Neighborhood Updates

Home > Neighborhood Updates > 3rd Ward News with Council Member Michael Rainville: Week of June 5

3rd Ward News with Council Member Michael Rainville: Week of June 5

June 5, 2026

Hello to all my 3rd Ward neighbors,

We are in full swing in the Ward 3 office with Henry, Patrick, and our two Summer interns Julianna and Issa focusing on many constituent calls for service. I have planned a presentation on the City’s budget process. On Wednesday, June 17th at 6pm at the Depot Hotel, the City’s budget director, Jayne Discenza, will give a presentation on how the budget is formed and how different parts of the budget are funded.

As part of the presentation, you will be able to ask questions and give feedback on what the City’s budget priorities should be. I look forward to hearing your advice for the 2027-2028 budget as we continue to face declining property tax revenue from commercial buildings downtown.

Some good news for the North Loop. Many residents have contacted me about the dangerous intersection of N 4th St and N 6th Ave. Our Public Works department has committed to converting that intersection into a four-way stop. This new signs will be up shortly. On the East Side I have been pressing CenterPoint Energy to finish up their construction work on Bank, Ortman, and 2nd St SE. They have told me they will begin wrapping up in two weeks and streets will reopen starting with Bank and Ortman, then crossing Central Ave to 2nd St SE.

A new outdoor patio will be opening soon in the Sheridan Neighborhood. Mestiizo, located at 337 13th Ave NE. The patio will be located in the back and will be the perfect spot for a quick bite to eat before seeing a show at the Ritz Theater right next door.

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

s

Message from Julianna

Hello Ward 3,

I’ve officially reached my second week on the job for my second summer with Ward 3. This week was all about revisiting old routines and getting settled into new ones. I went back to attending city council committee meetings, small business owner association meetings, and of course go on spontaneous errands with the Council Member.

I got to attend a press conference on Boom Island for a new art installation to give credit to the Minneapolis Unity. A popular artist from France, Saype, decided to make his first stop in America in Minneapolis. We are the 22nd location in the world to feature his artwork that is more than just a piece but a movement. What’s impressive about him is that he has a style of art that is brand new to the industry. He makes grass murals on large patches of land utilizing environmentally friendly natural paints. His mural on Boom Island stretching 12,500 sq ft will be two hands interlinked representing Minneapolis Unity & Resilience and will be a part of a bigger project he titles “Beyond Walls.” If this is something of interest to you he invites all to join him in interlinking around the piece on June 5th and 6th from 3-5pm.

Message from Issa

Hello Ward 3,

This is now my second week working for the city and I’m enjoying it just as much as the first week. Even though this is my second week, it’s technically my first normal week, as my first week was more about getting to know the monumental City Hall building and the surrounding area I’ll be working in. I live in the Fulton neighborhood of South Minneapolis, so besides the drive to and from DeLaSalle high school, I don’t get to spend too much time downtown, but now I’m really becoming familiar with this very beautiful area. And now that I’ve really gotten started this week, that usually non-existent summer structure is quite clear for me. I’ll usually get in around 9:30 to 10:00 AM, and on Monday we meet at 10:00 AM to discuss the schedule and what my whole week will look like. That’s one of the exciting parts, every day is different and something new to attend to, learn about, and help out with.

This week started on Monday with establishing the schedule for the week, then meeting at Boom Island at noon to see the announcement of an amazing and large piece of art that will be done by the legendary French artist Saype, who will use his self-invented biodegradable paint to paint over the grass in an eco-friendly way. On Tuesday, we met up at Kramarczuk’s Sausage Co. Inc. for a meeting with local business owners in Ward 3 to discuss things like fun community events, such as the upcoming Old Town Dog Parade that is taking place on Friday, June 19th from 5:30 to 7:30 PM at Chute Square. Then, Tuesday ended with a committee meeting about business, housing, and zoning. It’s really nice to learn about these local topics that I would normally never hear or learn about at all. Moving on to Wednesday, we had a quick meeting in the morning. These are always fun for me because I get to learn about new things revolving around the city, and I get to meet new and other very talented city employees. And to wrap up my week, there was another committee meeting that was about public health, safety, and equity. It’s really interesting to see all the council members speak on these important topics and see all their perspectives on the matters. There were also public hearings at the committee meeting, and these are good to see because you can see every council member listens closely and deeply to all the constituents voicing their concerns.


Subscribe to our Newsletter