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MINUTES of the MHNA General Membership Meeting
3/21/06
Univ. Lutheran Church of Hope, 601 13th Ave SE, Minneapolis

1. Meeting called to order at 7:30 pm by Joe Stokes, Vice President.
2. The agenda and February minutes were approved.
3. Third Ward Council Member Diane Hofstede thanked us for our participation in the Third Ward Summit. A city Transportation Study is underway. She hopes it will go beyond “density” and address the “under served”. Public Safety is a big issue here – she is meeting with Val Wurster, Second Precinct Inspector, to develop an ongoing regular meeting that will develop actions. She has met with University of MN reps and sees a great opportunity to renew relationships and work collaboratively. CM Hofstede is n the Miss. Watershed Management Org. board and reminded us that grants are once again available. She is still working on the top 5 problem properties we forwarded to her.
4. Board Actions from tonight:
   • Executive Committee – Accepted and welcomed three new appointed board members: Joe Sortland and Laikun Tang (student reps) and Leo Melzer (Old St Anthony Assoc/ NE Merchants).
   • NRP – Rental Rehab matching grants applications are now available. Dutch Elm Disease Prevention matching grants are also available. April 18 we will host the neighborhood NRP Elections. Restorative Justice is seeking volunteers for the Community Conferences. A new set of dates has been posted and is available here tonight. Marcy-Holmes has benefited from this program – the east side of the neighborhood is much cleaner due to the regular trash sweeps that are part of the Community Service for Restorative Justice. We will begin same on west side soon. RJ volunteers also assisted in Story Time at Luxton Park and helped with some gardening and a graffiti survey here. Also at the April 18 meeting – the final report on the supplemental Master Plan.
   • SEMCOL (SE Minneapolis Council on Learning) – The group has hired a liaison to work with parents. They have applied for grants as their funding has run out. SE READS is another of their programs, s well as a book drive. There are many collection places in the neighborhood for children’s books, which will all be given to SE children. Target Corp. has been very helpful.
   • Safety & Livability – This committee is changing its meeting date to FIRST Monday of the month, beginning April 3rd. They meet at 7 pm, First Congregational Church, 5th St SE & 8th Ave SE. They analyze the Codefor stats – we had 72 total in Feb, most were theft from motor vehicles. There were high numbers throughout the precinct. Committee Chair Tom Lincoln met with Inspector Wurster, Lt. Ike Del Ugo and CCP’s Carol Oosterhuis. They shared data and used a map to show locations of the thefts from auto a week before and a week after a significant arrest was made. He felt reassured they understand the issue and are addressing it as best they can with the staff they have.Tom reminded the group about the April 8 Safe Summer 06 meeting. Three motions were passed from this committee tonight:
     1. To sign the SAWNO petition asking to establish and maintain a minimum daily staffing level at the Second Precinct.
     2. To sign a letter to our legislators asking them to petition the U of MN to provide funding for an additional 12 police officers to patrol the campus neighborhoods as a condition to funding the new stadium.
     3. To urge Regulatory Service’s Rocco Forte to assign one of the new student interns to our neighborhood to deal with offenses like trash, weeds, graffiti. The new interns will be able to write citations.

     The Safety & Livability Committee has found that students are a vulnerable population and often victims of crime. The committee is striving to make the neighborhood safer for all.

   • Land Use – Chair Jo Radzwill and committee approved and board seconded:
     1. Sending a letter to the city not opposing a size variance for the sign at the Library Bar & restaurant, 13th Ave SE & 4th St SE, provided the neighbors across the street concurred.
     2. Sending a letter to Max Allers, Max Marketing, planning a new office building at 625 East Hennepin. The letter will thank him for working with the committee and addressing their concerns.

     This committee also heard an update from HKGi and feels the concept designs they will be showing at the MHNA April meeting are headed in the right direction. Also noted – an Industrial Land Use meeting for the city is coming up soon and Jo will attend on MHNA’s behalf.

5. MISC
   • The Garden Committee meets March 29. We have here tonight info on the Marcy School Plant Sale – great plants and a big fund raiser for the school.
   • The Earth Day River Clean Up is Sat April 22 – volunteers needed – meet at Father Hennepin Bluffs Park 9:30 am.
   • A new group is forming – the R & R Social Club (Riverfront Residents). It is hoped this will be a bimonthly gathering of people living along the river, new and old residents, a chance to mingle, exchange ideas, have fun in rotating locations in riverside neighborhoods in a 1-mile radius from Hennepin Ave. Bridge If this sounds interesting, contact the office – we need volunteers to organize.
   • And finally some member news. We were very sorry to learn of the death of Delores Link, a faithful attendee of these meetings. We send out get well wishes to Elsie Charlton and Laurice Jameison, both recovering from surgery.
6. Meeting adjourned at 8:30 PM

Melissa Bean, Executive Director