August is decision time for major issues facing the Southwest LRT Project. Metropolitan Council members are expected to vote (on August 28th) to resolve the freight rail issue and other key elements of the project. Please see the article below for more information. 

 

Please join us for the next meeting of the
CIDNA Board.        

      

Wednesday, August 14
6:00 p.m.
Jones-Harrison Residence
3700 Cedar Lake Avenue  Map
 
The meeting agenda will be posted on our website by Friday, August 9: www.cidna.org

 

Southbound France Ave scheduled to
close August 7       

          

Cedar Lake Area Sewer Improvement Project crews have been coordinating with CenterPoint Energy to conduct both sewer pipe and gas work at France Ave/Lake St over the next week.

 

Starting today, southbound France Ave traffic will be detoured

to westbound Sunset Blvd and southbound Inglewood Ave S 

to access Lake St./Minnetonka Blvd. Northbound France Ave

 

traffic will continue to temporarily use the southbound boulevard (see map below).

 

The work is anticipated to be completed on August 13. (France Ave will reopen to two-way traffic over the weekend, August 10-11, while crews are not working). If you have questions specifically related to the CenterPoint Energy work, please contact Daniel Christensen at 612-321-5072 or Daniel.Christensen@CenterPointEnergy.com.
 
If you have questions about the sewer project please contact Tim O'Donnell, the project's Metropolitan Council Environmental Services Citizen Liaison, at 651-602-1269 or tim.odonnell@metc.state.mn.us.
 
For more project information, visit the project website at www.metrocouncil.org/sewerconstructionupdates.

To sign up for project email updates, please send an email
to bgrand@zanassoc.com stating that you would like to receive Cedar Lake Area Sewer Improvements email updates.

 
August is decision time for three major issues facing the Southwest LRT Project. Metropolitan Council members are expected to vote
in late August on how to resolve:

• the location of freight rail  
• adjustments to the alignment in Eden Prairie  
• location of the operations and maintenance facility

Below is a list of upcoming committee and council meetings prior
to the vote on August 28. The public is invited to observe the following meetings but public testimony will not be taken.

August 7
Southwest LRT Corridor Management Committee 8:30-11:30 a.m., St. Louis Park City Hall, 5005 Minnetonka Blvd.
Project staff will present project cost estimates and recommendations to the Southwest Corridor Management Committee, an advisory body made up of mayors of corridor
cities, Hennepin County commissioners and others.

August 14
Corridor Management Commitee 12:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m., St. Louis Park City Hall, 5005 Minnetonka Blvd. The Committee will reconvene to discuss project cost estimates and their recommendations to the Metropolitan Council.

August 14: Staff will also make the same presentation to the Met Council.

August 26
Transportation Committee Meeting 4:00 p.m., Metro Transit Heywood Offices, 560 6th Ave. N, Minneapolis. The Met Council's Transportation Committee will review public feedback and the Southwest Project Office's recommendation, and vote on a recommendation to the full Met Council.

August 28
Metropolitan Council Meeting 3:00 p.m., Council Chambers, 390 Robert St. N, St. Paul. The Metropolitan Council will vote on the recommendations after receiving feedback from all committees,
the public, earlier open houses and written comments.

Project website: www.swlrt.org
Questions? Contact Sophia Ginis, Southwest LRT community outreach coordinator, Sophia.ginis@metrotransit.org or 612-373-3895.

 

Construction of bicycle trail improvements along the west side of Cedar Lake Parkway at Brownie Lake began this week and will continue through the end of October. The off-street bicycle trail
will be reconstructed from the I-394 Bridge south to the Cedar
Lake Parkway Bridge.

During this three-month construction phase, the Park Board encourages pedestrians, bicyclists, as well as motorists to be aware of the trail closures and detours and to plan accordingly.   

View a map of the area affected by the bike trail reconstruction here.   

 

For up-to-date information on the construction in the coming
weeks visit the Brownie Lake project page.   

 

Questions may be directed to:
Deborah Bartels, Project Manager, Planning
Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board
612-230-6438
dbartels@minneapolisparks.org  

 

 

 
Meet with Meg is the third Monday of every month at Bryant Square Park. Join Meg for the next meeting:

Monday, August 19
6:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Bryant Square Park
3101 Bryant Ave S  Map

• August 15 - 17 from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. at the City of Minneapolis - Public Works Department, 3607 East 44th St   Map  
• September 12 - 14 from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. at the University of Minnesota Parking Lot C66,
  2904 Fairmount St SE, Minneapolis  Map 
• Saturday, September 21 from 10 am to 4 pm at
  Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 4100 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis, enter from Aldrich Ave S   Map
  Electronics and vehicle batteries NOT accepted at this collection.   

Materials accepted include household, lawn and garden products, electronics, mercury-containing items and auto wastes.  

Visit www.hennepin.us/collectionevents for a full list of materials accepted.    

 

 

The study is looking at transitway options between the future Southwest Light Rail line and the Hiawatha Light Rail line.
 
All are welcome to attend the next meeting of the Community Advisory Committee (CAC):

Tuesday, August 20
7:00 p.m.
Colin Powell Center
2924 4th Ave S  Map

For more information: www.midtowntransitway.org.

Map of Midtown Corridor study area including Lake St and Greenway alignments. 
 

Please click here to see information regarding Mark Christopher Bell, a well-known con man. He has recently been seen in the Lyndale and Kingfield neighborhoods but is known to frequent the entire city, especially the Fifth Precinct and downtown.
 

Here are some tips on how to protect your vehicles and valuables:

• Lock your vehicle to reduce opportunity of theft.
• Lock doors while driving and upon exiting the vehicle.
• Do not leave keys in your vehicle.
• Do not leave valuables in vehicles. This includes items such as purses, laptops, iPods, sunglasses, and loose change. Remove face plates of after-market stereos.
• If you must bring valuables, place them in the trunk prior to reaching your destination.
• Do not leave garage door opener in plain view; treat it as a key to your property.
• Bring GPS units inside with you; they could be stolen from the car or glove compartment. Remove the mounting device or wipe off the dashboard to take away evidence that a GPS unit is usually there. Record the make, model and serial number and keep in a safe place.
• Pay attention to unusual behavior in your neighborhood.
• Call 911 to report suspicious persons or activity. These crimes can occur any time; be especially alert to noises such as breaking glass or suspicious people loitering near parked vehicles.
• Close windows when vehicle is parked and avoid having windows wide open when driving.
• Always park in well-lit areas.
• Utilize secure parking. A majority of vehicle-related thefts occur to vehicles parked on the street.
• Use visible deterrents such as the steering wheel bar, also called the "Club," to make a vehicle difficult to steal. If you have an alarm system in your vehicle, use it.
• Do not leave vehicles running unattended. Minneapolis police may issue citations to unattended parked vehicles left running on the street or in the alley. 

Students come with an enthusiasm to practice their English and experience American culture and become part of an American
host family. Students have pocket money for personal expenses; full health, accident and liability insurance.
 
To become a host family, call Semone at 651-246-0673 or 952-473-4373 or go to www.host.asse.com.
 

Volunteer Order Takers volunteer from home, calling clients for
one hour each week and entering orders into an online ordering system.  

Call 651-642-1892, email volunteers@storetodoor.org or visit www.storetodoor.org for more information.

Thank you for reading this newsletter. If you are interested in volunteering in the neighborhood, please let me know how you would like to help.