Fall Street Sweeping Begins October 17th!

Each spring and fall, the City of Minneapolis Public Works crews sweep every mile of the City's more than 1,100 miles of streets – curb to curb – to help keep our neighborhoods clean and livable and to protect our waterways. During the four weeks it takes to sweep the entire city, crews sweep the nearly 400 miles of alleys as well. Leaves and other debris on the streets can clog storm drains and pollute our lakes and rivers. The fall street sweep will begin on Tuesday, October 17th. You can use the City's interactive Street Sweeping Schedule Lookup map to see when your area is scheduled for street sweeping. The schedule is color-coded to enable you to easily identify when your street will be swept.  This schedule will be updated by the Friday of the week prior to the start of the sweep. City crews will post "No Parking" signs at least 24 hours before sweeping any streets. Parking will be banned from 7 am to 4:30 pm on the day a street is swept. Vehicles not removed will be towed to the Minneapolis Impound Lot.

City of Minneapolis Elections are Nov 7th

A voter's guide to the 2017 election

KEY DATES

Municipal Election: Tuesday, Nov 7, 2017
Vote early by absentee ballot in-person or by mail starting Friday, Sept 22
Pre-registration ends Tuesday, Oct 17. You can also register when you go to vote.

FIND YOUR POLLING PLACE

54th Street Reopening

on September 28th, I joined neighbors, our Public Works staff, and contractors on the newly reconstructed 54th Street to share breakfast, conversation and admiration for the work done on the project. Over the last two years, neighbors have patiently endured the closing of this major corridor and it was heartening to witness the great relationships that they have made with our Public Works crew and contractor. I truly appreciate the folks from Public Works that took such great care of our neighbors and our street during this project.

Here are some of the highlights of the 54th Street project:

• Completes the bikeway connection between Lyndale Ave S and Penn Ave S
• ADA compliant pedestrian crossings at intersections
• Bump outs on the north side of the roadway provide a decreased north south crossing distance for pedestrians and increased green space for trees
• Opportunity for utility upgrades, where needed, and the inclusion of new utilities:

                       a.   New 24 inch gas main from Lyndale to Penn

                       b.  Over 3,000 feet of new storm sewer connections

                       c.  New water main between Logan and Newton

                       d. Placement of conduit for future Internet installation at intersection crossings between Lyndale & Penn

• Over 100 new trees planted!!! (remaining trees between Humboldt and Penn will be planted in spring of 2018) –    a significant improvement from the complete absence of boulevard and trees before reconstruction.

Body Camera Audit

As part of the response to the Justine Damond shooting in July, City Council requested an audit of body camera compliance by police officers, since the officers involved in the shooting did not have their cameras turned on during this incident. In September, the results of this audit were presented to the Audit Committee, which I chair, as well as to the Public Safety Committee. While we are capturing more body camera footage, I am still troubled by the numbers and am currently working with our new Chief of Police on ways to get more compliance throughout the department.  To view the audit report, click here.

Zero Waste Plan

As part of the Zero Waste Committee, my staff and I have been working for two years on a comprehensive plan to reduce—and eventually eliminate—what we discard in landfills and incinerators. This plan addresses the different sectors that produce waste and outlines targeted strategies to divert, reduce or recycle as much as possible. I held a public engagement session to get community feedback last month on this plan and we are now in the process of incorporating that feedback. What's next? There is a final engagement session on October 30th   final plan will be presented to the Transportation & Public Works Committee in late November, with a final City Council vote currently scheduled for December 8th.  To view the proposed Zero Waste Policy, click here.

CenterPoint Energy Construction on 50th Street: Almost Done!

What is CenterPoint Energy doing for construction?

Crews from CenterPoint Energy began replacing an existing natural gas pipeline in Minneapolis on Monday, July 17. Project construction is expected to last until the week of October 23, 2017. A CenterPoint Energy contractor, will be installing natural gas mains along the following streets:

 Xerxes Avenue S. from W. 47th Street to W. 54th Street

• Beard Avenue S. from W. 49th Street to W. 50th Street
• W. 50th Street from Ewing Avenue S. to Upton Avenue S.
• W. 52nd Street from Xerxes Avenue S. to Washburn Avenue S.

 What is the progress of construction?

• CenterPoint Energy contractors have been installing the final stretch of the natural gas main for the W 50th Street project. From October 10 to 18, the crews are installing the new main along W 50th Street from Ewing Avenue S to Beard Avenue S. Some of the driveways and parking entrances will be affected by CenterPoint Energy’s construction. Crews from CenterPoint Energy have communicated this plan to the affected businesses along this stretch. For any questions or concerns, please call Communication Specialist Hannah Gullickson at 612-321-5546.

When crews are finished installing the natural gas main, road contractors from the City of Minneapolis will begin restoring the areas affected by construction. Traffic barriers will be removed when restoration is complete.