The Ward 5 Report – December 2020

The Ward 5 Report from Shaun C. Palmer, Ward 5 City Councilperson

December 2020 – From Shaun C Palmer. Ward 5 City Councilperson

Thank You Council President Staver

A special thank you to Randy Staver for serving as the Rochester City Council President and the past council member for Ward 5. Congratulations to Randy on his retirement from city council and thank you for your service to our great city.

TO COMMUNITY MEMBERS OF WARD 5:

My primary goal as a councilperson is to support the citizens of Ward 5 and make sure your voices are heard when the city is making decisions critical to the future of our neighborhoods. I rely on my expertise from my construction degree and work history, my volunteerism in dozens of organizations and the expertise of you, my constituents, to help guide my decisions regarding our Ward. It’s important that you speak up to me if you have opinions and guidance relevant to our city and our neighborhood.

Our Community

We need Rochester to be a great city. Great cities rely on individuals who are invested and involved in the community. Being involved gives us the knowledge to help make the right decisions for our city. Attending city council meetings is easy. We have the entire meeting agenda, recording of the meeting and minutes online. Attend if you can, or watch the recordings and let me know your thoughts.

You can find the information here:
https://www.rochestermn.gov/government/city-council

Past and Current Activities

One of my goals is to keep you informed of the decisions and activities of the council that affect Ward 5. This list contains some of the main projects and activities that may interest you as a community member of our ward:

Soldiers Field Track
A community group along with the city council and our parks department worked diligently on improvements for Soldiers Field track which was completed under budget in June 2020.

East River Road
The speed study of this road is completed and a meetings held in February 2020 and asocial distanced parking lot meeting held in November 2020 collected community feedback for this project. We should have a demonstration for this project in the Spring of 2020.

National Night Out
Many of us attended a socially distant National Night Out in October this year. Hopefully in 2021 we will be able to gather together. Send me your plans so I can help you celebrate your neighborhood!

Morris Hills Park
Thank you to the Parks Department for the new playground equipment, landscaping, and the rain garden to help keep our storm water system clean and filtered. I hope this will be an outdoor adventure for children for years to come!

Silver Lake Snow Dump
The Silver Lake snow dump location has been moved to the old coal pile site. Five acres of new park space are now ready for development.

Parks Referendum
The parks referendum in the 2020 election has passed. Thanks to everyone who voted to support our parks systems. The parks and trails were so important for family activities during the pandemic. I hope many families developed new outdoor activity traditions to take advantage of our great parks systems for years to come!

For more information, check out the links below:
www.rochestermn.gov/departments/public-works/traffic-control-operation/speed-limits
www.rochestermn.gov/departments/parks-and-recreation/parks-trails/park-projects-construction

The Future

Traffic Control
We will be implementing speed control with speed limit reductions and traffic calming as determined by the city engineer. Our hope is to keep our residents safer by reducing the speed and traffic in our neighborhoods.

Rapid Transit
Federal funding for a rapid transit system will be part of the discussion in 2021 for our city.

Silver Lake
A master plan for Silver Lake dam and other changes should have a start in 2021. Keep your eyes open for public engagement meetings coming soon.

Elton Hills Bridge
Work will begin in 2021. Again, be sure to provide your opinions as we progress.

North Broadway
Work should start next spring after a redesign and change in the schedule. This construction will take approximately 1.5 years.

Silver Lake Pool
The city is proposing removing this pool. Let your Parks Department know that we need this pool for our children in the summer!