The Latest from the Greatest (Neighborhood, that is…)

Soup with the Supe

Minneapolis School Superintendent Bernadeia Johnson will be in Northeast on Thursday, December 8, for another of her Soup with the Supe conversations with families and residents of the neighborhood.  The event includes food, student entertainment and free child care for children age 3 and up.  It’s 6-8 p.m. at Northeast Middle School, 2955 Hayes Street NE.  Spanish, Hmong and Somali interpreters will be available.  Free and open to the public.

 

Northeast Seniors on the Move

Northeast Senior Services, for the past three years in residence at Northeast United Methodist Church, has moved to Autumn Woods, 2580 Kenzie Terrace.  They are in the senior building, Suite 2A.  The phone number and email remain the same 612 781 5096 or mail@neseniors.org.

Kay Anderson, Executive Director, hints that an open house for members andneighbors may be forthcoming – details to follow.

Change Comes to President’s Bike Boulevard

What’s happening in Northeast – would you believe proposed road construction!  The current challenge comes from a proposed median at Polk Street and Lowry Avenue.  The proposal and the anticipated President’s Bike Boulevard will be discussed at a special meeting on Thursday, December 15, 6-7 p.m. at Audubon Park Recreation Center, 1320 39^th Avenue NE.

The rationale in support of the change includes slowed traffic on Lowry as well as a safe stopping space for bicycles and pedestrians crossing Lowry at Polk.  Negative impacts would include reduced parking on Lowry and no left turn from Lowry onto Polk/Polk to Lowry.  Motorists would also not be able to travel North-South on Polk at Lowry.

A decision by the City Council on the road changes and the impact on the President’s Bike Boulevard will be made in January.

PACIM Wigilia Dinner

A fundraiser for needy Polish orphanages, the traditional Polish Christmas Eve meal will be held at the Gasthof Restaurant, 2300 University Avenue NE, Minneapolis from 6:00 until 8:00 PM on Sunday, December 11. This community celebration features breaking of opłatek, traditional foods and singing of koledy. Same wonderful menu as last year. Tickets are $35. They can be purchased by mail by sending your check made out to PACIM to Paul Rog, 1213 Monroe Street NE, Minneapolis 55413. Be sure to include the names of the people attending and any special seating requirements you may have. For more information, contact Paul at 612-789-5972.

 

 

 

 

 

A Digital Tour of the City’s Tree Canopy

Now that the leaves are (mostly) raked, bagged or mulched it’s a good time to reflect on the “tree canopy” that is so essential this community’s character, beauty, property values and air quality.  The mapping study of the Minneapolis tree canopy, now available online, offers an intriguing tool for studying the tree canopy of the city, your neighborhood, industrial areas.  Though the study is really designed for planners, including neighborhoods, to target resources, the tool is simple for the curious as well as the serious user.  The full study is posted online.

 

The study that created the mapping tool was conducted by the University of Minnesota Remote Sensing and Geogspatial Analysis Laboratory for the city of Minneapolis.  The statistics are fascinating in and of themselves.  For example, in Minneapolis 979,000 trees cover 32% of the city.  The majority of Minneapolis trees are green ash (14.4%), Sugar maple (13.3%), Norway maple (11.8%), littleleaf linden (10.4%) and the American elm (9.9%)  Who know!

 

Because urban trees are such an important resource, the city’s tree canopy is tracked as part of the annual Minneapolis Sustainability Indicators.  That website has a whole section on Mapping the Canopy.  The City and Park and Rec work together to maintain a healthy urban forest.

 

The City of Minneapolis includes links to further research on all of this and much more, including a very helpful listing of resources on the care and upkeep of urban trees – everything you ever wanted to know about planting, pruning, watering, dealing with insects and diseases including the Emerald Ash Borer.  One key link is to the Forestry Division of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.

 

Though I freely admit that I got only as far as the interactive map that alone offered a visual and understandable overview of the canopy for the total non-arborist.  Manipulating the map was far more informative – and more fun – than gathering the fall manifestation of those beautiful trees.  The map made me realize anew just what an important resource this “tree canopy” is, even when the boughs are bare.  Truth to tell, a snow laden tree in winter is a beautiful sight to contemplate – and then there is that first fragile green of spring….I can see it now.

Northeast Emerges as a Theater District

 

As someone (Shakespeare or Edward deVere, Earl of Oxford, depending on your take on the Anonymous controversy) once wrote that “All the world’s a stage.”  These days Northeast Minneapolis is becoming a stage as one after another theater group takes up residence in the community.

 

Of course there has always been a rich theater tradition in the Northeast arts community.  For example, Ballet of the Dolls, housed at the Ritz Theater, 345 13^th Avenue Northeast, has been in the neighborhood for over 25 years.

 

Others are welcome newcomers.  In recent days and weeks I have made some theater discoveries that are close to my Windom Park neighborhood.  To be sure, the few mentioned here are the ones to which I can walk; they suggest a small sample of the wide range of theater with which Northeast is replete.  Because listings of theaters are somewhat iffy, the best advice is to check the local press – and to keep your eyes open as you walk the friendly neighborhoods of Northeast.

 

For example, just this week I walked by the former Hollywood movie theater, 2815-2819 Johnson Northeast, where a crew of movers was hauling tons of props and furniture and who knows what into the long-abandoned theater.  Of course, I poked around to learn more about the company just moving into the theater, the Savage Umbrella.

 

The theater company is not new or new to Northeast, but new to the Hollywood where The Ravagers, their next show opens November 4. The Ravagers is a world premiere play by Blake E. Bolan with Laura Leffler McCabe, collaboratively created with Savage Umbrella.  It opens November 4, with productions slated for November 4-6, 10-14, 17-19, all starting at 7:30 with tickets $12.50 – no one turned away for lack of funds.  Tickets available at Brown Paper Tickets.  Thusfar I haven’t paid a “welcome” call at the Savage Umbrella troupe because I know just how busy they are.

 

Recently I wrote about the Morris Park Players who last year moved from their long-time home in South Minneapolis to Edison High School, 700 22^nd Avenue Northeast.

The Morris Park Players production of the classic Hello Dolly, on stage now at Edison.

 

And just the other day I sat down for a delightful chat with Liz Neerland who, with her husband Josh Cragun, is breathing life into the Nimbus Theatre, 1517 Central Avenue Northeast, which opened last spring and will premiere its second production of this theater season, Georg Buchner’s Woyczak  on December 2.  Details of that chat are on my blog, Poking Around with Mary or on Twin Cities Daily Planet.

 

Late fall and winter can be the perfect time to explore the neighborhood and to spend an afternoon or evening enjoying a fresh new theater production or to share an old favorite with new audiences.   A good play, well-produced and acted by talented folks, is indeed the thing!

 

 

Don’t Dump on Northeast Redux

 

“Don’t Dump on Northeast” signs that once marched boldly across Northeast have faded and faded from view.  The threat has not.  In fact, the Minneapolis-Hennepin County proposal to construct a “recycling and drop-off center” in the Holland neighborhood, at 340 27^th Avenue NE near University Avenue, is currently boiling on the “front burner” at City Hall. The “Don’t Dump on Northeast” campaign has engaged all of the Northeast neighborhoods.

 

Though Holland residents are most immediately affected, other neighborhoods, including my own Windom Park, are concerned about a host of issues including pollution, truck traffic, and the inclination of City officials to dismiss the concerns of Minneapolitans who happen to live East of the Mississippi.

Spring 2012 is the proposed start of construction of the site which is projected to be fully operational by spring 2013.  The project as outlined by the City will include two buildings that will house separate functions:  The first building, approximately 26,000 square feet, will contain the Hennepin County Household Hazardous Waste Drop-Off Center (HHDC) and support offices.  The second building, termed the Voucher Program Building (VPB), is approximately 22,800 square feet and is planned to operate as a drop-off point for construction and demolition materials and clean up debris for the City of Minneapolis voucher program whereby residents receive City vouchers to unload “household debris.”

More details re. the City-County plan for the Recycling-Drop-off Center  are laid out in a recent detailed document with copious links to detailed reports, maps, studies, and other government-produced information.

And then there are the opinions of the affected Northeasters who have consistently and persistently organized and protested the City-County plan.  When local residents sued to stop the project, largely on the basis that the dump does not meet zoning requirements, they were held at bay by the City Attorney’s contention that “the city will move to dismiss the lawsuit because no application is yet pending for the facility with the city.”

Another major bone of contention between Northeasters and the City of Minneapolis concern the very purpose of the facility.  The City and County prefer the more benign “recycling and drop-off center” terminology.  At the same time, plans seem to call for the move of the Hennepin County Southside Transfer Station to the site.  Statistics indicate that only 1/3 of the materials at the Southside Transfer Station are recycled.  Residents’ challenge on this issue could put a crimp in the plans for a joint City-County venture.

In spite of City officials’ assertion that there are no definite plans, residents argue that the taxpayers have already invested $2 million in the planning process.  Opponents also object to the fact that several City staffers with whom they had been working have been reassigned.

The facts are indisputable:  1) The City continues to work on a recycling-drop off center (whatever it’s to be named) and 2) opposition to what is locally known as “the dump” in Northeast is alive and well.  In today’s E-Democracy post local activist and Holland resident Bruce Shoemaker writes:

It’s time for the City (or the few proponents for this that are left among City staff) to face reality,[to] stop wasting their time and our money, and give up on the current plan.  The opponents – who have won every neighborhood vote that has taken place in Northeast by substantial margins – aren’t going away.  Every step of the process is going to be under intense scrutiny.  We have a strong and compelling legal argument and a substantial majority of our community on our side and we are going to prevail.

 

 

 

 

 

Live Northeast. Educate Northeast – Showcase November 12

Once again the schools of Northeast are collaborating to host the 6th annual Northeast School Showcase. It’s Saturday, November 12, 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. at Thomas Edison High School Community Gym, 700 22nd Avenue Northeast.

The showcase offers a one-stop look at how you can map out an awesome K-12 journal in a Northeast school – Pillsbury, Waite Park (for PK-5), Northeast (6-8), Sheridan (PK-8), March (K-8), Edison (9-12) and Emerson (PK-5 Spanish Immersion)

Free activities for parents and children.

The Showcase is sponsored by PEN (Public Education Northeast), a collaborative organization supporting Minneapolis Public Schools in Northeast. For more information visit http://publicedne.blogspot.com/ or call Jenn Bennington 612 578 8616.

Dolly in Northeast — It’s So Nice to Have You Back Where You Belong!

Morris Park Players are celebrating their 100th production with one of America’s perennial favorites, Hello, Dolly! Beginning Friday, October 28, Dolly will strut her stuff on stage at the Edison High School Auditorium, 700 22nd Avenue Northeast. Performances continue through mid-November with 7:30 performances continuing on November 4,5,10,11 and 12 and 2:00 matinee performances on October 29 and November 6.

Though Morris Park Players have a long history in Minneapolis their move to Northeast is more recent. The troupe began as the Morris Park Father Singers in spring 1952. Over the years, the group transformed and expanded its repertoire, first changing in 1968 to the Morris Park Singers, and again in 1981 to its present name, Morris Park Players.

For many years Morris Park Players performed at Folwell Middle School in South Minneapolis. Over the past 55 years they have mounted some 100 productions, a fact they are celebrating with the ever ebullient Dolly!
The intent of the Morris Park Players is to provide quality musical theatre to the community as well as many opportunities for individuals to contribute and develop their talents. The move to Edison continues their partnership with the Minneapolis Public Schools and establishes their position “ in the midst of the vibrant arts community in ‘Nordeast’.
Tickets for Dolly are $15 for adults, $12 for students and seniors. Groups of ten or more should call 612 724 8373. Tickets may be purchased online at morrisparkplayers.org – or find the Players on Facebook or Twitter. There’s a special Alumni Night and celebration of the 100th production on Friday evening, November 11 – details online.

All Politics Are Local – In Windom Park at least

An historic 111 Windom Park residents braved the chill to show up on the monthly meeting of Windom Park Citizens in Action on Tuesday, October 18. Judging from the early exodus of several newbies one might conclude that the draw was a hotly-contested neighborhood vote on a proposed liquor store at Stinson Marketplace, in space recently vacated by Rosacker’s.. A proposal to oppose the liquor store initiative went down to defeat in what seemed to many a confusing vote.

When the dust settled the remaining residents grappled with a wide range of major issues affecting Northeast in general, Windom Park in particular. One that received short schrift at this meeting was the issue of revamping/closing the I35 exit ramp at Johnson/Stinson/New Brighton Boulevard. That discussion was deferred till public discussion sponsored by Hennepin County, the City of Minneapolis and MnDot. That discussion is October 25, 5-7 p.m. at the Northeast Recreation Center, 1615 Pierce Street NE.

Much more time was spent in exploration of the proposals relating to riverfront development. That discussion, led by Representative Diane Loeffler, covered a wide range of options and issues including environmental, fiscal and development implications. Loefler pointed out the input periods on a wide range of proposals is brief and that the time to learn and to act is immediate. Action on multiple fronts has profound implications for development of the neighborhoods East of the river, including Windom Park. The issue deserves and demands far deeper research and opportunities for resident participation.

The annual meeting of Windom Park Citizens in Action is set for November 15, 7:00 p.m. at Pillsbury School, 2251 Hayes Street NE. One item on the agenda for that meeting is election of Board of Directors.

Additional information at info@windompark.org or www.windompark.org.

Deming Heights – a Northeast Minneapolis hidden treasure

Looking for some autumn fun?  Try packing camera and maybe a snatch of buttery Scandinavian treats for a climb up Norwegian Hill.  It’s in beautiful Northeast Minneapolis, on St. Anthony Parkway near Fillmore in the peaceful and shaded depths of Deming Heights Park, a ten acre jewel of the Grand Rounds system.  You’ll be viewing Minneapolis from one of the several vantage points purported to be the city’s highest peak, 963 feet above sea level.  There are, of course, rival claims, including one that Waite Park School at 1800 34^th Avenue rests at the pinnacle of the city; other locals aver that Johnson Street NE and 34^th Avenue tops Norwegian Hill by a good ten feet!

No mind, on a clear day the legendary Norwegian Hill  offers a fine opportunity to see forever.  Though one can only surmise the origins of the name of this locally famous pinnacle everyone in Northeast seems to know just where it is and why it’s worth the trip.

The origins of Deming Heights Park are easier to trace.  Portius C. Deming, for whom the park is named, was a park commissioner in the last years of the 19^th Century and again from 1909-1919..  When the land for St. Anthony Parkway, including today’s Deming Heights, was acquired in 1913 the park was first known as Grandview Park.  It appears that Commissioner Deming thought the name aptly described the panorama.  Apt as that name may have been, the elegant wooded area was re-named to honor the commissioner himself when he died in 1930.

The recognition reflects Commissioner Deming’s commitment to the development of the city, particularly his persistent support of the North and Northeast sections of the Grand Rounds.  Capturing the vision of the commissioners and the genius of landscape architect Horace Cleveland with the informed support of community leaders Charles Loring and William Folwell the Grand Rounds thrive today as a hallmark of the City of Lakes.

Suffice to say, Portius Deming deserves the naming honor conferred on him.  Construction of the Grand Rounds is a story of vision, yes, but also of intense politics, bartering, badgering, public/private sector negotiation, finances, land acquisition/donation, weather, equipment and more. This snippet from the definitive history of the parkway areas of Minneapolis offers a glimpse of the day-to-day business with which Deming and his fellow commissioners grappled.

Through the relocation of University Avenue, the State Highway Department has brought about a very satisfactory grade separation with the avenue passing underneath the boulevard. On September 25, 1924, the various commercial clubs of Southeast and Northeast Minneapolis staged a gals parade and dedication exercises at Columbia Park, marking the formal opening of St. Anthony Boulevard.

The entire St. Anthony Boulevard project, exclusive of the Armour Tract, was financed as follows:  3/9 city bonds, 2/9 city-wide assessments, and  4.9 benefited district assessment.  Many favorable conditions during the construction period, such as available equipment, reduced cost of material, etc, made it possible not only to keep the total expenditure well within the estimates, but permitted the purchase of additional lots east of the parkway intersection at Central Avenue and at Deming Heights, which has greatly enhanced those sections of the Parkway

*It’s a story the depths of which I have yet not plumbed though it remains a goal for future posts to tell more of the story of the vision of Horace Cleveland and of the Commissioners that shaped the seven parkways that comprise today’s Grand Rounds.

Magnificent new Mosaic at the East Side Food Cooperative

I was fortunate enough last week
to be on hand for the final touch-up of magnificent mosaic mural that now
graces the South external wall of the Eastside Food Cooperative.  The work of art, created by area youth under
the mentorship of artist Sharra Frank, is stunning – a happy visual respite for
Central Avenue travelers.

ArtsWork, a
project of COMPASS,
employs young people during the summer months, giving them an opportunity to
learn a skill, to learn some income, and to experience the work that an artist
does.

The formal
installation was part of the community BBQ sponsored by the Eastside Food
Cooperative.

Bonneville Models Grassroots Management Style

For the past eleven years Gayle Bonneville has been the sparkplug, the glue and the institutional memory of my Windom Park neighborhood.  Two afternoons a week she’s posted on Lowry and Stinson where I have spent hundreds of hours waiting for the bus, reading the many messages neatly posted in the window, and wondering about who keeps the neighborhood on an even keel.  Now I know that it is Gayle Bonneville who manages to split her busy days between Windom Park and West St. Anthony neighborhoods, keeping a wide swath of Northeast Minneapolis informed, in touch, and, above all, engaged.  No easy task for this diminutive woman who somehow manages to balance two active nonprofits at the same time she energizes the neighborhoods and reaches out as an active denizen of several social media networks.

Windom Park Citizens in Action (WPCIA) is an independent nonprofit that is the city-designated organization for this Northeast Minneapolis neighborhood.  It is also the Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP) contracting organization for the Windom Park neighborhood.  Working with a nine-member board and committees Gayle steers a steady course helping residents to identify neighborhood needs, plan and implement solutions, and enhance the quality of life for neighborhood residents.

Gayle is adamant in her insistence that it is the neighbors who make the decisions that shape the community.  An ardent believer in grassroots engagement Gayle spends much of her precious time informing and involving the community at large.  Monthly neighborhood meetings, announced broadly online and by postcard, draw a healthy mix of concerned neighbors.  Increasingly Gayle is turning to social media to share the word.  A striking example of Windom Park’s participatory environment is a recent survey of the neighborhood, conducted online and on paper, in English and Spanish.  Residents were queried about a broad range of imminent and long-tern options; at this time the board is delving through the returns to present the results and the challenge of decision-making to the membership.  Though drastic cuts in NRP funding render those decisions painful at best Gayle insists the tough choices will be made by the neighbors not staff or board.

Currently, Gayle is working with WPCIA’s Community Land Use and Planning committee, NRP, and a mix of home improvement and security loan programs.  As a concerned citizen volunteer she continues to grapple with future development of Shoreham Yards – a political, environmental, legal and regulatory quagmire that would fell a lesser mortal

To contact Gayle with questions or suggestions, email info@windompark.org,   For a listing of board, committee and task force members, meetings and responsibilities, check the Windom Park website – better yet, volunteer to serve.  Watch your mailbox and e-list for notices of WPCIA meetings – sign up for e-mail notices here.  The next WPCIA meeting is set for Tuesday, August 16, 7-9 p.m., Pillsbury School Annex, 2551 Hayes – free parking, treats, child care upon request, a chance to learn and have your say about the future of our neighborhood!