Dog park site selected
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Last night the Minneapolis Park Board Planning Committee voted to place an off leash dog area within a park maintenance center in south Minneapolis.
New park planning head brings open “studio” approach
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Northeast, Nicollet Island and Marcy Holmes neighborhood activists and park lovers thought of it as an annoying parting gift from a former parks superintendent—a grandiose plan for Boom Island and
Webber master plan is on the table
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Webber Park is getting a $4 million dollar makeover and the timing couldn’t be better.
October 2011 community news roundup: Ruffling feathers and tweeting up a storm
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It’s the time of year when Minnesota twirls around in a fury before settling on its haunches to create its Black Swan-esque representation of the darkest, coldest months. In preparation for the covert winterlong nesting process, we pick at our problems, molt away the unnecessary ones, and forget our habits entirely, only to wake up in the feathered haze of a daylong snowstorm that keeps us locked in and self-aware for the rest of the winter.So, let’s look away from ourselves, erring city people that we are, and turn our heads to those who are used to watching the migrators. No, I’m not talking about those who work at arts nonprofits who keep an eye on the project-based freelance—I’m talking about those who stoke a Minnesota tradition that has to be older than community development: bird-watching.This month, in the community papers surveyed for this segment, there were four bird-watching columns, and because news judgment is entirely subjective, this month’s Community News Roundup will be examined first through the lens of the ornithological observers.The undisputed leader in local birdwatching journalism—largely because anything that happens in South Minneapolis always seems universally representative of our pedestrian yet progressive nature in the metro area as a whole—is John Karrigan’s Powderhorn Birdwatch. This month, Birdwatch reports on a glut of toads, which are evidently more prevalent than birds at this time of year. “There was another good toad night recently and there are probably a lot of good toad nights ahead,” writes Karrigan, reminding us to get out of our air-minded myopia and take a look and a listen to the ground once in a while. Continue Reading
The park with the bricks
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There is a lot of park land here in St. Paul, MN. There are city parks, county parks, regional parks, state parks and national parks.
College Park stormwater project to be outlined at July 12 meeting
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A public meeting about a proposed stormwater infiltration-and-treatment project at College Park will be held Tuesday, July 12, at 7 p.m. at the St. Anthony Park Branch Library, 2245 Como Ave.
Trees and branches block Luce Line Trail after Minnesota’s July 1 “shutdown storm”
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A line of storms that whipped up violent straight-line winds across much of Southern and Central Minnesota hit Hutchinson’s city forest hard Friday night.
By yesterday afternoon, most of the debris had been removed from city streets and the Luce Line Trail in town. Once joggers and bicyclists using the trail reach city limits, it’s a different story.
Camping with the speaker
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It’s time to pack the minivan, make sure there’s no holes in the tent and the cooler is full of beer (or juice). Schools across the state are ending, summer break is upon us and that means it’s camping season, right?
Legacy funds remain unspent
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The legislative session ended with House members unable to agree on how to spend nearly $450 million in Legacy money.In the waning three hours of the 2011 legislative session, House members voted 119-14 to send the Legacy funding bill back to a conference committee after the chairman of the committee cited concerns with the bill, and said he did not sign the conference report because of a “timing issue.”“I had questions regarding the open meeting provision,” said Rep. Dean Urdahl (R-Grove City), who supported the motion to refuse to adopt the report.Then after a short recess, he supported a motion by Rep. Denny McNamara (R-Hastings) to reconsider adopting the report and the final hours became a legacy of debate.HF1061/ SF1363* would remove the requirement that the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council be subject to the Open Meeting Law. Instead, the council would fall under less stringent meeting laws that the Legislature and Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources fall under.The bill also would strike language adopted last year designed to ensure the unelected council is transparent and accountable for the Legacy funds it receives.“I have many, many concerns about this,” said Rep. Mary Liz Holberg (R-Lakeville). Holberg is respected by other legislators as being the most knowledgeable about the Open Meeting Law.Rep. Mary Murphy (DFL-Hermantown) said Bill Becker, the council director, testified that the council had no problem complying with the Open Meeting Law. Some council members have expressed concerns in monthly meetings about trading emails or appearing at the same events when a quorum may be present.Legislators said there was no urgency to passing the bill prior to the impending adjournment because none of the money appropriated is available until the biennial budget for the appropriate agencies is enacted. Most of the major finance bills are still waiting for action by the governor.One of the other key issues members objected to was the distribution of the Parks and Trails Fund. Continue Reading
The New Normal on the ground in South Minneapolis: Q&A with Silivia Pérez Sánchez
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Silvia Pérez Sánchez is fond of saying that since God has given her the gift of organizing, she’d better do something with it. And that she has. Pérez Sánchez has been gaining momentum in her efforts to organize Latina women in Powderhorn Park and Corcoran neighborhoods in Minneapolis. A resident of Powderhorn Park and a community organizer at Corcoran Neighborhood Organization, she’s developed a community garden, turned out Latinos for neighborhood events, and trained women in her Latina women’s group, Mujeres en Acción y Poder (Women in Action and Power). Here she talks about safety, youth involvement, beautification and other challenges facing the two neighborhoods.