Southeast Como Improvement Association (SECIA), June 3 meeting

The June 3 meeting consisted of casual conversation, as no quorum existed. (The meeting was held at the SECIA office, rather than Van Cleve Park — a last minute change because of low attendance.)

Grand Rounds Update: Board member Connie Sullivan, who also serves as a member of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board’s (MPRB) Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC), said the park board is expected to accept the CAC recommendations at its meeting tomorrow night. Sullivan said that accepting the recommendations does not necessarily mean the park board will adhere to them; rather, it’s more of a formality. She went on to say that the MPRB has scheduled three public meeting in the next few weeks, including one at the park board building on June 18, at 6:30 p.m.

Sullivan said Minneapolis Park Commissioner Walt Dziedzic was siding with the “Stinson people” on opposing a boulevard bike lane. She said the move could be strategic on Dziedzic’s part.

“I do think they’re overreacting up there,” Sullivan said about the boulevard bike lane opposition on Stinson. Being part of the Grand Rounds requires having a bike lane, Sullivan said, adding that Northeasters can’t oppose a bike lane and still want to be considered part of the Grand Rounds.

Sullivan said that, according to a press release from the MPRB, their recommended route follows 29th Avenue Southeast and suggests a new road be cut through, east of 29th. “There’s no mention — at all — of the route we recommended,” she said. While the recommended route isn’t necessarily the final route, Sullivan said, “it indicates a mindset.”

Board President Wendy Menken said it would be tough to get local neighbors out to the park board’s public meetings during the summer, citing the low attendance at tonight’s meeting as an example. Several people agreed that it was key to get the neighbors in the immediately affected areas to show up — including those on 27th Avenue.

Central Corridor Traffic Concerns: The District Councils Collaborative (DCC) has money in its budget to talk with at least two different traffic engineers about the wider traffic concerns surrounding the Central Corridor route and the proposed traffic mall on Washington Avenue, former board member Lynn Anderson said. (Anderson serves as SECIA’s representative on the DCC.) The purpose of the study would be to bring up further mitigation issues including Granary Road access and a possible parkway extension, he said.

Wendy Menken said there is currently so much desperation to get the line built that she worries people aren’t looking at making this line the best it can be.

Board member Joan Menken said that the light rail route, as currently proposed, doesn’t serve anyone besides the University.

Wendy Menken said St. Paul has the right idea when it comes to marketing the housing in the areas around the proposed Central Corridor line. “Overnight, St. Paul becomes the residential bread basket,” she said, after construction of the line begins. While the University Alliance is working on programs like “Live Where You Work,” Menken said it should also be concentrating on using the light rail line as a marketing tool for Minneapolis housing.

Connie Sullivan said from her perspective, the alignment issue is already final. The City Council has already approved the plan as it was presented, she said.

Ward 2 Council Member Cam Gordon said the Council has yet to vote on the proposal, but added it doesn’t have much say, in the scheme of things. The Council can only approve, disapprove, or approve — with conditions — the current plan.

Commenting on the DCC’s wider traffic study, Gordon said he supported anything that might provide “more ammunition” when it comes to seeking funding beyond what is provided in the Central Corridor package for traffic mitigation.

A short conversation followed about ridership studies that board members said didn’t address the issue properly. Sullivan said, as an example, much of Southeast Como wasn’t factored into ridership numbers because the formula for expected ridership didn’t take into account the bus lines that would run past the local station. Gordon agreed. “People act like it’s a science,” he said about ridership predictions. It’s “guesswork… [an attempt at] predicting the future,” he said.

News from City Hall: Gordon noted that the University Alliance’s pilot project is currently underway. Wendy Menken explained the Alliance, through the test project, will give elderly homeowners in a select area $2,500 in exchange for a right of first refusal on their homes when they decide to sell.

Gordon also discussed plans for a 12-story housing development behind the Dinkydome. The Dome will stay put, Gordon said, but the new housing will occupy the space that currently houses Caribou Coffee and Erbert’s & Gerbert’s. Gordon said from what he knew of the project, the housing was “clearly student-oriented.”

Gordon was asked about a resolution proposed by Council Members Ostrow and Remington that would permanently alter the way people protest — beyond just the Republican National Convention. “I’m not sure if it’s silly, or dangerous,” Gordon said, adding that either way, he and others that oppose the resolution had held a press conference earlier that day to “turn up the heat a little” on the issue. Gordon said a compromise might be struck if the change were only applied during the Republican National Convention, but added even that kind of compromise would be “silly.” According to Gordon, the resolution would give people or groups the right to block a sidewalk or street if their plans were okayed by the City. Gordon said unlike the current process, appeals would not be heard. Several board members expressed their concerns about the proposed resolution, too. At least two people present said they were worried that having the convention in the Twin Cities would cause more harm than good, specifically citing the last Republican National Convention in Boston, which some city officials there have called a disaster.

Unpaved portion of 14th Avenue Southeast: At the end of the meeting, the board briefly discussed an unpaved portion of 14th Avenue Southeast and what could be done about it. Student board member Jeremiah Peterson put together a petition with the signatures of most of the neighbors on the block several months ago. Wendy Menken said based on Peterson’s petition drive, 80 to 90 percent of the households in the area were willing to pay their share for the street in front of their homes that had never actually been paved. (The street has only been oiled and patched with asphalt, according to a story in the Star Tribune.) Many of the board members expressed concern that the issue wasn’t being taken seriously by Ward 1 Council Member Paul Ostrow. Gordon was asked if he could ask the Ward 2 Capital Long-Range Improvements Committee (CLIC) appointments to talk with the Ward 1 CLIC appointments. SEICA and Peterson were told that the project is expected to be tackled in 2013. Joan Menken said CLIC committee members should be required to drive that road at the posted speed limit. Wendy Menken said she hoped — at the very least — that the project would at least stay on course for 2013. Connie Sullivan said she wouldn’t be surprised if it got pushed back farther.

SAG Money: Before the meeting adjourned, Wendy Menken mentioned that SECIA had been invited to give a presentation before the Committee of SAG. SECIA is requesting $30,000 for a direct project. Menken said if the project is approved, SEICA can probably expect a little money will come into the office. While most of the grant will be expended out, Menken said Neighborhood Coordinator James DeSota would likely oversee whoever was contracted for the project.

NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, July 1, 6:30 p.m., 2008, Van Cleve Park building.
REGULAR MEETINGS: 1st Tuesday of the month, 6:30–8:30 p.m. Van Cleve Park, 901 15th Ave. SE.
CONTACT:
James De Sota, neighborhood coordinator
SECIA Office
837 SE 15th Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55414
Phone: 612-676-1731
email: secomo@secomo.org

last revised: June 6, 2008

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