ANN MUNT RECOVERING FROM HEART ATTACK
PPERRIA President Dick Poppele said Ann Munt’s retirement ceremony at Luxton Park was warm and festive. Munt worked to provide social services for East Side Neighborhood Services.

But, PPERRIA members expressed surprise and concern when he reported that Munt had a heart attack that evening at home. However, she received rapid and good care, and was recovering at the hospital, he said. Poppele wished her well and said he hopes she has a happy retirement.

LRT OPTIONS ON LRT AGENDA
In addition to discussion about plans for a light-rail station at 29th Street and University Avenue, Metropolitan Council representatives at a meeting Thursday, Feb. 28, will present options for placement of the Central Corridor light-rail tracks on University Avenue, between the Westgate station and the 29th Street station.

Peter Wagenius, a senior policy aide to the mayor, and a resident of Prospect Park, said at the PPERRIA board meeting that there will be three items on the agenda at the Thursday meeting. The items include plans for the Westgate Station, near Highway 280; planning for a 29th Street station, and options for how University Avenue will look with light rail between those two stations.

Wagenius said the original plan called for placement of the light-rail tracks in the middle of University Avenue. However, that would have required removal of the trees on both sides of the street. The city asked Met Council planners for options. They responded that if the tracks were located closer to the north side of the street, only trees on the north side would need to be removed. New trees would be planted.

Met Council representatives will also show designs for the street that would provide green space or parking space, he said.

The Thursday meeting will be held at St. Frances Cabrini Church, 1500 Franklin Ave. SE, 7–9 p.m.

KEY TO TRANSIT MALL IS “SIGNIFICANT TRAFFIC MITIGATION”
The key to handling traffic diverted from a proposed transit-only mall on Washington Avenue on the university campus is “significant traffic mitigation,” Peter Wagenius, a senior policy aide to the mayor, and a Prospect Park resident, said at the PPERRIA meeting.

Wagenius gave an update on city, county, university, and Met Council discussions about designs for a light-rail and bus transit mall on campus. It would handle the proposed Central Corridor train line where it crosses the campus on Washington Avenue. The proposed $990 million line would operate on an 11-mile route between downtown St. Paul and downtown Minneapolis. Construction would start in 2010 and transit operation would start in 2014, a Met Council representative said at last month’s meeting. See www.centralcorridor.org for information.

Wagenius said the Met Council is expected to select the at-grade design at its meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 27. The university has preferred a tunnel route under Washington Avenue. But, the Met Council is expected to rule out a tunnel due to high cost. The university has argued that if the trains operate on Washington Avenue, it should become a transit mall, where only trains and emergency vehicles could operate. The Met Council, and the city, prefers that Metro Transit buses also operate on the street.

Wagenius said the Washington Avenue LRT design options have included a long tunnel, costing $250 million, a shorter tunnel for $150 million, and a proposal for a northern alignment through Dinkytown. The university is conducting a study of that route.

Wagenius said the city and the county agree with the university that there should not be a mix of auto traffic with the light-rail line on Washington Avenue. The university earlier had raised concerns about safety and congestion if trains and traffic are mixed. The university had also proposed removing bus traffic. However, the city thinks Metro Transit buses can remain on the mall, he said.

The mitigation plans so far call for diverting traffic off Washington Avenue onto Granary Road Parkway, a route proposed north of the campus. Traffic would also be diverted to East River Road. Wagenius said city planners think that road should be extended and connect to the new I-35W bridge. “We need a commitment from the Legislature to do it,” he said.

Wagenius reported that the Legislature earlier in the day had passed a transportation bill, which drew applause at the PPERRIA meeting. The bill raises taxes that would total $6.6 billion over 10 years and be used for roads, bridges, and transit projects. “It is going to allow us to do more projects and the federal government will take us more seriously,” he said.

MET COUNCIL URGED NOT TO RUSH CENTRAL CORRIDOR DECISIONS; THREE STATIONS SUPPORTED
The board and members voted in support of a position letter sent by the executive committee to Peter Bell, chair of the Metropolitan Council. It urged Bell and the council not to rush into decisions related to the proposed light-rail transit line in the Central Corridor between downtown St. Paul and downtown Minneapolis. The letter said the council should especially not rush a decision on the route through the university campus.

The letter also indicated that if construction of the line involved the use of eminent domain, “it should have full neighborhood support.”

President Poppele reported that the executive committee also sent a letter to the District Councils Collaborative in St. Paul in support of their request to the Met Council to add three stations to the Central Corridor line. The stations would be at Western, Victoria, and Hamline avenues.

BY-LAWS DISCUSSION, VOTE CONTINUED UNTIL MARCH
After an hour and a half of detailed discussion, a couple of very close votes, and sometimes heated debate over changes proposed in the PPERRIA By-Laws, the whole discussion was continued to the next meeting, March 24. Some proposed changes were described as radical. Attendance at the meeting filled the room.

“This is a good example of how hard it is to change By-Laws,” President Dick Poppele commented. Poppele noted that the changes proposed were only the second or third effort in 10 or 15 years to change By-Laws.

A By-Law task force, chaired by board member Paul Zerby, held 17 meetings and submitted proposed changes to the executive committee. The three major changes involve opening PPERRIA membership so students and business representatives would be eligible, changing the number of directors on the board. Also proposed is a reduction in the board membership by half to 20, reduce the number of officers to five, and provide for the chairs of the standing committees to be on the executive committee.

The changes are posted at the PPERRIA website, www.pperr.org. Click on “Proposed PPERRIA By-Laws Changes,” and “Feb. PPERRIA Newsletter.”

Poppele said the proposed changes are needed so PPERRIA will be recognized officially by the city. “We’re one of the few neighborhoods where our membership (eligibility) is too restrictive.” Poppele said, “We want to work with the city in a positive way.” The neighborhood faces development pressures, he said. “If we can’t deal with the pressure, we are going to be lost,” he said.

UNIVERSITY ALLIANCE SESSIONS SET
President Poppele said Second Ward Council Member Cam Gordon would hold a roundtable meeting in March to discuss the new University District Partnership Alliance. Poppele also said there will be a major update on the Alliance at PPERRIA’s annual meeting in April.

The Legislature proposed the Alliance in 2007 based on a study of the impact of the university of surrounding residential and business areas. The study proposed efforts to stabilize housing, among other goals. The Alliance was established as a collaboration among the university, the city, and neighborhood and business organizations around the Minneapolis campus. The Legislature appropriated $750,000 and charged the Alliance with completing a demonstration project and reporting back to the Legislature in 2009.

The roundtable will be held Monday, March 17, at Van Cleve Park, 901 15th Ave. SE, 7–9 p.m. Gordon said in a report the Alliance is seeking ideas for demonstration projects. For information, see http://www.community.umn.edu/alliance.

IDEAS SOUGHT ABOUT ARTICLES, ADS FOR THE BRIDGE
Susan Larson Fleming and Sean Hart, members of The Bridge nonprofit community newspaper board, asked PERRIA members for ideas for articles and about advertising. Larson Fleming said it has been two years since the Seward Profile and the Southeast Angle were merged to form The Bridge.

Larson Fleming said she hopes residents are looking at the newspaper’s website, www.readthebridge.info. She said the website can provide news quicker than a monthly paper. A monthly schedule is a challenge, she said. Larson Fleming noted that The Rake magazine decided to stop the print edition, but continue on-line. She said there are no plans for The Bridge to drop the print issue.

GRATIA REYNOLDS TO CO-CHAIR NOMINATING COMMITTEE
President Poppele said Gratia Reynolds offered to co-chair the nominating committee. However, the other co-chair position has yet to be filled, he said.

FRANKLIN AVENUE RESURFACING THIS SUMMER?
Second Ward Council Member Cam Gordon in a report said Franklin Avenue between East River Road and Emerald is on a list of priority projects that could start this summer.

NEXT MEETING: Monday, March 24, 2008.

MEETINGS:
4th Monday of the month, 7 p.m., unless otherwise announced. Refreshments, conversation 6:30-7 p.m. Prospect Park United Methodist Church, 22 Orlin Ave. SE

CONTACT: 612-331-2970, 66 SE Malcolm Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55414; pperria@tcfreenet.org, www.pperr.org

last revised: March 2, 2008

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