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State of the Region event set for Feb. 4

The Metropolitan Council will hold its 2008 State of the Region event at 10 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 4, at the new Minneapolis Central Library, 300 Nicollet Mall, in downtown Minneapolis.

Council Chair Peter Bell will discuss the progress made by the region in the last year and plans for the future, including the latest on the Northstar commuter rail line, the Central Corridor light rail transit (LRT) line and other planned transit improvements.

The Council also will release the results of its annual opinion survey of metro area residents, its 2007 annual report and its annual compilation of regional indicators. In addition, there will be a demonstration of the new interactive mapping tool on the Council’s website.

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak will be on hand to deliver welcoming remarks. Bell said the Council is “fortunate to have this wonderful new library as the site for this year’s State of the Region event.” The distinctive, 353,000-square-foot building was designed by the renowned architect Cesar Pelli, and offers ready public access to nearly 100 percent of the library’s collection.

The event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited. Please register by calling 651-602-1844 or using this on-line registration form.

Check-in will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 4, with refreshments following the speech. Guided library tours also will be available.

The library is served by all downtown Metro Transit routes and is just two blocks from the Hiawatha LRT line. Transit information is available by calling 612-373-3333 or at www.metrotransit.org.

Parking is available beneath the library, at a surface lot immediately in front of the building and at several nearby parking structures.