3rd Ward News with Council Member Michael Rainville: Week of April 18

Message from Council Member Rainville

Hello to all my 3rd Ward neighbors,

I hope you are all having a chance to get outside and enjoy the warm weather. Not only do we enjoy wonderful neighborhood parks in the 3rd Ward, thanks to the cooperation and long-term planning of the City and Park Board, we have wonderful river parks along both sides of the Mississippi. The progress of turning the industrial use of the land along the river into parks continues.

On Monday, April 21st the Plymouth Avenue Bridge is going to close until August in order to build a pedestrian/bike tunnel under the road. This will connect Graco and Boom Island Parks and increase safety. This past week I spoke at a ceremony announcing the first step in transferring the land between the St. Anthony Falls lock and dam and West River Road from the Army Corps of Engineers to Owámniyomni Okhódayapi—a Dakota-led organization. This is a cooperative effort between the City, Park Board, and the Corps of Engineers. There are impressive plans to heal this industrial land with native plantings and the creation of a very short portage where the lower parking lot is currently.

This week I had a briefing with the Public Works Department on the status of the University Ave NE reconstruction from Central Ave to 22nd Ave NE. The latest round of community outreach by the State Highway Department (University is Highway 47) has been completed. As the State takes a second look at the road design, I want to thank all of you who attended the public meetings to comment on the key issues of parking in the East Hennepin business district, the intersection of University and Lowry, and the intersection of University and Broadway.

I want to give you all a quick update on the rebuild of the old 3rd Precinct building on Lake St. This coming week you will see work begin on the renovation to convert the building into a voting center and offices for our Elections Department. Currently the City leases a building on East Hennepin and the lease is up in two years. The new building will provide more space and have better public transportation access for early voters. The new 3rd Precinct building at 2600 Minnehaha is on track to open in 2026.

The City has created a new citizen commission: The Safe and Thriving Communities Work Group. This group will provide feedback as the City continues to develop its community safety ecosystem which includes:

• Prevention services
• Non-police responses
• Restoration services
• Safety processes and procedures
• Community safety centers

 The City is accepting applications until May 4th.

As always, Henry, Patrick, and I are here to serve you. We can be reached at ward3@minneapolismn.gov. Please report all issues to 311 before contacting us so there is a paper trail and staff are already aware of the issue when we speak with them. You can contact 311 by simply dialing 311, email them at Minneapolis311@minneapolismn.gov or by submitting a 311 Contact Form.

Your neighbor,

Michael