In this edition...
  • Welcome Tiffany Orth!
  • Hi-Lake Intersection Redesign
  • mspWellness Micro-Grants
  • The 24-Hour Commute: Beyond the 9 to 5
  • Annual Meeting - Late Night Show
  • The Pedaling Pastor & MPR Bike Condition Reports 
  • Our Streets Launches Vision for Twin Cities Boulevard to Replace I-94
  • Carshare Goes Electric with Evie
Welcome Tiffany Orth as Minneapolis Regional Chamber Vice President of Mobility & Executive Director of Move Minneapolis
The Minneapolis Regional Chamber and Move Minneapolis have announced that Tiffany Orth will be joining the Chamber on February 28 as Vice President of Mobility for the Minneapolis Regional Chamber and as Executive Director of Move Minneapolis.

Orth previously served as Director of Operations, Strategic Initiatives at GREATER MSP. In that position, she built the organization’s Strategic Initiatives Hub into a center of operational excellence. She also managed the Make It. MSP. talent attraction initiative and worked on economic development strategies. Orth has prior experience with the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority and the Office of Governor Mark Dayton. Orth earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of St. Thomas.

“I’m excited to join the Minneapolis Regional Chamber and Move Minneapolis team in this new role. Transportation and mobility issues impact everyone in the region and the state.” said Tiffany Orth. “Providing mobility options that better serve communities, employees, and businesses is essential to our economy. We’re also very fortunate to have resources available that improve air quality, reduce congestion, and provide alternative modes of transportation.“

Check here to learn more.
Hi-Lake Intersection Redesign
No matter how you’ve traveled through Lake Street and Hiawatha Avenue, there’s a good chance you thought this intersection could improve. That improvement is coming, with reconstruction planned for 2024! Hi-Lake has a bright future, located beneath the Lake Street/Midtown Light Rail Station and soon to welcome [JB1] the BRT B Line. At the confluence of the Corcoran, Phillips and Longfellow neighborhoods, it’s key that this multimodal hub supports safety, community connection and climate-friendly transportation options like people walking, rolling, biking, and using transit. To ensure that service, the[CW2] design team is inviting the public to share priorities for transforming the areas under the bridge and around the intersection into spaces for community and connection. Share your perspective at an open houses on March 1st or through an online survey.

The final intersection design, highlighting a ‘tight diamond layout,’ is the result of a robust public engagement process between 2017 and 2019, and will feature:
  • An added traffic signal to reduce wait times and confusion
  • Squared turns and narrow on- and off-ramps to slow vehicles entering Lake Street from Hiawatha Avenue
  • Simple, reduced public crossings for a safer pedestrian and non-motorized traveler experience
  • Wider sidewalks and increased community space underneath the bridge

Open House Registration
mspWellness Micro-Grants
Is your organization looking for ways to support active commuting? Maybe you’ve been considering adding a bike rack or bike repair kit at your worksite. mspWellness recently released new mspWellness micro-grants of $500 - $1,000 per organization, available to businesses located in Minneapolis with more than 10 employees and fewer than 100 employees. These micro-grants are designed to be a catalyst for the implementation of programs that increase employee well-being, including active commuting. 

Micro-grants will be awarded to businesses and organizations who submit proposals that focus on changing workplace policies, systems, and environment to support employee wellness. The changes could be focused on inspiring healthy eating, encouraging active living, supporting new mother, tobacco-free living and/or overall wellbeing.  

The deadline to submit a micro-grant application is Friday, March 4 at 4pm CST. 

Attend an information session Friday, February 25th from 11-11:30am.

Click here for more details on the micro-grant program, including examples of eligible expenses and a detailed timeline. 

Email mspwellness@mplschamber.com with any questions. 
Join Us For Our Webinar,
The 24-Hour Commute: Beyond the 9 to 5
The Downtown commute has transformed over the last two years. The spotlight formerly shining on a busy rush hour to and from office towers is now seeing a different light. Commuters accustomed to the 9-5 workday have largely seen a shift to hybrid environments. Regardless, downtown streets still serve the workforce, residents, and visitors, often commuting late nights and early mornings. With current reallocation of focus and resources, commuters around the clock are tackling new routines and challenges. Join our panel of multimodal experts as they discuss current services, best practices, and opportunities to remove barriers for the 24-hour commute.
PANELISTS
Suzanne Sobatka
Public Policy and Research Director, Move Minnesota
Tenille Warren
Commuter Programs Consultant, Metro Transit
Ted Duepner
Supporter Relations Manager, Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota
Wednesday, March 16, 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. CST
Click here to register
Annual Meeting - Late Night Show
Live from The Fillmore Minneapolis stage, it’s the Minneapolis Regional Chamber’s Annual Meeting! Jonathan Weinhagen will serve as your late night host accompanied by co-host Tane Danger and musical guest Dennis Curley and The Explainers. The evening’s show will feature in person guest interviews, familiar skits and a few surprises. Move Minneapolis will be featured in a "commercial" to fit into the talk show theme!

Tuesday, March 8, 3:30 - 5:00 p.m. CST
Click here to register
The Pedaling Pastor & MPR Bike Condition Reports 
Have you ever noticed something missing from the world around you and took action to change it? G. Travis Norvell has. Norvell, the pastor of South Minneapolis’ Judson Memorial Baptist Church (@pedalingpastor), is an avid year-round cyclist who believes that getting out of the car and onto a bike, on foot, or on a bus can help people connect with their communities. One recent winter morning, Norvell had a lightbulb moment: what if street conditions affecting folks who don’t drive were included in the daily MPR commute report? After all, people who aren’t driving personal vehicles need to know what to expect for their commutes too, and highway condition reports can be of limited helpfulness for those folks.

Norvell tweeted to Cathy Wurzer, host of MPR’s Morning Edition, to ask if she would include conditions helpful for people riding bikes in her morning reports, alongside car traffic conditions. Wurzer was open to it, and now the reports are a regular occurrence, with input from Norvell and other bike, walk, and transit commuters in the Twin Cities. This seemingly small action makes great strides in normalizing commute modes other than personal motorized vehicles, and shows it is in fact possible to bike, walk, and take transit all year round.  
Our Streets Launches Vision for Twin Cities Boulevard to Replace I-94
This week, Our Streets Minneapolis launched their vision for the future of I-94 between Minneapolis and St. Paul: The Twin Cities Boulevard. According to the website, the Twin Cities Boulevard is a growing community vision to replace a section of I-94 with a multi-modal boulevard, return the surrounding land to neighborhoods and fulfill calls for reparative justice along the corridor. The Twin Cities Boulevard will create healthier air, much needed economic opportunity, and accessible, affordable, and sustainable transportation access to places all along the corridor.

Our Streets is currently calling for support of this vision with the following actions:
Carshare Goes Electric with Evie
Minneapolis and Saint Paul have been working with HOURCAR, a non-profit carsharing service, to launch a network of 100 percent renewably powered on-street electric vehicle (EV) charging stations called the EV Spot Network. They can be used by private EVs as well the new Evie Carshare fleet operated by HOURCAR. The EV Spot Network is the first in the country powered entirely by renewable energy. Five electric vehicle charging spots opened for the public this month and the other 65 will be installed by fall 2022.

The Evie Carshare fleet debuted this month and will eventually grow to 171 Chevy Bolts. The cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis contributed funding, along with federal grants, and $4 million from Xcel Energy for the electric vehicle fleet and charging network.

Evie Carshare allows members access vehicles on-the-spot for short-term rental of just hours, or up to three days. Evies are unlocked via an app at curbside locations around the city or plugged in at charging stations. After use, the vehicles can be parked at any EV Spot chargers or within a 35 square mile “Home Area” of Minneapolis and St Paul. When compared to the costs and hassles of car ownership, carsharing makes car access a community resource, saves money, reduces air pollution, and lowers traffic congestion.

Evie offers a variety of memberships including a business plan that replaces the need to maintain a fleet of company cars. The Access PLUS rate plan is designed to keep carsharing equitable for lower income individuals and families. For a limited time, current HOURCAR members can get a $15 driving credit to test drive an Evie.
Move Minneapolis is a 501c4 nonprofit that promotes sustainable transportation.

Support is provided by a federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) grant in partnership with the United States Department of Transportation, the Metropolitan Council, the City of Minneapolis, MnDOT, Hennepin County, and the downtown community.