 This week I had the opportunity to take a visit to the beautiful Cullen Nature Preserve in Minnetonka! The City of Minnetonka owns the 30-acre preserve, which is protected under a conservation easement with the Minnetonka Land Trust.
The Friends of Cullen Nature Preserve are working in partnership with the City of Minnetonka to help facilitate the restoration of the property, and low-impact, passive use opportunities, where people can foster understanding and enjoyment of the natural world through bird watching, nature study, hiking, and quiet reflection.
Hennepin County has invested $25,000 through their Good Steward Grant for the City of Minnetonka and the Friends of Cullen Nature Preserve. This grant has gone toward implementing the first phase of a habitat management plan to restore degraded mature oak woodland brushland and savannah and protect critical habitat in the 30-acre Preserve.
I am grateful to Friends of Cullen Nature Preserve for their work and advocacy to conserve our land and to protect our vital oak ecosystems. To learn more about Hennepin Good Steward Grants, follow this link.
 On Tuesday Commissioner Goettel and I provided our annual Hennepin County update to the city of Eden Prairie. Thank you to Mayor Ron Case and the entire Eden Prairie City Council for welcoming us to Tuesday’s meeting. We are grateful for your leadership in our community.
 Join me for our June Coffee with the Commissioner event tomorrow, June 17th at Hopkins Library. We will meet in the main meeting room, from 10:00am-11:00am. Coffee will be provided—we hope to see you there!
RSVP below or feel free to just show up!
Coffee with the Commissioner | Facebook
 The Hennepin County Board has awarded $2.2 million to six Transit Oriented Development (TOD) projects. These projects will create 462 mixed-income housing units near transit, commercial space to support 25 businesses, and 325 new or retained jobs. The TOD program creates walkable, mixed-use, human-centered communities around high-quality transit service.
I'm thrilled to see District 6 represented in these six TOD projects as 325 Blake, located in Hopkins, is underway. This project is a two-phased, mixed-use development that provides 800 housing units, including 200 affordable unites, 18,000 square feet of commercial space, and expands the Minnehaha Creek Greenway.
Learn more about all TOD projects below:
Transit Oriented Development (hennepin.us)
 Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. This year marks two years since Juneteenth was declared a national holiday.
Here are just a few of the ways you can celebrate Juneteenth in Hennepin County:
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Northside Stop the Violence BBQ on Friday, June 16, from Noon – 6:00 p.m. at Shiloh Temple – 1201 West Broadway Avenue, Minneapolis
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Minneapolis Juneteenth: Celebrating Freedom Day Event on Saturday, June 17, from Noon – 6:00 p.m. at Bethune Park – 1304 N. 10th Ave. Mpls, MN 55411
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Brooklyn Park Juneteenth Celebration on Saturday, June 17, from 1 p.m. – 7 p.m. at North Hennepin Community College Campus - 411 85TH Ave No., Brooklyn Park, MN 55445
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Won’t Take Nothing for my Journey Now – a Juneteenth writing workshop on Thursday, June 22, from 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. at Hennepin County North Regional Library
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Hennepin County Libraries Juneteenth Stories on Monday, June 26, 2023, from 5:30PM – 6:15PM at Hennepin County Sumner Library
Most Hennepin County offices and departments, including libraries and license service centers, will be closed Monday, June 19, for Juneteenth.
See below for details:
County buildings | Hennepin County
Hennepin County Library is accepting applications for a formal Library Youth Advisory Committee! Hennepin County Commissioners will appoint a total of 14 youth – two for each district – for one-year-terms.
The committee was created to provide youth with real-world opportunities to influence library resources, spaces, and practices to make them increasingly accessible and appealing to all youth. Committee members will develop their leadership abilities and gain lifelong skills for civic engagement.
Applicants must:
- Live in Hennepin County
- Be 16-19 years old
- Be able to serve a 1-year term (September 2023 – August 2024)
- Commit to a monthly meeting
Hennepin County Library is committed to supporting Youth Advisory Committee members. The library will work to ensure that technology, internet access, and transportation are not barriers to participation.
Apply online—this year’s application deadline is Friday, June 23.
If you have questions, please contact Bernie Farrell: bfarrell@hclib.org or 612-543-8141
Read more and apply below:
Youth leadership opportunity at Hennepin County Library | Hennepin County (hclib.org)
By: Ben Henry, KSTP
June 14, 2023
"Hennepin County is investing nearly $1 million to address a shortage in lifeguards.
Commissioners say it’s an issue that the county has been dealing with for two years. During their board meeting June 6, the $990,000 investment was unanimously approved."
Access the full story here.
By: Susan Du, Star Tribune
June 11, 2023
"Where Minnehaha Creek snakes through the west metro suburbs, a mission to mend the strained relationship between the water and the cities that crowd its banks has reached its final phase.
Construction has begun on the capstone of a 15-year series of multimillion-dollar projects by the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District to restore one of the creek's most populous —and polluted — stretches. The water already is significantly cleaner as it flows past Hopkins and St. Louis Park. Soon efforts will focus eastward in Minneapolis – with the goal of getting Lake Hiawatha delisted from the state index of impaired waters."
Access the full story here.
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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Chris LaTondresse
Commissioner
6th District
612-348-7886
Ella Eliason
District Director
612-348-6885
Kyle Olson
Policy Director
612-348-3168
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