 I am writing to inform you that Dylan Bradford-Kesti will be leaving his position in the Ward 9 office to start as the new Minneapolis Fire Department Interagency Coordinator on May 13.
I am excited for him and the Minneapolis Fire Department who hired a talented and dedicated staff member. I am sincerely sad to see him leave our office but I am glad that he will still be at City Hall doing important work to keep our residents safe.
Dylan has been an invaluable member of Council offices for the past five years, spanning three council terms, three Council members, and two Ward offices. We are thankful for his service and looking forward to further collaboration in the new role.
He's helped lead the various accomplishments, policies, and budget appropriations our residents are now benefitting from.
Please connect with me via this email: jason.chavez@minneapolismn.gov
City staff continue to meet with the south Minneapolis community about the South Minneapolis Community Safety Center and the Lake Street Community Safety Center. Staff are also talking to people on the street about the two community safety centers. The information will help decide on what services could be in the community safety centers.
Upcoming for people in south Minneapolis, staff will talk with:
- People who identify as Oromo May 4.
- The Latino business community May 4.
- Older adults May 6.
- People who identify as African American May 8.
- People who identify as LBGTQIA+ May 14. We anticipate a big turnout for this event. To manage capacity, we ask that you please sign up. This will help us ensure we have food, supplies and staff for people who attend.
- People living with disabilities who live in, work in, and visit south Minneapolis and agencies that work with them May 15. This conversation is part of the monthly meeting of the Minneapolis Advisory Committee on People with Disabilities.
- Residents of Hale, Page and Diamond Lake neighborhoods at their monthly community association board meeting May 20.
- Residents of the Field, Regina and Northrop neighborhoods at their monthly board meeting June 19.
Please note some dates and times may change. Please go to the community safety center website for the most up-to-date information.
Online meeting May 22
An online meeting about services in the South Minneapolis Community Safety Center will be held May 22. Everyone who lives and works in south Minneapolis is welcome, but an RSVP is required.
Survey
Residents and businesses in south Minneapolis neighborhoods that will be served by the community safety centers should watch their mail for postcards arriving in early May. We hope to hear from everyone who works in and/or lives in the area served by the South Minneapolis Community Safety Center.
Stay tuned for reports on events that staff have recently attended.
Check out the City’s website for more information.
Legal Aid hosts four in-person clinics in Ward 9, with trusted community partners. These clinics offer a range of free legal help for eligible residents. Legal Aid handles civil issues (family law, housing, consumer protection, tax, public benefits, and disability rights) and immigration. They cannot help with criminal or CHIPS cases. If you have a legal problem, reach out and see if they can help!
African Community Services (ACS) - africancs.org
- 1305 E 24th St E (lower level)
- Tues and Thurs, 10 - 3: Civil issues (not immigration)
- Wed, 10 - 3: Rental housing only
- Call 612-721-9984 to make an appointment
Division of Indian Work (DIW) - diw-mn.org
- 1001 E. Lake St.
- Tues and Thurs, 10 - 3: Civil issues (not immigration)
- Call 612-722-8722 to make an appointment
Waite House - pillsburyunited.org/site/waite-house
- 2323 11th Ave. S.
- 2nd and 4th Mon of each month, 10 - 1: Immigration only
- Call 612-721-1681 to make an appointment
Patients and their families at Children's Hospital who have a legal problem should mention it to their care team for a direct referral to the Legal Clinic there.
You can also call Legal Aid's central office:
Civil issues: 612-334-5970
Immigration: 612-332-1441
 The City of Minneapolis Health Department, in collaboration with external partners, is hosting a Health Fair in East Phillips on Saturday, May 11. The fair will connect East Phillips community members with City resources to protect them from environmental pollution.
Saturday, May 11, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
East Phillips Park Cultural & Community Center, 2307 17th Ave S
Learn about City resources related to: outdoor air quality, indoor air quality, asthma, lead, and tap water.
The Health Fair will be holding a raffle and giving away air sensors, air filters and asthma resources while supplies last. Free lunch will be provided.
Outdoor air quality affects our health. The City of Minneapolis is recognizing National Air Quality Awareness Week by highlighting programs it uses to track local air quality and give tips to community members to improve neighborhood air quality.
Outdoor air quality affects health
Air quality issues can affect everyone, especially those living with asthma or other breathing challenges. Minnesota is fortunate to generally enjoy good air quality. However, some communities are disproportionately affected by air pollution, including people earning lower incomes and people in Black communities, Indigenous communities, and communities of color.
Recreational fires: Follow the law and be a good neighbor
Residential wood burning accounts for 55% of Minnesota’s tiny pollution particles in the air. The tiny particles are small enough to be breathed in and even enter the bloodstream affecting a person’s health. When having a fire in your yard, consider your health, your family’s and your neighbors’.
Recreational fire laws
- Avoid burning when Minneapolis is under an air pollution advisory. Fires release fine particles that contribute to air pollution and are implicated in health problems including strokes, heart attacks and asthma. Sign up for air quality alerts from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
- Outdoor recreational fires are permitted between 9 a.m. and 10 p.m.
- Keep fires small: less than 3 feet in diameter and 2 feet high.
- Burn only untreated, unpainted, dry wood. Never burn cardboard boxes, trash or debris, because the smoke can be toxic.
- Have a hose or fire extinguisher present.
Learn more about City regulations around recreational fires.
For more information on recreational fires or to register a complaint about a recreational fire, call or email 311. To register a complaint about a recreational fire outside 311 hours, call 911.
Read more on the City website.
 In Minneapolis, City-owned fire hydrants are flushed each year between May and October. Hydrant flushing removes mineral deposits from the water mains. It is also provides an opportunity to make sure hydrants are in working order.
Because flushing stirs up mineral deposits, it can temporarily discolor the tap water. The water is safe for drinking and bathing. However, to avoid staining clothing, we recommend waiting an hour or so and checking to see the water has returned to normal before doing laundry.
Get notified
You can sign up for notifications about water hydrant flushing in your area. Sign up for notifications. Make sure to create a full Smart911 profile online to register your address for location-based notifications like this.
Read more about what to do when hydrants in your area are being flushed.
National Night Out is a time for City residents to come together and celebrate with neighbors. Many blocks in Minneapolis take this opportunity to reconnect, eat and build relationships while kids play and bike freely on a closed street. Our goal this year is to increase participation.
Register your event by July 30
Registration is now open, and it’s free. Sign up early. Registration closes July 30, five days before the event.
Some points to consider:
- Register only one event per block, so confirm with your neighbors who will be registering.
- Consider whether you want your street blocked off to traffic.
- Ask neighbors for help organizing your event.
- Call 311 to request a fire truck, MPD K9, and/or MPD Mounted Patrol.
Contact the City crime prevention specialists with questions.
Register your block.
Plan to join in Neighborhood Day this Saturday, May 11. Neighborhood Day is an annual day set across the city to increase resident participation in local civic engagement through one of the city’s 70 recognized neighborhood organizations. Neighborhood organizations host a neighborhood engagement activity and or board elections to increase resident participation in their neighborhood organizations.
Picture the neighborhood you want to live in and then help make that vision a reality by becoming involved in your neighborhood organization. Learn more about your neighborhood organization by attending a Neighborhood Day event. Examples of 2024 Neighborhood Day events include neighborhood meet and greets, garden tool swaps, youth choir concerts, happy hours and neighborhood cleanup.
Your voice is important
Neighborhood voices are important for equity, but typically fewer than 1% of eligible people vote for neighborhood organization boards. Neighborhood boards are important local forces for change; they make investments and decisions about the community. Voting in board elections can help make sure the board members making these decisions and setting priorities for neighborhood organization activities represent voters on the most local level.
Neighbors are invited to come find out how they can help make their neighborhood better – including neighbors who haven’t been involved before. This will help neighborhood organizations better represent their neighborhoods for more equitable, accessible services.
Look up your neighborhood organization to find updated listings and see if your neighborhood is holding an event or an election this year.
If you don't know which neighborhood you live in, you can look it up by address.
Find more information about neighborhood board elections on the City website.
Find more information about Neighborhood Day on the City website.
 Come help celebrate a new public artwork May 28. “Common Currents” is a two-part artwork sited at each end of Samatar Crossing. It is inspired by the journeys people have undertaken to begin new chapters in Minneapolis. The wavelike sculptures include colorful steel panels inscribed with poetry by local poets. They evoke Hussein Samatar’s enduring legacy of bridging cultures.
5 p.m. May 28 East side of Samatar Crossing Gather on the downtown side of the crossing and walk or roll with artists and poets in a poetry procession to Cedar Riverside. Experience readings from the project poets along the way. The program will close on the east side with refreshments and music.
Artwork by Ifrah Mansour, Aaron Marx and Randy Walker with poets Sun Yung Shin, Sharon M. Day, ShaVunda Brown, Aegor, Ahmed Said Salah, Sixco, and Mohamed Shariff.
Find more information on Facebook Page or contact Kirstin Wiegmann
Join the City of Minneapolis for a free networking event on not just landing a job but building a career.
Get tips on job searching, building your resume, writing a cover letter and interviewing.
- Get a free professional headshot/photo.
- Meet with hiring managers.
- Enjoy a free lunch.
HR Bridges career fair 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Wednesday, May 22 CareerForce Center, 800 W. Broadway
Learn more about jobs at the City on the City website.
If you join in Mental Health Awareness Month by wearing green, tag us on Facebook or X and use #GoGreenMinneapolisMHAM to show your support.
Resources for mental health
Physical health benefits your mental health
Regular physical activity can lower stress, reduce symptoms of mental health conditions, and improve sleep, which further improves mental health. Remember that helpful physical activity includes stretch breaks, five-minute walks, standing and dancing.
Read more.
The draft 2024 Minneapolis Consolidated Action Plan is posted for public comments through May 21, and the public hearing will be held May 14. The plan describes the City’s housing and community development strategies for residents with low and moderate incomes.
Goals of the Minneapolis Consolidated Plan
- Provide decent affordable housing.
- Develop housing and services for people experiencing homelessness.
- Provide special needs housing.
- Expand economic opportunities.
- Improve neighborhood conditions.
2024 Consolidated Plan Action Plan public hearing 1:30 p.m. before the Business, Housing and Zoning Committee Tuesday, May 14 Public Service Center, 250 Fourth St. S., Room 350
Find out how to participate in a public hearing on the City website or call 311.
If you’re unable to attend this public hearing, you can send written comments by May 21 to Rachel Kennedy Boehm.
See the draft plan and learn more on the City website
Contact the Ward 9 Office
Email: jason.chavez@minneapolismn.gov
Phone: 612-673-2209
We've moved while work is being done in City Hall. Our office is in:
Room 100, Public Service Center
450 South 4th St.
Get directions
For reasonable accommodations or alternative format please contact 311. People who are deaf or hard of hearing can use a relay service to call 311 at 612-673-3000. TTY users call 612-263-6850. Para ayuda, llame al 311. Rau kev pab 311. Hadii aad Caawimaad u baahantahay wac 311. |
