Tuesday Night - North Loop Neighborhood Association Meeting

The North Loop Neighborhood Association August meeting is Wednesday night at 7:00PM.  Download the agenda:

https://app.box.com/shared/static/21k84b1i89z0u0ginl2s.pdf

[Download] Marcy Holmes Neighborhood Master Plan

The Marcy-Holmes Neighborhood Association recently completed a process to update the Marcy Holmes Neighborhood Master Plan. During the same time period, a parallel planning process was conducted for the Dinkytown business district, coordinated with business district stakeholders. The intent was to provide a unified planning framework for the neighborhood, with some in-depth recommendations specifically for the business district. The Dinkytown Business District Plan will be an appendix to the new Marcy-Holmes Neighborhood Master Plan. The recommendations from the Dinkytown plan are also incorporated directly into the Marcy-Holmes plan document. 

Download the plan...

[Download] Nicollet Island – East Bank Small Area Plan

The Nicollet Island – East Bank Small Area Plan (SAP) project objective is to define the community’s vision for future development in the Nicollet Island – East Bank (NI-EB) area over a 20 year time horizon.

This project was initiated in spring, 2013 by the Nicollet Island – East Bank Neighborhood Association (NIEBNA) Board of Directors with the support of the Northeast Business Association (NEBA) and in coordination with the Community Development and Economic Development (CPED) Department of the City of Minneapolis. The planning process is now complete, and the plan is ready for review.

Download the plan...

Week 16 at the Mill City Farmers Market

August 23 marked the long-awaited arrival of new Market vendor, Red Table Meat Co.  Watch for a separate posting on the Farmers Market blog later this week.

Black Cat loads up the grill for the breakfast rush.

Proud new owner of an ArtAndes woven work of art.

Herbs!

Volunteers help assure the maximum amount of waste makes it to the compost bin.

Yay! The return of Sonny's Sweet Corn ice cream! :D

The goat!

Parkway Closures for Sunday, August 24 (Minneapolis Duathlon)

The following parkways will be temporarily closed from 7:00am to 12:00 Noon on Sunday, August 24, for the Minneapolis Duathlon:

-  West River Parkway from Minnehaha to Plymouth Avenue
-  East River Parkway from Franklin Avenue to University Avenue
-  Main Street from 3rd Avenue to 6th Avenue

Please note that the duration of the closures is subject to change based on the event's start and finish times. A complete list of current and upcoming parkway closures is available online.

August 22-28 Programming from The Film Society of Minneapolis St. Paul

Showing August 22-28 at The Film Society's St. Anthony Main Theatre for an Exclusive Engagement is the Sundance zombie rom-com LIFE AFTER BETH. Starring Aubrey Plaza as Beth, the once-dead girlfriend to Zach (Dane DeHaan), who miraculously returns home to the delight of her grieving parents (played by John C. Reilly & Molly Shannon). However, the surreality of her sudden appearance is not lost on Zach as others who were once long gone begin to seemingly come back from the dead. More Info.

August 23 at 1pm (one show only), The Film Society presents an encore screening of the National Theatre’s 2012 hit play The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, based on the best-selling novel by Mark Haddon. More Info.

Thursday, August 28 at 7pm (one night only), The Film Society presents a screening of the locally made documentary TWILIGHT OF THE MISSISSIPPI as part of the Science on Screen film series. University of Minnesota Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Conservation Biology Professor Przemek Bajer, PhD will give a talk before the film that briefly reviews the changes that have occurred in the Mississippi and other major world rivers over the last few decades, including the introduction of invasive fish and recent efforts to control their spread and abundance. Science on Screen is ongoing series pairing science themed films with real science lectures, and is made possible through a grant by the Coolidge Corner Theatre, with support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. More Info.

Ongoing through Sunday, August 31: Masterpieces of Polish Cinema

More Info.

Mayor Hodges on Her Proposed 2015 Budget

Via an August 19, 2014, e-newsletter from Mayor Betsy Hodges:

Dear Friend,

As Joe Biden once said, "Don't tell me what you value; show me your budget, and I'll tell you what you value."

I laid out my values – and my proposed 2015 budget – last Thursday at City Hall in my first budget address.

In coming weeks, I’ll be sharing more details about my proposed budget, what’s in it for residents, and how you can share your feedback. But today, I wanted to give you just a quick overview.

I offer a budget that has been deliberately crafted with intention, focusing on the three themes of the work that you elected me to do: Running the city well. Growth. Equity.

Equity

Last fall, more than anything, we voted for a city focused on eliminating the gaps that divide us by race. A study this year shows that unless we eliminate these gaps, we in this region will short ourselves $32 billion in personal income by 2040. There is something in it for each and every one of us when each and every one of us has unfettered opportunities to thrive.

While we are entering a period of growth, people of color are not sharing equally in it. For Minneapolis to maximize our growth potential, both short-term and long-term, we must make certain everyone can benefit from and contribute to our growth.

For these reasons, I have proposed a number of new investments in equity in my budget, including:
   • More City dollars for affordable housing, and a new initiative to promote home ownership in communities of color, in order to rebuild wealth in our neighborhoods that were hardest hit by the foreclosure crisis.
   • Additional support for helping entrepreneurs and small-business owners of color in growing jobs and wealth.
   • Support for youth-violence prevention, and extending the effective work of downtown youth-outreach workers.
   • For the first time ever, adding resources to develop the City's own equity work, in order to ensure the most equitable outcomes for residents and our employees.

Growth

When we voted last fall, we voted to make crucial steps forward like these for the health and vitality of our entire city. We voted for equity, knowing that growth is required to meet those goals and for all our city’s goals.

As a result, when we voted, we voted for growth.

Growth in cities is quickly becoming the status quo rather than a new trend, and Minneapolis is leading this trend. When we are intentional and deliberate, our investments in growth can both help accelerate our pace of growth and help increase our quality of life that more people are sharing in.

Some of the ways that my budget helps grow Minneapolis are:
   • Fully funding the investment in the redesign of Nicollet Mall. Governor Dayton, the Legislature, and the downtown business community have already invested, and now we are adding our share to this long-term investment in our economic vitality.
   • The first investments in a network of protected bike lanes, many of which will be in diverse and low-income neighborhoods in Minneapolis.
   • A new transportation-planning division that will allow us to keep ahead of future projects.

Finally, my budget invests in the redevelopment of the Upper Harbor Terminal in North Minneapolis. Now that the lock and dam will soon be closed for good, we have an opportunity to map out a future where North Minneapolis finally has its own valuable riverfront amenities.

Running the city well

Unless we do the basics well - plow the streets, keep them safe, and care for our environment - we will not reach our vision for growth or equity. In this budget, I propose we continue to invest deply in these essential functions. My proposed budget supports:
   • Ten more police officers, for an authorized strength of 860 sworn officers. It also supports more classes of community service officers, which boost the diversity of our police force, and an additional police cadet class for 2015.
   • The implementation of body cameras for officers, which protects officers from frivolous claims and provide more transparency for residents in their interactions with officers. A pilot program is ready to being this fall, with full implementation next year.
   • Two recruit classes in the Fire Department, and the department's Explorer program, which recruits Minneapolis high school students into careers in firefighting and emergency response.
   • More 911 operators.
   • A comprehensive pedestrian-safety initiative.

Finally, in my budget, I propose implementing curbside organics recycling in every Minneapolis neighborhood in 2015. It's been a popular and successful pilot project in a few neighborhoods, and it's time for the whole city to reap the benefit.

Investment

We are grateful to be coming out of the recession, but we are still dealing with the aftermath of the economic crisis, not to mention a decade of State cuts to Minneapolis that were stabilized only last year by Governor Dayton and the majorities in the Legislature.

For a decade, in order to make up for cuts, recessions, and other issues like debt and pensions, we had to raise property taxes above inflation, while making significant cuts to key services. For years, residents paid more and more, and received less.

More recently, we were able to cut the property-tax levy last year, and hold it at zero or below inflation for the two years before that. It was the right thing to do. But when we don’t account for inflation, holding the levy flat means a cut to public safety and the services that our residents count on.

And while Minneapolis is growing, growth in the property-tax base does not automatically mean growth in the City's coffers.

We must catch up with inflation if we wish to keep our basic services – already cut to the bone – functioning. To do that requires increasing the amount of money that we raise in property taxes in order to meet this year’s inflation factor – and do some catching up to years past, to make the investments that the voters asked us to make. For these reasons, I am proposing a 2.4% levy increase for 2015.

Over half of this proposed increase is simply to account for inflation and natural rises in the cost of maintaining just our current services. And much of the rest of it helps pay for our increased investments in public safety and running the city well.

Even with this modest, largely inflationary increase in the property-tax levy, half of Minneapolis’ residential properties will see no increase, or will even see a decrease, in the City portion of their property taxes.
 When we voted last fall we knew it would take all of us putting our shoulder to the wheel to get where we want to go together. We knew that all of us do better when we all do better. That’s what this budget does – intentionally and deliberately moves us forward together to our best future through investment in ourselves. When we voted last fall we knew it would take investment in our people, our infrastructure, and our future to get where we choose to go together.

It starts now.

Sincerely,
 
Mayor Betsy Hodges
City of Minneapolis

P.S.: To learn more about how I’m working to address the issues affecting our city, sign up for my e-mail update, or check out my website.

Registration is Open for the September 14 Minneapolis Bike Tour

The 2014 Minneapolis Bike Tour will start and finish on Boom Island on Sunday, September 14.

The recreational bike tour for all ages and abilities spans the Grand Rounds Scenic Byway System. Proceeds from the Minneapolis Bike Tour will benefit bike safety and education events for Minneapolis youth as well as bike trail improvement projects throughout the system.

There will be three routes to participate in, 16-mile, 25-mile and 32-mile, and they are closed to motorized traffic. All routes include stops with refreshments and bike mechanics. Stick around after the ride to enjoy LIVE music, beer available to participants 21+ (must show ID), food from local vendors, exhibitor booths and Bike Tour merchandise for sale!

Registration:

Saturday, September 13, 2014
◾Time: 8:30am - noon

Sunday, September 14, 2014
◾Time: 6:30 - 8am

Registration Fee
◾Adult (Ages 18+): $40.00
◾Youth (Ages 6-17): $15.00
◾Child (Ages 0-5): $0.00

*All riders must be on the course by 8 a.m.

Bike Tour Volunteers!

Thank you for your interest in volunteering at the Minneapolis Bike Tour. With your help, participants will have a safe, fun and beautiful ride through Minneapolis.

More than 150 volunteers are needed to make the Bike Tour safe and successful. Volunteers of all ages are welcome and opportunities are available for individuals or groups.

Choose from water stop support, participant registration, bike marshaling and much more.

Learn More About Bike Tour Volunteer Opportunities:

Email: Scott Krueger, skrueger@minneapolisparks.org
Phone: 612-230-6497

Mississippi River Critical Area Rulemaking Comment Deadline Extended to September 30

On June 2, the DNR issued a request for comments (RFC) on the Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area (MRCCA) working draft rules. The RFC stated that the DNR would accept comments through August 15, 2014. The RFC marks the start of an informal comment period, prior to the formal rulemaking process. Due to requests for additional time to comment, the DNR will continue to accept comments through September 30, 2014. Interested parties are encouraged to submit comments by August 15 or as soon as possible. DNR staff will begin revising the draft rules in mid-August. Comments received earlier will be more helpful in developing revisions and in identifying affected parties for additional advice or consultation. The comment period is intended to gather feedback on the draft rules before they are revised and proposed for formal rule adoption, anticipated this fall/winter. More information is available on the DNR’s project website at www.dnr.state.mn.us/input/rules/mrcca/index.html. Comments may be e-mailed to mrcca.rulemaking@state.mn.us, or mailed to Daniel Petrik, MRCCA Rulemaking Project, Minnesota DNR, 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, MN 55155-4025.

Wednesday Night - MPRB to hold Public Hearing on MP Schmidt Operations Center

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) will hold a public hearing regarding the proposed renovation of the Michael P. Schmidt Operations Center, located at 1720 Marshall St. NE. The hearing will take place at 6:30 PM on Wednesday, August 20, in the Board Room at MPRB Headquarters at 2117 West River Road North. Those interested in providing comment at the hearing must sign up to speak by 6:25 pm the day of the hearing.  If you require language translation or other accommodations, please contact 612-230-6472 at least 2 business days in advance of the public hearing.

The operations center, acquired in 2012, includes an existing industrial building which is planned for park operations use. In addition, public pedestrian river access with a path and overlook are planned. The entire site is planned for future inclusion in the larger Above the Falls Regional Park Master Plan. If the improvement plan is approved during the Aug. 20th, 2014 hearing, it will go before the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board for final approval on Sept. 3rd.

Further information regarding the project may be found on the project page on MPRB’s website. The project manager is Dana Murdoch, who may be reached at dmurdoch@minneapolisparks.org or (612) 230-6446. 

Superior Plating Site Public Meeting August 26

The Nicollet Island-East Bank Neighborhood Association (NIEBNA) is pleased to announce a Superior Plating Site Public Information Meeting. It will be spearheaded by City Council Member Jacob Frey and NIEBNA.
 
Participating and facilitating will be CM Jacob Frey, NIEBNA President Victor Grambsch, along with Gerald Stahnke from Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Senator Kari Dzeidzic,  Representative Phyllis Kahn, and an official from the Minnesota Department of Health. Representatives of the surrounding Neighborhood Associations will also be present.
 
The meeting will be in the Lourdes Church Great Room on Tuesday August 26, at 5:30 P.M.

Download the agenda...

Tickets Now on Sale for The Soap Factory's Unhinged in the Haunted Basement

Unhinged, this years Haunted Basement in The Soap Factory, is an all-new adventure in terror.  It runs September 27 – November 2, and tickets are on sale now.

Directed by Noah Bremer, Unhinged takes The Haunted Basement to a new level by blending the physical performance style of Live Action Set with vivid blood effects by RawRedMeat Productions. Unhinged presents a terrifying world where each patron chooses his or her own fate. Explore sprawling, surreal environments and find surprises lurking behind each turn.

Week 15 at the Mill City Farmers Market

'Tis a shame if you missed the August 16 Market. Sponsor Chipotle treated shoppers to $5 Market vouchers, Solveig Tofte provided tips for submitting a winner in the September 13 Bread Contest, the Roe Family Singers performed.  All that plus the usual great food, art and socializing.

Watermelon!

Great pasta from Sunrise Creative Gourmet!  So many choices - you can try a new flavor each week.  :)

Today's special - "super sweet" sweet corn.

Garlic!

The goat!

Constructi​on Begins August 20 on Trail Improvemen​ts Along West River Pkwy/Ja​mes I. Rice Pkwy

On Wednesday, August 20th, trail construction will begin along the west bank of the Central Riverfront and Mississippi River Gorge.  Approximately 3.2 miles of trails are being reconstructed from Plymouth Avenue to Franklin Avenue, and completion is scheduled for July of 2015.

Detours will be posted for trail users, who should expect trail closures for the remainder of the 2014 construction season.  The adjacent parkways will remain open except at the mudslide area near 4th St. South, below the Univ. of MN Medical Center Fairview.

Construction schedule updates will be posted Thursday mornings on the project webpage. Heavy equipment will begin removing trees Thursday, 8/21, at the south end of the corridor and pavement removal will begin Monday, 8/25.

For further information, visit the project page or contact Deb Bartels, Project Manager, at dbartels@minneapolisparks.org or (612) 230-6438.

Water Works Design Nearing Completion

The Minneapolis Parks Foundation has the green-light to proceed on the final design elements for Water Works, following an endorsement of recommended revisions by a key community group.
 
The recommendations came from rethinking two key features within the Water Works site – the location of the future park pavilion and the expression of the historic inlet canal and gatehouse – in response to community input.  Read the full story.
 
The final design is slated for presentation to the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board in October.

Hennepin County Library to Launch New Morning Business Author Series, INSIGHTS

Friends of the Hennepin County Library is launching a new morning business author series, INSIGHTS. 

Meet these authors:

• Monday, September 15: Michael S. Malone presents "The Intel Trinity: How Robert Noyce, Gordon Moore, and Andy Grove Built the World's Most Important Company"
• Tuesday, October 14: Chris Farrell presents "Unretirement: How Baby Boomers Are Changing the Way We Think About Work, Community, and the Good Life"
• Thursday, November 13: Dr. Pam Henderson presents "You Can Kill An Idea, But You Can't Kill An Opportunity: How to Discover New Sources of Growth for Your Organization"

Event details and timing:

Held at Hennepin County Library - Minneapolis Central (300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis), each event begins with a morning mingle from 7:30 - 8 am. The author presentation begins at 8 am followed by an audience question and answer session. Attendees walk out the door with a signed book by 9 am.

Get these signed books!

Tickets:

Individual tickets are $50 for 1 event or $120 for all 3 events. Prices include a signed book, admission to the lecture and coffee/pastry morning reception. Friends of HCL members receive an additional discount of $5 per ticket or $10 per subscription.

Are You MN Enough? (I guess we'll find out!)

Welcome to season 3 of Are You MN Enough?, an original series from Rewire - Twin Cities Public Television.

Twin Cities video makers – be they amateurs or professionals, individuals or production companies – are invited to submit their entertaining, original, engaging 2-6 minute take on a quintessential Minnesota topic. In previous seasons, topics ranging from food on a stick, weather obsession, Scandinavian stereotypes and “Minnesota nice” have been covered.  What other unique aspects of life in Minnesota does the greater internet need to know about? What cliché would you like to overturn or prove true?

Video submissions for Season 3 of Are You MN Enough are being accepted now through September 12.  They will first be reviewed by the Rewire team, with up to 6 finalists put up for public voting beginning September 18. The winning entry will be awarded $2,000, with $1,000 for 2nd place, and $500 for 3rd place.  Submitted videos will be judged based on their originality, production quality, and caliber of content.

Questions? Please consult the official rules or contact rewire@tpt.org.

Whole Foods Sponsors Support Minnesota City Supper

Article by Rachel Kahn, MCT Contributor

In the Midwest we often use the word supper to describe that after 6:00 meal (or 5:00 if you are my grandma).  Well, I gotta tell you this is not your grandma’s supper and ‘supper’ may have just become the new word for rock star! Introducing the Whole Foods sponsored Support Minnesota City Supper! Totally the coolest local inspired food extravaganza ever.

I was thrilled to be invited to the City Supper by Lauren of the Whole Foods downtown location. I rapidly realized that such fabulousness needed many more hours. “What do you mean it is time for dinner already?! I love to eat, yet look how much fun I'm having talking to these fabulous earth loving vendors!”, I thought as time flew by in a blink.

Whole Foods hangs out with some amazing people! Picture this. Starting with the venue. Have you heard of Peace Coffee? If you haven’t, look ‘em up. They are all about fair trade and partnering with small coffee farmers across the globe. Want to know where your coffee comes from, map it on their website, and the smart Zen folk at Peace Coffee will tell you all about the ‘faces and places’ behind your cup. The event took place in the transformed factory of Peace Coffee. Once again, we have a word that may inspire a new definition. This factory felt more like a hip artist loft with the soaring ceilings of a caffeine lover’s dream.

Upon entering, I was met with the smiling faces of Jen and Rachelle from the Edina and Maple Grove Whole Foods stores. They grinned, handed me a goodie bag and a GF tag. GF? What? Gluten free?! Wow. Who remembered to tell them? We were off to an amazing start.

Next I came to a long row of local Minnesota farmers and producers. My first stop was Garden Fresh Farms to chat hydroponics! Don’t know what hydroponics is? Simply stated hydroponics allows plants to grow indoors, in a nutrient rich environment, without soil. This topic could cover an entire LoveSelf article. For now, just know that hydroponics are awesome and The Garden Fresh Farms dudes are giving the Minnesota frozen tundra fresh organic greens and herbs all year long. I had the privilege of gobbling down alfalfa, broccoli, clover, and radish sprouts. Yummmm. I could taste the love.

My next stop was Bee Free Honee. Bee Free is a vegan honey made from organic apples and is delicious. I am happy to announce that I was able to correctly answer the trivia challenge and won a free bottle of Ancho Chile Bee Free Honey! Have I mentioned lately how much I was having?! Of course, you want to know the question... Question - Is there a Whole Foods in England? Answer - Yep! Two! Ding ding. I get the prize. Yay!

On down the line I went grinning like a happy organic elf and found myself transitioning from honee to honey. Introducing Worker B. Leisa and her brother Michael are two of the three musketeers that make up Worker B. Leisa describes creating their natural skin care line to heal her own health and skin concerns. Their raw honey products are organic and skin nurturing. This dynamic duo is all about protecting our bees and honoring our health. I am planning to spend more time with them very soon. Oh, and remember how I said Whole Foods hangs out with some amazing people? A little bee whispered in my ear that this tiny brother and sister founded company was featured in an issue of Oprah Magazine. Shhhh… They may just be too humble to tell ya.

Oh and there is one more. The chai guys of Prairie Chai. All whole ingredients. Clove, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom and other loveliness are combined to create their rockin’ chai. No cutting corners for these handsome fellows.

I didn’t get to everybody so for those I missed, reach out and say hello to Lucky’s Hot Sauce, Lucille's Kitchen Garden, St Paul Bagelry and Deli, Salad Girl Dressings, Homestead Honey, Textile Center of Minnesota and JOIA All Natural Soda.

Dinner Time! Yes, there is more!!! We were served a three course Minnesota local ingredient dinner, family style. With the hundreds of attendees becoming my family. Did I mention that all of the proceeds from this dinner are being donated to the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP)? Pete from IATP summed it up extraordinarily well when he said “…change starts with conversation around tables like this". I would say so!

And I can’t close without telling you about a couple members of my new extended family. Zac is a passionate 7^th grade math teacher who volunteered to serve all of us around the family style dinner even when it meant forgetting to save enough for himself. And Susan, the incredible textile artist, who told me ‘through fiber’ she learned about sustainability and earth sustaining connection - both to our textiles and our food.

We are all connected in our love of mama earth and what we eat. Thank you Whole Foods and everyone who made such a night possible.

I am honored to be part of your great work.

- - - -

You can reach Rachel at rachel@loveself.org, www.loveselfmagazine.com

MPRB Adopts Plan to Support Urban Agriculture

From an August 12 Minneapolis Park and Rec Board e-newsletter:

On Wednesday, August 6^th, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation (MPRB) Board of Commissioners adopted the Urban Agriculture Activity Plan at its regular meeting. The Urban Agriculture Activity Plan was developed in cooperation with residents and park visitors interested in the growth of a healthy, local food system. The activity plan addresses Board policy, programs, facilities and services to better support food-related activities within the parks.

As the plan is implemented, residents and park visitors can look forward to increased visibility and support for urban agriculture and over time, experience the benefits these activities provide to personal health and well-being, the local economy, and our environment.

Key goals of the plan include:

• Park programs and services provide public education, assess to healthy foods, and economic support for the local food system.
• Park facility renewal and development fosters urban agriculture activities.
• Food available on parkland benefits residents, park visitors and the environment.

The plan will help inform future budget strategies and park master plans, and be integrated into the revision of the MPRB’s 2007-2020 Comprehensive Plan.

To stay informed and involved of the plan’s next steps, please sign up for email updates by clicking on the red envelope at the bottom of this page or refer to this link for more details.

Minnesota Center for Book Arts Announces Community Contest

Via an August 5 MCBA e-newsletter:

MCBA is pleased to launch our first-ever community contest to design our 2014 Bookmark Broadside!

The winning design will be letterpress printed in our studios and distributed to everyone who donates to MCBA on Give to the Max Day this November. The winner will also receive a $100 gift certificate to The Shop at MCBA; the winner and two runners-up will receive recognition on MCBA’s website, e-Newsletter, and social media.

The submission window is open through August 31. During the public voting period (September 5-21), visitors to our Facebook page can vote for their favorite designs; the public votes will help MCBA determine finalists and the winner!
 
Interested in submitting a design? First, check out the details and submission guidelines on our website. 
 
Then submit your design via our Facebook contest page, or via Instagram or Twitter!

Good luck, and thanks for supporting Minnesota Center for Book Arts!