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Hello Neighbors:
Happy May Day weekend! Workers across the globe unite; don’t allow dictators, colonizers, and their capitalist systems that favor the elites to run our world. We have the power. I am glad to see so many folks showing up at “Hands Off” rallies and other public acts of resistance. I personally travelled to Washington D.C. for a board meeting of the Human Rights Campaign, and we staged a “die-in” at the Department of Health and Human Services. Why would I be there, you ask? Because 45% of the Minneapolis Health Department is funded by federal grants that have been dramatically cut. Covid and flu vaccinations are no longer funded. HIV/AIDS funding has been halted. Teen pregnancy prevention and overdose prevention in the form of naloxone has been withdrawn, to name just a few cuts that have serious and lethal impacts on all of us. We must stand up and voice our demands, and that includes all of us.
Minneapolis has been named one of the happiest places in the country, and while some may debate this, I believe one factor is the strength of Minneapolis neighborhoods. This Saturday is ‘Neighborhood Day.’ There are many ways to participate. Get out in your neighborhood, help clean up George Floyd Square or check out the Duck Races along Minnehaha Creek. This Sunday, I will be joining hundreds of other folks for the “Walk MS: Twin Cities” event at Minnehaha Falls. As many of you know I live with this chronic illness, and I am fighting each day to make the world a bit more accessible for folks living with disabilities and particularly those impacted by multiple sclerosis. Feel free to come out and join us on what is sure to be a beautiful morning.
Lastly, south Minneapolis is traumatized by the horrific shootings that cost five people their lives and have devastated Indigenous communities and Phillips Neighborhood. My sincere condolences to the families and friends of the deceased. I received a message from a neighbor and leader of a nearby children’s learning center and daycare where almost 200 very young people were impacted by one of the shootings. These senseless acts have extensive impacts. We must continue to work hard to prevent violence and create safety ecosystems rooted in thriving communities.
Just a reminder that the Ward 8 convention is on Sunday.
Stay safe and Go Wolves!
Love,
Andrea
 May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to emphasize the importance of mental well-being and bring attention to challenges faced by people living with mental health conditions.
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Do you need help or know someone who’s struggling? Call or text 988 for free. It’s confidential and provides 24/7 support for people in distress, and access to prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones.
Learn more about the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Find more mental wellness resources on the City website.
For the first time, all residents in Minneapolis are represented by a neighborhood organization. Come celebrate at Neighborhood Day Saturday, May 3.
Neighborhood Day is an annual day set across the city to increase resident participation in local civic engagement through one of the city’s 68 recognized neighborhood organizations. It’s a chance to come together in community, find the neighborhood organization that represents you and get to know your neighbors.
Participating neighborhood organizations host their own events from board officer elections, recycling and clothing drives to food trucks, potlucks and tool swaps. There’s something for everyone.
Your voice is important
Neighborhood organizations are the most local, smallest form of government. It’s an easy way for residents to be involved at the most grassroots level in their own neighborhood, on their own street.
Organizations act as their own nonprofit and have volunteer boards of directors. The organizations communicate to residents – share City news and awareness of topics such as housing and environmental concerns – and engage with one another.
Local neighborhood boards review, respond and participate in City projects at the local level and participate in conversations on everything from stop signs to development projects.
Learn more about Neighborhood Day and which organization represents you. There’s also a map of neighborhoods engaged with the day and details on their events.
Public Works crews are sweeping away what accumulated in the streets over the winter. Drivers should watch for hot pink temporary “No Parking” signs to avoid a ticket and tow.
For about four weeks, sweeping crews are taking care of more than 1,000 miles of city streets. To make sure the crews can do the most complete job possible, temporary “No Parking” signs will be posted at least 24 hours in advance to make sure streets are clear of parked vehicles. Drivers need to follow street sweeping parking rules or they may have their cars ticketed and towed to the Minneapolis Impound Lot.
Find your street on the schedule
You can see when your street is scheduled to be swept by visiting the interactive street sweeping map.
Learn more about street sweeping.
The Community Commission on Police Oversight is hosting a public hearing May 13, and you're invited to share your thoughts.
This is a space for community members to give input on Minneapolis Police Department policies, rules, practices and special orders. We hold these hearings to make sure community voices are part of shaping how public safety works in our city.
The commission will be soliciting feedback for the three policies below. Please review the policies ahead of May 13 and provide your feedback at the public hearing or send a written comment.
Public hearing
Those who are interested in speaking in the public hearing may register.
Written comments
Written comments may also be submitted for the record of this public hearing either:
- By mail to the Office of City Clerk, 350 Fifth St. S., Room 304, Minneapolis, MN, 55415.
Community Commission on Police Oversight public hearing 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 13 Public Service Building, Room 100, 505 Fourth Ave. S.
Learn how to participate in a public hearing.
 The City of Minneapolis will celebrate Bike To Work Day Friday, May 16. There’s no better time than the present to make your daily commute healthier, greener and more fun.
Group rides
Four group rides to downtown will meet up at 7:30 a.m. across the city. Meet at:
- Farview Park (intersection of Lyndale Avenue and 26th Avenue North)
- Great Northern Greenway (intersection of Fifth Street and 18th Avenue Northeast)
- 38th Street Station (intersection of Hiawatha Avenue and East 38th Street)
- Lyndale Farmstead Park (intersection of Bryant Avenue South and West 40th Street)
Join elected officials, public works leaders and fellow bike commuters for free coffee, donuts, and more on the Hennepin County Government Center Plaza from 7-9 a.m.
Minneapolis has been investing in infrastructure to make bicycling easier, safer and more comfortable for all trips. Through our Transportation Action Plan, the City has committed to a safe, modern and convenient transportation landscape. A key component of the plan is to encourage drivers to shift away from personal vehicle trips and have 60% of trips taken by walking, rolling, biking or transit by 2030.
Bike To Work Day and our campaign As You Go MPLS are helping travelers around the city make this switch by highlighting improved infrastructure and providing information and resources.
 Doors Open Minneapolis 2025 is May 17-18. This annual event invites the public to several locations throughout the city where all the magic happens. This year, Doors Open will be a great chance to highlight work at City Hall, connect with the community, and showcase the newly remodeled and upgraded space.
This event will mark the first public tour of City Hall since recent upgrades were completed. These upgrades include remodeled offices for the Mayor’s Office, as well as significant improvements to the building’s mechanical, heating and cooling systems.
Doors Open Minneapolis 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, May 17, and Sunday, May 18
Volunteer
Help us engage with the public and bring attention to the City’s ongoing work to keep government accessible and transparent. Volunteer at this year’s Doors Open Minneapolis to help guide visitors on tours, welcome them to City Hall, help with logistics, and make sure everything runs smoothly. Volunteers will get a look at the new spaces, and it’s a wonderful chance to contribute to an important community event.
- Shift 1: 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. (arrive at 9:30 a.m.)
- Shift 2: 1:30-5 p.m. (arrive at 1 p.m.)
If you’re interested in volunteering, email the Municipal Building Commission by May 1 with your preferred date and shift.
If you have any questions, contact Ally Peters or Erin Delaney.
Read more about this year’s Doors Open Minneapolis.
 Join a work group to advise the City on its safety services. The Safe and Thriving Communities work group will also support on engagement opportunities to connect with community members. Applications are open through May 18.
The new work group will provide community feedback as the City develops its community safety ecosystem. This includes services and procedures around:
- Prevention
- Non-police response
- Restoration
- Community safety centers
We’re looking for people who have expertise or lived experience in:
- Violence prevention services
- Unarmed violence intervention services
- Restorative justice and healing services
- Criminal justice system
Learn more about qualifications, expectations and the appointment process by visiting the City's website.
The draft 2024 Minneapolis Consolidated Plan is posted for public comments until May 23, and the public hearing will be held May 20. 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.
2025 Consolidated Plan public hearing 1:30 p.m. before the Business, Housing and Zoning Committee Tuesday, May 20 Room 350, Public Service Center, 250 Fourth St. S.
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 23 to Rachel Boehm.
See the draft plan and learn more on the City website.
Federal land near the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam will transfer to Owámniyomni Okhódayapi, a Dakota-led organization working with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board to create a community space at the site. The space will feature indigenous vegetation, restored water flow, and a renewed connection to the river.
The historic transfer, which will put sacred Dakota land back into the stewardship of Dakota people, has been nearly a decade in the making and reflects years of collaboration between the City of Minneapolis, federal leaders, Owámniyomni Okhódayap, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, the four Dakota tribes of Minnesota, groups, and community stakeholders.
Efforts to transfer management of the site began in 2015, when the Upper Lock was closed to maritime traffic to halt the spread of invasive carp. In 2020, Congress passed legislation ordering the transfer of the site from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to the City of Minneapolis or its designee. The City chose Friends of the Falls, now Owámniyomni Okhódayapi, as its designee to transform the area into a community space that honors its Indigenous significance.
Read more about the transfer and the project on the City website.
A new citywide student dance program is bringing dance education to students in all 13 wards. After the closure of the Cowles Center for Dance Education in 2024, the city’s dance community rallied for something new, something bold. This program is the response.
The program will include:
- Dance classes in every Minneapolis Public Schools elementary school
- Dance companies in residence at Minneapolis Public Schools secondary schools
- Dance programming at every Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board recreation center
Dance education improves physical health, builds confidence, sparks creativity, and helps students express themselves emotionally and artistically. When offered in schools and rec centers, these classes can be a lifeline for students seeking connection, belonging and a safe outlet for self-expression.
Read more on the City website.
News of layoffs – federal workers, tech workers and others – have topped headlines recently. Unexpected job loss is tough for anyone, but there are resources to help. The Dislocated Worker program helps workers laid off through no fault of their own. This free program offers services including:
- Career planning and counseling
- Education and training support
- Help with your expenses around employment or training goals
Visit the City of Minneapolis' dislocated worker webpage or contact staff at CareerForce for help finding a new job.
April was Youth Employment Month in Minnesota. Many young people looking for work struggle, but we can help. City of Minneapolis Employment & Training has programs and resources specifically for youths.
Minneapolis Youth Works is a year-round program for youth ages 14-24 with challenges to employment. The program provides support to finish school, get training in job skills and find or keep a job.
Visit the City’s Youth Works page for full eligibility requirements and next steps. You can also fill out the interest form to have an employment coach contact you.
Resources
The Minneapolis Employment and Opportunity Guide for Youth lists options for jobs, internships, volunteer work and more. You can also visit CareerForce in person or online.
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 The City of Minneapolis broke ground on the first city-owned and operated biochar facility in North America April 30. The Minneapolis facility will have the capacity to annually:
- Process more than 3,000 tons of wood waste.
- Produce more than 500 tons of biochar.
- Remove nearly 3,700 tons of carbon dioxide from the air, the equivalent of taking more than 789 cars off the road.
Biochar is a specialized charcoal that pulls carbon out of the air and stores it in the soil. It also holds nutrients and water, helping plants grow.
Learn more about biochar and what it’s doing to help our city.
The City of Minneapolis has a new online dashboard showing 911 emergency incidents. The dashboard’s rollout coincides with encryption on the City’s main emergency-response channels. This encryption meets requirements for Minnesota’s state data privacy regulations.
The new dashboard will be updated every 30 minutes and include the following features:
- 911 calls over the last 12 hours
- Incidents categorized into police, fire and behavioral crisis response calls
- Incidents categorized by date, agency, neighborhood or problem code
Read more about the dashboard on the City website.
 Minneapolis has won an award for keeping kids safe while they walk and bike. Two communities in the country won the National Center for Safe Routes to School’s 2025 Vision Zero for Youth U.S. Leadership Award.
Minneapolis stood out for its focus on youth transportation safety through:
- Strong partnerships among City departments, schools and community organizations.
- Lowering the speed limit to 20 mph on local neighborhood streets.
- Adding traffic safety improvements around schools.
- Offering universal bicycle safety education for fourth- and fifth-grade students.
- Testing speed cameras near schools.
- Engaging young people to help shape transportation policies and street designs.
Read more about the award on the City website.
Minneapolis is finding ways to make your neighborhood streets safer and reduce risky driving. We’ve identified several areas for traffic calming treatments to be implemented this year. Learn about the 2025 projects and please give us your feedback through our upcoming open houses, online interactive feedback map and survey.
Learn more about the traffic calming project and ways you can get involved on the City website.
Only two cities in the United States can boast about being among the happiest in the world. According to the Institute for Quality of Life’s 2025 Happy City Index, Minneapolis is one of them. The institute ranks 200 of the globe’s most joyful cities in gold, silver and bronze categories based on several factors like strong economies, inclusive policies, climate initiatives and more.
The Happy Index is more than just a smile on the street. Ranking Minneapolis 30th worldwide in the gold category, 150 independent researchers worked since August to judge Minneapolis on six robust rubrics:
- Governance and transparency
- Environment and sustainability
- Economy and business
The top five ranked happiest cities in the world are Copenhagen, Zurich, Singapore, Aarhus and Antwerp. See the whole list.
 Now that Minnesota’s cannabis regulations have been approved, it won’t be long before legal adult-use cannabis dispensaries start to open across the state. Wondering where you might find one in your neighborhood?
Check out the map for zoning on cannabis dispensaries.
Minneapolis was the first city in the state 10 years ago to create a Green to Go ordinance, which requires recyclable, reusable or compostable to-go food containers in restaurants. But we can all make a difference when we bin those containers.
As part of the City’s ordinance, food businesses must offer collection bins for customers to recycle, compost and dispose of their waste. Customers can help by placing our containers in the correct bin.
- Recycle: glass bottles, tin, aluminum and plastics (plastics 1, 2, and 5)
- Organics: food scraps and containers marked with the BPI logo on certified products
- Trash: all other items
Save money and help the environment by reducing food waste at home. An average family of four spends more than $2,500 a year on food they don’t end up eating. The biggest thing you can do to prevent wasted food is to buy food you’ll eat and eat what you buy.
Tips to save food
- Use the fridge check guide (PDF) to identify the foods you toss most and why.
- Plan weekly meals.
- Create an “eat this first” section in the fridge.
- Eat food before it goes bad.
- Only buy what you need.
- Take restaurant leftovers home, and eat them for lunch the next day.
- Compost food scraps.
Find resources and learn more to prevent wasting food.
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 As part of the Hiawatha-Lake intersection redesign, the City of Minneapolis is working with artists Natchez Beaulieu, Daniela Bianchini, Pablo Kalaka and Greta McLain. They will collaborate with the community to design and fabricate a 5,200-square-foot mural on the north and south walls of the underpass. The intersection and the highway underpass are being redesigned to create an area that’s safer and more comfortable for pedestrians.
All four artists are Southsiders with a deep commitment to Minneapolis. They’ll combine community engagement activities, community painting techniques and community mosaic-making to create a work for this area. Their vision is a mural that will uplift the intersection at Hiawatha and Lake into a symbol of community resilience, unity and pride.
To participate in this spring’s community engagement and design activities, contact Kirstin Wiegmann.
Minneapolis is preparing for a busy 2025 construction season. More than $225 million is planned in infrastructure improvements. The 66 capital projects getting underway this year represent a major investment in safer streets, more reliable utilities and more vibrant neighborhoods.
From storm sewers and sidewalks to bridges and bikeways, these projects will strengthen the city’s foundation and improve quality of life for residents. To keep you informed, the City is also introducing a new online construction dashboard. The dashboard offers real-time updates on project timelines, traffic impacts and key milestones.
See highlighted projects and read more about the 2025 City construction season on the City website.
 The City of Minneapolis has selected LSE Architects to design the new Minneapolis Democracy Center at 3000 Minnehaha Ave., the former 3rd Precinct police building. The City’s community engagement efforts found 70% of respondents living within the 3rd Precinct support plans to create the Minneapolis Democracy Center.
The Minneapolis Democracy Center will include the Early Vote Center, offices for election staff, flexible space for election-related equipment and supplies, and a large ground floor space for community use.
City crews have been working on cleanup and maintenance of the site to make the building safe for workers and repairs. The City is currently working on the inside of the building, doing cleanup, replacing windows and doors, and rebuilding the front entry at Lake and Minnehaha.
The design process for the Democracy Center will begin this summer and will incorporate community input. A conceptual design presentation will be made to the City Council later in the year. The project is anticipated to move into construction in 2026.
Hennepin County is hosting three events near Minneapolis in 2025 for county residents to safely dispose of unwanted garden and household hazardous wastes.
Bring unwanted paints, stains, varnish, aerosol cans, gasoline, antifreeze, batteries (put tape over the ends), pesticides and more to an upcoming event.
Mark your calendar for events happening near Minneapolis from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday and Saturday May 2-3, June 27-28 and Aug. 8-9.
Learn more about what's accepted, safety guidelines and event locations.
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 When cleaning out your storage this spring, hang on to unused yard tools and gardening items. Bring unwanted tools to an upcoming garden tool swap. You can bring or take – or both. Or you can drop off your tools at the Brian Coyle Center by May 16.
- Saturday, May 3: north, northeast and southeast Minneapolis
- Saturday, May 10: south and southwest Minneapolis
- Friday, May 16: central Minneapolis
The times and additional activities vary by location. Find times, locations and instructions for this year’s garden tool swaps on the City website.
The City of Minneapolis has selected four organizations to host street fairs for the 2025 Open Streets Minneapolis season, slated to kick off Aug. 2. Mark your calendar for entertainment, music, food and more.
- Aug. 17 Cedar Avenue between 15th Avenue and Sixth Street, and Riverside Avenue between Cedar Avenue and 19th Avenue Hosted by the West Bank Business Association.
- Sept. 20 Hennepin Avenue between West 26th and 36th streets Hosted by the Uptown Association.
Read more about Open Streets on the City website.
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Residents and visitors searching for the MPLS Parking app should look out for a scam posing as the legitimate app. This does not affect people already using the MPLS Parking app.
When using a search engine to find the MPLS Parking app, some people are finding sponsored ads instead that mimic the logo and language used in the official app. If clicked, these ads lead to third-party websites unaffiliated with the City of Minneapolis. These fraudulent websites ask for a credit card to download and use the free app, exposing victims’ card numbers and personal information. The City has taken action and reported four of these fraudulent advertisements to the search engine they’re sponsored on.
Tips
- Download the true Minneapolis Parking app directly from your phone’s app store:
If you believe you’ve been the victim of this scam, immediately contact your bank or credit card company and file a report with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.
Find information on parking and driving in Minneapolis on the City website. |
