Earlier this month, the community celebrated a ribbon-cutting for the new Edison Plaza. On September 17, the community comes together again for a ribbon-cutting to celebrate the new Eastside Food Co-op. These two events, separated by little more than one week, speak volumes about the values and the vibrancy of the Ward One community.

Several years ago now, I began meeting with neighborhood leaders, Minneapolis Public Schools, Mississippi Watershed Management Organization, Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board and other jurisdictions and organizations to discuss how we could nurture an environmentally sustainable green space in the heart of the First Ward. Since those early days, partners have brought together enormous resources to realize the vision of a Green Campus and of Edison High School as the greenest school in the state. From the parking lot renovation and the athletic field redesign to the creation of a community plaza and urban agriculture hub, this area has been completely transformed. And impressive as it is, there are still more improvements to come, including a significant solar installation. (Check out the story below for more details.)

Eastside Food Co-op was also the result of community partners coming together with a vision well over a decade ago and putting in the hard work to make that vision a reality. Now we see a more than $6 million renovation that will allow enhancement of Eastside’s mission of offering fair products at fair prices while embodying cooperative values that build and enhance the community. I hope you will stop by Eastside on Saturday, September 17, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. to join in on this celebration.

We should be proud to see our community celebrating two such impressive achievements that speak so well to the strength of our schools and our economic vitality. Way to go, Ward One!

Edison Green Campus Phase II Unveiled

Project partners MWMO, Minneapolis Public Schools, Holland Neighborhood Improvement Association, City of Minneapolis, James Brenner, AWH Architects and Lazor.

Phase II of the Edison Green Campus was unveiled on September 9 shortly before Edison's first home football game. This phase of the multi-year sustainability initiative includes a new grand entrance to the Edison athletic field, a concessions building, greenhouse, community garden and underground storage tanks that will hold stormwater runoff collected from the gym roof, plaza, field and parking lot. Project partners, students and community members gathered on the new plaza to celebrate the completion of another piece of an initiative that has truly made Edison High School the greenest school in the state. Later this fall a solar canopy will be installed over the plaza that will generate enough energy to power 53 homes per year, offsetting 40 percent of the school's electricity needs. Other highlights of the Green Campus include a stormwater re-use system with the potential to store up to 110,900 gallons of captured rainwater, which will be used to irrigate the athletic field and a redesigned parking lot that can capture and treat more than 47,000 gallons of polluted stormwater runoff at a time. The greenhouse and student-created community garden will offer Edison students hands-on urban agriculture opportunities, while the entire Green Campus will function as an outdoor classroom and laboratory. The many partners involved in this project include Mississippi Watershed Management Organization, Minneapolis Public Schools, Holland Neighborhood Improvement Association, City of Minneapolis, LISC, Minnesota Vikings, Spark-Y, AWH Architects, Stantec, and Lazor Office.

Edison Plaza Greenhouse

Hydro-Illuminata Lights Up the River on October 1

Torches create pinpoints of light in the darkness. Dancers weave in spiraling lines down the banks of the Mississippi. Flaming boats trail glowing lines of molten light across the river. The water itself appears transformed into liquid fire. These dramatic images are the culmination of Hydro-Illuminata, a three-month long community conversation about water sustainability.

Join local sculptor James Brenner and the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization for a public water and fire spectacle on the banks of the Mississippi as small, fire-filled boats are cast adrift on the water, giving tangible form to a community conversation about water sustainability:

When: Saturday, October 1, 2016, 6:30 – 9:30 p.m.

Where: MWMO Stormwater Park, 2522 Marshall Street NE

What: Spectacular free public event that includes an iron pour performance, music, choreography and projections.

Who: Participants and partners include artist James Brenner, Mississippi Watershed Management Organization, Holland Neighborhood Improvement Association, Walker Art Center, Homewood Studios, Minnesota Waldorf School, City of Lakes Waldorf School, Rhythm of the Saints and members of the Macalester College Pipe Band.

For more information, visit www.hydroilluminata.com.

Ward 1 Community Forum: Meet the New Public Works Director

Join us on Thursday, October 6, 6:30 - 8 p.m., at the Eastside Co-op Community Room, 2551 Central Avenue NE, to meet Robin Hutcheson, the City of Minneapolis' new Public Works Director.

Robin Hutcheson was appointed Public Works Director in June, assuming the position held for the past ten years by Steve Kotke. She was previously the Transportation Division Director in Salt Lake City and oversaw the installation of that City's first streetcar. She was also involved in a significant expansion of their 'complete streets' policy.

Public Works is Minneapolis' largest and most complicated department, with over 1,100 employees and an annual operating budget of $428 million. The department has a far-reaching impact on everyone who lives and works in the city, from the streets that move people from one place to another, to the safe drinking water we rely on, our outstanding solid waste and recycling collection and much more. Join us on October 6 to meet the new director and learn more about the department she's leading.

Third Avenue Bikeway is Open for Business

This September Council Member Reich, Mayor Hodges, bicycle advocates and City officials celebrated the opening of the Third Avenue Bikeway. This north-south bicycle connector represents an important piece of the City of Minneapolis' bicycle infrastructure, offering a safer and more direct route between Northeast and South Minneapolis. A protected Third Avenue Bikeway is identified in the Minneapolis Bicycle Master Plan.

The completed project will include new protected bike lanes between 1st Street S and 16th Street E, as well as landscaping and pedestrian improvements for the length of the corridor.

Early Voting for Everyone

The City of Minneapolis reminds eligible voters that planning ahead can save them from standing in long lines on Election Day. Starting Sept. 23, any voter can vote early by mail or in person at one of four locations around the city.

Early in-person voting is convenient. It especially helps voters who need special accommodations, such as language support, that the extra time, attention and onsite resources of early in-person voting afford more readily than the polls might on Election Day.

The Northeast Early Vote Center is located at the Water Bar, 2516 Central Ave. NE. Standard hours throughout the absentee voting period are 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. During the final two weeks before the election, these hours will be extended and include weekend times. All early voting hours are posted on the website (vote.minneapolismn.gov). Other in-person early vote centers include Downtown Early Vote Center, 217 S. Third St.; North Early Vote Center, 2100 Plymouth Ave. N., in the Minneapolis Urban League building; and South Early Vote Center, 1860 E. 28th St., in the Roof Depot building.

Organics Recycling Training Sessions

Do you like the idea of organics recycling but you don’t know how to do it? The City is offering two organics recycling training sessions in the fall. Get your questions answered with hands-on learning, demonstrations and tips that make organics recycling easy in your home. Learn what happens to organics once they are collected. Pick up a yard sign to promote the organics recycling program on your block. Hear about the City’s new Recycling Block Leader program and how you can sign up to be the leader on your block.

Come to either session:

6-8 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 27
Longfellow Recreation Center, 3435 36th Ave. S.

6-8p.m., Thursday, Oct. 13
Windom Northeast Recreation Center, 2251 Hayes St. NE

RSVPs are encouraged.

Council Approves Creative City Roadmap

The City Council approved the Creative City Roadmap report — a 10-year vision and strategic plan for developing the city’s creative economy.

The road map, which was the result of an 18-month long community engagement process, has four key visions and goals:

Amplify the local, meaning diverse creative assets are developed, celebrated and promoted.
Art is actively used to build and foster access and connections.

Local artists and creative practitioners thrive with access to resources and opportunities.
Arts and creativity strengthen economic and social development.

The Creative City Road Map will be integrated into the City’s Comprehensive Plan, which shapes the future of development in the city. It will also help better align the work of city government and the local arts economy.

The Minneapolis/Saint Paul metro area ranks sixth on the list of the nation’s most “creatively vital” metro areas, but workers of color are significantly underrepresented in creative professions, according to the most recent Minneapolis Creative Index report.

Master Water Stewards Program

The Mississippi Watershed Management Organization invites residents to join its 2016–2017 class of Master Water Stewards (MWS). The MWS program provides training and opportunities for residents to take action to protect and improve water quality and habitat.

Freshwater Society developed the MWS program in 2013 to equip citizens with the knowledge and skills to help improve water quality at the grassroots level. By December of 2016, the metro area will have 150 certified Master Water Stewards. The MWMO is one of many watershed organizations sponsoring MWS classes, and is offering them free-of-charge to eligible residents.

The next MWS session begins October 11, 2016 and runs through April 25, 2017. To learn more, visit masterwaterstewards.org or attend an upcoming information session at one of the following locations (all applicants welcome at any of the following sessions):

· Sept. 20, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. — Bang Brewing Company (St. Paul)

· Sept. 27, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. — City of Eagan Maintenance Facility

Master Water Stewards are certified by participating in a broad training curriculum led by experts in the fields of hydrology, stormwater management, water policy, community-based social marketing, and raingarden assessment and installation. They must complete a capstone project that captures rainfall and allows more water to soak into the ground, and lead a community outreach event. Stewards then become a point of knowledge and influence in their communities.

Master Water Stewards are now working for watershed districts and environmental nonprofits (including Freshwater Society), participating on city and local government boards, influencing policy, and improving the health of our waters.

Save the Date

Como Cookout

Saturday, Sept. 17, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m., Van Cleve Park, 901 15th Avenue SE. This free event features games, food, and a resource fair.

17th Annual Fall Fine Arts Show

Friday, Sept. 16 - Sunday, Sept. 25, Solar Arts Building, 711, 15th Avenue NE. For more information, visit https://nemaa.org/news/2016/08/1735
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