🏠 Mpls funds $2.5M relocation for Heritage Park residents

Heritage Park Residents Get Some Relief

The Minneapolis City Council voted 12-0 Thursday to set aside $2.5 million to relocate the roughly 685 residents still living at Heritage Park, where mold, vermin, and crumbling roofs have made conditions unsafe. [MPR News]

• How did it get so bad? While the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority owns the land where Heritage Park is located, the buildings were owned by private developer McCormack Baron Salazar until a Hennepin County court stripped that authority this past December. In the meantime, the city wasn't inspecting the property at all, on the mistaken assumption that the MPHA (which isn't subject to the city's licensing rules and inspects its own properties) already had it covered. Complaints from residents went unanswered for years, and large swaths of the development fell into disrepair. [Star Tribune]
• What's next? The $2.5 million is likely to go to a variety of organizations that will work together to help relocate the residents, including Certus Financial LLC, which is the court-appointed receiver in charge of Heritage Park, the Red Cross, the MPHA, and Hennepin County. Getting the housing units back to a livable condition will require significantly more funding — Minneapolis Community Planning and Economic Development Director Erik Hansen estimated the repair bill in the tens of millions of dollars. Necessary repairs may be so extensive that tearing the complex down and starting over could be cheaper than fixing it. [MPR News / Star Tribune]

Community weighs in: The St. Paul City Council is hosting a public hearing at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday to hear community feedback on Mayor Kaohly Her's decision to clear the three largest homeless encampments in the city. Her announced the clearings earlier this month, and the encampment at Pig's Eye Park is scheduled to be cleared on Aug. 5. [Pioneer Press]

'Til prison do us part: Local couple Erling Holdahl and Kendra Johnson were sentenced to prison for their involvement with a Mexican drug cartel and then married minutes later in the same federal courthouse in St. Paul. Holdahl's mother described the ceremony as "strange," as they were confined to separate cells and unable to see each other, but still able to read their vows out loud. The newlyweds were sentenced to 12 and six years respectively, and they look forward to eventually growing old together. [Pioneer Press]

In other wedding news: You can get married for free at the Dakota County Fair this year. The Minnesota Judicial Branch is offering 30-minute timeslots on August 11, 12, 13, and 15 at the fairgrounds in Farmington, and couples can reserve their spots by emailing [email protected]. [Bring Me The News]

The show must go on: Minneapolis coffee shop and all-ages music venue Pilllar Forum announced that it had to close the venue side of its business because the ceiling violated the fire code. About 24 hours later, Minneapolis City Council President Elliott Payne announced that the city had found a path forward for the venue to stay open, saying "the massive show of community support all across the city for Pilllar was so heartening to see."

Lights out: Broken street lights across the city of St. Paul will stay dark as the city has run out of money to continue replacing stolen copper wire. Facing a $26 million budget gap for 2027, the city has paused wire replacement. Replacing wires in the 850+ broken lights would cost an estimated $2.4 million. [Star Tribune]

Monday, July 20

• 🆓 Many Over the Money Rally with Bernie Sanders, Peggy Flanagan, Ilhan Omar and Keith Ellison | First Avenue
• 🆓 Pilates on the Plaza | Nolan Mains Plaza, Edina
• 🆓 Art in the Park | Northeast Rec Center
• 🎨 Berry Bowl Ceramics Workshop | Utepils Brewing
• 📚 Book Release Party: Christina Lauren's The Romance Revival | Quincy Hall

Tuesday, July 21

• 💃 Waltz! Beginner Social Dancing with Bre Gay | Eastside Food Co-op
• 🎣 Family Fishing | Phalen Lake
• 🆓 Art in the Park | Waite Park
• 🆓 Bad River Documentary Screening | New City Center
• 🎸 Pavement (with Nap Eyes) | Palace Theatre
• 😂 Canned Laughter Show ft. Dru Nustad | Sisyphus Brewing
• 🆓 2026 Funniest Person in St. Paul Prelims | Gambit Brewing Co

• Major Gifts Officer at Neighborhood House | $68k – $77k per year
• Individual Giving Officer at CLUES | $75k – $80k per year
• Major & Planned Gifts Officer at Minneapolis Institute of Art | $80k – $85k per year
• Individual Giving Officer at Common Hope | $60k – $70k per year
• Major Gift Officer at PFund Foundation | $75k – $85k per year