Ward 8 Update - July 23, 2018

CM Andrea Jenkins

612.673.2208

andrea.jenkins@MinneapolisMN.gov

Office Hours: Monday 9-11 a.m.

Sabathani Community Ctr, 310 E. 38th St.

Update on traffic mitigation solutions from the Ward 8 Traffic Safety Community Meeting held June 27

Dear neighbors,

Thank you for attending the Ward 8 Traffic Safety Community Meeting on June 27th and sharing important feedback regarding the impacts to neighborhood safety incurred from detours and closures related to the 35W@94: Downtown to Crosstown project.

Public Works staff is working diligently to implement key changes to improve livability and traffic flow across neighborhoods. I want to provide you with an update on what has been completed so far:

  • 42nd and Nicollet - signal timing was adjusted to provide more green time for Nicollet. The City removed three parking spaces leading up to the intersection in order to increase visibility and give cars a chance to bypass left turning vehicles.
  • The Traffic Department is evaluating potential placement of temporary speed bumps on 5th Ave and on Wentworth.
  • Barrels and additional signage were placed at E 40th St. and Blaisdell to prevent wrong way traffic movements.
  • A double yellow line was added on Stevens Ave. between E 42nd and E 45th.
  • Traffic Control is monitoring calls received through 311 from areas affected by 35W construction.
  • Three portable speed wagons have been made available for streets affected by the project; Traffic Control is establishing a calendar to rotate wagons around various corridors. The City will rotate the speed wagons about once a week; the City will be adding more locations as staff receives feedback from the public.
    Note: the wagons used do not record speed records. They instantaneously show the speed, but do not log it.
  • Traffic control is evaluating the timing of key traffic signals on Nicollet Ave.

I recognize the challenges presented around such a major construction project that will, ultimately, be a great benefit to the Ward and the City. I will continue to advocate on behalf of Ward 8 residents by coordinating with Public Works around traffic mitigation solutions that work better for our neighborhoods.

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Expert in human trafficking prevention starts work with City of Minneapolis

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Shunu Shrestha, the City’s senior advisor for human trafficking prevention, has joined the City Coordinator’s Office. She will assist the City of Minneapolis in efforts to prevent labor and sex trafficking and address unmet needs of survivors.

Shrestha comes to the City after working for the Program for Aid to Victims of Sexual Assault where she oversaw the Duluth-based program’s trafficking program and led the City’s Trafficking Task Force. Before coming to the United States in 2003, she did extensive work in her native Nepal promoting human rights and fighting trafficking of women and girls.

The position is funded for two years through the Pathways to Freedom city challenge led by Humanity United and the NoVo Foundation. Pathways to Freedom is the third challenge of Partnership for Freedom, a public-private partnership created by Humanity United and dedicated to spurring innovation in the fight to end human trafficking.

Minneapolis was one of three cities in the country selected to receive funding to develop coordinated, citywide solutions to trafficking. The competition was open to U.S. cities participating in 100 Resilient Cities, a network created by the Rockefeller Foundation to help cities become more resilient to physical, social and economic challenges.

The City of Minneapolis has been a leader in addressing juvenile sex trafficking and recently collaborated with more than 100 community partners to highlight and fight the problem during Super Bowl LII. Shrestha will help the City build on these efforts and develop a plan focused on labor trafficking-related issues, such as wage theft and exploitive employment practices, as well as ensuring all survivors’ needs are met.


City Council approves ordinance regulating motorized foot scooters

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The City of Minneapolis welcomes new transportation options, such as motorized foot scooters, but requires networks to operate in an organized manner consistent with City rules. State law already regulates how low-power vehicles, such as foot scooters, operate in the street. 

In response to the rapid growth of shared motorized foot scooter networks, on July 20, the City Council passed an ordinance amendment requiring the sharing networks to obtain a license agreement with the City and follow rules for parking in the right of way.

Currently, the City has authority to remove scooters found unattended and blocking traffic or public infrastructure, or otherwise compromising public safety. The new ordinance framework will provide more specific guidance to operators and the public about local rules for scooter sharing in the public right of way, including on City sidewalks. View the ordinance amendment here.


Planning a National Night Out gathering? Register now! Deadline to apply for a FREE street closure is tomorrow

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This year, National Night Out is Tuesday, Aug. 7. For people planning a neighborhood gathering, there are important deadlines for registering their events with the City and for blocking off their streets or alleys. Last year more 1,500 events were registered with the City. It is free to participate in National Night Out.

Apply here by tomorrow, July 24, to close a street or alley for FREE. Apply for $100 from July 25-July 30. Monday, July 30, is the last day to apply for a street closure.

Registering a National Night Out event and applying to close a street or alley is a single online process. You can also register your event and apply for street closure by calling 311. Organizers who register their events will get free Mystery Point Passes for Nickelodeon Universe at the Mall of America. Registration also places events on the official list of National Night Out events that gets distributed to police and other departments. (There’s no guarantee police will be able to visit each event.)

Note: Not every street can be blocked off. Generally, bus routes and high traffic streets cannot be used for block events. Street closure requires the permission of 75 percent of neighbors; applicants should keep their names and addresses handy in case the permit application needs to be reviewed. Signatures are not required.

Rain plans are encouraged; organizers should decide if their event will go forward if it rains or be rescheduled. Anyone applying to close the street will have a rain date of Wednesday, Aug. 8, unless they decline it during the application. If they aren’t closing the street, they can choose any rain date that works for their group.

National Night Out is an annual nationwide event that encourages residents to get out in the community, hold block parties and get to know their neighbors as a way to prevent crime. It's a great way to promote community-police partnerships and enjoy a Minnesota summer evening surrounded by friends and family.

As with many past National Night Outs, Minneapolis was ranked No. 1 among all U.S. cities larger than 300,000 people in 2017.


On July 26, attend an event to learn how small, minority-owned and women-owned businesses can work with the City

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Doing business with the City of Minneapolis
Thursday, July 26, 4-6:30 p.m. 
Gandhi Mahal, 3009 27th Ave. S.

This event will address ways small businesses, minority-owned businesses and women-owned businesses can do work with the City of Minneapolis.

The City buys a wide range of goods and services and has policies to ensure that its purchases of construction and development services, commodities and supplies, and professional and technical services include women, minorities, and low-income workers and businesses.

Find more information by checking out the Facebook event or contacting Shanae.Phillips@minneapolismn.gov.


Community Meeting July 31 on Public Art for City's New Public Service Building

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A community meeting will be held July 31 on public art planned for the City's new Public Service Building, which will be built near City Hall. The new building will allow the City to strategically collocate City employees now working in several different sites downtown and provide better service for residents and businesses. It will include a customer-centric public service area and is scheduled to open the fall of 2020. Once completed, the City’s new office building will feature prominent public art pieces.

Learn more about public art planned for the new building, review feedback from previous public meetings and get a project update:

Community Meeting on Public Art for Public Service Building
Tuesday, July 31
5:30 p.m. doors open; 6 p.m. meeting starts
Mill City Museum, 704 S. Second St.

Artist Tristan Al-Haddad of Atlanta-based Formations Studio has been selected to work with the design team of MSR Design and Henning Larsen to identify public art opportunities for the building. The City will be issuing multiple calls for artists for the project via a range of media.

For more information about the Public Service Building project and to sign up for email updates, visit the project website


Celebrate the Re-opening of the E. 38th Street Bridge! Save the Date: Building Bridges and Breaking Bread on Aug. 16

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Our communities celebrate the reopening of the 38th Street Bridge with the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) on Thur, August 16, from 4-8pm.  Join us for a sit-down dinner on the bridge, kid friendly activities, live music and more!  This is an opportunity for neighbors to meet and have intentional conversation around our unique stories and shared future - where all members of the community are empowered!

What:  A community meal and celebration of the re-opening of the E. 38th Street Bridge
When:  Thursday, August 16, 4 - 8pm, with dinner at 6pm
Where:  On the E. 38th Street Bridge, between 1st Ave S and 3rd Ave S

The conversation, facilitated by Marnita’s Table, will furnish space for open dialogue and healing.  A collective dinner will be catered by Eat for Equity and will include halal, vegan and gluten free options. 

Gather with family, friends and neighbors and help us celebrate the reopening of this cornerstone bridge that connects our vibrant cultures, neighborhoods and community.

Thank you to our co-hosts:

Bryant Neighborhood Organization (BNO)
Central Area Neighborhood Development Organization (CANDO)
Council Member Andrea Jenkins – Eighth Ward Council Office
Eat for Equity
Lyndale Neighborhood Association (LNA)
Kente Circle
Kingfield Neighborhood Association (KFNA)
Marnita’s Table
Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT)
Sabathani Community Center


‘Racism, Rent and Real Estate: Fair Housing Reframed’ explores past, present and future of housing in city

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The City has joined several community partners in sponsoring “Racism, Rent and Real Estate: Fair Housing Reframed,” a series of events exploring the largely unrecognized history of housing discrimination in the city.

The series comes as the country marks the 50th anniversary of the 1968 Federal Fair Housing Act. The act protects people from discrimination when they are renting, buying or securing financing for any housing. The City Council recently passed a resolution recognizing the anniversary and declaring June 21, 2018, “Housing Equity Day in Minneapolis.”

Convened by the Mapping Prejudice Project, Minnesota Housing Partnership and Mill City Consulting, the series will feature events through October. For more information, visit the event series’ webpage or Facebook page. According to organizers, the series “will grapple with our dark history of covenants, redlining and structural racism; and convene cross-sector, community-centered conversations to chart a course for housing equity moving forward.” 


Share your walking stories for #WeWalkMpls campaign

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The City of Minneapolis is collaborating with Our Streets Minneapolis on a new social media campaign — #WeWalkMpls — to highlight the stories of Minneapolis residents of all ages and backgrounds who choose to walk as a primary way to get around the city.  Share your stories on social media and use the hashtag #WeWalkMpls.

Our Streets Minneapolis will also be collecting stories at upcoming Open Streets Minneapolis events: Lake/Minnehaha (Sunday, July 22), Northeast (Sunday, Aug. 5), Franklin (Sunday, Aug. 26), West Broadway (Saturday, Sept. 15), Nicollet (Sunday, Sept. 23) and University of Minnesota (Sunday, Sept. 30). The events run 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.


I-35W@94 update from MnDOT: plan ahead for closures

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Remember to plan ahead and consider alternative ways to get downtown as work ramps up on MnDOT’s 35W@94: Downtown to Crosstown project.

Here are the latest updates from MnDOT:

The next full closure for I-35W@94 is planned for July 27-30 and Aug. 3-6. These closures south of downtown will be combined with work going on north of downtown from Fourth Street to Ramsey County Road C. That means I-35W will be closed from Highway 62 to I-694 next weekend and the following weekend. MnDOT will have detour maps available on the web page.

About the 35W@94 project 

  • MnDOT, Metro Transit, the City of Minneapolis and Hennepin County are partners in the four-year reconstruction of I-35W between 43rd Street and downtown Minneapolis that will improve accessibility, safety and mobility in the corridor. The work started in September 2017 and is scheduled to be complete in fall 2021.
  • The work includes reconstructing 2.5 miles of freeway, reconstructing 11 bridges and repairing four bridges, adding new access ramps from I-35W north to 28th Street and from I-35W south to Lake Street, and replacing ramps from I-35W north to I-94 west and I-94 east to I-35W south. Bus riders will experience a new two-story transit station at Lake Street and walkers and bicyclists will have new pedestrian bridges at 24th and 40th streets and improvements near the Midtown Greenway. To learn more about this project, visit: www.mndot.gov/35w94.

For more information, questions or concerns:

  • 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.

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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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