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!