|
Hello Neighbors,
As we approach the colorful fall season with football fields, homecoming festivities and apple picking orchards buzzing, the City Council budgeting process is in full swing. This year we will be hosting an unprecedented 3 public hearings, with the first one being offered this coming Monday, 9/23 at 6:05 P.M. This represents an opportunity for the public to engage with the mayor’s proposed budget earlier than usual.
Ward 8, like many areas of our city have been experiencing many hardships and challenges related to unsheltered neighbors forming encampments in public and private spaces. Tragically, we continue to witness the loss of life through violence, overdoses, and other public health issues. This is unacceptable, to that end my office has developed a small Thank Tank, to offer immediate, mid-term and long-range sustainable solutions to this seemingly intractable problem. The group will participate in a series of facilitated conversations over the next three Fridays and will culminate with a Town Hall, which the date and location are to be determined.
Last week, the Ward 8 office convened a public safety conversation, held at MLK Park. I want to thank all neighbors who showed up, as well as Commissioner Barnette, Deputy Chief Gaiters, 5th Precinct Inspector, Christy Nelson, Asst. City Attorney Lombardo and the new 5th Precinct Crime Prevention Specialist, Faith Randal. One reminder I want to leave you with is to call 911 and/or 311 if you are a victim of or witness a crime, even if you think police won’t show up. We need the up-to-date information to understand where best to deploy resources, including patrols, mobile cameras, etc.
As always please stay safe and enjoy this beautiful weekend.
Love,
Andrea
Voters can cast their ballots early by mail or in person at the Early Vote Center, 980 E. Hennepin Ave., starting Sept. 20.
Voting by mail
All mail-in ballots need to be received by Election Day (Nov. 5) to count. If you choose to deliver your ballot in person to the Elections & Voter Services office, it must be returned by 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 5. Mail ballots cannot be dropped off at polling places on Election Day.
Find more information on how to vote by mail on the City website.
Voting at the Early Vote Center
The Early Vote Center, 980 E. Hennepin Ave., makes early in-person voting more convenient for Minneapolis voters. It’s especially helpful if you need language support or other special accommodations, such as curbside voting. Voting early can also help you avoid lines and crowds at polling places on the day of the election.
The Early Vote Center’s hours are 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. The center will extend its hours for the final two weeks of voting, including Saturdays and Sundays. Find all Early Vote Center hours on the City website.
For more information about registering and voting in Minneapolis, go to the City website.
|
Fall is in full swing for downtown Minneapolis, as the City of Lakes hosts festivities, music and outdoor options for the whole family. When big events come to downtown Minneapolis, make sure to plan ahead and consider alternative transportation options.
Find more information about transit, parking, scooters, bike share options and more on the City website.
See more events throughout September including Open Streets, sports events, festivals and gymnastics.
The City’s Health Department has compiled a back-to-school health checklist. You’ll find tips, advice and resources to ensure your child is ready for a healthy and successful year.
Use these resources to set your child up for success in academics and also health.
Read more back-to-school resources and information on the City website.
 Join your neighbors and explore vibrant spaces for walking, biking and rolling during two remaining Open Streets events this year.
Open Streets West Broadway Between Lyndale Avenue North and Penn Avenue North 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21
Hosted by the West Broadway Business Coalition, this event offers more than 250 vendors and activities across 17 blocks. Live music, dance performances and cultural showcases will celebrate the rich diversity of north Minneapolis. Pop-up markets and a cultural food court will feature the heritage of the community through handmade crafts and culinary delights.
Open Streets Nicollet Avenue From West 31st Street to West 46th Street 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28
Hosted by the Lyndale Neighborhood Association, this event offers more than 2 miles of music and magic. Come for the live music, art activities and inflatables, skateboard demonstrations and a 5K Run for Beer. Restaurants will offer food and drink specials with special menu items only found at Open Streets.
Read more about Open Streets on the City website.
The City is recruiting members for boards and commissions to strengthen the work of the City. People with a diversity of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives are encouraged to apply.
Members are recruited twice each year, in the spring and fall. Fall applications will be accepted through Sept. 30.
City boards and commissions offer a direct way for residents to advise City leadership about topics important to them.
Check for current openings and apply for positions on the City website.
For more information call 612-673-2216 or email staff.
 The City and the engagement team (4RM+ULA and the Cultural Wellness Center) are holding the fifth and final visioning workshop Sept. 24 for George Floyd Square. Topics will focus on memorial locations, the Peoples Way site and right-of-way design priorities. This event will continue the discussion to create a community-centered vision for the area.
Visioning workshop on the future of George Floyd Square 5:30-8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 24 The Square at the Chicago Ave Shops, 3736 Chicago Ave. Read more about the event. RSVP.
Food and refreshments will be served.
Next steps
A dinner dialogue will be held in October to share our findings.
Sign up for updates
Have friends or neighbors interested in this topic? Forward this newsletter or encourage them to sign up for future updates.
To learn more about the City's efforts at George Floyd Square, visit the program webpage.
Join the Health Department’s School Based Clinics team for a health and wellness fair as we connect the community to services, resources and career opportunities.
The fair is for all ages. It will include:
- Resources around mental health and social services for young people.
- Career opportunities ranging from lifeguard and swim instructor to yoga instructor training.
- Engaging activities for all abilities.
Health and wellness career fair 4:30-6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26 Edison Senior High School, 2030 Monroe St. NE
Learn more about Minneapolis School Based Clinics.
The City of Minneapolis has proposed redeveloping the former 3rd Precinct building into a democracy center. It would house Elections & Voter Services and offer a large, ground-floor space for community use. We’ve asked for and gathered your feedback beginning in 2023. Join us at an open house to hear about what we’ve learned.
Minnehaha 3000, a future democracy center and community space 5:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 2 Minneapolis American Indian Center, 1530 E. Franklin Ave.
Food and refreshments will be provided.
Read more about the initiative on the Minnehaha 3000 webpage.
Sign up for Minnehaha 3000 updates.
Paying to repair your private sewer line that connects to the public sewer can be expensive. But if your line has cracks in it, tree roots growing into it, or gaps in the connections, it has to be fixed. This pipe carries your wastewater from your toilet, sink, shower, laundry, dishwasher, etc. to the public sanitary sewer in the street.
Help paying for a repair
The property owner is responsible for the line from the home to the public sewer. If you need help paying for a repair to your private sewer line, you might get help from a property tax assessment, an upcoming grant program or private insurance.
- Property tax assessment:
- Grant program: City staff hope to receive funding from the Metropolitan Council in 2025 to help homeowners pay for private sewer line repairs. For more information about this program, visit the City website and sign up to get an email when funding is available.
- Private insurance: Some private insurance companies offer an endorsement or rider to help pay for the cost of a private sewer line repair. This needs you to take action before you find out your line needs repair. Contact your insurance company to see if this is an option. When doing so, get a quote for the annual cost, coverage limit and deductible. Make sure to read the fine print.
Read more about home sewer maintenance on the City website.
Save Oct. 23 for a free seniors fair. The fair is tailored for our senior community members and caregivers. The day will feature workshops, an elected officials panel, a resource fair, and a free breakfast and lunch. The workshops will cover yoga and meditation, City services, public safety and connecting with community.
Seniors fair 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 23 Diamond Lake Lutheran Church, 5760 Portland Ave. S.
Schedule
Raffle with prizes to be announced.
9 a.m. - Welcome and breakfast 10 a.m. - Morning workshops: yoga for all – mind and body, City services presented by Public Works and 311 11 a.m. - Resource fair and lunch Noon – Panel discussion with local elected officials including City Council Members Andrea Jenkins, Emily Koski and Aurin Chowdhury; and Hennepin County Commissioner Angela Conley. More to be announced. 1 p.m. - Afternoon workshops: the City’s holistic approach to community safety, a discussion about making community connections through art.
The seniors fair is sponsored by Wards 8, 11 and 12.
 Minneapolis has about 20 farmers markets for you to explore. Markets connect local farmers and gardeners with Twin Cities residents to build a sense of community over a shared love of food. Visit a local market including:
Minneapolis Farmers Market 312 E. Lyndale Ave N. Every Wednesday-Sunday through Oct. 31
Northeast Farmers Market 629 2nd St E. Every Saturday through Oct. 12
Kingfield Farmers Market 4055 Nicollet Ave. Every Sunday through Oct. 27
Find a farmers market near you and explore how to multiply your SNAP-EBT dollars with Market Bucks.
 Minneapolis Animal Care & Control has received 30 reports about a scam that works like this: scammers look for posts about lost pets and then contact the owners. Sometimes they spoof the City’s phone number and pose as an animal control officer. They lie about finding a pet needing a bogus emergency surgery. They send a link to wire money, potentially defrauding pet owners of thousands of dollars.
The City wants residents to be aware. Minneapolis Animal Care & Control will never ask for money in a lost pet situation. When we identify owners of lost pets in its care, the owner must visit the shelter in person and show proof of ownership.
For more information – or if you believe you’ve received a scam call or text – call 612-673-6222 to talk to a staff member.
Read more about the lost pets scam on the City website.
 The New Nicollet project team wants to hear from you, the people who live, work and play near the New Nicollet site. The City of Minneapolis plans to reconnect Nicollet Avenue between Lake Street and Cecil Newman Lane, through the old Kmart site, beginning in 2025. After road construction, the City will work in partnership to develop the remaining site into a high-density, mixed-use, walkable area.
We want to hear about your priorities and desires for the site, so we can reflect that in the design and outcomes of the future redevelopment.
Right now, the City wants your input on the priorities for property uses and buildings on the New Nicollet site. For this phase of engagement, there are two big opportunities for everyone to get involved:
Visit the project webpage to find updated project information, project events and ways to get involved.
Please email staff with any questions.
The City is now recruiting members for the Advisory Committee on People with Disabilities. This advisory committee is open to any Minneapolis resident regardless of ward and has been in existence since 1976.
Many amazing disability justice advocates have served on MACOPD over the years and influenced numerous City projects. Some of the projects include the city’s Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Action and Transition plans, the Minneapolis 2040 comprehensive plan, renovations to public parks and recreation facilities, and numerous pedestrian and transit-related projects.
City boards and commissions offer a direct way for residents to advise City leadership about topics important to them. Applications will be accepted Sept. 1 through Sept. 30. Translation and interpreting are available so all residents can participate. If interested in applying, fill out the online application.
For more information, potential applicants can email or call Guthrie Byard, Community Specialist – People with Disabilities, 612-554-3666.
Poets and spoken word artists are encouraged to apply for the role of the 2025-2026 Minneapolis poet laureate. Applications are due Nov. 15.
The Minneapolis poet laureate is an official ambassador of the city’s literary culture, connecting our community through the art of poetry. As an advocate for poetry and literary arts in Minneapolis, the poet laureate will engage the community in meaningful, impactful and innovative projects. The goal is to share the transformative art of poetry through community and education.
Poet laureate responsibilities
The City of Minneapolis’ Arts & Cultural Affairs Department and The Loft Literary Center are partnering to identify the 2025-2026 Minneapolis poet laureate. The poet laureate’s responsibilities include:
- Writing a poem reflecting on the current moment of the City of Minneapolis.
- Celebrating the City of Minneapolis through public service engagements, including addresses at official City events.
- Leading a public event that features the sharing of poetry and community.
- Teaching classes through The Loft Literary Center that promote poetry as an opportunity for connection.
- Advancing the art form of poetry in Minneapolis as an avenue for deep engagement in our community.
Find guidelines and application links on The Loft’s website.
Read more on the City website.
You can buy up to three trees today for just $30 each through Sept. 30 while supplies last.
Choose from shade trees, fruit trees, flowering trees and evergreen trees. Watch this video to see the types of trees you can get and the many benefits they provide.
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.
Funded by the Climate Legacy Initiative, we’re providing more low-cost trees than ever before.
Read more and purchase your trees while they last.
 Minneapolis residents and property owners can start their own climate legacy by getting a free Home Energy Squad visit from the City, while funding lasts. A Home Energy Squad visit is a professional detailed review of your home’s energy efficiency.
Watch a video of a step-by-step Home Energy Squad visit.
This program is provided by Xcel Energy and CenterPoint Energy and is delivered by the Center for Energy and Environment. It’s part of the City’s commitment to creating a climate legacy.
Schedule a Home Energy Squad visit.
Minneapolis Animal Care & Control is getting the word out about bats as a potential rabies risk. They are urging the community to stay aware and look to vaccinating pets to protect them from rabies, a fatal disease spread by an infected animal’s bite.
Pet exposure to bats
The City recommends the following steps if pets are exposed or bitten:
- Whether or not they’re vaccinated, pets should visit a vet or a community clinic for a rabies booster within 72 hours of the exposure or bite.
- There could be a time of confinement and/or quarantine.
- If the pet is unvaccinated and exposed to a bat, it will need to be impounded until the bat is tested and has a negative result.
Low-cost vaccine appointments
Minneapolis Animal Care will start offering low-cost vaccine appointments within the next few months. In the meantime, several clinics in the area can help.
If a person is exposed to or bitten by a bat
While human rabies is rare, the Minnesota Department of Health recommends the following steps if exposed to or bitten by a bat. If the bat can be tested for rabies, it’s usually safe to wait one or two days for the test results to come back before taking action. If the bite occurred on your face or head, it may be more urgent. Consult the Minnesota Department of Health at 651-201-5414. If the bat can’t be tested, it’s recommended you receive the rabies shots.
Read more about protection from rabies on the City website.
|
