People showed their love for metro area regional parks and trails in 2022 by making 69 million visits—a 6.4% increase over 2021—signaling that recent investments in the system are paying off. Those visits are likely to keep growing, given the historic investment in regional parks and trails made by Gov. Tim Walz and the Minnesota Legislature this year.  Lake Waconia Regional Park in Carver County is a great example of how these investments drive visitation. 

The Minnesota State Climatology Office predicts that heat waves are likely to trend upwards in the region from 2025 onward. The Met Council has updated its Extreme Heat Tool, which identifies where urban heat islands make heat waves worse. An accompanying story map describes how cities and residents are working to limit the factors that create the urban heat island effect. Explore the new Extreme Heat Digital Report.

The latest round of the Met Council's Livable Communities grants will help fund planning, assessment, and cleanup of polluted sites for redevelopment in seven cities across the region. The grants help communities advance redevelopment projects, job creation, housing choices, and transportation connections. Learn about the latest projects to receive grants. 

The Met Council this month approved a 6.8% increase in its wholesale charge to cities and townships for wastewater collection and treatment services in 2024. The biggest drivers of wastewater treatment cost inflation are chemicals, labor, gas, and electricity. The Met Council gathered input on its 2024 rates and charges at six customer forums for haulers, brewers, industries, and customer communities. Listen to a recent presentation on the 2024 rates and charges (starts at 28:58). 

Over the next year, project staff for the proposed METRO Purple Line bus rapid transit will continue our partnership with local communities to study White Bear and Maryland avenues as a potential route. By spring 2024, staff anticipate having the full pros and cons in comparing the White Bear Avenue route to the current Bruce Vento Regional Trail corridor option. Read the latest Purple Line project newsletter.

Blue Line Extension staff will host a new quarterly meeting to provide regular project updates for communities, groups, and individuals who are interested on the project. Topics will include project status, schedule updates, anti-displacement progress, and more. The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 23. Learn more about community engagement on the project.