Feature

Two Grants Help Foster One Minneapolis

by John Smoley

Achieving One Minneapolis sometimes requires acknowledging earlier divisions.  Two National Park Service grants totaling nearly $35,000, with matching City funds, will enable CPED to prepare a history of Native Americans in Minneapolis; identify properties worthy of further study when assessing Native contributions to our community; complete the historical survey of the Homewood neighborhood, which is emblematic of the rise of Minneapolis’ Jewish community; and prepare designation studies for the Arthur and Edith Lee House, Tilsenbilt Historic District, and Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church, all of which are pioneering examples of African-Americans overcoming segregation.  This history involves tough topics, but public response has been extremely positive thus far, and why wouldn’t it be?  Part of achieving One Minneapolis involves acknowledging the full range of citizens who have persevered in their efforts to make our city great, and we are a community that’s well up to the task.  

Trends

Civic Technology to Advance Minneapolis' Goals

by Kjersti Monson and Paul Mogush

CPED Long Range Planning (LRP) is implementing Civic Technology to advance Minneapolis' goal of being innovative, data-driven, and results oriented. The division has made investments in technology, relationships, and skills development. Planning’s relationship with IT has expanded, especially in data science, visualization, and interactivity. Civic Technology will be key to the comprehensive planning process, and in division efforts moving forward. The latest:

Data Visualization – LRP is an early adopter of Tableau for data visualization, which IT has just made available to departments. Tableau can turn complex datasets into easily-understood interactive visualizations. Our work with IT on a housing inventory requested by City Council will utilize Tableau to display results like modelled market rents (see screenshot).  Both policymaking and community engagement benefit from data visualization.

Virtual and Augmented Reality –LRP’s partnership with the University of Minnesota to bring virtual reality into planning and design will be shared in a session at South by Southwest Conference (SXSW) Interactive this coming March in Austin, Texas. Phase 2 of the partnership aims to bring augmented reality to mobile devices, allowing people to see 3D models of development alternatives superimposed on the site in their device’s live camera view.

Updates & Outcomes

Business Made Simple

by Joan Hammell

Leonardo Di Vinci believed that simplicity was the ultimate sophistication.  Staff from many City departments are striving to meet this challenge called Business Made Simple which Mayor Hodges introduced in her 2014 State of the City address.  City Attorney Susan Segal’s work researching regulations identified several opportunities to eliminate obsolete requirements for new and growing businesses. 

On December 1, 2015, a public hearing is scheduled to consider amending eight ordinances which, if approved, will result in 13 fewer license types.  The analysis included identifying license categories which 1) presented little or no consumer protection issues such as certain vending machines, 2) held licenses from other jurisdictions or city departments such as hospitals which are licensed by the State of Minnesota, or 3) could be merged into a broader license type such as drive in restaurants which will be licensed as a restaurant in the future.  

Other departments represented include Regulatory Services, Health, and Finance.  Although future focus includes realigning the fee schedule using a cost recovery formula and integrating recommendations into the new Electronic Land Management System, Business Licenses’ involvement in Business Made Simple is an exercise in balancing regulation, consumer protection, and business friendly practices.  

Over 300 Register for City's Minority- and Women- Owned Business Opportunities Fair

by Daniel Bonilla

On October 29, the City of Minneapolis, through its Business Technical Assistance Program (B-TAP) hosted a first-of-its-kind Business Opportunities Fair designed to increase contractual opportunities between women- and minority-owned vendors and the City. The fair was just one of the efforts toward achieving the City’s 25 percent inclusion goal set by the City Council in 2010.

The Opportunities Fair took place at the Profile Event Center on University Ave and had over 338 registered participants from different industries and ethnic backgrounds. The program included a presentation for purchasing opportunities from seven department leaders including CPED, Human Resources, IT, Convention Center, Public Works, and Parks and Recreation. Additionally the program included a 3-module training about how to do business with the City provided by Procurement, Civil Rights, and CPED. The event included networking time where businesses were able to talk with City staff and community partners including B-TAP providers who are able to help small and medium sized women- and minority- owned businesses become certified at no cost.  The Business Opportunities Fair presentations are available online and a series of B-TAP+ videos that explain City processes like Procurement, Business Development, Development Review, Business Licensing and more will be available online to help business owners better navigate City processes.

City of Minneapolis and Partners Support Residents' Career Development Through "Inside Industry"

by Marie Larson

Inside Industry, a career development and job fair event, took place on October 22nd at the Minneapolis Central Library. The event featured job fairs for health care and STEM (Science, Engineering, Technology and Math) careers, industry speakers and panels, and workshops.

MnSCU students, jobseekers from area Workforce Centers and the general public networked with thirty exhibiting companies and ten MnSCU colleges. All exhibitors provided information on entering, transitioning and advancing in health care and STEM professions.

Two interactive workshops, “Hire Me Again” and “Create Your Personal Brand,” supplied jobseekers with actionable steps they can take to build networks and relevant experience in these rapidly-growing industries.

Attendance of the event was diverse; an overwhelming majority of attendees were women and people of color. Feedback was positive, with many jobseekers reporting they secured job leads, job offers, and some scheduled interviews with hiring managers.

Inside Industry was a collaborative effort among metropolitan area MnSCU college career advisors and Minneapolis Employment and Training. Funding for the event was provided by Hennepin County and City of Minneapolis.  

The Rose Provides More Affordable Homes for Families

by Dollie Crowther

Franklin Portland IV- “The Rose” is located at the northwest corner of Franklin & Portland Avenues. This project is a collaborative effort between Aeon Homes and Hope Community Inc. The development consists of 90 new units and the integration of the 30 unit Pinecliff Apartments. This project serves 12 homeless families and is also affordable to families at 50% AMI. There are 41 market rate units. In total, there are 120 units and an underground parking lot for residents. This project reaches out to the lowest income families as well as middle income and families who want to be a part of the Ventura Village and live near downtown Minneapolis.

The uniqueness of this project is its green design, solar panels, storm water management, underground water retention basins, and native vegetation. The total development cost for the project is $35,749,469. The City of Minneapolis contributed $1,950,000 in federal funds and an allocation of Housing Tax Credits with a value of $14,499,399. There was also an LCDA Grant. Other lenders included Minnesota Housing Finance Agency, The Family Housing Fund, and the Metropolitan Council.

Downtown East Commons Hosts Fourth Public Meeting

by Brian Schaffer

A fourth public meeting was held on October 14th for the Downtown East Commons. The intent of the meeting was to update the community on refinement of the design from the last presentation in May. 

Since May, a number of other announcements and actions have occurred to advance the development of the Commons. In August, leaders from the City and business community announced that they had secured $7 million of the $22 million needed for the Commons. The 15-member fundraising committee for the Commons is led by Mayor Hodges and Pat Ryan, President and CEO of Ryan Companies. For more details, see the press release here.

In August and September, the Minneapolis City Council authorized a series of action to advance the fundraising and build-out of the Commons. The City authorized Green Minneapolis, a nonprofit conservancy, to undertake a fundraising campaign to support the construction and initial operation of the Commons. Additionally, the City authorized agreements with Ryan Companies to construct, at no fee, the initial phase of the enhancements to the Commons. More details on these and additional City Council actions can be found here.

Technology, Information & Innovation

Many Minds are Better Than One

by Ed Daley

And so it can be said for technology and information as well. Many technical tools, combined with data, can produce some meaningful and useful results. At the recent Technology Advisory Group (TAG) meeting, the team was presented with some innovative work from CPED Single Family Housing. Housing staff have been working to leverage multiple technologies to collect and analyze data in meaningful ways. They are using the business application, MINS, to collect property information, using COGNOS enterprise data repository to access the data, and GIS Online (MapIT) to present the information. The results can be seen in a couple new maps (maps provided by Robert Russell, CPED Single Family Housing.) The first map shows all of the vacant lots owned by CPED. The second map graphically depicts the CPED land inventory and will require login credentials to access: (User= cped_staff, Password = pa$$w0rd).

Outcomes from these maps are driving conversations and new opportunities to assess and adjust our business processes, to clean our existing data and to engage and collaborate across multiple CPED business lines. After all, many minds are better than one!

Employee Profile

Anna Peterson

Coming from four years of experience working with the City STEP-UP team while at AchieveMpls, Anna Peterson joined the City last January as our STEP-UP Program Manager. Anna’s work dynamics depend upon the season. From spring through summer, Anna is inundated with calls and emails from employers, STEP-UP interns, students, and parents. Though the STEP-UP Program ends in mid-August, Anna’s work continues. From the beginning of fall to the end of winter, she analyzes collected data, creates and customizes the STEP-UP database, brainstorms new ideas to improve the program, and helps plan for the next summer with the STEP-UP Team. In her job, Anna most enjoys meeting STEP-UP interns and watching them gain new skills and confidence as well as web programming and anything involving data. Last month, Anna self-taught Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) styling to brand a web form and even made it mobile friendly!

Aside from work, Anna enjoys running, dancing, fixing things, cooking Italian food, and spending time with her husband, Nick, and their children, Leo (12) and Violet (10). This year, Anna participated in the Muck Fest (see photo).

Employee Profile

Dean Holt

Two years, ago, Dean Holt was approached by City employees who asked him to apply to an opening for a City elevator inspector. At first, the position interested him mainly because of its structure and benefits. But now, Dean has grown to truly appreciate the job, knowing that he is making a difference by ensuring the safety of elevators and the people using them.

A typical day for Dean includes attending his inspection appointments, answering questions about inspections, and recording the inspections upon completion. When he’s not scheduled for any appointments, Dean works in the office making deficiency reports and reviewing annual inspections that are scheduled for the month.

Off the job, Dean also enjoys working with his hands on home improvement projects and repairing small engines and motors. He also finds great pleasure in exploring the outdoors with his family, friends, and two dogs. 

New Hires, Promotions, & Retirements

New Hires

Alyssa Brandt, City Planner

Kenneth Paquin, Elevator Inspector

*Additions/corrections? Please send to Dorothea Martti.

Job Shadow Program in CPED

Did you know CPED has a Job Shadow Program? We do and it offers experiential, hands-on learning through direct experience and expands professional development.  Shadowing provides the observer (shadower) the chance to immerse themselves in their counterpart’s job environment; making it possible to see the work their colleague does in action. The shadower may also gain a better understanding of the influence of his/her individual efforts outside of their current role. To continue to grow productive teams, it helps to clearly understand the roles played by other members. For more information on the program, click here. And please remember to complete an evaluation form after you complete your Job Shadow experience. 

October 29 All Staff Meeting Recap

Thank you to everyone who prepared presentations for the October 29, 2015 All Staff Meeting! To review the slides prepared by Kjersti Monson, Director of Long Range Planning on the Comprehensive Plan process and learn more about the City's procurement efforts and CPED's B-TAP+ program presented by Daniel Bonilla and Jim Terrell in Business Development, visit CPED's CityTalk site and download the All Staff presentation here. To learn more about the new Sharepoint Digital Photo Library presented by Marketing and Communications Manager, Rose Lindsay and Director of Collaborative Services, IT, Tamara Bredemus follow this link. Want more hands on experience with the Digital Photo Library? Look for an upcoming training session to be planned for in Innovation Center.  

Thank you again to Dorothea Martti, Camille Worley and all the staff who help plan and execute the All Staff meetings. You do an amazing job!

Open Enrollment Ends November 15 for Health Benefits

It’s open enrollment time at the City now through Nov. 15. Learn about your 2016 benefits and what you need to do during open enrollment:

• Watch this short video.
• Attend an open enrollment meeting.
• Read the brochure sent to your home at the end of October.
• Read this article.
• Visit the City’s benefits page.

Even if you have no changes from 2015 and don’t want a 2016 flexible spending account, you should still log in to COMET before the end of the day Nov. 15 and submit your benefit selections to ensure they are entered accurately.

To make your 2016 benefit selections in COMET:

• Log in to the HR section of COMET.
• In the “Benefits” folder under “Employee Self Service Pages,” click “More.”
• Click “Benefits Enrollment” and follow the instructions.

If you received a paper open enrollment at your home, you have the option of enrolling with the form or enrolling online with COMET.

After open enrollment ends, you will receive a confirmation statement outlining the 2016 benefits you are enrolled in. It is your responsibility to let the Benefits Office know if anything is incorrect on that form before the new plan year begins Jan. 1, 2016.