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In this Issue
Happy Fall everyone!
I want to take this opportunity to talk about water. Water
has always been a big part of the Met Council’s mission. Handling the region’s
wastewater was one of the first jobs the Council was given in the late 1960’s. The
Council operates eight wastewater treatment plants, which process an average of
250 million gallons of wastewater every day from more than 2.7 million
residents. We have more than 600 miles of large sewer pipes collect wastewater from
108 communities. And yet, the cost of wastewater treatment in the Twin Cities
region is 40% below our peer regions.
Water does not respect political boundaries; it always flows
downhill and it always seeks the lowest point. That fundamental fact means that
we must plan. And while the Metropolitan Council is not a water supplier, we
have long been providing regional planning support for water systems across the
region.
The Met Council is currently convening a workgroup to help communities, industries, and other community groups work together to address on-going water supply issues surrounding the Seminary Fen for the communities of Chanhassen and Chaska. We are looking at the effects of groundwater pumping on the Seminary Fen. If you are interested in participating, please contact Lanya Ross.
Gov.
Mark Dayton has declared 2017 to be the “Year of Water Action.” As part of
this, a “25x25” initiative was created to engage citizens, local governments,
businesses, farmers, and others in a discussion around the goal of improving
water quality by 25% by 2025. Without additional action, the quality of
Minnesota’s waters is expected to improve only as much as 8% by 2034.
Ten townhall meetings were scheduled across the state. The
last three meetings will be held in the metro area – in Minneapolis,
Burnsville, and Stillwater. Residents and civic organizations were also
called on to organize their own “community water meetings” to provide feedback
and ideas.
I
invite you to attend a listening session about water quality planned for Monday,
Oct. 2, from 9 to 11:30 a.m. The meeting is being held in Shakopee at the Scott
County Law Enforcement Center, 301 Fuller St. S. If you have questions about
the events, or would like additional information, please contact Judy Sventek at (651) 602-1156.
Learn
more about the Governor’s 25x25 initiative.
If
you would like to talk with me about water or other areas where the Met Council
may be involved, please contact me.
Sincerely,
Deb Barber
Met
Council District 4 representative
I represent Belle Plaine, Carver, Chaska, Cologne, Hamburg,
Jordan, Mayer, New Germany, Norwood Young America, Prior Lake, Savage,
Shakopee, Victoria, Waconia, and Watertown. I also represent 17 Townships in Carver and
Scott Co.
Regular-route transit fares
will increase by 25 cents. Regular-route service includes METRO bus and rail,
Northstar rail, Metro Transit bus, A Line bus, Metropolitan Council bus, Maple
Grove Transit bus, Minnesota Valley Transit Authority bus, Plymouth MetroLink
bus, and SouthWest Transit bus.
Riders may pay for
regular-route bus and rail fares using cash, Go-To Card stored value, or any
regional transit pass. Customers will no longer get a stored value bonus with
purchases, but any value currently on a customer’s card will continue to be
valid.
Customers may also qualify
for a new Transit Assistance Program that allows qualifying low-income
customers to use regular-route transit for $1 per ride.
Metro Mobility fares will
increase by 50 cents. Metro Mobility non-ADA rides (those outside the federally
mandated service area) longer than 15 miles will also be subject to a 75-cent
surcharge. And Transit Link customers will pay the same fares as Metro Mobility
customers, including a surcharge for trips longer than 15 miles.
Riders on Metro Mobility
and Transit Link may pay fares with cash and Go-To Card stored value.
Learn more at www.metrotransit.org/fare-increase
People from a wide
variety of communities, and many ages and abilities, will see themselves
reflected in the Council’s newly updated Regional Parks Map.
With more than two dozen photos, the
colorful publication celebrates the diversity of people who visit the parks and
trails, and the four seasons of park activities. Woven into the patchwork
of photos are short phrases in a variety of languages that welcome visitors
from around the world. Words and phrases for “family,” “connection,”
celebrate,” “relax” and more are printed in Arabic, Hmong, Somali, Spanish, and
English.
“We wanted residents see themselves in
the parks—whether alone, in small groups or large groups—and show park
amenities as open, fun, inviting and compelling places to visit, right here in
our own communities,” said Emmett Mullin, manager of the Council’s
Regional Parks & Natural Resources unit.
The folding map and guide helps people locate regional parks and shows what
activities are available in each one, using icons that are understood in any
language.
The updated map is an outgrowth of the
Council’s research that showed some communities of color and immigrants do not
use the parks in proportion to their share of the region’s overall population.
The Council embarked on an extensive community engagement effort to identify
barriers to participation and is working with communities and park agencies to
overcome these.
See an online version of the map.
The Metropolitan Council is seeking applicants to fill two vacancies on its Land Use Advisory Committee. The Land Use Advisory Committee (LUAC) advises the Council on regional land use and local planning issues.
Committee openings are in our Metropolitan Council District which represents the Carver County portion of
Council District 4:
- District 4 - includes Benton
Twp., Camden Twp., Carver, Chaska, Cologne, Dahlgren Twp., Hamburg,
Hancock Twp., Hollywood Twp., Laketown Twp., Mayer, New Germany, Norwood
Young America, San Francisco Twp., Victoria, Waconia, Waconia Twp.,
Watertown, Watertown Twp., and Young America Twp. This
appointment will fill the remainder of the term for this seat – until
January 2019.
The committee has at least 16 members and a chair. It includes at least one member from each Metropolitan Council District and must include representation from each metro county. At least half the members must be local elected officials. Applicants must live in the district they're appointed to represent and will serve a term that expires in January 2019. The Land Use Advisory Committee typically meets every other month on the third Thursday at 4 p.m.
To apply, download the LUAC Application & Supplement (pdf). (Some committees may also require applicants to answer supplemental questions.) For more information, or to submit your application, contact the Appointments Coordinator by email, U.S. mail or phone: 390 Robert St. N., St. Paul, 55101 or 651-602-1806.
I am pleased to be a member and co-chair of the newly formed Metro Mobility Task Force. We have been tasked by the Legislature to explore ways that we can increase innovation and bring down costs for providing mandated service for seniors and members of the disability community. Task force members include all but one county and also include ride-sharing providers Uber/Lyft. We are to have concluded our business by February and present our findings to the Legislature.
 I regularly attend the monthly meetings of SCALE (Scott County Association for Leadership and Efficiency. This spring where community members presented on 50 by 30: Live, Learn, Earn. This is an effort to have 50% of the Scott County population working in Scott County by 2030. The 4-5 working groups each gave an update in the areas of housing, educational needs, transportation, and workforce.
In May, I attended the Regional Council of Mayors lunch with Council Member Katie Rodriguez in downtown Minneapolis. The featured speakers were St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman on Planning for a Sustainable Future, and a panel that talked about implementation strategies. About 25 mayors were in attendance.
I also attend the quarterly meetings of Carver Co. Leaders. This spring, Carver County sought approval for an increase in the sales tax to fund transportation projects in the county. The county engineer discussed at length the specific projects and projected timelines for completion of the projects which would be possible with this increase in funding. In July, we discussed comprehensive planning with LisaBeth Barajas, the Manager of Local Planning Assistance for the Met Council.
I also attended Metro Cities Transportation and Waste water tours in back-to-back weeks in July. More than a dozen public officials and city staff attended the transit tour that took participants on the METRO Green Line, the A Line and a bus along the future METRO Orange Line route. Most cities in attendance were small suburbs who have limited transit access and welcomed the opportunity to explore LRT and BRT. The following week, I attended a wastewater treatment tour and solar garden at the Blue Lake plant in Shakopee.
Earlier this summer, I attended several open houses in Chanhassen and Savage and a public hearing in St. Paul concerning transit fares. I also participated in a pop-up meeting at the Southwest Transit station in Eden Prairie in June. I found hearing directly from transit users helpful in helping shape my opinion about the fare increase which takes effect on October 1.
I attended an MVTA Board meeting in late August to provide an update on transportation activities in the region. I was joined by Cole Hiniker from our transportation planning unit about the update of the Regional Transportation Policy Plan. We also spoke about the regional fare increase.
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