R.T. Rybak - Our Mayor

Minneapolis is breaking ground on the most environmentally sound public building ever built by a city in Minnesota. A new Public Works facility at Hiawatha and 26th Street S., a long-time eyesore for local neighbors, has been a public works facility since the 1920’s housing, among other things, an asphalt plant. The new facility will be two buildings (instead of 18) and will consolidate bridge maintenance, paving construction, surface water and sewer maintenance, street maintenance – and no asphalt plant. A Web cam is posting live shots of the site.

Minneapolis’ commitment to building this state-of-the-art clean energy facility shows the interconnection of environmental responsibility and financial responsibility. Work on this project creates up to 100 important construction jobs right now, and further ties our clean energy economy with employment. It won’t be unique; this is our new norm, because projects that meet these environmental standards are going to be business as usual in Minneapolis.

This new city facility will meet LEED gold standards, saving money, streamlining operations and reducing our impact on the environment. LEED is an internationally recognized certification system that measures how well a building or community performs in areas including energy savings, water efficiency, carbon dioxide emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.

As structures are demolished on the site, workers are preserving and sorting the materials for reuse to build the new facility. Preserving existing materials means conserving resources, and reusing on site means no transportation is needed. No transportation means conserving fuel resources and reducing pollution. Plus, these materials are free because they’re already part of the current facility. Other sustainable features include:

• The geothermal heating and cooling system is energy-efficient and will pay for itself in four years.
• All of the stormwater will be managed on site. The parking lot will be a “gravel pave system” to better manage stormwater. The site will have prairie-type landscaping, swales in the parking lot and trees that tolerate salt, such as birch and dogwood.
• Sustainable materials not available from existing materials at the site are from local companies such as Vast, Wood from the Hood, and Shetka Stone.

On Sunday, May 17 Mayor Rybak goes to China to promote Minneapolis as a travel destination for the rapidly growing Chinese market, as well as to promote Minneapolis companies doing business in China. The trip is part of the City’s long held goal of widening relations between Minneapolis and major Chinese cities.

Mayor Rybak is traveling first to Beijing, China to speak at the International Forum on Development of High-Tech Enterprises at the Great Hall of the People. At this Forum, Mayor Rybak will be discussing his views about how cities and urban centers can drive economic development and how different regions can expand economic cooperation to promote growth. Rybak is the only U.S. Mayor and one of only a few Americans speaking at the Forum.

In addition to speaking at the Forum, Mayor Rybak will spend several days in Beijing, Shanghai, and Harbin, China meeting with various government, business, technology, and academic leaders. Mayor Rybak will be posting updates of his trip right here on The Mayor Blog.

The purpose of the Mayor’s trip is to promote and position Minneapolis as a destination for leisure travel and technical study from China, especially using the resources of Meet Minneapolis and Delta Air Lines. Rybak will meet with Minneapolis companies who have operations in China to help foster more business relationships that secure future business development for more Minneapolis-based companies. He will also work to strengthen the City’s relationship with our Sister City of Harbin, including by visiting a new “Minneapolis Hall” in Harbin’s Sister Cities Museum.

China’s travelers are the world’s fastest growing travel market in the world. A year ago Chinese visitors spent $2.5 billion in the U.S. and the market is expected to grow by 81%.

The number of confirmed cases of swine flu in the U.S. continues to grow, with one suspected case now reported in the central Minnesota town of Cold Spring. There have been no reported cases in Minneapolis.

Although the swine flu has not been declared a pandemic, there are plans and procedures in place to ensure an effective response, particularly if the situation changes over time. City public health and emergency management staff are in frequent contact with State of Minnesota public health officials, and are following the City’s response plan as appropriate.

Minneapolis’ public health officials remind people to observe routine public health recommendations for preventing the spread of the flu:

• Stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick. You will help prevent others from catching your illness.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too.
• Wash your hands often to protect yourself from germs.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.
• Practice other good health habits. Keep yourself strong – and more resistant to disease – by getting plenty of sleep, staying physically active, managing stress, drinking plenty of fluids and eating nutritious food.

If you become ill with flu-like symptoms including fever, body aches, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, or vomiting or diarrhea and have recently visited a location where influenza cases have been confirmed, you may wish to contact a physician, particularly if you are worried about your symptoms.

The City of Minneapolis has been preparing for the potential of a pandemic for a number of years. If you would like more information on the Swine Flu, or preparations you and your family should take, of information is available:

• MNDepartment of Health information on the Swine Flu or the Swine Flu public information line at 1-800-657-3903
• Centers for Disease Control information on the Swine Flu
• Minneapolis’ work to prepare for a pandemic flu outbreak
• What you can do to prepare for a pandemic

Minneapolis Public Health and Emergency Preparedness departments will continue to monitor the situation, and will provide public updates as appropriate.