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Minutes of the MHNA General Membership Meeting, Tuesday, August 20, 2002. University Lutheran Church of Hope, 601 13th Ave. SE, Minneapolis

1. Chris Wilson, President, called the meeting to order at 7:49 p.m..
2. Motion to approve the agenda passed.
3. Motion to approve the minutes of the June 2002 meeting passed.
4. Paul Zerby, City Council Member, Ward 2, reported that at the August 13th meeting by S.E.C.I.A. the Minneapolis Planning Commission vetoed the RR “duplex” change. Zerby informed the meeting attendees that there will be a vote Tuesday, August 20th regarding the proposal for the University Fraternity Row to adopt historical designation. Finally, the McKinsey report will be in front of the Minneapolis Community Development Committee Monday, August 26th, & the Joint Council Committee of Community Development / Ways & Means. Final Minneapolis City Council vote on the McKinsey report is expected for September 13th, 2002.
5. A representative of the Steak Knife restaurant requested approval for a beer & wine license from the MHNA. The DBA has already approved the request. A motion (Kelly Carver) passed to approve support the request of the Steak Knife to receive a beer & wine license.
6. Jan Morlock & Brian Swanson from the University of Minnesota gave a stadium proposal update. The predesign process has begun. A preliminary report will be submitted to the Board of Regents in early November, and to the State of MN in early December. We have been invited to a meeting to consult with neighborhood leaders about the stadium. Up to four MHNA reps can attend.
7. Elissa Cottle, NRP, and Perry Thorvig of Dahlgren, Shardlow & Urban reported regarding the first NRP Master Plan session. Meetings are scheduled for :
   • Tuesday, September 12, 2002 from 7-9 p.m. at Marcy Open School, theater, 415 4th Ave. SE.
   • Tuesday, September 17, 2002 7-9 p.m. at Labor Retreat, community room, 124 4th St. SE.
8. President Chris Wilson reminded attendees to send in their MHNA membership renewal cards. Also, to sign up for the Neighborhood Clean Sweep.
9. Meeting Adjourned.

Minutes by Brian Biele, MHNA Board member

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Update on the Somali mosque hoping to locate on 8th St SE: The parties involved were unable to reach a timely agreement, so the sale was withdrawn.. MHNA was thanked for welcoming the Somalis and getting area churches involved in the effort.You should know that the following area businesses contributed to our Clean Sweep, and show your appreciation by supporting them:

• Gopher Towing
• Dunn Brothers
• Mangia/Taste of Manhattan
• Chipotle Grill
• Panera Bread
• Espresso 22
• Vescio’s
• Dinkytown Wine & Spirits

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News of the MHNA Board of Directors Meeting, August 2002

1. Joe Stokes reported that the Marcy Holmes Clean Sweep scheduled for Saturday, September 14th from 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. needs additional volunteers. Packers are in the highest demand, a role that may possibly be filled by potentially 20 U of M students that are members of fraternities and sororities. Voodoo Films located on the corner of 8th Ave Se and East Hennepin is the scheduled starting point to meet for the Clean Sweep. Paula Kamrath reported that Chipolte Mexican Grill, Espresso Royal and the Taste of Manhattan have agreed to donate food / beverages for the Clean Sweep. The Smela / Pierson residence located at 512 7th Street SE, will be hosting the lunch for the Clean Sweep to begin at 11:30 p.m.. Joe Stokes proposed that the next MHNA Clean Sweep be coordinated with the University of Minnesota “Greeks”.
2. Ardes Johnson reported on the progress of the Livability Committee. Inspection teams consisting of five groups of volunteers patrolled the 12-block area in the last month. The teams sent 44 letters to property owners that had violated various housing ordinances and 24 direct referrals to Minneapolis Housing Inspectors. In the month of July, 11 follow-up letters were sent as reminders to property owners with ordinance violations and 7 letters of commendation for compliance were sent to cooperating property owners. The program is planned to be repeated in the summer of 2003.
3. We created a flyer aimed at students (why they should join MHNA, what we do, etc) that will be included in the U’s Off Campus Student survival Kit. It was passed around for comment.
4. Chris Wilson reported that Riverton Co-op would not be purchasing the Mueller Apartments. Regarding the Stone Arch Apartments development, Metalmatic has brought suit against Minneapolis and each party has agreed to a summary judgment.
5. Brian Biele submitted a written report on behalf of the absent Dave Polaschek about the Whitewater Park. (Copy of written report below)There was a meeting 8/14/02 for public comments on the proposed Whitewater Park located at the lower St. Anthony Falls. The meeting was hosted by the MN DNR and the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).Here’s the news: USACE will be the agency responsible for building the proposed park. MN DNR did the feasibility studies, and they will be involved in the design of the park. The biggest news to come out of the meeting is that the Hennepin Island park (which was to be done my Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board (MPRB)) and the proposed Whitewater park will go forward as two parts of a single park with a single agency (most likely DNR) administering the park.

   The current plan (still pending FERC’s decision in the Xcel SAF hydro relicensing, plus funding at all levels of government) has the following dates:

   October 1, 2002 – Validation of Feasibility Study begins
   January 2003 – Design for the park begins
   October 2005 – Target date for completion of the park.

   Funding has been budgeted, but not appropriated. The biggest portion is $10M from the US Government, which will be paid to the USACE for construction costs. Funding is to be 65% federal, 35% state, which means the state, city and county still need to come up with roughly $5M. Plus there will be money coming from Xcel as part of the FERC relicensing process.

   For more information about the park, see http://www.whitewaterpark.canoe-kayak.org/

6. Brett Naylor reported that he has closed on the property at 1301 University Ave. SE. The goal for the housing project is for it to include mixed-use retail if it is a positive amenity to the neighborhood and surrounding businesses. Brett Naylor plans to be a long term owner and operator of the brick structure housing development. Parking for the housing development may include 133 stalls for the 272 beds within the project. Minneapolis City code requires 1 parking stall per unit. A motion (Paula Kamrath) passed to refer the project to the MHNA Zoning & Planning Committee.
7. Ardes Johnson reported the application for Unitree grants/tree purchasing is due in October for projects that take place next spring.. A motion (Joe Stokes) passed to apply for 25 trees (boulevard replacements) at a cost to MHNA of $5.00 per tree.
8. Ellisa Cottle, NRP, updated the Board on the 6th Ave. Greenway project. An additional $7,800 is needed for bronze sculptures. The funds are available from NRP in the current budget. A motion (Tom Lincoln) to approve the transfer of NRP funds of $7,800 to cover the cost override of the bronze statues was approved.
9. Kristin Black of the Pi Beta Phi Sorority and representative of the U of M Panhellenic Council informed the Board of the U of M “Greek” neighborhood cleanup day scheduled for Saturday, October 19th. In exchange for cleaning up properties following homecoming, the Panhellenic Council is requesting a can of food for future donation.

A Conference between Minneapolis Neighborhood Organizations and the Mayor and City Council Members is scheduled for Tuesday, September 24th from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. (registration starts at 6:30), in south Minneapolis at the Midtown YWCA, 2121 E, Lake Street. Each neighborhood organization may send a delegation of up to 5 people to the meeting. The meeting will focus on actions to: improve city services, set neighborhood priorities, and funding neighborhood organizations.

This is a follow-up to the meeting held February 27th, attended by representatives from over 45 neighborhood organizations and newly elected City officials.

This meeting will confirm the commitment and lay out concrete steps for neighborhood organizations and City Officials to work together to improve city services, set neighborhood priorities and fund neighborhood organizations.

Contacts/ reservations:

Kris Nelson
NPCR Program Director
612/625-1020

Jay Clark
Training Program for Neigh. Organizers
612/625-2513