City of Minneapolis sent this bulletin at 08/23/2024 08:02 PM CDT
Council Member Linea Palmisano
August 23, 2024
From left to right: CM Palmisano serves her chili. Residents watch Inspector Nelson present at MStat.
Dear Neighbor,
This week, I participated in the Fulton Neighborhood “Beat the Heat” Chili Cook Off that included a community dinner, snow cones, a monarch butterfly release, and more. I had two entries in the chili contest: one a traditional beef recipe, the other a tofu chili- part of my goal to start cooking with more plant-based proteins. Well, drumroll please! My traditional chili won second place, coming in behind a Fulton dad’s winning entry with heirloom beans and alongside a Park Board staff member’s entry of a sweeter chili. But most importantly, the organizers and I were happily surprised to see over a hundred neighbors show up to enjoy dinner and an evening together at Pershing Park. Who knew you could consume a dozen crockpots of chili in August! Kudos to the Fulton Neighborhood Association for hosting this annual affair.
Last night, I attended the police “MStat” public meeting that hosts conversations with MPD Leadership and crime analysts about our city’s crime trends and statistics. While they cannot delve into details on any specific cases, it is helpful to see and be able to ask the experts about trends and their action plan to resolve issues. Importantly, you also see the outcomes of their previous action plans. It is useful to see how and where resources are being directed to address issues, precinct-by-precinct, and it includes the public in the conversation. A few of the trends in our 5th precinct include Uptown robberies involving young suspects in groups, increased crowd incidents related to bar close time, and business burglaries in the 46th/Grand area. The non-Hyundai auto thefts in Lowry Hill East and Whittier neighborhoods have become more concentrated along Hennepin Ave, but the Hyundai-specific auto thefts have gone down significantly. Home burglaries in the Loring Heights/Steven’s Square neighborhoods have moved to the Lyndale neighborhood. They have action plans for all of these trends.
They also spoke of positive outcomes in use of the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN). Our investigators basically analyze the unique “fingerprint” that a specific gun leaves on every casing it discharges. They’ve been able to solve cases and string together gun crimes by putting that “fingerprint” (ballistic forensics) into the NIBIN database. This is important to me as we consider the ShotSpotter contract coming through council.
The best parts of last night’s police meeting were being introduced to all of our new Community Service Officers in the 5th precinct, and seeing Officer Jamal Mitchell’s family again as they accepted a gift from a community member of pressed flowers and other memorabilia from his memorial services.
I’ve had the honor of serving as your Council Member for ten years. I’ve always been intentional about communication decisions I made- things like I won’t waste time on social media, but instead put together quality e-newsletters and get to neighborhood meetings regularly; ward forums will be large but less frequent, with hosted experts; and instead of office hours at set times/dates, I’ll meet people one-on-one all the time, wherever they’d like, as that’s how issues get resolved most quickly. Now, I want to take your temperature and ask if these methods still suit you best.
Lately I’ve been checking in with constituents at block parties and other local events about how to evolve my communications to better reach you.
And if you have ideas beyond this super quick poll, I welcome them as feedback any way you wish to send them my way. Thanks for your time!
Constituent Dave had a suggestion: include options to get to the State Fair from here in the 13th ward. Great idea! He also points out that it might be most efficient to use the U of M parking lots next to Williams Arena, followed by using the Intercampus Transitway to the fairgrounds. It’s free to park in those lots and free transit to/from those lots. There’s bike parking, and the Route 6 Metro Transit bus gets you easily there. So you have all three options to drive, bus, or bike.
Hope to see you at the Fair!
After a dizzying spin through options on the State Fair website, I’m grateful to take Dave’s advice and be done. Ideally, we’d bike to the U of M lot but realistically our cohort includes our 7 yr old, and I doubt the way home would be pleasant for any of us. Alternately, we could later put those bikes onto the 6 bus which will bring us straight home. But if I can’t rally my family to bike, we’ll take the 6 bus to the U of M connector both ways. For reference, on the 6 Route, you would take it northbound to the University Ave SE & University Rec Center stop, stop ID 16142.
My family will be there on Tuesday!
Ruth has lived here for 32 years and has seen lots of options come and go. She used to take an express bus from Southdale or Best Buy Corporate, but now utilizes one of the Free Park and Ride shuttle buses near the fairgrounds.
Anna moved to Lynnhurst last October, so this is her first year getting to the fair from her new neighborhood. In the past, she’s enjoyed the convenience of rideshare services and the proximity of the two designated drop-off and pick-up points.
In response to community feedback, the METRO E Line team and their contractor have devised a new approach to constructing stations at 43rd Street and Upton/Sheridan. The intersection is now open to northbound traffic through the intersection (no turns) and will remain open to northbound traffic throughout the remainder of construction.
Metro Transit expects to restore traffic in all four directions the week of September 10. After the intersection reopens, Metro Transit will complete the remaining work using lane closures. Traffic will remain in all four directions throughout the duration of this work. E-Line station construction is expected to conclude in early October.
Sidewalks will remain open on at least one side of the street and pedestrian access will be maintained to homes and businesses.
Westbound W Minnehaha Parkway is scheduled to close at Emerson Avenue S September 5-6, 2024.
The closure is necessary for CenterPoint Energy to perform work related to a gas main replacement happening in the area. Traffic will be detoured on Lyndale Avenue S with local access maintained. Trails will remain open through this area.
Please follow detours and stay out of work areas. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board appreciates the public's patience while infrastructure is repaired.
The Federal Aviation Administration is implementing GPS-based navigation instead of ground-based navigation as a part of modernizing the national airspace. GPS-based procedures are seen as safer and more efficient, adding precision to flight paths, but they may change flight patterns and the experience on the ground.
The FAA hosted two public webinars on Aug. 14 and 15 to present information and take questions about the new procedures for MSP Airport.
The 8th annual Battle of the Badges returns. This year, the competition features Hennepin County Sheriff, Minneapolis Police, Minneapolis Fire, and Minneapolis Park Police all vying for bragging rights over who can whip up the best BBQ. The family-friendly event includes free food, entertainment, giveaways, bounce houses and more.
Battle of the Badges Saturday, September 7 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. North Commons Park, 1801 James Ave. N
Curbside Voting is always an available option. There will be dedicated staff outside ready to serve voters. Simply look for the tent/signage in the parking lot. Ballot drop-off of mail ballots will be available at all Early Voting options.
Any Minneapolis resident may also vote at the Hennepin County Government Center. Visit the Hennepin County Elections website for more information.
The City Trees program is offering $30 trees now through Sept. 30. Minneapolis residents and property owners can purchase up to three trees per address. Choose from shade trees, fruit trees, flowering trees and evergreen trees.
Benefits of Trees
Trees provide shade, lower utility bills, increase property value, clean the air, collect stormwater, provide habitat for wildlife, and improve mental health and well-being.
Since the program began in 2006, the City Trees program has provided more than 20,000 low-cost trees for planting on private property, with 7,500 trees distributed in the last five years.
Businesses, nonprofits, organizations, and owners of properties with five or more units can also purchase $30 trees. Submit an application before Sept. 15.
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.
We've moved while work is being done in City Hall. Our office is in:
Room 100, Public Service Center 250 South 4th St. Get directions
For reasonable accommodations or alternative formats 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, hu 311. Hadii aad caawimaad u baahantahay, wac 311.
