A Heads Up For August 15, 2007, Park Board Meeting
1. 4:00 P.M. STUDY SESSION. The one-half hour Parade Update session that was supposed to have been scheduled for the August 15 meeting has been bumped from the agenda. The session had been requested by commissioners to answer the many questions about Parade. There is a lot of confusion about the Parade site and Superintendent Gurban should have welcomed the opportunity to provide clarification. But instead of providing a forum for clarification, he has removed the Parade Update session from the agenda. So confusion continues and Superintendent Gurban can avoid being held accountable to the commissioners and the public.
Instead of the Parade Update, there will be a 30 minute Crown Hydro Update.
2. 5:00 P.M. REGULAR MEETING. There will be a discussion about the sale of the 201 Building (the failed skatepark enterprise project at Ft. Snelling) to the Boy Scouts. The 201 Building was supposed to have been a profit-making enterprise; but instead of earning money, it has lost millions of taxpayers' dollars. Only when the building is sold will the Park Board break even. So when Park Watch hears about enterprise projects like Superintendent Gurban's vision for a $20M event center on the Parade site, we get very nervous.
3. PLANNING COMMITTEE. At 6:00 p.m., there will be a Public Hearing on the Park Board's Draft Comprehensive Plan. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) reminds residents and park users that the public comment period for the draft Comprehensive Plan CONCLUDES with an opportunity for public comment at 6 p.m. Wednesday, August 15 at the Board's Planning Committee. The meeting is held at Park Board Headquarters, 2117 West River Road, Minneapolis. Written comments received throughout the public comment period as well as those received at the board meeting on August 15 will become part of the official record. The final version of the MPRB Comprehensive Plan may be modified as a result of the comments received during the public comment period.