Guest notes from Lisa Barajas

Director, Community Development

With the recent delivery of the 2020 Census numbers, we’re officially ready to “begin” the process to develop the 2050 regional development guide and systems and policy plans.

Most of us have a hard time thinking ahead to the weekend or even about what we want to do a few months from now. But in this regional planning process, we get the opportunity to imagine the region’s future, and do it in partnership with the people of the region.

The regional plan – and related systems and policy plans – are very much like the region’s version of a comprehensive plan, updated every 10 years. They provide the opportunity to develop and communicate a long-term vision and the values that serve as the foundation of that vision. Through these plans, we will also identify key challenges we’re facing – whether at the regional or local level – and develop actions that we can take as an organization to achieve the regional vision in the face of those challenges. This is where conversations about climate change and regional resilience fit in, where we talk about addressing regional disparities, and how we ensure our infrastructure is efficient and financially sustainable.

With the 2040 plan, called Thrive MSP 2040, the Met Council tried to establish a baseline that we can build on with future plans, rather than starting from scratch – we need to be able to show progress from cycle to cycle. And the 2040 plan was the first to articulate specific regional outcomes related to equity. In the years since that plan, we’ve learned even more about the ways we can further equitable outcomes regionally, but also recognize that we need to embed equity directly into the ways we do our work every day.

With each iteration of the plan, we also have the opportunity to ask new questions, address new challenges, envision different future realities, and establish critical values and goals for the region, that our partners in government, business, and the non-profit sector can respond to. We also have the opportunity to anticipate the needs of future regions – we can’t simply look back at and respond to what was, when we know the future is likely to be quite different.

Our experience with the COVID-19 pandemic has certainly taught us that lesson.

Many parts of the Met Council’s work contribute to the regional plans and are affected by the policies and guidance embedded in them. For example, following the adoption of Thrive MSP 2040 in 2014, Met Council leadership initiated two important efforts to support better coordination among our teams in creating long-range plans. The first took a deep, comprehensive look at how the last planning cycle went and what we can do to improve coordination within and between the Met Council divisions. The second, called Optimizing Regional Planning, created cross-divisional teams to structure a planning process that intentionally breaks down traditional silos to make sure we are doing our best thinking and planning together.

Earlier this year, we began to gauge the policy areas our planning efforts should focus on by having discussions with our Council members and internal subject matter experts in housing, land use, regional parks, transportation, wastewater management, and water quality and supply planning. We also spent the summer facilitating discussions about critical topics to help guide broader conversations around emerging regional issues and how to address them. My sincere thanks for your participation in these discussions – we simply could not do this work without the expertise of our team members.

We just recently created a MetNet site for this regional planning effort, and we will be using this page to highlight emerging planning topics and progress toward adopting a regional plan. As Met Council staff, you play a critical role in helping to develop and execute the vision in the regional plan. Check out the information and let us know how we can better inform your work groups about progress.

And as residents in our communities, we can also be engaged in this plan and the local comprehensive plans that will be developed to address community needs. Together, these communicate a collective vision for our region and help us position our communities for generations to come.

Read the most recent bulletin (Oct. 28), which includes:

• Each Met Council employee will receive a $500, one-time payment on the first paycheck in November as a special recognition for extraordinary efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Staff must follow the COVID-19 Vaccine and Testing Requirement Procedure if they will be onsite for any reason for more than 10 minutes.
• Because people who recover from COVID-19 may continue to test positive even after serving their quarantine period and symptoms end, employees who recover from COVID-19 will not need to complete a weekly test for a period of 90 days following the initial positive test date.
• Employees who need to test each week must complete their test by 11:59 p.m. each Thursday. Staff may use Council-facilitated testing options, which update their employee record automatically, or choose another way, which must be entered manually in Employee Self Service (ESS).
• Employees should use the new code 51001 on their time card for weekly COVID-19 testing onsite with Council-issued saliva tests.
• The Met Council is not currently collecting COVID-19 vaccine booster information.
• Every employee who has been fully vaccinated and submits their proof of vaccination through ESS and has it verified by Nov. 26 will receive a one-time payment of $150 in December.
• As a reminder, teleworking staff must complete two required trainings in Learn before their teams implement their new work schedules. Teleworking staff should check the Telework Transition FAQ page on MetNet for information on technology, workspaces, planning, and more.

Tools to help you find vaccine appointments:

• Schedule an appointment at either of the Met Council's Well@Work clinics. COVID-19 vaccines are available on Mondays and Thursdays, appointments are required, and masks are required at all times in the clinics.
• Directly schedule an appointment using the COVID-19 Vaccine Connector.
• Use the Vaccine Locator Map to search for vaccine providers in your area.
• Schedule an appointment on the HealthPartners COVID-19 site or M Health Fairview COVID-19 site.
• Schedule an appointment for a vaccine at a pharmacy near you with the CDC: VaccineFinder.
• Make sure you're reading the regular all-staff COVID-19 email to get the latest on vaccination opportunities, guidelines, and more.
• For more information about the vaccine and how to find an appointment, visit the Minnesota Department of Health vaccine site.

COVID-19 testing:

• Free COVID-19 community testing locations are available throughout the state.
• At-home test kits are offered by the state for all Minnesotans, free of charge.
• HealthPartners offers testing for Met Council employees who have a HealthPartners medical plan.

We all have a lot going on, and sometimes it's easy to stay so focused on your own projects that you miss the great work being done across the organization. The Met Council's external newsletter, Metro Update, is a fantastic way to hear more about the incredible work your colleagues are doing in other departments or divisions.

Throughout the month, the Communications department posts newsletter stories on MetroCouncil.org. Once a month, those stories – along with features from Metro Transit’s Rider’s Almanac blog, Met Council videos, and other features – are summarized and linked in an email newsletter to nearly 26,000 readers made up of local elected officials, nonprofit and business leaders, and residents.

Check out the October issue of Metro Update, and subscribe to receive future editions in your inbox (select Metropolitan Council > Newsletter).

Metro Update editor Jeanne Landkamer (Jeanne.Landkamer@metc.state.mn.us) welcomes ideas for potential newsletter stories.

Some of the headlines from this edition:

• Met Council adopts 2022 draft budget
• METRO Purple Line clears environment hurdle; project to shift to Met Council
• Growing equitable shade and fighting climate change, one tree at a time
• Video: One family's story of moving towards greater opportunity
• Met Council earns national award for water conservation collaborations

Joe Waldoch, who joined Metro Transit as a light rail helper in March, passed away on Oct. 20, following a battle with cancer.

Waldoch, 59, was remembered by coworkers as someone with a strong work ethic. "He was there, working through the pain, and would rather be sent home than call in, knowing he had people there who depended on what he could accomplish in a shift," fellow helper Laura Chilson said.

Waldoch’s wife of 24 years, Yvonne, said he was a "special person" who enjoyed fishing and gardening and eagerly volunteered in his hometown, Bloomington. Waldoch was active in the Boy Scouts, the Bloomington Sister City Organization, and the American Legion, among other organizations. "He didn’t know the word 'no,'" Yvonne Waldoch said. "He always said 'yes.'"

Waldoch is survived by Yvonne Waldoch, three sons, three brothers, and a sister. Services were held on Oct. 27 in Bloomington. Read Waldoch’s obituary at StarTribune.com.

This in memoriam was originally shared in Insights on Oct. 29.

Shivkumar Iyer

Pronouns: he/him/his

Director, Application Services

Information Services

Primary duties
I lead the strategy, practice, and tactical execution of the Met Council’s IT business application development and support services.

Started
Oct. 4

How does it feel to start a new job when many employees are working from home?
In my previous workplace we were already working remotely (pre-COVID), so that really helped me adapt. That being said, I look forward to in-person interactions as soon as it is possible to do so in a safe manner here at the Met Council.

Hometown
I grew up outside of the US in a small city (near Mumbai) on the western coast of India but also spent many of my childhood summers in Chennai (on the southern coast of India).

Current residence
We live in the beautiful city of Carver in Carver County.

Family
We are a family of four: my wife and I and our two delightful kids, 11-year-old son Rohan and 4-year-old daughter Neeva.

Education
I have a master’s degree in computer science as well as in business administration.

Experience
I have been an information technology leader for more than two decades helping deliver business value for various organizations. I believe my experience with application development methodologies, cloud computing and platform modernization with a people-centric approach aligns well with the IS department’s vision for the Met Council.

Other interests
My hobbies and interests vary from watching most sports to investing, reading up on world history, listening to podcasts, and attempting to finish our basement myself.