City briefs - October 19, 2023

The city began fall street cleaning on Oct 17. “No Parking” signs should be posted at least 24 hours before a street is cleaned.  Anyone who parks on the street will need to follow posted parking rules or their cars may be ticketed and towed. People can use the city’s online Street Sweeping Schedule Map to find out when their street is scheduled to be cleaned. On the weekend before each of the four weeks, the schedule for the upcoming week will show which day of the week streets are scheduled to be swept. The street sweeping is expected to be completed within four weeks.

 

The city plans to begin repairs on the Bryant Avenue Bridge over Minnehaha Creek in October.  The bridge has been closed since August, and is expected to be reopened in November. 

 

The repair of the roofs of the bandshell and surrounding buildings continues. This month the bandshell roof will be replaced, then work will begin on the roofs of the other buildings with completion expected before winter begins.

 

Through the end of October, the city is accepting applications for more than 50 volunteer-based boards, commissions and advisory committees that help shape policy, and provide a community perspective to city programs and services. Find more information about the openings on the city website - https://lims.minneapolismn.gov/Boards/CurrentOpenings.  

 

The city has announced that the housing discrimination amendments to the civil rights ordinance, approved by the city council in March 2017, that prohibits property owners from refusing to rent to people because they use public assistance, is now in effect and enforceable. This followed years of court challenges and means that landlords cannot discriminate against people using Section 8 housing choice vouchers. Renters who believe they have faced discrimination may contact the city Civil Rights Department at 311 or 612-673-3012.

 

Hennepin County Commissioners are proposing a resolution to plan for the closure of the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC). The HERC burns roughly 1,000 tons of garbage per day in downtown Minneapolis that is collected from throughout the county. It is the only remaining garbage burner operating in the county. The resolution would set the closure for some time between 2028 and 2040 and was discussed at a County Board meeting on Oct. 10 with a vote expected on Oct. 24. On Oct. 10, several people from the public attended who favor shortening the time frame and for a 2025 closure date. They hope to influence commissioners to amend the resolution.