What makes a Neighborhood great? What does a Neighborhood Association do? What challenges do Neighborhoods face?
In our very first Logan Park Neighborhood Podcast, LPNA Board Chair, Larry Kutzler, interviews Jack Whitehurst, City of Minneapolis Neighborhood and Community Relations Department, Neighborhood Specialist.
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Logan Park Wading Pool Grand Re-Opening Celebration!
Thursday August 15th, 2019!
5:30pm -Ribbon cutting 6:00pm- Ice Cream Social Dusk – Movie in the Park
LPNA is hosting local artist, Brigid Higgins, to create a live chalk installation during Open Streets NE, August 4th, 2019.
Brigid Higgins is a Minneapolis-based multidisciplinary artist. She received her bachelors of arts from the University of Minnesota in 2018, with additional focuses in urban studies and social justice. She completed HECUA’s Art for Social Change program in 2017, and has since remained focused on integrating art into public space and cross-sector disciplines. Brigid’s community art practice considers access to arts education and built environment design, while her studio work primarily explores the intersections of personal identity, mental health, and anatomy. See more of her work at: https://www.brighig.com/ and https://www.instagram.com/
Monroe Street NE Safety Survey
The LPNA Street Safety Committee is asking neighbors to complete the Monroe Street Safety Survey. The results will be shared with the City of Minneapolis in order to facilitate safety improvements on Monroe Street. Survey participants will be entered in a drawing for a $50 gift card.
Logan Park Neighborhood Associations’ recent safety improvements include “Slow” signs in the alleyways and partnering with the City to install ADA compliant ramps at the intersections of Monroe and 13th &15th.
Please help us continue to improve safety in Logan Park neighborhood by completing the survey.
Encuentra de seguridad de la calle Monroe NE
El comité de la Asociación de Vecindario de Logan Park (LPNA) está pidiendo a los vecinos que completen la Encuesta de Seguridad de la Calle Monroe. Los resultados se compartirán con la Ciudad de Minneapolis para proporcionar mejoras en la seguridad de la calle Monroe. Los participantes de la encuesta ingresarán en un sorteo de una tarjeta de regalo de $50.
Las recientes mejoras de seguridad en el vecindario Logan Park incluyen señales de “Despacio” en los callejones y también la asociación con la ciudad de Minneapolis para instalar rampas para sillas de ruedas en las intersecciones 13 y 15 de la calle Monroe.
Ayúdenos, por favor, a seguir mejorando la seguridad en el vecindario de Logan Park completando la siguiente encuesta.
Sahanka Badbaadada Monroe Street NE
Guddiga Badbaadada Wadada LPNA wuxuu weydiinayaa dariska inay dhameystiraan Sahanka Badbaadada Wadada Monroe. Natiijooyinka waxaa lala wadaagayaa Caasimada Minneapolis si markaas loo fududeeyo hormarinada badbaadada ee Wadada Monroe. Ka qeybqaatayaasha sahanka waxaa la gelinayaa sawirka oo kaarka hadiyada $50.
Ururada Xaafada Darjiinka Logan’ hormarinada badbaadada hadeer waxaa ku jiro aastaamaha “Tartiib” ee wadooyinka qalooca oo la kaashanayo Caasimada si loo geliyo Caasimada ee taagaga cabashada ADA ee isgoysyada Monroe iyo 13ka &15ka.
Fadlan nagu caawi joogteynta lagu hormarinayo badbaadada xaafada Darjiinka Logan iyada oo la dhameystirayo sahanka.
Long time Board Member, Paula Allan, received an award from the City of Minneapolis for her many years of service to Logan Park Neighborhood Association and her cheerful and tireless dedication to her neighbors, her community, and her city.
Paula Allan receiving an award from Councilmember Kevin Reich
Logan Park Neighborhood Association Annual Meeting
5.15.19 7pm @ Logan Park
Childcare available
Logan Park Clean Sweep
May 11th, 2019
Please put waste items out by 9am. Volunteers should meet at Logan Park Community Center at 8:45am.
Get your taxes done right and claim your maximum refund! There are IRS-certified volunteers ready to help you file your taxes at over 200 free tax sites across Minnesota. The Claim it! campaign can help you locate a free tax site and see if you’re eligible to claim tax credits: www.youclaimit.org.
Combining the power of caring volunteers, training, and expert advice, Prepare + Prosper (P+P) makes financial wellness easier. P+P is a local nonprofit organization that provides free tax preparation and financial services, coaching, and products to individuals and families. IRS-certified volunteers will get you the maximum refund this tax season (January 26 – April 15). They are based in St. Paul year-round and operate nine free tax sites. Seewww.prepareandprosper.org for list of locations, eligibility requirements, and what to bring.
The City of Minneapolis is updating its Transportation Action Plan, which will replace Access Minneapolis in full (developed 2007-2011). When complete, the Transportation Action Plan will guide transportation actions for the City and its partners over the next 10 years to realize the vision and policies in the Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive Plan. Goals for the Transportation Action Plan include climate, safety, equity, prosperity, mobility, and active partnerships. The plan will explore in depth a broad range of topics to support the goals, including:
Provide your input and feedback on our interactive website
Check out the new Minneapolis Transportation Action Plan website to learn more and provide feedback.
Use #gompls to talk transportation and follow the City of Minneapolis on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Sidewalks are a critical part of Minneapolis’ transportation system and they should be open for everyone. With the snow season upon us, here’s a refresher on the City’s rules. Minneapolis ordinance requires property owners of houses and duplexes to clear sidewalks within 24 hours after a snowfall and all other property owners must clear their sidewalks within four daytime hours.
Clearing snow and ice from sidewalks helps people of all ages and abilities safely walk or roll to where they need to go. This is a primary mode of transportation for many people in the city so it’s important to be a good neighbor and help them out.
In addition to relying on complaints reported to 311, this season City inspectors will also be out in neighborhoods actively looking for sidewalks that aren’t shoveled. Failure to shovel and maintain your sidewalk could result in a warning letter and, if left uncleared, a bill for the City to remove snow from your sidewalk. An average bill is approximately $150.
People should call 311 to learn more about resources available to people who may need help clearing their sidewalks. Several nonprofit organizations are ready to provide for-hire services or provide help when the snow falls.
Snow shoveling videos
Informative videos in English, Spanish, Somali and Hmong are available online to help explain what property owners need to do when it snows. Find more information at www.minneapolismn.gov/snow/
The City Council has approved expanding an innovative strategy to preserve naturally occurring affordable housing in Minneapolis by helping property owners obtain property tax reductions for agreeing to keep a portion of rental units affordable. Property owners of all buildings or tax parcels with two or more units are eligible to participate.
The expanded Minneapolis 4d Affordable Housing Incentive Program follows on the heels of a successful 4d pilot program that launched in May. As part of the pilot, property owners committed to preserving 207 units of affordable housing through 10-year affordability commitments. The expanded 4d program has the potential to preserve 700 or more additional units of naturally occurring affordable housing in 2019.
Participants in the Minneapolis 4d Affordable Housing Incentive Program agree to keep a minimum of 20 percent of units per building affordable to households making 60 percent of the area median income for 10 years. The qualifying units are eligible for a 40 percent reduction in property taxes.
In addition to reduced property taxes, program participants benefit from payment of the first year State of Minnesota application fee for certification of the 4d property tax classification; a $100 grant per affordable unit (capped at $1,000 per property); free or low-cost energy assessments; and City cost sharing for solar energy installations and energy efficiency improvements.
Owners of market-rate multifamily properties with two or more units are eligible to apply. At least 20 percent of the property’s rental units must be affordable to households making 60 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI). For more eligibility requirements, visit the program website www.minneapolismn.gov/
Applications can be made online. The application deadline is Feb. 12, 2019. Contact Dean Porter-Nelson atdean.porter-nelson@
There are two upcoming opportunities to weigh in on the Neighborhoods 2020 Work Group recommendations.
During the first week of December there will be five community meetings. These meetings are open to anyone interested. Work Group members are invited to listen to questions, comments, and concerns from residents. Attend one or all. Please spread the word.
Saturday, December 1, 2018
9:00 – 11:00 AM
Waite House
2323 11th Ave S, MPLS MN 55404
Monday, December 3, 2018
6:00 – 8:00 PM
Opportunity Center
CROC Room
740 E 17TH ST MPLS 55404
Wednesday, December 5, 2018
1:00 – 3:00 PM
North Market
4414 Humboldt Ave N MPLS 55412
Thursday, December 6, 2018
1:00 – 2:30 PM
Little Earth Residents Association – LERA Conference Room
2495 18th Ave South MPLS MN 55404
Friday, December 7, 2018
11:30 – 1:30 PM
Harrison Education Center
Multipurpose Room
501 Irving Ave N MPLS 55405
Individual Work Groups will reconvene one last time to finalize their recommendations the week of December 12th.
The next opportunity to weigh in will be during the 45-day public comment period once the final recommendations are released. The final recommendations will be released in January 2019.
Spread the word
Help us spread the word about the upcoming community meetings by downloading and sharing the flier.
Neighborhoods 2020 Community Meetings Flier (pdf)
Questions?
If you wish to discuss Neighborhoods 2020 please feel free to email Steve Gallagher at [email protected] or 612.673.2905.
Thank you to all those that volunteered at our Indeed fundraiser!
And thank you to everyone who attended and joined us for bingo!
The City of Minneapolis has released the final draft of its 2040 Comprehensive Plan, a document that will guide equitable growth in the city over the next 20 years.
See the 2040 comp plan revision map
Over the past two years, they have been to every corner of the city, meeting with a diverse range of residents to hear our vision for our city. They heard that people want to reduce disparities, provide access to affordable housing and living-wage jobs, create a sustainable community, and remain a health and diverse economic center.
Over the four-month public comment period on the initial draft, the City received more than 10,000 comments, and planning staff read every single one.
We encourage you to review the final draft at Minneapolis2040.com. They have provided an executive summary as well as a marked-up version of the plan so that you can easily see what was changed.
You still have time to share your feedback on the final draft. Public comments can be submitted to the Planning Commission and City Council online at minneapolis2040.com. The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on October 29, and the City Council will also hold a public hearing the week of Nov. 12. The City Council is expected to vote on the Comprehensive Plan in December before submitting the plan to the Metropolitan Council.
Logan Park’s existing wading pool will close as of July 30, so that the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) can begin a reconstruction project approved by the board in May. The new pool is expected to be complete in time for the opening of the pool season on Memorial Day weekend in 2019.
The project includes a mechanical building to be constructed near the pool, an option selected to preserve a large elm tree valued by the community. In addition, the Logan Park Neighborhood Association has generously donated funds to add water features to the new pool.
Roof replacement project update
Meanwhile, the bidding process to replace the recreation center roof was unsuccessful. MPRB staff are revising the project scope and expect to release it for bidding later this summer.
Stay tuned for updates as both projects proceed.
Louis Peters
Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board
612-230-6454
[email protected]
Hello Logan Park Neighborhood!
My name is Jami Olson and I am one of the owners and the General Manager of Popol Vuh and Centro, a new restaurant opening in your neighborhood soon. We are located on the corner of Quincy Street and 15th Ave, directly across from Indeed Brewery. You maybe have been wondering what’s been going on with the building on that corner as we have been working on this project for over a year now. I apologize to keep you waiting and guessing for so long. We are excited to announce we are very close to having our doors open for you.
Popol Vuh and Centro is a dual Mexican restaurant and we are absolutely thrilled to be part of your neighborhood and community. Centro, opening the end of June, is our lively, fun, fast casual restaurant. It’s definitely the energy of the two concepts. We will have a takeout
window in the back and hope to offer delivery to the neighborhood in the near future. It’s
counter-service with a full-service bar and a dog friendly patio. We will serve up Mexican street food at a friendly price. Tacos, churros, a raw bar, margaritas on tap, and a guava mezcal slushy are just a few of the menu items we’re excited to offer. We will have vinyl spinning on the record player and soccer on the televisions. Ask about our bunny mural on the wall when you stop in.
Popol Vuh is our refined concept opening the end of July. Chef/owner Jose Alarcon has come up with a menu unlike anything you’ve experienced before in the city. Jose is from the state of Morelos in Mexico and his fresh, authentic, wood fired cooking will be the focus of the restaurant. We will also have a wine list featuring wines from around the world and finely crafted cocktails.
We are very appreciative to be in such a wonderful area and we are looking forward to meeting you all. Popol Vuh and Centro is an independently ran restaurant led by a group of talented individuals who share a passion for food and community. Being friendly neighbors and maintaining a positive presence in the neighborhood is priority to all of us at Popol Vuh and Centro.
We look forward to seeing you very soon.
Warmly,
Jami Olson
Owner Popol Vuh & Centro
Popolvuhmpls.com
[email protected]
Hours of operation:
Centro
Sunday-Thursday 11am-midnight
Friday & Saturday 11am-1am
Popol Vuh
Sunday-Thursday 5pm-10pm
Friday & Saturday 5pm-11pm
Join us for Juneteenth – Celebrating Freedom Day on Saturday, June 16, at Bethune Park in North Minneapolis.
The all-day celebration kicks off with a parade for everyone to join or watch, led by grand marshal Walter “Q-Bear” Banks of KMOJ. It begins at 9:45 am, heading south from the Minneapolis Public Schools parking lot (at North Girard and 21st avenues) to Bethune Park.
From 11 am to 6 pm, enjoy great live local music, dance and other entertainment at the park, along with youth activities, a historical sharing area, and merchandise and food for purchase. Event details, a stage schedule and volunteer opportunities are available atwww.minneapolisparks.org/
The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) and the Juneteenth Legacy Committee host this day-long, community-led celebration. Bethune Park is the site of the first Freedom Day celebration in Minneapolis, led by two of its original founders, Michael Chaney and Spike Moss.
On stage, Juneteenth includes:
Youth activities range from a bungee trampoline and bounce house to a bike rodeo (kids should bring their bikes and helmets), double Dutch and much more.
More than three dozen vendors include eight food stands offering African fusion, collard green wraps, bean pies, ribs, tamales, tacos, hot dogs, ice cream and mini donuts.
Also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. It is one of two freedom celebrations held throughout the United States; the Fourth of July is the other.
The event organizers – Juneteenth Celebrating Freedom Day Legacy Committee, MPRB, Phyllis Wheatley and People of Color Union Members (P.O.C.U.M.) – thank our sponsors and donors for their support:
Sponsors
MN Council on African Heritage
City of Minneapolis
Comcast
Insight News
KMOJ
North News
Donors
Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation AFL-CIO
Teamsters Local Union NO. 120
Did you know that elms once counted for more than nine of 10 street trees in the Twin Cities? It’s easy to understand elm appeal: streets lined with these trees, their branches arched high overhead, have been compared to cathedrals: sun-dappled green in summer; snow-frosted in winter.
Elms also offered considerable environmental benefits by virtue of their sheer size, a situation that became all too apparent in the aftermath of Dutch elm disease (DED). More than 400,000 elms resided in Minneapolis in 1963, when the first of them succumbed to the disease; more than half of those were public trees. The almost-total devastation unfolded over a couple of decades: In 1977 alone, some 31,475 public elms were tagged for removal because of DED.
The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB), historic steward of the city’s street trees, was planting replacement trees by 1970. Its 1978 Minneapolis Boulevard Reforestation Plan provided neighborhood-based designs with several dozen tree types (species and cultivars) to replace lost elms. As most neighborhoods offered a virtually blank slate, the plan preserved the elm era’s consistent design aesthetic: A single type lined stretches of a neighborhood for five, 10 or even 15 blocks. Various types of ash, linden, honeylocust and maple tree categories (or genera) were the most popular, together making up over 70% of the street trees in the plan.
This system of “designed diversity” carried Minneapolis into the 21st century, long enough for these trees to reach maturity. In 2009, the emerald ash borer (EAB) arrived in St. Paul, just seven years after its discovery in Michigan. EAB has caused far less devastation than DED (which took some four decades to reach the Twin Cities); still, the rapid infestation helped prompt a whole new approach tobuilding a better urban forest.
MPRB’s current street-tree diversity guidelines differ dramatically from its 1978 reforestation plan. Thanks to the digital revolution, GIS mapping, advancements in urban forestry and its own ongoing trials, MPRB “prescribes” diversity based on a wide range of measurements, data and science-based decisions.
In addition to increasing the tree canopy by planting the largest-maturing trees possible, the guidelines aim to develop diversity on three levels:
Citywide: The next generational leap in diversity means selecting hundreds of tree types from dozens of categories: oak, elm, locust, linden and more. Besides making for more colorful tree category charts, this wider range creates resilience against the next disease or invasive pest that may target a whole category.
Neighborhood: Ten percent is the neighborhood limit for any tree category. This means for the most part that MPRB is not planting maples, which make up 30% of the trees in some areas. On the flip side, look for more coffeetrees, catalpas, birch and other categories that have less than a 10% presence in any given neighborhood. (Many of 2018’s most-planted species were profiled in the last tree-planting update.)
Block-by-block: At least three to five different tree categories are prescribed for an individual city block, which prevents a disease or pest from totally wiping out a large swath of trees.
The bright side of blight: We might mourn those areas that lost stretches of exclusive, mature ash trees from the late ‘70s and ‘80s – just as the giant elms that preceded them were mourned by previous generations. But looking on the bright side, these places are also at the forefront of MPRB’s efforts to develop a healthy urban forest for the next century.
For the season’s final update, we’ll share figures related to the trees planted and examples of places where the new, resilient urban forest is taking hold.
In the meantime:
Spots are still available for the free Jeff Robinson/Minnesota Vikings football camp!
Vikings Scout Jeff Robinson and local high school and college coaches teach non-contact drills covering throwing, catching, footwork and 7-on-7 skills. Details:
Monday, June 18-Friday, June 22
Parade Stadium
Ages 8-13: 8:30-10:30 am
Ages 14-18: 10:30 am-12:30 pm
Camp is completely free, including a meal each day and t-shirt for all participants. Click the link below to register: