1st Ward Community Meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 8: Shoreham Yards

You’re Invited to a 1^st Ward Community Meeting To discuss a development proposal for Shoreham Yards

Tuesday, October 8, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.Columbia Manor, 3300 Central Avenue NE

The MN Cycling Center has expressed serious interest in making Shoreham Yards the home of their proposed multi-purpose velodrome, sports facility and event center. They are exploring the site where the Roundhouse is located, adjacent to Central Avenue. We hope you will plan to attend and meet with representatives from MN Cycling Center to learn more about their plans and their organization’s mission. All are welcome to this family-friendly event and a light meal will be served. Please RSVP to 612-673-2201 or kevin.reich@minneapolismn.gov.

Nicollet-Central Transit Open House

The City of Minneapolis is hosting another public open house to share new information about the Nicollet-Central Transit Alternative Study and the enhanced bus and modern streetcar being considered on Central Ave NE, Nicollet Mall, and Nicollet Ave S:

• Nic-Central Alternatives Analysis Open House.pdf

• Monday, September 9, 5 – 7 p.m. (Presentation at 5:30 p.m.) Minneapolis Central Library300 Nicollet Mall

You may find further information, including proposed route and stops, in the attached PDF.

Message from Council Member Kevin Reich

Shoreham Yards, which is owned by Canadian Pacific Railway, has a significant presence in Northeast Minneapolis. This 230-acre train and bulk distribution site extends from Central to University Avenues NE and 27th Avenue NE to St. Anthony Parkway. The area is designated in the City’s Comprehensive Plan as an Industrial Employment District, guided for employment growth. 18 acres of contiguous land along Central Avenue have been viewed as a potential opportunity for development, as pollution remediation moves closer to completion. Two years ago Surly Brewing came close to selecting this location for expansion, though finally settling on a property in Southeast Minneapolis Industrial (SEMI).

Though additional remediation continues and technical and logistical discussions and site preparation would still be required, I am pleased to announce that the MN Cycling Center has expressed serious interest in making Shoreham Yards the home of their proposed new multi-purpose Velodrome and event center. After significant review of alternative locations, they are putting an exclusive focus on pursuing this site. They require for their operation a location that would allow them to develop a sports complex, a world-class 200 meter indoor racing track, and an outdoor BMX track, while at the same time allowing them to further their mission of providing fitness and vocational educational opportunities for youth and adults. Additionally, a row of retail stores on the Central Avenue side would be incorporated. MN Cycling Center is enthusiastic about locating in Northeast Minneapolis because of the vibrancy of our bicycling community, the proximity of bikeways and bike boulevards and the ability to reach out to an active and diverse community of children, families, neighbors and commuters. The Roundhouse would be incorporated to maintain its historical significance and add character and interest to the development.

I invite you all to a community meeting to learn more about this potential new partner to the Northeast community: Tuesday, October 8, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m., Columbia Manor, 3300 Central Avenue NE.

Absentee Voting Begins Sept. 20

Absentee voting for the November municipal election begins on Friday, September 20. The City has already received more than 500 absentee ballot applications and will begin mailing ballots on Friday. Eligible voters may vote by absentee ballot for any of the following reasons:

• Absent from the precinct on election day 
• Illness or disability 
• Religious discipline or observance of religious holiday 
• Service as an election judge in another precinct 
• Eligible emergency declared by governor or quarantine declared by federal or state government.

You may click HERE for an absentee ballot application or contact 311 to request an application. In-person absentee voting will also be conducted at Minneapolis City Hall, 350 S. 5th Street, beginning Sept. 20. Hours are M-F, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and two Saturdays (Oct. 26 & Nov. 2), 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. The Monday before the election, absentee voter hours are 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Election Judges Needed

The City of Minneapolis is seeking election judges to serve voters in local polling places. Serving as an election judge p is an important service to our community. Especially needed are judges who are fluent in a second language, including Spanish, Somali, Hmong, Vietnamese, Oromo, Laotian, Russian, and American Sign Language. To learn more, please visit vote.minneapolismn.gov/volunteer or call 612-673-2296.

Boards & Commissions Openings

The City of Minneapolis has over 50 volunteer-based appointed boards, commissions, and advisory committees that focus on topics ranging from animals to zoning and provide input, advice and policy recommendations to the City Council, Mayor and City departments. Below are the current openings for these entities:

Arts Commission
Civil Rights Commission
Advisory Committee on People with Disabilities
Ethical Practices Board
Heritage Preservation Commission
Homegrown Minneapolis Food Council
Housing Board of Appeals
Minneapolis Public Housing Authority
Pedestrian Advisory Committee
Planning Commission
Telecommunications Network (MTN), Minneapolis
Zoning Board of Adjustment

Click on the links above for further information about specific vacancies. Applications will be reviewed beginning October 18, 2013. However, the positions are open until filled.

1st Ward Community Forum Recap

New Regulatory Services Director Nuria Rivera-Vandermyde led a spirited discussion about inspection issues and the new direction of this key City department in the most recent 1st Ward Community Forum on August 28. She outlined her priorities for making Regulatory Services a more focused and responsive arm of government, including a strategy that emphasizes customer service and the incentivizing of good behavior on the part of homeowners, landlords and businesses. Director Rivera-Vandermyde explained that these activities will clear the way for her department to focus resources on the relatively small number of the most egregious offenders. She mentioned that the City had only 774 properties in the Tier 3 program (based on volume of complaints) out of 24,000 rental properties in the City and she is currently analyzing those properties to explore how a cross-departmental approach could resolve their issues.

Over the past twelve months, the Regulatory Services Department has been re-organized to give it a more acute focus, with functions such as business licensing, developmental review and environmental management being placed under the purview of other departments. The committee that oversaw this re-organization, of which CM Reich was a member, will continue to monitor the Regulatory Services department to ensure its effectiveness. Director Rivera-Vandermyde also intends to return to a 1st Ward Forum in a year’s time to discuss the department’s progress.

Keep Our Trees Healthy

The late summer and fall drought conditions we have experienced can take a significant toll on our trees. To keep your yard and boulevard trees healthy, make sure to water them whenever they don’t receive one inch of rain per week. Lack of water can make trees susceptible to disease and insects and cause permanent damage to young and old trees. Trees under five years old are particularly susceptible to damage. The most effective way to water a tree is turn on a slow stream of water for a few hours. Watering should continue until trees have lost all of their leaves and entered full dormancy.

Emerald Ash Borer beetles are inactive between Labor Day and May 1, so if you have an ash tree that you would like to trim or take down, between now and spring is the time to do it safely.

Taking care of our trees means protecting our Minneapolis quality of life. Research proves that healthy trees are beautiful, increase property values, help improve air quality, reduce greenhouse gases by absorbing carbon dioxide, save energy, keep the city cooler, provide homes for wildlife and help manage stormwater.

Save the Date:

Talmage Crossing Garden Day
Sunday, September 22, 1 – 4 p.m., Talmage & 22nd Avenue SE. Talmage Crossing community garden is creating a new raingarden. Volunteers needed to re-contour the garden’s edge, build a berm and level the swale. Contact Steph to volunteer or for further information.

AccessAbility Open House 
Thursday, September 26, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m., 360 Hoover St. NE. AccessAbility, a Northeast-based company that provides training and employment opportunities for people with disabilities and economic disadvantages, is hosting their annual open house and theme basket raffle. Community members, social service professionals and members of the business community are invited. For more information, call 612-331-5958.

Police Activities League (PAL) 
Saturday, September 28, 8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., 4119 Dupont Ave N. Minneapolis PAL is partnering with Tech Dump in sponsoring an electronics recycling fundraising event to support their youth activities. For more information on what electronics items will be accepted, visit www.techdump.org/minneapolis-pal or call 763-432-3117.

Taste of Northeast
Saturday, September 28, 11 a.m. – 8 p.m., St. Mary’s Orthodox Cathedral, 1701 5th St. NE. This eclectic event offers food, kids’ games, raffles, traditional Pysanky Egg-making, Iconography demonstrations, church tours and several performing groups, including the Balalaika Orchestra, Lipa Slovak Folk Dancers and the Dolina Polish Dancers.

Weed It & Reap
Thurs, October 3 – Saturday, October 5. Those wishing to volunteer for this bi-annual community clean-up can click HERE to register. For further information, contact Christine Levens of the NE Chamber at 612-370-9131 or clevens@minneapolischamber.org.

1st Ward Community Forum: Shoreham Yards
Tuesday, October 8, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m., Columbia Manor, 3300 Central Avenue NE. All are invited to a public forum to discuss MN Cycling Center’s potential project for the Shoreham Yards Roundhouse site. A light meal will be served. RSVP to 612-673-2201 or kevin.reich@minneapolismn.gov.