april 2006 uptown neighborhood news

The neighborhood has been shaken by the murder of Michael Zebuhr, 25, during a robbery on March 18. While the topic of crime has been on the minds and in the conversations of many Uptown residents for almost a year, escalation of vio-lence was a shock to the collec-tive psyche of this area.

Residents held two vigils to mourn the death of Zebuhr. On March 22, Community Crime Prevention Specialist Tom Thompson invited folks to “a show of solidarity for our neighborhoods. Let’s show the “thugs” out there that we won’t be intimidated. We will work together to get them out of our neighborhoods. We will do whatever it takes, as a commu-nity, to bring peace and justice for the victim, his family and our neighborhoods.”

Residents met at the site of the shooting on 31st and Girard for a candlelight vigil, then walked to Bryant Square Park for the

CARAG monthly meeting where city and police represen-tatives spoke.

Another vigil was held Satur-day, March 25, at the same spot.

Police say they are working to find the killer(s), but report no news yet. Police have released a vague description of two male suspects in dark clothing. Authorities said the suspects got into a white, four-door car that headed south in the alley between Girard and Hennepin avenues. More people may have been waiting in the getaway car, police have said. Police urge any-one with information about the robbery to call 612-692-TIPS.

By Eric Petersen

Pedestrians and motorists who frequently pass through the intersection at Lyndale and 31st street heading either east or west probably have noticed the frequent gathering of friendly folks who hang out in front of the Birchwood Care Home. I often pass by myself, and I’m almost certain to be greeted by hand waves, hellos and some friendly banter each and every time.

But what exactly is Birchwood? And why are its residents over-whelmingly so nice?

Birchwood opened in 1966 as a privately run facility to care for those with myriad health prob-lems and behavioral issues. At the time, not all places designed to deal with such people pro-vided the specialized care that Birchwood hoped to. Then, as now, many marginalized peo-ple often were not getting the care they need and love they deserve.

You’ll often see Jarion Brown outside, mingling with the resi-dents. Brown has been work-ing at Birchwood for a bit over two years, and he enjoys his job accompanying the residents as they foray en masse for outings to the movies, to a fishing hole or summertime BBQs, among the many other “outside” group recreation opportunities.

Brown said, smiling, that his primary duty at Birchwood is to “keep the residents busy.”

And that he does.

Marilyn Swanson, Director of Nursing Services, said that residents have the option of between 95 and 115 “therapeu-tic recreation” opportunities each month. These options include bingo, television, darts, board games, visits from local daycare kids, visits to the library, seeing plays and trips to the YMCA. These activi-ties aren’t just plucked from a hat, either; the Resident Coun-cil has its say in every activ-ity choice. This democratically elected group of residents helps to shape the monthly itinerary. Brown said the TV schedule

tends to be among the most contentious decision that gets made.

Current owner and 19-year administrator Randy Hage-meyer gets much credit from Swanson for his running of the program. She said, “He under-stands the impact his decisions have on staff and for the quality of life for our residents.” Many long-term employees also share the credit. “Honest caring and the closeness between staff to the residents, it’s like a family for many of them,” she said, “People who come to work here, stay here.”

Neighbors have been great to

Covering the Neighborhoods of CARAG and ECCO in the Uptown Area April 2006 • Volume 2, Number 3

Photo by Kay Nygaard-Graham

Opinions/Letters .................................... 3

CARAG Report ......................................... 6

Crime Map .................................................. 7

ECCO Report ........................................... 8

Community Calendar .......................... 15

inside

Photo (left) by Kay Nygaard-Graham

WRITERS!Want to write for the Uptown Neighborhood News? It is a fun, volunteer job. You don’t need to be a professional, but you do need to care about your neighborhood.

CALENDAR EDITORWe are looking for someone to spend a few hours every month assembling the Community Calendar.

Call or write: 259.1372 or [email protected].

Birchwood Offers Loving Care and a Good Home

U.S. Con-g r e s s m a n from the 5th District, Martin Olav Sabo, has announced that he will retire at

the end of this term, in Janu-ary 2007. Sabo first served as a representative in the Minnesota House, from 1960 to 1978. Then he was elected to Congress in 1978, and every two years since

then. He said, “Now, at age 68, it’s time to stop. In my gut, I know the time is right. It’s time to open the door for a new gen-eration of leadership.”

In a dependably friendly, Dem-ocratic district, Sabo has faced few challengers and has easily won reelection every time he ran. He has been widely consid-ered an effective representative, admired by many as a reason-able voice in the cacophony of Washington.

But the real news right now is the rush of local Minnesota politicians and office holders tripping over each other on the way to filing for the office. It is the chance of a lifetime, and many are taking advantage of the rare opening. Voters will be hard pressed to sort out the growing list. The DFL conven-tions will appraise them, and an endorsement may come out of the June state convention, but

Congressman Sabo to Retire After 28 Years in Congress

SABO tO REtiRE continued on page 13

Memorial Fund for Michael ZebuhrResidents of the Uptown area have set up a Memorial Fund for the family of the West Virginia native killed Saturday, March 18th, near Calhoun Square. If you’d like to contribute, send your donation to: the Michael Zebuhr Memorial Fund, c/o tCF Bank, 612 Washington Avenue SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414

Photo by Kay Nygaard-Graham Birchwood Care Nursing Home

Uptown Shocked and Saddened by Murder

BiRCHWOOd continued on page 2

Photo by Jeffrey Farnam

Martin Olav Sabo

Photo by Jeffrey Farnam

� • UPtOwN NEiGhbORhOOd NEws APRiL 2006

the residents at Birchwood as well. As Birchwood holds a special state permit, residents often stay for many years, and become community figures in their own right. Swanson men-tioned a resident who stayed at Birchwood for 31 years. Swan-son also noted that the annual December open house often attracts 350 people, which includes many neighborhood folks as well as family members of Birchwood residents.

Swanson also mentioned the Bryant Lake Bowl as a resident favorite. It has been dubbed “the hideout” by the many regular visitors from the home. She said some residents were horrified when she went there for dinner a couple weeks ago, as if she had intruded on a pri-vate club.

Birchwood currently has resi-dents aged from 30 to 85. The average age is about 55. Many residents stay there until they are unable to move about of their own volition, and even when they are moved out, Swanson said that Birchwood also offers hospice care for some at the very end. Many residents

have, over the course of years, come to see Birchwood truly as home, and wish to spend their remaining time there.

The waiting list attends to the fact that Birchwood is highly regarded in the field of home health care facilities, and turn-over remains low. Of the 60 current residents, the attrition rate amounts to about a resi-dent a month. Some of these are people who were able to move on to other types of sup-porting housing, such as Sec-tion 8 or some type of foster care arrangement.

Birchwood has 24/7 profes-sional nurses, and a registered dietician oversees the kitchen operations. For Valentine’s Day this year, residents were treated to a romantic setting and dined on shrimp, steak, vegetables and potato. And dessert.

Above all, according to Swan-son, the residents at Birchwood want to fit in, help the commu-nity and lead normal lives.

CARAG resident Eric Petersen is a student at Metro State.

By Steven Nelson

I have lived here for two years now and I like the area very much. The buses are very good. You can get around very good. The park is good to go for walks in and watch the people play in sum-mer and winter, like games. Where I live is good too. I live at Birchwood. The people are very good there to live with. They take very good care of us there.

There is a lot to do there, too. Rec. Dept. keeps us so busy. Some of the things we do is go shopping at K-Mart, go out to eat and go to the movies on Saturday so we stay busy.

We have good staff, who take good care of us too. They look out for us. I like going to my church, too.

Following are two interviews with residents of Birchwood.

MARY HEBZYSkiWhere are you from? New Hope. How long have you lived in the area?Four years.

What do you like about this area the most?I like the fact that I can take walks.

How do you like the many food places to eat?Yes. I like to go out to eat a lot to get pizzas a lot.

Mary, what do you like most about Birchwood?The people there.

What do you do in the sum-mer there?I sit outside in front and drink pop and smoke cigs with my friends.

What are some of your hob-bies?I make crafts a lot for my friends and family.

Well, thank you, Mary, for your time.

MARY MOllOYWhere did you live before you came here? Chicago.

How long have you lived here in this area? Four years.

What do you like to do the most for fun?Walks in the area to the stores, out to eat, etc.

if you had something you could see different what would it be?It would be stop signs at the corners of Aldrich and 31st so it would be safer to walk across.

What do you like about Birchwood the most? The people, the food, the Rec. Department.

How is the bus transport sys-tems?Very good.

Well then you would say it’s a good place to be for now.

This is reporter Steven Nelson on the inside for you.

NEWS, STORy IDEAS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR [email protected] UNN, 711 West Lake St. #303 Minneapolis, MN 55408 (612) 259-1372

EDITOR Mary Ann knox

MANAGING BOARD Appointed/Elected Reps: Gary Farland, Chair (ECCO) 824-6744 Ralph D. Knox, Secretary (ECCO) Carrie Menard (ECCO) Anna Matthes (CARAG) Kay Nygaard-Graham, Treasurer (CARAG) 825-3637 Jill Bode, Vice-chair (CARAG) Volunteer Members: David Peterson Mary Ann Knox

ADvERTISING Anna Matthes 824-6183 [email protected] Ads are due by the 17th of each month (if you don’t have it in by then, call anyway)

PHOTOGRAPHERS Tracy Armstrong, Gary Farland, Jeffrey Far-nam, Kay Nygaard-Graham, David Peterson

NEWSPAPER CIRCuLATION CARAG/ECCO Circulation: Bill Boudreau 825-0979

CONTRIBuTING WRITERS Tracy Armstrong, Gary Farland, Jeffrey Far-nam, Kay Nygaard-Graham, Eric Peterson

CONTRIBuTING COLuMNISTS Margaret Anderson Kelliher, Rick Krolak, Al Olme

GRAPHIC DESIGN & PRODuCTION Kelly Newcomer 824-1092 [email protected]

MINNEAPOLIS CITy COuNCIL Tenth Ward Ralph Remington, 673-2210 [email protected]

CRIME PREvENTION SPECIALIST Tom Thompson 5th Precinct SAFE Unit, Sector 2 3101 Nicollet Ave Minneapolis MN 55408 Serving the neighborhoods of; CARAG, East Harriet, ECCO, Kingfield, Linden Hills, Lyndale, West Calhoun

5TH PRECINCT COMMuNITy ATTORNEy Lisa Godon 673-2005

Uptown Neighborhood News reserves the right to refuse publi-cation of articles or advertisements as it sees fit. But we will see fit to publish most things, don’t worry. Copyright © 2006. Uptown Neighborhood News.

Uptown neighborhood newsUptown Neighborhood News is a monthly publication of Calhoun Area Residents Action Group (CARAG) in cooperation with the East Calhoun Community Organization (ECCO). UNN cov-ers the news of and is delivered free to households within the area bounded by Lyndale Ave. S. and Lake Calhoun, between Lake Street and 36th St. W. Extra copies are distributed to businesses in the Uptown area, along Lake Street, and Lyndale and Hennepin Aves. Circulation is 5,100, with a pass-along readership of 10,000. Publication and distribution is near the first weekend of every month. Subscriptions are available for $30 per year, prepaid. Send check to: UNN, 711 W. Lake St., Suite 303, Minneapolis, MN 55408.

Contributors are area residents who volunteer their time to bring the news of the area to residents. Articles, letters to the editor and story ideas are welcomed and encouraged. The editor reserves the right to edit for length, clarity, relevance to the area, or other reasons. Editorial and advertising guide-lines are available. Please contact the editor:

BiRCHWOOd continued from page 1 Meet your Neighbors at Birchwood

Thursday, April 27 is the 12th Annual Dining Out for Life event. Local restaurants con-tribute a share of the profits they make that day to The Alive-ness Project, a local nonprofit organization that provides on-site meals, food shelf and other supportive services for HIV-infected individuals and their

families. The event last year raised $70,000. If you dine at these restaurants on that day, they will donate profits to the project.

Go to the web site for a complete list of participating restaurants (www.diningoutforlife.com/participating.php).

DONATING 100%Auriga 1930 Hennepin Ave.

DONATING 35%Bar Abilene 1300 Lagoon Ave.El Meson 3450 Lyndale Ave.the independent Calhoun Sq.Victor’s 1959 Cafe 3756 Grand Ave.

DONATING 25%Five Restaurant 2917 BryantPizza luce 3200 Lyndale Ave.Rudolph’s Bar-B-Que 1933 Lyndale Ave.

DONATING 20%Aura Calhoun Sq.Barbette 1600 Lake St.Chiang Mai thai Calhoun Sq.it’s Greek to Me 626 Lake St.

DONATING 15%Emma’s Restaurant 2817 Lyndale Ave.Falafel king 701 Lake St.Giorgio’s 2451 Hennepin Ave.

DONATING 10%JP American Bistro 2937 Lyndale Ave. Uptown diner 2821 Hennepin Ave.

DINING OuT FOR LIFE APRIL 27 Local restaurants donate profits to The Aliveness Project

APRiL 2006 UPtOwN NEiGhbORhOOd NEws • �

By Mary Ann Knox

Former 10th Ward City Coun-cilmember dan Niziolek is now working as an Inspector in the Mpls. Liquor Licensing divi-sion. He says his experiences as a city councilmember made him realize that his commu-nity is affected by the presence of licenses in Uptown. He hopes he can help the division improve enforcement.

Former ECCO resident lee todd is a current ECCO resi-

dent again. Lee and his wife moved to California in 1997 after many years in ECCO. They heard that their old house was on the market again, and as they missed their family back here, decided to return. They bought back their old house on Irving Avenue, next to kit and Joan Bottkol, who wel-come back their old friends and neighbors.

CARAG residents Christy and Scott devens have a new baby boy. Spencer Wayne devens

arrived Fri-day, Febru-ary 24 (6 lbs. 10 oz). They are all well...just adjust-ing to the new sleep schedule (or “lack of sleep schedule”), says new mom Christy. Congratulations, Devens family!

If you hear news around Uptown, let me know! Email [email protected].

By Ellen Bouroughf

Ruth Cain may look like a harmless little old lady who’d wear tennis shoes, but she isn’t. A former Associate Chair of the Minnesota DFL, she has remained involved. Whether a champion of a candidate or of an issue, she is a powerful pres-ence. Ruth wrote a resolution proposing a moratorium on development in the Uptown area, which she introduced at her precinct caucus. Since she distributed copies of the resolu-tion widely, it was introduced at other caucuses, too. At my caucus, it was passed without discussion by unanimous vote. You were, of course, at your own precinct caucus. What happened to Ruth’s resolution there? Was it introduced? Was it discussed? Did it pass?

Several of our neighbors, empowered by the resolution’s passage, formed a group to encourage the powers that be to take notice and take action. “Hey! Other areas have mora-toriums on development. We want one, too.” Beware. These people aren’t harmless either. Nor is Ruth’s dog. His name is Digby, and he’s been a cam-paign mascot. You’ve prob-ably seen him holding court at the Dunn Brothers coffee-house at 34th and Hennepin Avenue. While he may growl viciously at passing Rottweilers and Great Danes, all he really wants to do is play. Digby is dangerous because he steals hearts. Ruth Cain and her group aren’t dangerous because they steal. They’re dangerous because they work. Right now they’re organizing a petition drive. The petition gets rid of all the “whereases” and “be-it-resolveds” in the resolution but captures its intent. It reads:

“Petition for a Moratorium on Development in Uptown

The top concern of 10th Ward voters in the recent City election was the number of development proposals that would radically change the area’s scale and char-acter. A master plan involving substantial neighborhood input was widely supported and a plan-ner has been hired by the city to begin the process in April 2006.

Developer proposals continue to move forward in the absence of such a plan.

Therefore we request a morato-rium on all development projects in the 10th Ward which do not strictly conform to present zoning and Shoreland Overlay laws until a master plan for the Uptown area, which includes substantial input from 10th Ward residents, is adopted. In the meantime, no zoning variances or conditional use permits should be granted except those for single-family homes and duplexes.”

Ruth’s “petition posse” wants your signature. Expect to hear from them. If you’d like to join the group, call Ruth Cain at 822.4483.

Ellen wrote the Uptown News article that urged readers to go

to their precinct caucuses. Since no Act of God prevented her

attendance, she went and was intrigued by this resolution and

its empowering effect.

lettersWhat One Person with Resolve Can do

Opinions Policy: Please submit your opinion pieces to the edi-tor. We encourage thoughtful essays about anything that’s going on in the neighborhoods. On occasion, we will solicit contrasting views on one sub-ject and run multiple opinions. We reserve the right to edit for space or clarity, taste and legal concerns.

HEARd AROUNd UPtOWN

Letters to the Editor Policy: Write to us, provided you write fewer than 250 words! Your letter may be edited and we don't know if it will be pub-lished, but we will certainly try to do so. We need to know your name, address, phone number and neighborhood.

tAkE NONViOlENt ACtiON

Last weekend, a horrible crime was committed on our streets. We all reacted with shock and horror at this seemingly capri-cious and brazen murder. Nobody can change what hap-pened, but we are now making decisions for the future.

I have noticed a much more visible police presence, and this is welcome to keep our streets safe. At the same time it is unsustainable, there are much higher crime areas in our city, and they deserve attention. Staffing levels are dangerously low as it is. Police also, no mat-ter how high the presence, can not possibly stop every crime.

I also have heard the cry for blood. If anybody else reads the Craig’s List message boards, there is an increasing call for vigilantism. “Arm yourselves!” “Eye for an Eye!” “Anyone messes with me like that and they’ll regret it!” These are understandable given the cir-cumstances, but must at all costs be avoided. Do we want to be walking home from Cal-houn Square and get caught in crossfire? Our children?

In a story for this issue of UNN, I visited the Birchwood Care Home and conducted a couple of interviews. I also, while waiting for an appointment, spoke with a resident, Mariah. Her speech is sometimes hard to understand, and her struc-turing is sometimes hard to follow. Some of her messages were abundantly clear. But one resonates with me tonight: Take our streets back from thugs. We were talking about street patrols. Non-violent,

unarmed but highly visible street patrols.

Please join a neighborhood walking group. Be safe, respectful and forceful. Let’s not have the annual summer increase in person-on-person crime that we’ve seen in the past.

It’s in our hands.

Eric PetersenCARAG

StAdiUM REFERENdUM

If you want to vote on wheth-er to pay an extra sales tax for a stadium, please ask your state legislators to obey the law requiring a referendum. For your senator’s phone, call 651.296.0504. For representa-tive, call 651.296.2146.

Michael BarrettMinneapolis

3120 HENNEPiN OWNER RESPONdS

When I purchased the apart-ment building at 3120 Hen-nepin Avenue S., it was my intention to convert the apart-ments into condominiums. I requested that my attorney assist in handling the notifi-cation to the existing tenants regarding the condominium conversion. Unfortunately, my attorney did not provide me with accurate information regarding the law to provide proper notification to the ten-ants.

I would like to officially apolo-gize for any inconvenience this situation has caused the ten-ants at 3120 Hennepin Avenue S. It was never my intention to push or bully anyone out of the building. As stated in your arti-cle (Anatomy of a Condominium Conversion, March 2006) I have issued new leases to all of the occupants of the building and have put the conversion project on hold until some time in the future.

I am now aware of the law regarding proper notification and will be sure to incorporate this knowledge into any future condominium conversion proj-ects.

Jason QuillingQuality Trusted Commercial

Construction & Roofing

Uptownis not Downtown

iNtEREStiNG CAUCUS

The “Why Go To A Caucus” article by Ellen Bouroughf was excellent. She convinced me to go and I went. Before, I really had no idea why anyone would bother going to something like that. It seemed like a lot of weird insider political maneu-vering or something foreign. But now I know.

I have been thinking, hey, why don’t we have health care for all? Light rail in plans for Uptown? A farmer’s market within walking distance? So now I get it. Go to the caucus. Meet the neighbors, make our voices heard. I will begin to make my voice heard. I really like her writing.

At the caucus, I volunteered to be a delegate and went to the Senate District 60 conven-tion at Washburn High School March 25th. It was all very confusing at first and hard to navigate with my toddler in my arms, I’m glad I went. I got to vote yes for resolutions such as rights for GLBT people, get the troops out of Iraq, and support of universal health care. But it was so stressful being there with my little boy I left early and didn’t go back. I will go again, but I need to find some babysitters! Next time, it won’t seem as confusing.

Kelly NewcomerCARAG

opinions

Tell us what you [email protected]

Spencer Wayne devens


The First Annual Southwest Journal Home Improvement Fair will feature over 50 ven-dors, presentations, food and free admission.

The fair will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 8, in the west gym at Southwest High, 3414 47th St.

The Multiple Listing Service (MLS) takes listing informa-tion from all its members and compiles it into a central repository so the information on property for sale is avail-able to the real estate com-munity. A few years back Realtors found out about homes for sale using a book that was printed by the MLS. The books were out of date before they were even printed and because of the number of properties each listing was very small and contained only the very basic information. Then one day the Internet happened and even Realtors could see the benefit of get-ting the information faster. That same day I’m sure that some very wise Realtor said, “This will change the way we do business.” I wonder if

she really knew what was to come. Now that information is available to everyone and the real estate professionals are paying for it.

You can search the MLS (thanks to the self interest of your Realtor) for the home of your dreams but you usually can’t directly approach the seller. The seller has entered into a contract with a real estate company to find a will-ing and capable buyer and usually the contract specifies that even if the seller finds the buyer for the real estate agent, the agent’s company gets paid. Besides, showing your home to folks who walk up to your door and knock is dangerous and you need to be available for all the showings. All in all it just isn’t practical.

housing & real estate

By Al Olme

First a bit of old business; last month you heard about the plight of Andy Paupore, a ten-ant in a building that was about to go condo. You also heard about the mistakes the owner and his attorney made in giv-ing notice and starting work on the building. Andy rallied his co-tenants and got help from a number of sources, including the Housing Preservation Proj-ect. When presented with the facts in the matter, the owner, Jason Quilling, checked into the facts and sent a letter rescinding all the conversion notices. It appears that Quilling was given some incorrect legal advice and when he discovered his error he set about trying to correct things. We learned two very important lessons from this epi-sode. First, don’t just roll over to authority without knowing your rights and second, when presented with good informa-tion the “bad guys” might not really be so bad after all. Both Andy Paupore and Jason Quill-ing deserve to be congratulated for bringing this situation to a reasonable conclusion.

Enough about condo conver-sions for now. Is it possible to sell your own home without a Realtor? It stands to reason that the answer must be yes –– and it is –– but are you will-ing to go through what it takes to market and sell your own house? Maybe the following will give you an idea if a direct sale is right for you.

What should you expect from a Realtor if you decide to use one in selling? A Realtor should help you set a selling price by providing you with enough information on homes simi-lar to yours that have recently sold in your area. The indus-try calls those homes “comps” and the best way to get a real-istic value for your home is to make an OBJECTIVE AND DISPASSIONATE compari-son between your home and the

comps. To that you add market trends, seasonality and your personal goals in selling your home. Weigh all those factors and set a price. If your price is too high, folks won’t even come to look at your place. One of the biggest mistakes sellers make is to set their price high thinking that they can “always come down.” The problem is that your house lingers on the market. Your best chance of selling at your asking price is during the first two to three weeks that the home is on the market. Studies say that if your initial price is too high you will get less in the long run than you would have if you had priced your house well in the first place.

Making you home ready for sale is an important step. Since we live in Minneapolis, we have to get a “Truth-in-Housing” (TIH) inspection before offer-ing a home for sale. A “licensed evaluator” must do this inspec-tion. The city says, “The Truth-in-Housing ordinance is meant to provide accurate information on the condition of property for sale and to help Minneapolis keep up the quality of hous-ing available in the city.” As a Realtor, I feel that goal is being met. The TIH inspections are a good thing for the consumer although sometimes, as a seller, you’ll think they are a bit picky. When you pass the TIH you’ll get a “Certificate of Approval” and you’ll need it when you get to the final settlement on your sale. For the scoop on the Truth in Housing exam go to www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/inspec-tions/tiH-home.asp. Also before offering your home you must provide a disclosure of facts about the condition of the property. This is called a “Sell-er’s Disclosure” and it became the law in January 2003. Along with the disclosure there is a Lead Based Paint Disclosure, a Well Disclosure and a dis-closure about the production of methamphetamine on your property. Lots of paper but all

of it is required by some branch of government.

We haven’t even started to talk about fixing up your home or staging it so it will appeal to the broadest range of buyers. We haven’t done any marketing, no advertising and nothing was said about any of the paper-work that is required to actu-ally make or accept an offer on your property. I guess we’ll talk about all that next month but until then I want you to know that while I’ve talked about how complex selling your own real estate is, I can assure you that there are alternatives to both hiring a Realtor at full fee or going it alone.

There is a new breed of real estate company that is rapidly growing in popularity, the “flat fee” or “fee for services” broker. I’ll talk about that alternative next month but here’s a tip that could save you thousands of dollars this month. Real estate commissions are negotiable, BY LAW. There is no such thing as a standard commis-sion, only customary commis-sions. For years it was seven percent but now six percent or even less is common and if you are both selling and buying you can often get a sizable reduc-tion. Even if you’re just selling it doesn’t hurt to ask about a lower rate.

If you have a real estate related question send me an email at [email protected] and I’ll try to answer or get you started in the right direction toward an answer. If your question is of general interest maybe it will be the subject of a future column.

Al Olme is a licensed Real Estate Agent working primarily in the ECCO and CARAG neighbor-hoods. He is not a legal profes-

sional. If you have a legal or financial question you should

seek the help of a professional in the field.

Can I Sell My House by Myself?

Address List Price Sale Price

3542 Emerson Ave. S. $649,900 $603,800 (4-unit multi-family)3505 Irving Ave. S., #A $499,900 $449,000 (2-unit multi-family)3345 Colfax Ave. S., #101 $245,000 $249,000 (5-unit condo conversion)3345 Colfax Ave. S., #202 $249,000 $247,000 (5-unit condo conversion)

This information is from MLS listings. The information is deemed reliable, but not guaranteed.

Recent local Property Sales

What is the MLS?

CARRIE BERGUM

952-929-7355 x122612-824-2171 Home [email protected]

LET’S GETTOGETHER

FOR COFFEESOON!

HOME AVENUETM A Better Way To Buy And Sell A Home

www.homeavenue.com

Flat Fees Are In. Commissions Are Out. Check out our new Homefree program, the no-fee way to sell your home. Call or email me for a brochure or visit www.homeavenue.comFirst-time home buyers my specialty.See ALL the listings at www.homeavenue.com

CARRIE BERGUM, Licensed Realtor®

612-334-7538 CELL612-824-2171 HOME [email protected]

HOME AVENUEtM A Better Way To Buy And Sell A Home

www.homeavenue.comNew(draft for approval)

old

HOME IMPROvEMENT FAIR Saturday, April 8

Photo by Gary Farlandlate season snowfalls in mid-March covered the city. While making it dif-ficult to get around, it was a beautiful sight.

last Gasp of Winter


PASSOVER

tEMPlE iSRAEl2534 Henn. Ave. S. • 377.8680Wed, Apr 12, 6 pm – Passover EveThurs, Apr 13, 10:30 am – Pass-over Festival WorshipThurs, Apr 13, 6 pm – Congre-gational SederWed, Apr19, 10:30 am – Yizkor/Passover Festival Worship

EAStER APRil 16

FiRSt UNitARiAN SOCiEtY OF MPlS900 Mount Curve Ave• 377.6608Easter Breakfast, 9:15 to 10:15 am – Annual Easter Breakfast. Lower Assembly Hall Easter Assembly, 10:30 to 11:30 am – Rev. Wendy Jerome. Upper Assembly Hall

St. lUkE’S EPiSCOPAl CHURCH4557 Colfax Ave. S. • 824.2697Palm Sunday, 9 am – Contem-plative service • 11am – Festival serviceMaundy Thursday – 7 pmGood Friday – 7 pmEaster Vigil, Sat – 7 pmEaster Sunday, 9 am– Contem-plative service • 11 am – Festi-val service

JOYCE UNitEd MEtHOdiSt CHURCH1219 W. 31st St. • 822.5288Palm Sunday, 10:30 am –Wor-ship and Sunday SchoolGood Friday, 7 pm – Service at Edgewater-Emmanuel UMC, 5144 13th Avenue SEaster Sunday, 10:30 am – Wor-ship and Sunday School

lYNdAlE UNitEd CHURCH OF CHRiSt810 W. 31st St. • 825.3019Easter Vigil, Sat evening

CHURCH iN UPtOWNMeets at Emerson Elementary 910.0360 Sundays 3 pm

SPiRit GARAGE Mpls. Theater Garage • 827.1074Lyndale and FranklinGood Friday, 8 pm (at Bethle-hem Lutheran, 4100 Lyndale)Easter Vigil, from Fri, 9 pm to 10 am Easter Sunday (any-where)Easter, 10 am at the Theater Garage

BEtHlEHEM lUtHERAN CHURCH4100 Lyndale Ave. S. • 312.3400Maundy Thurs, 11 am and 7 pmGood Friday, 11 am and 7 pmEaster Vigil, Sat, 6 am to 6 pmEaster Sunday, Sunrise 6 am • Festival 8, 9:30, 11 am and 7 pm

AldRiCH AVENUE PRESBYtERiAN CHURCH3501 Aldrich Ave. S. • 825.2479Easter Sunday, 10 am

SAlEM ENGliSH lUtHERAN CHURCH610 W. 28th St. • 872.4650Maundy Thursday, 7 pmGood Friday, 7 pmEaster Sunday, 8:45 and 10:30 am

tHE CHURCH OF tHE iNCARNAtiON3801 Pleasant Ave. S. • 822.2121Good Friday, 12 pm Easter Vigil Sat, 6:30 pm Eng-lish • 8:30 Spanish Palm Sunday – Mass 9:30 am • Spanish Mass 11:15 am and 7 pm • Penance service 4 pmEaster Sunday – Mass 9:30 am • Spanish Mass 11:15 am, 1 pm,

and 7 pm

ORtHOdOX EAStER APRil 23

St. MARY’S GREEk ORtHOdOX CHURCH3450 Irving Ave. S. • 825.9595Palm Sunday, Apr 16, 9:30 am – Children/Great EntranceHoly Retreat, Fri, Apr 21, 9 am to 2 pm

Easter, Spring, New Lifefaith & community

By Jen NagelPastoral Minister –– OutreachSalem Lutheran Church

As Christians, Easter and the holy days that lead us there, shape who we are, what we believe, and how we act. The days approaching Easter are times for remembering, even rehearsing, how it is that though death and fear sur-round us, they don’t get the last word. New life is possible.

Some 2000 years ago a radical fellow named Jesus overturned the old institutions with new ways of being community, a new hospitality for those most outcast, a new law to love one another, and a new promise of wholeness and life, even life eternal. Jesus’ way both then and now threatens those with privilege and power. Out of this threat comes the hatred and violence of the cross.

As Christians, we see the world from the foot of this cross. From the caves of Afghanistan to our own street corners, we know well the pain of human

life. And yet it’s in this dark-ness and fear that God meets us time and again. That’s the deep power of Easter.

One of my favorite lines comes from writer Anne LaMott in Traveling Mercies: “Grace always meets you where you are, but never leaves you there.” This grace meets us in the depths of despair and in the mundane day to day struggles of life. And yet it doesn’t leave us there.

The Christian faith tradition doesn’t stop with the No! of the cross, but rather leads through the dark days of waiting to the Yes! of Easter morning and the Yes! of Jesus risen, alive, and liberating.

Salem Lutheran Church, at the corner of 28th and Lyndale, states, “We are a welcoming con-gregation committed to Christ, our community, and the diversity of our neighborhood.” Faced with a huge and failing building, and determined to act justly in our neighborhood as well as remain a worshipping community, the people of Salem are making plans for redevelopment of their site. It is hoped the development will include retail space, for-sale town homes, family workforce rental housing that is affordable, and a ministry center to be shared between Lyndale United Church of Christ and Salem Lutheran Church. Watch for more details as their plans evolve.

Visit www.elca.org and www.dis-coversalem.com.

The Uptown Neighborhood News has been talking with local clergy at our churches, synagogue and Buddhist center. This

immediate area is home to about 20 places of wor-ship. Occasionally, we will ask the people who lead these institutions to share their thoughts with us. This month we asked Salem Lutheran Church to weigh in with thoughts of spring, Easter and the rebirth of life.

Photo supplied by J. NagelSalem Minister Jen Nagel

Salem Lutheran Church

Divine LiturgySunday 9:30 amFr. Harry Pappas

(612) 825-9595www.stmarysgoc.org

Greek Orthodox ChurchST. MARY'S

3450 Irving Ave. South (overlooking Lake Calhoun)

Joyce United Methodist Church31st and Fremont • (612) 823-0537

www.JoyceChurch.org

Open Hearts Open Minds Open Doors

Worship and Sunday School10:30 a.m.

Everyone welcome regardless of age, race,nationality, creed, sexual orientation, income or ability

The Joyce Food ShelfThe Joyce PreschoolWorship Handicapped Accessible

Services: Celebrations of Passover and Easter


By Gay Noble

Over the past several months, as part of the Lake Street Recon-struction Project, the CARAG neighborhood has sought input from residents and business owners by holding two vision-ing workshops and conducting an Input Survey.

The second CARAG neighbor-hood visioning workshop on March 13 focused on gaining input from CARAG residents and business and property own-ers on Lake Street between Dupont and Garfield ave-nues and on Lyndale Avenue between 29th and 31st streets. The goal was to create a vision for a street design for Lake Street and Lyndale Avenue. It should be noted that attendees

at the second workshop elected to stay an additional hour and a half to continue the discussion.

Three priorities emerged for the street design of both Lake Street and Lyndale Avenue: on-street parking, continuous significantly wider sidewalks, and bike lanes. The preferences combined were continuous sig-nificantly wider sidewalks with on-street parking or continuous wider sidewalks with on-street parking and bike lanes. These priorities were put in the form of resolutions that were passed at the March 21 CARAG neigh-borhood meeting. Two more resolutions were passed to call for analysis and study of this special area. The study will address the context of the street design to land use, the impact

to businesses, designation as a pedestrian overlay district, and the historic designation of the Lyn-Lake area. These resolu-tions will be presented to both Hennepin County and the City of Minneapolis.

At this time Hennepin County is proposing that Lake Street remains a four-lane with no increase in continuous sidewalk width. The County also pro-poses that Lyndale from 29th to 31st streets be reconstructed to a five-lane street reducing the sidewalk by five feet on both the east and west sides, for a total of ten feet in reduced sidewalk area.

Gay Noble is CARAG’s representative to the Lake Street

Reconstruction Project.

Thatcher joined the CARAG transportation committee when he was a senior in high school. He grew up in CARAG, at 33rd and Dupont, and always had an interest in cities, so he thinks it makes perfect sense that he started young. Now at the ripe old age of 23, he is serv-ing on the Board. He left the neighborhood for a few years to attend the U of M, but is back now, with a degree in Urban Studies, safely ensconced at 34th and Hennepin this time.

He wants to be part of creat-ing change. He says he has a romanticized view of a com-munity where people of all ages and experiences work together, listening to different viewpoints to create positive things. He provides a different perspective from others on the Board, as he is a young renter.

He has an interest in history, particularly of this area. He and his sister wrote a well-received book about local his-tory, Uptown Minneapolis. He is currently researching the past 60 years of the business com-munity in Uptown, analyzing by address the types of busi-nesses that have comprised the business district. Most of this work is just for fun. He has no particular plan for it, other than that he wants to know.

He landed his first job in the neighborhood. He works for the Ackerburg Group, as an assistant to a commercial real estate broker. He enjoys the marketing and data manage-ment work he does there. It is a good opportunity for him to see how the private sector operates, and to see how property owners make the decisions they do.

He wants to see a great city, and is concerned as everyone is about all the development dis-cussions in this area. He hopes the conversation can be posi-tive, and that the community can articulate what they want to see here.

As for his career, he may go into city planning, he may pur-sue his interests in real estate, he might want to make pub-lic policy. A third generation Uptowner, he is not sure exact-ly where he is going, but he is sure he is in a neighborhood he can call home.

By Mary Ann Knox

Get to know a little bit about your neighbors who serve on the CARAG Board. Each month, we will feature Board members. They welcome your advice and your help in trying to improve CARAG. When you see them on the street, stop and say hello.

Monthly Meeting MinutesMarch 21, 2006

Subject to Approval at the April 2006 CARAG Meeting

This CARAG meeting was abbreviated due to the extend-ed community discussion about the recent armed robbery and shooting in Uptown.

Board Members Attending: Jill Bode, Rick Bojko, Cindy Christian, Thatcher Imboden, Ellan Meyer, Bill Morton, Kay Nygaard-Graham, Aaron Rubenstein and Howard Ver-son. (Absent: none)

Welcome: The CARAG Board is made up of volunteers who also volunteer time on other neighborhood committees and organizations. Scott Engel, the CARAG community coor-dinator, can be reached at 612.823.2520. CARAG is a democratic organization; mem-bership and voting privileges are open to residents, property owners, and business owners in the neighborhood.

Approve Agenda & Minutes: Motions were passed to approve the agenda and the February meeting minutes.

NRP Updates: (Scott Engel) The Project Description and Guidelines for the newly formed CARAG Stroll Patrol were pre-sented and approved unani-

mously. An organizing event will be held soon; watch www.carag.org for details. The next meeting of the Crime & Safety Committee will be Monday, April 10, 6 p.m. at Urban Bean.

lake Street Reconstruction: (Gay Noble and Catherine Geisen-Kisch) Gay and Cath-erine are the CARAG repre-sentatives to a sub-committee currently gathering input for the upcoming reconstruc-tion of the western portion of Lake Street, from Blaisdell to Dupont avenues. Two vision-ing sessions have been held to bring forth priorities and values of the neighborhood as inputs into this reconstruction proj-ect. Several of the tools used are available at the CARAG web site (www.carag.org). The West Segment sub-committee plan-ning group is meeting every two weeks. One current topic is the configuration of the street -- how many travel lanes, turn-ing lanes, etc. A strong theme of the input so far has been pedestrian friendliness, such as wider sidewalks. Three resolu-tions were proposed on behalf of CARAG regarding the design process, calling on Hen-nepin County to provide fur-ther research and information on street and sidewalk design, pedestrian movement, impact on businesses, historic build-ings, etc. A further resolution stated that CARAG does not support a 5-lane configuration on Lyndale Avenue from 29th to 31st streets. All four resolu-tions passed unanimously.

Minneapolis Chain of lakes Coalition: (Carl Holmquist) Carl presented the formation statement of this new coalition being assembled with represen-tatives from neighborhoods bor-dering the Chain of Lakes area. A resolution was passed unani-

mously that CARAG gives ten-tative support to the Chain of Lakes Coalition statement.

Upcoming Bylaws and Accounting Procedures Change: (Cindy Christian) Cindy gave notice of items to be discussed and voted on at the April 2006 CARAG meeting. A change to the UNN bylaws is proposed which clarifies vot-ing privileges of UNN board members. Also proposed is a change to the UNN accounting procedures, which modifies the invoice approval process prior to payment.

Adjourn: Motion to adjourn passed unanimously.

Due to time limitations, the following board actions were addressed in advance by the full CARAG board:

treasurer’s Report: (Cindy Christian) CARAG has $8859.19 in the operations account, $6990.88 in asset accounts. The contributions to local charities, as approved last fall, were distributed this month. In addition the pro-ceeds from the CARAG Chilly Chili Fest, about $650, were forwarded to the Joyce Food Shelf. The UNN account has a balance of $1213.16 as of Feb-ruary 28, 2006.

Board Actions: The board unanimously approved the addition of Jill Bode as a third signatory to the UNN account. The board unani-mously approved our “Client Response” to the MN State Auditor’s Report, which noted only three small suggestions. Finally, the board voted unani-mously to renew the lease on our CARAG office space for another year. This is paid using NRP funds.

The CARAG Board meets the third Tuesday of each month, 7 PM at Bryant Park

Community Center, 31st and Bryant. All CARAG residents are welcome and urged to attend.

Calhoun Area Residents Action GroupCARAG report

LAKE CALHOU

N

Lake St.

36th St.

Hennepin

Ave

.

Lyndale

Ave.

CARAG Votes Will impact lake Street

Photo by david Peterson

CARAG Board Profile

thatcher imboden


RAIN GARDEN WORkSHOPSFree rain garden workshops and $75 grants for perennials and garden installation costs are being offered to Minne-apolis gardeners. Sponsored by the Community on Urban Environment’s (CUE) Min-neapolis Blooms Program, the workshops are open to any Min-neapolis resident who registers.

You will learn how to plant a rain garden. You will create a beautiful natural area in your yard that attracts birds and but-terflies. Rain gardens allow rain and melting snow to seep natu-rally into the ground. This helps recharge groundwater and pre-vents polluted water from run-ning into storm drains, which flow directly into lakes, riv-ers and streams. You may even reduce the stormwater fee on your utility bill when you keep rainwater on your property with a rain garden.

Each workshop has two sessions: Session 1 covers designs of rain gardens and their value, and advice on the kinds of perenni-als to plant. Session 2, about two weeks later, includes hands-on help from landscape architect interns and master gardeners. During the second session, you will get advice about applying for the stormwater reduction fee.

Register in advance at www.minneapolisblooms.org or at 673.3014.

Sessions are held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on a choice of days from early April until late May.

PLANT A TREE FOR $15The City of Minneapolis is pro-viding 1000 trees for residents to plant in their yards. Order now – quantities are limited.

Because so many trees were lost to Dutch Elm Disease in 2005, the city is offering these trees to fill the void. One tree per yard is available to anyone who wants it.

Order from a selection of Autumn Spirea Maple, Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry, Bicolor Oak, and Black Hills Spruce. Each is about 6 feet high with a 1-1/4-inch trunk. Trees are available for $15 each while supplies last. Applications are available from Mayor Rybak’s website, (www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/mayor), or Tree Trust at www.treetrust.org.

Tree pick-up dates are May 13 and 20.

FREE TREE CARE WORkSHOPSLearn about tree planting and care at a free workshop hosted by Tree Trust. Learn how to plant a tree correctly, and how to care for it. Identify insect and disease problems, hazard-ous trees and other tree health issues.

Workshop dates are Tuesday, April 4, 6:30 to 8 p.m. at North-east Bank, 77 NE Broadway and Saturday, April 8, 10 a.m. to 12 noon at Nokomis Communi-ty Center, 2401 East Minnehaha Parkway.

For more information, contact Lorrie Stromme, 612.673.2003 or Mimi Hottinger, 651.644.5800.

By Mary Ann Knox

Lyndale resident Dennis Koch lived through some of the tough times of the ‘80s. There was a bit too much crime around here and he thought of mov-ing away, but could not sell his house. He is glad he stayed. He discovered that people began walking around the neighbor-hood, gardening, creating a presence on the streets, and calling 911. Crime decreased.

Now it is happening again. An armed robbery at Crema, 34th and Lyndale, was the last straw for him. All neighborhoods in this area are experiencing rising crime levels – he is concerned about his daughter waiting at bus stops. So he took action.

He organized a meeting on March 8 to “stir things up,” to create awareness that crime is increasing, to get people out to create positive solutions. With the help of others, he distribut-ed 4,000 flyers in the CARAG, East Harriet, Kingfield and Lyndale neighborhoods invit-ing people to a meeting at Painter Park.

Over 200 neighbors showed up.

Speakers at that meeting spoke of SAFE, the Lyndale Walkers, list serves, community impact statements, Court Watch, neighborhood crime and drug

committees, the graffiti task force and block clubs. City offi-cials and police came to listen and offer help.

No whining or complaining. The message was positive. How can citizens become aware, become involved, and turn our neighborhoods around.

Over 50 people signed up to be block leaders, to start or rein-vigorate lapsed block clubs. People signed up to join walk-ing patrols, to join list serves and spread the word of crimi-nal behavior.

“We accomplished what we wanted to accomplish,” said Koch of the meeting. It seemed to energize everyone. “Our fears have been that armed rob-beries would escalate, and now it’s happened. We are saddened and troubled by the murder in Uptown. We can’t even imag-ine what the family is going though. We could picket and scream. Even if the police hire more people, it will take time to train them and get them on the streets. The only way we can turn this around is with the walkers, the block clubs, 911… being nosy neighbors.”

Koch believes we can and should cross the invisible bor-ders between our neighbor-hoods — if you are out with your walking patrol, don’t turn

back at Lyndale Avenue. Cross the street into the next neigh-borhood and patrol there.

He suggests that one mem-ber of every block club volun-teer to check all the list serves, and then put out a message to the block. If you see suspicious behavior, like drug crimes, spread the word to the other nearby neighborhoods, so when that drug dealer, or that suspi-cious car is seen a few blocks away, the police can be alerted.

His block is planning to buy front yard lights. The ideas were flowing fast and furiously. Let’s communicate with each other, not just with the police, he said.

No griping, just positive solu-tions.

For more information, contact your neighborhood group or SAFE.

LYNDALE

LAKE STREET

31st STREET

32nd STREET

33rd STREET

34th STREET

CONAR’S WAY

35th STREET

36th STREET

HENNEPIN

HOLMES

HUMBOLDT

IRVING

JAMES

KNOX

ALDRICH

BRYANT

COLFAX

DUPONT

EMERSON

FREMONT

GIRARD

CALHOUNPKWY

E.

Homicide 0 0

Rape 0 0

Robbery 0 3

Agg Assault 0 2

Burglary 2 5

Larceny 8 21

Auto Theft 1 2

Arson 0 0

TOTAL: 11 33

February 1-28, 2006

Crimes ECCO CARAG

Crime News from 5th precinctECCO and CARAG crime statistics from February 2006

A Neighbor Takes Back the Neighborhood from Crime

crime & safety environment

Tom ThompsonCrime Prevention Specialist

(612) 673-2823


Monthly Meeting MinutesMarch 2, 2006

Board members present: Al Anderson (Secretary), Anne G. Chase (Vice President), Carrie Menard, Tim Prinsen, Jim Ste-man, Ted Ringsred, Keith Rud-dick, Lara Norkus-Crampton, Bruce Sabatke, Carrie Menard, Matt Carter, Lara Norkus-Crampton, Deb Jans.

Others present: Kay Anderson (resident), Bill Morton (CARAG board), Gail Ellis (NRP Coordi-nator), Duane Thorpe (resident), Gary Farland, (alt. board mem-ber), Michael Weinbeck (resi-dent), Tracey Nordstrom (Park commissioner), Dan Niziolek (resident), Jeanne Massey (Better Ballot organization), Lisa Miller (City Councilperson assistant), Steve Buckley (resident), Mar-vin Peterson (resident), Jean Matthes (Kingfield).

Welcome: Vice President, Anne G. Chase, called the meeting to order, welcomed board mem-bers and others, and initiated introductions.

PUBliC OPEN FORUM

1. New City Voting Method Proposed: Jeanne Massey, a representative of the Better Bal-lot Campaign, introduced their campaign for Instant Runoff Voting in Minneapolis. Jeanne will be on the April ECCO meeting agenda. ECCO Secre-tary Al Anderson has informa-tion.

2. Uptown Food Shelf Ben-efit: Bill Morton, pastor at Joyce Church: announced that on Sunday, March 19 all sales at Great Harvest Bakery will go to the Uptown Food Shelf to help feed the hungry.

3. Project Homeless Connect: Deborah Jans, board member, announced that a project to pro-vide homeless people access to many services they may need is taking place on Monday, March 6, at the Minneapolis Conven-tion Center. They anticipate 1,000 hot meals will be served in addition to making these ser-vices available.

4. New CPEd Contact: Aman-da Arnold is replacing Beth Elliot as the CPED planning rep for our neighborhood.

5. Eagles Presentation: Eagles have been sighted often around Lake Calhoun. Attend an Open House by Mississippi River Gorge Stewards and hear eagle expert Duke Addicks talk on eagles in the Mississippi River gorge. Tuesday, March 28 at

6:30 p.m.

6. Healthy City Award: If you would like to nominate an individual who has carried out extraordinary work to make Minneapolis a world-class health citizen for an award, contact [email protected] for info and a nomination form.

7. Park Board Naturalist Pro-grams: Received notice of sever-al naturalist programs sponsored by the Minneapolis Park Board. Six scheduled in March.

8. know Your Renter’s Rights: Learn your rights as a tenant at this workshop. Renters Rights Workshop, Wednesday, March 8. Call 341.1617.

9. Midtown Global Market in Sears Building: Midtown Global Market is set to open this spring in the Sears Build-ing. Executive Director Mihailo Temali will be joined by a small business owner to preview and explain the project. Wednesday, March 15, 8:15 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. St. Martin’s Table, 2001 River-side Ave.

10. Get a tree from the City for $15! City of Minneapolis will make available a thousand trees for $15 each. If you can’t afford the $15, there’s a number to call, too. Trees to be picked up May 13 and May 20. Contact Lorrie Stromme, City of Mpls 612.673.2003 or Mimi Hot-tinger, Tree Trust 651.644.5800.

These are trees you may plant in your private yard!

11. industrial land Use and Policy Plan: Attend a neigh-borhood meeting on the indus-trial land use and policy plan to discuss and provide feedback of the study. See the website www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us / planning/industrial-landuse.asp or call Mary Bujold at 338.0012 or email [email protected].

APPROVAl OF MiNUtES ANd AGENdA The meeting agenda with changes was approved. Previous month’s meeting minutes were approved as well.

CitY COUNCil OFFiCE REPORt Lisa Miller from Councilman Remington’s office reported.

1. talking trash: City garbage/trash hauling contract is being opened up for new bidding to include minority and women owned businesses.

2. Hearing trash: City is plan-ning to designate a set schedule for garbage/trash pickup down-town to eliminate early morn-ing noise of various companies making pickups.

3. Wi-Fi Citywide: Two pilot projects are being conducted to decide who will provide the city with Wi-fi service. A public-private partnership will provide citywide wireless communica-tion coverage of wireless access. Boxes will be spread across the city for this system. System was initiated by a need to upgrade the city department commu-nications. This system will not replace DSL systems, which are fast. It will provide advantages over the older “dial-up” systems. Participation should cost about half of current dial-up systems.

4. Edgewater: Steve Buckley said that the neighbors are expe-riencing some problems with the Edgewater condo develop-ment. He indicated there is some concern that the building is not being built as it was initially proposed. A meeting will be scheduled with Steve to review these concerns at the site.

5. lander Proposal: Asked about the state of the Lander Proposal, Lisa said she would check and get back to Lara Norkus-Crampton, the ECCO zoning chairman.

6. 59th and Girard Project: This project has been postponed several times. A small parcel of land on the edge of Grass Lake. Parcel consists of a steep slope on a wetland. Builder wanted a 45-foot wide house very close to the lake. City is studying the project.

PARk COMMiSSiONER REPORt Tracey Nordstrom, Park Com-missioner reported.1. Need Boulevard trees? If the stump on your boulevard has been ground out and there is a gap waiting for a tree, call the Forestry Park Board Department and request a tree. You will probably get your tree quicker if you call and then check from time to time.

2. Request for lake of the isles Funds: Governor Pawlenty has requested $2.7 million to fin-ish the project. Five million has been requested to finish the entire project.

3. “Pedestrian” Grand Round: Tracey said that a citizen is promoting the idea of a Grand Round Greenway for pedestri-ans which would connect Parade Stadium, Walker Arts Center, Loring Park, Loring Greenway, the Nicollet Mall, Peavey Plaza and the River Road.

4. “Park dedication Fees” Being Considered: A fee charged to a developer which would be used to develop park or green space area adjacent to a building development is being tried in the Bassett Creek area and considered by the City.

5. Proposed “Sailing Village” on lake Calhoun: Asked about the status of the sailing village proposal, Tracey said there does not seem to be a lot of support for the project. She has received lots of phone calls about it. Trac-ey said it’s just “out there” as an idea, that there hasn’t been an official presentation to the Park Board. She mentioned an idea she had heard about “tweaking” the Tin Fish building to create a second floor.

Later, Kay Anderson informed Tracey that the project had been presented to the Park Board (approximately two years ago).Tracey is meeting with East Isles and Ralph Remington on how to deal with traffic and congestion in the Uptown area, including East Calhoun. ACTION: Commissioner Nor-dstrom will notify Lara Nor-kus-Crampton, Board member and Zoning Chair when these “traffic/congestion” meetings with East Isles and Councilman Ralph Remington will be tak-ing place.

6. tree trimming: Gary Far-land expressed concern about whether Park Board tree trim-mers when trimming an infect-ed elm can transfer the disease to another healthy tree. Tracey said she did not think that is happening. She said that the beetles are described as transfer-ring the fungus. She said that concern has never come up.

ECCO meets the first Thurs- day of each month, 7 PM at St. Mary’s Greek Ortho-dox Church, 34th & Irving.

All ECCO residents are welcome and urged to attend.

East Calhoun Community OrganizationECCO report

LAKE CALHOUN

Lake St.

36th St.

Hennepin Ave.

Lyndale

Ave

.


By Mary Ann Knox

Concilmember Ralph Reming-ton sponsored what he says will be the first in a series of work-shops about zoning and plan-ning. He opened the March 4 “Land Use Planning 101” meeting by saying that he has come to realize that the City Council has four main areas of accountability and responsibil-ity: legislative, “quasi-judicial,” advocacy and fiduciary func-tions. He did not fully under-stand that before he was elected to office, and thinks that other people might not understand that, either.

His purpose is to build an understanding of the zoning code and then to work with residents to “create the commu-nity we all want,” said Reming-ton. “We’ll go down the path together.” He repeatedly said that this is the first step in “my effort to establish transparency in this office. My door is always open. Contact my staff. This is just the beginning.”

At the workshop to explain the law and answer questions were

Planning Supervisor Jason Wittenberg and Assistant City Attorney Erik Nilsson. They explained the history of zon-ing policies and code, and the authority of planning in a city.

Most of the questions from the audience of about 50 people related to citizen input into decision-making. The ques-tions sought to clarify how the decisions are made and what the community can do to influ-ence those decisions. The par-ticipants appeared well-versed in the ins and outs of vari-ances, conditional use permits (CUPs), land use applications, public hearings, zoning overlay districts, master planning and general zoning rules and regu-lations.

Much of the specific discus-sion was about the granting of CUPs. The law defines when these can be granted, but it is a gray area where the City Council uses the “quasi-judi-cial” powers to grant or deny applications. Nilsson explained the presumption is that the zoning code is the standard, and the applicant has to make

the case to go against the zon-ing. When asked what per-centage of CUPs are granted, Wittenberg replied, “ 95 to 100 percent.” Laughter broke out; that seemed to sum up the basic frustration of this audi-ence. A resident asked, “ Non-conforming CUPs always win. Why bother to have a Master Plan?” Remington answered, “That’s when representational leadership happens.”

Another topic was the Over-lay District—a special area with extra zoning rules that are more strict than the zoning code. There is concern in this area about the Shoreland Over-lay District (SOD) around Lake Calhoun, and the perception of many residents that policymak-ers are ignoring it.

Remington stressed that all these issues will be addressed in the upcoming process of creat-ing a Small Area Plan for the Uptown area. This process will begin in April, and he says all stakeholders will be at the table. A Steering Committee will be established soon.

Tracey said that there are three new tree diseases headed to Minneapolis.

7. Park Board Consultant: Kay Anderson asked about the “con-sultant” that the Park Board had hired. Tracy indicated that she wasn’t informed in detail regarding the purpose of the consultant. She referred Kay to Jennifer Ringold, indicating the there was a document that described how an internal and external assessment was going to be conducted.

8. Food and Beverages in Parks: Al Anderson commented that the “Sailing Village”, if it hap-pens, features an Event Center, which will be serving food and beverages. Beverages are really it appears. We have heard that this is an exciting thing for Supt. Gruban. He has been around reviewing sites for food and beverages in the Parks. That’s his vision for making money off the parks. Anderson indicated this seems to be the broader vision for the Parks, to put food and beverage all over the parks. He asked, have you heard any-thing more about that? Tracey, said she did not know about that. She did say that at the end of this month, March, they are going to be meeting as commis-sioners to talk about that over-all vision. Tracey said Gruban indicated that 35 projects were going to be reviewed for the Commissioners and have them “rank” them.

Tracey indicated that part of the problem with the Park Board is that the policies should come from the Commissioners, not the Superintendent. And, the Park Board has not been run that way for a very long time.

ZONiNG COMMittEE REPORt Chair Lara Norkus-Crampton reported.

1. Proposed Chain of lakes Neighborhood Coalition: Lara Norkus-Crampton introduced an idea being promoted to establish a coalition of individu-al board members representing neighborhoods adjacent or near the City’s Chain of Lakes. This group would meet to review and discuss events, goals, and proposed plans for the Chain

of Lakes. A motion was made and passed that the board elect a representative to participate in that coalition. Lara Norkus-Crampton was nominated, sec-onded and elected to represent ECCO to this new coalition. Lara solicited and received a list of needs or issues that thisorganization could consider addressing.

2. lander Buldings: Lara reported that the Lander pro-posal was approved by the CIDNA neighborhood: two buildings, 83.6 feet plus 13 feet 10 inches for mechanicals atop of the tallest building and 72 feet with 13 feet of mechani-cals atop the second building. These buildings will go up on the north side of Lake Calhoun across from North Beach, situ-ated on the current site of the Weisman building.

CONFliCt OF iNtEREStTed Ringsred provided infor-mation related to whether ECCO should have a conflict of interest policy built into the by-laws or whether we should have people signing conflict of inter-est statement. The information was accepted, to be reviewed, for action at the next board meeting. Secretary Al Anderson has Ted’s reference materials, which are available to anyone upon request at 822.1822 or e-mail [email protected].

NEW NRP COORdiNAtORGail Ellis, the new ECCO NRP Coordinator, who will be guid-ing the progress of Phase 2 NRP, was introduced. She will be working to define exactly what amounts of money are remaining from Phase I and available for use in Phase II.

Adjournment: A motion to adjourn was made and passed. Next board meeting will be Thursday, April 6, 2005, 7:00 P.M. at St. Mary’s Greek Ortho-dox Church. West 35th St. and Irving Ave. So. Open to the Public.

For more information on these subjects, contact Al Anderson at 822.1822 or e-mail [email protected]. Complete minutes can be viewed at eccoinfo.com

East Calhoun Community organization meets the first Thursday of every month 7:oo p.m. at St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church, 35th & Irving Ave. South

Next meetings: Thursday, april 6Thursday, May 4

having a yard sale in East Calhoun this spring?Plan to have it on Saturday, June 3, 2006, as part the neighborhood-wide ECCO Super Sale!!

34th annual ECCo suPEr salE –– JunE 3

Name: _______________________________________________________

Address:______________________________________________________

Phone: _______________________________________________________

Sale Location: Front_____ Back_____ Inside_____ Refreshments_____

$5.00 Fee – deadline – Thursday, June 1st. Checks are payable to ECCO Board

Mail or deliver registration to:Sylvia Kafkas, 3505 Humboldt Ave. South, Minneapolis, MN 55408, (612)824-92002 FREE TOPPINGS

ON ANY ONE PIZZA!

Ta x P r e p a r a t i o nJack D. Manders

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Minneapolis, MN 55403

Call Jack at [email protected]

CM Remington Begins Zoning Discussion

Uptown Activity Center Master Plan PUBliC kiCk-OFF MEEtiNG

Saturday, April 22, 10 a.m. to noon, Bryant Square ParkWhat area should be included in the Uptown Small Area Plan study? How will the plan-ning process take shape? Come and give your input. Info: City Planner Amanda Arnold –– 673.3242 or [email protected]

10 • UPtOwN NEiGhbORhOOd NEws APRiL 2006

By Erin Connors

Near the southeast corner of Lake Calhoun, a large white house rambles up the hill-side. Inside, hardwood floors and creaky staircases give way to carpeted bedrooms which, converted into cozy office spaces, invite visitors to leave their shoes at the door. Indeed, people most often find out about the Minnesota Zen Center simply by spotting it as they walk or drive around the lake. Through daily exercises here, practitioners combine sit-ting and walking meditation in efforts to focus their conscious-ness on the present moment and cultivate mindfulness. The ultimate goal is to achieve enlightenment by freeing one-self from the desires of the thinking mind, which, accord-ing to the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism, are the root of all suffering.

The Center’s recent benefit took place on a slightly smaller scale than the first “Zenefit,” a full-on 1960s counterculture bash headlined by Janis Jop-

lin in San Francisco. But 2006 did mark the first time that the Minnesota Center has put on the event two years in a row, and head teacher Tim Burkett

hopes to continue the tradition.

Burkett began meditating at the age of 21 when, living in San Francisco, he had culti-vated an interest in Zen Bud-dhist meditation, and in the calm that results from altering one’s consciousness. He was ordained as a Buddhist priest in 1978, the same year the Zen

Center moved to its present location on Calhoun Parkway. He has been the head teacher at the Center for about three years. He leads daily morn-ing meditation and frequently delivers the weekly Sunday lec-ture that follows the 8:30 a.m. introduction to meditation. He also trains future teachers in the ways of daily meditation, key Buddhist teachings and leads practice meetings for newcom-ers to the Center.

Meditation is a skill like any other, and Burkett estimates that it requires from one to three years of daily practice to reach a point at which the med-itative state comes naturally to a practitioner. Occasionally, newcomers will dive right in to an all-day meditation retreat, but he generally recommends developing a sitting practice first to become comfortable with being still for 30 to 40 minutes at a time.

Last year, eighty men and women of varied ages main-tained paid memberships. Many others “pass through” the

center, generally attending the Sunday introductory mornings or a meditation instruction held every other Tuesday evening.

Although there has been a marked increase in American cultural awareness of Eastern philosophy, the Zen Center itself has not seen a huge traffic increase in recent years. Bur-kett attributes this fact to the dispersion of resources: “Yes, there is more interest, but there are also more Buddhist centers,” he says. After the founding teacher, Dainin Katagiri, died in the early 1990s, those he had trained as meditation instruc-tors branched off to begin their own centers. Because the con-nection between a practitioner and a teacher is often a very personal one, instructors tend to bring their students with them to new locations.

At least in part, Burkett, who is a Ph.D. licensed psycholo-gist, credits his own meditation practice with granting him the ability to lead two nonprofit organizations. In addition to his work at the Zen Center on

this side of the river, he is also Executive Director of People Incorporated, one of the metro area’s largest organizations devoted to the needs of people with mental illness. From the Buddhist teaching of the Bodhisattva, by which certain beings undertake the responsi-bility of helping others become free from suffering, he derives the motivation to dedicate his energies to serve others.

The Zen Center offers morning meditation Monday through Thursday and Saturday, eve-ning sessions Monday through Wednesday, and an introduc-tion to meditation every other Tuesday as well as Sundays at 8:30 a.m., followed by a talk at 10:00 and social hour at 11:00. They also hold half-day and all-day retreats at their city center and annual retreats at a center in southern Minnesota. For more information, check out mnzencenter.org or call 822.5313.

CARAG resident Erin Connors is a middle school teacher.

Minnesota Zen Center Offers Meditation on Shores of Lake Calhoun

Head teacher tim Burkett

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APRiL 2006 UPtOwN NEiGhbORhOOd NEws • 11

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By Tracy Armstrong

The Soo VAC is a local gem in our back yard – just down the street at 2640 Lyndale. If you’re asking yourself …the what …is where?… keep reading; we’ll get you caught up. If you’re familiar, you know what the others are missing out on (but we still have details on upcom-ing shows, so you keep reading, too).

The Soo Visual Arts Center (named after the old Soo Line railroad), AKA the Soo VAC, is a non-profit gallery founded in June of 2001 by visual artist Suzy Greenberg. According to Greenberg, the Soo VAC is “a place where community can be built and where artists and viewers challenge each other to learn, create, and question. It’s a place where accessibility of the arts has been considered from the start.”

If that mission statement seems intimidating, don’t let it be. One of the greatest things about the Soo VAC is its accessibility. As casual, warm and welcom-ing as Greenberg is, so too is the gallery. Greenberg stresses the importance of bringing visual art into the community setting. It is not a destination

or for-profit gallery, but rather a free visual art center with a lot to offer.

The Soo VAC is continually supporting the local art com-munity while also attracting national exhibitions. Many local artists are featured during various shows throughout the year. Currently on exhibition, in conjunction with the Ox-Op Arts and Juxtapoz Magazine (the authority on the art world), is The Juxtapoz Group Show. This show has never been host-ed outside of LA, San Francisco or New York, and features over 70 internationally acclaimed artists who exemplify the most current trends in fine art. The exhibition was kicked off with a sold-out concert featuring the Melvins and runs through April 22nd at the Soo VAC and Ox-Op Arts (1111 Washington Ave. S. in Minneapolis).

Also worth mentioning is the Soo Too Boutique located at the front of the gallery. The boutique features clothes, arts and crafts made by local artists. Everything is under $250. My favorites are the unique t-shirts starting at $12. The boutique itself is worth a visit.

So whether you are an art snob,

a shopper who loves unique, handmade items from local artists, or just curious about the inside of the building that you pass every day, stop in and check it out; it’s not often you have a nationally recognized gallery in your own back yard...for FREE.

The Soo VAC is open Wednes-day to Friday 12 to 6 p.m. and Saturdays 12 to 4 p.m. For more on exhibitions, openings, concerts, fundraisers, mem-bership (all centered around visual art, of course) and more, visit the Soo’s web site at www.soovac.org.

CARAG resident Tracy Arm-strong is not artistically inclined, but when she’s not kickboxing or

snowboarding, she enjoys writing and visiting local art galleries.

the Soo VAC: Open to All

Photo by tracy Armstrongthe Soo Visual Arts Center at 2640 lyndale features cutting edge art in the regular gallery exhibits and there is also a bou-tique full of inexpensive art objects with a sense of Uptown coolness.

1� • UPtOwN NEiGhbORhOOd NEws APRiL 2006

The 2006 Legislative Session is shaping up to be short, and packed with activity. Our main task in this non-budget year is to pass a bonding bill that invests in our public infrastruc-ture through state borrowing. Meanwhile, I remain focused on advancing the key areas of job growth, education, health care and the environment that will move our state forward.

Chief among these is improving our public education system. If we want to prepare our stu-dents for college and to succeed in a competitive global econo-my, we need to provide them with the best learning environ-ment possible. That’s why I’m supporting a bill this session to provide state funding to keep class sizes low in Minnesota.

As a parent, I know that if my child winds up in an elemen-tary classroom of over 30 stu-dents, she’s at risk of falling behind. Teachers will tell you that smaller classes allow them to better manage their class-rooms. They have more time to spend identifying the individual needs of students, whether the student is struggling to keep up or learns easily and needs extra challenges.

Across the state, class sizes have gone up over the last several years due to eroding state fund-

ing for public education. In Minneapolis, our community came together in 2000 to agree that low class sizes would help our students succeed, passing a citywide class-size reduction levy. Unfortunately, the state has not kept up its side of the school funding bargain. Cuts to state education funding in 2003 by the Governor and House Republicans have kept Min-neapolis schools from meeting our class size goals.

This session I am supporting legislation to provide additional state funding to schools to meet recommended class size guide-lines of fewer than 20 students in K through 3 classrooms and fewer than 25 in grades 4 through 6. In English, math, science and social studies class-es in middle school, class sizes would be maintained at 25 stu-dents and 28 in high school.

This bill would provide new

state funding to lower our class sizes in Minneapolis. The bill would also require the state Commissioner of Education to include class size information on school performance report cards.

The Governor is proposing a new mandate that would require schools to spend 70 per-cent of their budget in the class-room. School districts across the state are meeting this threshold, and still dealing with class sizes in the 30s and 40s. This new mandate is not the answer.

We ask a lot of our public schools. We call on them to meet the diverse learning needs of our students while prepar-ing the next generation to com-pete on a global level. If we expect our schools to succeed, we must provide teachers with tools that are proven to boost achievement. We should keep class sizes in Minnesota small

enough to ensure that no stu-dent slips through the cracks.

If you have comments or ques-tions on this or any other legis-lative issues, please contact me at 651.296.0171, by e-mail at [email protected], or at 261 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Saint Paul, MN 55155.

Benefit for Jefferson SchoolOn Friday, April 7, join the NOT JUST ANOTHER BAKE SALE to support the Jefferson Community School, sponsored by the Suburban World Theater and the YBPG Exceptional Nights Out pro-gram.

Jefferson Community School is an exceptional school with a his-tory of creating Minnesota lead-ers in our poorest communities — yet last year the city almost closed this important asset.

In response, a group of influ-ential volunteers have started the One Last Bake Sale Proj-ect to give voice to this excep-tional school. This innovative education project will meet the school’s most dire financial needs, but will primarily focuses on long term legislative, efficien-cy, and volunteer goals that will ensure that our city’s poorest do not need one more bake sale.

Jefferson is a public school locat-ed on Hennepin Avenue serving a diverse student body. A stun-ning 85 per cent of its students live below the poverty line and 4 percent are homeless. The school has great specials needs and has recently lost 40 percent of fund-ing — yet the exceptional staff have bucked the norm and con-tinued to improve test scores.

Jefferson is the make it or break it difference for many of our cit-ies’ poorest communities.

Enjoy a night of food, drinks, dancing, a silent auction for amazing items and a drawing for great prizes. The VIP recep-tion will feature Mayor R.T. Rybak and a presentation about this project and amazing school in the heart of Uptown.

7 to 9 pm: VIP RECEPTION. Featuring a premier presenta-tion, some words from Mayor R.T. Rybak. Hors d’oeuvres and cash bar.

9 pm to 1:00 am: BENEFIT CELEBRATION. Featuring an outrageous auction and a DJ! Hors d’oeuvres and cash bar.

Held at Suburban World The-ater, 3022 Hennepin Ave. S. Valet parking available.

To buy tickets: www.jcsbenefit.org. $45 for reception and party. $25 for party only. Your tickets will be held for you at the door.

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60A Rep. Margaret Anderson kelliher

News From Margaret Anderson Kelliher

Class Size Reduction Is key Education Issue In 2006

government & politics

APRiL 2006 UPtOwN NEiGhbORhOOd NEws • 1�

By Gary Farland

DFLers generally voted at their March 7th precinct caucuses along the same lines as the rest of the state, with several excep-tions. Republicans did not hold a straw vote at their caucuses.

The ECCO neighborhood is Precinct 3 of Ward 10. CARAG is all of 10-6 in its southwest corner, almost all of 10-4 on its north side, and half of 10-7 on its west side. All are in the 60th Legislative District.

These precincts were over-whelmingly for Amy Klobu-char, as was the State DFL. However, Becky Lourey and Steve Kelley did better than

their state totals in the race for Governor, as did Mark Ritchie in the race for Secretary of State. ECCO (10-3) cast a lot of undecided votes for Attorney General, Secretary of State and State Auditor. The CARAG precincts were especially unde-cided for State Auditor.

DFLers in the 60th District next proceeded to their senate district convention on March 25th. The city DFL conven-tion will be held May 13th to nominate candidates to the Minneapolis School Board, and the Hennepin County conven-tions will be held June 1 (for the county commissioner race) and June 3 (for all other county offices). Especially interesting

will be the 5th Congressional District convention to be held May 6 in St. Louis Park to nominate a successor to Martin Sabo. The state DFL conven-tion will be held June 9 to11 in Rochester.

The Minnesota Green Party met in a caucus for Senate Dis-trict 60. No votes were taken, but they discussed resolutions that will be forwarded to the State Convention in Duluth June 3 and 4. Two candidates have announced a run for office, seeking Green endorse-ment: Michael Cavlan for US Senate and Dave Berger for State Auditor.

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several candidates have already said they will not abide by the endorsement process, so a pri-mary battle in September is a sure bet.

While more candidates announce every day, these are some candidates who have announced:

DFL • St. Thomas professor Jack

Nelson-Pallmeyer was ahead of the pack with a campaign underway; he announced months ago that he was challenging Sabo.

• State Rep. Keith Ellison• Mpls. City Councilmember

Gary Schiff

• Former State Sen. Ember Reichgott Junge

• Civil rights lawyer Jorge Saavedra

• Henn. Cty. Commissioner Gail Dorfman

• Mpls. Park Board Pres. Jon Olson

• Mpls. City Councilmember Paul Ostrow

• Sabo chief of staff Mike Erlandson

• Corp. exec. Anne Knapp

GREEN• Jay Pond• Michael Cavlan

REPUBLICAN• Tim Anderson• James Turnham• Alan Fine

SABO continued from page 1

Many announce their candidacy for Sabo’s seat

Sen. Scott Dibble and Rep. Frank Hornstein are authoring legislation to promote the use of gasoline-electric hybrid engine vehicles by providing financial incentives to individuals who purchase them.

Hornstein said encouraging the use of gasoline-electric hybrid engines had a number of ben-efits. “From an environmental standpoint, there is no ques-tion that hybrid engine vehicles are superior to traditional gas-only vehicles,” Hornstein said. “… the rising price of a gallon of gas is becoming a real issue for the family budget. Vehicles with gasoline-electric hybrid engines answer both of those concerns, and represent a posi-tive choice Minnesotans can make when choosing a vehicle to drive,” Hornstein said.

The legislation would define hybrid engine and other low-emission vehicles, and exempt them from the state’s motor vehicle sales tax.

Senator Dibble said the legisla-tion would benefit the state in the long-term.

“Studies have shown that the most significant factor con-tributing to air pollution in the Metro Area are fumes and pol-lutants given off by motor vehi-cles, and we should not wait for Minneapolis to become the next Los Angeles before addressing the quality of our air,” Dibble said. “By encouraging the use of hybrid-engine vehicles, we can start to make a dent in our air pollution problem and at the same time, reduce our dependence on oil as an energy source. These are positive steps we can take for the long-term health of both the economy and the environment.”

REP. HORNStEiN, SEN. diBBlE PROMOtE HYBRid ENGiNE VEHiClES

DFL Straw Poll – Minnesota and ECCO and CARAG Precincts

Source: Minnesota State DFL

Office and Candidates

State of Minnesota

Ward 10 Precinct 3

Ward 10 Precinct 4

Ward 10 Precinct 6

Ward 10 Precinct 7

U.S. Senate No. Votes & % No. Votes No. Votes No. Votes No. VotesAmy Klobuchar 20,320 (77.3%) 54 19 40 24 Ford Bell 4,071 (15.5%) 8 3 10 7 Other/Undecided 1,880 (7.2%) 6 1 1 4 Governor Mike Hatch 10,162 (38.9%) 14 10 14 4 Becky Lourey 5,884 (22.5%) 18 9 16 17 Steve Kelley 5,767 (22.1%) 18 4 17 3 Kelly Doran 1,681 (6.4%) 3 0 2 5 Ole Savior 85 (.3%) 2 0 0 0 Other/Undecided 2,559 (9.8%) 10 2 2 6 Attorney General

Matt Entenza 19,563 (81.9%) 44 17 43 28 Other/Undecided 4,336 (18.1%) 24 6 5 7 Secretary of State

Mark Ritchie 8,471 (37.9%) 31 13 31 23 Christian Sande 3,555 (15.9%) 3 0 2 1 Dick Franson 1,201 (5.4%) 3 0 2 1 Other/Undecided 9,131 (40.8%) 31 9 8 10 State Auditor Rebecca Otto 10,245 (46.3%) 24 6 29 16 Reggie Edwards 2,756 (12.5%) 10 2 2 4 Other/Undecided 9,125 (41.2%) 34 14 14 15

dFl Straw Poll – Minnesota and ECCO and CARAG Precincts

CM Remington will meet with residentsTenth Ward Councilmem-ber Ralph Remington has announced that he will make appointments to meet residents every Mon-day at Gigi’s Café (36th and Bryant) between 1 and 5 p.m. Call his office at 673.2210 to get a 15-min-ute personal appointment with him.

March 7 Caucus ResultsECCO and CARAG Precincts Generally Follow State in DFL Straw Poll


Because of the impending reconstruction of Calhoun Square, changes have been happening at the mall. The end of 2005 saw many shops depart and in the past few months a few more have left. Uptown

Traders, Little River Creations, Sara Cura Silver, The Fixery, and Maud Borup Chocolates closed their doors.

Several new stores have moved in, and some of the long-time

residents will stay through the redevelopment. ZRS Fossils, Ivy, Sk2, Bremer Bank, Bay Street Shoes, Main Street Out-fitters, Sox Appeal and others have stayed. A new men’s store is slated to open soon.

By Rick Krolak

Q. i am a teacher in the Min-neapolis public school system. i heard that there is a tax deduc-tion for educators. Can you give me the specifics?

A. If you are an eligible educa-tor you may subtract up to $250 of qualified expenses when calculating your adjusted gross income. To be eligible you must work at least 900 hours dur-ing the school year as a teacher, instructor, counselor, principal or aide in a public or private elementary or secondary school. Expenses that qualify are books, supplies, computer equipment and related software. If you teach health or physical educa-tion the expenses and supplies are deductible only if they are related to athletics.

Q. We refinanced our home this year and paid fees as part of the refinancing. Can we deduct those costs?

A. Points paid to refinance you home are deductible as mort-gage interest on Schedule A of your tax return. Points paid solely to refinance you home are deductible over the term of your loan. You divide the points paid by the number of payments you’ll make over the life of the loan and points may only be deducted for the number of pay-ments made within the tax year. However, if the loan proceeds were used to pay for improve-ments to the home they may be fully deductible in the current year. Also, if the homeowner is refinancing for a second time, the balance of the points from

the previous refinancing is fully deductible. Other closing costs such as appraisal fees and agen-cy fees are not deductible.

Q. i started a new business and will be working out of my home. Can i take a deduction for that or is it a red flag with iRS?

A. A deduction for a home office is not a red flag as long as you follow the rules. You can take this deduction if you are self-employed or an employee. Qualifying expenses are the business portions of mortgage interest, real estate taxes, home-owner or rental insurance, utili-ties, repairs and maintenance, depreciation and association dues. You must use your home regularly and exclusively as your principal place of business as a place to meet or deal with cli-ents, customer or patients. If you have a separate structure or if you use your home for storage of inventory or product samples you may also deduct related expenses. Qualified daycare providers have special rules for calculating this deduc-tion. Portions of the deduction are limited by income if your gross income from the business is less than your total expenses. If you are claiming the deduc-tion as an employee, the regular and exclusive business use must be for the convenience or your employer.

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TAXES Q & A

The City of Minneapolis is host-ing public meetings for discussion and input about the City’s 10-Year Transportation Action Plan (TAP), which is under develop-ment. The public is invited.

When completed, the TAP will be a citywide plan that addresses a full range of transportation options and issues, including pedestrians, bicycles, transit, automobiles, and freight. It will also include a transit and street operations plan for downtown and new street design guidelines that reflect the characteristics of the surroundings.

Meetings are 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.Wed, Apr 19 – St. Olaf Catholic Church, 215 S. 8th St.Thurs, Apr 20 – Communica-tions Workers of America Hall, 3521 East Lake St.Tues, Apr 25 – Harrison Recre-ation Center, 503 Irving Ave. N.Thurs, Apr 27 – Martin Luther King Park Recreation Center, 4055 Nicollet Ave. S.Tues, May 2 – East Side Neigh-borhood Services, 1700 2nd St. N.E.For additional information: Charleen Zimmer, Project Man-ager, 673.3166 or [email protected].

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To attend an informational session, call612-873-5479 or 1-888-873-5479or visit hcmc.org.

CAlHOUN SQUARE SHOPS Comings ... and ... Goings

Photos by Kay Nygaard-Grahamleft row from top to bottom: New shops include ivy, Sk2 (clothing stores), and ZRS Fossils and Gifts. Right row from top to bottom: Recently closed shops include Uptown traders, the Fixery, and Sara Cura Silver.

Minneapolis Transportation PlanCute Kelly Newcomer

Ceramic Magnets at Soo VAC boutique

kellynewcomer.com

APRiL 2006 UPtOwN NEiGhbORhOOd NEws • 1�

(Editor’s Note: We will run community event listings every month on this page. Contact [email protected] to submit your event information by the 17th of each month to be included in the next issue.)

visual arts HiGHPOiNt CENtER FOR PRiNtMAkiNG2638 Lyndale Ave. S. • 871.1326 www.highpointprintmaking.orgFri, Mar 31, 6:30 to 9 pm –– Gal-lery Opening and Reception: Con-temporary Scottish Prints. On view through April 28.

iNtERMEdiA ARtS2822 Lyndale Ave. S. • 871.4444www.intermediaarts.orgB-Girl Be Call for Artists. B-Girl Be: A Celebration of Women in Hip Hop invites submissions from women artists for event, June 29 to Aug 19. Visual artists, performers, dancers, and filmmakers. Appli-cations and guidelines available on web. Deadline for application: Fri, Apr 14.

SOO ViSUAl ARtS CENtER2640 Lyndale Ave S. • 871.2263 www.soovac.org Hours: Wed to Fri 12–6, Sat 12-4.Through Apr. 22 – Juxtapoz. “Underground explosion of street art.” Artists that have been identi-fied in this flourishing genre are primarily young urban artists who are mostly self-taught.

book clubsONCE UPON A CRiME MYStERY BOOk ClUB 604 W. 26th St. • 870.3785www.onceuponacrimebooks.comApr 26, 6:30 to 7: 30 pm –– Ruth Rendell’s Judgement in Stone

BOOkS & BARS Bryant Lake Bowl • 810 W. Lake St. • 825.8949www.bryantlakebowl.comTue, Apr 11, 6:30 –– Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia-Marquez

WAlkER liBRARY BOOk ClUB2880 Hennepin Av. S. • 630.6650www.mpls.lib.mn.usMon, Apr 10, 6:30 pm –– The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alex-ander McCall Smith. This infor-mal book club has been meeting for several years and welcomes new members, both men and women of all ages. Members select the read-ing list; discussion is always lively and fun. No sign-up is required; just read the book and come.

author eventsONCE UPON A CRiME MYS-tERY BOOkStORE 604 W. 26th St. • 870.3785www.onceuponacrimebooks.comWed Apr 5,7 pm –– Randy Wayne White Dark Light • Sat Apr 8, 1 to 3 pm –– Laura Childs Blood Orange Brewing signing • Sat Apr 15, 1 to 3 pm–– dave Case Out of Cabrini debut signing • Mon Apr 17, 7 pm Minnesota Book Award Nominees: Mary logue, Ellen Hart, William kent krueger and david House-wright panel discussion • Sat Apr 22, 1 to3 pm –– Jess lourey May Day (Debut MN author)

MAGERS ANd QUiNN 3038 Hennepin Av. S. • 822.4611 www.magersandquinn.comSat, Apr 22, 5 pm –– Poetry By Heart hosted by Michael den-nis Browne. Got a favorite poem? Got a yen to perform? Join in for a night of poetry recited by heart. All are welcome, but advance reg-istration is required to perform. Email your name and a copy of the poem to [email protected]. Free. Open to public. Refreshments.

theater

Old ARiZONA CENtER FOR PERFORMiNG ARtS2821 Nicollet Ave. S. • 871.0050www.oldarizona.comFri, Apr 7 to 22, 8 pm –– LIVELIHOOD. Scream with laughter as college graduate Jason desperately struggles to secure a job that he knows he’ll hate with a company he completely despises, all in the name of paying for his cable. BRYANt lAkE BOWl tHEAtER810 W. Lake St. • 825.8949www.bryantlakebowl.comThurs and Fris April 6 to 28, 7 pm. $12 to $15 (pay what you can).Verbatim Verboten. The idea is simplicity itself: select maybe 20 word-for-word transcripts of the famous and powerful speaking, off the record, ask talented actors to sharpen their wits and clear their throats, then let ‘er rip. Every line-up is different.

BRAVE NEW WORkSHOP2605 Hennepin Ave. S. • 332-6620www.bravenewworkshop.orgOpens Fri, Apr 28, 8 pm –– See Dick Shoot(and Other Signs of the Apocalypse). It’s open season on the foibles of modern life in this off-beat, well-informed, hilarious new show!

JUNGlE tHEAtRE2951 Lyndale Ave. S. • 822.7063www.jungletheater.comApr 7 to May 21 –– The House of Blue Leaves by John Guare. Direct-ed by John Clarke donahue with Bain Boehlke and Wendy lehr.

filmBRYANt lAkE BOWl 810 W. Lake St. • 825.8949www.bryantlakebowl.comTues Apr 25, 8 pm –– CAPTURE: A Dance Film Series produced by Catalyst. Features two films from Rosas with choreography by Anne teresa de keersmaeker. Directed by thierry de May and Walter Verdin. $6.

SUBURBAN WORld tHEAtER3022 Hennepin Ave. S • 205.4734www.suburbanworldtheater.comSat, Apr 8 –– Fearless Filmak-ers Festival. Short Films by Local Directors and Live Music$10 cover. • 7 to 8 pm –– Cock-tails and complimentary hors d’oeuvres • 8 pm –– Screening of 7 short films followed by filmmak-ers Q&A • 9 pm –– Live music from Nothing Static • 10:30 pm –– Live music from Solid Gold • Late Night –– dJ Greez • Res-ervations: 987.5191 or reserve@ project-spotlight.com

FiRSt UNitARiAN SOCiEtY OF MPlS900 Mount Curve Ave• 377.6608www.firstunitariansociety.orgFri, Apr 28, 7 pm –– Crash. Acad-emy Award Nominees Film Series. Sponsored by the Social Commen-tary Through the Arts Discovery Group. Chalice Room. Free movie, popcorn and beverages.

musicSt. lUkE’S EPiSCOPAl CHURCH4557 Colfax Ave. S. • 824.2697www.st-lukes.netFri, Apr 21, 7:30 pm –– Pastiche. The ensemble of acclaimed per-formers from the faculty of the joint music department of the Col-lege of St. Benedict and St. John’s Univ. Members perform regularly on campus and off and have a rep-ertoire that is varied and growing and includes many new works commissioned by the ensemble. Free.

FiRSt UNiVERSAliSt CHURCH3400 Dupont Ave. S. • 825.1701www.firstuniv.orgSat, Apr 22, 7:30 pm –– Claudia Russell. Claudia has shared stag-es with Kris Kristofferson, Bill Staines, Willie Nelson, and other prominent musicians, and brings her own expressive singing and unique guitar voicing to her songs. $10 donation requested.

generalMiNNEAPOliS BlOOMS dAYSponsored by Committee for the Urban Environment (CUE)www.minneapolisblooms.orgLogan Park Community Center690 13th Ave. NE, Minneapolis.Sat, Apr 29, 9 am to 1 pm –– mas-ter gardeners will answer ques-tions; free seeds, plant sale, door prizes, refreshments.

BRYANt SQUARE PARk 3101 Bryant Ave. S. • 370-4907www.minneapolisparks.orgInternet Registration for Summer 2006 is available for select programs starting April 22 at 9 am.

lYNdAlE FARMStEAd PARk3900 Bryant Ave. S. • 370-4948 www.minneapolisparks.org Sat, Apr 15, 10 am to noon –– Egg Hunt. Annual egg hunt includes petting zoo and basket-making activity, egg hunt and treats for the whole family. Fee $2. Contact the park to register.

tHE BAkkEN MUSEUM3527 Zenith Ave. S. • 926-3878www.thebakken.orgThrough Apr 21 –– Visions of Sci-ence, exhibition by photographer Felice Frankel. Visual representa-tions of natural phenomena

CARAG ARCHitECtURE tOURSat, Apr 29, 1 to 3 pm –– Meet at Lakewood Cemetery (administra-tion building). Tour guide Aaron Rubenstein will lead a tour of his-toric buildings and homes along Hennepin Ave. Free.

get involvedREdEEMER RESidENCEVolunteers needed. Are you a thoughtful, patient person with a few hours a week to give to any resident in need of companion-ship? Contact Debbie at Redeemer Health and Rehab Center to find out more at 827.2555 x 142.

MiNNEAPOliS PUBliC liBRARYVolunteer to help at the Grand Opening of the Central Downtown Library on May 20. Volunteers are needed throughout the day in 4-hour shifts (including a break)

from 9 am to 7 pm. For info, call Grand Opening Volunteer Hot-line, 910.0249 or e-mail [email protected]

classesworkshopsCENtER OF liGHtCalhoun Square • 986.5575www.centersoflight.orgStarting Sun, Apr 19, 12 to 1:30 pm –– Introduction to Christian Mysticism. In these classes we will discuss what the Mystical Path is. Classes will cover subjects such as meditation , prayer, and soul. Free.

earth day sat, april ��lYNdAlE FARMStEAd PARk3900 Bryant Ave. S. • 370-4948 www.minneapolisparks.org 9:30 am to 12 noon ––Earth Day Clean-Up–– Check in at the recre-ation center to pick up gloves and bags. Refreshments provided for volunteers, and some special sur-prises for children who volunteer.

ANNUAl EARtH dAY WAtERSHEd ClEAN UPThe annual Earth Day Watershed Clean Up is part of the MPRB and City of Minneapolis’ efforts to involve citizens in reducing the amount of trash and litter enter-ing local lakes and streams. The Earth Day Watershed Clean-Up is the largest Park Board sponsored volunteer event. Clean Up sites include: The Chain of Lakes. Call the Earth Day Hotline at 313.7722 to become involved in local Earth Day activities.

community meetingstAkE BACk tHE NiGHt!Thurs, Apr 27, 6 pm, Loring Park ––MPIRG’s annual march and rally to raise awareness about the issue of sexual and domestic vio-lence. If you are interested in help-ing out and getting involved, now is the time!! Contact Kate Suchomel, MPIRG Program Director at [email protected] to see what you can do to help end violence in our communities.

uptowncommunityeventscommunity events calendar

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Will Steger Speaks on Global Warming

tEMPlE iSRAEl2534 Henn. Ave. S. • 377.8680www.templeisrael.com

Mon, Apr 17, 7 pm –– Auditorium, meet-and-greet reception to follow. Global warming affects us all. If you have any doubt about whether global warming is occurring, want more evidence, or would

like to become involved in preventing climate change, attend this presentation by Will Steger, the renowned polar explorer, educa-tor, writer and photographer. Steger led the most significant dog-sled exploration in history, including treks to the North and South Poles. His slides and stories document his first-hand observations of dramatic changes at the Arctic and in Antarctica, where the effects of global warming are most apparent.Temple Israel is hosting this presentation because it is committed to being a community leader in making the world a better place for our children.

Photo from Old Arizona Center

LIVELIHOOD at Old Arizona Center for Performing Arts


classifiedsCARPENtERSExperienced. Windows and doors replaced, sills repaired. We build fences and decks, and apply all siding. Finish carpentry. Sheetrock, plaster repair, and texture. Local ref-erences, free estimates. Tom 612.824.1554.

RUBBiSH HAUliNG/ tREE SERViCESmall trees cut down or trimmed. Licensed and insured. 612.869.8697.

JEAN-lOUiS lESAOUtWork done with a French accent and a European work ethic. Handyman jobs to full-room renovations. Local refer-ences. 612.824.8295.

WANtEd Motivated and teachable people of integrity with a heart for oth-ers. $800/month. 612.987.2344.

HANdYPROProfessional Handyman Service. Home repairs and

improvement – skilled carpen-try, restoration, wood and wall repair, doors and windows, to-do lists and more. Licensed, bonded, insured. Call Carl at HandyPro (www.handypro.com) to schedule a free esti-mate: 612.823.8128.

ECCENtRiC REMOdEliNG JOBS Kustom room additions, patio decks, kustom garages, siding, aluminum trim, soffits, gutters and interior painting. Marty 612.724.8819.

StRONG HANdS - HOt StONES - WORld PEACE Barbara Glommen, certified massage therapist. Energy work – deep tissue – relaxation – hot stones. Call for appoint-ment 612.821.1416.

ClASSiFiEd Ad SAlES 40¢ per word, 10-word minimum. Classifieds must be paid in advance. Please send a check and the ad copy to: Uptown Neighborhood News, C/O CARAG, 711 W. Lake St., Suite 303, Mpls. MN 55408. Ad and pay-ment are due the 17th of the month.

small news you might usetidbits

CARAG711 West Lake St., Suite #303

Minneapolis, MN 55408(612)-823-2520www.carag.org

ati

Join CARAG Neighbors on a walking tour of historic buildings and homes alongHennepin Avenue. Tour guide, Aaron Rubenstein, will lead the group from beautifulLakewood Cemetery Chapel up Hennepin Avenue to architecturally significant homesand commercial buildings. We’ll end at the historic Suburban World Theater learningabout architectural styles and old home preservation along the way. Please join us forthis FREE and fun educational activity! Contact CARAG for more information.

Gather your friends & rally your neighbors!Clean out the garage, attic & closets!It’s time to prepare for the...

SALE LOCATION: Front Back InsideBryant Square Park (Circle)REFRESHMENTS: Yes No (Circle)DESCRIBE YOUR SALE ITEMS:(40 letters or less)

NAME:_____________________________ADDRESS:__________________________PHONE:____________________________

FEE: $5.00(Checks Payable to CARAG)DEADLINE: May 17thSEND REGISTRATION TO:Rick Prichett 3236 Colfax AvMORE INFO: 822-3330

ANtOiNE’S CREOlE MAi-SON REStAURANt (2819 Hennepin Ave.) offers a $2.00 breakfast! How can you beat that? 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. for a lim-ited time. Get it while it’s hot.

SURlY BEER. A north Min-neapolis brewer is producing beers that are poured at Bryant Lake Bowl, Liquor Lyle’s, Pizza Nea, Punch Neopolitan Pizza, Old Chicago and Campiello’s.

GREENStONE FlORAl. The nursery store at 36th and Bryant has changed ownership. It will operate under a new name, with a new owner.

tHE NORtH FACE. Out-door sportsters may soon have a local source for gear and appar-el if the rumors are true. The outdoor store is rumored to be negotiating for a lease in a new 8- to 10-thousand square foot building that will be built on the site now occupied by The UPS Store and Tibet’s Corner at Henn-Lake. The only other Midwest store is in Chicago. This is another sign of Uptown’s shift from small individual busi-nesses to national chains with a regional audience.

tHEAtER ANtiQUES (2934 Lyndale Ave. S.) closed at the end of March.

MPlS GAllERY has opened at Lyn-Lake (3017-1/2 Lyndale Ave. S.) They say their mis-sion is to bring affordable art to everybody, and to offer a venue for local artists to sell their work. They solicit submissions in all media for future shows. Hours are Monday to Friday from 3 to 8 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 9 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. www.mplsgallery.com.

PilOt StORE (3045 Hen-nepin Ave.) will showcase a new collective of local artists who call themselves Pilot art group. Their mission is to help emerging and mid-career art-ists who work towards bringing a national eye to a Midwestern sensibility in creating art with substance and integrity. Grand opening is Saturday, April 8 from 7 to 11p.m. Hours will be Thursday 12 to 7 p.m. and Fri-day through Sunday 12 to 5 p.m. Go to www.pilotarts.com for information on special events.

MiNNESOtA BOOk AWARdS. The 18th Annual Minnesota Book Awards will be held Saturday, April 29 at 8 p.m. at The Women’s Club. ECCO resident Alison McGhee will be at an event featuring finalists in the Young Adult Fiction cat-egory on Wednesday, April 26, 7 p.m. at Maple Grove Library.

McGhee’s book All Rivers Flow to the Sea is nominated for an award. The book features 17-year old Rose who flounders to find purpose in her life after her sister is rendered comatose by a car accident. McGhee teaches creative writing at Metropolitan State University and is a three-time Minnesota Book Award winner. www.minnesotahu-manities .org/Book/awards.htm.

U OF M ARtS StUdY. A new study from the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, “Artists’ Centers: Evolution and Impact on Artists, Neighbor-hoods, and Economies,” shows that Minnesota’s strong creative economy owes much of its suc-cess to the unusual number and quality of dedicated gathering spaces for artists in the state. Minnesota is home to dozens of artists’ centers that provide workspace, equipment, and net-working opportunities for ama-teur and professional writers, musicians, and visual and per-forming artists. Local centers Highpoint Center for Print-making and intermedia Arts and SASE: the Write Place were featured as case studies in the report. Read the report at w w w. h h h . u m n . e du / i m g /assets/6158/artists_centers.pdf.

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