Message from Council Member Kevin Reich

Eastside Minneapolis has seen many positive developments in 2013. First and foremost, Central Avenue, which is one of our most significant thoroughfares and business districts, has seen some welcome revitalization. Facades have been refurbished, buildings have been renovated and new businesses have moved in from one end of the Avenue to the other. I fully expect this trend to continue into 2014 as more and more businesses and companies discover the vitality of our community. And thanks to the hard work of the Logan Park Neighborhood Association, diligent assistance from City of Minneapolis Public Works staff and the talents of local company SignMinds, the “Welcome to the Northeast Neighborhoods” sign at Central and Broadway now provides a beautiful and very readable welcome to the Avenue. The 1st Ward office hosted a number of community forums in again 2013, as in past years, on a variety of topics including Public Safety, Regulatory Services and potential development at Shoreham Yards. I have been gratified to see not only increasing attendance at each forum but also the significant engagement in the topics and I look forward to continuing this participatory initiative in 2014 and beyond. We also saw some significant upgrades in infrastructure and City services in 2013. The rollout of One Sort recycling, which began at the end of 2012, was completed this year and has already produced dramatic increases in the amounts of material collected citywide and diverted from the waste stream. We also received the results of an assessment of options for organics collection in the City, putting us in a good position to take the next steps toward implementation if and when State of Minnesota rule changes make this a feasible direction. And lastly, Northeast was the site of two important pilot programs: the concrete street rehabilitation project that took place around Cavell Park and the snow and ice sidewalk clearing pilot that will continue this winter as well. The results of these two pilots will offer important data for further improvement of City services and infrastructure.