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Over 800 Twin Cities Metro Area Youth Expected to Attend the Annual Minneapolis Teen Job Fair on Saturday, April 25
On Saturday, April 25, between 800 and 900 teens are expected to attend the Annual Minneapolis Teen Job Fair taking place at the Minneapolis Central Library from noon to 3:00 p.m.
The Minneapolis Teen Job Fair is an opportunity for teens aged 14 to 19 to connect to job-search resources and find out more about available volunteer, internship, and employment opportunities. Approximately 30 businesses and organizations are expected to take place including TJ Maxx, JC Penney and Taco Bell.
Additionally, the Minneapolis Youth Congress will host two workshops “How to Get a Job?” and “Who We Hire” presented by a panel of employers including: North Community YMCA, Juxtaposition, TJ Maxx, and the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.
Youth will also have the opportunity to learn easy and fun ways to dress professionally during the event from Aveda Institute Minneapolis. The flagship institute is planning two “Work Couture” fashion shows for the fair to demonstrate to youth how to use dress to leave a lasting positive impression when networking, inquiring about a job opening, and/or interviewing.
The Teen Job Fair is free and open to the public. Preregistration is not required. A complete list of exhibitors is available on the City of Minneapolis website. The event can also be followed on social media by using the hashtag #Jobs4yoUth.
The Teen Job Fair is produced by City of Minneapolis department of Community Planning and Economic Development, Hennepin County Library, AchieveMpls, Minneapolis WorkForce Centers, Lunds and Byerly’s, Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, Minneapolis Youth Congress, and Minneapolis Youth Coordinating Board.
When: Saturday, April 25, 2015 12:00p.m. – 3:00p.m.
Where: Minneapolis Central Library 300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, 55401 Second Floor
Our Mill District neighbor, Claudia Kittock, would like to spread awareness of two volunteer opportunities in the area: Webster Elementary and Mile in My Shoes.
Webster Elementary opens this fall to serve downtown Minneapolis. Initially the classes will be K-2, and a grade will be added each year thereafter.
They will need volunteers to assist teachers throughout the day, help with the literacy hour by reading with children (every day, but times are yet to be determined), in the lunch room and possibly at recess. Once staff is hired and final numbers are received from the district office, details will be provided. Whatever time you have is welcome!
To volunteer for Webster, email Kaylie Burns Gahagan at Kaylie.BurnsGahagan@mpls.k12.mn.us. An application can be filled out online. All volunteers are required to attend an orientation session -to begin August 4.
The other organization is Mile in My Shoes (MiMS). Their goal is to foster wellness, empathy and empowerment within individuals and communities by bringing together diverse populations through the power of running. Members are made up of guests of the Emanuel House and the local running community.
This group meets 6:00am – 7:00am Tuesday and Thursday mornings at Emanuel House, 818 South 3rd Street - rain or shine. They warm-up, run, and cool down together, with routes ranging from 1-3 miles. If interested, please send an email to Mishka at mn.mileinmyshoes@gmail.com and specify that you wish to run with the Emanuel House group. This Minneapolis Running article from last Fall provides insight on what MiMS is all about.
Feel free to contact Claudia at cjkittock@gmail.com with questions on either of these opportunities.
Crews will be filling in a tunnel that connected two Star Tribune buildings
Fourth Street South, from Portland Avenue to Park Avenue on the east side of Downtown, is closing to traffic today, Wednesday, April 15. Over the next couple months, crews will be filling in a tunnel that used to connect two former Star Tribune office buildings. They will also be rerouting utility lines located in that tunnel.
The affected block of Fourth Street is one way eastbound. Traffic will be detoured onto southbound Portland Avenue, to eastbound Sixth Street, to northbound Park Avenue and back onto Fourth Street. The bike lane along Fourth Street is closed until the construction is complete, which is tentatively set for July 8.
This is one of many construction projects that will affect traffic in Downtown this year. To help drivers know about all of the current and upcoming work, the City has mapped these projects. Links to the maps are available at www.minneapolismn.gov/publicworks/traffic.
Hennepin County and Three Rivers Park District worked together to update a county-wide bicycle plan that reflects current and growing use of cycling in the region. The plan, called the Hennepin County 2040 Bicycle Transportation Plan, will guide the county’s work to expand the bikeway system, improve safety for people who bicycle, walk or drive, increase bicycling for transportation, and improve the health of county residents.
This plan, replaces the 1997 plan. Since 1997, the county has made great progress in enhancing its bicycle transportation network. It has built and funded more than 136 miles of new bikeways and closed 59 gaps in the bicycle network. Bicycle commuting has doubled in Hennepin County since 2000 from 0.8 percent to 1.6 percent of trips to work.
The plan includes 45 strategies and more than 170 action items that address infrastructure, education, encouragement, enforcement and evaluation. The plan also recommends the continuation of current county practices that contribute to the goals of the Hennepin County Pedestrian Plan and the Transportation System Plan.
Bicycle usage and interest continue to grow in Hennepin County. Transportation costs have increased and there is greater public concern about the environmental impacts of transportation. There is also a greater emphasis on active living and the public health benefits of bicycling.
Goals of the county bike plan: •Quadruple the number of bicycle commuters from 2012’s 12,000 people to 48,000 people by 2040 •Complete an average of 20 miles of the bikeway system each year. •Close an average of five bikeway gaps each year •Achieve an access level where 90 percent of homes in Hennepin County are within one-half mile of a bikeway or within a mile of the enhanced bikeway network by 2040 •Move toward zero bicycle deaths •Halve bicycle crashes per capita from 2010 levels by 2040
Development and implementation
Hennepin County will lead implementation of the plan, but also partner with other agencies and cities. This plan is a guide for supporting the vision of increasing bicycling within Hennepin County. Implementation of the plan requires additional action by the county board through the annual capital appropriations and cooperative funding agreements.
Development of the plan began in spring 2013, with community engagement activities throughout the plan drafting process. The plan was available for public comment in fall 2014 and winter 2015. It has been revised based on comments received.
Minneapolis Youth Employment Program STEP-UP to Provide Job Interview Experience to Over 1,600 Youth
Over 400 Twin Cities Business Professionals to Provide One-on-One Mock Interviews with Youth at Minneapolis Convention Center April 13-16
Thursday, April 9, 2015 (Minneapolis) – April 13-16, over 1,600 Minneapolis youth and 400 Twin Cities business professionals will descend on the Minneapolis Convention Center for four nights for the annual [we don’t know how many years these have been happening] STEP-UP youth employment program ‘Mock Interviews.’ Directed by AchieveMpls, these practice job interviews match professional business volunteers one-on-one with over 1,600 Minneapolis youth who are preparing for summer internships at top Twin Cities companies through the City’s STEP-UP youth employment program.
Interviews are scheduled from 4:45 - 6:15 pm each night at the Minneapolis Convention Center, Meeting Room 200, 1301 Second Avenue South. Interviewers include Richard Davis, STEP-UP co-chair and U.S. Bancorp Chair, President and CEO; Hilary Marden-Resnik, UCare Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer; and Rich Renikoff, Wells Fargo Regional Director and Senior Vice President.
“Preparing our young people for the workforce is something we are all responsible for,” said Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges. “The STEP-UP program is one way we are making sure these young people are in the picture of our workforce, which is crucial to the success of all of us. I want to thank all of the people who are making a personal commitment to help our kids succeed and ensuring that no genius is left on the table.”
“The time to think about tomorrow’s workforce is today. The STEP-UP program is one of the top initiatives in the country for preparing our students for tomorrow’s jobs,” said Todd Klingel, President and CEO, Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce. “By participating in the ‘Mock Interview’ process, you are not only providing a wonderful service to some incredibly courageous young people—you are also ensuring a bright future for our entire community.”
Founded in 2004, the City of Minneapolis STEP-UP youth employment program has created over 20,000 valuable workplace experiences for Minneapolis youth ages 14-21. Managed in partnership with AchieveMpls and with support from the Minnesota WorkForce Centers, the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board, and Project for Pride and Living (PPL), STEP-UP recruits, trains and places Minneapolis youth in jobs with a wide range of top Twin Cities businesses, nonprofits and public agencies, building a stronger future workforce for our knowledge-based regional economy. STEP-UP serves populations that face the greatest barriers to employment, particularly youth from low-income families, youth of color, youth from recent immigrant families, and youth with disabilities.
Prior to the ‘Mock Interviews,’ each STEP-UP program applicant completes 7-12 hours of work readiness training depending on their age and grade level. The trainings, directed by AchieveMpls and certified by the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce, are focused on developing 21st Century skills such as communication, problem solving, professional conduct, workplace ethics, interview skills, and resume writing.
In a bustling Minneapolis Convention Center hall, with their work readiness trainings completed, interns put their new skills to the test in what for many is their first professional job interview. Following the interview, business volunteers coach each STEP-UP intern, modeling professionalism and providing candid feedback to help interns strengthen their skills and confidence.
“This will be my third mock interview,” said Lulu B., a returning STEP-UP Achieve intern and aspiring doctor. “I really like connecting with the interviewers. They help me think about my strengths and challenges. They also help me prepare for the kind of professional work environment I should expect. It really feels like a real job interview with a professional company.”
The 400-plus business volunteers will include employees from Accenture, Alina Health, Ameriprise, Best Buy, Fraser, General Mills, Target, Thrivent, US Bank, Wells Fargo and several other businesses and organizations. Learn more about STEP-UP from the City of Minneapolis’ website or the AchieveMpls website, or follow STEP-UP activities and events all year long on Twitter with hashtag #STEPUPMpls.
The online survey for the repair of the West River Parkway Failed Slope has received over 750 responses! Although the survey will remain open until April 10, we have posted an interim report with all comments received. Please visit the project page or go to www.minneapolisparks.org/currentprojects and select “West River Parkway Slope Repair” to review the interim report under the "What's New" tab.
Reconditioning of the Franklin Ave Bridge (County Road 5) over West River Parkway and the Mississippi River in Minneapolis.
The Franklin Avenue Bridge spans West River Parkway and the Mississippi River. This historic structure will be rehabilitated over the next two construction seasons.
The new bridge deck will incorporate safe, modern, multi-modal features such as separated on-road bicycle facilities, protected pedestrian walkways, overlook nooks, and architectural lighting.
The "below deck" concrete rehabilitation is anticipated to begin in April 2015. The bridge will be open during the 2015 construction season.
For travelers using West River Parkway and the easterly river edge trail under the Franklin Avenue Bridge, there may be some travel impacts as they complete the overhead concrete rehabilitation.
In 2015 the contractor will manufacture "precast" bridge deck panels that will be placed during the 2016 bridge closure. These panels will be made at a site, adjacent to the river, just south of the Washington Avenue Bridge. This will allow use of river transportation to float these panels down the river, and these segments will then be hoisted by water borne cranes into their final positions.
Deck removal and replacement will occur during the 2016 construction season with the goal of reopening the bridge in September 2016.
Hennepin County has established detour signing plans using alternative routes for pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists during the bridge deck replacement phase. The alternative routes will be well communicated in Spring 2016.
Update on Friday, April 10, 2015 at 3:33PM by
Kim Eslinger
Work will begin on the Franklin Avenue bridge starting Monday, April 13, 2015 with bike lane and sidewalk closures. Pedestrians and bicyclists will still be able to cross the bridge.
Permit surveyors will be taking measurements with a snooper truck underneath the bridge deck. The snooper needs access to the outside edges of the bridge to do the work.
Bike lanes and sidewalk will be closed from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The eastbound bike lanes and sidewalks will be closed the first half of the week, and the westbound the latter half of the week.
Pedestrians can cross the bridge on the sidewalk that is open. A signed detour will be provided. Bicyclists should use road lanes during this closure.
Drivers should pay extra attention for redirected bicyclist and pedestrians in the area during this closure. Share the road signs will be posted on the bridge.
Vehicle traffic will be maintained in both directions during this work.
David Frank Named New Director of City of Minneapolis Economic Policy and Development
Monday, April 6, 2015 (Minneapolis, MN) – Today, City of Minneapolis Community Planning and Economic Development (CPED) Director D. Craig Taylor announced his appointment of David Frank as the new Director of Economic Policy and Development.
“David has been an outstanding and stellar member of our team here at the City for a number of years,” said Mayor Betsy Hodges. “He brings a wealth of knowledge, expertise, and a shared vision for ensuring all people are contributing to, and benefiting from, our economic development and prosperity. I look forward to his leadership in this new role at the City.”
“I am constantly amazed at the level of talent and commitment we have in our economic development team,” said Council Member Lisa Goodman. “David is proven leader with the right mix of private and public sector development experience to lead this important division at the City.”
As CPED’s Manager of Transit Oriented Development, Frank has managed and coordinated the City’s transit oriented development activities since 2011. He has played instrumental roles in the City’s efforts to reopen Nicollet at Lake Street, redesign Nicollet Mall, and redevelop the Midtown Farmers Market site while maintaining a focus on advancing the equity and development goals for the City. Prior to working for the City, Frank served as the Director of Development at Schafer Richardson, Inc.
“David has proven he has a strong understanding of what Minneapolis needs to support investment that grows businesses, jobs and the City’s tax base. He is excited and committed to working with our great Economic Development team to leverage current and find new resources to achieve these goals,” said D. Craig Taylor Director of Community Planning and Economic Development for the City of Minneapolis. “I am confident that with his 20 plus years of real estate and development experience and excellent track record working across the enterprise and with stakeholders on complex projects, he will do an excellent job.”
As Director of Economic Policy and Development, Frank will manage CPED’s division of Economic Policy and Development which includes the department’s divisions of Business Development, Business Licensing, and Minneapolis Employment and Training. Some of the key programs run by these divisions include Great Streets, which cultivates and sustains Minneapolis’ commercial districts through systematic programming, the Business Technical Assistance Program (B-TAP), which provides business consulting services to support new business development, retention and growth to small and medium sized businesses, and STEP-UP, Minneapolis’ jobs program for youth ages 14-21.
“I am so pleased to have David Frank step into this role to lead our Economic Development team,” said Council Member Lisa Bender. “David’s experience and vision will help harness the creative energy of our whole community to build on our assets and create a better future for Minneapolis.”
The division of Economic Policy and Development includes a staff of approximately 65.
“I am glad to have this chance to work with our great team on the City’s efforts to grow employment and business development opportunities for everyone in Minneapolis,” said David Frank.
Frank currently serves on the 2020 Partners Steering Committee, as the President of the North Loop Neighborhood Association and as a Board Member of the Minnesota Fringe Festival. In 2009, he was appointed by the City Council to serve on the Ballpark Implementation Committee. Frank also guest lectures at the University of Minnesota and other local organizations on urban design, historic preservation, planning and development issues.
Minneapolis (April 3, 2015) — This summer, New Arab American Theatre Works will produce a three-week festival of new Arab American productions by three locally accomplished Arab American theatre artists. Hosted by Mixed Blood Theatre in Minneapolis, this first-of-its-kind Twin Cities festival will run June 26 - July 12, 2015.
New Arab American Theatre Works is a new collective of Minnesota-based Arab American theatre artists founded by Taous Claire Khazem, Kathryn Haddad, and Mohammed Yabdri. With a wide variety of strengths as writers, performers, educators, and theatre makers, these artists have been presenting work locally, nationally, and internationally for more than 20 years. New Arab American Theatre Works was created to present new works by Arab Americans, filling a void in the local and national theatre scene where Arab American artists lack opportunities to present their own stories.
Three new works will be produced for the festival, and will run in repertory June 26 and July 12:
Road to the City of Apples By Kathryn Haddad
Road to the City of Apples tells the story of Ahmed and Khairy — two undocumented Palestinians on a road trip from New Jersey to Wisconsin. Their individual stories intertwine as they discover the meaning of friendship and cope with changing cultural norms — both American and Arab on their winding road to an American dream. The Israeli occupation, gay rights, American treatment of Arabs and Muslims, and the plight of undocumented immigrants are explored in this show.
In Algeria They Know My Name By Taous Claire Khazem. Directed and dramaturged by Zaraawar Mistry
This one woman show is based on Khazem’s experiences and interactions living in Algeria from May 2008 to August 2011. She explores intercultural communication, cross-cultural marriage, trying to make a living as an artist in Algeria, and living with the in-laws.
A Clown in Exile By Mohammed Yabdri with Noah Bremer
Mohamed Yabdri's tragic clown goes on a journey to overcome his sense of cultural inferiority. After searching the world for a place to call home, he discovers that his dreams sit on the wings of a paper plane. A Clown in Exile premiered at the Alliance Française in Minneapolis, MN and went on to perform in Paris at the Algerian Cultural Center, at the National Theatre of Algiers, at the French Cultural Institutes of Oran, Tlemcen and Constantine, Algeria, and at the 2013 Minnesota Fringe Festival.
These three works will present a diverse range of perspectives about the Arab experience for audiences. The core group of artists come from diverse backgrounds, including Lebanese, Berber, Arab, Algerian, White American, Christian, and Muslim. Arab Americans in the community will have an opportunity to see themselves represented on stage and those from outside the community will see representations of Arabs by Arabs. The festival will also give new perspectives to the public when thinking about the meaning of “Arab,” “Middle Eastern,” and “Muslim.”
The New Arab American Theatre Works Festival runs June 26 - July 12, 2015 at Mixed Blood Theatre, 1501 S. 4th Street, Minneapolis. More information is available at newarabamericantheatreworks.com. Tickets will go on sale on May 26. Tickets are $15 per show, free for residents of 55454 area code, $35 for a 3 show pass, or $25 for a 2 show pass.
Each weekend will include all three productions with audience talkbacks after performances.
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board and the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
Taous Claire Khazem is a fiscal year 2015 recipient of an Artist Initiative grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature; and by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Filmed in Minnesota, The Public Domain is set five years after the 2007 35W bridge collapse. The lives of four people, impacted by the tragedy and on the run from their personal demons, intersect in a waterfront bar operating in the shadow of the bridge. The name of the bar is THE PUBLIC DOMAIN.
Mississippi National River & Recreation Area Joins Find Your Park Movement
National Park Service Kicks off Centennial Campaign, National Park Week
SAINT PAUL, MN – Writer Wallace Stegner called the National Park Service America’s best idea, and in 2016 that idea is turning 100. The Mississippi National River & Recreation Area – the greater Twin Cities own national park – is joining parks, programs and partners across the country in launching a campaign to celebrate the National Park Service’s Centennial and setting the stage for the agency’s second century.
Spearheaded by the National Park Service and the National Park Foundation, the centerpiece of the Centennial celebration is a public awareness and education campaign titled “Find Your Park.” With more than 400 national parks throughout the United States, including five in Minnesota, the campaign encourages everyone to explore, learn, discover, play and be inspired in all of our national parks (FindYourPark.com). Beyond vast landscapes, the campaign highlights historical, urban, and cultural parks, as well as the National Park Service programs that protect, preserve and share nature, culture, and history in communities nationwide.
The Mississippi National River & Recreation Area and its nonprofit partner the Mississippi River Fund will lead the Centennial campaign effort locally. Activities for all ages begin in 2015 and will continue throughout the National Park Service’s 100th anniversary year in 2016, including special events and opportunities for recreation, education, resource protection and enhancement, and volunteering.
“The Centennial and Find Your Park campaign represent a tremendous opportunity for the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area,” said John Anfinson, the park’s superintendent. “They will help us introduce this national park and all it has to offer those who don’t know us.”
“Find Your Park” is the theme for this year’s National Park Week, April 18 – 26. A schedule of local activities is available at nps.gov/miss or missfund.org. Here is a sample:
- Find Coldwater Spring. Walk the trials to Coldwater Spring and Reservoir, count how many migratory birds species you can see, or get your picture taken by a National Park entry monument, as individuals and families have done for generations. Address: 5601 Minnehaha Park Drive South, Minneapolis. Just south of Minnehaha Falls.
- Spring Flower Hunt (April 18, 9:00 a.m.). Join representatives from the Minnesota Native Plant Society and National Park Service at Coldwater Spring to discover spring ephemerals and other flowers at Coldwater Spring.
- Ranger on Call (anytime). A newly launched program in partnership with Nice Ride and the Mississippi River Fund. Whether you walk, ride your bike, or rent a Nice Ride, enjoy this audio tour that leads you along the pathways near the mighty Mississippi. Check out rangeroncall.com.
- Ranger River Talks (April 18, 19, 25, 26). Mississippi River Visitor Center at the Science Museum of Minnesota.
- Storytime with a Ranger (April 21, 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.) Mississippi River Visitor Center at the Science Museum.
- National Junior Ranger Day (April 25, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.). Make your own fishing lure, talk with “Jacques le Voyageur” about paddling the Mississippi before Minnesota became a state, learn how to properly fit a personal floatation device, or try dressing up like a Park Ranger, and earn your own Mississippi Junior Ranger badge. Mississippi River Visitor Center at the Science Museum.
- Earth Day in the City: Minneapolis River Gorge Cleanup (April 25, 9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., two locations). Hosted by Friends of the Mississippi River. See fmr.org/participate/events.
For more information on the local Centennial celebration and National Park Week and to get involved, visit nps.gov/miss or missriverfund.org.
About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 407 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more
About the Mississippi National River & Recreation Area. The National Park’s 72-mile boundary stretches along the Mississippi River from Dayton and Ramsey, through Minneapolis and Saint Paul, to just south of Hastings. It includes a range resources, from historic sites like Fort Snelling and unique landmarks like St. Anthony Falls, to public parks, navigation structures and natural areas. While working to protect the river’s ecosystems and water quality, the park offers an array of educational activities. These include ranger-led canoe, biking and hiking programs and the school programs “Urban Wilderness Canoe Adventures” and “Big River Journey.” Find us at nps.gov/miss.
About the Mississippi River Fund. The mission of the Mississippi River Fund (MRF) is to strengthen the connection between people and the Mississippi River and to build support for the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area. Discover MRF at Missriverfund.org.
Founded in 1985, The Aliveness Project is a local nonprofit organization and community center providing on-site meals, food shelf options, integrative therapies, and vital services for individuals living with HIV/AIDS throughout Minnesota. 75% of their members live in poverty and depend on The Aliveness Project for daily meals.
This year, 200 Participating Restaurants in the Twin Cities, Duluth, Lanesboro, and Mankato have agreed to donate a portion of their proceeds to The Aliveness Project.
Last year's Dining Out for Life raised over $257,000 in donations from generous restaurants, sponsors, and 37,000 individual diners. This April 30, the goal is $275,000 and 40,000 diners.
In our riverfront neighborhoods, the following restaurants are participating:
Mattie's on Main, J.D. Hoyt's, Sawahtee Thai Restaurant, Wilde Roast Cafe, Zen Box Izakaya, Day Block Brewing Company, HauteDish, The Smack Shack, Black Sheep Pizza, The Butcher Block Restaurant, Ginger Hop Restaurant, Kramarczuk Sausage Co., North East Social, Red Stag Supperclub, Republic Seven Corners and Sapor Cafe/Bar.
Four blocks of 5th Street close to traffic next week
Crews will be making changes that will improve how people get around downtown, whether they’re driving, walking or biking
On Monday, a section of 5th Street South by the new stadium will close, and crews will begin modifying 6th Street so it can handle that displaced traffic. In the meantime, drivers will need to follow posted detours.
The affected four-block section of 5th Street South between Park Ave and 11th Avenue is one-way westbound. It runs tandem to 6th Street, which is now one-way eastbound. Along with closing 5th Street to traffic, crews will add one westbound lane to 6th Street. The new westbound lane of 6th Street is expected to open by the end of the construction season, handling the traffic that used to use 5th Street.
This work is being performed by the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority, which is coordinating it with the City. After 5th Street closes to traffic, crews will remove the roadway and make the area part of the stadium construction site. When the stadium project is completed, the area that was once 5th Street will include off-street bike paths. The skewed intersections along 5th Street and the concrete and chain-link barrier presently separating 5th Street and 6th Street will be removed, making it easier for people on foot to get around.
During this construction, the City plans to add two new traffic signals on 6th Street at 9th Avenue and 10th Avenue. These signals will include audible pedestrian signals, countdown pedestrian crosswalk timers and other features. Some existing signals will be similarly upgraded.
Currently, 5th Street handles traffic exiting from westbound Interstate 94. A joint project by the City and the Minnesota Department of Transportation will move the exit ramp from 5th Street to 7th’Street. Since 7th Street crosses the entire length of downtown, traffic exiting here will have better access to downtown Minneapolis events, stores, restaurants, businesses and other destinations. Construction of the new 7th Street exit ramp will begin this summer, with the switch from 5th Street exit to a 7th Street exit taking place in summer 2016.
Click here for more information on these and other street construction projects.
Click here for real-time information for lane closures and construction in downtown Minneapolis.
Portions of Hennepin Avenue and First Street downtown close for utility work Monday
Closures will last for up to two weeks
Southbound Hennepin Avenue just south of the bridge over the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis will close to traffic on Monday, along with a block of Second Avenue North, so crews can upgrade utilities beneath the roadway.
CenterPoint Energy is in the process of replacing a natural gas distribution pipeline in downtown Minneapolis.
Starting Monday, March 30, the following streets will be closed:
Southbound Hennepin Avenue will be closed at First Street for approximately one week. Traffic on southbound Hennepin Avenue will be detoured west onto First Street, then south onto First Avenue and then east on Washington Avenue. First Street will remain open to traffic during this construction.
Second Avenue North will be closed from Second Street North to First Street North for two weeks.
The CenterPoint Energy project is expected to last much of the construction season and will involve more street closures and lane restrictions. For more information, go to CenterPoint Energy's construction zone website.
Click here for updated information on street closures and lane restrictions throughout Minneapolis.
Click here for real-time information for lane closures and construction in downtown Minneapolis.
"Remembering the Bohemian Flats: One Place, Many Voices" explores the many perspectives on the people and the conditions of this early immigrant neighborhood adjacent to the Mississippi River.
Through photographs, newspaper clippings, maps and surveys, visitors can "journey" down the 79 steps from the bluffs to the flats, and see how a community in the middle of the city could simultaneously be at the margins of the river, of society, and of historical memory.
The exhibit will open with a program by State Archaeologist Dr. Scott Anfinson who will discuss urban archaeology projects along West River Parkway including Bohemian Flats, the Hennepin Avenue Bridge and the Federal Reserve Bank. University of Minnesota students Rachel Hines and Stefanie Kowalczyk will be on hand to discuss how they turned student research into an exhibit. Complimentary East European food from Kramarczuk’s and a cash bar by D’Amico Catering will be available.
"Remembering the Bohemian Flats: One Place, Many Voices" began as a senior thesis by University of Minnesota undergraduate Rachel Hines who earned the Elden Johnson Prize for the best senior thesis in archaeology. Three of Ms. Hines’s project advisors brought the project idea to a University collaborative sponsored by the Institute for Advanced Study and the Minnesota Historical Society. Undergraduate and graduate students delved into the local archives, and Rachel Hines and Stefanie Kowalczyk turned this wealth of research into an exhibit. A website featuring a blog and the student research papers will be available at http://riverlife.umn.edu/engagement/boflats_mcm_exh/.
"Remembering the Bohemian Flats: One Place, Many Voices" is located in the museum’s central Mill Commons, and is free and open to the public during regular museum hours. It is on view April 30-Nov. 1, 2015.
The exhibit is funded in part by the Legacy Amendment’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the vote of Minnesotans on Nov. 4, 2008.
Please take a survey regarding the design of the permanent repairs of the slope failure/mudslide along West River Parkway that occurred on June 19, 2014. The survey can be found at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/XW38ZS9.
The project will be bid in mid-April and repairs are scheduled to begin in mid-June. Construction is expected to take 3 - 4 months. West River Parkway will re-open when repairs are complete.
Deborah Bartels, Registered Landscape Architect Project Manager – Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board 2117 West River Road Minneapolis MN 55411 -2227 dbartels@minneapolisparks.org 612-230-6438 direct
Thanks to Celina Kane of Hat Make, Minneapolis women now have a new option for making a fashion statement. Celina is the daughter of Brenda Langton and Tim Kane, owners of Spoonriver, where she recently debuted her new line of hats. Learn all about it in this Minnesota Monthly article.
In addition to the website, you can follow Hat Make on Facebook.
Friday, April 17, 2015 at 2:37PM
