Merry Christmas to our Mill District Neighbors!

Wishing you a delicious Holiday filled with family and friends. :)

Bridge Connecting Boom Island and Nicollet Island Closed

Via a December 23 e-newsletter from the Minneapolis Park and Rec Board:

Beginning Friday, December 20, 2013, pedestrians may have noticed barriers at both ends of the old railroad/pedestrian bridge over the Mississippi River east channel from Boom Island to Nicollet Island to prevent vehicles, including Park Board maintenance vehicles, from crossing the bridge.

The closure follows a City of Minneapolis inspection report that notes the advanced state of deterioration of the superstructure below the bridge deck.

The Park Board has been informed that the bridge can still carry pedestrian traffic, so the bridge remains open for walkers and cyclists.

Park Board maintenance staff will continue to remove snow from the bridge using non-vehicular methods.

The Lifetime Fitness Commitment Day 5K race on January 1, 2014 will go on as scheduled following their planned route.

Vikings Stadium Construction - Week 5

Excavation continues.

We're attempting to publish a photo with this same view each week from the start of construction through the first game played at the new Minnesota Vikings Stadium in Downtown Minneapolis.

This Video Will Lure You to Aster Cafe

While checking out their upcoming events, I noticed this video on Aster Cafe's website and felt the need to share it.

PS - Their lemon pie is sooooooo good!  :)

Christmas Dinner and Skating at The Depot

Christmas is next week!  Enjoy a traditional Christmas dinner in the neighborhood from 4:00pm - 8:00pm at The Depot.  Added bonus - The ice rink will be open for skating from 12:00pm - 9:00pm!

       

Gold Medal Park to Be Preserved for 50 Years

The 50 year plan to preserve Gold Medal Park passed at the December 10, 2013 public hearing of the Minneapolis City Council Community Development Committee, and was approved 2 days later by the full City Council. Below is the video of the public hearing:

Download the staff report:

https://app.box.com/shared/static/dkgu9u4u203m519dxemn.pdf

Vikings Stadium Construction - Week 4

More equipment on site, excavation continues.

We're attempting to publish a photo with this same view each week from the start of construction through the first game played at the new Minnesota Vikings Stadium in Downtown Minneapolis.

December 14 Mill City Farmers Market - Food, Friends, Gifts

Beautiful arrangements from Gold Finch Flowers and gorgeous creations from St. Croix Chocolate Company added to the festive atmosphere of the December 14 Market.   The next indoor Market is Saturday, January 11, 2014.

It wouldn't be a Market without the Singing Hills goat!

Thank you to the Mill City Museum for providing the indoor Market space! :)

Spoonriver Announces Free Range Speed Dating - Coming in January

Here's a neat twist on the speed dating concept - Free Range Speed Dating at Spoonriver.  There are six dates scheduled, and each event will cater to a specific demographic, as listed in the below graphic. Sounds like a fun way to meet someone in your age range who also shares your interests.

Saturday: Indoor Mill City Farmers Market at the Mill City Museum

The Mill City Farmers Market will be overflowing with holiday goodies from 10:00am to 1:00pm Saturday, December 14.  Shop in the comfort of the Mill City Museum, have a bite to eat, reconnect with neighbors. :)

Registration Now Open for the Next Hennepin County Citizens Academy

The Hennepin County Citizens Academy begins Wednesday, March 19, 2014, and runs through May 7, 2014.  The seven weekly Wednesday sessions meet 6:30-9:00 p.m. and are held at a variety of facilities throughout the county, including in the cities of Bloomington, Medina, Minneapolis, Minnetonka, and Plymouth.  It's offered free to the public and provides residents the opportunity to meet in person with county government leaders and learn about all the services that keep employees busy year round. You will have the opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes tour of many of our facilities. Applicants must be at least eighteen (18) years old.

Tickets go very fast - register here.

KSTP Segment: New Plan to Prevent Graffiti on Grain Belt Beer Sign

Minneapolis Parks Foundation Releases Water Works Park Community Input Survey

Via a December 10 e-newsletter from the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board:

Community members invited to participate, Dec. 10, 2013 – Jan. 10, 2014

Minneapolis, Minn. – “What would make a new park on the Minneapolis Central Riverfront a top destination for you?” That’s the big question at the heart of a new community input survey released today by the Minneapolis Parks Foundation (MPF) and its Water Works park project partner, the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board (MPRB). Community members can access the survey through January 10, 2014, via MPF and MPRB websites, or at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/waterworksinput.

Water Works is a future year-round destination park on the Mississippi Riverfront in the heart of Minneapolis, the largest city in Minnesota. It’s a Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board-owned site overlooking the great river’s only true waterfall – St. Anthony Falls. Before any European settlement of the area, the river, especially the falls, were spiritual destinations for Native Americans. This powerful natural force is also where Minneapolis was established and, for over a century, the milling industry flourished. Today, it is situated on the edge of downtown Minneapolis within both a growing mixed-use neighborhood and the St. Anthony Falls Heritage District.

Part of the future Water Works park will be incorporated into Central Mississippi Riverfront Regional Park, which is already rich in natural features rare in such an urban setting. The Regional Park draws 1.8 million visitors a year to experience the waterfall and explore built features such as the elegant Stone Arch Bridge, Mill Ruins Park, the Mill City Museum and Lock and Dam.

The Water Works community input survey is part of a broader comprehensive community engagement strategy developed by MPRB to involve the public in Central Riverfront Regional Park Master Plan revision process. Water Works is one of the key sites within the Central Riverfront Regional Park. Community members have the opportunity to share current interests and activities, as well as what kinds of experiences they’d like to have in the future park.

“By participating in this survey, the public helps Water Works partners and designers better understand the interests, needs and values that the community wants to see reflected in the design of the new park,” says Mary deLaittre, Executive Director of the Minneapolis Parks Foundation.

MPF and MPRB will share survey responses with the Water Works Design Team, as well as the Community and Technical Advisory Committees assembled by MPRB to inform in the Central Riverfront Regional Park Master Planning process. Responses will also be posted on the MPF blog, at http://MplsParksFoundation.org/blog, and made available by MPRB.

The Minneapolis Parks Foundation is co-leading Water Works park design with MPRB. This project phase, called schematic design, is being wholly funded by donations and foundation grants to the Water Works Fund at the Minneapolis Parks Foundation, an independent nonprofit.

About the Minneapolis Parks Foundation
The Minneapolis Parks Foundation helps ensure the health of the Twin Cities by creating the Next Generation of Parks™ to enjoy today and for generations to come. We are the private-sector leader of the RiverFirst Initiative and Water Works, two design-based adaptive reuse parks projects on "America's fourth coast,” the Mississippi River. Our Next Generation of Parks™ Lecture Series introduces the most innovative parks designers globally to the Twin Cities for free interactive presentations and engage in dialogue with stakeholders and communities. We also seek to empower the next generation of parks designers and citizen-planners through our SiteSeeing urban design curriculum.

About the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board
With 182 park properties totaling nearly 6,732 acres of land and water, the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board provides places and recreation opportunities for all people to gather, celebrate, contemplate, and engage in activities that promote health, well-being, community, and the environment. Each year, approximately 18 million visits are made to the nationally acclaimed Minneapolis park system. Its urban forests, natural areas and waters endure and captivate. Its Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway, neighborhood parks, recreation centers and diversified programming have made the Minneapolis park system an important component of what makes Minneapolis a great place to live, play and work. To learn more about the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, visit http://www.minneapolisparks.org.

# # #

Water Works is Supported By:
St. Anthony Falls Heritage Board | Jay & Rose Phillips Family Foundation
Pentair Foundation | Many Generous Donors

Additional Funding Provided By:
McKnight Foundation | George Family Foundation| Curtis L. Carlson Foundation

Contact:
Janette Aldrich Law 
Director – External Relations
Minneapolis Parks Foundation 
Email: janette@mplsparksfoundation.org
Phone 612-822-3407

Dawn Sommers
Communications & Marketing
Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board
Email: dsommers@minneapolisparks.org
Office: 612-230-6407
Cell:612-221-9155

MPRB Commissioners Speak Out on Crown Hydro - Video

Video excerpts from MPRB Commissioners Anita Tabb, Scott Vreeland, John Erwin and Liz Wielinski at the recent Crown Hydro public meeting:

Tomorrow - Gold Medal Park Hearing at City Hall

Community Development Committee Agenda

Standing Committee of the City Council, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Regular Meeting

December 10, 2013

1:30 p.m. - Room 317 City Hall

Public Hearings 1:30 p.m.

Department of Community Planning & Economic Development (CPED)

1. Gold Medal Park (1000 2nd St S, 1010 2nd St S, 1028 2nd St S):

a) Authorize a lease amendment with the Park Development Foundation for the City-owned portion of Gold Medal Park;

b) Approve the use as park space of a portion of Parcel A-2 that the Guthrie Theater Foundation proposes to sell to the Park Development Foundation, and waive the City’s one-time option to reacquire that portion of the property; 

c) Authorize execution of documents and agreements as are reasonably necessary to implement the lease amendment and waiver (Also in W&M/Budget).

Download Staff Report:  Gold Medal Pk RCA; Gold Medal Pk MAP1; Gold Medal Pk MAP2

Vikings Stadium Construction - Week 3

They started digging up the east parking lot last week.

We're attempting to publish a photo with this same view each week from the start of construction through the first game played at the new Minnesota Vikings Stadium in Downtown Minneapolis.

Fun Holiday Gift Ideas from the Minneapolis Park and Rec Board

Our friends at the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) would like to remind everyone that they offer unique gifts that will delight loved ones and help support the parks.

Their gift cards can be applied toward outdoor fun at the Wirth Winter Recreation Area, health and fitness activities, environmental programs, cross-country skiing passes, snowboarding, golf, and dog parks. How about an annual parking permit for easy access to parks, gardens and trails?

Click to view the MPRB Holiday Gift Guide.

Capella Tower on a Frigid Morning in Downtown Minneapolis

It was -5 degrees when I took this a few minutes ago.  The Capella Tower does not usually create an upward beam as seen below.  I speculate ice crystals from nearby powerplants caused this cool effect.

DID Requests Participation in the Annual Downtown Minneapolis Perception Survey

The Minneapolis Downtown Improvement District (DID) is hosting the Annual Downtown Minneapolis Perception Survey.  They request we participate in this survey and forward the below link to residents, fellow employees/colleagues, students, etc., to help the Minneapolis DID collect much needed feedback from the Downtown Minneapolis community.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PerceptionSurvey2013

Central Mississipp​i Riverfront Regional Park Master Plan Charrette Meetings

Via a December 4 e-newsletter from the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board:

Central Mississipp​i Riverfront Regional Park Master Plan Charrette Meetings

The Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board will host a two-day charrette to gather public input for the Central Mississippi Riverfront Regional Park Master Plan. This is the third charrette of five for the Master Plan and will focus on Nicollet Island and its connections.  A charrette is an intensive creative session intended to generate alternative approaches to a design problem. It is a way to immerse a project team with key stakeholders and the community in a real-time, iterative learning and creative process. Please join us!

Charrette Public Meeting Day 1:

Date - 12/10/13 - Tuesday

Time - 8:00am to 10:00am

Location – Nicollet Island Pavilion – 40 Power Street, Minneapolis

Teams - Central Riverfront Master Plan Team

Meeting Info: Comment and feedback to define key site program issues, possibilities, and limitations for Nicollet Island.

Charrette Public Meeting Day 2:

Date - 12/11/13 - Wednesday

Time - 4:00pm to 5:30pm

Location - Nicollet Island Pavilion – 40 Power Street, Minneapolis

Teams - Central Riverfront Master Plan Team

Meeting Info: Review preliminary design framework plan and concepts for Nicollet Island completed during the charrette.

The Park Board encourages the public to stop by the Nicollet Island Pavilion to share ideas, concerns and priorities with the Central Mississippi Riverfront Regional Park design team.  Later in December, ideas from this two-day charrette will be presented to the project advisory committees for discussion.

For more information, please go to the MPRB project page.

Contact:        Tyler Pederson, Landscape Architect
Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board
612-230-6418
tpederson@minneapolisparks.org