Water Bar Winter Social: December 3

In the past year many of you have had the opportunity to drop by the Water Barhttp://www.water-bar.org on Central Avenue in the Holland neighborhood to learn more about their work around the intersection of water sustainability and art, taste some water or participate in a workshop, art exhibit or public program. Local artists Shanai Matteson and Colin Kloecker have welcomed the community into the Water Bar and also taken their work out on the road, serving and talking about water with over 30,000 people across the United States.

Now it's time to celebrate the work they and their partners have done over the past year in concert with the community. Water Bar is hosting a Winter Social and Dance Party on Saturday, Dec. 3, 6 p.m. to midnight to thank friends and supporters and introduce new partners and projects for 2017. The event will feature family-friendly art activities from 6 - 7:30 p.m., followed by a program introducing the partners and talking about what's planned for the upcoming year, and ending with live music and dancing. For more information about this fun free event, visit http://www.water-bar.org/calendar-2/2016/12/3/winter-social.

Ward 1 Business Spotlight: Central Avenue Clinic

Neighborhood HealthSource welcomes Dr. Hindi Hussein to their Central Clinic this fall. With a medical degree from Howard University, Dr. Hussein is a family medicine doctor who enjoys caring for people in all stages of life. She has a special interest in pediatrics, women’s health and prenatal care. About her work, she says, “Having grown up in an underserved region, it has always been my desire to join an organization whose mission it is to provide quality health care for underserved populations.”


Dr. Hussein is fluent in Somali and English. Her philosophy of care: strengthening patients’ own advocacy for their health care, taking into account not just their health status but their whole wellbeing—job experience, living environment, overall factors in their life—and how that impacts their health. She is committed to access to care that takes into account cultural nuances with sensitivity to any socioeconomic or language barriers people may face. Outside of work, Dr. Hussein is interested in travel medicine, global health and medical mission trips. She enjoys cooking and spending time with family and friends.

Ward One 2015 Highlights

Rail Safety Resolution

CM Reich brought forward a City of Minneapolis resolution urging legislation at the State and Federal level to enhance rail safety. This resolution was preceded by a First Ward Rail Safety Forum in June that featured panelists from BNFS and Canadian Pacific, as well as Rep. Ellison, Sen. Dziedzic, Rep. Hornstein and Fire Chief Fruetel. The concerns expressed at that forum by Ward One residents and the research and input of the Minnesota chapter of Citizens Acting for Rail Safety (CARS) were key elements in developing the Rail Safety Resolution. Click HERE for the full text of the resolution.

Hollywood Theater Renovation
Local developer Andrew Volna closed on the purchase of the long-vacant theater from the City of Minneapolis and is continuing the work of restoring the building’s historic elements and converting it into creative office space. Click HERE to read more about the Hollywood’s ongoing revitalization.
Northeast Minneapolis Arts District #1 in the Nation
USA Today named the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District #1 in the Nation in 2015. We’ve always known it was true but it’s nice to have it called out! Click HERE to read more about the Arts Districts that were competing against us.

Station 15 Ladder & Engine TrucksFor the first time in Station 15's history, it now has two brand-new trucks: a Ladder truck and an Engine truck. The new Ladder truck, which arrived last January, was especially welcome because Northeast Minneapolis had't had a ladder truck since 2003. The acquisition of this new equipment, which has been one of CM Reich’s top priorities, represents a significant investment in public safety in the First Ward and Chief Fruetel commented that having a ladder truck in Northeast would positively impact response times. Click HERE to learn more about Station 15’s resources and the community event to celebrate the arrival of the Engine Truck.

New Development on Central Avenue
Central Avenue continued to display a flurry of development and revitalization in 2015. Neighborhood HealthSource’s new clinic opened at 22nd and Central, while a new Walgreens store rose on the vacated corner of 26th and Central. Meanwhile, across the street Eastside Food Co-op launched a multi-million dollar expansion of their store that will significantly increase their offerings and amenities. The City of Minneapolis contributed $450,000 to the project in a Great Streets Gap Financing Loan. Click HERE to read more about the expansion timeline.

MWMO's Stormwater Park & Learning Center
The Mississippi Watershed Management Organization's headquarters on the banks of the river opened Stormwater Park last fall. This unique green space welcomes the public to view state-of-the-art stormwater recapture and reuse infrastructure in action. MWMO remediated signifcant amounts of industrial contamination to create a sustainable landscape and an accessible pathway to the river. They have also transformed the first floor of their headquarters into a public Learning Center that features a variety of educational and interpretive elements, including a Magic Planet digital globe, interactive touch-screens and water-themed art.

Edison Athletic Field
Thanks to an innovative partnership between Minneapolis Public Schools, the City of Minneapolis, Edison Community & Sports Foundation, the Minnesota Vikings, the NFL/LISC Grassroots Program and the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization, Edison High School’s Pete Guzy Field received a sustainable redesign in 2015. The renovation incorporated cutting-edge infrastructure to manage stormwater onsite, as part of the larger Green Campus initiative launched in 2010. Read more about the field’s sustainable technology HERE.

Highlight Center Opens
The former Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) headquarters building at 807 Broadway Street NE re-opened as the Highlight Center in 2015. When MPS decided to move their headquarters to a new location, they and the City of Minneapolis undertook a careful selection process with significant input from the Logan Park community’s 807 Broadway Task Force. After being selected to develop the property, Hillcrest Development purchased the former MPS headquarters in 2014 and began the process of rehabilitating the 100-year-old building into a multitenant office space. The building's new name references its origins as a lightbulb factory in the early 20th century. The Highlight Center has attracted a number of unique and creative occupants, including the newly opened Able Seedhouse Brewery.

Former Highland Market Comes Down

This September demolition began at the site of the former Highland Market, the first steps in a major shift on Central Avenue as Walgreens moves down the street. The move is part of a larger business realignment that will bring two brand-new buildings to Central Avenue. Neighborhood HealthSource's Central Clinic will move from their aging building at 2610 Central Avenue to the Methven-Taylor property at 2310 Central, while Walgreens will build a new store at 2600-2620 Central. This activity is the culmination of discussions with the Ward 1 Office, Walgreens and Neighborhood HealthSource over the course of the past two years.

2600 Central Avenue has long been a problematic corner, with a significant amount of Police and Inspections Department resources going toward monitoring  and dealing with criminal activity and livability issues (in the photo at right CM Reich holds a long list of Regulatory Services and Licensing complaints received for the former Highland Market).

The new Walgreens store will be larger than the current location and will feature a drive-through at the rear of the building. The building's design took into account both community comments and the Central Avenue Design Guidelines. As a result, the landscaping plan will include rain gardens, an amenity advocated for by the Holland neighborhood. Adelheid Koski, president of the Holland Neighborhood Improvement Association, and Nick Christoff, Walgreens District Manager, were also on hand to mark the launch of the project with the demolition of the row of aging buildings. Up next: Neighborhood HealthSource Central Clinic will have a groundbreaking ceremony at 2310 Central in a few weeks.

What’s New on Central Avenue

If you haven’t seen Central Avenue lately, here are some of the highlights:

Broadway/Central Gateway Art
The Logan Park Neighborhood Association (LPNA) led the development of the public art “Gateway” project at the intersection of Central and Broadway Avenues in 1993. Over the past year LPNA has been working with City of Minneapolis to replace the text that accompanies the art work with new lettering that will make a bolder visual impact.

1314 Central Avenue NE
Ideal Diner, an iconic Northeast breakfast-and-lunch location, closed briefly this year before changing hands. New owner Kim Robinson completely renovated the kitchen, made some interior upgrades and had the diner’s signature outdoor sign refurbished.





1717 Central Avenue NE
A vacant Burger King occupied this site at the intersection of Central and 18th Avenue NE for several years, complete with boarded windows, overgrown weeds and a disintegrating parking lot. Hillcrest Development purchased the property in the last year, renovating and landscaping it before leasing it to the current tenant for use as a childcare facility.

1851 Central Avenue NE
Remodeling is underway for the projected late fall opening of the Mill Northeast, a full service restaurant that will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The restaurant will be located in the building that previously housed Falafel King and Porky’s and will be serving a menu described as Eclectic American.

2014 Central Avenue NE
This property was recently acquired by Middle West Management, an artist management firm whose most high-profile client is Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter Bon Iver.

2220 Central Avenue NE
This building, which houses both offices and apartments, received a significant facade improvement this summer: the result is both beautiful and historically-sensitive.

2300 Central Avenue NE
Purchased recently by Frank Stone and Lynn Olson, this building has undergone extensive renovation to reveal a brick building with traditional open transom windows. At the end of September, new tenant Language Central, a non-profit language school geared toward serving immigrant communities, celebrated its grand opening.

2504/2506 Central Avenue NE
Northeast Investment Cooperative (NEIC) purchased these two properties with the express purpose of bringing “transformative change one building at a time” to Central Avenue. 2504 Central is currently occupied by Recovery Bike Shop, while Aki’s BreadHaus, a German-style bakery, will be leasing 2506 Central.

2538 & 2544 Central Avenue NE
Central Liquors, at 2538 Central, was extensively remodeled this summer, while its next-door neighbor, 2544 Central, was purchased by Ben Janssens, the owner of local company SignMinds. Janssens intends to turn the building into a live-work space, with a full-service design studio on the first floor.

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.

Central Avenue Median Update

Phase II of the Central Avenue medians prairie plantings has been launched this summer, with continued maintenance of last year’s plantings and the addition of some colorful newcomers – Golden Alexander, Indian Grass and Yellow Coneflower. Neighborhood representatives, the Edison Green Youth Council and CM Reich joined Prairie Restorations in installing 15,000 of these plants at the end of June. The project began in 2011 when funding was identified to clear the medians and install a more durable prairie-style landscape. After the City held a number of meetings with neighborhood representatives and community members, Prairie Restorations, which has been developing prairie landscapes for 37 years, began the initial establishment of the plantings in the summer of 2012. That process included general seeding with a MN DOT-approved mix of native grasses and wildflowers, as well as regular mowing and spot applications of herbicides to control invasive species growth.

Prairie plantings require patience, since it takes two to three years for the root systems of these perennials to get fully established and able to crowd out annual and biennial weeds. However, once that process is complete, the native plants will provide not only beauty, but also improved soil infiltration, habitat for bees, butterflies and birds, and long-term maintenance cost savings. Part of the overall vision community members developed for the landscaping extends beyond the medians to encompass the boulevards on the east and west of Central Avenue. To that end, Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board (MPRB) has installed several new trees along the west side of the Avenue near the Columbia Manor parking lot. For further information about the Central Median plantings, please contact the 1st Ward office.

Volunteer for Open Streets!

Open Streets is seeking 150 volunteers for their summer events. Click HERE to find out more and register as a volunteer .