Metro Transit is the recipient of named American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) 2016 Outstanding Public Transportation System Achievement Award, or “System of the Year”. APTA announced the award in their Passenger Transport magazine last month. This award is an acknowledgement of the hard work of 3,200 dedicated Metro Transit employees who contributed to record ridership, the expansion of routes, like the light right and rapid bus service (A Line), but also improvements to existing service by adding high frequency and night owl service. Improvements to our transit system have created more equitable communities which are more economically competitive and sustainable.

Metro Transit will celebrate this recognition with customers and staff at a special appreciation event at Target Field Station on Saturday, Sept. 24. Activities will begin at 4 p.m. and continue through that night's Twins game versus the Seattle Mariners.

While we’re celebrating the system we have today, we’re also planning for the system we will need in the future. On Thursday, Aug. 31 the Metropolitan Council, Counties Transit Improvement Board (CTIB), and Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority voted to approve additional funding for the Southwest LRT project – the key piece necessary to secure more than $900 million in federal funds for the project.

Read more about the full details on the Council, CTIB, and Hennepin County actions, as well as what it means for the Southwest LRT project moving forward.

I want to thank Chair Duininck for his work on this project. I also want to thank Gov. Dayton for getting us to this spot – it’s not my preferred funding package in part because it’s not part of a full statewide package that addresses all of Minnesota’s transit and transportation needs. But we were able to come up with this proposal that will get this critical project over the finish line.

This is also a critical project because the Metropolitan Council uses data about population and job growth to help direct public infrastructure investments to help grow our region’s economy for everyone. We know there’s a mismatch in our region between where jobs are and where potential employees live. University of Minnesota researchers show that transit investments – including the Southwest LRT line – will dramatically improve access to jobs.

This line will help employers, employees, families, our region’s economy, and our state’s economy.

This vote allows the Council to leave an important legacy that doesn’t just meet the needs we see today, but invests in the future of our region, an investment that will sow benefits long after we’re gone.

As always, if you have any questions for me about an issue you’re facing that where the Met Council can be helpful, please don’t hesitate to contact me!

Thanks!

Cara Letofsky

Metropolitan Council Member for District 8 (Northeast Minneapolis, Southeast Minneapolis, parts of South Minneapolis, and St. Anthony Village)

The Metropolitan Council is taking steps to ensure that equity is considered when it invests funding into the regional park system. The Council voted recently to approve the Regional Parks System Equity Toolkit recommendations, which is meant to guide future decisions on park system improvements, programming and policy decisions.

“The people who visit our region’s parks should look like the people who make up the population of the region,” said Metropolitan Council Chair Adam Duininck. “We need to be thoughtful and deliberate in looking at how decisions around funding and programming impact whether our parks are welcoming to all residents. I appreciate the time and energy from all the stakeholders who helped develop this toolkit.”

Previous park usage surveys have found that of the roughly 47 million annual visitors to the regional park system, only 10% of those are people of color. In 2010 people of color comprised 24% of the region’s population and that percentage is expected to grow to 40% by 2040.

The adopted toolkit will be applied to approximately $25 million in investments in regional park and trails annually. The toolkit will be one part of the overall decision-making process, ensuring that equity is part of the deliberations as investments are made in regional parks.

Learn more about the Regional Parks Policy Plan or the current job opportunity for Parks Ambassador (closes Sept. 6).

The Council has awarded four Livable Communities grants in support of Lennar Development’s NordHaus project at the historic Superior Plating site. Livable Communities grants have assisted with soil remediation, soil vapor mitigation and ground water monitoring, as well as funds for sidewalks, public art, placemaking features and publically accessible bike racks. This project includes 280 market-rate apartments and 22,000 square feet of commercial space with structured parking.

Minneapolis is an active participant in the Livable Communities program. These grants encourage development that will lead to the preservation or growth of living-wage jobs and that enhance the tax base of the recipient city. This project will assist the city in achieving those goals.