Monthly Archives: April 2008

HEADS UP FOR APRIL 16, 2008 PARK BOARD MEETING

Some highlights:

5:00 P.M. REGULAR BOARD MEETING.

5:30 P.M. OPEN TIME.

5:45 P.M. PLANNING COMMITTEE. There will be a study/report presentation by the East Phillips Park Committee Design Team.

6:15 P.M. ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE COMMITTEE. The Committee will be voting on Park Board plans to declare the Pillsbury-Waite Center property, which is valued by the city assessor at $1,234,000, as “surplus” land and giving it to Pillsbury-Waite in exchange for $10.00 without getting any contractual guarantees in return.

This transaction raises several questions:

1. Why isn’t there a written guarantee stating that the new owner (Pillsbury-Waite) will continue to provide social services into the future?

2. What is to prevent a developer from eventually acquiring this land?

3. Is this gifting away of parkland a precedent that the Park Board is establishing that will allow other Park Board land to be declared “surplus” and traded away for minimal consideration?

4. Has this transaction had adequate consideration? Where are the comprehensive staff reports supporting the conclusion that this property should be declared “surplus,” especially in view of the fact that its assessed value is $1,234,000? The property being traded away for $10.00 is a valuable public asset and the Park Board has a responsibility to the public to safeguard its assets.

The meeting’s complete agenda is usually available Monday or Tuesday on the Park Board’s website http://www.minneapolisparks.org

The meeting will be broadcast live on cable channel 14 beginning at 5:00 P.M.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE APRIL 2, 2008 PARK BOARD MEETING

Some highlights:

5:00 P.M. REGULAR BOARD MEETING. The Board requested that the Board of Estimate & Taxation amend the adopted financial policy statements with respect to the City’s Independent Boards allowing for the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board to levy property taxes at the level of up to 4% of its Total General Fund Operating Budget for the fiscal years 2009 through 2013.

The Board voted to approve a Joint Powers Agreement with the City of St. Paul for providing purchasing and contracting services to the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.

And the Board passed a resolution to recognize 2008 as the 125 Year Anniversary of the park system and to celebrate the valuable role that parks play in promoting the health and well being of the city and its residents.

Removed from the agenda was the Board’s request that the City Council and Board of Estimate & Taxation reassign Library Board net debt bonding for fiscal years 2009 through 2012 to the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board capital improvement program was removed from the agenda.

At the end of the regular meeting, the Commissioners brought up the subject of the new Park Board history book that is soon to make its debut. Four of the Commissioners expressed concerns about the book. Apparently, there are some concerns about the accuracy of the information in the book. Commissioner Walt Dziedzic wanted to know if there would be corrections. Dawn Sommers, who is responsible for the Park Board’s Public Relations, said that the book was ready to be printed and there was not going to be further review.

However, we have since learned that the printing as scheduled will not occur and that the manuscript is under review.

The issue was unsettling. One wonders, who actually commissioned this book? And why did the commissioners seem to know so little about it? And what happened to the manuscript documenting the MPRB’s history that was written by longtime former Assistant Superintendent Al Wittman? It is common knowledge that he’s had a Park Board history ready to be published and waiting to be funded. Why isn’t it Al’s book that is being published?

6:15 P.M. PLANNING COMMITTEE. There was a presentation on the Central Corridor Light Rail Traffic study.

6:45 P.M. LEGISLATION AND INTERGOVERNMENTAL COMMITTEE. there was a 30 minute legislative update, with nothing concrete to report.

Arlene Fried, Co-founder of Park Watch

POTHOLE PARKWAY: 2009 Renovation of Lake of the Isles Parkway Under Consideration

The following article is from the April 7, 2008, issue of the Southwest Journal:

Pothole Parkway
Dylan Thomas

EAST ISLES

When pothole season rolls around each spring, it doesn’t just come to one street; it arrives everywhere in Minneapolis at once.

And yet, Harvey Ettinger saw something remarkable March 18 that reinforced his belief that the pothole problem on his street — East Lake of the Isles Parkway — was among the most serious in the city.

Within one hour that night, Ettinger said, he saw two cars get flat tires after hitting massive potholes near his house, on the parkway’s 2600 block. (Ettinger provided the drivers’ names, and they confirmed the story.)

A resident of the Chain of Lakes area for about 30 years, Ettinger said this spring’s thaw turned the badly deteriorated roadway into “an obstacle course.”

“This is the worst,” he said, “the worst in all my years.”

In March, Public Works officials were working on a plan to move up a scheduled renovation of the parkway to 2009 from 2011. The proposal would “front-load” the next three years of parkway renovation funding to complete the project early, said Mike Kennedy, director of transportation maintenance and repair.

Kennedy said Public Works was reacting to citizen concern while at the same time attempting to limit the time and money it spends filling potholes on the parkway. Crews patched the parkway multiple times over the winter and were back out shoveling hot asphalt March 20 — the day after Ettinger brought his concerns before the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board.

“We’re putting way too many resources into a mile-and-a-half of parkway compared to a thousand miles of (city) streets,” Kennedy said. “There are plenty of other problems out there.”

Ahead of schedule

Kennedy said work on Lake of the Isles Parkway would include a mill and overlay of the existing parkway, as well as “selective” curb and gutter replacement. The cost was estimated about $2 million, he said.

Each year, Public Works sets aside only $500,000—$800,000 for its parkway renovation program, so Lake of the Isles Parkway renovation would eat up approximately three years worth of funding.

“The plan was to save the money up over the next few years and then do it all in 2011,” Kennedy said. “That makes no sense, to have it sit there like that. And we can’t tolerate having to go out there and patch it, anymore.”

Instead, Public Works proposed to finance the entire project in 2009 and delay any other parkway renovation projects until after 2011. The proposal still has to clear the budgeting process, but Kennedy predicted the mayor and City Council would approve it.

“We’re confident this has a good chance of happening,” he said.

Park Board General Manager Michael Schmidt said it made sense to complete the parkway renovation early, before rising oil prices pushed up paving costs any further. Whether the renovation was completed in 2009 or 2011, Lake of the Isles would have been the only parkway scheduled for renovation during that three-year period, anyway, Schmidt added.

“There are other parkways that need to be fixed, but the commitment was this was the next area we were going to,” he said.

Planning to pave

Planning for parkway renovation is the joint responsibility of Public Works and the Park Board. The Park Board owns the parkways, but under a long-standing agreement, funding for parkway renovation comes through Public Works.

Schmidt said Park Board officials originally sought to rebuild Lake of the Isles parkway with state funds.

State bonding financed an effort to restore parkland and mitigate flooding around Lake of the Isles, a major project now entering its final phase. When it became clear in about 2006 that roadwork would not be included in the bonding, Lake of the Isles Parkway was put back on the parkway renovation schedule with Public Works, Schmidt said.

Still, Public Works officials wanted to wait until most of the work around the shores of Lake of the Isles was completed before starting major roadwork. There was concern truck traffic could damage a newly paved roadway, Kennedy said.

Not soon enough

For Justin Hendrickson, parkway restoration couldn’t come soon enough. Hendrickson already blew out a tire and bent two wheel rims.

“I’ve never seen a road in worse condition than that,” he said.

Stevens Square resident Hendrickson was the first driver Ettinger saw that night in March when two vehicles got stuck in front of Ettinger’s home.

Hendrickson said he regularly used East Lake of the Isles Parkway as a shortcut home from the western suburbs. That night, driving a brand-new 2008 Honda Accord, the trip cost him roughly $1,400.

“It stings,” he said.

Lowry Hill resident Marty Broan said he used the parkway regularly to pick up his children from school.

“It’s a very convenient and beautiful road for us to use,” Broan said.

There was no question for him. He said the road was “significantly worse” this year than in his memory.

So, Broan found it encouraging that pressure from nearby residents like Ettinger seemed to get the attention of Public Works and the Park Board.

“It is definitely a case … where citizen communications actually make a difference,” he said.2009 renovation of Lake of the Isles Parkway under consideration

REOPENING OF GLUEK PARK

Dedication of New Improvements at Gluek Riverside Park
A look back in history on the Gluek Family and Gluek Brewery Operations
are part of the Dedication Ceremony

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) and the Bottineau Neighborhood Association (BNA) are co-sponsoring a Dedication Ceremony to celebrate the improvements completed at Gluek Riverside Park. The Dedication Ceremony follows Earth Day clean up activities in the Bottineau Neighborhood and is scheduled for:

Saturday – April 19, 2008
12:30 pm
1926 Marshall Street NE
Minneapolis, MN 55418
Gluek Riverside Park is the site of the former Gluek Brewery and Gluek “mansion”. German immigrant, Gottlieb Gluek, established the brewery in 1857 (known then as the Mississippi Brewery) and in 1863 changed the name to Gluek Brewery.

The property was razed in 1966. Although originally slated for industrial expansion, the open space was acquired by the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board (MPRB) in 1978. Gluek Riverside Park was renamed and dedicated to honor the Gluek family in 1995.

The park was closed in 2004 due to contaminated soils. After remediation work was completed by the United States Enviornmental Protection Agency, the park was released back to the MPRB. A community meeting was held in February, 2007 to discuss restoration plans and a design layout was approved by the Board of Commissioners.

The plan includes new flower beds, trees and shrubs, pathways, a picnic shelter sized for 50 persons, picnic tables and benches throughout the park, a new drinking fountain and two river overlooks. These improvements will allow the three acre park to function as a passive use park on the banks of the Mississippi River, consistent with the plans in the Above The Falls Master Plan.

More Information

http://www.minneapolisparks.org/default.asp?PageID=52&prid=614

MPRB Board Meeting

Details for
Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board Commissisoners Meeting

Commissioners Walt Dziedzic, Bob Fine, Carol Kummer, Mary Merrill Anderson, Tracy Nordstrom, Jon C. Olson, Scott Vreeland, Annie Young and President Tom Nordyke.

Date: 5/21/2008
Time: 5:00-8:00 p.m.
Type: Regular
Location: MPRB Administrative Offices, Board Room Suite 255
Address: 2117 West River Road
Minneapolis

Park Board Agenda

MPRB Board Meeting

Details for
Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board Commissisoners Meeting

Commissioners Walt Dziedzic, Bob Fine, Carol Kummer, Mary Merrill Anderson, Tracy Nordstrom, Jon C. Olson, Scott Vreeland, Annie Young and President Tom Nordyke.

Date: 5/7/2008
Time: 5:00-8:00 p.m.
Type: Regular
Location: MPRB Administrative Offices, Board Room Suite 255
Address: 2117 West River Road
Minneapolis

Park Board Agenda

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE MARCH 19, 2008 PARK BOARD MEETING

5:00 P.M. REGULAR BOARD MEETING. Superintendent Jon Gurban submitted his monthly activity report. The Board approved the new 2008 golf rates and the schematic design for the East River Parkway Trail Improvements.

5:30 P.M. OPEN TIME. Harvey Ettinger, a longtime resident of East Isles, spoke of how Lake of the Isles Parkway has deteriorated this winter to the point that driving it has become dangerous with cars hitting potholes and needing to be towed away because of the damages sustained. He urged the Park Board to help in addressing the problem.

In honor of the national initiative Sunshine Week, Arlene Fried spoke about the importance of the Data Practices Act as a tool for citizens to use to obtain Government Information. Her presentation has already been posted on Park Watch.

6:00 P.M. COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE. Jennifer Ringold spoke about the Capital Improvement Planning Process and Karen Robinson gave a report about the 5-year financial outlook (“a substantial decrease in income”) and suggested that the Board consider asking the Board of Estimate and Taxation to increase the maximum tax levy for 2009.

In conclusion, I found one item worth noting with alarm: “The CIP will account for: A renewal of the existing infrastructure to meet community needs. This will include tax-supported and enterprise infrastructure in regional and neighborhood parks.” The word “enterprise” has been associated with some expensive failures i.e., lawsuits. The Park Board is still accumulating legal bills for the unresolved Fuji-ya/Wave contract and for the 201 Building/skate park at Ft. Snelling, which ended up in the courts because–for one reason–when it failed, there was no construction bond on the project. The Park Board’s history with enterprise projects is less than stellar. And when projects fail, they are not examined so that everyone has an understanding of what the problems were so that they are not repeated.

Arlene Fried, Co-founder of Park Watch

Park Ice Rinks

The following video by Jim Winkle about the Matthews Park ice rink was presented by Dave Chadborn during Open Time at a recent Park Board meeting. Chadborn is working with the community to ensure the future of local ice skating rinks to get kids and adults away from the TVs and down to their parks. Chadborn can be reached iceskatingisdancing at gmail.com.

A HEADS UP FOR THE APRIL 2, 2008 PARK BOARD MEETING

Some highlights:

5:00 P.M. REGULAR BOARD MEETING. The Board will be requesting that the Board of Estimate & Taxation amend the adopted financial policy statements with respect to the City’s Independent Boards allowing for the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board to levy property taxes at the level of up to 4% of its Total General Fund Operating Budget for the fiscal years 2009 through 2013.

The Board will also be requesting that the City Council and Board of Estimate & Taxation reassign Library Board net debt bonding for fiscal years 2009 through 2012 to the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board capital improvement program.

The Board will be voting to approve a Joint Powers Agreement with the City of St. Paul for providing purchasing and contracting services to the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.

And the Board will be passing a resolution to recognize 2008 as the 125 Year Anniversary of the park system and to celebrate the valuable role that parks play in promoting the health and well being of the city and its residents.

6:45 P.M. LEGISLATION AND INTERGOVERNMENTAL COMMITTEE. There will be a 30 minute legislative update.

The meeting will be broadcast live on cable channel 14 beginning at 5:00 P.M.

The complete agenda is usually available Monday or Tuesday on the Park Board’s website http://www.minneapolisparks.org.

Arlene Fried, Co-founder of Park Watch