Hennepin Happening
Welcome to the District 5 June newsletter! Scroll down to read more about
- Hennepin County’s Climate Action Plan lays the foundation for bold action on climate change
- Record $17.1 million approved for 27 affordable housing projects
- Hennepin County establishes Juneteenth as a paid holiday for staff
- Riley Purgatory Bluff Creek Watershed District Board Opening
- Rent Help
- Free Bikes 4 Kidz Richfield
- Bloomington Farmers Market
- Hennepin History Museum
- Road construction
- Constituent services
- Introducing Maddy Niziolek
Hennepin County’s Climate Action Plan lays the foundation for bold action on climate change
Hennepin County has adopted its first Climate Action Plan that outlines how the county will act boldly on climate change. After authoring the resolution to bring this plan forward two years ago Commissioner Goettel is excited to see the county make it a reality. The plan prioritizes disparity reduction and serves as a strong foundation for a coordinated approach to planning, policy development, and response to climate change. Pursuing the strategies laid out in the plan will enable us to create a better future for ourselves and future generations.
The plan includes strategies to:
- Prioritize disparity reduction
- Achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050
- Adapt to a warmer and wetter climate
- Create a more equitable and resilient Hennepin County
Learn more at hennepin.us/climate-action. The website includes information about the Climate Action Plan’s goals and strategies, climate change impacts in Hennepin County, examples of how the county is leading on climate action, and tips and resources for taking action at home and in your community. To learn more about the plan you can sign up to receive email updates on the county’s climate action or contact our office.
Record $17.1 million approved for 27 affordable housing projects
On Tuesday, May 11, the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners, acting as the Housing and Redevelopment Authority, approved $17.1 million to support 27 affordable housing projects—the largest amount of funding ever awarded by the board at once to support affordable housing projects. These awards represent more than double the amount of county funding available for affordable housing as recently as 2018.
This historic action will help create or maintain 2,270 units of housing, including 1,550 affordable units, of which 360 will be affordable to households with the lowest incomes earning less than 30% of the Area Median Income, or about $31,450 for a four-person household.
To advance Hennepin County’s strategy to grow housing options for households at the lowest income levels, the HRA is piloting several new tactics, including an annual project-based subsidy and pre-development technical assistance to build a pipeline of supportive housing projects that serve target populations.
Read the full release and learn more about the awards.
Hennepin County establishes Juneteenth as a paid holiday for staff
County commissioners established Juneteenth as a paid holiday for Hennepin County employees. Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States marking the day that news of the emancipation of all slaves reached Galveston Texas. Since then Juneteenth has been celebrated as a day of freedom and the achievements of African American people. Juneteenth falls on Saturday, June 19, in 2021. Therefore, Hennepin County will observe the previous workday, Friday, June 18, as a paid holiday for employees and close county offices.
Riley Purgatory Bluff Creek Watershed District Board Opening
Riley Purgatory Bluff Creek Watershed District protects local water resources. If you’re passionate about improving water quality in our communities, I hope you’ll apply for an open board position and reach out to our office.
Applications are accepted May 21 through June 21, 2021 at 5pm. Applicants must be a resident of the watershed, which covers portions of Eden Prairie, Bloomington, Minnetonka and Shorewood. To see if you are in the watershed, visit https://www.rpbcwd.org/am-i-watershed. More information about the Riley Purgatory Bluff Creek Watershed Board and applications can be found at https://www.hennepin.us/-/media/hennepinus/your-government/get-involved/documents/riley-purgatory-bluff-creek-watershed-board.pdf.
Rent Help
Hennepin County residents struggling to pay their rent and utility bills because of the pandemic may qualify for help through RentHelpMN. Qualified applicants could receive up to 15 months of assistance dating back to the start of the pandemic and up to three months of future expenses.
Residents can apply today at renthelpmn.org or call 211 with questions.
Free Bikes 4 Kidz Richfield
The Richfield Recreation Departments is partnering with Free Bikes 4 Kidz Minnesota to provide free gently used bides to kids 18. The event will be on Saturday June 26 between 10:00am and 12:45pm at Taft Park West Parking Lot (Bloomington Ave and 62nd Street). To sign up for a spot and to get more information visit Activity Registration (maxgalaxy.net). Spots go quickly so make sure to sign up soon!
Bloomington Farmers Market
Starting Saturday June 12 the Bloomington Farmers Market will be open every Saturday from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. in the East lot of the Bloomington Civic Plaza at 1800 W. Old Shakopee Road Bloomington MN 55431. The Farmers market is a great way to engage directly with local farmers and artisans and get fresh and high quality produce and goods. For more information about the farmers market visit Visitor information | City of Bloomington MN.
Hennepin History Museum
Homegrown
Starting June 3rd Hennepin History Museum presents Homegrown, an exhibit bringing seed art out of the State Fair and into a museum. The crop art displayed here consists of seeds from Minnesota-grown farm crops or cultivated garden flowers, fruits, and vegetables. Enjoy this selection of work from local artists whose creativity and technical skill is only rivaled by their love of this unconventional agrarian artform.
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Road construction
Skip the traffic jams and sign up for updates on the projects impacting your commute.
You can visit the Hennepin County website for updates on road maintenance projects and all other road construction.
Constituent Services
Housing crises, energy assistance, child protection, emergency situations; we are here to advocate for you when it comes to navigating local and county services, and we want to help. Please call our office at 612-348-7885 with any questions or for assistance.
You can also follow these direct links for:
- Temporary shelter, housing costs (rent, damage deposits, home repairs, utility bills), foreclosure prevention, extra food support for people with special diets
- VEAP – food pantry, rent assistance
- CAP Hennepin County – vehicle repair, water assistance, energy assistance
Introducing Maddy Niziolek
Maddy Niziolek will be joining the District 5 team as a community outreach specialist. She is a Bloomington resident, 2020 Jefferson High School Graduate and current student at the George Washington University in Washington DC pursuing a BA in political science and Master of Public Administration. She also brings experience working in community organizing through both non profits and campaigns around Hennepin County and District 5. Maddy is looking forward to bringing her passion for engaging constituents in their government to Hennepin County this summer.
Contact
Commissioner Debbie Goettel
Hennepin County District 5
Bloomington | Eden Prairie | Richfield
612-348-7885 | debbie.goettel@hennepin.us
Michael Ohama
Policy director
612-348-7885 | michael.ohama@hennepin.us
Maddy Niziolek
Community Outreach Specialist
612-596-7078 | madeline.niziolek@hennepin.us
Casey Meinhardt (currently on parental leave)
Principal aide
casey.meinhardt@hennepin.us