A night walk on E. 38th St. between 24th Ave. S. and the light rail station can be a dark and unwelcoming experience. Some residents believe additional lighting along this stretch would go a long way toward improving safety and establishing a sense of a welcoming community. To this end, they have started an effort to have more street lighting installed.
Francy Scurato, a block club leader on E. 38th St., has been leading this effort. She will continue to knock on doors, and will be talking to folks about the petition every Sunday in April from 1:00 to 3:00
p.m. at the Angry Catfish Bicycle and Coffee Bar (4208 28th Ave. S.).
The lighting project would be funded by a 20-year assessment of the properties within 100 feet of the lighting installation. The rough cost estimate is from $0.75 to $1.00 per property square foot in the assessment zone. An initial petition must garner 35% support from those who would be financially affected by this project. This would be followed up by a process that requires 70% of affected
property owners to return a signed letter indicating acceptance of the petition/assessment.
The project would then be reviewed by the Minneapolis Planning Board. A capital appropriation would need to be made, which requires a public hearing at the Minneapolis City Council. Then bonds could be sold to allow the project to move forward. The project is estimated to cost less than $350,000.
The streetlights would be 15-ft. poles, with the option of lantern or acorn fixtures. Residents can see examples installed on 13th Ave. N.E. between Main St. and Washington Ave. and on Chicago Ave. S. between 8th and 17th streets. Poles and fixtures would be black, dark-skies-compliant, and have no uplight and minimal side light.
Francy knows that the process could take six months or more. She hopes that the neighborhood will support businesses and residents by working together to create a safe place to live, work, and play. She can be reached at fscurato@gmail.com.
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