Hennepin Report - March 2013

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Dear Friends,

My office has been a busy place recently and a lot has happened since I sent out my last newsletter.

Leveraging $1.2 million in grant money through the Environmental Response Fund, contaminated sites across Hennepin County were cleaned up for forthcoming development.  Youth sports grant money was supported and partially funded a wheelchair softball field, a community pool in the Phillips neighborhood, and a soccer field at El Colegio school on Bloomington Ave and E. 42nd St.  As mill and overlays stabilized Hennepin County roads, bicycle lanes were expanded on Park and Portland Avenues and on E. 42nd St. bike lanes and traffic calming measures were installed.  Small budget changes have now been implemented and domestic abuse and sexual assault victim services were expanded.  Additionally, the Tree Trust Youth Program will now provide more job training and community service opportunities for minors in foster care and probation. 

Juggling these different projects and outcomes is fun and rewarding and that keeps me energized to go into the office every day.  Have a great weekend!

Peter McLaughlin
County Commissioner, District 4

March, 2013


TABLE OF CONTENTS


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Dear friends,

Please do not simply click reply to respond to this newsletter email. Use the following contact information to tell me about your concerns or issues.

Peter McLauglin
Commissioner, 4th District
612-348-7884

Brian Shekleton
Principal Aide
612-348-5204

Dorothy Rucker
Administrative Assistant/ Scheduling
612-348-3204


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This district serves parts of east and downtown Minneapolis, and Fort Snelling


RELATED LINKS


MNDOT replacing two I-94 bridges: Park and Portland

ParkPortlandRedecking

The I-94 bridges to be replaced by MNDOT.

Bridges closing May 6 - August 2013

MNDOT's plans to replace bridge decks on Park Ave and Portland Ave over I-94 were just announced.  Commuters driving or biking into and out of downtown Minneapolis will experience significant detours this summer. 

MNDOT has scheduled a public meeting.
April 17
4:30 to 6:30 p.m. 
St. Paul’s Ev Lutheran Church
1901 Portland Ave.

This is the plan for this summer's detours:

ParkPortlandDetours

Fresh roads, new crosswalks, new curbs, and new bike lanes

PavementPreservation

Pavement Preservation +

An innovative Pavement Preservation Plus experiment is folding the new Active Living and Complete Streets policies into the County's mill and overlay program.  Mill and overlays refresh and extend the lifespan of existing roads by replacing the top layers of pavement with an overlay of fresh asphalt.  Instead of waiting until county roads are totally re-built to fix and install active living infrastructure, mill and overlay plans will now identify opportunities to fix or install bump outs, island medians, signage, and accessibility elements (e.g. pedestrian ramps).


Entrepreneur Education Classes

Congratulations to the African Career, Education and Resource, Inc (ACER) and the Neighborhood Development Center (NDC) for successfully graduating its first class of students from the entrepreneur education program.  The collaborative Corridors of Opportunity identified ACER and the NDC as having mutually benefitting goals and leverage funding from Hennepin County, NEXUS Community Partners, and the Wells Fargo Foundation to cover the cost of classes and hands-on training.

Spring entrepreneur classes will begin soon.  Visit www.ndc-mn.org for more information.


Hennepin County's library, one of the most searched libraries

According to Google, 2012 was a big year for the Hennepin County Libraries.

GoogleLibraries

Congratulations to Linda Berglin and Judy Corrao

The Minnesota Social Service Association (MSSA) recognized Linda Berglin and Judy Corrao for careers dedicated to helping people through social services.

Linda Berglin, a retired legislator and long-time chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Finance committee, received the Morris Hursh Award honoring a Minnesotan who achieved a life-long positive impact on the delivery of human services.  Judy Corrao, a Hennepin County manager of volunteers service and community partnership, was chosen to receive the Individual Distinguished Services Award for her many years of outstanding service and leadership to MSSA.

I have worked very closely with Linda and Judy in St. Paul and at Hennepin County.  They have both been confidants and allies over the years and I count myself fortunate to consider them friends.  Their recognition is warranted and richly deserved.