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Dear Neighbors and Friends,
In this newsletter you'll find updated information on the county's continued COVID-19 response and services, detailed information about Metro Transit route changes, and an overview of the reopening of the Fremont Avenue Bridge over the Midtown Greenway.
I also want to carryover my ask from the previous newsletter to complete the 2020 Census, and to make a vote plan for the November 3rd election. Please continue to be in touch with my office with questions, comments, and suggestions.
My best,
Apply for help with rent and housing costs at hennepin.us/housing-help
Even though renters cannot be evicted under new orders from the State of Minnesota and Centers for Disease Control, your rent is still due and you will be responsible for unpaid rent and bills when these orders are lifted.
Don’t let unpaid housing costs add up. If you have been financially harmed by COVID-19, help is available to cover rent, mortgage payments and utilities.
Both Hennepin County and the State of Minnesota have emergency housing assistance programs. However, if you live in Hennepin County, more funding may be available to you if you start your application at www.hennepin.us/housing-help. The web page will direct you to the best program for your situation.
You can apply and receive assistance multiple times. Don’t wait. Apply now to get help as soon as possible.
Free Meals for Kids 18 and Younger
Starting today, Sept. 8, free meal boxes are once again available to all Minneapolis families with children ages 18 and younger. Similar to the free food box program Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) operated in the spring and summer, all families are welcome to participate at no cost – children do not need to be enrolled at an MPS school. Families can pick up one box per child per week. Each box contains five breakfasts and five lunches with fresh produce and whole grains. Milk is available upon request.
Meal boxes are available for pickup Monday through Friday at 29 school sites across Minneapolis. Most sites will be open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and few will have extended hours until 5 p.m. Find the full list of pickup sites and hours here. Questions? Call 612-668-2820 or email info.cws@mpls.k12.mn.us.
Free Online Tutoring Available Through Library
School is back in session, though it looks very different this year. Still, Hennepin County Library continues to provide free homework help resources – including online tutors – for all ages. Online tutors are available every day from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. and can provide help in English or Spanish. Get information on tutoring and other homework help resources here. Folks can access these resources using their Hennepin County Library card (if you don’t have one, see how to apply for one or get a temporary e-card here).
 I'm excited to announce that Hennepin County completed its reconstruction of the Fremont Avenue bridge over the Midtown Greenway.
A big thank you to Hennepin County public works and the crews that made the more than 100-year old bridge restoration happen. The new design and completed project includes many updates— take a look below!:
Improvements
- Reconnects Fremont Avenue for residents to use to get to their homes, visit places of business and access nearby city and county roads
- Honors original design and historic character of the corridor, while providing the benefits of a modern bridge that helps people driving, biking, walking and rolling
- Safe to cross and will last for many years
- Better experience for people walking, rolling and biking both on and under the bridge (Midtown Greenway)
- Accommodates potential future improvements in the Midtown Corridor
Features
Updated and improved
- New bridge deck and foundation
- New city watermain underneath the Greenway trail
- New Greenway trail pavement
- New retaining wall supporting the Greenway trail
Safer and more accessible
- Wider sidewalks (10 feet) along both sides of the bridge.
- New curb ramps that meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards
- Reduced pedestrian crossing distance at both ends of the bridge
- New lighting underneath the bridge
Construction effort
- Construction began in August 2019
- Experience, hard work and dedication essential to getting projects like this completed
- A collaborative effort between county, agency and community partners including local businesses, Midtown Greenway Coalition, Minnesota Department of Transportation, state historical offices and City of Minneapolis
- Included removing old bridge, updating utilities, building new foundation, pouring new deck and updating trail
- Not fully complete, as construction staff continue to work on the bridge, including minor construction activities and cleaning up the project area to close out the project. Be safe around crews working in the area still.
- Anticipate all the remaining work (except some architectural panels) to be completed by the end of this month
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The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way communities come together to safely use our valued public spaces and to support local businesses. To help cities, communities and businesses navigate this new and dynamic landscape, Hennepin County has been working with the Musicant Group to collect and share best practices for public spaces and business districts. In May, we announced the creation of two toolkits that provide ideas on innovative ways to use public space during this time.
As circumstances have continued to evolve, new strategies and content have been added to the latest versions:
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Parks, Streets and Neighborhoods toolkit 2.0: crafted to help support safe public spaces that foster healthy and active communities during COVID-19. This latest version also addresses racial disparities in open space during COVID-19 and provides some resources.
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Business Districts toolkit 2.0: designed for commercial districts and to help small businesses navigate the challenges of COVID-19.
Funding is available to help cities implement some of the strategies identified in the toolkits. Contact Denise Engen at Denise.Engen@hennepin.us to see if your project is a fit.
New community testing webpage:
Hennepin County collaborates with communities to provide free COVID-19 community testing events in areas with outbreaks, increasing cases, and barriers to testing like insurance and transportation.
Visit our webpage to learn about upcoming events, what to expect at an event, and more: hennepin.us/testing
City of Minneapolis community testing events:
The City of Minneapolis is offering free COVID-19 tests and flu shots on the following dates. All are welcome.
- COVID-19 tests: September 11, 12, 19 and 26
- Flu shots: September 11 and 12
Learn more: bit.ly/2YYTAqe
Changes to many routes will start today September 12.
As part of the ongoing, shared effort to limit the spread of COVID-19 and respond to changes in travel demand, Metro Transit will continue to refine its service schedule with changes starting on Saturday, Sept. 12. We are adding trips to routes where ridership demand is increasing and suspending service on a few more routes where ridership is expected to remain low through the fall. We are focusing our resources in areas where they are most needed to provide critical travel during this ongoing crisis.
Metro Transit regularly monitors ridership to see if changes such as extra trips or larger vehicles are needed to help customers maintain social distancing onboard.
Summary of Metro Transit service beginning Saturday, Sept. 12:
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These bus routes will operate NEW full WEEKDAY schedules, with many routes receiving increased hours of service and/or trip frequency:
2, 3, 5, 6, 10, 11, 14, 16, 17, 18, 21, 22, 25, 27, 61, 63, 64, 68, 74, 80, 83, 94, 219, 538, 604, 612, 615, 716, 717, 721, 723, 755, 801, 805, 852, METRO A Line and METRO C Line.
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Hours of service and/or trip frequency will improve for these local routes, compared to service running in summer of 2020:
4, 7, 9, 12, 19, 23, 30, 32, 46, 54, 62, 65, 67, 71, 87, 225, 227, 535, 539, 540, 645, 705, 722, 724 & 831.
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These bus routes will have a reduced hours of service and/or trip frequency, compared to service running in summer of 2020:
70, 75 & 515.
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Some commuter express routes will continue to operate at a modified level:
134, 250, 264, 270, 294, 353, 553, 578, 597, 663, 664, 667, 670, 756, 760, 761, 763, 764, 766, 768, 824 & 850.
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New route 363 will replace routes 361 and 365.
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These bus routes will continue to be suspended:
39, 53, 59, 111, 113, 114, 115, 118, 129, 133, 135, 146, 156, 223, 252, 261, 262, 263, 265, 272, 275, 288, 350, 351, 355, 364, 375, 415, 417, 452, 467, 537, 542, 552, 554, 558, 579, 588, 589, 643, 652, 668, 671, 672, 673, 677, 679, 758, 762, 767, 825, 854 & 860.
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These routes will now be suspended due to low ridership:
141, 765 & 865.
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Daily light rail service will continue to operate between approximately 5 a.m. and 11 p.m. with improved frequency.
(METRO Blue Line airport shuttle between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 stations continues to operate 24 hours-a-day. Select trips extend to 28th Ave. station.)
Sign up for Rider Alerts at metrotransit.org/alerts to learn about future changes to your specific routes via text or email.
As the pandemic continues, remember:
- Face coverings are required while riding buses/trains. Children under age 2, and those who have trouble breathing or are unable to remove the face covering without assistance are exempt. Get details on face coverings.
- Please board through the front door and exit through the back to increase social distancing.
- When boarding, if the bus does not have space to allow adequate social distancing, the driver will display "Next Bus Please" on the overhead sign, notifying customers that they need to wait for the next trip.
- Light rail service operates between 5 a.m. and 11 p.m. daily.
(METRO Blue Line airport shuttle between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 stations continues to operate.)
- Transit Information is available by phone (612-373-3333) and text (612-444-1161) Monday-Friday 6:30 a.m. – 9 p.m. and at Service Centers in downtown St. Paul and Minneapolis – hours and locations here. Customer Relations is available by phone (612-373-3333) and online Monday-Friday 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Continue to watch metrotransit.org/health for the latest information.
Check your route for a summary of service.
Please keep in mind these important election-related dates:
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September 18: Absentee ballots sent out for those who have already requested one; in-person early voting for the general election begins
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October 13: Pre-registration ends at 5 p.m. for the general election
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November 2: In-person early voting for the general election ends at 5 p.m.
November 3: General/Presidential Election Day
A record number of people are voting by mail in 2020, but we still need election judges at polling places for the general election on November 3. Any eligible voter who can read, write and speak English can apply – and multilingual judges are particularly important. Judges receive training and are paid for their time.
We are taking every precaution to ensure polling places are safe for both voters and election judges during this COVID-19 pandemic.
Learn more and apply to become an election judge.
Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing
- Tuesday, September 15, 1:30 p.m.
Provide public comment on the Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing, a comprehensive report to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on metro-wide barriers to fair housing, segregation, affordability, and disparities in housing between racial and ethnic groups. The report provides an in-depth analysis of regional fair housing issues and provides detailed recommendations to mitigate barriers to fair housing.
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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