As more information comes forward in regard to the tragic shooting death of two police officers and a paramedic in Burnsville, and another police officer wounded by gunfire, my heart is heavy for those who gave their lives in responding to this call for help. My heart is also heavy for the mom and children who thankfully survived this violence and abuse. I will continue to do all I can for Minneapolis to show up for victims and domestic violence calls in our city, and that continues to require coordinated approaches to call patterns with police, our community partners like the Domestic Abuse Project, and our City Attorney's Office.
You'll also see below that beyond City Hall, I had a chance to recently tour the new small-scale, Minneapolis Public Housing building in our ward that is soon to be home to six families. From the modern build to the green features the City helped to finance with our Green Cost-Share program, this very dignified housing is finally move-in ready.
I've had a chance to check in with every neighborhood organization this year at their monthly meetings, and had a town hall at Walker Methodist for an opportunity to interact and share with the residents there. And I was one of nine cook/contestants in Kenny neighborhood's Chili Cookoff, with my neighbor's white chicken chili recipe. The winner of this cookoff, DeVette Evans of Nydees, is a local chef looking to establish her catering business in the 13th ward and we are working to see how we can help her do that.
On a personal note, I help coach my older son's robotics team and we spent all of Sunday with his and other Anthony Middle School teams at the big State Meet! Way to go, Panthers!
This week I had the pleasure of touring the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority's (MPHA) new apartment building in the 13th Ward. This is one of 16 new buildings, for a total of 84 units, of deeply affordable family-only housing in our City. I was impressed with the quality of construction and the spacious rooms, abundant storage and light-filled units. This video outlines the goals of the program and has incredible drone footage documenting how these buildings used modular construction technology with "less noise and fewer neighborhood disruptions at each site while delivering the project 30 percent faster than would have been possible with a conventional construction approach."
The building in the 13th Ward has six units- two-2 BR and four-3 BR units. One unit is fully accessible; one and possibly two units have been reserved for families exiting homelessness and are being managed by Hennepin County's Coordinated Entry Program. I am extraordinarily proud to have this housing in our community and look forward to welcoming six families in need of affordable housing to the 13th Ward.
Pictured (L-R) are MPHA Executive Director Abdi Warsame, Council Member Linea Palmisano, and MPHA Assistant Director of Real Estate Development (and Ward 13 resident!) Brian Schaffer.
Metro Transit is proposing changes to the Route 4 bus route as part of their Better Bus Routes programs to improve the customer experience. They are looking for feedback on these potential changes:
Proposed changes include:
Consolidating bus stops for up to quarter-mile spacing (see attached map for specific bus stop locations)
Relocating select stops to the far side of signalized intersections to reduce delays
Expanding the no-parking zone around select stops to ensure buses can fully pull up to the curb at the bus stop
Installing concrete pads at 14 bus stops to improve accessibility for customers
Installing new shelters at five qualifying stops
Transit signal priority is being installed at select intersections along Lyndale Ave S in Minneapolis
Metro Transit is seeking public input on these changes, which will be implemented in August 2024. You can read more about these proposed changes on their project website and also take a survey.
If you’re a City Solid Waste & Recycling customer, watch your mailbox in the coming weeks for your annual service guide. Your guide will include a collection schedule for the year; ways you can create less trash and reuse what you already have; and a catalog of what belongs in the gray garbage cart, blue recycling cart and green organics cart. The guide also has instructions for setting out large items and for managing household hazardous waste.
We send these annually because there are changes in terms of the types of things we can continue to recycle.
More resources
Choose from multiple resources for the best ways to use recycling and trash services.
A searchable disposal guide on the City website shows the best way to dispose of specific household items.
Enter the lottery by March 31 for the chance to buy a $30 tree for your Minneapolis property. The City will offer 1,000 low-cost shade and evergreen trees to help grow the city’s tree canopy. The trees range from 3 feet to 8 feet tall.
The City is especially focused on adding trees in the Green Zones as those areas have some of the lowest tree cover in the city. We encourage anyone who owns property in the Green Zones to enter the lottery.
Sign up by March 31 to enter the lottery. Limit one entry per Minneapolis address. Rental property owners may enter the lottery for each planting address.
If You're Selected
If you’re selected in the lottery, you can buy one or two trees per address. You’ll get an email in April with information on how to order.
Tree pickup will be May 18 and 19 (subject to change). You’ll get an email with the pickup location.
The Park Stewardship Program allows volunteer groups or individuals to restore, maintain and beautify gardens and natural areas within Minneapolis Parks. Volunteer stewards are important and valued caretakers of these places. Each group or individual operates under a Park Stewardship Agreement with the Minneapolis Parks. Gardening, trash picking and removing invasive species are popular stewardship tasks.
Garden Volunteer Program
Volunteer at an MPRB garden. This page includes garden volunteer activities at Lyndale Park Gardens by Harriet.
Early voting has begun for the March 5 presidential primary. Voters can cast their ballots by mail or in person at the Early Vote Center, 980 East Hennepin Ave.
All mail-in ballots need to be received by March 5 to count. Anyone who requested a mail ballot should allow up to seven days. The City recommends all requests for mail ballots be made no later than Tuesday, Feb. 27, and completed ballots should be mailed no later than Friday, March 1.
If voters choose to deliver their ballot in-person to the Elections & Voter Services office, it must be returned by 8 p.m. on primary day, March 5. Mail ballots cannot be dropped off at polling places on Election Day.
The City is making plans for the future of the former 3rd Precinct building at the corner of East Lake Street and Minnehaha Avenue. That work includes finding how a portion of the building could be used for community purposes.
In the coming months, the City will engage with residents, community leaders and stakeholders to help guide this work. A community information session is planned in early March.
Office of Community Safety Commissioner Toddrick Barnette has presented an update on the South Minneapolis Community Safety Center. The goal is to open the new Community Safety Center in early 2025.
A purchase agreement has been signed for a building at 2633 Minnehaha. The City will inspect the property, perform environmental testing, etc. By April 15, the City will decide whether to move forward with the purchase based on the findings.
A Design and Implementation team first convened in November 2023. The team has been working toward making recommendations, using the Safe & Thriving Communities Report as a roadmap.
The City of Minneapolis and the Minnesota Department of Human Rights (MDHR) have selected Effective Law Enforcement for ALL (ELEFA) as the Independent Evaluator to monitor compliance with the City’s court enforceable settlement agreement with MDHR. The settlement agreement includes policy, budgetary, and training requirements that the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) and City enterprise must undertake.
The Independent Evaluator evaluates and reports on the City’s compliance with the terms of the settlement agreement and provides the City with technical assistance on things like policy drafting and training content.
ELEFA is focused on helping police, civic, and community leaders to partner together to reinvent law enforcement in their communities to achieve policing that is effective, respectful, restrained and, above all, safe for the public and the police. The nonprofit has offices in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Silver Springs, Maryland.
ELEFA was selected after a competitive request for proposals (RFP) process. The nonprofit was one of three teams selected to hold public presentations and answer questions from community members in mid-January. Based on feedback during the selection process from the parties, stakeholders, and the public, ELEFA was the team with the broadest support.
Members of ELEFA’s team have worked on the monitoring teams for the Department of Justice Consent Decrees with the New Orleans Police Department and the Baltimore Police Department. Team members have also done consent decree-related work in several other jurisdictions, including Phoenix, Cleveland, Puerto Rico, and Los Angeles.
The Fifth Police Precinct has seen an increase in burglaries and break-ins targeting the homes of residents who are on vacation for an extended period of time.
Request a Vacation Check:
The MPD provides vacation patrols at the request of residents to deter home burglaries. Reach out to the Fifth Precinct Crime Prevention Specialist, Jennifer Waisanen (Jennifer.Waisanen@minneapolismn.gov), with your address and vacation dates to arrange these extra patrols.
Utilize Smart Home Technology:
Use Smart Home technology, such as Alexa or Google Home, to turn on and off interior lights, music, and TVs to give the impression that you are home.
One of the best parts of my job is getting to meet with my constituents, learn more about you and hear your questions, concerns, hopes and dreams for our shared community.
If you'd like to schedule a time to meet with me, send me an e-mailand my staff will help get it scheduled. Please let me know what you'd like to talk about and a convenient place to meet- a coffee shop, a park, your home, my office, etc. I try to reserve Fridays for constituent meetings, but can work them in other times, as necessary, too.
