Message from Council Member Kevin Reich

Bridges are essential infrastructure in a city bisected by a river, a fact was brought home with a vengeance with the 35W Bridge collapse in 2007. It’s being brought home again this summer as the Camden Bridge is closed for reconstruction.

Built in 1975, the Camden Bridge had deteriorated by 2004 to the point that it needed repairs to maintain public safety. When American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (http://www.recovery.gov) funding became available in 2010, the City of Minneapolis decided to go ahead with the necessary repairs now rather than wait until the bridge deteriorated to the point that it needed complete replacement. The bridge has been closed since April and is on track to reopen sometime between the last week in August and the first week in September. While the five months of closure have been a trial for many of us, this project is being completed relatively quickly and will mean significant savings of maintenance costs in the future, since City crews had been spending approximately one month a year on painting and deck patching.

Bridges don’t just span rivers. The St. Anthony Parkway Bridge, which is scheduled for replacement, runs over the Burlington Santa Fe Railway Co. (BNSF) Northtown Rail Yard. A Warren through truss bridge that was built in 1925, it is currently structurally deficient and fracture critical. Public Works has assembled the funding for this project from a number of sources and is working on a final design. As part of this process, there will be several public meetings on various aspects of this project. One of the important aspects of the project that needs to be weighed is the impact it will have on two historic resources: the bridge itself and St. Anthony Parkway. Please don’t hesitate to give me a call if you have questions or concerns to voice on this project.

Jackson Square Park Innovations

Phase II of the Holland Gateway project is taking shape this summer. Sculptor James Brenner, who previously created In Flux for the southeast corner of the park, has turned the Edison High School auto shop into an artist’s studio. From this convenient location he will be fabricating and installing Innovation Backstop in the park itself, Double Flux across the street at the Basin, and a brand new Edison sign on the northwest corner of the Edison campus.

This ambitious project represents a collaboration between a number of stakeholders, including Holland Neighborhood Improvement Association, NRP, the City of Minneapolis, the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board and the Firefighters Hall & Museum. The backstop itself celebrates both the high school’s namesake, Thomas Alva Edison, and Firefighter Louis Rober, who is credited with bringing the sport of softball to Minneapolis. It promises to be the most unique softball backstop in the state, perhaps in the world. Go to www.chicagosculptureworks.com to check out the artist’s renderings of the various pieces or just stop over at Jackson Square Park to watch the progress.

Shoreham Yards Update

Keep up-to-date on the progress of the Shoreham Yards clean-up at a new website: http://www.shorehamrepository.com This website offers access to technical documents related to clean up activities at the site, as well as contact information for Canadian Pacific, Ashland, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and more.

4th Annual Edison Staff, Parent & Community BBQ

Save the date – Thursday, August 26 – for this annual community get-together. The grills will be going from 3-7 p.m., under the supervision of Legendary Grill Meisters Niles Schulz and Shaun Wakaruk and a host of helpers and community sponsors. It’s a great opportunity to meet your neighbors, greet the Edison staff, students and parents, and while away a summer evening. The event takes place right outside of Edison High School on 22nd Ave NE, between Quincy and Monroe.

National Night Out – Tuesday, August 3

No doubt your block or neighborhood’s plans for NNO are in full swing, but if you have any last minute questions, requests or concerns, or if there is anything we can do to lend support to your event, please don’t hesitate to give the Ward One office a call at 612-673-2201.

We Want You Back Campaign

Mpls Public Schools and the Youth Coordinating Board have joined forces to raise public awareness about the dropout crisis in Minneapolis and enlist the entire community’s help to resolve it. We Want You Back is a grass-roots effort to identify, connect with and ultimately invite un-enrolled young people to complete their credits and get their diploma. Saturday, September 11 is the citywide door-knocking event. We Want You Back Wants You!
Visit www.wewantyoubackmpls.org to learn more, sign up and help out.

Edison Junior Achievement Honors

Congratulations to the Edison students who took 4th place in the Junior Achievement National Competition of the Year on Tuesday, July 20. Their Edison Tommie Co., which created and marketed a cookbook triumphed over 20 other teams from the United States and Canada, all of whom went through district and state competitions before getting to the national level.

Central Corridor Business Assistance

Northeast Neighbors & Business Association is offering assistance to businesses affected by the Central Corridor construction project. They will waive advertising fees for any business located on the Central Corridor construction route through December 2010. Contact Shelley Leeson at northeastnba@live.com for further information.