Message from Council Member Kevin Reich

This fall continues to be an exciting, productive time for Eastside neighborhoods. The SE Como neighborhood’s 2nd MIMO (Move-In/Move-Out Waste Reduction Project), timed with the start of the University of Minnesota semester, was a ringing success and diverted 9,141 pounds of reusable material from the waste stream. This neighborhood has also welcomed two schools into the newly-reopened Tuttle School building – Heritage Academy and Tatanka Academy.

The Holland neighborhood is also bustling. Edison High School has been reinvigorated with three hundred new students, a vital Community Education program, and the newly arrived Morris Park Players, who will open their new season with a production of Annie. Across the street from the school, Jackson Square Park is the home to a new installation of Musical Art Sculptures, a generous gift of the Minneapolis City of Lakes Rotary Club. These innovative pieces are a wonderful addition to the park and have proven from the moment they were in the ground to be an irresistible magnet to kids and adults alike. Meanwhile, sculptor James Brenner’s Double Flux and Innovation Backstop continue to progress and will be dedicated later this fall.

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month and a number of Eastside businesses are donating a portion of their sales to AccessAbility, Inc. to recognize their work this month. AccessAbility is a Northeast non-profit headquartered in the Mid-City Industrial neighborhood. This organization has provided opportunities for self-sufficiency for people with disabilities and other barriers to employment since 1948. For further information about their work, go to www.accessability.org.