Hennepin Report, December 2013

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December. 2013


TABLE OF CONTENTS


CONTACT INFO

Please do not reply to this newsletter email. Use my 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


RELATED LINKS


ABOUT THE DISTRICT

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

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Contaminated Land Transformed Into Community Asset

Surly

Surly Brewing will have a new destination brewery that will be located at a site in Prospect Park in Minneapolis. Despite this site being added to the Minnesota Permanent List of Priorities known as “State Superfund List” due to contamination from past uses, Surly is an example of a company that benefited from Hennepin County’s land grant and loan programs to transform contaminated sites into community assets. Such programs will also spur economic growth, create jobs, and generate tax revenue and leverage other investments. Back to top 

Hennepin County Budget Decreased

On December 17, 2013, Hennepin County Board of Commissioners approved a 2014 county budget of $1.78 billion – a 0.57 percent decrease from the 2013 budget, and a 0.98 percent increase in the net property tax levy from 2013. In addition, the board, acting as the Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority (HCRRA), approved an HCRRA budget of $27.7 million, with a proposed property tax levy of $24.0 million – a $3.0 million increase from 2013. The HCRRA seeks to improve rail modes of transportation to reduce traffic congestion and improve mobility. The board, acting as the Hennepin County Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HCRA), also approved an HCHRA budget of $15.2 million, with a proposed property tax levy of $6.97 million – an increase of approximately $535,000 from 2013. The HCHRA authorizes strategic planning and community engagement to serve the housing and economic development and redevelopment of Hennepin County. Back to top 

Hiawatha Corridor becomes more livable

Hiawatha

Longfellow Station is a horizontal mixed-use, urban-infill development with 180 units built at Hiawatha Avenue and 38th Street. The four-story, 10,000 square foot residential apartment building also has commercial/retail space on the ground floor. The commercial part is built to accommodate service retail and professional offices. Panels with historic views of the neighborhood were installed along Hiawatha Avenue and provide visual interest for passers by, softening the streetscape. The Longfellow Station development will hopefully help anchor the transformation of this side of Hiawatha Avenue at the 38th St LRT stop, one of the busiest LRT stops.

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Reducing Trash at Hennepin

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Hennepin County helped Minneapolis switch to single-sort recycling and we are now closer to having every city better process its waste.Inside Hennepin County we have also made dramatic changes to how we handle waste. All County employees now have a new mini trash bin. This mini-bin is the first, big step towards achieving the goal of reducing staff-produced trash by 20%. Back to top 

Hennepin County Natural Resources Interactive Map

Landowners and local governments can now access Hennepin County’s natural resources information through the Natural Resources Interactive Map. This inventory is unique because it classifies every acre in the county in terms of land cover using the Minnesota Land Cover Classification System developed by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources rather than just basic land use information. The interactive map includes detailed information on vegetative cover, natural resource corridors, soils, wetlands, floodplains, geology, topography and the ecological significance of an area. 

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County website redesigned, more user friendly

A newly revamped Hennepin.us departs from the usual in a number of exciting ways: the rebuilt search bar now finds useful information; it is accessible on any device – desktop, laptop, tablet, mobile; information is written in plain language; and the website is organized  with the user in mind.

For the short term, some of the links you have used to find information on our site will change, but a quick search will likely help you find what you need. We apologize for any inconvenience this  might initially create.

Moving forward, the goal is to continue to ensure that important information is easily accessible to residents and partner organizations. We invite you to explore the new site. Our new search engine should help you find the information you need, but if not send an email to  webteam@hennepin.us.

Hennepin County is committed to delivering services to audiences how and when they want them. This is how the county expects to do business in the future and is the first of many steps. View the new design at http://www.hennepin.us. Back to top