Ward 8 Update - May 11, 2018

CM Andrea Jenkins

612.673.2208

andrea.jenkins@MinneapolisMN.gov

Office Hours: Monday 9-11 a.m.

Sabathani Community Ctr, 310 E. 38 St.

Anti-discrimination ordinance protecting renters in effect

Families in Minneapolis who participate in public assistance programs face an especially challenging task of finding affordable housing in Minneapolis.  Enforcement of the City’s amended civil rights ordinance prohibiting public assistance discrimination in housing, including discrimination against renters who participate in the Section 8 program, has taken effect.  

The housing discrimination amendments to the civil rights ordinance, approved by the City Council in March 2017, prohibit landlords from denying public assistance participants the opportunity to apply for available housing, or refusing to rent to potential tenants because of the requirements of a public assistance program. The amendments also prohibit landlords from imposing unique rental standards or otherwise treating potential public assistance tenants differently from other tenants.

Landlords, however, still maintain the ability to screen all prospective tenants as permitted by law.

The Minneapolis civil rights ordinance has always prohibited discrimination based on a person’s receipt of public assistance. The amendments that took effect May 1 continue with that tradition. Sixty other states and cities across the country have similar protections against discrimination.

Report violations of the ordinance by calling 311 or the Civil Rights Department at 612-673-3012 or  in person at City Hall, Room 239, or online.

The City’s Civil Rights Department is also accepting public comments on draft guidelines relating to what would constitute an “undue hardship” for landlords with respect to the requirements of a public assistance program. The draft guidelines can be found here. The department is accepting public comment on the draft guidelines until May 30, 2018.


Minneapolis sets goals for 100 percent renewable electricity

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The City set goals for Minneapolis to move to 100 percent renewable electricity for municipal facilities and operations by 2022 and citywide by 2030. These goals serve as a strategy to meet the City’s aggressive greenhouse gas emission reduction and climate change goals by moving away from fossil fuels. The resolution responds to overwhelming scientific consensus that climate change is a real and existential threat to human civilization and is caused primarily by the combustion of fossil fuels. The City opposes the rollback of climate policy at the federal level and reaffirms its ongoing commitment to the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement.

These commitments came about with advocacy from the Sierra Club and iMatter.

The Sierra Club’s Ready For 100 campaign encourages cities to move to cleaner, cheaper, healthier energy with 100 percent clean, renewable energy for all. 

The national youth organization, iMatter, is called to befriend and support young people as they collectively step into their authentic voices and power to disrupt the status quo and push local leaders to do what is necessary to end the climate crisis and transition to a just, sustainable society.

Minneapolis joins Atlanta; Boulder, Colorado; Orlando, Florida; Madison, Wisconsin; Portland, Oregon; Rochester, Minnesota; St. Louis; Saint Louis Park, Minnesota; San Francisco; San Diego; Salt Lake City and other cities in 100 percent renewable energy commitments.

Find more information about Minneapolis’ action on climate change in the resolution and the City website.


Apply for Seasonal Elections Jobs

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Elections & Voter Services has now posted thirteen available positions to assist at the in-person absentee voting (“early voting”) station located one block from City Hall at 217 S 3rd St.  Learn more about elections job openings here.

Absentee Voting Team Member (Seasonal Election Support Specialist I) – 13 to be hired, $18.39/hr

Providing customer service and assisting voters in the absentee ballot process; processing absentee ballot applications; processing voted absentee ballots; entering/looking up data in the Statewide Voter Registration System (SVRS); and performing related clerical work.  Positions are full-time (32hrs/wk), and run from mid-June through November.   Some evenings and weekends required.  Apply here.

*Especially encouraged to apply are those with fluency in English plus one of the following languages:  Somali, Oromo, Hmong, or Spanish—to assist voters with limited English skills.  

For questions, contact Election Administrator Tim Schwarz at 612-673-3136 or tim.schwarz@minneapolismn.gov.


Learn about City’s draft comprehensive plan at open house Mon, May 14th at MLK Park

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You are invited to learn about, and share feedback on, the City’s draft comprehensive plan at the open house on May 14, 5:30 - 8pm, at Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Park Recreation Center.

City leaders want to know your thoughts about the new draft comprehensive plan. When finalized, Minneapolis 2040 will serve as a framework of interdependent policies, topics, action steps and maps intended to drive a citywide conversation about how the city will grow and change over the next two decades in a way that will benefit all residents.

Minneapolis 2040 covers topics such as housing, job access, new building designs and street use. It’s the result of two years of engagement with the people of Minneapolis, including more than 50 meetings and conversations with thousands of residents, business owners and others.

Minneapolis 2040 open house:

5:30-8 p.m. Mon, May 14
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Park Recreation Center, 4055 Nicollet Ave. S.

Can’t attend on May 14th?

There will also be an open house on Thur, May 31, 5:30-8 pm, at Powderhorn Park Recreation Center, 3400 15th Ave. S.

Additionally, you can provide feedback on the website until July 22. The complete draft plan is available online at www.minneapolis2040.com


Precinct open houses part of National Police Week: May 13-18

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In recognition of National Police Week May 13-18, each of the City’s police precincts is opening its doors and inviting neighbors to drop by to meet officers, crime prevention specialists and the precinct commander. Visitors can tour the stations; take a look at police squad cars and emergency equipment; watch demonstrations from the Bomb Squad, SWAT, Mounted Patrol and K9 units; and the Minneapolis Fire Department. You can also pick up crime prevention information and enjoy snacks.

8th Ward events include:

3rd Precinct Open House 
11 a.m.-2 p.m. Wednesday, May 16
3000 Minnehaha Ave. S.

5th Precinct Open House 
5-7 p.m. Wednesday, May 16
3101 Nicollet Ave. S. 


Give your feedback on infrastructure priorities

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Proposals to build and renovate streets, buildings, bridges, park facilities and other parts of Minneapolis’ infrastructure over the coming five years are collected and prioritized every year. The committee that does this work wants to hear from you about what your priorities are, and you can share your thoughts at an input session.

The input session is an opportunity for you to get questions answered by the Capital Long-Range Improvement Committee (CLIC) members and City staff. Previous meetings with the public have helped generate new ideas about improvements that had never been proposed before, such as adding sidewalks where they hadn’t existed in the public system.

Remaining public input session

6:30-8 p.m. Tuesday, May 15
North Regional Library, 1315 Lowry Ave. N.
Second floor meeting room

Public hearing

You can  speak in favor of or against proposed projects or suggest other ideas by attending the official public hearing 6 p.m. Thursday, May 24, City Hall, Room 319.

Projects considered for the next CLIC report are now available for review as the 2019-2023 Capital Budget Requests on the CLIC reports webpage


May is Minneapolis Bike Month

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Minneapolis Bike Month has a series of events celebrating cycling and encouraging new bikers to go for a ride.

Minneapolis is one of many communities across the country that celebrate biking the month of May. Highlights of Minneapolis Bike Month include:

  • Friday, May 18: Twin Cities Bike to Work Day
  • Saturday, May 26: Family Bike Day

Find out more about Minneapolis Bike Month and its events at www.mplsbikemonth.org.

Minneapolis is one of the best biking cities in the country. As of 2016, Minneapolis has 135 miles of on-street bikeways and 100 miles of off-street bikeways. For more information about bicycling in the city, go to www.minneapolismn.gov/bicycles.


Kingfield Farmers Market kicks off May 20

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The first farmers markets of the season have opened, and the City of Minneapolis has an online interactive map that makes it easy to find farmers markets all over the city. Visit www.minneapolismn.gov/farmersmarkets for details for each market. The map is updated as information becomes available on 2018 schedules.

The Kingfield Farmers Market is located at 4310 Nicollet Ave. S Minneapolis, MN and takes place every Sunday from 8:30 am to 1:00 pm. The 2018 outdoor season kicks off May 20th and will run through October 28th.  The Kingfield Farmers Market is a produce-focused market offering a wide variety of fruits and vegetables along with prepared foods, coffee, hand made crafts, music, kids activities and more. 

Buying food directly at a farmers market strengthens the community between the farmer and the eater, and it supports the regional economy by allowing the local farmer to keep 80 to 90 cents per dollar of sales.

Check out Homegrown Minneapolis for more ways to get healthy, local food on the table. Homegrown Minneapolis is a citywide initiative expanding our community’s ability to grow, process, distribute, eat and compost more healthy, sustainable, locally grown foods.


Mayor Frey to deliver State of the City May 24

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You can watch the speech live on the City Facebook page, Comcast Cable channel 799 or the City’s website. The speech will also be replayed on City cable channels; you can find a replay schedule on the City website.


Street sweeping underway

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Public Works crews have begun the City’s comprehensive street sweeping program.  Watch for temporary “No Parking” signs to avoid a ticket and tow.

Starting May 1 for approximately four weeks, sweeping crews will take care of more than 1,000 miles of city streets in addition to sweeping alleys. To make sure the crews can do the most complete job possible, temporary “No Parking” signs will be posted at least 24 hours in advance to make sure streets are clear of parked vehicles. Drivers need to follow street sweeping parking rules or they may have their cars ticketed and towed to the Minneapolis Impound Lot.

Residents, workers and visitors have a number of ways to find out more about street sweeping:

  • “No Parking” signs – Crews will post “No Parking” signs at least 24 hours before sweeping any streets. Parking will be banned from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on the day a street is swept. The “No Parking” signs will be removed as soon as possible after a street has been completely swept to allow people to resume parking. Drivers should not park along these streets until these temporary “No Parking” signs are removed.
  • Phone calls to residents – In addition to the “No Parking” signs that will be posted the day before sweepers come through, the City will make about 3,500 automated phone calls each evening to let residents know their street will be swept the next day.
  • Interactive web tool – Folks can use a tool on the City’s website to find out when the sweeping crews are coming through their neighborhoods. By the Friday before the first week of the sweep, people can go to www.minneapolismn.gov/publicworks/streetsweeping and click on “street sweeping schedule lookup” to find out which week a street is scheduled to be swept. The weekend before that week, they can revisit the website to find out which day of the week the street is scheduled to be swept.
  • Videos – Street sweeping is explained in English, Spanish, Somali and Hmong in short videos at www.YouTube.com/cityofminneapolis and on City cable channels 14 and 79. Residents who have friends or neighbors who speak these languages are encouraged to share links to the videos. 

Free supplies available for cleaning up litter in public spaces

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Knowing that not all volunteers can participate in cleanup events or commit to maintaining areas, the City offers a program providing supplies for a one-time, no-commitment cleanup. The program provides litter cleanup supplies such as bags and gloves at no cost including delivery.

The program is available to Minneapolis residents, property owners, businesses, visitors and other groups interested in volunteering to collect litter in their community. Cleanup areas are limited to public sidewalks, curbs, boulevard greenbelts, green spaces and other public property within the City of Minneapolis.

Learn more here or call 612-673-2789.


Learn about the 35W@94: Downtown to Crosstown Construction Project at upcoming Open Houses

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Prepare for I-35W Closures!

Bridge closures
March 2 through early August

  • 38th St. bridge is closed over I-35W
  • EB detour: Nicollet Ave. to 36th St. to 3rd Ave. S
  • WB detour: 3rd Ave. S to 35th St. to Nicollet Ave.
  • Bicycle Detour: 1st Ave. S (NB)/Blaisdell Ave. (SB) to 40th St. pedestrian bridge to 3rd Ave. S
  • Pedestrian detour: 1st Ave. S to 40th St. pedestrian bridge to 3rd Ave. S
  • View map for all 38th St. bridge detours (PDF) 

Ramp closures
March 2 through fall 2021

  • 36th St. to SB I-35W is closed

o   Detour: Portland Ave. to 46th St. (PDF)


Note: There are a number of reasons this ramp is closed through fall 2021:

  • During the 38th St. bridge reconstruction, there is not enough room for vehicles to safely merge from the ramp onto southbound I-35W
  • Once I-35W highway reconstruction work begins this summer, the number of southbound lanes will be reduced and shifted at various times while crews work for the three years after the 38th St. bridge reopens. This will make it difficult for vehicles entering from 36th St. to safely merge onto southbound I-35W.

Additional closures
March 2 to early August

  • Intersections of Stevens Ave. and Second Ave. S between 37th St. and 38th St. are closed

Note: Residents will be able to access Stevens Ave. and 2nd Ave. S from 37th St. or 39th St. During the closure, two-way traffic on Stevens Ave. between 37th St. and 38th St. will be allowed.

o   Access Routes map (PDF)

10 p.m. Fri, May 18 through fall 2021

  • NB I-35W to WB I-94 will be closed
  • Detour: Hwy 62 to Hwy 100 to Hwy 55
  • Note: There are a number of reasons this ramp is closed through fall 2021:
  • This ramp is being fully reconstructed. Once complete, motorists will no longer merge on the right side of WB I-94; instead, motorists will merge on the left side and will have a dedicated lane through the Lowry Tunnel, helping to reduce congestion. The Lyndale Ave./Hennepin Ave. exit will still be accessible from WB I-94.
  • Prior to the reconstruction of the ramp, there are additional construction activities in the I-35W/I-94 junction that need to happen and will be in full swing starting in mid-June 2018. Highway lanes will be reduced and shifted at various times and construction of the new ramp piers would not allow traffic to be safely switched around.

Mid-June through fall 2021

  • NB I-35W to WB I-94 will be closed
  • Detour: Hwy 62 to Hwy 100 to I-394

Mid-June through fall 2021

  • 31st St. to SB I-35W will be closed to traffic, but remain open to buses
  • Detour: Nicollet Ave. to 46th St.

Mid-June through fall 2018

  • NB I-35W to 31st St. will be closed to traffic, but remain open to buses
  • Detour: 36th St. to 3rd Ave. 

Mid-June through fall 2020

  • SB I-35W to 35th St.
  • Detour: Continue on I-35W and take the 46th St. exit to Nicollet Ave.

Mid-June through fall 2021

  • 35th St to NB I-35W
  • Detour: Nicollet Ave. to E. Diamond Lake Rd.

For more information and to sign up for alerts:

  • To learn more about this project, including all current traffic impacts and detour routes, click here to visit the MNDOT website.
  • Metro Transit bus routes will be impacted as a result of construction. For updated route information, and to sign up for Rider Alerts, click here.
  • Follow MNDOT on Facebook at facebook.com/mndot and Twitter: @mndotnews
  • Email the MNDOT project team at: info@35w94.com
  • Call the project MNDOT hotline at: 612-284-6125 
  • For real-time travel information anywhere in Minnesota visit http://www.511mn.org/or dial 5-1-1.

Visit us at minneapolismn.gov/ward8

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Andrea Jenkins, 350 S. Fifth St., City Hall room 307, Minneapolis, MN 55415

 

For reasonable accommodations or alternative formats please call 311 at 612-673-3000.

People who are deaf or hard of hearing can use a relay service to call 311 at 612-673-3000. TTY users can call 612-673-2157 or 612-673-2626.

Para asistencia 612-673-2700, Yog xav tau kev pab, hu 612-673-2800, Hadii aad Caawimaad u baahantahay 612-673-3500.

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