HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017 Edition 200 FallCity of Brooklyn CenterNWS
Celebrating the news, events & cultures that connect us FALL 2017, Edition 200
According to the most recent census
estimates there are 4,195 youth (ages
10-19) residing in Brooklyn Center,
representing 14% of the City's total
population.
In this issue of City News we will
highlight some of the efforts underway
to promote our commitment to
"Strengthening and Empowering the
Youth of Brooklyn Center." Through
several strategic partnerships the City
seeks to educate, care for,mentor,
protect, employ, and serve our youth.
It is our goal and commitment to the
proposition that Brooklyn Center will
continue to be a place where youth can
grow strong and thrive. We hope you
enjoy this newsletter as we proudly
acknowledge, recognize, nurture, and
celebrate our youth.
Curt Boganey, City Manager
IN THIS ISSUE
Brooklyn Bridge Alliance for Youth 2
Strengthen and Empower Youth 3
Fire Department Explorer Program 4
Hiring Paid On-Call Firefighters 4
Fire Department Open House 5
Notify Me 5
Distracted Drivers 5
Random Act of Kindness S
New Neighbor Welcome 6
2017 Shingle Creek Clean-Up 7
Arbor Day 7
Adopt a Park Volunteers 8
Purpose • Rohhinsdle Schoolsand well-being.
• North Hennepin Community
College
o Hennepin Technical College
For information about the Alliance and
its initiatives, please contact:
Brooklyn Bridge Alliance for Youth,
6150 Summit Drive North, Suite 200
Brooklyn Center, MN 55430.
Phone: 763-398-0780
o Authentic, timely, respectful www.brooklynsailionceforyouth.org
communications
Values
• Courageous leadership and action
o Positive development for each
young person, in all places
o Individual and collective learning,
growing, assessing and celebrating
o Youth engagement, voice and
leadership
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I BROOKLYN BRIDGE ALLIANCE FOR YOUTH
connected to a trusting adult who is o Inclusive processes to maximize our
vested in their healthy development as resources
measured by educational success and Membership
mastery of life skills. o City of Brooklyn Center
Mission ° City of Brooklyn Park
organization that was created by the
cities of Brooklyn Center and Brooklyn To coordinate a system of high- o Hennepin County
Park and supports organizations quality, accessible and fully-resourced . Anoka-Hennepin Schools
that provide out-of-school-time opportunities that lead to an increase • Brooklyn Center Schools
programming for youth. in high school graduation, pathways to
• Osseo Area Schools
college and career, and youth safety
The purpose of the Alliance is to
cooperatively support positive youth
development in out-of-school-time
opportunities for all youth in Brooklyn
Center and Brooklyn Park.
Shared Vision
The Brooklyn Bridge Alliance assures
the success of all youth by challenging
the conditions that diminish their
hope, by assuring that all youth are
BE AT ThE CE N TF-P FOR A COMM UN I TY DIALOGU177 1.
with the
ookyn Center Cry Co u nc i l
L Tuesday
August 22
,
6prn-8pm (
S2 hoolsENTER Brooklyn Center Community Center
-
BROOKLYN CENTER
AT THE CENTER Sh ing l e Creek Parkway
City of Brooklyn Center along with our partners: SD 286, CEAP Outreach,
Minnesota Acts Now, Brookdale Covenant Church, and Jehovah Jireh Ministries
%f Empowering Brooklyn
Center youth is, and
continues to be, a priority in Brooklyn
Center. The Brooklyn Bridge
Alliance for Youth is an intermediary
#V`^
STRENGTHEN & EMPOWER YOUTH
lBrnkfiyn Center Hires 19 BrotikLmk lInterns
fo r t h e Smrnic
Brooklyn Center feels it is important
to provide youth with real life work
experience. This summer the City,
school district and business partners
employed more than 100 BrookLynk
interns.
Here are a few examples from
departments that hosted summer
interns:
Police
Our BrookLynk interns did research
on what characteristics are necessary
to be a successful police officer. As
part of their research, they reviewed
the operations and practices of
the four divisions of the Police
Department.
They were responsible for helping to
build a social media library including
media video post and researching
content for the Police Department.
Public Works
Our BrookLynk intern in Public Works
and archiving maps and project
plans in the Utility Department. By
digitally storing historical hard-copy
documents and well records, the
full-time staff was better equipped
to locate and reference information
needed for planning future utility
maintenance and rehabilitation.
In order to give a well-rounded,
professional experience to the
interns and to provide a more
complete understanding of our role
within the City, the intern had a
chance to explore all facets of Public
Works including Parks & Streets,
Engineering, and Central Garage.
Building and Community
Standards
Our BrookLynk interns were provided
experience and basic understanding
of rental inspection, building
inspections, and code enforcement.
The inspectors helped them gain
knowledge about the community.
Every department at the City hosted
one or two of the 19 BrookLynk
interns. The interns will completed
internship to demonstrate what they
learned during the summer.
CELEBRATECOI1MPIN
Diversity brings strength, character and
distinctiveness to the City. Join us in
recognizing and celebrating the various
ethnic groups and accomplishments
through these nationally designated
celebrations.
:SEPTEIMBLkl^ylHISPANItHERITAGEMONTH
Nearly 9.6% of Brooklyn Center's
population reported as Hispanic or Latino
in Census 2010.
OCTOBER6GERMAN-AMERICAN DAY
Celebrate the contributions of our citizens
of German descent.
NOVEMBERAMERICANINDIANHERITAGEMNITH
0.8% of Brooklyn Center's population
reported as American Indian and Alaska
Native in Census 2010.
was tasked with scanning, organizing, capstone project at the end of their
III 11111111
BROOKLYN CENTER
FIRE DEPARTMENT
EXPLORER PROGRAM
The Brooklyn Center Fire Department
(BCFD) is recruiting fire explorers. Fire
Service Exploring is one of the career-
oriented programs offered by Learning
for Life, a branch of the Boy Scouts of
America. Exploring is a program for both
boys and girls who have completed
the 8th grade and are between 14 and
18 years old. Exploring is a National
program, focusing on Career Exploration
and gives youth hands-on experiences
in their career of interest. Exploring has
been around for over 60 years. Being a
part of the Exploring program is more
than just learning about the fire service.
It also gives youth an opportunity to
• Improve self-confidence
• Develope leadership skills and
social network
• Have fun and exciting "hands-on"
career experiences
• Try out leadership roles
• Participate in our community and
do community service events
• Hang out with a great group of
other explorers.
The BCFD explorer post meets twice a
month on the first and third Tuesdays
from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., year-round.
Typically this time is spent learning
about the fire service, emergency
medical skills, and the job of a
firefighter. Explorers participate in both
classroom and hands-on firefighting
skills, with some limitations for the
safety of the youth. The hands-on
skills are highly supervised by Brooklyn
Center firefighters who have also
trained to be adult explorer leaders.
In 2016 and 2017, our explorer post
completed several hours of firefighter
training, went on field trips to
related emergency services agencies,
participated in community events like
the Earle Brown Days Parade, and
competed in skills demonstrations
against other explorer programs at the
Governors Fire Prevention Day at the
Minnesota State Fair.
This is the perfect opportunity for
Brooklyn Center youth that want to
explorer emergency services careers,
and want to prepare themselves to
be a firefighter for Brooklyn Center
or another municipality. Both the fire
department and the police department
have explorer posts.
There is no cost to you. Uniforms,
equipment and training is all provided
by the fire department. Please visit the
fire department web site to learn more:
www.cityofbrooklyncenter.org/fire .
For more information on exploring in
general, visit wwwexp/orenow.org .
NOW HIRING PAID ON-CALL FIREFIGHTERS
The Brooklyn Center Fire Department has authorized 40 paid on-call
firefighters operating out of two fire stations, covering a population of over
: 30,000 and nine square miles. The department responds to approximately
: 2,000 calls for service each year. This is an exciting and challenging part-time
and on-call position in emergency services. We invite you to join us!
Requirements
r o l8y ears ofage
High school diploma or GED
o Reside within 6 minutes of a Brooklyn Center fire station
o Successfully pass both a written and physical ability test
- o Successfully pass driving and criminal background checks, as well as
psychological and medical exams
o Attend training, scheduled duty shifts and on-call response
To apply, visit www.cityomrookIyncenter.org/fire or call 763-569-3307.
: ••••••••••U
I AY1
ARE YOU A DISTRACTED
DRIVER?
Preliminary numbers show the 100 day stretch between Memorial Day and
Labor Day last year accounted for 120 of the 392 traffic fatalities, about 31%
of all Minnesota traffic deaths in 2016. One of the most common reasons for
multiple vehicle crashes is inattentive or distracted driving habits-followed
by failure to yield to the right-of-way. This is not attributed to our elderly
population or to the younger drivers. Inattentive drivers are typically over
age 20 and under age 65. Ask yourself the following questions:
CONNECT WITH US
THROUGHIFY Mr
The City of Brooklyn Center is offering more
ways to connect with us. Stay connected
and be one of the first to receive special
announcements, alerts, and updates on news
that interests you most.
Visit us at www.cityofbrooklyncenter.org/
NotifyMe. From there, provide an email
address and indicate whether you would like
to receive notifications through email and/or
mobile text.
All contact information collected is
considered private data per Section 13.356
of the 2016 Minnesota Statutes. No contact
information will be published, used for
solicitation, or provided to third party sources
You can unsubscribe at anytime. Please call
(763)-569-3300 with questions.
LY,
EXPL A E TRUCK - WATCH FIREFIGHTERS IN ACTION - FIRE SAFETY
DEM RATIONS - EQUIPMENT DISPLAYS - COMMUNITY SERVICE
ORGANIZATIONS - AUTO EXTRICATION DEMO - NORTH AMBULANCE
BROOKLYN CENTER POLICE - H - 1N COUNTY SHERIFF K-9
KIDS ACTIV - SNACKSFRESHjs THE FIREDOG
While Driving Do You:
Talk on a cellular phone?
Try to shave or put
make-up on?
Eat, drink, or smoke?
Text or Read?
t Look at passengers or
kids while driving?
If you answered yes to any of these
questions, you are a distracted
driver! Being behind the wheel of a
vehicle is a huge responsibility; often
our most precious cargo is with us,
our children. Please use caution while
driving. The Department of Public
Safety stresses that...
66Driving is a privilege.
Aggressive driving is not.
Do not drink and drive! Slow
down! Pay attention!
Aid
BC
w- —'-
ARD For more information on safe driving
and driving statistics, please visit
the Department of Public Safety's
website at: www. dps.state. mn . us!
ots/crashdata.
Do you know someone whose compassionate deed
has made Brooklyn Center a great place to live and
work? The City Council wants to hear these stories.
To nominate someone who has performed an act
of kindness in the past year, you may send a card or
letter, drawing or photograph of people performing
kind acts, or use the City's nomination form, which
can be found on the City's website (search Random
Acts of Kindness).
•IITI Omm ii IoTi i ISIS ii.
Creating a focal point and
a gathering spot for the
community was the intentic
when the Civic Center building
Hall/Community Center) and
Centennial Park were construLLu III LIIC:
early 1970's. Today they continue to serve
that purpose and are being reshaped to serve the next generations.
• While the Civic Center buildings have seen significant changes
Please submit your Random Acts of Kindness over the last few years, Centennial Park is also seeing renewal. In
nominations by September 21, 2017. The City 2013, a little used baseball field was repurposed as much needed
Council will recognize Random Acts of Kindness ° youth soccer fields. In 2015, a new Veterans and Memorial
nominees at an October meeting and present each Amphitheatre was constructed.
recipient with a certificate acknowledging their kind
act.
S
S S S S S S S• 5G•S• SI
One constant in all of this improvement has been the Luther
Automotive Group. Luther provided the initial funds to "kick-start"
the youth soccer field conversion, provided a significant donation
for the amphitheater construction and provided funds and staff
labor to construct the new playground. Community Activities,
Recreation & Services Director Jim Glasoe noted, "1 have been in
the recreation business for over 30 years and Luther Automotive is
the finest example I have seen of local businesses giving back and
helping to create community."
If you have not been to Centennial Park lately, come check it out.
Or better yet, come over and play!
NEW
CENTENNIAL
PARK
PLAYGROUND
NEW NEIGHBOR
PROGRAM
The City of Brooklyn Center's
Housing Commission welcomesjiresidents who choose to make
Brooklyn Center their home. Since
2010, the Housing Commission has
been welcoming people to Brooklyn
Center. The Commission volunteers
their time to assemble and personally
deliver hundreds of welcome bags each year. In 2016,
there were 223 bags delivered and over 1,800 total
since the program started.
The packets that are provided to new residents
contain important information about the city such as
parks and trail maps, community center information,
and local ordinances. The Commission wants to make
sure new residents feel welcome and connected to
their community.
For 2017, residents will find a newly upgraded playground to
support this destination park. Built on the site of the former
playground, the new, fully accessible playground can accommodate
almost three times as many youth.
The playground was constructed following a citizen engagement
process that helped establish what types of playground equipment
the community wanted to see installed. Community input sessions
were held in 2016, and residents provided feedback on equipment
types, colors, configuration and locations. All of this input was put
into action this spring with the installation of the new playground.
.IIIf1III NO R [11I
GREAT SHINGLE CREEK
CLEAN-UP 2017
Thank you to the volunteers who participat-
ed in the Great Shingle Creek Clean-Up in
Brooklyn Center on Saturday, April 22, 2017,
as well as those who volunteered through-
out the entire cleanup week!
This year, more than 75 volunteers collected
more than 80 bags of trash during clean-up
week. In addition to removing garbage and
debris from open spaces along the creek
and some of our roads, many City parks and
trails were also cleaned. Keeping the land
clean helps keep the rivers clean as well.
The City of Brooklyn Center proudly salutes
you! Thanks for making this community a
better place to live, work and play.
(PICK UP THE POOP!
Dog poop is a major contributor to
stormwater pollution. Rain and melting snow
flows across yards, dog parks, down trails,
etc. on its way to creeks via our streets and
storm drains. Dog poop contains bacteria
and is high in nitrogen and phosphorus.
Leaving dog waste on the ground allows
harmful bacteria and nutrients to wash into
the storm drain and eventually into local
water bodies.
In Minnesota your best bet is to:
Trash it. Seal the pet waste in a plastic
bag and dispose of it in your trash can.
Biodegradable bags are fine but they won't
break down in a landfill, so our vote is to go
reused, rather than new and biodegradable.
Flush i L. You can flush plain dog poop down
the toilet and it will be treated at a waste
water facility or septic system. If you do this,
never include a bag or any extra material with the poop
DO NOT put dog or cat poop in your backyard compost pile.
The temperatures in backyard compost piles do not get high
enough to kill bacteria that can make humans sick.
ARBOR DAY & TREE CITY
USA 25 YEARS AND
COU KI TNG!
This year's Arbor Day event saw staff from
Public Works and Engineering planting trees
in both of the Cahlander Park and Centennial
Park West ponds on April 28, 2017. These
areas were recently dredged as part of the
City's ongoing storm water pond sediment
maintenance program and replanting trees
that were impacted is part of the City's
reforestation program.
Between the two sites, 17 trees were planted
by the staff and covered with mulch. Through
a generous donation from the Brooklyn
Center American Legion Post #630, lunch
was provided to the employees.
LEAVE THE STREET CLEAN
As beautiful as the fall leaves are, they mean
a lot of yard work for homeowners. One
option for reducing your workload is to use
a mulching lawn mowerto mulch leaves into
your yard. It is less time intensive than raking
and the shredded leaves act as a natural
fertilizer during the fall.
While tending to your yard, please take
a moment to sweep or rake leaves, grass
and branches out
in
the street in front of
your house. If left n the street, leaves may
- clog storm drains, contributing to localized
flooding. When washed into nearby lakes,
rivers and streams via storm drains or
-. ditches, the leaves become a major source
- of phosphorus, the nutrient that allows algae
to bloom in the summer. Please dispose
-. . of leaves by composting them into your
yard, bringing them to a compost facility,
or bagging them for curbside pick-up, if you have that
service. Keep leaves and yard waste out of the regular
garbage, and never dump them in the wetlands or buffer
areas - it's illegal.
0 KL
.4/
ICENT,R
AT T HE CE NT ER
6301 Shingle Creek Parkway
Brooklyn Center, MN 55430-2199
www.cityofbrooklyncenter.org
e-mail: info@ci.brooklyn-center.mn.us
City Hall (763) 569-3300
Job Information Line (763) 569-3307
VOLNTEERS NEEDED: ADOPT A PARK!
Thank you Adopt-a-Program volunteers! You are an integral part of our
outreach and it is with your time and effort that City green spaces
are maintained Our parks trails gardens and streets thank you
tool
We are always on the lookout for more "resident warriors"
to join our group of volunteers. Whether you prefer a
leisurely stroll and roll or are the most avid power-walker, we
encourage you to inquire about adopting your favorite space.
Your efforts are appreciated and valued by the City. The Public
Works Department provides bags, gloves, grabbers and safety
vests and will pick up any trash bags you collect at your site.
Interested in learning more? Contact Renee Anderson at (763) 585-7100 or
rcinderson@ci.brooklyn-center.mn.us .
Qy CONTACTS
City Manager
Curt Boganey (763) 569-3300
Council Members
Mayor Tim Willson
Voicemail: (763) 569-3450
mayorwillson@ci. brooklyn-center. mn . us
Councilmember Marquita Butler
Voicemail: (763) 569-3446
councilmemberb u tler@ ci. brooklyn-center. mn . us
Councilmember April Graves
Voicemail: (763) 569-3448
councilmembergraves@ci. brooklyn-center. mn. us
Councilmember Kris Lawrence-Anderson
Voicemail: (763) 569-3444
councilmemberlawrence-anderson @ci. brooklyn-center. mn. us
Councilmember Dan Ryan
Voicemail: (763) 569-3445
councilmemberryan @ci.brooklyn-center.mn . us
Cy PHONE NUMBERS
Administration ..............................................(763) 569-3300
Building/Community Standards ...................(763) 569-3330
Inspection Scheduling ..............................(763) 569-3344
Code Enforcement ...................................(763) 569-3473
Ownership Services ..................................(763) 569-3310
Business & Development .............................(763) 569-3335
Public Works/Engineering ............................(763) 569-3340
Finance ............................. .............................(763) 569-3320
Utility Billing .............................................(763) 569-3390
Community Center .......................................(763) 569-3400
Activity Weather Line ...............................(763) 569-3442
Earle Brown Heritage Center .......................(763) 569-6300
Centerbrook Golf Course ..............................(763) 549-3750
Fire ................................................................(763) 549-3600
Police (General Info) .....................................(763) 569-3333
Emergency & Non-Emergency Officer Assistance ......911
CFy COUNCIL MEETh\GS
City Council Regular Session meetings are held the 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month at 7 pm.
Informal Open Forum is held at 6:45 pm before Council meetings for persons who wish to address the
City Council about issues not scheduled on the agenda.
City Council Work Sessions are held immediately following the Regular Session City Council meetings
City Council Meetings are broadcast live on cable Channel 16. Replays shown Tuesdays at 6:30 pm and
Wednesdays at 2:30 am and 10:30 am. You may also watch City Council meetings on-line, on demand
at your convenience through a link on the City website. Call City Hall to verify meeting dates or visit the
City's website at www.cityofbrooklyncenter.org .
Arl
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