Longfellow Community Council Sept. 18 board meeting
FRUSTRATION OVER EFFORTS TO SAVE NRP: Loren Olson, aide to Ward 12 City Council Member Sandra Colvin Roy, told the board about an opportunity for public comment on the Framework for the Future, the structure designed to replace the Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP). The LCC board opposes the Framework largely because it would transfer control over neighborhood priorities and spending to the city.
The Ways and Means Committee will meet September 22 at 1:30 p.m. in Minneapolis City Council chambers. Board members responded with marked cynicism to the idea that the City Council was would be receptive to public input.
“We plan for these meetings. We leave work early and we come and speak. And the City Council sleeps and checks email and wanders in and out and says they can’t stay because they have families to go home to as though the rest of us don’t,” said LCC Executive Director Melanie Majors. Majors was specifically referencing council members’ behavior at an August 20 public meeting to discuss the framework.
“I was at that same meeting,” said LCC President Ed Leaf. “It was really disrespectful.”
None of the approximately 25 people who spoke at the August meeting supported the Framework. According to board members, the City Council never responded to any of the public comments. Nor did it grant the requested 6-month extension for additional public comment, providing instead only two weeks.
Board Member Don Hammen described the City Council’s actions as a “blatant disregard for community input” and a “power grab on the part of the mayor.”
Olson suggested that some of the Council members already have made up their minds about NRP and weren’t interested in further discussion. “Well, at least they could fake it,” suggested Majors. “Maybe they think that they’re all going to get positions in state government when Rybak becomes governor,” said board member Jay Kelly.
Board members also chastised Colvin Roy for her lack of strong support for NRP. “Sandy (Colvin Roy) Cam (Gordon), and Gary (Schiff) keep saying they’re with us, but they aren’t very vocal,” said Kelly. “To me that’s non-support.”
Board member Judy Corrao reminded the board that Colvin Roy had pushed to get an additional public meeting in the first place. Corrao urged board members to go and speak regardless of their reception by City Council as a show of support for Colvin Roy’s efforts on their behalf. Olson pointed out that Colvin Roy had been instrumental in pushing forward an amendment that would allow the director of NRP to be chosen by the NRP Advisory Board rather than the city.
Olson promised to take all the board’s comments back to Colvin Roy.
46TH AND 46TH PROJECT: Olson reported that Master Development would like to build a five-story building to make the development economically viable. Olson assured the board that Colvin Roy would not support that height with the current setback.
Majors reminded Olson that the Longfellow neighborhood has a development plan. Allowing developers to buy lots and then leave them undeveloped for long periods of time is not part of it.
SHORT NOTICE ON STREET REPAVING: Board President Melissa Erjavec asked Olson to inform Colvin Roy of residents’ displeasure about the way in which the repaving of their streets and sidewalks was handled. Residents were given about two and a half weeks notice before the project’s start date. The assessed fee was approximately $1,000 per household.
The special assessor didn’t attend the public meeting on the project, leaving the project engineer to attempt to answer financial questions. “We were never shown a breakdown of where the costs were coming from. That would have been nice to see.” said Erjavec.
PROPERTY TAX RELIEF: Erjavec asked Olson about the possibility of property tax relief given the state of the economy and the drop in property values. Olson reported that Mayor Rybak has budgeted for a 6.87 percent increase this year as opposed to the eight percent increase in previous years.
HOVDE SITE DEVELOPMENT: The public will get a chance to vote on the new site plans at the community meeting on September 23 at Longfellow Park at 6:30 p.m. The proposed development consists of two-story town homes at 38th Avenue South and 34th Street East.
BOARD/COMMITTEE COMMUNICATIONS: Holly Breymaier, the chair of the Neighborhood Development Committee, addressed the board about the need for better and more open communication between the two bodies. Breymaier was prompted to ask to speak to the board in large part because of the letter that LCC recently sent to Seward ReDesign asking them to stop advertising themselves as the official developer of Greater Longfellow.
Breymaier expressed concern about the message that LCC and ReDesign’s parting might send to the City Council. “Firing someone who isn’t doing their job shows stewardship of money, rather than just rattling along wasting taxpayer money even though it’s not working,” board member Grace Bartels countered.
The larger issue that concerned both Breymaier and the board was the difficulty in communicating all board actions to the committees and vice versa. Board member Judy Corrao suggested that the board always ask itself whether or not the appropriate committee has vetted an issue before taking action on it. Everyone in attendance agreed with that premise. The LCC staff will also email board meeting agendas to all committee chairs as a reminder that they are invited to attend.
THE BEST GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING EVER STRIKES BACK: The sequel premieres October 23 at Minnehaha Academy North Campus, 3100 West River Parkway, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
NEXT: Board meeting, October 18, 2008
MEETINGS: 3rd Thursday monthly, 6:30 p.m., check www.longfellow.org or call 612-722-4529 for meeting location
CONTACT: 722-4529, www.longfellow.org
BORDERS: Mississippi River to Hiawatha Ave., Minnehaha Park to 27th St. railroad tracks
last revised: September 24, 2008