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From YouTube: Bloomington Today: September 21, 2011
Description
On this episode of Bloomington Today, we'll take a look at the Mall of America's parking ramp, as installation has begun on the new LED fixtures. Also, are you concerned about traffic in your neighborhood? We'll have details on a public meeting designed to help you address those concerns to City Traffic Management officials.
A
Welcome
to
Bloomington
today,
I'm
kailyn
cockerel
thanks
for
joining
us.
If
you've
driven
by
the
mall
of
america
at
night,
you've
probably
noticed
a
bit
of
a
different
look
to
the
illuminated
multi-level
parking
ramp.
That's
because
construction
is
officially
underway
on
the
replacement
of
5,400
parking
ramp
lights
with
new
LED
fixtures.
The
yellowish
glow
is
from
the
sodium
fixtures
being
replaced.
The
soft
white
light
are
the
LED
light.
The
project
began
in
early
September
and
will
result
in
significant
energy
savings
at
Mall
of
America
cutting
costs
by
nearly
two-thirds.
A
A
A
Traffic
conditions
in
Bloomington
neighborhoods
is
something
the
city
closely
monitors.
If
you
are
resident
concerned
about
traffic
on
your
block,
the
city's
traffic
team
might
have
a
solution
for
you.
Bloomington's
traffic
management
group
is
inviting
residents
to
an
open
house
on
Monday
September
26th
residents
can
stop
by
the
public
works,
training
room
anytime
between
5pm
and
7
p.m.
to
meet
with
staff
and
describe
any
traffic
issues
they
might
have,
whether
its
speed,
pedestrian
crossing
concerns,
site
obstructions
or
anything
else
staff
will.
A
Then
health
resident
determine
the
best
solution
or
the
next
step
to
the
problem,
whether
it's
increased
police
enforcement,
a
radar,
speed,
trailer,
neighborhood
education,
etc.
If
you
would
like
more
information
on
the
city's
traffic
management
programs,
log
on
to
the
city's
website
keyword
search
traffic,
we
brought
you
the
news
on
a
past
episode
of
Bloomington
today
of
a
nationwide
DWI
crackdown
back
in
late
August
running
through
Labor
Day.
In
this
18-day
crackdown,
Minnesota
law
enforcement
officials
arrested
1787
motorist
according
to
the
Minnesota
Department
of
Public
Safety
in
the
metro
area,
st.
A
Paul
police
arrested,
97
people,
roseville,
34
and
Bloomington
came
in
3rd
for
DWI
related
arrests
with
32.
The
State
Patrol
made
326
arrest
statewide
in
that
18-day
enforcement
period.
The
department
of
public
safety
reports
that
enhanced
DWI
enforcement
and
education
campaigns
have
been
a
factor
in
the
continuing
drop
of
alcohol
related
deaths.
The
131
deaths
last
year
was
the
lowest
annual
fatality
count
on
record
in
Minnesota.
A
One
in
seven
drivers
has
a
DWI
on
record
city
officials
want
your
help
to
remove
a
one
invasive
plant
from
a
popular
area
park,
join
parks
and
recreation
staff
on
Saturday,
October,
eighth
from
nine
a.m.
to
noon
at
pond
Dakota
mission
park
for
the
city's
annual
buckthorn
bust
buckthorn
is
an
invasive
plant
species
that
grows
very
quickly
and
can
literally
choke
out
native
trees,
shrubs
and
other
plants,
if
not
removed
from
an
infested.
Wooded
area
parks
and
recreation
staff
asked
that
volunteers
wear
sturdy
shoes,
jeans,
long,
sleeve,
shirts
and
eye
protection.
A
Some
cutting
and
removal
tools
will
be
available
to
volunteers,
but
staff
asked
that
if
you
own
a
bow
saw
handsaw
or
shears,
please
bring
them.
Water
and
snacks
will
be
provided
for
volunteers.
The
group
will
meet
at
the
pond
house
on
the
south
side
of
the
park
prior
to
the
9
a.m.
start
time.
Interested
residents
are
asked
to
log
on
to
the
city's
website
head
to
the
Parks
and
Recreation
Division
page
under
parks
and
leisure.
A
There
you
can
fill
out
a
volunteer
application
or,
if
you
don't
have
access
to
a
computer
call
staff
at
9525,
638
877.
For
more
details,
well,
it's
now
time
for
a
short
break
when
we
come
back
we'll
be
joined
by
a
MnDOT
representative
to
discuss
a
huge
interchange
project
that
is
currently
underway
and
eat.
Some
discomfort
about
one
aspect
of
the
reconstruction
raising
some
concerns
stay
right
here.
E
F
Cherie
can
I
help
you
no
I'm
doing
fine,
yeah
and
you're.
Also
standing
on
my
mark.
No
I
am
getting
ready
to
shoot
a
March
of
Dimes
march
for
babies,
public
service
announcement,
millions
of
volunteers,
donors
and
sponsors
working
to
give
every
baby
a
healthy
start,
we're
still
all
about
the
babies,
those
born
healthy
and
those
that
need
our
help
to
survive.
One
day
all
babies
will
be
born
healthy,
but
we
have
to
walk
to
get
there
for
more
information
go
to
march
for
babies,
daughter,
work.
A
Welcome
back
to
bloomington
today
we
are
now
joined
by
MnDOT
public
affairs
coordinator,
Bree
McGee
welcome
Bree,
thanks
for
being
here.
Thank
you
thanks
for
having
me.
Well,
the
odds
are
if
you
live
anywhere
in
your
Bloomington,
you've
come
in
contact
with
the
169
I
494
interchange
project,
and
that
is
now
in
full
swing.
Why
don't
you
give
us
a
brief
overview
of
exactly
what
the
interchange
will
look
like
once
construction
is
complete,
sure.
G
In
addition,
we
have
already
been
working
on
reconstructing
the
northbound
lanes
of
169
and
those
will
be
completed
this
year
next
year
will
be
reconstructing
the
southbound
lanes
of
169
just
to
make
sure
that
we've
got
you
know
the
realignment
is
correct
and
we
have
room
for
some
of
the
new
ramps.
There
will
be
six
new
connections
between
169
and
494
freeway
to
freeway
movements,
and
the
frontage
road
system
will
also
include
roundabouts,
which
are
a
little
different
for
Minnesota
Wow.
A
G
This
particular
interchange,
we've
already
seen
quite
a
bit
of
congestion,
particularly
when
you
look
at
and
when
you
look
at
some
of
the
future
projected
traffic
volumes
along
with
the
traffic
signal
operations
of
those
three
signals,
there's
one
at
Highwood
drive
and
then
two
at
the
494
ramp
terminals,
those
paired
with
the
congestion
we
already
have
and
future
productions.
You
know
we
anticipate
increased
congestion
if
we
hadn't
done
anything
and
that
in
lessons
safety
as
well,
absolutely
so
well.
A
I'm
sure
kind
of
you
know
it's,
it's
maybe
a
headache
right
now,
but
in
the
long
run,
it'll
it'll
definitely
be
worth
it.
Yes,
I've
read
now
that
the
timeline
for
completion
is
slightly
different
than
originally
projected
because
of
the
state
government
shutdown
in
early
July
talk
a
bit
about
some
of
those
changes.
What
it
originally
was
and
what
we're
looking
at
now
sure.
G
Well,
as
of
now
we're
still
on
schedule
for
completion
in
November
2012,
some
of
the
differences
are
that
some
of
the
work
we
were
going
to
do
this
construction
season
will
have
to
be
a
done
next
construction
season.
For
example,
we
were
originally
going
to
reconstruct
the
southbound
lanes
of
highway
169
this
year,
but
now
we
will
have
to
do
that
next
spring.
G
Additionally,
we
are
going
to
be
completing
the
ramp,
the
flyover
ramp
from
westbound
494
to
southbound
169,
but
it
looks
like
that
may
not
be
completed
entirely
until
next
year
as
well.
However,
we
do
plan
on
having
most
of
the
frontage
road
system
completed
this
year
as
planned,
including
the
new
Washington
Avenue
Bridge
standing
494.
So,
unfortunately,
for
us,
the
original
construction
staging
was
staged
such
that
the
2011
season
was
a
bit
more
aggressive
than
2012.
A
G
Yes
well
some
of
the
concerns.
Obviously,
when
it
comes
to
construction,
there's
always
concerns
when,
when
people
come
across
new
traffic
switches
like
when
we
had
to
switch
lanes
all
traffic
to
the
southbound
lanes,
that
sort
of
thing
just
getting
familiarized
with
the
different
traffic
patterns
that
are
temporary
and
the
temporary
road
closures
on
the
local
for
a
nindroid
system
and
all
that
always
takes
some
time
getting
used
to.
But
luckily
you
know
a
lot
of
the
residents
and
business
is
have
been
very
good
about
keeping
tabs
on.
G
What's
going
on
and
keeping
up-to-date
and
they've
done
very
well
at
navigating
during
the
construction.
One
of
the
other
things,
one
of
the
main
things
for
I
guess
concerns
for
when
the
construction
is
completed,
is
that
frontage
road
ring
road
system
that
you
described.
The
roundabouts
in
particular,
are
of
a
bit
of
concern
to
people
who
aren't
familiar
with
using
them.
You
know
we're
incorporating
them
in
more
and
more
Minnesota
roadway
designs,
but
relatively
they're
still
new
to
a
lot
of
Minnesotans.
G
A
G
Well,
two
of
the
main
things
that
people
should
remember
when
approaching
around
about
is
that
traffic
inside
the
circle
that
traffic
that's
already
inside
the
roundabout,
has
the
right-of-way
so
traffic
that
is
approaching
the
roundabout
needs
to
yield
to
any
oncoming
traffic.
The
other
big
piece
to
remember
is
that
traffic
always
moves
counterclockwise
through
the
roundabout.
G
So
don't
turn
left
and
around
about
it
because
you'll
read
it
head-on
into
some
traffic
you'll
always
be
going
right,
and
fortunately
you
know
we
do
have
signs
that
indicate
that
we
do
have
other
things
to
help
people
realize
which
way
they
should
be
going
on
this
front
and
George
system.
We
have
different
kinds
of
roundabouts
multi
lane
to
lane
single
lane,
so
I
mean
each
one
has
has
those
same
basic
principles.
You
know
yield
to
traffic
in
the
circle,
always
travel
counterclockwise,
yield
to
any
pedestrians.
G
There
are
crosswalks
at
all
of
the
entrances
and
exits,
and
so
folks
do
need
to
yield
to
pedestrians
if
they
are
poaching.
The
roundabout.
Also
another
thing
we
get
a
question
about
frequently:
is
emergency
vehicles
what
to
do
if
there's
an
ambulance
or
a
fire
truck
or
something
like
that
coming
through.
You
are
never
supposed
to
stop
inside
the
roundabout
exit
as
quickly
as
you
can
take
the
first
exit
and
then
pull
over.
A
G
Learn
how
to
drive
around
the
boat
will
actually
be
having
a
simulation
going
with
golf
carts,
and
you
know
miniature
roundabouts
in
the
parking
lot
so
that
people
can
kind
of
you
know,
get
a
good
visual
for
how
to
navigate
through
a
roundabout
talk
to
different
project
staff,
about
it,
get
different
pieces
of
information
and
really
get
familiarized.
Because
that's
the
biggest
thing
I
mean
people
are
nervous
a
lot
of
times.
If
they
just
you
know,
they
don't
feel
like
they
know
how
to
navigate
it.
But
if
they
do,
it
goes
rather
smoothly.
So.
A
Whether
it's
about
roundabouts
or
any
other
questions
concerns
with
the
interchange,
then
that
actually
does
have
a
weekly
newsletter
that
you
can.
That
comes
out.
Why
don't
you
tell
us
a
bit
about
how
residents
or
people
that
travel
in
the
area
can
always
be
in
the
loop
about?
What's
going
on
around.
G
The
interchange
project,
yes:
well,
we
have
a
project
website
on
the
through
the
MnDOT
website
and
it's
it's
pretty
easy
to
find.
You
can
either
just
Google
116
494
or
if
you
go
to
min
gov
in
the
on
the
homepage.
There
there's
a
drop-down
menu
for
major
projects
going
on
and
169.
494
is
one
of
our
major
projects,
so
that
is
listed
there
and
that
will
take
you
to
the
project
website
as
well.
G
The
project
website
is
updated
on
a
weekly
basis
or
more
frequently
as
needed
anytime
there's
a
new
update
or
traffic
impact
change,
that
sort
of
thing
and
then,
once
a
week
it
usually
comes
out
thursdays
or
fridays.
We
have
a
constant
contact,
email
that
is
distributed
a
newsletter
that
people
can
sign
up
for
through
our
project
website
towards
the
bottom
of
the
page,
there's
a
little
icon
to
sign
up
for
email
updates
and
that
always
gives
a
look
ahead
at
the
next
week,
so
that
people
know
what's
coming
where
crews
are
going
to
be
working.
A
That
is
breaks
it
down,
quite
literally
so
wonderful.
What
we'd
like
to
thank
MnDOT
public
affairs
coordinator,
Bree
McGee,
for
being
here
with
us
today.
If
you'd,
like
more
information
on
the
interchange
system,
you
can
log
onto
the
city's
website
keyword,
search,
169,
494,
and
that
will
take
you
to
a
direct
link
to
min
dots
website
where
you
can
find
all
the
information
we
talked
about
today
and
more
it's
now
time
for
a
short
break,
we'll
be
right
back
I'm.
H
D
D
A
Welcome
back
everyone
recently
bloomington
today,
crews
headed
back
to
school.
Well,
not
literally,
we
spent
the
day
with
area
students,
learning
a
thing
or
two
about
Bloomington's
history
using
anything
but
a
history
book
river
rendezvous
is
the
living
history
festival
held
at
bloomington's
popular
pond
dakota
mission
park.
Real
actors
demonstrate
the
lifestyles
of
people
living
in
the
Minnesota
River
Valley
in
the
19th
century,
but
before
the
event
is
open
to
the
public,
it's
open
to
area
students,
you'd.
J
Stay
alive
about
1,400
kids
out
here
from
all
around
the
metro
area
and
they
will
rotate
around
every
20
minutes
to
different
stations,
and
so
each
class
will
get
to
see
about
10
stations
and
won't
get
to
see
everything.
That's
out
here
then
come
back
on
the
public
day
for
that
on
Saturday,
but
they'll
rotate
around,
and
we
give
them
a
good
mix
of
things
of
different
aspects
in
history
that
they'll
get
to
see
like
the
fur
trade
logging.
J
A
J
You're
in
you're
out
here,
you're
seeing
people
in
authentic
costume
there
you're
seeing
the
actual
artifacts
the
historic
items
that
we've
been
used
by
all
manner
of
different
people.
Fur
traders
Native
Americans,
but
we
have
a
lot
of
stations
dealing
with
early
trades
and
crafts
like
woodworkers
and
blacksmiths
and
things
so
just
seeing
that
stuff
firsthand
in
use.
A
Of
kids
gathered
at
each
of
the
exhibits
and
with
more
than
50
in
total,
displaying
different
skills,
occupations,
games
and
crafts.
There
never
seemed
to
be
a
dull
moment
for
students,
Bloomington
Parks
and
Recreation
staff
that
this
living
history
festival
brings
a
sense
of
understanding
to
the
younger
generation,
while
getting
them
out
of
the
classroom
for
a
few
hours.
If.
A
A
K
Fed
instruct
the
capital
I
know
hundreds
if
not
thousands
more
innocent
people
would
have
been
killed,
maimed
for
life,
hundreds,
if
not
thousands,
more
Tom,
Brandon
jr.
saved
those
lives,
gave
his
own
an
act
of
incredible
courage
under
the
greatest
stress,
I
mean
it's
unimaginable
what
they
were
experiencing
that
moment.
He
stood
up,
led
the
charge
and
saved
more
lives
on
that
day
than
any
other
single
person
in
this
country
or
this
world.
Hundreds.
A
Gathered
on
September
11th
to
pay
tribute
to
a
true
Bloomington
hero,
Tom
Burnett
jr.,
passed
away
on
nine
eleven
ten
years
ago,
when
he
and
several
other
passengers
took
control
of
flight
93
from
terrorists
and
crashed
into
a
Pennsylvania
field.
Hundreds
gathered
at
the
first
annual
Tom
Burnett
junior
hometown
hero
ceremony
to
hear
patriotic
music
and.
A
I
Knows
someone
who
is
somewhat
somehow
affected
by
911?
Of
course,
no
one
knows
better
than
the
people
in
this
room
and
the
Burnett
family,
but
the
fact
that
everyone
knows
someone
has
helped
to
preserve
the
basic
humanity
of
those
who
died
on
911
and
prevents
them
from
just
becoming
a
big
number
and
an
abstraction.
It's
often
said
that
memorials
are
not
really
for
the
dead,
but
for
the
living
and
when
we
remember
dates
like
this
ten
years
later,
it
is
for
the
living.
A
Honoring
Tom
Burnett
jr.,
recognizing
other
community
champions
and
raising
funds
to
support
Public
Safety.
Hopefully
the
hometown
hero
celebration
will
continue
beyond
this
premier
event
for
years
to
come.
This
is
the
first
annual
Tom
Burnett
junior
hometown,
hero
celebration.
If
you
are
an
individual
or
organization
looking
to
get
involved
with
next
year's
event
visit
their
website
at
wwt
member
net,
hometown
heroes,
org
and
the
city
of
Bloomington
would
like
to
remind
residents
that
just
because
fall
is
in
the
air,
that
doesn't
mean
local
growers
are
no
longer
producing
fresh
fruits
and
vegetables.
A
The
city
farmers
market
still
has
another
month
left,
stop
out
to
the
east
parking
lot
of
civic
plaza
every
saturday
from
eight
a.m.
to
1pm
this
time
of
year,
fresh
herbs
like
cilantro
and
parsley
are
in
their
full
glory.
It's
been
a
tough
season
for
growers
with
the
wet
spring
exceedingly
hot,
and
now
an
early
freeze.
This
fall
residents
are
encouraged
to
come
out
and
show
support
to
local
farmers.
A
The
outdoor
markets
at
Civic
Plaza
continue
through
Saturday
October
15th,
and
there
will
be
two
indoor
markets
offered
on
November
twelfth
and
December.
10Th
will
provide
details
about
those
as
they
grow
nearer
and
that's
all
the
time
we
have
for
today
to
get
more
information
on
city
projects,
parks,
road
construction
and
events
visit.
A
The
city's
website
to
check
out
past
bloomington
today
shows
or
other
city
productions
visit,
bloomington's
youtube
channel
accessible
right
from
the
city's
homepage
that
so
much
more
is
online
right
now
at
wwc,
I,
bloomington
MN,
us
if
Facebook
or
Twitter,
is
it
your
thing
sign
up
for
a
subscription
mail
or
cell
phone?
This
is
bloomington
today
a
presentation
of
this
city
of
Bloomington
communications
division,
I'm
kailyn
cockrell
thanks
so
much
for
joining
us.