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Greetings,
I hope you are enjoying my electronic newsletters, and find them interesting and informative about county activities. In addition to my monthly newsletter, the county sends various newsletters and notifications available by email or text message. To explore the many opportunities to subscribe or to change your preferences, visit the subscription webpage.
Please feel free to send me your comments through my feedback form on issues that concern you or you would like covered. I value your opinions.
Warm regards,
Jan Callison
July 24, 2018
Board approves initial design for regional
medical examiner's facility
A new regional medical
examiner’s facility is expected to open as early as 2021 in Minnetonka. The
board approved the initial design and a contract to develop further plans for
the facility.
Hennepin County will enter
a $3.9 million contract with Leo A Daly Company to continue architectural and
engineering services throughout the duration of the project.
Feasibility study approved for mental health
housing option
The board approved a study
on potentially converting the Adult Corrections Facility Work Release building
in Plymouth to secure mental health stabilization housing. This proposed
facility is one way the county could help meet the complex health and human
services needs of people with serious mental health conditions who are involved
with the criminal justice system. Earlier this year, the board also accepted
state grant funding for a mental health triage program in Downtown Minneapolis
that would address immediate needs of people in crisis and direct them to
long-term supports.
Read more about
this action.
Board sets maximum levies for watersheds
The board approved plan amendments and/or maximum levies for the
following watersheds:
Callison, Opat appointed to canvassing board
The board appointed District 1 Commissioner Mike Opat and me to the canvassing board, which will review and release official results for the upcoming primary and general elections.
Read more about this action.
Member appointed to workforce board
The board appointed Emily Watts to the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Board.
Read more about this action.
In
addition to our regularly scheduled board meetings, the board often meets on
Thursday mornings to receive board briefings. These are informal
opportunities to discuss emerging issues. No votes are taken. Board
briefings occur in the board room on the 24th floor of the Hennepin County
Government Center and are open to the public.
July 12, 2018
Economic Development
The Board was briefed on the county’s
current economic development focus and activities. Hennepin County defines
economic development as a set of programs and policies that aid in the
creation, retention, and expansion of jobs; the development of a stable tax
base, enhancement of wealth, and interruption of generational poverty. County
staff created an economic development framework based on the definition that
includes: enhancing livability, attracting private investment, supporting
entrepreneurs and grow businesses. Today, Hennepin County is home to 11
fortune 500 companies, has 914,221 jobs, and five communities within the
county have been named “best places to live.”
Recycling
County staff presented proposed revisions
to the recycling ordinance (#13). The revisions include new city and business
requirements for recycling organics and improvements to conventional recycling
at multifamily properties and businesses. Staff have been engaging the public
on curbside organic recycling and incorporated the feedback they have received
to ensure the ordinance fits our community needs. This policy change will help
the County achieve recycling goals and eliminate landfilling. This fall the
Board will hold a public hearing and vote on the proposed revisions.
July 26, 2018
Drainage ditch system
Staff briefed the Board on
the county’s drainage ditch system. It has been over 50 years since any major
changes were done to the ditch system, which is why staff is recommending a
proactive 10 year strategic plan. County
staff propose to work with residents to restore drainage ditch systems while
improving water quality, including preventing and capturing pollution to
improve downstream lakes and rivers.
August 7, 2018
National Night Out
National Night Out is a great way to join your friends and neighbors for some community comradery. If you are not sure where to find an event, visit your cities webpage or the National Night Out webpage for more information.
August 13, 2018
Absentee voting
Eligible voters can vote absentee — either in-person or by mail — now through August 13.
As of Monday, July 30, at 8 a.m. in Hennepin County:
- Total ballots issued (mail and
in-person absentee voting) – 19,900
- Ballots issued since Monday,
July 23 – 5,400
- Total ballots received and
accepted (mail and in-person absentee voting) – 9,500
- Ballots received and accepted
since Monday, July 23 – 3,300
For comparison, the final count of absentee ballots received and
accepted in the 2016 primary was nearly 8,000. The final count of absentee
ballots received and accepted in the 2014 primary was just over 9,000. The 2018
primary has already surpassed these two elections, with 9,500 ballots received
and accepted to date in Hennepin County.
Hennepin County cities with the highest numbers of absentee
voters:
- Minneapolis: 4,990
- Bloomington: 535
- Plymouth: 530
- Edina: 470
Pre-registered voters
Hennepin County has
749,000 pre-registered voters for the Minnesota primary. Pre-registration ended
July 24.
View
your sample ballot from the Secretary of State’s website.
Learn more
about preparing to vote.
Learn more
about absentee voting.
August 14, 2018
Primary Election day
August 14 is Minnesota's primary election day. Voters can register at their
polling place on Minnesota primary day, August 14.
Voters also can look up their polling place, sample ballot,
voter registration status, and absentee ballot status at mnvotes.org.
For more information about elections and voting in Hennepin
County, visit hennnepin.us/elections.
August 17, 2018
Revisions to Hennepin
County’s recycling ordinance now available for public comment
The
county has released its draft revisions to the recycling ordinance
(ordinance #13 source separation of solid waste) to include new requirements.
Key
provisions being considered include:
- Requirements for businesses
that generate large quantities of food waste to implement food waste
recycling by 2020
- Requirements for cities to
offer curbside organics recycling service to residents by 2022
- Updates to the multifamily
recycling requirements to add service level standards and education and
labeling requirements.
- Requirements for businesses to
meet the state recycling requirements, service level standards, and
labeling requirements.
Provide feedback
Lake Minnetonka bridge inspections
 On July 24, bridge maintenance crews used boats to conduct inspections on three county road bridges:
- Tonkawa Road Bridge (County Road 135) over Maxwell Channel in Orono
- Shoreline Drive Bridge (County Road 15) over Tanager Channel in Wayzata
- Bushaway Road Bridge (County Road 101) over Grays Bay in Wayzata
Each Hennepin County bridge is inspected regularly, typically every one to two years. The methods depend on location and include using boats, bucket trucks called snooper trucks or walking on and under the bridge deck.
A bridge inspection allows our engineers and technicians to thoroughly check its condition to determine if preventative maintenance work is needed.
Be
prepared for your beach party
Hennepin
County samples and analyzes the water at 31 public swimming beaches. Before you
pack up your beach towel, check to make sure the location is open and available
for swimming. Beaches not on the map are monitored by another municipality.
Check out the beach safety map
Funding available to cities
to establish organics recycling drop-off sites
Hennepin
County has funding available for cities to establish organics
recycling drop-off sites. Recycling organic materials, like food,
non-recyclable paper and compostable products, is the best opportunity to
reduce our trash and achieve our goal of sending zero waste to landfills.
Organics
drop-off sites increase access to organics recycling for all residents,
especially those living in multifamily properties without access to city
service and those in cities that don’t offer service. Drop offs also raise
awareness about the benefits of organics recycling and build interest in
additional programs.
Up
to $15,000 is available for each organics recycling drop-off site for up to
three sites in a city. See the organics recycling
drop-off funding guidelines to learn more.
For more information,
contact Ben Knudson at ben.knudson@hennepin.us
or 612-596-1176.
County Road 112 in Long Lake and Orono
Full closure of Wayzata
Boulevard begins Monday
On
Monday, August 6, Wayzata Boulevard (County Road 112) will close to through
traffic between Wolf Pointe Trail and Wayzata Boulevard West, near the Highway
12 ramps.
The
closure is needed to safely and efficiently replace three underground utility
crossings located underneath the roadway throughout the phase 2 corridor.
Weather
permitting, the underground utility work, grading and paving is expected to
take seven days to complete.
This
is the second of three scheduled full closures on Wayzata Boulevard this year.
The final closure will occur in late fall.
Reminder: Detour route will
be in place for full closure
During
the closure, through traffic will be detoured using Highway 12.
Due
to the nature of the work, the geography of the area and the levels of traffic
local streets are designed for, all through motor vehicle traffic on Wayzata
Boulevard will need to use the official detour to get around the closure.
Using
the detour will keep our crews safe. It will also keep you from experiencing
delays and getting frustrated. And it keeps the neighborhood traffic safer for
the individuals and families who live, work and play in the area.
We
appreciate your cooperation and understanding.
Local access during the
closure
We
will maintain access for local residents and to businesses in the immediate
closure area. This means you will still be able to get to your home, place of
work or favorite business.
However,
the closure location with shift every one to three days, and will affect how
you get in and out from your neighborhood.
Traffic
changes, construction crews and work zones on Wayzata Boulevard will demand
your extra attention. For your safety and the safety of our crews, we ask that
you slow down where crews are working.
Signage
will be provided to help guide local residents, visitors and business patrons
accessing the area.
Below
is a map showing the corridor and the three locations of the work.
Keep
in mind, the schedule is subject to change. We will post daily updates on the project website to keep you up to date. We anticipate
closures in these areas on these dates:
Location
1: Monday
morning, August 6 – Tuesday afternoon, August 7
- Closed between the two
entrances of Birches on the Lake, east of Wolf Pointe Trail.
Location
2: Tuesday
afternoon, August 7 – Friday morning, August 10
- Closed at Heather Lane. Heather
Lane entrance will also close.
Location
3: Friday
afternoon, August 10 – Saturday evening, August 11
- Closed at Greenhill Lane.
Greenhill Lane entrance will also close.
Crews
will return on Monday, August 13, to pave all the crossings before reopening
the road to all traffic by Tuesday, August 14. We will pave the crossings half
at a time in order to maintain access for local traffic.
Traffic shifts starting
Friday
Friday shift between Martha
Lane and Wolf Pointe Trail
On
Friday, August 3, both directions of traffic will shift to the northern half of
Wayzata Boulevard between Martha Lane and Wolf Pointe Trail.
The
traffic shift will allow crews to remove the temporary bypass and construct the
permanent roadway features along the southern half.
Saturday shift between Old
Long Lake Road to Wayzata Boulevard West
On
Saturday, August 4, both directions of traffic will shift to the northern half
of Wayzata Boulevard between Old Long Lake Road and Wayzata Boulevard
West.
The
traffic shift will allow crews to begin reconstruction along the southern half
of Wayzata Boulevard.
Similar
to the work between Wolf Pointe Trail and Old Long Lake Road, crews are
temporarily widening the shoulder to accommodate both directions of traffic
during reconstruction on the southern half of Wayzata Boulevard. This temporary
configuration will remain in place for approximately up to two
months. Crews will return this fall to construct permanent roadway
features to include the new trail.
Trail paved along the
shoreline
Last
week, crews working on the reconstruction of the Long Lake shoreline paved the
new shoreline trail. For your safety, the trail will remain closed for the next
week or two while crews are working in the area.
This
week, crews will focus their attention on:
- Placing topsoil along the
boulevards and behind the trail
- Installing new ornamental
fencing along the shoreline
Sidewalk work complete
between Mill Street and Martha Lane
Last
week, crews poured new concrete sidewalk and pedestrian curb ramps between Mill
Street and Martha Lane.
With this segment completed, all sidewalk and pedestrian curb ramp
construction through downtown Long Lake is complete and open for people to use. And, the corridor between Willow Drive and
Wolf Pointe Trail will have sidewalk and trail access once the shoreline trail
opens.
Underground work continues
along southern half of Wayzata Boulevard
This
week, crews are continuing pavement removals, underground utility work and
grading along the southern half of Wayzata Boulevard between Wolf Pointe Trail
and Greenhill Lane.
Intermittent side street
closures this week
During
this work, there will be intermittent closures of Glenmoor, Heather, Russell
and Greenhill lanes entrances as crews continue work in the area.
Local
residents and their visitors on these four connecting streets will still have
access during these intermittent closures as we will keep at least one entrance
open at all times.
Shoulder strengthening work
continues along northern half of Wayzata Boulevard
On July 24, crews graded the widened shoulder along the northern
half of Wayzata Boulevard between Old Long Lake Road and the Luce Line Trail
overpass.
The
shoulder is being temporarily widened to accommodate both directions of traffic
during reconstruction on the southern half. Grading will provide extra
strength to support traffic when traffic shifts to the northern half of Wayzata
Boulevard in mid-August.
After
the widening and strengthening work is completed, crews will return to pave
this segment.
Driveway access impacts
This
work will not impact through traffic or access to city streets. However, there
will be brief closures to driveways along the northern half of Wayzata
Boulevard between Old Long Lake Road and Luce Line Trail overpass. Impacted
residents will be notified.
Contact
hennepin.us/countyroad112
612-543-4275
countyroad112@hennepin.us
The yearlong renovation of Ridgedale Library is nearly complete. A grand opening celebration will be held on Monday, September 24, at 5:00 p.m.
When the library reopens on the evening of Monday, September 24, patrons will find an updated space that includes:
- A reconfigured floor plan that makes the library more open and easier to navigate
- Large windows that flood the space with natural light
- New carpeting and paint
- A public art piece overlooking the pond
Reconfigured for patrons
New seating options offer additional flexibility for patrons' needs, including quiet study, family reading and collaborative work spaces. New reading spaces include colorful, comfortable reading nooks near the windows and among the shelves. Added meeting room space has been fitted with audio-visual connectivity for video chatting and online collaboration.
Areas for children, from preschool to teens, will include interactive learning elements and spaces to work and play together.
Patrons also will find updated restrooms, a more accessible parking lot and a single service desk that will improve service.
Grand opening events
The library will open with a ribbon cutting on September 24 at 5:00 p.m. and will remain open until 9:00 p.m. that evening.
Regular library hours will resume on Tuesday, September 25:
- Tuesday 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.
- Wednesday 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.
- Thursday 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.
- Friday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- Saturday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- Sunday 12 - 5 p.m.
- Monday 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.
More information about this building project
 The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners consists of one commissioner from each of seven districts. I am proud to represent Deephaven, north Eden Prairie, Edina, Excelsior, Greenwood, Hopkins, Long Lake, Minnetonka, Minnetonka Beach, northern Mound, Orono, Shorewood, Spring Park, Tonka Bay, Wayzata and Woodland.
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Jan Callison
Commissioner
6th District
612-348-7886
Allyson Sellwood
Policy Aide
612-348-6885
Christine Hoyles
Administrative Assistant
612-348-3168
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