Date: February 2,2021 Property ID: 02-028-24-12-0110 Address: 3027 14th avenue south, Minneapolis, MN 55407 Owner name & Taxpayer of above address: Brenda Short Dear Mayor Frey, Transportation and Public Works committee, and Minneapolis City Council: I am writing to you to object to the above resurfacing project. By allowing this project during a time of morning of four men and one 18-year-old woman who lost their live on these same streets you are trying to cover. As a Mother of four children, I am very disappointed on how the city of Minneapolis, has handled a lot of issues in the Year 2020. This being said ,I do not believe that this is not the correct time morally or financially for this work to be done. Many homeowners like myself had to take fewer hours at work or was asked to take furloughs, or just lost their job. On top of the financial stress due to cov-19. Homeowners is still dealing with the emotional stress that the city of Minneapolis and city council has forced upon them. Shortly after the George Floyd riot many homeowners like myself found out about families in need at our local parks. Is stead of getting help for these people from the city or mayor or Hennepin county. Homeowners and volunteers were force into unpaid roles as, social workers, and financial assistant workers. we tried to help the people unfortunate during a time of need. The city and law enforcement abused them and destroyed the little property and dignity these people have. A few weeks after the city clear out the local parks, I was thinking we could have a little peace and quiet. But the city approved contracts for a non-necessity gas meter replacement to be completed on the same 17 streets you list in this resurfacing project. This gas project lasted three and a half months began 8/1/2020 to the 2nd week in November of 2020. For the first 4 weeks of this project. The gas company dig 6 feet wide holes in our streets and rip up our sidewalks, and our yards, and destroy our property. This gas meter project cause almost $60,000 worth of damage to my home, on top of this damage to my home. This project left 2 six feet wide holes opened in front of my home for days at a time, causing rainwater to run under my home and making my foundation move. And because these two 6 feet wide holes left open for days at a time made it unsafe, for my 75-year-old mother who is disable and in a wheelchair. Because she could not have access to the handicapped ramp in front of our home, she was denied medical treatment, and could not go to her planned infusion treatments appointments. Missing these appointments cause us to be forced to find another Doctor, because if you miss 3 appointment with the doctor. The doctor can refuse to take you as a patient. The gas company did not give proper notice to the property owners, we just received a random knock at our front doors telling us they needed to get in our home. None of the workers were wearing masked while in my neighbor’s homes. When we complained to the city or the gas company about the way we were treated in our own homes. They did nothing but took down a complaint that went nowhere. I refused the gas company to come in my home during this time. This was because of cov-19 and because my mother has an infectious disease. the gas company refused my mother to have access to use her handicap ramp. there were a 6 feet wide hole at the bottom of it. The gas company called the police department on me requesting for the Minneapolis police officer to remove me and my mother out our home with out a warrant. Making me more unhappy with the Minneapolis police department on how they handle black people in the community. I was informed on February 1,2021 that the gas company is coming back to try to finish the gas meter project, because one of the main gas lines runs under my home, they will be reopening the same two holes in front of my house for three to four months in the spring of 2021. Your project will be done during mid-summer of 2021. In between these two projects our neighborhood will have to deal with unrest because of the two George Floyd trials. This will rob us of another year of piece and normality in are neighborhood. I would like some kind of break. I do understand this work need to be done, but this is not the right time for this work to be done. Please reconsider to push this project back another year. Thank you for your time. Brenda Short (612) 384-5483 [email protected] B.Short From: Brenda Short To: City Clerk Subject: [EXTERNAL] 2nd objection to the resurfacing project in south minneapolis Date: Monday, February 15, 2021 11:28:16 AM Attachments: Minneapolis - Gas Meter - FAQ (1).pdf Date: February 13,2021 Property ID: 02-028-24-12-0110 Address: 3027 14th avenue south, Minneapolis, MN 55407 Owner name & Taxpayer of above address: Brenda Short Dear Mayor Frey, Transportation and Public Works committee, and Minneapolis City Council: After attending the virtual meeting on February 10,2021, I felt the need to send a 2nd written objection. I am one of the few people of color who own their home in the south Minneapolis area. I attended this meeting because I had major concerns about this project, because this project is attached to the center point energy project. In the letter addressed to the homeowner, it stated that this informal meeting is to address any questions that I may have about this project and related assessment. I came to this meeting with only four questions. I was only allowed to ask two questions before CenterPoint Energy representative Al, silenced me at the meeting ,like I was some small child who had concerns that did not need to be heard. I felt disrespected as a taxpayer and a homeowner. Why I felt more disrespected because shortly after they silenced me at this meeting another homeowner had similar concerns. They did not silent or asked this homeowner to take these issues offline. My concerns are valid concerns and should have been heard during this meeting. I have attached my four questions below. My major concerns are about center point energy third party company Michal’s. Michal’s who is doing the work for this project. No one from this company attended this meeting ,but if they are doing the work, why were they asked not to attend this important meeting? My concerns had to deal with how Michal ‘s handled homeowner safety in their home while doing this same project from the summer of 2020. Even though I am a homeowner I am also a project manager of a rental property in south Minneapolis, two of my renters was sexual harassed in their home. Renters complained about how they asked Michal ‘s staff to wear a masked in their home, they refused the renters request. In my previous objection letter, I stated how the safety of my elderly mother was jeopardize and my home was damage during this work. Center point energy or Michal ‘s has not addressed my concerns or issue for this same project that was done in 2020. So how can the say they can handle this same project if they have not deal with the current concerns from the summer of 2020. when asked about these concerns all Center point energy did was send a link to a letter that say they will handle it. They still have not handle these concerns from 2020 , how can they say they will handle our issues in 2021. In a letter center point energy sent me . it states the street repair cost would not go to the homeowners. If this is true, why are the homeowner receiving a bill from the city? Per the meeting the street repairs are due to Center point energy removing meters and drilling 6 feet holes in our street. I am refusing to pay this cost of this restore. Because I have a letter from center point energy, I have attached this letter below as well. I believe this work is unnecessary. In the 28 years I lived in my home, the gas company has never done any maintenance/ or repair in my home. I have never had a gas company employee in my home for any kind of work. When they started this project in 2013, they did not speak to the homeowners. They just started to do this work, they did not think about the people who lives in these homes and how this project would affect them and their home. This project only helps the gas company , this does not help the homeowner , and because the gas company want to do some unnecessary upgrade, that will cause damage to my home, yard, and street, you want me to pay for something that was not necessary when they clearly said the cost of this work would not go to the homeowner. But now the city sent a bill that say I must pay for the damage the gas company did to my property and street. This street repair does nothing to the value of my home.