly 75 percent of the cost for the environmental review work.
Read
more about these agreements.
Read more about
this project.
The board accepted a grant to change the county's approach to assisting minors ages 15 to 17 experiencing homelessness. A Minnesota Department of Human Services grant will fund the work of two navigators who will help minors exit homelessness through family reunification and connections to benefits, housing and supportive services.
Read
more about this project.
The board approved $323,500 to provide stable housing and services for youth ages 18 to 24 involved in or aging out of county services. This initiative will build on the success of similar county programs working with segments of the same population.
Read
more about this initiative.
The board accepted a $50,000 grant from the Annie E. Casey Foundation to develop a local assessment tool that considers racial disparities while improving the accuracy of risk prediction, particularly for those most disproportionately represented in the Hennepin County juvenile justice system. This work is part of the county's Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative, a partnership working to create a system that produces positive outcomes for youth, families and the community.
Read the board action.
Learn
about opportunities to participate in the assessment tool project.
Learn
more about the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative.
The board appointed the following candidates:
County Extension Committee (University of Minnesota Extension)
Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act Board
- Sarah Gutzman
- Lolita Davis Carter
Current and archival board meetings, agendas and minutes are available online. View at www.hennepin.us/boardmeetings.
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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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