Holistic Traffic Calming for Stanley/84th Street/9 Mile Creek Parkway area

This item was sent my Councilmember Elkins

Item 5.3A on Monday evening's City Council Agenda is the approval for City Staff, with assistance from SRF consulting, to move forward to develop a "Holistic Traffic Calming Plan" covering the area bounded by France Ave on the east, Normandale Blvd on the west, 84th street on the north and 90th St/Poplar Bridge Rd on the south.

Staff and SRF will be using the same basic approach that SRF followed with Edina City Staff to develop holistic plan covering northeast Edina recently. Like the target area in Bloomington, the problem in this area of Edina is that it has been faster to travel between Hwy 100/50th Street and Exclesior Blvd/France Ave on the local residential streets within the neighborhood than it is to drive around the neighborhood using the arterial streets that ring the neighborhood. To solve the problem, the Edina project team developed a plan that makes it easier and faster to use the arterial streets around the perimeter of the neighborhood (especially France Ave) instead of the local streets. They accomplished this by a combination of features that make roads like France flow more smoothly (such as added left hand turn lanes) and features that slow down traffic within the neighborhoods (such as traffic calming devices). (You'll receive a second e-mail shortly to will point you to a copy of a PowerPoint presentation describing the Edina plan that was recently presented at the University of Minnesota's annual Transportation Research Conference.)

Everything will be on the table as part of this plan, including a "Road Diet for 84th Street". This is the one and only opportunity that this neighborhood will have to participate in the development of a comprehensive traffic calming plan that addresses the longstanding problems on Stanley, Nine Mile Creek Parkway and 84th Street without making things worse for everyone else who lives in this study area. It's going to be extremely important that everyone who lives in this area participate in the process, which will include a number of public meetings and open houses. Monday's City Council meeting will be the first official step in this process and you should come to show support if you can (this will probably come up between 7:30 and 8:00 PM).

Regards,
Steve Elkins
Bloomington, MN City Council, District 3

Shoreview Green Community Self-Guided Tour, August 4 - 5

You can read about best management practices for water quality, but on Saturday and Sunday, August 4 & 5th from noon to 5:30 PM each day you can tour 11 real examples in Shoreview and Lake Owasso yards.

The free, self-guided Shoreview Green Community TOUR map is available at the
Shoreview Clean Water booth near the Lake Johanna Fire Station at Victoria and 694
at Slice of Shoreview July 27 - 29th and on the City of Shoreview's website: http://www.ci.shoreview.mn.us/WhatsNew/WhatsNew.html Sponsors include city of
Shoreview Environmental Quality Committee, Rice Creek Watershed District, Grass Lake Water Management Org., and the Sierra Club Northstar Chapter. Call 651-483-9867 with any questions.


Did you know that in 2006 Bloomington business and residents used 4.8 Billion Gallons of water on average, up from 4.5 Billion in 2005. That works out to 13.1 Million Gallons Per Day.

Bloomington wells provided 76% and the remaining 24% had to be purchased from the City of Minneapolis.

Minneapolis has goal of 12% carbon dioxide reduction by 2012

Minneapolis awards five more grants to help fight climate change

Minneapolis has awarded five grants of up to $10,000 each to help local neighborhoods and organizations fund creative ways to engage residents to fight global warming. The Climate Change Innovation grants are being awarded one month after the City awarded twenty smaller grants of up to $1,000 to neighborhood groups, churches, non-profit organizations and parks to support their efforts to curb climate change.

The 2007 grant awardees are Seward/Longfellow Neighborhoods, Linden Hills Power and Light, Alliance for Sustainability, Lyndale Neighborhood, and the Bakken Museum. Award winners will use the grant funds to creatively energize Minneapolis groups, residents, and businesses to take action. Each grant is a learning opportunity, because both the grant awardees and the City will benefit by learning how different approaches work to engage the community to combat global climate change.

To learn more about how award winners will use the Climate Change Innovation funds, visit http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/sustainability/ClimateChangeRFP.asp .

July 24, 2007


This is part of the City’s Sustainability Initiative to reduce the City’s carbon dioxide footprint 12% by 2012 with the realization that we all can and must play a part in reducing climate change.

Free "Water Smart" Landscaping Classes

Learn about:



- landscaping methods that help you reduce the amount of water used outside.



- conserving and using rainwater more effectively in your yard and garden.



- preventing pollution of our lakes, ponds, and wetlands from stormwater run-off.



- creating habitat for birds, butterflies and other wildlife.



Learn innovative landscaping practices (from easy to advanced) that will help you reduce water use, enjoy your yard more fully, and benefit our environment. You can receive specific advice for your own yard. Ask questions. Get clear answers. Receive lots of free information to take home and apply in your landscaping. You can also use these water-smart practices for your church's landscaping, townhome association grounds, business and many other great locations.



Class Dates, Times & Locations:



July 25th (Wed.) - 6-7:30pm - Penn Library (8800 Penn Avenue, Bloomington)

Aug. 5th (Sun.) - 1-2:30pm - Minnesota Valley Wildlife Refuge (3815 American Boulevard East, Bloomington)

Aug. 5th (Sun.) - 6-7:30pm - Bush Lake - Izaak Walton Chapter Lodge (7515 Izaak Walton Road, Bloomington)

Aug. 14th (Tue.) - 6-7:30pm - Penn Library (8800 Penn Avenue, Bloomington)

Sept. 5th (Wed.) - 6-7:30pm - Penn Library (8800 Penn Avenue, Bloomington)



The classes are FREE and open to the public, although space is limited. Attendees will be able to register to win water-smart landscaping tools. To register for the class, send an email to Gregg at bushlake@bushlakeikes.org, or call 612-618-8616.

Has Bloomington (MN) Lost It's Way??

Pictures at Harrison Park entrance accross from city hall on 18 July 2007 about 7PM.
Do you want to be riding a bicycle, or one of your children and have them run INTO the grate like this? They are all over Bloomington. Instead our city council has been working with developers to put up more building along I 494 and thus create more traffic, more pollution and gridlock. Not to mention a lot of that traffic diverts to our city streets. Just hope you are not riding a bicycle during the rush hour and hit one of these inadequate grates. Someone is not tending to the peoples business.

Hazordous Biking in Bloomington, MN

While biking across Bloomington, MN today, on 90th Street, to attend the rally for the Old Cedar Avenue Bridge I noticed many sewer grates with bars running parallel to the curb. Some had perpendicular braces and some of those were broken. Yet if any skinny bike tire were to go into one of those I am sure a biker would have an accident and even be thrown into a vehicle.

I did find a couple of Bloomington City Council members and made them aware and provided some of the ones that I made note of on the way over. But it was by no means an inclusive list.

Then coming back on 86th Street many more were noticed. Conclusion is they are all over Bloomington. I would assume Bloomington would have liability knowing they have they issue.

Some of the ones noticed but certainly not all:

1805 W. 90th Street- south side
James and 90th Street
Emerson and 90th Street
Columbus and 86th Street
86th Street at Beard
84th Street at Kell

Now if the city claims they do not have money to replace them it could probably find additional funds by not hiring outside consultants to provide information on more buildings along Interstate 494. Since this is no longer a highway anyway it merely becomes a parking lot to provide more pollution.

So let the city start work today on building a better biking system throughout the city so a person does not feel they will get killed using the city streets. If the city says it is part of their Strategic Plan for 2030 that is not a satisfactory answer either. This is not a tomorrow problem but a today problem that appears to be prevalent throughout the city and provides a hazard to any bicyclist who try not to pollute and get from point a to b.

Please all homeowners and residents look at your sewer grates and report them to the city if they are a hazard.

Too much stuff

"Most people work 40-plus hours a week at jobs they don't like to buy things they don't need"

NYT 6/24/07

Stop buying things made in China and also things with plastic packaging. Tell stores you do not want those plastic bags and bring your own.

Rules of the road from the Vatican

http://212.77.1.245/news_services/bulletin/news/20451.php?index=20451&po_date=19.06.2007&lang=it

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Drivers’ “Ten Commandments”

61. In any case, with the request for motorists to exercise virtue, we have drawn up a special “decalogue” for them, in analogy with the Lord’s Ten Commandments. These are stated here below, as indications, considering that they may also be formulated differently.

I.


You shall not kill.

II.


The road shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of mortal harm.

III.


Courtesy, uprightness and prudence will help you deal with unforeseen events.

IV.


Be charitable and help your neighbour in need, especially victims of accidents.

V.


Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin.

VI.


Charitably convince the young and not so young not to drive when they are not in a fitting condition to do so.

VII.


Support the families of accident victims.

VIII.


Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time, so that they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness.

IX.


On the road, protect the more vulnerable party.

X.


Feel responsible towards others.

A Target we don't need

Target Corp would like to build a new "Super Target" store on the southwest corner of Normandale Blvd and Old Shakopee Rd. The proposed "hypermart" would include a full-fledged grocery store in addition to all of the other stuff that you'd find at a regular Target. According the the Institute of Traffic Engineers' "Trip Generation Manual" a big-box retail store of this size (168,000 sq ft) would be expected to generate over 9,000 additional car trips per day from across a very wide market area.

Bloomington Sustainability Ideas

From: Terry R. Houle
June 17, 2007

To: Concerned Bloomington Citizenry

RE: Sustainability in Bloomington

Following are some brainstorming ideas for Bloomington, MN to become a more sustainable and caring community. Some ideas may already of been started, or implemented to some degree. These can possibly be improved upon or more widely publicized so the citizenry is aware of them.
This list is derived from input of various caring voters. It will be added to and re-distributed.


∑ Using solar panels
∑
∑ Buying hybrid vehicles,
∑
∑ Discontinuing irrigation,
∑
∑ Fertilizers and pesticides,
∑
∑ Installing green roofs,
∑
∑ Utilizing pervious parking lots in our parks,
∑
∑ Buying better street sweepers that pick up the "fine particles" to prevent phosphorous-rich silt from getting in our lakes,
∑
∑ Educating residents about rain gardens and establishing a test site in our parks.

∑ Since Gov. Pawlenty is all over global warming issue with a committee and legislation, possibly the city can just adopt state's initiatives and use those as guidelines for CO2 reduction?

∑ The city website on Environment is very lacking
Create one on sustainability as kind of one stop shopping and let people know ideas and what the city is doing

∑ Don’t believe Sustainability Metrics have been added to city web site.
-City should set example-Goal is 80% reduction by 2050.


∑ Create a permanent subcommittee on sustainability

∑ Make it tactical goals that need implementation NOW and not 2030.

∑ Consider trolley lines that can be established more quickly than a light rail.

∑ More buses across town to get you to a transit hub or transfer point.

∑ Expanded use of BE Line, or equivalent.

∑ Park and Ride lots like the one along 494 in front of Best Buy Headquarters.

∑ Work with the voters vs. developers.

∑ No more buildings approved until the transportation infrastructure is in place first.

∑ Sustentative bikeways that are not just for recreation.

∑ Use govdelivery.com like other cities (Mpls/Shoreview…) to push info to people rather than having a pull approach.


Reference


Minnesota Climate Change Advisory Group
http://www.mnclimatechange.us/index.cfm


Minnesota Climate Change Advisory Group
Teleconferences and Documents
http://www.mnclimatechange.us/Transportation_Land_Use.cfm

Traffic in Twin Cities

As I drove around the South and West metro on my Friday off on 15 June 2007 the traffic was unbelievable. Congestion all over and some times only moved at 20mph on these "Freeways". This is during the day when there should not be issues. I look at the lines of vehicles and think all the CO2 we are putting into our air.
The problem is there has not been the foresight to build a transportation system for mass transit.

As I get back to Bloomington I think of all the new buildings going up that are not even occupied. City fathers and mothers just think about the dollars and don't care what they will leave for future generations except a bunch of buildings. They think in 2030 the transportation system will be ok. Very very sad.

Some of the buidlings.

Air Pollution Health Advisory

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has issued an Air
Pollution Health Advisory because of high ozone levels for the Twin
Cities metro area and communities northward of the Twin Cities including
St. Cloud and Brainerd for today June 13 and Thursday June 14.

High pressure located over Minnesota will lead to warm temperatures,
sunny skies and enhanced ozone formation today and tomorrow. In
addition, light southerly winds will bring moisture and pollutants to
the region, increasing fine particle production. These conditions will
result in high-end Moderate (95 AQI) to potentially low-end Unhealthy
for Sensitive Groups levels (100 AQI) on both days.

Ozone levels usually build in the morning and peak in the late afternoon
and early evening. Advisories are issued when the AQI levels reach or
are forecasted to reach the 90s, which is near the threshold that is
unhealthy for sensitive groups with respiratory, cardiovascular and
heart conditions, as well as senior citizens, children and physically
active adults.

Sensitive groups should avoid vigorous or prolonged exercise especially
in the afternoon and early evening when ozone levels will be the
highest. Others, including athletes and other healthy adults should
consider reducing or postponing heavy exertion (play shorter games, walk
instead of run, rotate players more frequently, etc.). Moving indoors to
an air conditioned environment will reduce ozone exposure.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO REDUCE AIR POLLUTION DURING THIS ALERT:
* reduce driving when possible and don't idle your vehicle engine
(vehicle exhaust contributes to ozone formation)
* postpone use of lawnmowers and other small gas or diesel engines
* postpone use of paints or solvents which promote ozone formation
* postpone recreational fires

To learn more or to check hourly updates of the AQI, visit:
http://aqi.pca.state.mn.us/

8200 Lake Normandale Tower

The Bloomington City Council voted on June 4, 2007 to approve the new 8200 Lake Normandale Tower final development plan. I think it was like 1/4 million square feet. In my personal opinion our city council is being led again by developers rather than serve their constituency. This just will create more vehicles and traffic. Each one of those pollution machines (vehicles) will put more carbon dioxide in our air.
They succumbed to money and developers as usual. Thank to Councilmember Elkins being the only “NO” vote. They just don’t seem to get it, in my opinion, yet and I guess that is why we have elections.

Mayor Winstad has indicated that by building they were being good “stewards”. This is the way the city is headed with urban centers and they had to figure out transportation issues. The Mayor and I have different definitions of what being a good “steward" is.

Upcoming Events

Clean Ups

Community Clean-ups-April 20-21

Join local clean-ups to pick up leaves, sand, salt and other debris that flows as storm water run-off to pollute local streams, lakes, and the Minnesota/Mississippi Rivers. These clean-ups, sponsored by the Friends of the Minnesota River and Nine Mile Creek Watershed District, are scheduled for:

Eagan cleanup is Friday April 20th along Nichols Road. Contact is Terry Houle at Lockheed Martin (651-456-4211) or terry99@gmail.com

Edina Cleanup is along Nine Mile Creek on Sat., Apr. 21st from 9-11 a.m. Contact is Kevin Bigalke at 952-835-2078.

Bloomington Cleanup is at Central Park (Moir Park) along Nine Mile Creek, from 9-11 a.m. on Saturday the 21st. Contacts are Lori Nelson (612-370-9123) or Erica Bonebo at Normandale CC (952-250-0196). Get outside, get some fresh air and exercise, meet new people, get the kids to help out….improve water quality in our local streams.

Izaak Walton Creek (Near Bass Ponds) Clean-up-May 19th

Mark your calendars for Saturday May 19th 1-5 PM for a work project to cut out invasive species and do clean-up at Izaak Walton Creek near the Bass Ponds/Mall of America. This creek is being studied for possible stocking as a trout stream. Entomology students from U of MN will demonstrate collecting and identifying invertebrates to assess the ecological health of the stream. Contact John Crampton, 612-396-6010 jcrampt@comcast.net or check our website: http://www.bushlakeikes.org

“Landscaping for Wise Water-Use” Classes Now Playing in Your Neighborhood

Interested in learning environmentally-friendly landscaping techniques? Gregg Thompson and our chapter received a grant from the Toro Foundation to conduct classes on environmentally-friendly landscaping and rain-garden design and construction. These classes are offered to interested citizen groups and individuals at our chapter lodge or by arrangement in neighborhoods. For more information go to our website: http://www.bushlakeikes.org or contact Gregg at (612) 618-8616 bushlake@bushlakeikes.org

Welcome to the Bloomington (MN) Greens