September 11 7th Ward Update from Council Member Lisa Goodman
Friday, September 11, 2020 at 11:40AM
Announcing the 2020 Greening Lab Scavenger Hunt!
Greening Lab, a series of pilot projects that try to improve the survival rates of street trees downtown, is conducting a digital scavenger hunt this summer. The scavenger hunt begins at The Commons and ends at Loring Park, with 10 locations throughout downtown.
Use a cell phone and your knowledge of downtown sites to find the 10 tree tags in downtown Minneapolis between the Mississippi River and Hennepin-Lyndale Crossroads. Each tag will prompt you to text to learn about the street tree conditions at that particular site and provide the next clue.
The full Scavenger Hunt route is 1.8 miles and a perfect afternoon activity for kids and families. Find 4 or more clues and receive a FREE tree-lover prize!
Get started here... Clue #1: The Ginkgo Biloba is considered one of the oldest tree species in the world, and with a circumference of 10.5 feet, this Ginkgo is the oldest one downtown. Find it in East Town, in one of downtown's newest green spaces.
Need a hint? Text 'MAP1' to 612-913-4800 for a hint at its location. Share your progress on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram. #GreeningLab
City Hosting Online Open Houses for Hennepin Avenue South Reconstruction Project
The City of Minneapolis is holding two online open houses later this month to share updates, answer questions and solicit feedback about the reconstruction of Hennepin Avenue South between Douglas Avenue and West Lake Street.
The City plans to reconstruct this section of Hennepin Avenue starting in 2023. The reconstruction project provides an opportunity to redesign Hennepin Avenue to meet the needs of current and future users of the street. Project goals include improving the sidewalk and intersections for all users, evaluating bicycle network connectivity, providing space for enhanced transit stops for future bus-rapid transit (BRT) service, replacing aging infrastructure and maintaining and enhancing traffic flow for transit and motor vehicles.
Online open houses
Public Works will host two virtual open house meetings to present the project background, introduce potential design concepts and get public input on the project. The open houses will feature a presentation followed by a Q&A session.
- 4:30-5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 22.
- 6:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 30
Find links to the open houses and more information about the project on the City’s website.
September is National Preparedness Month
National Preparedness Month is recognized each September to promote family and community disaster planning now and throughout the year. This year’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) theme is "Disasters Don’t Wait. Make Your Plan Today."
The City of Minneapolis encourages residents to set aside some time this month to use FEMA’s weekly themes and learn about ways to prepare for weather emergencies and other disasters that could occur at home and work and in their communities. Families preparing before an emergency with a focus on children’s understanding can help save lives and increase the community’s resilience.
FEMA’s weekly focuses in National Preparedness Month 2020: Disasters Don’t Wait. Make Your Plan Today
Week 1 Sept. 1-5: Make a plan
Week 2 Sept. 6-12: Build a kit
Week 3 Sept. 13-19: Prepare for disasters
Week 4 Sept. 20-26: Teach young people about preparedness
Find information on these weekly themes and more at Ready.gov/september.
Video
Watch and share FEMA’s preparedness videos.
App
Residents can prepare for a disaster today by downloading the FEMA app for real-time alerts from the National Weather Service, ways to share notifications with loved ones, emergency shelter information and more.
Find more information about emergency preparedness from the Minneapolis Office of Emergency Management.
Minneapolis Census Response Reaches a Milestone, but We Still Need Everyone by September 30
Minneapolis has reached a milestone in its 2020 Census count by meeting the 2010 Census self-response rate of 72.8%. While we still have three weeks and 27.2% of our community yet to count, this is worth celebrating.
Meanwhile, hundreds of households in Minneapolis remain uncounted. This undercount could leave communities without resources and fair political representation for the next 10 years.
What can you do to help?
- Complete the census.
- Already completed the census? Encourage your friends, family and neighbors to do the same.
- Share census information on social media. Post the link: my2020census.gov and tell your networks about the importance of getting counted.
The data that is obtained by the census allows the federal government to determine where to allocate resources for things like schools, parks, roads and much more. Our communities deserve the proper funding for resources that we rely on including programs and services like SNAP, Medicaid, CHIP and Head Start.
If your household misses the opportunity to complete the census this year, the next opportunity to be included won’t occur until 2030, so don’t wait. Complete the census for you and for everyone in your household including all children and all relatives that live with you. Visit My2020census.gov or call 1-844-330-2020 and get counted before the Sept. 30 deadline.
Neighborhoods 2020 Deadline Approaching: September 30
The public comment period for the Neighborhoods 2020 draft program guidelines on neighborhood programming and funding to support the City’s 70 neighborhood organizations in 2021 and beyond ends Sept. 30, 2020.
The equity and inclusion recommendations outlined in this document form the cornerstone of the City’s commitment to have an equitable neighborhood funding program for all of its residents.
The draft program guidelines follow the vision to preserve Minneapolis’ neighborhood organizations and create equitable communities in which all people are valued, communities are engaged and leadership mirrors the diversity of the city.
Ways to submit comments
- Email: Neighborhoods2020@minneapolismn.gov
- Phone: 612-673-3737
- Text messaging and voicemail: Español: 612-404-2978 Hmoob: 612-367-6548 Soomaaliga: 612-367-6729 English: 612-518-8743
- Mail: Neighborhood and Community Relations 105 Fifth Ave. S., Suite 425 Minneapolis, MN 55401
Comments must be received by 11:59 p.m., Sept. 30.
Next steps
The final guidelines and public comments will be presented to a City Council committee and then the City Council for a vote.
Neighborhoods 2020 is a plan for continuing to fund neighborhood organizations in Minneapolis when the existing funding source ends and a process to identify expectations for the work they do. These draft program guidelines are centered on building equity in our community. The City Council directed that staff work with a consultant to continue conversations with neighborhoods and the community on program guidelines and metrics for the Neighborhoods 2020 framework while continuing to ensure that racial equity remains at the core of the work.
Public Comment Period Open for Zoning Code Updates to Reach Minneapolis 2040 Goals
The City has launched the 45-day comment period for the public to review draft “built form” regulations that will regulate the scale of new buildings and additions throughout Minneapolis. The regulations are critical to achieving the goals of Minneapolis 2040, the City’s Comprehensive Plan, which was approved by the City Council in 2018. The plan will shape how the city will grow and change over the next two decades so all residents can benefit. Under consideration now are technical aspects of Minneapolis 2040 implementation.
Minneapolis 2040 includes 14 Built Form Districts that will guide the development of new regulations, which will govern issues such as: building height, floor area ratio, lot sizes and setbacks from property lines. The new built form regulations will resolve some of the major conflicts between Minneapolis 2040 and the City’s current zoning regulations. They are also intended to make the scale more predictable for new buildings and additions in different areas in the city including neighborhoods, downtown, production and employment areas, and areas served by high-frequency transit.
Minneapolis 2040 went into effect Jan. 1 following more than two years of community engagement. The plan guides growth and change with 14 key goals, including eliminating racial disparities, promoting climate change resiliency, and increasing access to jobs and housing.
Read more about how to comment on the draft regulations.
Voters: Apply Now to Get Your Ballot for the General Election
Want to make sure your ballot will be returned on time to count for the general election on Nov. 3?
Apply now and get your ballot right when early voting opens. Ballots will be mailed out starting Sept. 18. This will ensure plenty of time to receive your ballot, vote and then return your ballot using the postage-paid envelope.
You can request your Absentee Ballot at: www.mnvotes.org or you can call 1-877-600-VOTE (8683)
Learn more about how the City is working to ensure a safe election season during the pandemic.
COVID-19 Situation Update as of September 9, 2020
Situational Updates: Minneapolis
- As of September 9, there are 9,597 cases in Minneapolis and 227 deaths. The City shares Minneapolis-specific daily case counts and demographics at www.minneapolismn.gov/coronavirus/dashboard.
- Minneapolis has seen a decrease in COVID-19 cases from a high of 19 per100,000 people in early August to 13 per100,000 people in late August. In addition, there are now an average of approximately 60 new cases per day as opposed to 80 new cases per day. Current hospitalizations and ICU admissions have remained stable over the past week.
- We have created a dashboard for school administrators that shows the 14-day per 10,000 people COVID-19 rate for both Minneapolis overall and by race/ethnicity to help school personnel make decisions about virtual, in-person, or hybrid instruction. Additionally, MHD staff is assisting Minneapolis Public Schools with investigation and contact tracing for specific cases.
- Colleges and universities continue to prepare for the start of the fall semester by developing COVID-19 safety plans for housing, classroom instruction, and other on-campus experiences. The University of Minnesota created a four-step plan to gradually expand activities for students. The plan applies to students at some locations including the Twin Cities campus.
- Mayor Frey’s Emergency Regulation No. 12 regarding masks remains in effect. The regulation requires people to wear face masks in all indoor public places.
- Mayor Frey’s Emergency Regulation No. 17 regarding bars and restaurants remains in effect. The regulation closes bar areas in restaurants, nightclubs, and indoor spaces of entertainment. Food and beverages can be served tableside while patrons are seated, and patrons can approach the bar to order if they don’t congregate.
Situational Updates: Minnesota
- As of September 9, there are 81,868 cases in Minnesota out of over 1.6 million tests completed. There have been 1,869 deaths from COVID-19 in Minnesota. There are 24,433 cases and 895 deaths in Hennepin County.
- The MN Department of Health is using a color-coded map with multiple layers to track a seven-day rolling average of new cases in Minnesota. Both the State and Minneapolis are at 13 cases per 100,000. These numbers put both Minnesota and Minneapolis in the orange category, which represents accelerated spread of COVID-19.
- Minnesota is currently in Phase III of the Stay Safe MN plan for reopening.
- Governor Walz’s statewide mask mandate remains in effect. People are required to wear masks in all indoor public places where people gather and some outdoor venues where physical distancing is difficult.
- The MN Department of Health is convening Local Public Health Departments on a weekly basis to discuss COVID-19 vaccination plans once a viable vaccine becomes available.
Health Incident Command updates
As the Minneapolis Health Department (MHD) continues to respond to COVID-19, we are applying an equity lens to all our work in conjunction with partners across the City enterprise.
Businesses
- In the past week, Health inspectors completed 80 food safety routine inspections with an emphasis on COVID-19 preparedness plans and the implementation of COVID-19 protocols. Health inspectors responded to five food COVID-19 complaints from 311 and to one business with reported COVID-19 positive employees and/or patrons.
- Environmental Health staff are working with the Police Department and Public Works Transportation to help neighborhoods prepare for National Night Out on September 15. Staff are providing COVID-19 guidance and hosting two Q&A sessions for block leaders to help ensure that residents can gather safely. Block leaders who submitted street closure permit requests for their events were sent information about how to obtain free face masks from the City and how to call in to the Q&A sessions.
Case investigations
- MHD is conducting over 50 case investigations and contact follow-ups per day for individuals diagnosed with COVID-19. Currently, there are 26 investigators, including six non-MHD enterprise staff. Of the 9,597 cases in Minneapolis, 85.7% have been interviewed, 2.1% have refused, 10.6% have been lost to follow-up (LTF), and 1.5% are new cases that still need to be interviewed. There was a slight increase in the number of cases marked as LTF due to backlog reporting by some laboratories and clinical sites. Twenty-four percent of interviews of Minneapolis residents are in a language other than English.
Community testing
- 81 COVID-19 tests and 45 seasonal flu shots were provided to residents of the Little Earth housing complex in partnership with the Native American Community Clinic, Hennepin Healthcare and Hope Community on Friday, September 3.
Future testing events include:
- Shiloh Temple, in partnership with Northpoint, Hennepin Healthcare and Hope Community on September 11 and 12 (1201 W Broadway Avenue N), 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Flu shots will be available.
- Abubakar As-Sadique Islamic Center in partnership with Hennepin Healthcare on September 19 and 25 (2824 13th Avenue South), 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
- MHD is collaborating with Hennepin County and the MN Department of Health to offer testing at Tawfiq Islamic Center (2900 Lyndale Ave. N.) on September 17.
- MHD is working with community clinics, MDH, and other partners to plan for sustained COVID-19 testing in indoor environments. For instance, free COVID tests will be offered at the Brian Coyle Center (420 15th Ave. S) every Friday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. starting on September 11. The People’s Center Clinics and Services is sponsoring this testing. Find more information on the Brian Coyle Center website.
Encampments
- Residents at the newly reoccupied 75 tent Hiawatha encampment now have access to porta potties, handwashing stations, COVID-19 signage, and large sharps containers provided by MHD. Southside Harm Reduction Services provides smaller sharps containers and naloxone via MHD. Public Works is supplying 10 garbage cans and waste collection services. The City is working with Hennepin County and the MN Department of Transportation on this encampment.
- The health needs at additional encampment sites including those at parks and Kmart are routinely monitored.
Personal Protective Equipment
- MHD continues to respond to requests for masks and other personal protective equipment. In the past week, staff distributed 1,100 masks and 190 bottles of hand sanitizer to neighborhood organizations, people experiencing unsheltered homelessness, COVID-19 testing sites, and hospice/in-home health care service providers.
• Staff also distributed 1,000 masks to the Police Department for National Night Out events scheduled for September 15.
- The City specific COVID email address is: COVID19@minneapolismn.gov.
