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In this Issue
Welcome to the New Year! With it comes the
reconvening of new policymakers at both the Minnesota Legislature in St. Paul, and
the U.S. Congress and Presidential administration in Washington D.C. There is much
talk of change in the areas of the Metropolitan Council’s work. While we don't
know yet what the impacts will be to our region or our work at the Metropolitan
Council, we are clear about our priorities for 2017. Regardless of what is
happening at the state and federal level, the Met Council's work for 2017 has
been laid out, most notably in the 2017 budget, which the Council approved at its
last meeting of 2016, on Dec. 14.
Organizational priorities and values are
reflected in annual budgets, and it is no different for the Met Council. If you
were to dig into the Council’s budget presented in the document of more than
100 pages, you'll find that the Met Council's plan for 2017 includes:
$338.9 million for Metro Transit buses, $76.2
million for light rail and $70.8 million for Metro Mobility, collectively providing
100 million rides each year.
$18.7 million for the Livable Communities programs, to invest in new and improved housing, community connections, and recycling polluted lands that help build our region’s tax base.
$66.2 million for the Metro HRA Housing Choice
voucher program, which provides affordable housing opportunities for more than 7,000
low- and moderate-income households.
$37.7 million for capital investments in the regional wastewater treatment system, which is eight treatment facilities, 600 miles of pipes serving 2.8 million residents in 108 communities 24 hours a day, seven days a week at rates 40% lower than the average of our peer regions.
These investments help bring our region closer
to the vision of a place where people and businesses thrive.
Once again, I hope you enjoy the information
shared in this newsletter, and as always, be in touch if you have any questions
for me.
Cara
Metropolitan
Council Member for District 8 (Northeast Minneapolis, Southeast Minneapolis,
parts of South Minneapolis, and St. Anthony Village)
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Clean water and a clean environment are essential to a healthy life. Our Environmental Services (ES) division is nationally recognized for its record of treating wastewater efficiently and effectively. We also have excellent programs for monitoring air and water quality. The Metropolitan Council operates eight wastewater plants, which process an average of 250 million gallons of wastewater every day for more than 2.7 million residents. More than 600 miles of large sewer pipes collect wastewater from 108 communities. The wastewater from our district goes the Metro Plant in St. Paul. Our district has 41 miles of sewers, and nine meter stations. While the Met Council is not a water supplier, we have provided regional planning support for water systems across the region. |
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) underscored its
continued confidence in the Southwest LRT Project, by approving the project’s
entry into engineering. This milestone means the federal government has
authorized project staff to finalize designs in preparation for the start of
construction in 2017.
“We continue full steam ahead on the Southwest LRT project,”
said Metropolitan Council Chair Adam Duininck. “The continued confidence and
support from the FTA underscores this project’s strength as an efficient and
effective way to connect people with jobs and expand opportunities in our
region. We are on track to apply in February for the Full Funding Grant
Agreement and fully expect to receive that federal commitment in July. I’m
proud this project continues to maintain support not just at the federal level,
but from our local community and business leaders as well.”
The FTA cleared the project’s environmental review earlier this
year, paving the way for SWLRT to begin preparing bid documents for
heavy construction in January.
The Full Funding Grant Agreement would commit the FTA to pay
half the capital costs of the project, or $928.8 million. When the 14.5-mile
line opens in 2021 as the METRO Green Line Extension, it will provide access to
about 200,000 jobs.
The
Southwest LRT Project website is www.swlrt.org Read more about other transit lines in development
Finding data and reports about the water quality of lakes and rivers in the seven-county metro area just got easier.
The Council has launched a new version of its Environmental Information Management System (EIMS) website. The EIMS is a portal to view and download water quality data on lakes, rivers, streams and rain gauges for the region.
“It’s much easier to search and pull data from multiple sites using multiple parameters,” said Judy Sventek, manager of the Council’s water resources assessment unit. “There’s a site detail page for each water body that the Council monitors.”
With the help of volunteers and cooperating agencies, the Council monitors the water quality of about 440 stream and river segments and lakes in the region. Data is collected at more than one site on many of these water bodies.
EIMS has many users. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency uses the data for its impaired waters assessments. Scholars and students use the data for projects they are working on. Watershed districts draw on it to help determine where they might focus their efforts. And members of the public can learn about the condition of their neighborhood lake or stream.
Both raw data and reports about various water bodies can be found on the site.
Visit EIMS.
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The Metropolitan Council, together with
an array of partners, is providing a major boost to the Community Solar Garden
(CSG) capacity in Minnesota. In December, solar gardens began
commercial operations at two of the Council’s wastewater treatment plants in
the south metro.
A five megawatt (MW) solar garden powered up
Dec. 14 at the Empire Wastewater Treatment Plant in Empire Township. A three MW
solar garden went online Dec. 19 at the Council’s Blue Lake Wastewater
Treatment Plant in Shakopee. In total, these projects represent nearly 20% of solar gardens expected in 2016 through Xcel Energy’s Solar*Rewards Community program.
“These projects will significantly
increase Minnesota’s solar garden capacity, while providing reliable,
affordable, clean energy for local customers,” said Lt. Governor Tina
Smith. “I thank Xcel Energy and the Metropolitan Council for their
continued commitment to developing our renewable energy resources.”
“This expansion is great news for our
entire region and its residents,” said Council Chair Adam Duininck. “The
gardens translate into financial savings for residents, as well as less
pollution, including fewer fossil fuel emissions. I’m grateful to the
partnerships that make these projects possible – including private utilities,
investors, and developers.”
“We’re proud to help the Met Council
achieve its sustainability goals by bringing these two large community solar
gardens online,” said Chris Clark, president, Xcel Energy-Minnesota. “Solar
power is a key element in Xcel Energy’s plan to deliver more than 60%
carbon free energy for our customers by 2030.”
In addition to Xcel Energy, Oak Leaf
Energy Partners, Cypress Creek Renewables, and Hunt Electric were also partners
on this project.
The region’s second rapid bus line is moving steadily toward opening in 2019 as planners continue digging deeper into the details to bring the project to life.
The C Line will connect riders from Brooklyn Center and North Minneapolis with stations in downtown Minneapolis. Buses will run every 10 minutes mostly along Penn Avenue North. Service will be 20% to 25% faster than existing bus Route 19, which serves the corridor today.
The C Line follows the successful A Line rapid bus in Saint Paul, which opened in June 2016. In just five months, ridership on the A Line has exceeded expectations and increased the number of riders in the corridor by 35% over the previous year.
Metro Transit planners are anticipating an equal success when the C Line opens.
“The C Line will provide faster connections to jobs, education, housing and entertainment,” said Metro Transit Project Manager Katie Roth, who is coordinating work on the C Line. “We have heard a great deal of support for the project from community leaders and residents who feel strongly about the important role transit plays in this part of the region.”
Read the complete article on our website.
Metro Cities policy
adoption meeting. On Dec. 1,
I attended the annual Metro Cities Policy Adoption meeting in Brooklyn
Park. More than 150 city officials were there to adopt the policy agenda related
to the Legislature and Met Council. The event also included a session led
by police chiefs from Maple Grove and Maplewood about how city leaders can help
with police-community relations, a report from Minnesota Secretary of State Steve
Simon on voting in our state, and a legislative preview.
PlanIt
Conference in Brooklyn Center. On Dec. 13, Council Member Marie
McCarthy and I joined more than 230 planners to discuss comprehensive planning
at the Earle Brown Heritage Center in Brooklyn Center. The program was designed
to provide educational opportunities for local planners as they prepare their
comprehensive plan updates, due in late 2018. Topics included housing,
forecasting, transportation, and water supply. The PlanIt program will continue through 2017 by providing workshops,
webinars, online resources to assist communities with their comprehensive
plans.
Transforming the Lock project
workshop. I have joined the advisory team for the Transforming the Lock
project - an exciting process to create a new visitor experience on the
Mississippi River at the site of the now-closed lock and dam at St. Anthony
Falls. The first public meeting for the Transforming the Lock workshop series,
will take place at Mill City Museum on Tuesday, Jan. 24, from 6 to 8 p.m. The
meeting’s purpose is to identify ways to “improve access to the lock, provide a
rich visitor experience at the site, and connect the lock to the surrounding
riverfront.”
Affordable housing and
the workforce. On Friday, Jan. 27, I will be attending an event called “The
Economics of Affordable Housing” put on by the Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce.
The conference looks at the challenge where we are losing affordable housing
faster than new housing can be developed. Many naturally affordable rental
developments are being converted to higher-market rental units in the downtown
core and suburbs. The presenters will discuss ways that non-profits and cities
are addressing housing shortages and why the business community should be
concerned.
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