MinnPost’s Twin Cities Documenters program trains and pays community members to take notes at local government meetings. Below are Documenter Travonta Nance’s summary and observations from the May 27 meeting of the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority. You can find Travonta’s full notes here, which include links to the agenda and our audio recording.
- The Minneapolis Public Housing Authority approved a $671,972 contract with Ameresco to perform a physical needs assessment across all of its properties. The U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development requires this assessment every five years.
- The MPHA approved putting up for sale the building at 1708 N. Oak Park Ave., which the youth housing nonprofit Avenues for Youth is transitioning out of to a new building. (Details on pages 8-10)
- The building is outdated and has degraded significantly over time. It is cost-prohibitive to reconfigure it for another service provider.
- The transaction would require state approval, and proceeds would go to the Minneapolis Housing Financing Agency.
- The MPHA approved the formation of two corporate entities – Glendale Housing Resources Mgmt. LLC and Glendale Housing Resources LP – for the Glendale redevelopment project. (Pages 46-76)
- This is a procedural requirement related to using tax credits, General Counsel Lisa Griebel explained.
- No other decisions have been made regarding the redevelopment; a board member mentioned currently gathering feedback from residents.
- The MPHA received and filed an Executive Director’s Update for May 2026 (Page 11)
- Heather Pacheco is replacing longtime MPHA CFO, Tim Durose, effective June 2. Tim Durose was awarded a “Certificate of Service” for his legacy of care, skill and good work.
- U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith submitted MPHA’s Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) request for $1M to support electrical/fire system replacement at Lowry Towers
- The MPHA received and filed a Monthly Performance Report for April 2026. (Pages 12-24) No discussion was held.
- MPHA is at 97% capacity, housing 6,252 residents in 4,835 households.
- The MPHA received and filed a Community Update for May 2026. (Pages 25-41) No discussion was held.
Observations and follow up questions:
Accessibility: Did you face any challenges that made it harder to document the meeting or that may have made it difficult for others to attend?
- The agenda was disorganized and not clearly laid out. It contained each individual resolution and presentation. There were also screens present but none of the included presentations were shown on them.
Scene: About how many members of the public attended the meeting? If watching virtually, what was the livestream count (if applicable)? Was anyone protesting outside?
- There were roughly 30-35 members of the public attending. There was no livestream or recording for this meeting.
Notable: Do you have any follow up questions or other observations to share?
- All the attendees appeared engaged and several appeared to be regulars.
How to get involved:
When is the next meeting for this board/committee? Any upcoming public hearings? Online surveys?
The next meeting is on Wednesday, June 24 at 1:30PM
Read Documenter Travonta Nance’s full notes here, which include links to the agenda and our audio recording. View our full database of notes here…