March

NRP Link
March 2003
Volume 10, Issue 3
Minneapolis Neighborhood Revitalization Program News
Sixty homes to be featured on 2003 Minneapolis & Saint Paul Home Tour
Photo by Scott Amundson
It’s official. Sixty homes will be featured
as part of the 16th annual Minneapolis
& Saint Paul Home Tour during the
weekend of May 3-4, 2003.
The NRP is a proud sponsor of this
inspiring celebration of city living that
brings thousands of home enthusiasts
together each year for a weekend of
sharing home remodeling ideas and
new rental and ownership opportunities.
This year is guaranteed to please as the
spotlight will shine on 39 Minneapolis
homes scattered throughout 31 city
neighborhoods. For more information
on the home tour, please visit the
official Web site at www.msphometour.com.
John and Alyssa Taylor (pictured with their baby) will be opening their
recently redecorated 1926 Spanish bungalow to Minneapolis and Saint
Paul Home Tour visitors on May 3-4.
Getting to the bottom of the ballot group’s After the Election 2003 workshop series continues March 18
Getting to the bottom of the ballot is a voter education
initiative launched in 2002 by a group called Southwest
Citizens for Civic Engagement. The group’s goal is to
keep Minneapolis residents informed about local
issues year round. In order to achieve its goal, the group
has been hosting a year-long series of local-issue
seminars that will continue at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday,
March 18, with a seminar titled We Voted ‘Yes for Kids”. . .
So why is that not enough?
The seminar will address some of the reasons why
Minneapolis Public School (MPS) referendums keep
passing and yet the city's public schools are still facing
additional budget shortfalls. Perhaps you are one of
those people wondering why the referendum isn't
enough. Come hear the facts from those who have a
grasp on the numbers. MPS Board Member Dennis
Schapiro and MPS Chief Operating Officer David
Jennings will discuss the genesis of the current budget
shortfalls, the way
school funding is
calculated and the
educational implications of the current
budget environment.
Southwest Citizens for
Civic Engagement is a
project of the Fulton
Neighborhood
Association in cooperation with a growing list of
neighborhood organizations including Linden Hills,
Lynnhurst, Windom, Kenny, Armatage and Kingfield.
All of the seminars in the series will be held at
Southwest High School Community Education located
at Chowen Ave. S. and W. 47th St. Enter door number
two. For more information about Getting to the
bottom of the ballot, please call 612-922-3106.
Elliot Park neighborhood partnership designs new model for creative outreach
attended gatherings sponsored by other community
and resident groups. In addition, nomination forms
and ballot boxes were placed at key locations in the
neighborhood. Community members responded with
great enthusiasm – nominating close to 70 champions!
People nominated family members, neighbors and
even staff from local churches. Other nominees ranged
from students at a local university to a group of
concerned Somali mothers that watch out for each
others’ children at a neighborhood park. The community
honored all 70 of the champions at a banquet last year.
Since that time, this diverse group of champions has
begun to meet regularly to share resources within the
group and to explore opportunities for working together
on different neighborhood issues that can benefit the
entire community. The Neighborhood Champions
partnership is looking forward to great outcomes from
this group of dynamic individuals! For more information
about the Neighborhood Champions project, please
contact Sheila at 612-335-5846.
The Elliot Park Neighborhood Champions project has
captured the attention of neighborhood organizations
searching beyond classic organizing models. The project,
which grew out of a partnership between Elliot Park
Neighborhood, Inc. (EPNI) and Family and Children’s
Service, is founded on the belief that honoring individuals in the community who are doing positive things
can inspire some of these champions to come together
and do even more great things for their neighborhood.
Project coordinators Sheila Lynch of EPNI and Ilya
Yacevich of Family and Children’s Service have spent
several weeks asking people in the neighborhood to
identify others in the community who extend themselves
to support their neighbors and community. A variety of
outreach strategies has been used to identify leaders
that reflect the community in Elliot Park. These
strategies include gathering nominations during several
neighborhood events such as National Night Out and
the All People’s Gathering. Sheila and Ilya also
Tune in to On CUE throughout March and focus on Minneapolis’ urban environment
Sarah Riddle is the program coordinator for Eco
Education, which focuses on helping foster within
young people the awareness and skills to make good
environmental decisions and to take action. She works
with teachers, connecting them to resources, as well as
directly with students. The students go on field trips
but also look to their own neighborhoods where they
feel ownership over a project such as painting a mural
in a grocery store parking lot. Other current projects
involve ethanol, water pollution in the Mississippi,
contaminated sites in the students’ own neighborhoods and green space in downtown Minneapolis.
Tune in to On CUE and explore our urban environment,
taped on location—this month in the restaurant Conga
Latin Bistro in Minneapolis' East Hennepin commercial area. Sponsored by the Minneapolis Committee
on Urban Environment (CUE), the program looks at
the diverse people, issues, trends and physical
elements that influence—and are affected by—our built
and natural surroundings. This month, On CUE host
Phill Lindsay’s guests discuss some of the priorities they
see for the urban environment.
Ann Forsyth, the director of Design Center for
American Urban Landscape, talks about the impact of
globalization on urban design. With economic globalization, she says, you can do business from anywhere.
Cities and regions have two main approaches to drawing
such businesses: cheapness and uniqueness. The Twin
Cities have both, with a low cost of living, a vibrant
cultural scene and an interesting built environment
that does not dominate the natural environment. The
challenge for the Twin Cities is that while this can lead
to attracting a high-end population, it can price
others out; she says that it is good to keep the cost of
living down.
NRP
Tune in also for an introduction to Conga Latin Bistro,
hear what CUE Awards attendees find to be pressing
urban environment issues and get more information
about Minneapolis Blooms! Day and Arbor Day.
On CUE—available in Minneapolis to anyone with a
basic cable connection—is on Minneapolis City Cable
14 Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.,
reaching some 75,000 households. This edition will
run throughout March. For more information, call
612-673-3014 or e-mail [email protected].
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Link
If you're part of an effective block club or if you know
of a block that really makes a difference in your neighborhood, you can nominate iy for a Building Blocks
Award.
In Brief
Teen Job and Opportunity Fair March 15
The Teen Job and Opportunity Fair is a free event
designed for Minneapolis youth ages 14 to 18 seeking
employment, volunteer and employment-ready workshop opportunities. This year the event will be held on
Saturday, March 15, 2003 from noon to 2:30 p.m. at
South High School, 3131 19th Ave. S. For the ninth
year, employers and service agencies will have the
opportunity to connect with more than 700 prospective youth employees and volunteers. This event not
only serves as an opportunity for youth, businesses and
nonprofits, but also as a celebration of the city's
resource of energetic and motivated youth. The Teen
Job and Opportunity Fair offers positive and constructive activities for kids while helping them earn
money and build résumés. Those attending this year's
event will be able to apply for autumn jobs, attend
career workshops and mingle with other youth and
employers. Admission to the event is free. For more
information about the Teen Job and Opportunity
Fair, please call Cyndi Butler of the Corcoran
Neighborhood Organization at 612-724-7457.
Building Blocks Awards are given to block clubs that
build a sense of community, encourage neighbors to
get involved, work as a team, build connections
between people, take initiative to solve problems,
improve the quality of life on their blocks and work
cooperatively with CCP/SAFE.
Nominations must be filed by March 28, 2003. Winning
block clubs will receive a $50 gift certificate to be used
at their NNO events in August.
Minneapolis is home to an active network of more
than 1,000 block clubs. Such community spirit is
unusual for a large city, and Minneapolis has become
a model for the nation. The large number of block
clubs has grown out of the continued efforts of
CCP/SAFE and the response of enlightened and active
citizens.
For more information about the Building Blocks
Awards or to make a nomination, please contact
CCP/SAFE Operations Manager John Baumann at
612-673-3447.
Annual Southside Housing Fair March 29
The ninth annual Minneapolis Housing and Home
Improvement Fair will be held from 10:00 a.m. to
4:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 29, 2003 at South
High School, 3131 19th Ave. S. The annual event,
which is free and open to the public, will include
information about home remodeling, fix-ups, home
buying, and financing options such as low-interest
loans. Several reputable contractors, real estate agents,
lenders and neighborhood representatives will be on
hand to answer questions. Food will be available and
there will be hourly door prize drawings. Many FREE
seminars will also be offered on a variety of home
improvement and home buying topics. For more
information, call Bernie Waibel at 612-338-6205 or
Ann Phi Wendt at 612-210-8256.
Job Opportunity
Armatage Neighborhood Association seeks
PT NRP Coordinator
The Armatage Neighborhood Association (ANA) is
currently seeking an NRP Coordinator to provide
administrative support to the organization and to assist
in the implementation of the ANA’s NRP projects. In
addition, the NRP Coordinator will act as a liaison
between the community, the ANA, the NRP and other
city partners. This is a quarter-time position, and the
candidate will be an independent contractor with the
organization. Compensation will be determined based
on experience and qualifications. The application
deadline for this position is March 31, 2003.
Interested applicants may send a résumé and cover
letter to the Armatage Neighborhood Association at
2500 West 57th St., Minneapolis, 55410, or e-mail
them to [email protected].
CCP/SAFE to honor 20 block clubs:
nominations sought for fifth annual
Building Blocks Awards
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of National Night
Out (NNO), CCP/SAFE, a unit of the Minneapolis
Police Department, will honor 20 block clubs.
NRP
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Link
Minneapolis Neighborhood Revitalization Program
Crown Roller Mill, Suite 425
105 Fifth Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55401
Phone: (612) 673-5140
NRP Policy Board Report
May 17
2003
Approved February 24, 2003
Phase II advance funds for Field, Regina,
Northrop, Logan Park and
Longfellow neighborhoods
Mark it on your calendar!
2003 NRP Neighborhood Conference
Harrison Community Center
503 Irving Avenue North
March 2003 Calendar of Events
6
Management Review Team (MRT) meeting
CANCELED - Next meeting April 3
6
NRP Training Series 2003: “Preserving
your neighborhood’s history”
6:30 p.m.to 8:30 p.m., Suite #200, Crown
Roller Mill, 105 Fifth Ave. S. Call NRP Training
Specialist Robert Thompson at 612-673-5149.
15
Ninth annual Teen Job and
Opportunity Fair 12:00 p.m. to 2:30p.m.,
South High School, 3131 19th Ave. S. For more
information see page 3 or contact Cyndi Butler
of the Corcoran Neighborhood Organization at
612-724-7457, or Rosie Doege of the Hale,
Page and Diamond Lake Community
Association at 612-824-7707.
18 Getting to the bottom of the ballot
workshop series
7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Southwest High School Community Education,
Chowen Ave S. and 47th St. Attendees
should enter door two. For more information
see page 2 or call 612-922-3106.
24 April Link submission deadline
Call 612-673-5158 or fax your submission
to Brett at 612-673-5138.
24 NRP Policy Board meeting
4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Room C-2350 Hennepin County
Government Center
29
Ninth annual Southside Housing Fair
10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
South High School
3131 19th Ave. S. For more information see
page 3 or contact Bernie Waibel at
612-338-6205 or Ann Phi Wendt at
612-210-8256.
The NRP Link is published monthly by the
Minneapolis Neighborhood Revitalization Program.
For more information, call
Brett Feldman, editor, (612) 673-5158.
The NRP Link is available in Braille or large print
upon request. TTY (612) 673-2626.