Kenny Neighborhood

Dear concerned resident:

Thank you for contacting me this week regarding the proposed changes to the airport flight tracks. The turnout at the MAC Open House last night was good. Thank you to those who were able to attend. It does help to let the FAA and the MAC know that you are concerned. Minneapolis wants more information about the environmental (including health) impacts of this proposal and we want a more meaningful engagement process. We are working with State and Federal officials to fight for that.

Ideally, we think that the separate plans for expansion of the airport should be evaluated under the standards of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and RNAV should be incorporated into that analysis. That way, both issues get a thorough review. The reasoning to authorize the potential expansion of the airport is the fact that MSP is anticipating a large increase in the number of flights the airport will handle.

On Monday, October 15th the Lyndale Ave Bridge over Minnehaha Creek re-opened after a short ribbon-cutting ceremony.  Click here to see local news coverage of the event.

The reconstruction of Lyndale Avenue began in 2008, and was a partnership among the county, City of Minneapolis, residents and local business owners. This portion of the project replaced the bridge over Minnehaha Creek and reconstructed the roadway from the creek to West 56th Street. From 38th Street to 50th Street was reconstructed in 2008; from 38th Street to 31st Street was reconstructed in 2009.

Some of the improvements for this section of the roadway include:

• · Reducing the roadway from four lanes to one in each direction plus turn lanes.
• · Adding center medians with trees and ornamental grasses.
• · Widening the sidewalks from 14 feet to 17 feet and striping the crosswalks.

Kathrynne and Paul Baumtrog, married firefighters and Kenny residents, were both injured in a fire on May 27th that destroyed Walker United Methodist Church.  Please see the Star Tribune article for further information.

Our sincerest thanks go out to Kathrynne and Paul for their dedicated service and keeping us safe.

Support Your Local Businesses

As you may have already discovered, the bridge over the Minnehaha Creek on Lyndale Avenue was closed on January 17, 2012. This was earlier than expected and due to environmental concerns. Road reconstruction on Lyndale Avenue between the bridge and 56^th St is scheduled to begin in April. Both projects are anticipated to be completed by October 2012, depending on many factors.  Please visit the Lyndale Construction website for updated information or click on the link on the right hand side of this page.

Travel in this area will be trying over the next 10 months. The official (signed) detour according to Hennepin County is on Penn Ave. Nicollet Avenue and other surface streets will also provide routes around the bridge closure.