The following is an unedited posting of Ward Two Councilmember Cam Gordon’s newsletter for October.

News from Cam Gordon
Council Member, Second Ward
October 2007
http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/council/ward2/
http://secondward.blogspot.com

October Roundtable: Community Engagement. Please join me for the October Roundtable Discussion on Community Engagement: 10/15, 7-9pm Augsburg College Christensen Center Minneapolis Room, 2nd Floor, 22nd Ave S & 7 ½ Street. After three months of work, the Community Engagement Task Force that I worked to form has approved a preliminary report that will go to the City Council for possible action later this fall. Now we need your input and ideas. The draft includes principles, recommendations, and characteristics of organizations that are eligible to receive city resources for activities related to engaging the public. Call or email my office to get a copy of the report. If you cannot attend this Second ward meeting, or want to attend more than one on this important topic, there will be additional meetings throughout the city as follows:
· Tuesday, Oct. 16, 11am-1pm at Central Library board room, 300 Nicollet Mall
· Wednesday; Oct. 17, 5:30-7:30pm at Nokomis Park, 2401 E Minnehaha Pkwy
· Thursday, Oct. 18, 5:30-7:30pm at MLK Park Recreation Center, 4055 Nicollet Ave S

South Mpls Listed as Superfund Site. In September the Environmental Protection Agency added the arsenic cleanup site in south Minneapolis to the Superfund National Priorities List. This designation will release more funds, and now more properties can be cleaned up to eliminate arsenic contamination. Superfund money will be made available for cleanup of residential properties that are below an arsenic concentration of 95 parts per million, but the final level of cleanup remains undetermined. Community input will be sought throughout the process.

I-35W Bridge. The Council has passed a resolution approving the Highway Project Review Package submitted by MnDOT for the reconstruction of the I-35W Bridge. The Council also passed a resolution urging MnDOT to arrange for the presence of an Independent Construction Safety Officer on-site at all times during the reconstruction of the bridge.

Transportation Policy Public Meetings. The City is hosting public meetings to discuss the City’s draft Ten-Year Transportation Plan and its Streetcar Feasibility Study. The public will have an opportunity to provide feedback on plan recommendations and to discuss key transportation issues facing Minneapolis. The two meetings closest to the Second Ward will be on October 10, 6:30-8:30 pm at the Communication Workers of America building, 3521 E Lake St, and on October 24, 6:30-8:30 pm, at the Van Cleve Recreation Center. For more information, go to the City website: www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us.

Central Corridor LRT Timeline. The Met Council has set a timeline for seeking public input through the first quarter of 2008 on proposed features of the Central Corridor LRT Project. Getting feedback by next spring is necessary to give consultants time to consider them in their preliminary engineering work that must be submitted to the Federal Transit Administration in less than a year. Key issues (see Issues Matrix here: http://www.metrocouncil.org/transportation/ccorridor/BAC/BACIssuesMatrixSept202007.pdf) will be considered at the Community and Business Advisory Committees and go to the Central Corridor Management Committee, which advises the full Metropolitan Council. The Met Council will have the final say on the decisions. Meeting schedules for all of these bodies are posted at www.centralcorridor.org Outreach coordinators will be holding special meetings and contacting stakeholders for each of these issues.
Issues that must be presented to the public by the end of this year include:
· Location of the West Bank station.
· Extent of reconstruction of University Avenue.
· Ability of the Washington Avenue bridge to bear existing traffic as well as LRT trains.
· Whether operation will begin with two-car or three-car trains.
· System design standards, including baseline criteria for station design, which will include the public art program.

Issues to be presented in the first quarter of 2008 include:
· Tunnel versus at street-level operation through the University of Minnesota.
· Relocating the site of the Stadium Village station to make way for the new University of Minnesota football stadium.
· Location of the East Bank station relative to resolution of whether to build the line in a tunnel or at street level.
· Location of the stations at University and Snelling and University and 29th avenues.
· Options for track design to minimize vibration impacts.
· Neighborhood and business impacts, including adequate pedestrian crossings, feasibility of barrier fencing to prevent dangerous pedestrian crossings, business access during construction and after the project is complete, vehicular access across and through University Avenue and pedestrian, bicycle and transit access to stations.
· Loss of on-street parking after construction, loss of parking during construction and neighborhood parking impacts that may result due to “hide and ride’’ commuters.

Library Consolidation meeting. The Council and Library Board will meet jointly on November 7 at 6pm at the Central Library, 300 Nicollet Mall, to discuss the merger of the Minneapolis Public Library and the Hennepin County Library systems.

2008 Budget. On September 24, Mayor R.T. Rybak presented his proposed 2008 budget to the Council. The budget includes a tax levy increase of 8% and sets department staffing levels for next year. It calls for funding 18 additional police officers and spending more on public safety technology, community prosecutors, Restorative Justice programs, ex-offender re-entry support, gang graffiti prevention, a Juvenile Curfew-Truancy Resource Center in City Hall, the new “You(th) Are Here” circulator buses and four more 911 operators. The budget also supports targeted funding to help implement the (soon to finished) youth violence prevention plan and promote renewable energy, and promote improved commercial corridors, more stable housing, job training, bridge repair and rehab, improved water and the implementation of several transportation initiatives. The budget presentation begins a 12 week process that end with a truth in taxation hearing December 11th and the final budget adoption on December 12th. For more details visit: http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/city-budget/2008recommended/

Requiring Produce in Grocery Stores. At my urging, the PS&RS committee voted to send proposed amendments to our grocery store licensing ordinance back to Regulatory Services staff. The committee directed them to work with staff from Health and Family Support and outside food policy experts like the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, to ensure that all licensed grocery stores have an adequate stock of fresh fruits and vegetables and other healthy foods.

Local Produce Markets. Responding to a staff directive I championed, City staff have come up with a new, cheaper and easier permitting process for small Local Produce Markets like the one that the City and the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy helped establish at Brian Coyle Center and Ebenezer Towers in Phillips. These Local Produce Markets must have five vendors or fewer, all of whom grow their own produce. Their permitting fees will go from over $400 to $154, and the application will go from a large packet to one double-sided piece of paper. I consider this a major step forward on supporting local, sustainable agriculture and increasing access in poor communities to high-quality, nutritious foods.

Organic Composting Pilot Program. The Council has authorized the Solid Waste & Recycling department to develop a pilot program to collect source-separated organic materials from Linden Hills residents and, hopefully, schools. The City will be applying for Hennepin County grants to support this pilot program. The goal is to learn lessons that could help the City build a citywide organics composting program, to divert a large portion of our waste away from the garbage burner and into reuse.

Non-Motorized Transportation. The City has received a grant for more than $5.7 Million to work on pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure improvements, and a $900,000 grant to fund three years of a bicycle and pedestrian Ambassador program, to help connect more experienced rides and walkers with people who are not currently walking or biking but want to start. The City has also hired a consultant to complete the Citywide Pedestrian Master Plan.

Bait Bike Pilot Project. I’m happy to report that the MPD has begun working with Abbott Northwestern hospital’s security staff on a pilot “bait bicycle” program.

Critical Mass. In reaction to the August 31 incident at Critical Mass at which 19 people were arrested, I organized a meeting between Minneapolis Police (MPD) Administration officials and Critical Mass participants to discuss ways to make future rides more peaceful and less confrontational. I’m pleased to report that the meeting, and the subsequent good work of both the MPD and Critical Mass riders, had an extremely positive result: the 9/28 Critical Mass was peaceful. You can read about the ride in the Star Tribune here: http://www.startribune.com/462/story/1452940.html, and on my blog here: http://secondward.blogspot.com.

Street Furniture. The City is seeking public input into improving public amenities along city sidewalks. This is part of the City’s Coordinated Street Furniture Program that seeks to coordinate the design of selected street furniture elements for improved appearance and quality and enhance pedestrian circulation and safety. A request for proposals (RFP) to prospective vendors is planned for release in November 2007. The RFP will result in a long-term contract between a vendor and the City, in which the City will receive street furniture, maintenance, and revenue in exchange for advertising space on the street furniture.
For more information, visit www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/street-furniture/.

Street Lighting. The meetings about the new proposed City street lighting policy are over, but I would still like input from residents about the proposal, especially about the proposed fee. I am committed to fighting for Dark Sky Compliant lighting fixtures, which will help save energy and reduce glare and light pollution.

Animal Protection Ordinance. As you’ve likely heard, the Animal Protection ordinance I co-sponsored with Ralph Remington was defeated 7-6 in favor of an ill-conceived “regulation” ordinance that I believe will have little impact on the welfare of circus animals or the public safety risks animal circuses pose. This ordinance was referred back to committee for more work, to reduce the expense to City staff and increase its effectiveness, and has been postponed until November 28th for staff to make it workable.

City Logo. The Council has approved a process to research and develop a new brand identity for the City, including a new logo. This plan must come back to Council for approval, will require no additional money, and should be finished to coincide with the Minneapolis Sesquicentennial.

Lead Hazard Reduction. The City has received a $1.2 Million grant from Hennepin County for lead hazard reduction in dwelling units, targeted towards the Phillips and Central neighborhoods. The City has also submitted a grant application for $25,000 for safe temporary housing for residents displaced during lead hazard remediation.

Facsimile Firearms. With my support, the Council has passed an ordinance defining, and regulating the carrying and possession of “facsimile firearms.” This will help improve public safety by taking the restrictions that already exist on real guns and placing those same restrictions on gun replicas that closely match the real thing. According to the new ordinance, carrying or having a facsimile firearm in a public place is prohibited. Facsimile firearms must be transported in the same way as real firearms, secured in a closed container and locked in the trunk of a vehicle.

Port Security Grant Program. The City has received a grant of more than $1.6 Million to create a closed circuit television system throughout the Mississippi corridor, including in the Second Ward.

Seward Coop Project. The Seward Coop expansion project on the Riverside Market site has received all of the necessary approvals from the City, including a rezoning and the vacation of the alley. I am extremely proud of Seward residents for the great, involved process for finding broad and deep neighborhood consensus. I’m glad I could help get this important and beneficial project through the City’s processes.

Hubbard / University Lot. The University has delayed its purchase of the lot behind Hubbard. Their construction of the planned parking lot cannot start until spring, which gives the City and the University time to resolve some outstanding issues, including some of the specifics of the storm water remediation plan for the planned parking lot and possibly the larger question of the City’s Zoning Code’s authority over off-campus University projects.

Seward Coop Expansion. This project on the old Riverside Market site was approved by the Planning Commission on Monday, August 27, and the Council has voted to approve the necessary rezoning and vacation. I congratulate the Coop and Seward Redesign on getting this important development through the City’s process.

Morningstar Coffee. Morningstar has received a number of fines since the last newsletter, including for $400, $800 and $1,600, all for continuing odor violations. The company has appealed the $400 and $800 citations. My office is working to provide staff with information about the impacts of this company’s operation on the neighborhood, in the form of the almost daily complaints my office receives from Seward residents. The date and time of the appeal have not been set, and while it is open to the public, no public testimony may be taken.

The Currie Flats project being proposed near the Cedar Riverside Station and the Coyle Center on the West Bank, has received $370,000 in County Transit-Oriented Development funds (http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/council/2007-meetings/20071005/docs/04_TOD_Program_Agrmts_RCA.pdf)

Van Cleve Project. Habitat for Humanity has received $60,000 gap funding for the affordable home ownership townhomes included in Project for Pride in Living’s Van Cleve project, and the City has given the project $758,763 in Federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits to support the construction of affordable housing as part of the project.

October Resolutions. The Council has passed resolutions celebrating Criminal Justice Month and observing Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

CLIC Appointee Needed. I am still searching for a new appointee to the Capital Long Range Improvement Committee (CLIC) appointee. CLIC makes recommendations to the City Council and Mayor on capital improvement program development and annual capital improvement budgets. It meets on the first and third Tuesdays of each month, with additional meetings at the call of the chair.

Openings on City Boards and Commissions. There are openings on the Minneapolis Ethical Practices Board (closes 10/19/2007) and Latino Advisory Committee to the Mayor and City Council (closes 11/16/2007). To apply, call (612) 673-3358 or email cityclerk@ci.minneapolis.mn.us.

Yours, in peace and cooperation,

Cam Gordon
Minneapolis City Council Member, Second Ward
673-2202, 296-0579
cam@camgordon.org
http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/council/ward2/
http://secondward.blogspot.com/

last revised: October 12, 2007

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