Seward Neighborhood Group newsletter, July 3, 2008
SNG NEWSLETTER, JULY 3, 2008
I. SNG Calendar of Events, July 1 to July 15 – SNG Community Development Committee, July 8 – SNG Crime and Safety Committee, July 14
II. SNG Longer Term Calendar, July 16+ – SNG Environment Committee, July 21 – SNG Board of Directors, July 23
III. News and Items of Interest – Worm Composting Seminar, Sat. July 5 – Bicycle Tour of Historic Longfellow Parks and Grain Milling Sites, July 19 – 5th Annual Watershed Friendly Yard Tour & Plant Swap, Sunday, July 20 – Seward History Committee Seeking Old Photos of Seward – Minneapolis Celebrating 150 Years as a City, Photo Installation in Seward – Franklin Avenue Planning, New Ideas on the Website – Future Neighborhood Funding From the City – New City Public Works Maintenance Facility on Hiawatha – Franklin Avenue LRT Platform to be Extended to Accommodate Three Cars – Volunteer Opportunity at Seward Towers on National Night Out, Aug. 5
- 25th Annual National Night Out, 2008 is August 5, Just Around the Corner – New Central Corridor LRT Line to Go Through U of M Campus; Washington Avenue Bridge to close to car traffic – Free July Concerts At Minnehaha Falls – Free July Concerts at Father Hennepin Bluffs Park – Local Firesworks Displays – Which Fireworks are legal?
– Youth Art Classes for Ages 6-12 at Matthews Park
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SNG Community Development Committee, July 8
Tuesday, July 8, Matthews Center, 7 p.m.
Items on the agenda include a presentation by MetroTransit on its new LRT maintenance building between E. 25th and E. 26th Streets; discussion about reuse of the current Seward Co-op building, and discussion about the various findings of the Franklin Planning effort to date.
Worku Mindaye, owner of Shega Bakery which makes injera bread, will move his bakery to the rear of the Co-op building. This leaves the front of the building available for other uses and Worku seeks neighborhood input as to best uses.
Because of the full agenda, discussion about the E. 22nd. Street traffic barrier will occur at a later meeting.
If you would like to receive notice of future CDC meetings or a more complete agenda for the July 8 meeting, please contact bernie@sng.org.
SNG Crime and Safety Committee, July 14 Monday, July 14, 7 p.m. at Matthews II. SNG Longer Term Calendar, July 16+SNG Environment Committee, Mon, July 21
7 p.m.. Seward Neighborhood Group office, 2323 E. Franklin Avenue.
The committee hopes to have a speaker about pentachlorophenol, a toxic substance and probable carcinogen used on light poles by Xcel Energy. A Motion to support Cam Gordon in his efforts to eliminate use by Xcel of such products (power poles treated with Penta and similar subtances) will be discussed.
Also, the Committee plans to have a presentation by a staff person from Renewing the Countryside, a rural economic development organization, about “Eating Local…Buying from Local Farmers…and vacationing in Minnesota”.
For a copy of the full agenda or more information about the committee, please contact Carol Greenwood at: carolgwood@comcast.net or at 612 724 8430.
SNG Board of Directors, Wed, July 23Seward Tower West, 30th and Franklin Avenues at 7 p.m.. All residents and those who work or own property within Seward are invited to attend.
Please enter the building from the parking lot on the north side of the building. Just inside the airlock, turn left and follow the long corridor to the office. Take the stairs or elevator to the second floor meeting room.
III. Other News and Items of InterestWorm Composting Seminar, Sat. July 5
(Source: the SNG Environment Committee)
The Macalester EcoHouse is having its first event of the summer this coming Sat, July 5, at 1:00 pm, a worm composting workshop! The Macalester College EcoHouse is at 200 Vernon St. in St. Paul. A community member and a Mac student who know a lot about worm composting will come and talk about their experience and the process of setting up a worm bin of your own. If you are interested or have a lot to share on the topic, we would love to have you come and share! Thanks!
I’m surprised at the number of Seward residents I’ve met who do wormbox composting year round. Is one of your neighbors a worm box operator? Let them know about the event above, to lend their expertise. If you would like to try worm composting, here’s an opportunity. If you are a worm box operator, let us know.
Carol Greenwood
As part of the Minneapolis Aquatennial celebration of Minneapolis’ and Minnesota’s sesquicentennial, the Longfellow Community Council is sponsoring a history bicycle tour. The tour focuses on the western part of the neighborhood, starting at 29th Avenue and East Lake Street and ending at Minnehaha Park. Four parks will be featured, both historic and contemporary as well as the grain milling and storage district that forms the dramatic western edge of the neighborhood. At the far south end of the neighborhood, the tour includes sites key to the early history of this part of the neighborhood and Minnehaha Park. A tourguidebook will be available for purchase. Helmets are mandatory and the tour is about 4 1/2 miles long. Co-sponsored by the Longfellow Community Council www.longfellow.org > For more information, contact LCC at 612-722-4529 or email Eric Hart at hart3151@tcq.net
Longfellow Community Council & Wild Ones Present the 5th annual Watershed Friendly Yard Tour & Plant Swap, Sunday, July 20, 3:30 pm. Native Plant Swap begins 4:00 – 6:00 pm.Begin the self-guided tour and pick up a map at: 3408 39th Ave S
Tour Highlights – beautiful native plants, shrubs and trees in 7 small urban yards – rain gardens, rain barrels, and the RoofBloom green roof trailer – talk with the homeowners and see photos – free info on rain gardens and native plants – a native plant swap (label plants with name and sun/shade info)
Enjoy seeing lovely native plants, rain gardens and a demonstration green roof during Longfellow’s 5th Annual Watershed Friendly Yard Tour. None of the gardens have been on a previous tour so come see what’s new! The tour makes a nice bicycle ride and several gardens will be within easy walking distance. This year the tour will be preceded by a plant swap — anyone with extra native plants can bring them and take some others home in exchange. Bring your plants by 3:30 pm for best selection. After 4 pm all remaining plants will be made available to anyone coming on the tour. Sponsored by the River Gorge Committee of the Longfellow Community Council and the Twin Cities chapter of Wild Ones.
For more information, pleasea contact Hillary Oppmann at hillary@longfellow.org or 612-722-4529, or Carmen Simonet at csimonet@visi.com.
The Hennepin County Museum has encouraged neighborhood groups to participate in this historical event by assembling exhibits in a program entitled “You Are Here”. Old, historic photographs of a site, building or event will be posted at their current sites.
The Seward History Committee has nominated six sites in Seward to be displayed during the Miinneapolis Aquatennial week of July 18-27. The sites are the Birchwood Café (site of the Birchwood Dairy), Clicquot Café (formerly a grocery), House of Color (old Metro Theater), Ivy Building (a foundry), True Thai (former site of Ross’ Drug) and Milwaukee Avenue.
In the fall of 2008, the History Committee hopes to expand on the six sites and assemble a larger tour of historic Seward sites. Homes are of special interest so if homeowners have an old photo of their homes and know something of its history, the Committee would love to highlight it. For more information, please contact Dick Westby, 612 722 2853.
Franklin Avenue Planning, New Ideas on the Website Exciting new ideas are up on the Franklin Avenue Planning blog, as well as the latest draft of the values statement. All suggestions, ideas and comments are welcome. Go to: http://www.FranklinAvenue.usThe plan is to engineer several low resource projects this summer (low cost projects that don’t require a lot of planning and approvals). Do these spark any ideas or suggestions? Comment on the blog by clicking on the blue “Comments” link at the end of the post.
Thanks!
Sheldon Mains, Chair
Seward Neighborhood Group
http://www.sng.org
612-618-7149, smains@visi.com
A report from the NRP Framework for the Future Task Force on June 19th calls for the creation of a new Neighborhood and Community Relations Department that would be housed in department of the City Coordinator. It would both serve residents directly and support other City departments to improve neighborhood and community relationships.
It also calls for the creation of a new 18 member Neighborhood and Community Advisory Board to provide direction to the NRP program; approve neighborhood action plans; advise the City Council on community participation policies; provide feedback to City Departments; oversee use of administrative funds and implementation of a community participation program; and advise the Mayor, City Council and City Departments on community issues and needs related to community participation. The report builds on several recommendations of last year’s community engagement task force and suggests significant changes to the current structure of the NRP program. It is schedulde to return to the Council for approval in September. I would greatly appreciate ay comments or advice about how I can best use this report to bring both resources and real grassroots democratic decision-making to neighborhoods. As the discussion continu\y priority will be on developing a more permanent system of funding and accountability for recognized neighborhood groups, and providing the support, education, oversight and resources they need to ensure that neighborhood driven planning and decision-making are as effective as possible. To see the full report go here: http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/council/2008-meetings/20080620/CoWAgenda20080619.asp#TopOfPage.Hiawatha Maintenance Facility. The City has taken the first step towards building our new public works facility at 26th and Hiawatha by closing the current fueling site so the underground fuel tanks can be removed – they’re located where the new building will stand. When completed, the Hiawatha Maintenance Facility will be LEED certified and house the people and equipment who build and maintain our sewers, bridges and streets. A new fueling station will also be constructed at the site.
Hiawatha LRT Station Extensions. Metro Transit is planning to extend the platforms at the Cedar Riverside and Franklin LRT stations, to accommodate 3-car trains. This is good news, because the need for 3-car trains is driven by the phenomenal ridership along the line. The construction will begin in March of 2009 and is expected to last until spring of 2010. Metro Transit is predicting that these two stations will be offline for three weekends over the course of the year, with backup service by bus. My office is working to ensure that the proposed changes help to mitigate congestion and bicyclist/pedestrian conflict in the station areas.
Cam Gordon, Minneapolis City Council Member, Second Ward
673-2202, 296-0579
cam@camgordon.org
http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/council/ward2/
http://secondward.blogspot.com
There’s still plenty of time to “Join the Celebration” and enjoy National Night Out on August 5th. July 22nd is the deadline for applying to close your street for free on NNO. And, if you register your NNO event by July 22, you’ll enter a drawing for door prizes donated by local businesses. It’s easy and free to register your block party and apply to close off your street – both can be done at the same time on one website: www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/nno or by calling 311 (612-673-3000).
The 25th Annual National Night Out will take place on Tuesday, August 5th in more than 140 communities in Minnesota and on more than 1100 blocks in Minneapolis alone. National Night Out brings neighbors together like nothing else does and simply sharing a potluck, some conversation and a few games builds community and safety, block by block.
Be Aware of July 22nd Deadlines for both Registration Prizes and Street Closure
Use July to get everything ready for NNO August 5. Register your event to get Minnesota Twins tickets (vouchers for 20 tickets), Mystery Point Passes for Nickelodeon Universe at the Mall of America (maximum of 20 passes, first come, first served), child safety cards (maximum of 15 cards per event, first come, first served), free reminder door hangers, free name tags, and free coloring/word search sheets. All events registered by July 22 will be entered into a drawing for a wide array of door prizes donated by Minneapolis businesses.
When registering, you can also request that a police officer drops by your event. You can ask for a fire truck visit and the MPD Canine Unit by calling 311. There’s no guarantee that police or fire (or dogs) will make it to your event but it’s worth asking.
If you want to close your street, it’s free if you apply by July 22nd. From July 22nd to July 31st there is a $100 late fee. No street-closing applications will be accepted after July 31. It’s not necessary to close your street to celebrate NNO; many outstanding events are held in yards, parking lots, garages, parks, buildings, etc.
Attention New NNO Blocks: Free Start-up Kits
CCP/SAFE has a limited supply of free start-up kits for blocks holding NNO events for the first time. The kits contain party basics like plates, cups, plastic utensils, napkins, etc. as well as some surprises. If your block is new to NNO this year, call 612-673-2977 to see if a kit is available.
NNO Website a Great Source of Information – www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/nno
The Minneapolis NNO web site is a great source of information for people who want to improve their NNO effort or those just learning about NNO. Some features are: 70+ ideas for parties, people’s comments about why NNO is important, NNO photos and clip art, party invitations in four languages, fun green ideas for blocks, locations of registered parties, a list of sponsors to support and lots more.
Cooperative Food Drive
For the second year in a row, United Way and National Night Out are teaming up to conduct food drives during NNO. Last year, more than 3,000 pounds of food were collected to support Minneapolis community food shelves. Food is especially needed during the summer months when children don’t get school lunches. When planning your party, remember to ask people to bring some extra canned foods and dry goods. See the NNO web site for more details: http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/nno/United-Way-Food-Drive.pdf
Minneapolis National Night Out is sponsored in part by: Minnesota Twins, Nickelodeon Universe MOA, AAA, Litin Everything Party–n-Paper, Minnesota Crime Prevention Association (MCPA), Qwest, KFAI Radio and Minneapolis Telecommunications Network (MTN)
New Central Corridor LRT Line to Go Through University of MN Campus; Washington Avenue Bridge to close to car traffic
(Source: Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin)
Following extensive negotiations, Central Corridor Light Rail Transit project partners reached agreement on a Washington Avenue alignment through the University of Minnesota campus that will include a transit and pedestrian mall along Washington between East River Road and Walnut Street SE.
The University, Metropolitan Council, Hennepin County Regional Rail Authority, Hennepin County and the City of Minneapolis are parties to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which commits to this alignment, outlines a series of mitigation measures identified by stakeholders and anticipates the development of a second MOU which will define and detail specific design, construction and operational issues related to the Central Corridor project segment that traverses campus.
The Hennepin County Board and Hennepin County Regional Rail Authority approved the MOU on June 24 with unanimous votes. Both entities are parties to the agreement, given the County’s role over roadway-related issues and the HCRRA’s responsibility for transit planning and implementation activities. The Metropolitan Council approved the MOU on June 25. The University Board of Regents and Minneapolis City Council are scheduled to act upon the MOU next week.
This agreement removes the final conceptual barrier for the project and clears the way for submission of an application to the federal New Starts program in early September for federal matching funds for the project. For the total project budget, currently estimated at $892 million, the new Counties Transit Improvement Board (CTIB) will provide 30 percent of the capital funding through the newly-enacted transit improvement sales tax in five metro counties. The Ramsey and Hennepin Regional Rail Authorities will contribute a combined 10 percent, and the state of Minnesota will provide the remaining 10 percent, including the $70 million in bonding approved during the 2008 legislative session.
July Concerts At Minnehaha Falls: Free Concerts Sponsored by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB). All shows at 7:00 pm. In case of rain, concerts will be held in the Minnehaha Falls Pavilion.July 1 Fridley Community Band; Concert Band
July 2 Fat Chance Jug Band; Casual & Fun. Old-Time & New.
July 3 Mother Banjo; Original, Traditional Americana Music
July 7 Brooklyn Community Band; Concert Band
July 8 Celebration Brass; Jazz/Dixieland/Ragtime/Golden Oldies
July 9 Minnesota Sinfonia; The Great Summer Festival
July 10 1st Things 1st; 1940’s – 1950’s Vocal Swing
July 14 Roseville Community Band; Concert Band
July 15 Ingo Bethke; Jazz/Latin/Rock Fusion
July 16 Detroit Don King; Real Old School Blues
July 17 Lady Franklin; Folk/Roots Music/Fusion
July 21 Flute Cocktail; A Flute Choir with Pizzazz
July 22 Zuhrah Shrine Band; Concert Band
July 23 Patchouli; Modern Acoustic Power Folk
July 24 Classic Brass Inc.; Brass Quintet Fun
July 28 Neale & Haberman; American Roots Rock
July 29 Jack Pearson; Mr. Song-Strummin’ Storyman!
July 30 Blue Wolf; Bluegrass
July 31 The Dean Harrington Trio; Gypsy, Latin, and Traditional Jazz
July Concerts at Father Hennepin Bluffs Park: Free Concerts Sponsored by the MPRB. Located on the Southeast bank of the Mississippi River at the Stone Arch Bridge. Showtime: Mondays and Wednesdays 7:00 – 8:30PM
Wed. July 2 Retro Groove; Pop Rock Groove
Wed. July 9 The Willie August Project; Nationally Acclaimed Melodic Jazz
Wed. July 16 Blues 211; Blues – Rock
Wed. July 23 Rich Lewis Band; Soulful Mix of R&B/New Orleans
Wed. July 30 Red Bird Rising; Vocal, Fiddle, Guitar, Dobro, Harmonica
Mon. July 7 Jim Pellinger; Acoustic/Electric Pop-Folk-Rock
Mon. July 14 The Mary Klueh Band; Original Folk/Rock/Pop/Country
Mon. July 21 Blue Garden; Blues, Gospel, Country
Mon. July 28 Capri Big Band; Big Band Music
- Minneapolis Red, White and Boom on the Minneapolis Riverfront. Sponsored by the Minneapolis Park Board. Featuring live music, family activities. 4:30-10:30pm; fireworks at 10:00 pm. (Historic Main Street near St. Anthony Main and the Stone Arch Bridge) 612-673-5123 http://www.mplsredwhiteboom.com/
- Richfield 4th Of July: Parade at 1 p.m. Carnival, street dance, concerts. Fireworks at 10 p.m., Veterans Memorial Park, Richfield (64th St. and Portland Av. S.) 612-861-9385 http://www.richfield4thofjuly.com/
- St. Paul: Taste of Minnesota. Featuring local and national music acts; food; children’s activities; sports; contests; fireworks; more. Free. Harriet Island. 651-772-9980 http://www.tasteofmn.org/
Which Fireworks are legal? Minnesota law now permits the sale, possession and use of some non-explosive and non-aerial fireworks. Examples include sparklers, cones and tubes that emit sparks, and novelty items like snakes and party poppers. (These consumer fireworks may not be used on public property such as roads, alleys, schools, and parks. Purchasers of these fireworks must be at least 18 years old. Sale, possession and use may occur at any time during the year.What’s still illegal? The law still prohibits explosive and aerial fireworks for public sale, possession and use. Examples of illegal fireworks include firecrackers, bottle rockets, missiles, roman candles, mortars and shells—any fireworks that are explosive or aerial. Shooting off fireworks can be extremely frustrating for neighbors, especially when homes are close to each other, people are trying to sleep, and pets are frightened. Fireworks can also be very dangerous. If someone is shooting off illegal fireworks, call 911. Please note that fireworks complaints are most prevalent on summer nights, when the police are most busy. To dispatch a squad car, the Police Department asks that you please provide the exact address and some kind of a description of the person(s) setting off the fireworks. If there is no specific information, the 911 dispatcher will put out general info to the squads, but will not dispatch a specific car. When prioritizing 911 calls, calls a bout fireworks will take a longer response.
Youth Art Classes for Ages 6-12 at Matthews Park 2318 29th Avenue South Minneapolis, MN 55406 (612) 370-4950Come explore art with Kim Gordon
About the instructor: Kim Gordon is a painter, teacher and designer. Gordon has a degree in Art Education from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and has also studied at the University of Minnesota at Minneapolis, Minnetonka Center for the Arts, Minnesota Center for Book Arts and Minneapolis College of Art and Design.
Drawing & Painting
A studio class for drawing and painting. Drawing concepts include line quality, shading, drawing with unusual materials and gesture drawing. Painting concepts include color mixing, values and composition. Studies will include still-life, figure drawing and working from photographs. Instructor: Kim Gordon
Thursdays, July 24-August 14 1:30-3p.m. Cost: $52
Thursdays, July 24-August 14 3:30-5p.m. Cost: $52
Puppet Making Workshop
making painted celluclay puppets with cloth bodies and moveable hands. Fee includes materials. Instructor: Kim Gordon
Tuesdays, July 8-15 1-5 p.m. Cost: $40
Perspective Drawing Workshop
Do you want to learn how to make your drawings look more three-dimensional? Learn the secret of the Renaissance masters: linear perspective. We will learn one and two point perspective and practice our new skills. Instructor: Kim Gordon.
Tuesday, July 1 1-5 p.m. Cost: $20
Please register at least 48 hours in advance in person or online under Matthews Park Summer programs at www.minneapolisparks.org.
_________This newsletter was compiled by the SNG with the assistance of neighbors who contributed suggestions and news items. If you know of an upcoming event, meeting or news item that should be included in a future newsletter, please email bernie@sng.org. Thank you!
last revised: July 10, 2008