City of Minneapolis

In This Issue:

Get a rain barrel to save water and reduce pollution

Attend a downtown transportation meeting

Make fitness a family affair

Hear the State of the City speech

Help kids play baseball

Prepare for city street sweeps

Join The Great City Take Action to Help
Build a Great City

In my State of the City Address I said that the key to Minneapolis’ success is its large and strong middle class. Minneapolis is an exceptional American city because it’s made up of miles and miles of strong, safe middle-class neighborhoods and remains a place where opportunity still provides a path into the middle class.

Keeping a strong middle-class means creating a City that is safe, has affordable places to live, provides good jobs, has strong neighborhoods, and is committed to its children’s future. City government can’t do all of this work this alone. We need strong partnerships with our schools, community groups and businesses. We also need individual residents to get engaged to help build a Great City together. We need your vision and your action. Don’t just complain – do something to make our City better.

That’s why I’m launching a new initiative called The Great City Take Action to mobilize residents to get involved to help make our city great. Working with Hands On Twin Cities and their connection to hundreds of local community-based organizations, The Great City Take Action will hold four public forums throughout the year around top priorities for our City:

• Reweaving the Urban Fabric to Build Clean, Green Neighborhoods
• Making Minneapolis a Safe Place to Call Home
• Closing the Gaps with an Economy that Works for Everyone
• Preparing the Next Generation for their future

At The Great City Take Action forums, residents will be able to get information about big issues facing Minneapolis and immediately get connected to current volunteer opportunities with City Boards and community organizations working directly on these issues. Through this campaign, we want Minneapolis residents to “learn, serve and be the change” we need to make Minneapolis a Great City.

Our first forum, Reweaving the Urban Fabric, about getting involved with the environment and neighborhood improvement, will take place the evening of Tuesday, April 17th , 6 - 8 pm at the historic Capri Theatre, 2027 West Broadway ( map). For more information or to register for the forum visit my website or www.handsontwincities.org. We’ll see you there!

Get a Rain Barrel to Save Water + Reduce Pollution
2,000 rain barrels are available for Minneapolis households this summer at a greatly reduced cost. When connected to a downspout, the 55-gallon rain barrels store rainwater for later use. Rain barrels protect the environment by reducing water consumption and cutting down on runoff that ends up in our lakes and rivers. The barrel connects to a standard garden hose so it’s easy to use them to irrigate lawns and gardens. Minneapolis is making the barrels available thanks to a $100,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency and in partnership with Minneapolis/Metro Blooms and the Green Institute. The cost of a rain barrels is $45 – about half the normal retail price. Order a rain barrel at 612-724-2608 or www.thereusecenter.com. Quantities are limited, so order now! For more information about rain barrels visit the City website.

Attend a Downtown Transportation Public Meeting
Do you ride transit, walk, bike, or drive? If so, we want your ideas and opinions about downtown transportation. The City is hosting two public meetings to discuss recommendations for major transportation improvements in downtown Minneapolis. Public feedback is needed on planned changes to downtown transportation and on key transportation issues facing downtown.