Stakeholder involvement

Committee process

Share existing, background and reference information: MnDOT staff and consultant project team members review background and reference information collected during Phase 1 or provided by city and county project partners.
Data collection and analysis:
Project team members identify what new data is needed. For example, new traffic data can be collected on the interstate, entrance or exits ramps, or adjacent street network. The team collects and analyzes the data.
Discuss assumptions and rough framework: The project team discusses any assumptions made in the analysis and starts to develop a rough framework of the technical document.
Draft for Technical Advisory Committee: A draft is shared with the Technical Advisory Committee for review and comment. Engineering and planning staff from MnDOT, Federal Highway Administration, Ramsey County, Hennepin County, City of Minneapolis, City of St. Paul, and other government entities serve on the Technical Advisory Committee. The committee provides technical advice to the project team.
Coordination with Policy and Planning Committee Working Group: Coordination of technical information with the Livability Framework occurs at the Policy and Planning Committee (PPC). The PPC focuses on potential strategies for implementing the Livability Framework developed during Phase 1 (sense of place, community connections, economic opportunities, equity, safety, and a healthy environment for the communities that live, work, and play there). Professional planning staff from MnDOT, Federal Highway Administration, Ramsey County, Hennepin County, City of Minneapolis, City of St. Paul, and other government entities serve on the PPC.
Revisions: At each step in the process the project team is taking in feedback and revising the draft.
Engagement with Cooperating and Participating Agencies: The draft is shared with the Cooperating and Participating Agencies. This is a process requirement under the National Environmental Policy Act. Cooperating agencies are Federal agencies, other than the lead agency, with jurisdiction. Participating agencies are those with an interest in the project. Their roles are defined by the Council on Environmental Quality which oversees the NEPA implementation.
Revisions: The project team presents information, receives feedback, and revises the draft.
Engagement with Community Leaders: The draft and/or staff developed education materials and questions are shared with community leaders to gather initial feedback on the information, the presentation of the information, and the plan for gathering broader public feedback. The Community Leaders, formerly Community Advisors, includes leaders from community organizations representing neighborhoods, business interests, and cultural associations.
Revisions: The project team presents information, receives feedback, and revises the draft.
Recommendations to Policy Advisory Committee: The project team presents the draft to the Policy Advisory Committee (PAC). The PAC consists of elected and appointed officials who provide decision direction. Current PAC members include; MnDOT Commissioner, Federal Highway Administration Minnesota Division, Metropolitan Council (Committee Co-Chair), County Commissioners, Mayor and City Council Members, and State Senators and Representatives.
Revisions: The project team presents information, receives feedback, and revises the draft.
Engagement with broader public: The project team presents the technical information to the public in both it’s technical document form and in plain language format. Technical information and format is available on request. Engagement opportunities will be online and in-person using various tools. These will be opportunities for the project team to learn from the community’s lived experiences.
Revisions: The project team presents information, receives feedback, and revises the draft.
Report back to PAC; Continuing analysis and engagement as needed: The project team reports back to the PAC following the broader public engagement. Analysis, revision, and further engagement continue. The technical information becomes a base for the Scoping Decision Document that also flows through the committee and public review cycles.

Community Leaders

About

Community Leaders help to identify opportunities for information sharing and two-way communication related to the Rethinking I-94 project. As a liaison to the community on behalf of the project, Community Leaders serve as an information resource and connection point between lead agencies and the community-at-large. As such, Community Leaders also serve the project as a resource in sharing their community insights and experiences as it relates to I-94.

In addition, Community Leaders assist with the following activities:

Provide community insight on communications and engagement strategies related to the project
Engage community members and stakeholders that are not currently engaged, but should be
Report what is being said on the ground and share community concerns with MnDOT
Provide factual and current project information to community members
Help identify potential issues and strategies to mitigate the impact of Rethinking I-94 on residents and businesses
Contribute to establishing a shared vision for the corridor and to the implementation of the vision

Membership of the Community Leaders group requires that an individual from the community or a group of individuals from an organization (limit two):

Provide information back to MnDOT regarding the community members in which you have engaged, and the issues discussed on a regular basis
Attend quarterly Community Leader meetings hosted by MnDOT
Engage and participate in other project-related meetings and updates
Help with sharing accurate information regarding the project

Members of the Community Leaders group are not responsible for:

Serving as an official decision-maker regarding the project
Acting as the primary contact for project outreach or presentations
Serving as a spokesperson or media contact

Community Leaders must be affiliated with a community organization or business that interfaces with community members or serves community needs. There is a limit of two individuals from the same community organization or business. The insight Community Leaders provide is invaluable to the Rethinking I-94 project, but no Community Leader is expected to serve as a sole voice on behalf of any one community. MnDOT recognizes that within any one community or organization, members share different perspectives. To ensure a diverse set of community voices, interests, and stakeholders are represented, membership to the Community Leaders group is subject to review and approval by MnDOT. Completion and maintenance of a Membership Profile Form is required.

Membership

If you or a member of your organization meet the criteria above and wish to participate in the Community Leaders program, please complete the membership profile form and a representative of MnDOT will follow up with you.

Current members: Last updated August 2024

Organization	Representative(s)
Arc of Minnesota	JoAnn Leppink
Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA Greater Minneapolis)	Sarah Anderson
Camphor Memorial United Methodist Church	Anita Alexander, Theresa Neal
Capitol River Council	John Fure
East Metro Strong	Will Schroeer
Elliot Park Neighborhood	Glen Johnson, Abdulrahman Wako
Hallie Q. Brown Community Center	Brianna Joyner, Jennifer McMurray
Hamline Midway Coalition	Jenne Nelson
Jonathan Palmer - Nonprofit Management Consultant and DEI Strategy Expert	Jonathan Palmer
Lexington-Hamline Community Council	Alison Schaub
Macalester-Groveland Community Council	Hugo Bruggeman
Macalester-Groveland Community Council	Spencer Ludtke
Minneapolis Downtown Council & Downtown Improvement District	Ben Shardlow
Minneapolis Youth Congress	Tameika Williams, Cheirdi McClellan, Salim Ali
Minnesota Safety Council	Lisa Kons, Paul Aasen
Minnesota Trucking Association	John Hausladen
Move Minneapolis	John Barobs, Tiffany Orth
Move Minnesota	Theresa Nelson
Neighborhood Development Center	Baba Letang
Neighborhood Network for Seniors	Alison Schaub
Neighborhoods First!	Mary Morse Marti
North Loop Neighborhood Association	Diane Merrifield
Northside Residents Redevelopment Council (NRRC)	Krista Lucas
Our Streets Minneapolis	Alex Burns
Prospect Park Association	David Frank, Liza Davitch
ReConnect Rondo	Keith Baker
Rondo Community Land Trust	Mikeya Griffin
Rondo Roundtable	Nieeta Presley
Saint Anthony Park Area Seniors	John Jesse
Saint Anthony Park Community Council	Pat Thompson
Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce	Paul Perlich
Saint Paul Bicycle Coalition	Andy Singer
Saint Paul College	Deidra Peaslee
Seward Redesign: Redesign Inc	Andy Hestness, Sheldon Mains
St. Paul NAACP	Amanda Cotton
Summit University Planning Council	Philip Hague, Laverne McCartney Knighton
Trellis (Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging)	Patty Thorsen, Diane Graham-Rath
Union Park District Council	Barb Thoman, Scott Berger
University of Minnesota	Alice Roberts-Davis
West Bank Business Association	KJ Starr

Past meeting summaries

February 15, 2024

July 18, 2023

April 21, 2023

October 25, 2022

February 22, 2022

December 28, 2021

October 26, 2021

September 28, 2021

August 24, 2021

July 27, 2021

June 22, 2021

April 27, 2021

March 23, 2021

February 23, 2021

August 25, 2020

July 28, 2020

June 25, 2020

Policy Advisory Committee

About

The Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) is made up of elected and appointed officials from the cities, counties, Metropolitan Council, MnDOT, and FHWA. The committee:

Advises MnDOT and FHWA in the environmental processes and project decision making.
Advises MnDOT and Metropolitan Council high-level policies, solutions, and additional decision directions. Discussions are focused on political or policy risk with broad governmental implications.
Members partner and collaborate with MnDOT on issues the cross-agency disciplines or missions, and lead on issues outside of MnDOT’s transportation mission.

The PAC publicly meets quarterly, or more frequently as determined by the MnDOT Commissioner of Transportation. Meetings include an opportunity for the public to address committee members. Those comments are documented and responded to as appropriate in the meeting summaries.[RE1]

Membership

MnDOT Commissioner (Committee Chair)
State Senators
State Representatives
Metropolitan Council (Committee Co-Chair)
Metropolitan Council Members
Ramsey County Commissioners
Hennepin County Commissioners
St. Paul Mayor
Minneapolis Mayor
St. Paul Council Member
Minneapolis Council Member
Federal Highway Division Administrator
MnDOT District Engineer
MnDOT District Area Manager

Past Meeting Summaries

February 14, 2024

July 17, 2023

Sep. 26, 2022

Feb. 9, 2022

Dec. 10, 2021

Oct. 6, 2021

July 30, 2021

May 7, 2021

April 9, 2021

February 5, 2021

December 13, 2019

September 16, 2019

Working Groups

Phase 2 monthly meetings recap