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Greetings! We hope our newsletter serves as a resource for
staying connected to Hennepin County activities and staying updated on county
news and services.
As always, please reach out with questions, comments, or to
learn more about how to get involved.
My best,
 Hennepin County partnered with the Minnesota Department of Transportation and other agencies and community organizations to demonstrate use of the EasyMile EZ10 electric autonomous shuttle on a two-block section of the Midtown Greenway in Minneapolis the weekend of April 27-29.
Autonomous vehicles are no longer a thing of the future, and Hennepin County is interested in learning more about how the technology could work as one piece of a broader transportation system. The county has no current plans to implement an autonomous shuttle or other forms of autonomous transportation.
Learn more here.
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The Minneapolis Farmers Market will return to the Hennepin County Government Center South Plaza (South 7th St and 3rd Ave) from May – October. A variety of vendors will sell fresh produce, flowers and more, Tuesdays 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. |
The Farmers Market was previously held on Thursdays at the Government Center. The Thursday market will be located on Nicollet Mall this year.
Learn more here.
April 10
Board awards Hennepin Youth Sports grants
The board awarded annual grant funding to Hennepin Youth Sports for playground and small equipment projects including:
- Washburn High School, track and field equipment
- Nokomis East Neighborhood Association, youth sport equipment
- Whittier Neighborhood Center, outdoor sports recreation equipment
Since it began in 2009, Hennepin Youth Sports has awarded $22 million for facility, small equipment and playground projects, along with water safety lessons. Proceeds from the Twins ballpark sales tax support this program.
Read more about Hennepin Youth Sports.
April 24
Expanded Program Aims to Reduce Contracting Disparities
The board approved an action to supplement and enhance a program that promotes inclusion of minority- and women-owned businesses in contracts.
In 2016, the county participated in a joint disparity study led by the state, along with eight other state and local entities. The study documented that, despite the long-term use of a race- and gender-neutral contracting program, substantial disparities continue to exist in contracting dollars awarded to minority-owned and women-owned firms.
The county will take several measures to supplement and enhance its Small Business Enterprise program, its primary method of including local small firms in contracts. Among steps taken the county will:
- Supplement and enhance the county’s Small Business Enterprise Program with narrowly-tailored race and/or gender-conscious contracting opportunities
- Renew its participation in a collaborative that provides business development services and resources to local small businesses
- Streamline affirmative action/equal employment opportunity contract compliance for non-construction vendors
- Coordinate department-level contract inclusion goals
Grants awarded to improve recycling in public spaces
The board awarded grants to improve recycling at parks, along business districts and in sports facilities. Cities will use funding to add more than 150 recycling containers throughout the county.
Cities will purchase recycling containers.
- Minneapolis – Eat Street (Nicollet Avenue) and Stadium Village business districts
- Bloomington Ice Garden
- Brooklyn Park – eight park locations
- Maple Grove Community Center
- Richfield – Wood Lake Nature Center
- Rogers – North Community Park and Veterans’ Memorial Park
- Shorewood Community Center
These grant awards will help meet the county’s goal of recycling 75 percent of waste by 2030.
Read more about these funding awards.
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Brian Shekleton
Fern Hill, St. Louis Park
Principal Aide
Office of Commissioner Peter McLaughlin
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Describe your work.
I
am the Principal Aide to Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin and my
days are incredibly varied. Much of what I do involves constituent work,
strategic communications, and tracking legislative actions and the varying
priorities of other counties and city councils.
What part of your job do you find most challenging?
Keeping
abreast of and staying conversant about the latest practices in fields as
varied as transportation, health care, human services, public safety, and
corrections is a real challenge. The constant education is crucial to
succeeding at my job and while it’s a challenge, it’s also very rewarding.
What do you find most enjoyable?
I
do what I do because I believe in public service. Irrespective of political
affiliation, the people I work with share that belief, they are curious,
opinionated, and want to make our world a better place. We may not always agree
on issues or tactics but our shared values make the job really enjoyable.
What is one thing everyone should know about the work you do?
No issue is too inconsequential or too silly to come
before a county commissioner. I’ll never forget the day a retiree spoke at the
open forum held every two weeks. He asked “Could the County dump less salt on
its roads by using brine instead?” The County engineer stood up to respond and
promised an answer at a later date. Within months Hennepin County had changed
its salting practices.
Mondays with Marion
May and June Schedule
Early spring meetings have been such a joy and so informative, thanks to all who have brought their feedback, ideas, and questions over the last two months. I'm excited to share my "coffee hours" schedule for May and June (I am always available for 1:1 appointments, so don’t feel limited to these hours; if something is on your mind please reach out).
As a reminder, issues are taken up in two week cycles, first on Tuesdays in Committee meetings, then voted on on the following Tuesday during Board meetings. "coffee hours" are planned on Monday evenings the night before Committee meetings.
Mondays before committee meetings, 5pm – 7pm
May 14
- Yum! Kitchen
- 4000 Minnetonka Blvd, St. Louis Park
May 28
- Studio 2
- 818 W 46th St, Minneapolis
June 11
- Wedge Table and Bakery
- 2412 Nicollet Ave S, Minneapolis
June 25
- Butter Bakery and Cafe
- 3700 Nicollet Ave, Minneapolis
Please come with friends, family, community groups, advocacy groups, or with your own perspectives. Contact me office ahead of time, or just show up; I look forward to talking about how to improve our community for everyone.
You're invited. In addition to our regularly scheduled board meetings, the County Board often meets for updates on Thursday mornings. These are informal opportunities to discuss emerging issues. No decisions are made, and topics are subject to change. Board briefings occur in the board room on the 24th floor of the Hennepin County Government Center and are open to the public. Call my office to confirm briefing time and location.
Thursday, May 3:
- 9:30am -10:30am: Pathways to Employment
Thursday, May 17:
Meet a library board member from District 3
Sheila Letscher, of St. Louis Park, recently began service on the Hennepin County Library Board.
Meet Sheila.
Master Gardener: Butterfly Gardening
Saturday, May 12, 10 to 11:30 a.m.
Washburn Library, 5244 Lyndale Avenue South, Minneapolis
Discover the life cycle of a butterfly, learn about choosing host and nectar plants, and get help from a master gardener to take the next step toward creating your own butterfly garden.)
Learn more about this gardening program.
Home is
where the books are
Hennepin
County Library provides books and magazines for residents of Fort Snelling
Upper Post, a housing complex for formerly homeless veterans and their
families. It’s one of many efforts by the library system to serve people who
often face barriers to visiting the library.
Read more about the collection at Fort Snelling Upper
Post.
Learn a
new song
Songbirds
are on the move again. Look up pictures and birdcalls of more than 760 bird
species in the United States and Canada with Birds of North America Online,
accessible with your library card.
Explore Birds of North America Online.
Get a free library card.
Plan a
smart summer
It’s almost
time for summer learning at your local library. Find events and registration
after Friday, May 4, on the Hennepin County Library website, www.hclib.org.
Step your
way through a story
Communities
throughout Hennepin County will be joining the Step to it challenge in May. If you have
decided to participate, add a story to your walk or run with a downloadable
audiobook.
Explore the
library’s resources for audiobooks on the go.
Contact us
Marion Greene
Commissioner, 3rd District
612-348-7883
Elie Farhat
Principal Aide
612-348-7125
Laura Hoffman
District Aide
612-348-0863
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