City of Minneapolis sent this bulletin at 07/17/2025 02:40 PM CDT
Council Member Linea Palmisano
July 17, 2025
Dear Neighbor,
I hope your summer has been going well. Here at City Hall and in my role around the ward, it’s been really busy.
I’ve been working on meeting individually with residents in the Fulton flood and road improvement areas, connecting with new appointees on our boards and commissions, checking in personally on resident issues, and looking to get some broad buy-in on public safety strategies. My office and I enjoyed a full tour of Lakewood Cemetery. This is a new part of our 13th Ward boundaries, and most of the staff I met were 13th Ward residents. It is a fascinating place full of the history of our city and our connectedness to one another. I’m looking forward to their plans and development of new walking paths and gates that invite area residents into this special space. From notable Minnesotans or family names I recognize as familiar to our city, to important civil war graves becoming more known, to public servants and even a dedicated area to circus performers, their blend of modern and old, and ways to memorialize and remember was honestly inspiring to me.
Downtown, we are now mostly back into City Hall, except for all council and committee meetings that remain across the street in the Public Service Center. Right now, I’m working with union partners and City staff to amend the City’s Sick and Safe Time Ordinance to bring it in alignment with coverage that has been expanded over the years at the State legislature. Maintaining this as a City ordinance enables us to protect employees and enforce violations at the City level.
There has been quite a bit of coverage of the businesses at 50th and Penn lately. I want to share some crucial details about the City's response and the legal facts surrounding the water main break.
There is no singular issue that I have spent more time on since February 13 than helping the property and business owners at 50th & Penn and City staff have been exemplary in their response, starting at 3:30 am to get the water shut off as quickly as possible. Public Works, Community Planning and Economic Development, Regulatory Services, our Small Business Team, the City Attorney’s Office, and Risk Management all dropped everything to prioritize and assist with the infrastructure needs of the intersection and the needs of the property/business owners. Our staff built an entire wall underneath the street to shore up the building. Crews worked days, nights, and weekends to get that done as quickly as possible.
There were no indicators suggesting that this particular section of pipe was at risk. Minneapolis actively invests in water system improvements based on asset management principles, and the City of Minneapolis has a pipe failure rate well below the average for a water system of our size. Our pipes are installed 6” deeper in the ground than St. Paul or Bloomington, and our failure rate is much lower than our peer cities.
State law dictates that the City is not responsible for damages sustained to private property due to a water main break. That was not a City decision but rather State law. The determination of fault and liability are legal determinations, and not up to me.
As was shared in some of the news coverage, per the Public Purpose Doctrine we cannot use your taxpayer dollars to benefit an individual or business directly. I have done my best to expedite the restoration process, answer questions, give referrals, and provide business support resources to everyone. I cannot force them to participate in our programs or follow-up on suggestions.
I feel profoundly sorry for the property and business owners that have been impacted, and I am sorry to neighbors that are suffering the loss of neighborhood go-to spots. Having lived on 50th and Oliver in the past, knowing some of the business owners as neighbors, and using Sparrow regularly as a place to meet with constituents, I will miss these businesses personally as well. I am working directly with the building owner to help find new tenants for the space when it is ready to go. I encourage you to support other local businesses so that our small business community can continue to thrive.
Council Members moved back into City Hall last week! Our office is now located in Room 370, which is part of the updated third floor.
Renovation work continues on the Council Chamber. In the meantime, City Council and committee meetings will continue to be at the Public Service Center.
Lunch with Linea with Michelle Phillips, Civil Rights Director
Tuesday, July 29 | 12:00-1:00 PM Nico's Taco Bar – 4959 Penn Ave. S. Light lunch will be provided. Click here to RSVP!*
UNDERSTANDING CIVIL RIGHTS IN MINNEAPOLIS Join us as we hear from staff in the Minneapolis Civil Rights Department. We'll learn about the different divisions and how their work impacts the lives of Minneapolis residents. We'll also take a close look into our Office of Police Conduct Review and how complaints against MPD are handled.
*RSVPs are appreciated but not required to help appropriately plan space/food
Pedestrian ramp upgrades will begin this year, south of 50th Street. Pavement resurfacing will begin in 2026 including replacement of select curbs and gutters.
Join the project team for office hours:
Every Tuesday from 2:00pm-4:00pm August 12-September 16 Pershing Park Recreation Center - 3523 W 48th St.
The next 13th Ward Neighborhood Safety Walk will be around Bde Maka Ska, a walk we previously had to cancel due to inclement weather. I am hoping to find residents who are willing to start regular walk groups in their own neighborhoods, with the goal of having one in each neighborhood in the ward. Come enjoy the beautiful weather and learn more about starting a Neighborhood Safety Club!
13th Ward Neighborhood Safety Walk Bde Maka Ska Parkway | Meet at Thomas Beach Thursday, August 14 | 5:30-7:00 PM
Copper wire theft repairs continue throughout the City of Minneapolis. Public Works is currently making repairs along Lake Harriet Parkway, and they expect to address outages along Minnehaha Parkway later this fall.
Please know that timing will depend on conditions in the field (new thefts, difficulty of repair), urgency of non-wire theft repairs, and other issues that may arise during construction.
The City of Minneapolis is bringing a cavalcade of wheels to Nicollet Mall for the first-ever “Minneapolis Moves: The Big Honking Truck Parade” on July 31. The parade is a fun way to fill downtown Minneapolis with families of all ages as part of the City’s ongoing effort to bring renewed energy to the city center.
The parade features City of Minneapolis cars, police and fire trucks, plus construction vehicles, semi-trailers and more from local businesses and operators. The municipal motorcade starts around 5:30 p.m. at East Grant Street, travels down Nicollet Mall and ends at South Sixth Street. All vehicles will then stage at the end of route until 8 p.m. for photos.
You can still register your event for the 2025 National Night Out, Aug. 5 this year. 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 in the closed street.
Registration is open until July 29 and is free:
Include neighbors in your organizing efforts.
Register only one event per block (appoint one neighbor to register).
Consider whether you want your street blocked off to traffic.
Checking the box for 75% approval is fine if you plan to notify every household of the event.
Call 311 to request a fire truck, MPD K9, and/or MPD Mounted Patrol.
Confirmation emails are sent on Mondays. The confirmation will include the NNO pop-up calendar for picking up caution tape and other supplies for your event.
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.
