Updates from Andrew
Council Member Johnson included an update on his family medical leave in the April Ward 12 newsletter. He is relieved to report that his son doing better. He will plan on returning to Council meetings next week and resume his "Updates from Andrew" in the next Ward 12 newsletter, including a further update on his son. In the meantime, if you need anything, please reach out to the office here.
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Register now for the free Community Connections Conference
Register now for an exciting day of learning, connecting and community conversation. The City’s free Community Connections Conference May 21 connects residents of Minneapolis, community groups, neighborhoods and local government. This year's conference theme is "forward together," welcoming all communities to reconnect with the City and get involved in moving Minneapolis forward.
The conference will offer:
- The 2022 Green Zones Summit raising awareness and building power for environmental justice. The Green Zone Summit programming during this year's conference will include sessions about environmental justice, the Minneapolis Climate Action Plan, urban agriculture, green workforce, zero waste and air pollution.
- Multilingual community conversation sessions on community safety, youth, housing, small business and local government.
- A panel on aging and older adults.
- Free food.
- Performances by local artists.
- Kids activities.
Sign up for the conference
You can sign up online to attend the conference until May 20. You can also register in person at the conference.
Forward together: Community Connections Conference
9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, May 21
Register on the City website.
Free rides with Metro Transit
Ride the bus or METRO light rail free to the Community Connections Conference May 21 courtesy of Metro Transit. Download your pass from Metro Transit.
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MN Department of Transportation update: construction on Hiawatha Ave. (Hwy 55) begins Mon, May 23
The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MNDOT) will begin Construction on Hiawatha Ave. (Hwy 55) between downtown Minneapolis and Hwy 62 on Monday, May 23. Continue reading to see upcoming road and ramp closures.
The following closures will begin Mon, May 23 and will reopen in mid-September:
- Southbound Hiawatha Ave. between downtown Minneapolis and Cedar Ave. will be closed.
- Detour: Westbound I-94 to southbound I-35W to eastbound Hwy 62.
- The bridge from downtown Minneapolis (8th St.) to southbound Hiawatha Ave. will be closed.
- Detour: Park Ave. to 4th St. to southbound I-94 to southbound I-35W to southbound Hwy 62 to Hiawatha Ave.
- The ramp from southbound I-35W to southbound Hiawatha Ave. will be closed.
- Detour: Westbound I-94 to southbound I-35W to eastbound Hwy 62.
- The ramp from eastbound I-94 to southbound Hiawatha Ave. will be closed.
- Detour: Eastbound I-94 to 26th St. to Franklin Ave. to Bloomington Ave. to 24th St. to Cedar Ave. to Hiawatha Ave.
Plan before you drive
Visit the project webpage to see detour routes, and current and upcoming travel impacts. Know your route before you drive and follow speed limits within the construction zone.
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State will soon offer help with COVID-related housing debts
If you’ve fallen behind on your mortgage or other housing expenses because of COVID, get ready now to apply for the State’s HomeHelpMN program. Applications open May 17.
- Overdue mortgage payments: If you’re behind on your house payments, you may qualify for financial help to reinstate your mortgage.
- Other past-due expenses: HomeHelpMN might be able to help with housing-related expenses such as property taxes, insurance, association fees or lot rent.
- Resources to avoid foreclosure: To find other resources, talk to a trusted mortgage advisor. Visit the Resources page to learn more.
Visit the HomeHelpMN website now to learn more about the program and get ready to apply. The HomeHelpMN website and materials are available in English, Spanish, Hmong and Somali by selecting the drop-down bar on the top left of the webpage.
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State law enforcement support secured in lead up to summer
Mayor Jacob Frey and Gov. Tim Walz have finalized joint powers agreements to support investigations and law enforcement in Minneapolis. The ongoing support comes at a critical time before warmer weather and will bolster the City’s overall crime prevention and enforcement. The City Council authorized entering into the agreements April 14.
Through the agreements, the Minnesota State Patrol will support targeted enforcement in city limits, and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) will boost investigative capacity, supplementing the Minneapolis Police Department’s (MPD) diminished staffing levels.
Agreement with the State Patrol
The State Patrol will provide high visibility patrol in agreed upon areas and during agreed upon times to help deter crime. The initiative will encompass both a North and South Focus Zone within Minneapolis. Smaller areas of focus may be determined based on crime analysis and emerging crime. Any changes in the focus areas would need approval by the State Patrol chief.
The North Focus Zone will generally cover the area commonly known as the West Broadway Business Corridor, which is defined as West Broadway Avenue from North Fourth Street to Penn Avenue North. The South Focus Zone will encompass the area commonly known as the Lake Street Business Corridor, which is defined as Lake Street from Hiawatha Avenue to Interstate 35W and Lake Street from Nicollet Avenue to Hennepin Avenue.
In addition to providing high visibility patrols, the State Patrol will also monitor MPD radio channels and help when needed.
Staffing for the agreement with the State Patrol begins with Thursday, Friday and Saturday each week, including four troopers to provide four hours per day of targeted patrol and enforcement.
Agreement with the BCA
The BCA has been integrating their personnel into MPD since early April to help with investigations and law enforcement. The BCA will be supporting MPD with violent crime investigations including gun crimes, shootings and carjackings. Currently, 13 BCA investigative staff are embedded in the MPD Investigations Bureau.
Read more about the agreements on the City website.
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Applications open for rent stabilization work group
Applications are now open through May 27 for renters, property owners, developers and representatives from designated organizations to serve on a new rent stabilization work group. The work group is charged with recommending a policy framework and analysis for the City Council on a City policy regulating rent amounts for private residential property.
On April 14, the City Council adopted a resolution creating the work group.
We expect that the work group will begin convening in July and meet twice a month for up to two hours throughout 2022. The substantial work is expected to be inside the regularly scheduled meetings, planned to be held in person.
Apply
Fill out the application on the City website by May 27.
Questions
Please contact Joey Dobson at 612-257-5214 or joey.dobson@minneapolismn.gov with any questions.
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Ward 12: Redistricting – Precincts and Polls
The redistricting process in Minneapolis wrapped up at the end of March, with new ward boundaries approved March 2 and new precinct lines adopted March 24. Following the census every ten years, each state creates new lines of political representation based on updated population numbers, which ultimately trickles down to our own City Council and Park Board. To see a new Ward-Precinct map, visit vote.minneapolismn.gov
In making decisions about precinct lines and polling locations, city staff does prefer to make as few changes as is possible. However, if a better overall location is available, or if lines need to be tweaked to even out numbers of voters between neighboring polling locations, the redistricting process is a good time to make such changes. Roughly half of Minneapolis voters will have no change to their voting location (though they may have a new precinct number), and roughly half will see a change.
Ward 12 has a decrease of one precinct overall. The former 2-8 precinct is now part of Ward 12, known as 12-1, with voting at Hiawatha Collegiate High School, replacing the Brackett Park poll. We’ve also removed a small precinct at Minnesota Veterans Home—residents on site continue to be served by a team of election workers who facilitate early/absentee voting, and these residents have an assigned polling location for election day at Minnehaha United Methodist Church.
All registered voters will receive a postcard from Hennepin County in July with polling place information. We recommend that all voters verify their polling place before voting this year—there is a simple Pollfinder tool available from the Minnesota Secretary of State found here, but PLEASE WAIT until mid-June to use this tool, as new data will not be available in the system until that time. Voters can also call the City 311 line as we get closer to the election to inquire about their assigned poll.
State Primary: August 9, 2022
General Election: November 8, 2022
See you at the polls!
Feel free to reach out to the Elections & Voter Services office with any related questions at elections@minneapolismn.gov
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Having a backyard recreational fire?
For many Minneapolis neighbors, this time of year means getting outside with outdoor fires. Following these laws for recreational fires will help keep Minneapolis neighborhoods safe and livable:
- Outdoor recreational fires are permitted between 9 a.m. and 10 p.m.
- Keep fires small: less than three feet in diameter and two feet high.
- Postpone a fire 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.
- Burn only untreated, unpainted, dry wood. Never burn cardboard boxes, trash or debris, because the smoke can be toxic.
- Fire must be at least 25 feet away from a structure or combustible material and in a fire ring or pit with edges more than six inches high.
- Have a hose or fire extinguisher present.
- Postpone the fire when the wind exceeds 10 mph.
- Fire must be constantly attended by someone 18 years or older and completely out before being abandoned.
Illegal open burning or recreational fires could result in fines that start at $200.
Be a good neighbor
These simple suggestions could help neighbors be considerate of each other when having a fire:
- Letting neighbors know when planning a fire.
- Postponing a fire when smoke will blow directly at a neighbor’s house or when still weather conditions prevent smoke from moving away at all.
- Understanding that recreational fires can have serious health impacts, especially for children, older adults and people with existing health conditions.
- If neighbors say they are affected, respecting the serious medical harm a fire could do to them and extinguishing the fire.
Watch videos in English, Spanish, Somali and Hmong on how to have a safe recreational fire in Minneapolis.
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City gears up for 2022 construction season
 The City’s 2022 construction season has begun with projects planned throughout Minneapolis. The projects will improve the transportation network and underground utilities, making all ways of travel safer and more efficient.
Over the last two years, the City has completed more than $200 million in infrastructure improvements throughout Minneapolis, including Eighth Street between Hennepin and Chicago avenues, Johnson Street Northeast, Plymouth Avenue North, the 10th Avenue Bridge and Watermain project, 34th Avenue South and the 28th Avenue Bridge.
2022 construction projects highlights:
Also part of the 2022 construction season but less visible infrastructure are the Central City tunnel downtown, water main cleaning and lining and sewer pipe lining projects throughout the city.
You can use several resources to track projects, closures and detours including project pages, weekly project email updates, and the construction and street closure map.
Stay informed of other major projects impacting Minneapolis, such as Glenwood Avenue, Webber 44, Metro Transit D Line, Hiawatha Avenue, Southwest Light Rail Transit and the Third Ave Bridge.
Read more details on the City website.
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Learn how to have your water tested for lead
To learn more about your drinking water, consider having it tested for lead. Testing is simple and free.
The City of Minneapolis delivers lead-free water to its customers. But if your service line or home plumbing contains lead, the lead can get into your drinking water.
There is no safe level of lead, and it can cause serious health problems.
You can request a lead testing kit to check for lead levels in your water.
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The Post Office is hiring carriers
 The United States Post Office is hiring in Minneapolis and other nearby areas for the position of City Carrier Assistant. This position pays $17.29 per hour. Hiring is ongoing. The job listing can be found by going to the Post Office career website, users can search "Minnesota" and type "City Carrier Assistant". Jobs are posted for a week at a time and then reposted the next day with a new link.
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Sign Up for Email or Text Updates From the City
 You can subscribe to get City updates by email or text. Choose from traffic alerts, policies and programs you’re following, City Council and committee meetings, and more.
Sign up with your email address or mobile number here and select your update topics.
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