West Bank Community Coalition, 4/16 meeting
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
WBCC Board president Laura Silver said no nominations have been made for the two vacant seats on the board. Both seats are open to renters in the neighborhood. The Board is also seeking to fill spots on the District Council Collaborative (DCC) and DCC Northern Alignment Committee dealing with plans for light-rail transit.
NRP
The Cedar Riverside (CR) Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP) Steering Committee will be in charge of administering the neighborhood’s NRP funds (not the WBCC). A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two entities makes the transfer of power official. Board members approved the scope of service for an NRP strategy regarding the revitalization of the West Bank’s business district through the combination of the Cedar-Riverside Business Association and a Great Streets grant.
SAFETY
WBCC members approved a motion urging the city to provide additional lighting as a safety precaution near South Sixth Street and Cedar Avenue (a dimly lit bus stop where there was a recent homicide). More police officers patrolling the area are also needed, some community members said. People will have the chance to learn more about the circumstances of the homicide and more generally, the area’s gang activity, during the Quarterly West Bank Safety Meeting on May 14, 7 p.m. at Augsburg College.
PEACE MARCH AND NEIGHBORHOOD CLEANUP
In a showing of communitywide concern for a recent homicide on the West Bank, a “peace march” and neighborhood cleanup is scheduled for April 26, 10 a.m. to noon. Neighborhood youth helped organize the march that will start out at the old Dania Hall site on Cedar Avenue, between Fourth and Fifth Streets. The procession will end at Currie Park, 420 15th Ave. S. Marchers will pick up garbage along the way. Once in the park, youth will put on a play about “peace and neighborhood beautification.” The event coincides with National & Global Youth Service Day that annually engages millions of children in service-learning projects.
UNIVERSITY DISTRICT PARTNERSHIP ALLIANCE
University of Minnesota spokesperson Jan Morlock and Prospect Park resident Dick Poppele talked about the University District Partnership Alliance. The partnership includes neighborhoods, business associations, student government organizations, the city and the U of M; it aims to “address the vitality of the campus-area neighborhoods,” according to a handout. In 2007, the state legislature provided funding for the initiative. The alliance steering committee is currently planning a “demonstration project” to preserve and increase home ownership in the area.
METROPOLITAN COUNCIL TRAFFIC STUDY
The Metropolitan Council did a traffic study as part of an ongoing process to find out how the area surrounding the U of M will be impacted by light-rail transit if it runs at-grade down Washington Avenue (near Cedar Avenue, cutting through the campus’ east and west banks, with no other traffic on Washington). Met Council engineer Dan Soler presented maps of the area that illustrated traffic counts at 40 different intersections. Existing data from a bunch of different studies was used to generate the maps for how things might appear in 2030, in terms of housing, population and other factors (based on typical growth), according to Soler. Cedar and Riverside Avenues received a grade “F” for the level of service they will likely provide. The same thing goes for various other streets on the West Bank. Those are examples of intersections that will need to be mitigated as part of a light-rail project, he said.
NEXT MEETING: Wednesday, May 21, 6 p.m.
MEETINGS: Third Wednesday of the month
Brian Coyle Community Center, 420 15th Ave. S.
CONTACT: 338-5282, ext. 224
www.westbankcc.org
e-mail: cedarriversidenrp@hotmail.com or nrp@westbankcc.org.
BORDERS: The neighborhood is bounded by I-35W on the northwest, I-94 on the south and the Mississippi River on the northeast.
last revised: April 22, 2008