Neighborhood News - Oct 2024

More meadow, less lawn
The redesigned Bryn Mawr Meadows Park seeks to strike a sustainable balance between nature and recreation. A ribbon-cutting ceremony with refreshments and a park tour will be held on Thursday, Oct. 24, 4-5:30 p.m. Highlights of the 56-acre park include a native landscape greenway and meadow comprising 9.5 acres of plants and grasses, plus 6.5 acres of pollinator-friendly turf for informal play fields. Additional features of the redesign include two stormwater ponds to treat area runoff; a new playground and mountain-bike skills course; and two upgraded premier athletic fields - all connected via a one-mile walking loop. The Luce Line trail connects the park to the Grand Rounds and other citywide and regional trails.

23 NEW POLICE OFFICERS
In late September, Minneapolis Police Department welcomed a class of 23 new officers at a swearing-in ceremony at the Minneapolis American Indian Center. The new officers include 11 new recruits and 12 laterals – officers who transferred to the MPD from other departments. This new class includes the first Somali American woman to join the department and the first permanent resident. Applications are up by more than 45% since last year, and for the first time in many years, the department is on track to end the year with more officers than it started with.

HERC RESOLUTION
The Minneapolis City Council Climate & Infrastructure Committee held a public hearing on Oct. 10 on a resolution supporting the closure of the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC). The hearing follows a Request for Committee Action that was submitted on July 15 and approved on Sept. 26. Following this public hearing, the resolution will move to the Committee of the Whole for consideration on Oct. 24, with a final vote anticipated on Oct. 31. The proposed resolution calls for a closure date, restitution to communities harmed by HERC over its 35-year operation, frontline community leadership in what comes next at the HERC site, and urges the city to implement the Zero Waste plan it passed in 2017.