october 2007 uptown neighborhood news

8/7/2019 October 2007 Uptown Neighborhood News

1/16

Opinion ...........................................................2

Crime & Safety ......................................5

CARAG Report .........................................12

ECCO Report ...........................................13

Calendar.......................................................14

Covering the Neighborhoods ofCARAG and ECCO in the Uptown Area October 2007 Volume 3, Number 10

inside

Lake StreetreconStructionupdate

Photo left by Kay Nygaard-Graham

Tis the season - to pick the last of the greentomatoes!

Meet John Kislinger,The Eternal Optimist

Minneapolis Bike Tour Dras

More Than 4500 Riders

Shaping Uptons FutureSmall Area Plan Draft Released For Public Comment

By Aaron Rubenstein

The City of Minneapolis was

expected to release around Octo-ber 1 (after deadline) a draft planfor Uptown that will shape the

area for the next twenty years. The

draft plans release starts a 45-daypublic comment period. City Plan-

ner Amanda Arnold anticipatesthat the plan will be reviewed bythe citys Planning Commission

December 17 and adopted by theCity Council as part of the cityscomprehensive plan in January or

February of 2008.

The extensive draft plan contains

a lot of information about, analysisof and recommendations for theUptown area and its future. The

plans recommendations are orga-nized around three main elements:built form (land use, development

intensity and physical features),open space (public and private)and access (pedestrian, bicycle,

transit, parking and traffic).

The height of new buildings in

Uptown is a controversial issuethat was the plans genesis. Theissue has been a major one during

the planning process, generatingplenty of discussion and concern.The draft plan clearly addresses

the height issue. It recommendsthat buildings in the core of

By Jacqueline Varriano

This October marks the 20th anni-

versary of Seasons in Calhoun,currently the only kiosk to serveshoppers in Calhoun Square.

While it may seem daunting tobe the only kiosk in what appearsto be a dying mall, John Kislinger

has nothing but high hopes for allthings Calhoun. We came intoCalhoun Square for the first time

in 1987 just to sell winter items, but

By Scott Schiefelbein

The morning of Sunday, Septem-ber 16, 2007 arrived with almostperfect weather for the Minne-

apolis Bike Tour. The tour wasnot a race, but a chance for peopleto enjoy a ride past the lakes and

waterways of Minneapolis alongthe Grand Round Scenic BywaySystem, without worrying about

cars. During the event, the park-ways and roadways were closed tomotorized traffic. Riders started

the tour between 7:30 to 9 a.m. atParade Field, 400 Kenwood Park-way, near the Walker Sculpture

Garden and chose either a 15- or a41-mile course.

Participation far exceeded expec-tations. Just a week prior to the

event, the were fewer than 200 reg-istrations. Organizers decided towaive the late registration fee and

by the Friday before the event thenumber of those planning to ridehad swelled to well over 3000. Due

in part to the beautiful weather, thefinal number of people who signedup for the tour was just over 4500

Photo right by Kay Nygaard-Graham

Still smiling after all these years, thefamiliar face of John Kislinger makes

everyone feel welcome at his kiosk.

By Katie Anderson

Youd have to be living under a rock not to know that Lake Streethas been under construction all summer. The roadwork from

Dupont Avenue to Bryant Avenue and at the LynLake intersec-tion has snarled traffic, frustrated pedestrians and made it gener-ally difficult to get anywhere in the neighborhood.

The traffic problems have been especially hard on area businesses,

which have spent the summer and early fall hoping that shoppers

The traffic theater at LynLake makes forregular pedestrian/bike/car arguments

Photo by Bruce Cochran

UpdAtEpage 11

fUtURE pERfECt?page 6

bikEpage 8

JOhnpage 7

were convinced by [then] managerGreg Hibbs to sell sunglasses andweve been here ever since. The

kiosk now carries 300 500 hatsand up to 2,000 pairs of sunglass-es. In fact, during the interview a

woman was looking for some sun-glasses to which Kislinger replied,

Photo by Naomi Oshiro

The bright, sunny day created a bicycle built for two shadows.


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2 UpTOwn nEighBORhOOd nEws OCTOBER 2007

UPTOWN NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS

Uptown Neighborhood News is a monthly publication of Calhoun Area Residents ActionGroup (CARAG) in cooperation with the East Calhoun Community Organization (ECCO).UNN covers the news of and is delivered free to households within the area bounded by Lyn-dale Ave. S. and Lake Calhoun, between Lake Street and 36th St. W. Extra copies are distrib-uted 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 isnear 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 resi-dents. Articles, letters to the editor and story ideas are welcomed and encouraged. The editorreserves the right to edit for length, clarity, relevance to the area, or other reasons. Editorialand advertising guidelines are available. Please contact the editor:

NEwS, TIPS & LETTERS TO THE [email protected], 711 West Lake St. #303Minneapolis, MN 55408(612) 259-1372

SENIOR EDITORScott Schiefelbein

ASSOCIATE EDITORJacqueline Varriano

CONTRIBUTING EDITORColette Davidson

ADVERTISINGSusan [email protected]

MANAGING BOARDAoe/Elece Res:Kay Nygaard-Graham, Chair (CARAG)825-3637Gary Farland, Vice-chair (ECCO)824-6744Anna Matthes, Treasurer (CARAG)Jacqueline Varriano (ECCO)Jill Bode (CARAG)Ralph Knox, Secretary (ECCO)Volueer Memers:David PetersonMary Ann Knox

CALENDAR EDITORWendy Auldrich

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERSBruce Cochran, Gary Farland, KayNygaard-Graham, Naomi Oshiro,Jamie Ronnei

CONTRIBUTING wRITERSKatie Anderson, Margaret Anderson Kel-liher, Gary Farland, Jessica Fox-Wilson,Kay Nygaard-Graham, Susan Marsh, AaronRubenstein, Mary Samoszuk

GRAPHIC DESIGN & PRODUCTION

Bruce Cochran

NEwSPAPER CIRCULATIONCARAG/ECCO Circulation:Bill Boudreau 825-0979

MINNEAPOLIS CITY COUNCILTenth WardRalph Remington, [email protected]

CRIME PREVENTION SPECIALISTTom Thompson, 5th PrecinctSAFE Unit, Sector 2, 3101 Nicollet AveMinneapolis MN 55408Serving 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

publication of articles or advertisements as it sees fit.

But we will see fit to publish most things, dont worry.

Copyright 2007 Uptown Neighborhood News.

Letters To The

Editor PolicyWrite to us, provided you

write fewer than 250 words!

Your letter may be edited and

we don't know if it will be

published, but we will certainly try to do so. We need

to know your name, address,

phone number and neighbor-

hood.

Opinions Policy Please submit your opin-

ion pieces to the editor. We

encourage thoughtful essays

about anything thats going

on in the neighborhoods. On

occasion, we will solicit con-

trasting views on one subject

and run multiple opinions.

We reserve the right to edit

for space or clarity, taste and

legal concerns.

opinionletters

DEADLINE

for submissionsto the

November Issueof Uptown

NeighborhoodNews is

THURSDAY,OCTOBER 18TH.

Sunday, October 14 . Noon to 3:00 p.m.

Travel back in time as we host aBlock Party tocelebrate 100 years of service. Horses will return

to Lake Street, right in front of our store.

Enjoy live entertainment, pony rides,

cake and a history display.

Schatzleins100Year Celebration

SchatzleinSaddle Shop413 West Lake Street, Minneapolis, MN . 612-825-2459 .www.SSaddle.com

To the Editor,

I do not live in the Tenth Ward,but I would like to say how for-tunate everyone in this ward is to

have Ralph Remington as a CityCouncil representative. On FridayI attended a City Council hearing

and for the first time I was ableto witness directly how passionateand caring Mr. Remington is. As

a co-sponsor of the Animal Pro-tection Amendment, Remingtonis an excellent example of how

a representative should conducthimself on behalf of his constitu-ents. He proved to be an outstand-

ing speaker and I was completelyfloored by the time and effort he

put into learning about the circusissue. If Mr. Remington puts that

Dont Ignore The LessonsOf (Recent) History

Were looking for patriots of the communitywilling to fight...erwrite, accountand deliverforTheUptown Neighborhood Newsfor positionsas associate editor, delivery person and

bookkeeper. Send resume and references to:[email protected] orUNN, 711 West Lake St. #303Minneapolis, MN 55408

PARTYFORYOUR

RIGHTTOFIGHT!

-CHUCKD.

much energy and hard work intoevery issue, residents of Ward 10

are truly lucky to have elected sucha dedicated and enthusiastic mem-ber to represent their ward.

Kathryn Pelka, Edina

By Margaret

Anderson KelliherIn 1905, the famous philosopher

George Santayana wrote, Those

who cannot remember the past

are condemned to repeat it. This

quote is used often to remind us

of the lessons history can teach us,

and the value of studying those les-

sons and learning from them.

We learned a great many things as

the result of the tragic collapse of

the I-35 bridge. We learned that

Minnesotans are quick to help

each other out in a time of need,

often putting their own well-being

at risk. The value of emergency

preparedness was reinforced, as

we watched first responders save

lives and bring order to a frighten-

ing and chaotic situation.

We learned that when the State

Legislature approved funding

for the Allied Radio Matrix for

Emergency Response system, they

put in place a system that greatly

improved efficiency by enabling

response teams to communicate

with each other. This system willsoon by expanded statewide.

We are still working to learn les-

sons in other areas, such as exactly

why this bridge collapsed and what

other bridges in our state may be at

risk. An investigative committee is

also looking into the policies and

practices of the Minnesota Depart-

ment of Transportation (MnDOT),

as well as decision making at the

department in response to bridge

inspection reports. It is vital thatthe results of these studies provide

direction as we move forward.

The tragedy also reinforced our

understanding of what many

of us knew - we are not spend-

ing enough money on roads and

bridges in our state. At the time of

the collapse, the I35W bridge had

a rating of 50 out of 100 and over

700 other bridges in Minnesota are

in need of replacement. Added to

this, MnDOT estimates that over

one-third of our state roads are

too far-gone to be fixed, and that

it will take an additional 2.4 billiona year in funding over the next

10 year to address our numerous

unmet construction and mainte-

nance transportation needs.

And, certainly, especially for the

families and friends of the victims

of the collapse, we learned that life

can take unexpected turns that

change things forever. In honor of

these victims, it is absolutely criti-

cal that we make our roads and

bridges safe and dependable for

many years to come.

So, while I am disappointed that

the Governor backed away fromhis initial willingness to increase

funding for transportation, I

remain more committed than ever

to passing a comprehensive and

responsible transportation bill.

This will take leadership and com-

mitment, but we must heed the

lessons of August 1, 2007 - there is

too much at stake to ignore them.

As always, I look forward to hear-

ing from you. If you have com-

ments or questions, please contact

me at (651) 296-0171, by e-mail at

[email protected],

or at 463 State Office Building, 100Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Blvd., Saint Paul, MN 55155.

Margaret Anderson Kelliher repre-

sents District 60A in the Minnesota

House of Representatives


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OCTOBER 2007 UpTOwn nEighBORhOOd nEws 3

commentary

By Susan Marsh

As a member of a denomination of

Christianity thats been around for

awhile, I often wonder why be aUnited Methodist? In fact, why

belong to a congregation of any

sort being spiritual and being a

member of a congregation is not

necessarily the only path to follow.

Looking at the history of a few

congregations, sometimes it seems

as if spirituality and congrega-

tional membership have absolutely

nothing in common.

I asked Bill Morton, Pastor of

Joyce United Methodist Church,

what makes Methodism different.

Methodists he explained, use

the Bible, tradition, experienceand reason to discern the topics

of today. Methodists see the Bible

not as law, but as a love letter, sent

by God, written by other humans

who experienced that love.

Barbara York, an internationally

recognized musician and long time

member, also came forward with

United Methodists often joke

about the many organizational lay-

ers of church life, but, as members

of other denominations have been

heard to say: If you want some-

thing done, get the Methodists to

do it. Followers of the Wesleysare indeed methodical about the

ways they approach mission and

ministry. No local church is the

total body of Christ. Therefore,

local United Methodist churches

are bound together by a common

mission and common governance

that accomplish reaching out

into the world. United Methodist

churches and organizations join in

mission with each other and with

other denominations.

What does this mean, in the long

run? Most Christians believe that

the Bible says that God gives usfree will. Yet, it seems that free

will evaporates when we join a

church. Suddenly, theres a synod

somewhere looking at each issue

and telling us what to believe. As a

Methodist, we take each issue and

apply the Bible, tradition, experi-

ence and reason to discern how

each of us should respond.

What issues could they be? In

the 1970s and 1980s, we applied

the doctrine to abortion. As a

conference, we oppose the use of

late-term abortion, but leave the

Mind~Body~Spirit

ultimate decision in the hands of

the family. Our belief in the sanc-

tity of all life makes us equally

bound to respect the life and well-

being of the mother, for whomdevastating damage may result

from an unacceptable pregnancy.

We do commit resources to pro-

vide nurturing ministries to those

who terminate a pregnancy to

those in the midst of a crisis preg-

nancy, and to those who give birth.

We also support and facilitate the

option of adoption.

The same could be said about the

churchs stance on homosexuality.

While some look to the passages

in the Bible that condemn homo-

sexuality, others say reason applies

here God created all creatures,gay and straight and there must

have been a divine reason. Who

among us is the first to judge?

The Conference dedicates itself

to a ministry of Christ-like hospi-

tality and compassion to persons

of all sexual orientations, their

friends and families. We continue

to encourage study and dialogue

around issues of sexuality and pray

for those who are in pain and dis-

cord over our Christian response

to this issue.

Many would be surprised to know

that the United Methodist Church,often deemed as liberal on all social

issues, also has dissension on the

war in Iraq and other conservative

hot button issues.

From my point of view, what Ienjoy the most about this denomi-

nation is that Im not told how to

feel about a political issue. I am

to apply my own sense of reason,

along with what I interpret the

Bible to be telling me, in my deci-

sion. Divorce, once the scandal of

the 40s and 50s, has been an issue

I have wrestled with. Having mar-

ried a divorced man, the Bible says

I should be condemned for adul-

tery. Reason says we are all sinners,

but Christ came to forgive sin.

Of late, Joyce members have been

discerning many issues of theirown. Like many inner city congre-

gations, we are a small but sturdy

group of worshipers, struggling

to keep our doors open in an area

where the population is mostly

transient, and at a time when sky-

rocketing heating and insurance

costs cut deeply into our already

small budget. Recently, we met to

decide what our strengths were.

It was no surprise to most of us

to figure out that what we value

most is the inclusivity of a per-

sons faith journey and mission.

In other words, no matter where

youre at on your journey, you arewelcomed and accepted. This is

followed by valuing discipleship

and fellowship. We are, first and

foremost, a Christ centered com-

munity. We recognize that Christ

spent his days not among the rich- but among the least, the lost and

the left out. To that end, we seek

to continue to be a resource for

the neighborhood. Our most vis-

ible missions, the Joyce Foodshelf

and the Joyce Pre-School, are here

because Joyce has often been will-

ing to take risks to do what is nec-

essary for this neighborhood.

Many United Methodists follow

the phrase from the Book of Micah:

What does the Lord require of

you but to do justice and to love

kindness and to walk humbly with

your God? Joyce will continue to

be a mission church, offering spiri-

tual sustenance and guidance and

giving members a way to serve

the local and larger community.But above all, we are in service to

each other, offering fellowship and

support for each other in our own

journeys.

The Joyce United Methodist

Church welcomes all. Services at

10:30, the best darn coffee hour in

town at 11:30. Come as you are,

remain as you want.

Susan Marsh is a longtime Joyce

member and a new resident of the

Uptown area.

Why be a Methodist?


4/16

1st National Bank o the Lakes1st WOK - Calhoun VillageAarcee RentalAccent ArtsAll Paws Animal HospitalAlternative Bike & BoardAmigo Service CenterAmore VictoriaApplebeesBarbette

Ben & JerrysBlue Sky CreameryBobby BeadBoston MarketBrave New WorkshopBryant Lake BowlCaerys Deli & SubsChecker AutoChipotleCity Image SalonComedy SportsDavannisDrink

Youre InvitedEast Calhoun NeighborhoodAnnual Meeting

Thursday October 4, 2007, 6:30 PMSt. Marys Greek Orthodox Church

35th and Irving Ave. South.

Join us for Pizza at 6:30PM; meeting to follow at 7:00PM

Fill out the survey for Phase II NeighborhoodRevitalization Program to give direction on how thesefunds will be spent in our neighborhood

Find out what else is happening in East Calhoun and the Uptown area including

updates on neighborhood crime and the latest Calhoun Square plans. Get involved

in your neighborhood: Elections will be held for open positions on the ECCO Board.

For more information check out the East Calhoun

website: www.eastcalhoun.org.

The East Calhoun Community Organization Says

To These Labor Day Event SponsorsThank YouDunn Bros CoeeFitness TogetherGigis CaGolden LeaGranite City Food & BreweryHal Price BooksHerkimerHirschfeldsIndependentInzio

J P American BistroJimmy JohnsJon Charles SalonJungle TheaterLandmark TheaterLees ShoeLucias & Lucias BakeryLundsMagers & QuinnMagnetic OriginalsMarlas Indian CuisineMinneapolis FloralNew Calhoun Grille

NoodlesOld ChicagoOnce Upon a ChildPannekoeken HuisPizza LucePizza NeaPlanet BeachPunchRainbow FoodsRestaurant Miami

Rockler WoodworkingSalon EStarbucksStellas Fish CaTattersThe Chair SalonThe Tin FishThe UPS StoreTrygsTum Rup ThaiUptown TheaterTop Shel


5/16

OCTOBER 2007 UpTOwn nEighBORhOOd nEws

crime & safety

5TH PRECINCT (Southest Minneapolis)Sector 2: CPS Tom Thompson: 673-2823

[email protected]

Mayor Rybaks Budget Focus On Public Safety

Task Force Issues Recommendations For ImprovingMinneapolis Community Engagement EffortsAfter three months of work, Min-

neapolis Community Engage-ment Task Force has unanimouslyapproved a preliminary report

which will go to the MinneapolisCity Council on Thursday, Sept.20, 2007. The report will also be

presented for input and feedbackat several community forums.

Community forums

Tuesday, October 9, 6:30 p.m. to

8:30 p.m.Windom Park Recreation Cen-ter gymnasium, 2251 Hayes

Street N.E.

Wednesday, October 10, 6 p.m.to 8 p.m.North Commons Park gymna-

sium, 1801 James Avenue North

Tuesday, October 16, 11 a.m. to

1 p.m. (open house format)Central Library board room,300 Nicollet Mall

Wednesday, October 17, 6 p.m.to 8 p.m.Nokomis Park Recreation Cen-ter gymnasium, 2401 East Min-

nehaha Parkway

Thursday, October 18, 5:30 p.m.to 7:30 p.m.MLK Park Recreation Cen-

ter multi-purpose room, 4055Nicollet Avenue South

Following the community forums,the task force will reconvene toincorporate the communitys input

into its final report, which willbe submitted to the MinneapolisCity Council and Mayor in mid-

November.

The task forces 21 voting par-ticipants represent neighborhoodorganizations, block clubs, eth-

nic/cultural organizations, issue-focused organizations, businessassociations and community devel-

opment corporations, as well as a

community engagement innovator,civic participation advocate and

residents serving as at-large rep-resentatives. They were chargedwith defining roles and funding

of neighborhood, community andcultural organizations as parts ofthe Citys community engagement

system.

The draft report includes seven

core principles of communityengagement, more than two dozenrecommendations related to the

core principles and characteristicsof organizations that are eligible toreceive city resources for activities

related to engaging the commu-nity.

The task force began by recom-mending that the City adopt a

set of core principles to formallydocument its commitment to com-munity involvement. The recom-

mendations expand upon the Citys

current practices and aim to insti-tutionalize the community inputprocess. They are also designed

to broaden the ways the commu-nity can be engaged with the City,expanding beyond geographic-

based groups to also encompassother community organizationssuch as business associations, cul-

tural communities and advocacygroups.

Report Highlights Include

Recommendations

Broaden the types of organiza-

tions eligible for community

engagement resources Require increased accountabil-

ity when resources are allocated

Create a citizen commission ofcommunity engagement

Allocate resources and stafffor administration of adopted

Neighborhood Revitalization

Program (NRP) action plansand contracts beyond 2009

Support increased follow-upcommunication between the

City and community memberswho have provided input dur-ing decision-making processes

The task force is a part of a three-track community engagement

work plan approved by the Mayorand City Council in May 2007 toaddress how community engage-

ment is affected by changes in pop-ulation demographics, financialconstraints and the approaching

sunset of legislation that createdthe funding source for the NRP.

A full copy of the draft Communi-ty Engagement Task Force report

is posted on the Citys Web site atwww.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/com-munications/communityengage-

ment.asp.

Reard Offered In The Mark Loesch MurderMark Loesch, a 41-year-old man who lived in south Minneapolis, was killed on the night of September

13, 2007 near 3732 Elliot Avenue South. This act of violence has affected the entire community.

A reward fund has been set up for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsiblefor Loeschs murder. Crime Stoppers and Marks friends and family have donated to the reward fund.

If you have any information that may be helpful, call Crime Stoppers at 651.452.7463.

Tell The Judicial SystemHo Crime Affects Your LifeContributed by Ralph Remingtons Office

Residents and business owners know how livability crimes affect theirneighborhoods. Now, an Internet tool makes it possible for them to

share that information with the courts, so the true impact of crime in ourneighborhoods can be taken into account when sentencing an offender.For the first time, the City of Minneapolis has made it possible to give

a community impact statement online rather than in person. By fillingout a short community impact statement, people can tell the courts howcrimes really affect the livability of their neighborhood. Prosecutors can

then present these statements to judges during sentencing.

In addition to the online convenience, the search tool makes it easier than

ever to search through the database of cases. Residents can look up casesby offense, alleged offender, street address or, general location of the

offense. You can get to the community impact statement internet page byvisiting the City Attorneys Website: www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/attor-ney.

Contributed by

R.T. Rybaks Office

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybaktoday unveiled his plans for a city

budget that once again signifi-cantly increases funding for a widerange of public safety initiatives.

Mayor Rybaks proposal calls for$200.1 million in public safety pro-grams for the next

year, funds thelargest police forcein more than five

years and address-es the root causesof crime with

funding to preventyouth violence and

build economicopportunity.

This is a com-

mon sense budgetthat puts publicsafety first, focuses

on basic city ser-vices and invests injobs, housing and

other strategiesthat create laddersof opportunity,

Mayor Rybak said.With this budgetwe are showing

that Minneapolis is

a city that works,not only during

an emergency, butevery day of theyear.

Although violent crime is fall-

ing, down 14 percent city-wideand trending downward in everypolice precinct, Mayor Rybak said

budget we will be adding funding

for 18 more sworn officers and thecivilian support that they need to

be more effective. With these newofficers, we will have 880 budgetedsworn officers, more than we havehad any year since 2002.

The police department has grown

significantly in the past few years,from $98 million in 2003 to $112million in 2007. Today Mayor

Rybak proposed another signifi-cant increase with a total policedepartment budget of $121.2 mil-

lion. The police department hasgrown - and in 2008 will continue

to grow - faster than any other citydepartment.

While Rybaks crime-fightingplan begins with more police, hesaid that making Minneapolis safe

is about more than police on thestreet. In his comprehensive plan,Rybak also proposed:

$300,000 to fund four more 911

operators

$800,000 to fund precinct-based

community prosecutors

$75,000 to expand restorativejustice programs

$150,000 for community microgrants to prevent gang-relatedgraffiti

$100,000 for a juvenile curfewand truancy resource center in

City Hall

$100,000 to implement recom-mendations of the Citys YouthViolence Prevention Committee

$675,000 for the Youth Coor-dinating Board, including

$150,000 to fund the YouthAre Here youth activity circu-lator bus year-round

This is a

common sense

budget that puts

public safety

first, focuseson basic city

services and

invests in jobs,

housing and

other strategies

that create

ladders of

opportunity,- Mayor Rybak

that crime is still too high and that

continued vigilance is needed tomake Minneapolis safe.

We are making progress,Mayor Rybak said. But we have

a long way to go, as the recentmurder of bicyclist Mark Loeschand the shooting of Vernice Hall

demonstrates. Thats why in thisbudget, as I havefor the last three

years, I am againproposing signifi-cant investments

in public safety far more thanany other part of

the city govern-

ment.

Calling crime acomplex prob-lem that requires

a complex set ofcompreh en s ivesolutions, Mayor

Rybaks planstarts with morepolice and tough

enforcement, pro-tects livability,remains dedicated

to crime preven-tion and demandsaccountability and

consistent results.

Our most pow-erful tool to fightcrime is more

police officers on the street,Rybak said. Weve been aggres-sively hiring more than 100 diverse

officers for two years and we aregoing to continue. With this 2008


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UpTOwn nEighBORhOOd nEws OCTOBER 2007

Uptown, generally from Hol-mes to Bryant avenues and Lake

Street to the Midtown Greenway,be three to six stories, with somebuildings up to eight stories if cer-

tain conditions are met. (For refer-ence, the planned Mozaic project,on the Lagoon Cinemas site, is

eight and ten stories; the approvedCalhoun Square building on LakeStreet would be seven stories.)

The planning process for theUptown Small Area Plan has been

a long one, involving many mem-bers of the community includ-ing residents, business people and

developers. The process startedwith an initial community meet-ing to provide information and

set project boundaries in April

2006. Six more community meet-ings were held between

November 2006 and Sep-tember 2007, with approx-imately 620 total attendees

at the seven communitymeetings. The plans com-munity steering committee

met 11 times during thealmost 18-month plan-ning process so far and will

meet one more time.

Council Member RalphRemington, who chairsthe steering committee, city plan-

ners and the projects planning

consultants from the CuninghamGroup presented the draft plans

recommendations and an execu-tive summary at two communitymeetings on September 19 at Cal-

houn Square.

The draft plan is available online,

along with much additional infor-mation about the plan, the processand Uptown issues, at http://www.

ci.minneapolis.mn.us/planning/uptown-plan.asp or at WalkerLibrary in Uptown. Anyone may

make written comments about thedraft plan to: amanda.arnold@

ci.minneapolis.mn.us or AmandaArnold, Principal City Planner;Minneapolis Department of Com-munity Planning & Economic

Development; Planning Division;350 South 5th Street--Room 210:Minneapolis, MN 55415. Call her

at 612.673.3242 if you have ques-tions.

The 45-day public comment periodwill end approximately Novem-

ber 15 if the plan is released onOctober 1. It is likely that the fourneighborhoods within the plan-

ning area (Lowry Hill East, EastIsles, East Calhoun and CARAG)

will submit comments about thedraft plan.

The plans five goals were estab-

lished early in the planning processas a result of community input.

They are to: 1. Reinforce surround-ing neighborhoods; 2. Reinforce amixed-use core; 3. Establish publicopen spaces; 4. Improve streets for

pedestrians, bicycles and transit;and 5. Improve parking options.

The plans executive summary,which was posted online severaldays prior to the September 19

community meetings, states thatthe plan can provide predict-ability, find common ground and

help make Uptown the leadingurban neighborhood it should be.To this end, the plan: recognizes,

protects and enhances the estab-

lished neighborhoods of East Isles,

Lowry Hill East, East Calhounand CARAG; recognizes the value

and benefits of high quality, well-located and well-designed urbandensity; celebrates Uptowns pri-

mary amenities--its adjacency tothe lakes and the Midtown Green-way; prioritizes streets (especially

Hennepin Avenue, Lake Streetand Lagoon Avenue) as places forsocial interaction and urban activ-

ity instead of just as conduits forthrough-traffic; [and] accepts thedual role of Uptown as a regional

attraction and a local community.

The summary goes on to saythat the plan addresses these

concerns by identifying wheregrowth should occur and howit should be designed to create ahigh-quality environment. Plan-

ning consultant Andrew Dresdnersought to underscore this point atthe September 19 meetings. He

emphasized that the plan callsfor concentrating new growth inUptowns core because there

are a considerable number ofunderutilized properties includ-ing parking lots and one-story

buildings, because its good urbandesign, because its the best way toprotect the existing character of

the neighborhoods abutting and

surrounding Uptown; and becauseof the benefits it provides to thelarger community.

Some of the draft plans primaryrecommendations concerning built

form are to: focus growth in areaswhere it is most appropriate, orwhere surface parking, underuti-

lized land, large parcels and mar-ket interest is abundant; establish,through design and use, strong,

gradual transitions between resi-dential and commercial areas;discourage one-story buildings;

encourage mixed-use along LakeStreet to connect Uptown andLyn/Lake; identify the area most

near the intersections of HennepinAvenue and Lake Street and Hen-nepin Avenue and the Midtown

Greenway as the Activity Cen-ter, and contain high intensity

entertainment uses in thisarea; locate tallest build-ings along corridors; andstep back upper floors of

buildings to limit shadow-ing of streets and the Mid-town Greenway.

Some of the draft plans

primary recommendationsfor public and private openspace are to: create sev-

eral small urban gatheringspaces instead of one largespace; create wider side-

walks through setbacks of build-

ings or narrowing of streets; createbroad pedestrian promenades on

Lake Street; establish street levelpedestrian promenades on bothsides of the Midtown Greenway;

create a year-round indoor/out-door space in Calhoun Square;and create the Girard Meander--a

narrow street with wide sidewalksconnecting Mozaic and CalhounSquare.

Some of the draft plans primaryrecommendations for access are

to: establish a group of busi-ness leaders, property owners andresidents that would promote

better management of existingparking resources, promote tran-sit options and help implement

other transportation recommen-dations; shorten the walk distancefor pedestrians crossing streets in

Uptown by providing bumpoutsat signalized intersections; installpedestrian countdown meters at

busy intersections; narrow thecurb-to-curb dimensions of LakeStreet and Lagoon Avenue west

of Hennepin Avenue; improvebicycle connections between theGreenway and the Uptown core;

implement Southwest Tran-sit Corridor to connect through

Uptown or extend streetcar systemto future West Calhoun TransitCenter; provide a reduced rate for

Uptown Zone riders; pursue,through public/private coopera-tion, a circulator along Lake Street

and Lagoon Avenue connectingUptown with the lakes and Lyn/Lake; support the possible future

development of streetcars on Hen-nepin Avenue; promote land uses

and development densities thatcreate and support strong tran-sit markets, such as high densityhousing, employment and retail;

establish shared parking practicesbetween complementary uses suchas entertainment and offices, and

that could use lots such as Lundsand YWCA in the evenings;develop district parking lots in the

core; work with businesses to cre-ate a voucher parking program forvisitors and consumers; use Criti-

cal Parking Areas (permit park-ing) in conjunction with otherparking recommendations to focus

parking usage; reduce lane widths

on Lagoon Avenue and WestLake Street to match East Lake

Street reconstruction standards;consider reducing the lane counton Lake Street east of Hennepin

Avenue to two lanes in each direc-tion to match the lane count onEast Lake Street; examine possi-

bilities for improving the DupontAvenue/Lake Street intersectionby creating developable blocks and

restoring the street grid; and studypossibility of converting LakeStreet and Lagoon Avenue to two-

way streets.

The draft plans executive sum-mary states that adoption of thisPlan by City Council should sig-nal the beginning of a new era

for Uptown. The Plan will beimplemented over the next 15 to20 years with both private and

public resources. Implementationwill amount to significant changesand improvements in Uptown.

The Plan promotes respon-sible growth. Over the next twodecades, Uptown has the potential

to accommodate approximately500-700 new residential units and200,000-300,000 new square feet

of commercial/retail/office space.

This growth is directed awayfrom the edges of the residentialneighborhoods and toward the

core. New growth will broadenthe areas housing options, pro-vide new employment opportuni-

ties and bolster the local retail andservice base. It also will supporttransit, help fund public improve-

ments, reduce automobile use andmake a positive contribution to

the environment. In addition, newgrowth has the potential to con-tribute to connections to the lakes,transit connections to Midtown,

the southwest and downtown,new plazas and parks, a new inter-nal circulator, new cultural and

community facilities, more effi-cient parking, and improved andenlarged sidewalks and bikeways.

Together these private and pub-lic investments will help Uptownreassert itself as a regional destina-

tion for recreation, shopping andentertainment, as well as stabilizeitself as a desirable local mixed-use

residential community. The result

of such (public/private/citizenryimplementation) partnerships will

be a renewed Uptown a placethat embodies the best qualities ofurban living in Minneapolis.

The city will conduct a zon-ing study, following City Coun-

cil adoption of the plan, to helpimplement the plan. Rezoning ofsome parcels will result, includ-

ing down zoning the half-blocksouth of 28th Street in the studyarea.

To put growth in Uptown, and the

need for Minneapolis to grow, intoperspective, consider the follow-ing. Metropolitan Council popula-

tion forecasts project a significantincrease in the population and inthe number of households in both

Minneapolis and the seven-coun-try metro area in coming decades.The Met Council projects that, in

Minneapolis, the population willincrease from 382,747 in 2000 to423,000 in 2020, a 10.5 percent

increase, and to 425,000 in 2030, an11.0 percent increase over 2000. Itprojects that the number of Min-

The plan can provide

predictability, find common

ground and help make

Uptown the leading urban

neighborhood it should be.


Harvey Zuckman discusses the pros and cons of the new plan with fellow community members.

fUtURE pERfECt?page 7

fUtURE pERfECt?from 1


7/16


neapolis household will increasefrom 162,352 in 2000 to 181,000in 2020, an increase of 11.5 per-

cent, and to 187,000 in 2030, a15.2 percent increase over 2000.For the metro area, the council

projects that the population willincrease to 3,445,600 in 2020 (30.4percent increase over 2000) and

to 3,713,900 in 2030 (40.6 percentincrease over 2000), and the num-ber of households will increase by

36.2 percent over 2000 to 1,391,000in 2020 and by 48.8 percent over2000 to 1,519,500 in 2030.

Approximately 50 people attendedthe afternoon community meeting

on September 19 at which the draftUptown plans recommendations

were presented. Approximately75 people attended the eveningmeeting later that day. At the eve-ning meeting, there were only one

or two people of color but therewas a surprisingly large numberof young adults. Council Mem-

ber Remington began the eveningmeeting by saying the draft planis a solid documentdevelopers

and residents will know what toexpect (in terms of developmentparameters). We still need input

from you.

Theres one bone of contention

still, for some folks, and thats[building] height, Remington

continued. Theres still a lot oftime for review and input. At theend of the day (or 20+ month pro-

cess), well have a document thatmost people will be pleased with,he suggested. Remington said later

in the meeting that he prefers tosee the plan call for three to fivestory buildings in the core, with six

to eight story buildings by condi-tional use permit (CUP); the draftplans parameters are three to six

stories with seven and eight storiesby CUP.

Consultant Dresdner, a primaryauthor of the draft plan, said,There are many ways to grow a

city. He showed a slide of high-rise buildings in Vancouver andcommented, Its not a model [for

Uptown]. The audience applaud-ed. He then showed a slide ofParis, where most buildings are a

uniform five-stories. The audienceapplauded again before Dresd-ner could comment.

Dresdner said the properties

most likely for redevelopment inUptowns core are the RainbowFoods, Arbys, McDonalds and

Campiello sites on the south sideof the Greenway and, on the north

side of the Greenway, the Acmesite (west side of Fremont) and thethree (former) Bennett Lumber

blocks. He said the plan acceptsgrowth and distributes it appropri-ately in the core and redistributes

it away from the periphery (some84-foot tall residential buildingscurrently permitted north of the

Greenway--56 feet and 35 feetproposed).

Dresdner also showed an imageillustrating the draft plans recom-

mendation for a parking structurein each of Uptowns four quad-rants: southeast (Calhoun Square

existing and expanding); north-east (Mozaic site proposed);northeast (at YWCA site cur-

rently a preliminary possibility);and southwest on the site of theSons of Norway parking lot).

Though the meeting topic wasvery important, it seemed the 90-

minute presentation dragged ontoo long, with too many imagesand points covered in numerous

previous community meetings. Italso limited the amount of timeavailable for questions and com-

ments.

Justus Gibson, a resident of the3000 block of Emerson, said afterthe meeting that he generally

thinks the draft plan is very good.He mentioned that he likes theproposal for wider sidewalks and

the development scheme thatputs height in the core.

Ali Rubin, a resident of the 3100block of Girard and a mother oftwo children, is not as optimistic.

She is very discouraged about[the state of] Calhoun Square, andthat colors her view of the Uptown

plan and the planning process.The plan has some good ideas,but I dont have much faith in

things really happening this way,

she said. I feel kind of cynical.Look at where we are and whats

happened, she continued. Imconcerned about neighborhoodlivability issues. I would like to

see Uptown booming, but are wegoing to have more people pissingin our yards? Theres more and

more crime; there was much lesswhen we had bicycle cops. Wevegone backwards in a lot of ways. I

can and have walked downtownin less time than the bus takes.Id like to be really hopeful, but

this process (four years of Cal-houn Square redevelopment andUptown planning) has made me

very cynical, Rubin concluded.

Several officials and consultantshave said publicly, near the end of

this planning process, that thoughits impossible to please every-one all the time, they believe the

Uptown Small Area Plan willplease most people most of thetime. They believe the draft plan

has arrived at a general consensuson some challenging developmentissues. One area developer said,

in the aftermath of the Mozaiccontroversy, that developers wantpredictability, whether than means

three or ten stories; they dontwant unpredictability and poten-tial community battles. We will

see, in the next few months, ifindeed most people and stakehold-ers in the community buy into and

embrace this plan for Uptownsfuture. Following the plans adop-tion, we will see if it guides and

provides for predictable growthand development as well as com-munity improvement.

Aaron Rubenstein lives in CARAG.

Come right over here, Ive got300 pairs.

Kislinger is a soft spoken man,pensive but quick with a smile.

When asked about his thoughts onthe recent slew of stories placingbets on when Calhoun Square will

die, Kislinger says, If someonecan run a kiosk for 20 years, things

cant be that bad. This is the fourthtime weve been all alone on thefloor but let me tell you, this mallis full of success stories.

In 1987 when Seasons opened,

there were 56 stores in the mall,which has now been whittleddown to 21. Kislinger accredits

that to a slow economy overall andgoes on to say that the merchantsare very positive and excited to see

what new owner Blackrock has tooffer. According to him, theyvegot a track record for bringing in

stores and making things happenon a short timeline. People areupbeat, weve got excellent man-

agement in the mall and I knowIm not the only store owner thatfeels that way, Kislinger said.

You know, weve got six liquorlicenses in here, its a great enter-tainment space and we have fan-

tastic events. Other long timetenants include Kitchen Window,Urban Traveler, Sox Appeal,

Eyedeals, Bay Street Shoes andFiglio.

The store owners are the heart ofthis mall, making it a much dif-ferent environment than any sub-

urban mall, Kislinger explains.Its a melting pot where younever know who is going to come

through that door. You dont getbored here, he chuckles. Kislingerlives in Spring Park, and although

he says he could live in Uptown in

a heartbeat, but his wife has otherideas. He is originally from MapleGrove and first thought to start a

kiosk while he was downtown oneday and saw a man selling scarves.I knew right then I wanted a

shop of my own. He started witha kiosk in Riverplace, and was atthe North Town Mall for a while

as well as the Eden Prairie Mallbefore finally making Calhoun

Square his home. His wife andtwo children helped out with staff-ing and he also has two employees.

Watching his kids grow up in themall also meant watching storesgrow up. Kislinger notes that

Agan Traders started as a smallkiosk and grew to a large store-front. Eyedeals has expanded and

Kitchen Window has grown to bean award winning store. Kislingerhas had offers from other malls,

but has always opted to remain atCalhoun Square.

His dream would be to open a

weather store in the middle of themain floor--to have a newspaper/convenience store operation andrun sales based on the weather.

As it is now, Seasons in Calhounsells sunglasses for a discountedrate on cloudy days. Kislinger cites

customer loyalty for his success, aswell as the good service people getwhen visiting the shop. There are

a lot of great people in this mall, Iwould love to write a book aboutthe things Ive seen here in the

past 20 years, things you wouldntbelieve.

Seasons in Calhoun is open Mon-day Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.,Sunday noon to 6 p.m. although

he has been known to make a saleor two outside those hours.

Jacqueline Varriano is an ECCO res-

ident in need of some new sunglasses.

JOhnfrom 1


Howard Verson points to the astronomical center of the universe.

fUtURE pERfECt?from 6

Welcome 2007/2008

CARAG Board of Directors

Kay Nygaard GrahamAnna MatthesEllen MeyerBill MortonDan Qualy

Jamie RoneiAaron Rubenstein

Peter Sherling

Howard Verson

On the Agenda...- New Board of Directors

- Council Member Remingtons Report

- NRP & Development Updates

- And More!

Join CARAG Neighbors on a walking tour of historic garages and carriage houses

throughout the neighborhood. Tour guide Aaron Rubenstein will lead the group as he

presents architectural styles and old garage preservation along the way. Please join us for

this FREE and fun educational activity! Contact CARAG for more information at (612)-

823-2520 or [email protected].

Kay Nygaard-Graham

Anna Matthes

Ellan Meyer

Bill Morton

Dan Qualy

Jamie Ronnei

Aaron Rubenstein

Peter Scherling

Howard Verson


8/16

UpTOwn nEighBORhOOd nEws OCTOBER 2007

but was at 1,700 riders only 10

days before the tour. Despite thestress placed on the volunteers atthe registration booths, the strain

on the water and food suppliedalong the route and the short-age of promotional T-Shirts, the

event was a great success.

A large, enthusiastic gathering

of riders took advantage of therest and provisions station nearLake Harriet Bandshell, and

participants were welcomed atthe finish line, or shortly there-after, by a variety of vendors,

informational booths and enter-tainment.

The joy of the tour was tem-pered, yet strengthened by a

number of people who rode intribute to the memory of MarkLoesch, the man found dead

after taking a late night ride nearhis home in south Minneapolison September 13.

Scott Schiefelbein lives in Uptown.

bikEfrom 1





9/16


Tired of feeling like this???

First National Bank of the Lakes

will get to know your NAME.

Call us to start the process.

612.822.8395

Uptown Ofce

3100 Hennepin Ave. S.

Minneapolis, MN 55403

HELLOm y n a m e i s

31-4683213

Greek Festival Bigger Than EverBy Gary Farland

The 19th Annual A Taste of Greece was once again a resounding success, with about 12,000 people attend-ing at St. Marys Greek Orthodox Church on September 7 through 9. Everyone enjoyed the nice weather, greatfood, many things to buy, and, of course, the music and dancing. This years festival was dedicated to Christina

Sacorafas, who died in the 35W bridge disaster shortly before she was to teach Greek dancing at the Church.

She also volunteered at the Church on other things, including spearheading the Friday afternoon Senior Dayluncheon. Shown in the picture are the Christinas Dancers, who were her students, as they performed on

Sunday afternoon.

Other events were the A Taste of Greece 5K Run/Walk for Special Olympics, a 56 foot turbo slide for the kids,

a wine tasting for the adults, cooking demonstrations and an iconography painting demonstration. Anoth-er highlight was being able to meet Mrs. Minnesota-America, Bessie Giannakakis. Bessie is a member of St.Marys. Also, there was a raffle that awarded big dollar prizes to lucky ticket holders. ECCO resident and long-

time activist Nick Kakos administered the raffle.

Each year the proceeds of the festival help many people through donations to numerous charitable organi-zations. In honor of Christina,$5,000 was donated to the Minne-

sota Helps Bridge Disaster Fund.

Other recipient organizationsinclude the Angel Tree, Trinity

Mission, Simpson House, Open

Arms of MN, Metro Hope, Fami-lies Moving Forward, Native

American Community Clinic andmany others throughout the com-munity.

Gary Farland lives in ECCO.

ECCO Labor Day Festival Celebrates Again

Photo by Gary Farland

Brad Albertson checks the winning bingo cards

Photo

byBruceCochran

T i m e S i g n a T u r e

By Gary Farland

It was a beautiful summer after-noon for the annual ECCO Labor

Day festival at St. Marys Greek

Orthodox Church. As usual, theSouthwest High School Band

led the parade through ECCO,

with about 150 residents follow-ing close behind. Things then

moved on to the Great Hall at theChurch, where a potluck was heldthat included donated foods from

Old Chicago, Aarcee Rental, FirstWOK, Noodles, Starbucks Coffeeand Jimmy Johns. Many children

enjoyed games and a clown, butsoon everyone got serious for the

big bingo game. Brad Albertson

obtained the donations of manygreat prizes from area merchants,

and this year youngsters did thebingo calling. The chair of theevent was once again Robin Cook.

Gary Farland lives in ECCO.


The SW High School Marching Band leads ECCO residents in the parade



10/16


Laurie Lindeen Brings Old Minneapolis Rock-and-Roll To LifeBy Jessica Fox-Wilson

Reading a book, when its good, is like plunging yourself into the writers world. By cracking the spine,you are cracking open a window into the sights, smells, sounds and feelings of an environment that is notyour own. A good book is an escape into an unfamiliar universe where you can live vicariously through thecharacters, experiencing a whole new life.

of her rock band, Zuzus Petals.

The story is semi-chronological

because Lindeen splices her nar-

rative with childhood and early

adolescent scenes. Through these

scenes, we witness her mostly

happy, but somewhat troubling,

childhood in a suburban Wiscon-

sin family, her misspent college

education at UW Madison and

her escape to Marthas Vineyard

to party with friends. While the

structure seems more intuitive

than logical, it works because it

uncovers the roots of rock-and-roll

rebellion in the stuttering starts

and stops of her young life.

Coupled with these adolescent

scenes is the meat of her book, the

diary of a traveling rock show.

The author humorously details the

stays in squirrel-haunted motels,

the battles with music labels to

appropriately market Zuzus Pet-

als and the horror at performing

(sometimes poorly) for a handful

of people in a dank club. Lindeen

is honest, sometimes painfully so,

as she describes her struggles with

personal illness, frailty and the

tribulations of fame--or the lack

thereof. The memoirs greatest

asset is Lindeens tone. She deftly

varies her prose, from sarcastic to

heartwarming to confessional, as

she combines the different plot

elements of her life. While the

ments and friend of Soul Asylums

Dave Pirner. She seemed to be

in the perfect position to reveal

dirty secrets. However, she does

not abuse her position as comrade

of these and other famous musi-

cians. Instead, these people appear

as side characters and the focus of

the book remains where it should

be, squarely on the rise and fall of

Zuzus Petals. Personally, I was

more interested in this material

than in learning the dirt on music

industry insiders. Any inclusion of

chatty gossip would have degraded

the book.

Instead, what emerges is a portrait

of a female artist in an often male-

dominated field. The character of

Laurie Lindeen is both fractured

and fearless because the author

does not shy away from present-

ing her own flaws, vulnerabilities,

angers and jealousies. Throughout

the story, Laurie rebels against her

family, her education, her band

mates and her body to create some-

thing both lasting and real. These

rebellions are really rebellions

against structure, mediocrity, inti-

macy and frailty, and the author

Petal Pusher: A Rock and Roll

Cinderella Story, by Laurie Lin-

deen ($24, Atria) plunges the

reader into the music scene of

mid-eighties to early-nineties

Minneapolis. For readers famil-

iar with Uptown, it is an eerie

feeling to escape all the way

tothe Uptown Bar, the CC

Club and Liquor Lyles. How-

ever, I enjoyed the immersion in

the formative rock scene of Min-

neapolis because I used to be too

young and too uncool to spend

my time at these landmarks.

Through Lindeens prose, I was

able to escape to the lost Uptown

of the late-night drunks and

struggling punks aspiring to

musical greatness. As someone

who wishes she could have been

a rock star (if only she had musi-

cal talent and a spitfire attitude)

this book provided an opportu-

nity to experience the rise and

fall of an honest-to-goodness

rock chick.

Petal Pusher is a looping narra-

tive following Laurie Lindeens

migration to Minneapolis and

the eventual genesis and success

acknowledges both their impor-

tance and triviality. The auxil-

iary characters, especially those

of her band mates, are equally

authentic, as the author reveals

their strengths and weaknesses

throughout the story.

Most of all, Petal Pusher is a

memoir about living with the

fire of creation, whether its

intense or almost extinguished.

I am the first to admit that I am

a sucker for a story that shows

the difficulty and necessity

of the commitment to artistic

expression. I love experiencing

the emotional highs and lows

of the creative process, and

the inspiration it affords me as

a writer. After reading Petal

Pusher, I just wanted to pick up

a guitar, pen, paintbrush, any-

thing, and finally get to work.

Jessica Fox-Wilson is a poet and

writer who lives in the Wedge

neighborhood. In between scrib-

bling poems and spending time

with her husband and cats, she

blogs at 9to5poet.blogspot.com.

Master Of His DomainBy Kay Nygaard-Graham

politics of pornography. Jensens

arguments were artful and com-pelling. He described the symbioticrelationship between pornography

and capitalism and imperialism,how it informs aggressive behav-ior in our national as well as our

individual psyche, the differencebetween what is merely offensiveand what is truly oppressive, civil

rights and the failure of obscenitylaws, to name a few.

Friends and associates from theMinneapolis based movement,

book is never sentimental, it is onebig mash note to the rock-and-roll

world she has mostly left behind.

One warning for the reader if

you are looking for juicy gossip

about Minneapolis rock legends,

Petal Pusher is not the book for you.

It is true that the author is the wife

of Paul Westerberg of the Replace-

Photo left by Kay Nygaard-Graham

From left to right: Naomi Scheman, Jim Koplin and Robert Jensen.

Robert Jensen, author of GettingOff: Pornography and The End of

Masculinity (see Jessica Fox-Wil-sons excellent and insightful bookreview in Septembers UNN) drew

an impressive crowd Sunday after-noon, September 9 at Magers &Quinn Booksellers for what turned

out to be a lively discussion on the

OAP (Organizing Against Por-

nography) were on hand for theoccasion, including University ofMinnesota Professor of Philosophy

in Gender, Womens and Sexual-

ity Studies, Naomi Scheman, andJensens longtime collaborator andmentor, psychology professor and

early activist with the OAP, Jim

Koplin, pictured here chattingwith Jensen.


11/16


Senior Housing CommunityDebuts Speed Dating For SeniorsBy Mary Samoszuk

When a focus group was held recently by Walker at Tree Tops staff,

they were somewhat surprised, but pleased, to learn that their residentswould enjoy participating in speed dating. Not only that, residents said

they would look forward to hosting a series of speed dating events intheir community room. Commonplace among the younger set, speeddating is quite novel among seniors. Still, Walker residents were willingand excited to take the plunge.

Speed dating is a formalized matchmaking process deigned to allow

people to meet a large number of people in a relatively short time. Itsa fun and safe way to meet people without pressure to accept or reject asuitor in person. At its speed dating debut on October 18 at 1:30, Walker

at Tree Tops will accept ten 55 year old or better women and ten 55-plus men to participate. Men and women will sit across from each otherand have a 5 minute date over coffee and cookies. When five minutes

have passed, the event coordinator will announce that participants needto move on to their next date. This process will continue until all thewomen have met all the men.

At the end of the event, the seniors will be asked to provide a list of those

people to whom they would like to provide their contact information. Ifthere is a match, then, a week later, contact information is forwarded toboth parties.

Registration is required. Please call 824.7921.

Mary Samoszuk is Marketing Director at Walker at Tree Tops

Street SmartCity To Discuss Citywide Transportation And Streetcar Plan

Scheduled MeetingsDateTime Location Address

October9 5:30-7:30p.m. NorthRegionalLibrary 1315LowryAvenueNorth

October10 6:30-8:30p.m. CommunicationWorkersofAmerica 3521EastLakeStreet

October11 5:30-7:30p.m. NortheastLibrary 2200CentralAvenueN.E.

October15 4-6p.m. MinneapolisCentralLibrary 300NicolletMall

October16 6:30-8:30p.m. NorthCommonsRecreationCenter 1801JamesAvenueNorth

October17 6:30-8:30p.m. LakeNokomisRecreationCenter 2401EastMinnehahaParkway

October23 6:30-8:30p.m. MartinLutherKingRecreationCenter 4055NicolletAvenueSouth

October 24 6:30-8:30p.m. VanCleveRecreat ionCenter 90115thAvenueS.E.

October25 6:30-8:30p.m. BryantSquareRecreationCenter 3101BryantAvenueSouth

The City of Minneapolis is hosting nine public meetings to discuss theCitys draft Ten-Year Transportation Plan and its Streetcar FeasibilityStudy. The public will have an opportunity to provide feedback on plan

recommendations and to discuss key transportation issues facing Min-neapolis.

The Citys Ten-Year Transportation Action Plan Access Minneapolis is being created to identify steps that the City and its partner agen-cies (Metro Transit, Metropolitan Council, Hennepin County , Minne-

sota Department of Transportation) need to take within the next 10 yearsto improve the current transportation system and ready it for continued

growth. While the Access Minneapolis plan is based on a long-term(2030) view of transportation needs, it focuses on actions that should beundertaken throughout the city over the next 10 years, recognizing thatthis timeframe is subject to the availability of funds.

The Streetcar Feasibility Study recommends a long-range streetcar sys-

tem and identifies initial operating segments that might be good shortstarter segments. The Study evaluated 14 Primary Transit Networkcorridors to determine if the operation of streetcar in some of those cor-

ridors would be physically, operationally and financially feasible. Thestudy addressed capital and operating costs, impacts on transit service,development opportunities, physical constraints, ownership and opera-

tion alternatives, maintenance and storage facility locations and fundingalternatives.

If you need a translator or a disability related accommodation, such as asign language interpreter, wheelchair accessible meeting site or materi-

als in alternative format, please contact Charleen Zimmer, Project Man-ager, at 673.3166 or at [email protected] at least aweek before the meeting.

For more information, visit: www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/public-works/trans-plan.

and eaters would come back soon.

A recent evening at the LynLakeintersection was free of pedestri-

ans, and the only traffic was stuckin line at the stoplight. For res-taurants in the area, the construc-tion has been particularly hard.

Lee Brooks, manager of CaffreysSandwich Shop, notes that theirbusiness has definitely slowed

especially during key times. Atfirst it wasnt so noticeable becauseit was the summer. Not everyone

is ordering sandwiches and itsgenerally a slower time but thekey times that we did have traffic

like after the bar rush hour, theconstruction made it so difficultto have a lot of people in the store

or on the sidewalk because there

was such a smaller space. It led toa lot of chaos and trouble for the

most part, Brooks said. To com-bat slowness Caffreys has offeredsome coupons and has been putting

out a lot of flyers in their deliveryareas. Some other restaurants haveresponded by cutting lunch hours

and offering cheaper happy hourspecials to lure in patrons.

Because many of the retail shops in

the area fill a certain niche, the hithasnt been as hard; in fact, MollyBondhus, a manager at LavaLounge, had so many customers

in the store one Wednesday after-noon she was too busy to talk. Sheresponded in an email saying, We

have been very fortunate that wehave incredibly loyal customerswho have made a point of shopping

even when the bulldozers wereripping out our sidewalks. Duringthe early construction, when the

stop-and-go traffic was restrictedto the south side of the street, weeven added new customers who

fell in love with dresses and shirts

in our front display while gazingout of their car window.

Nevertheless, Bondhus doesacknowledge some worries about

the effects of the construction.She went on to comment, Ourbiggest concern going forward

will be the impact of the assess-ments for the project. Many peopledo not realize that on a typical

triple-net commercial lease, thetenant (not the landlord) is respon-sible for the property taxes and

the assessments. We have alreadybeen hit with triple-digit prop-

erty tax increases in recent years,

and additional assessments maymake the neighborhood cost-pro-

hibitive for many small businesses.

Despite the crowd observed at

Lava Lounge, most still feel liketraffic is down. All businessesalong the construction route are

open and ask that neighbors andresidents support them as theycan.

One business taking a particu-larly hard hit is the ever popularTatters. General Manager DougDenham says, Yes we have been

greatly negatively affected but wereally havent done too much ofanything to combat it. Mainly we

are just trying to maintain somekind of normalcy we cant domore ads because were making

less money weve been cuttinghours, not ordering as much inven-tory no added sales, just regular

mark downs.

According to releases from the

county, which owns the road,

construction is progressing. Onelane of traffic remains open in

the work zones, as do most majorintersections. Although sched-ules are seemingly on track, Den-

ham doesnt see a light at the endof the tunnel. If I saw an end toit, I would get excited but con-

struction started the first week inMay. While I know things havetheir schedules, Im looking out

the window day after day, and notseeing anything done I just dontthink they will be done any time

soon, Denham remarked.

One unexpected change to the

construction occurred as a result ofthe I35W collapse. The county and

city have directed the contractorto complete roadway constructionfrom West River Parkway west to

46th Avenue as soon as possible inanticipation of the increased traf-fic on Lake Street. The recent rain

has made this challenging, and theproject was not completed by theend of August as planned.

Construction on the west seg-

ment of Lake Street, from Dupontto Bryant Avenues and LyndaleAvenue from 29th to 31st Streets

began in May. The work is notprogressing as fast as was planneddue to scheduling issues with the

utility departments. Specifically,the space under construction didnot accommodate the number of

workers that needed to be there atthe same time, leading to delays. Agas line rupture at the end of the

summer stalled work again, alsoresulting in business evacuations.

Work on Lake Street in Uptown

includes removing sidewalk andpavement, installing storm sew-ers, reinstalling new sidewalks and

setting up conduits for new street

lights and signal lights. By theend of 2008, Lake Street between

Dupont Avenue and the Missis-sippi River will have an entirelynew roadway, sidewalks and

streetscape amenities. This is thefirst major reconstruction on LakeStreet in 50 years.

For businesses and restaurants inthe area, the construction cant end

early enoughprovided that theend of construction brings con-sumers and their pocketbooks back

to the area. Once I see that streetfinished, then Ill be excited, saidDenham.


Denise Arambadjis, general managerfor Its Greek to Me, says business hasbeen down 50% since constructionstarted.


UpdAtEfrom 1


12/16


Calou Area Reet Acto grouCARAG report

The CARAG

Board meets

the third

Tuesday of

each month,

7 p.m. at

Bryant Park

Community

Center, 31st

and Bryant. All CARAG residents are

welcome and urged to attend.

Lake St.

36th St.

H

ennepinAve.

LyndaleAve.

CARAG Calhoun Area Residents

Action Group Monthly Neighbor-hood Meeting Minutes.SEPTEM-BER 18, 2007. DRAFT: Subject

to Approval at the October 2007CARAG Meeting

Board Members Attending: Rick

Sho n Tell

CONGRATULATIONS

TO THE NEw

CARAG BOARD!

Anna Matthes

Ellan Meyer

Bill Morton

Kay Nygaard-Graham

Dan Qualy

Jamie Ronnei

Aaron Rubenstein

Peter Scherling

Hoard Verson

Bojko (Vice President), StephenEisenmenger (Secretary), AaronRubenstein, Howard Verson

(President), Jill Bode and AnnaMatthes, Bill Morton, Ellan Meyerand Dan Qualy.

Welcome: The CARAG Board ismade up of volunteers who also

volunteer time on other neighbor-

hood committees and organiza-tions. Scott Engel, the CARAG

community coordinator, can bereached at 612.823.2520. CARAGis a democratic organization;

membership and voting privilegesare open to residents, propertyowners and business owners in the

neighborhood.

Presentations

Introductions & Announce-ments, Howard Verson

Featured Guest: Mayor R.T.Rybak

Council Member RemingtonsUpdate

Calhoun Square Redevelop-ment: Jim Larson & Carol

Lansing from the developmentfirm, who have managed andwill be developing the property.

The property transitioned to thenew owners on August 1. Thecompany wants to work with

the community and will be hav-ing meetings open to the publicfor input on their redesign

thoughts.

Elections

CARAG Board Nominations.Last month, nominations were

made for Aaron Rubenstein,Howard Verson, Anna Matthes,Bill Morton, Ellan Meyer andDan Qualy. Nominations were

made for Kay Nygaard-Gra-ham, Peter Scherling and JamieRonnei.

9-Member Board Election (Dis-

cussion & Vote). Nominationsapproved unanimously.

Business Meeting

Approve Consent Agenda

Meeting Agenda

Approve and sign minutes

Treasurers Report

CARAG Operations Account

Financial Report and FY08 Bud-get, Jill Bode. Motion to changethe Joyce Food Shelf donation

to zero and raise the donationsfrom $87.50 to $100 for MidtownGreenway Coalition, SW Senior

Center and EcoMinds. Keep theChilly Chili Fest proceeds goingto the Joyce Food Shelf (estimated

to be $525 in 2008). CARAG has$12,660.73 in the bank accountand $7,187.20 in asset accounts.

Total balance as of August 31 is$19,847.93.

Uptown Neighborhood NewsFinancial Report & FY08 Bud-get, Anna Matthes. The Uptown

Neighborhood News Profitfor the month of August was$1,393.01. FY2008 Budget present-

ed (Approved).

NRP Updates, Scott Engel.

FY2008 Administrative Con-

tract Budget (Vote) Approved.

Phase II Participation Agree-ment

Break In Lake Design Concept.

It looks like we can have 5boulevard trees in the island (atLake and Dupont). Cheers formore Greening!

Committees Updates

CARAG By-Laws Review, RickBojko. Two edits identified andthose amendments were accepted.

A motion to end discussion waspassed. A motion to vote on bylawchanges was made, motion passed

21-0.

Zoning Committee Report, Aaron

Rubenstein.

Committee Updates. Nothinghappening with the former AlsPlumbing space. Uptown Small

Area Plan meetings tomorrow Afinal draft of the plan will be pro-duced in mid-November. It could

go to full council in January orFebruary. Calhoun Square plansfor redevelopment could go to city

council in October or Novemberfor approvals.

Adjourn (Vote)

Upcoming Meetings

and Events

CARAG Architecture & Preserva-tion Tour: Tour of Historic Garag-

es & Carriage Houses -- Saturday,October 13, 2007. Meet @ 1:00p.m., Bryant Square Park.

Next CARAG Neighborhood

Meeting: Third Tuesday of everymonth -- October 16, 7:00 p.m. @Bryant Square Park.

The Uptown Neighborhood News

Your Analogue Oasis


Residents of CARAG engaged in the presententations of Mayor Rybak, State Rep. Scott Dibble and City CouncilpersonRalph Remington


Mayor Rybak shares his vision with the people.


Outgoing members of the 2006-07 CARAG board preside over the most efficientneighborhood meeting in recent memory.


13/16


Eat Calou Commuty OrazatoECCO report ECCO meets

the first Thurs-

day of each

month, 7 p.m.

at St. Marys

Greek Orthodox

Church, 34th

& Irving. AllECCO residents

are welcome and urged to attend.

LAKECALHOUN

Lake St.

36th St.

HennepinAve.

Report On The Monthly MeetingOf The Upton Association Boardby Gary Farland

The Uptown Business Association (properly known as the Uptown Association) Board of Directors met Sep-

tember 18th at Old Chicago. First on the agenda was Council Member Ralph Remington, who discussed

Mayor Rybaks proposed budget. There seemingly will be some movement from overtime pay for top officers

to the rank and file, since some officers have been making very large sums. He would like to see more police

in Uptown in the evenings. There are about 860 officers now, after a recent addition of 22, and Remington

thinks there needs to be about 1200. He said that technology has been used to enable more police to be out in

the neighborhoods.

CM Remington also said that it looks like the ban on circus animals in the city would pass the City Council.

There is also interest in creating more parking permit areas on residential streets around Uptown. Also, Target

is seemingly interested in having a store in Uptown. He said that many people have expressed interest in hav-

ing a pharmacy and a post office.

Jeff Johnson, director of special services districts for the City, told of how they are working with the Uptown

Special Service District. He said that due to budget cuts they are down in personnel, from 25 to just 14, but that

the Uptown Association helps a lot in getting things done.

Mike Finkelstein reported on the affairs of the Community Affairs Committee, which interfaces with the

Citys Special Service Districts Office. He reported that violent crimes are down in the area, but that car thefts

are numerous. With graffiti, they wish to be both proactive and reactive. They have identified four to five ways

to better deal with this problem, and are forming a committee to plan these activities.

Thatcher Imboden reported on

the Membership Committee. They

are moving the annual meeting

for all members from November

to January. The Executive Com-

mittee will be the nominating

committee for board members.

Thatcher was also elected to the

Southwest Transit Study to repre-

sent the Uptown Association. Theorganization is especially inter-

ested in whether a trolley or light

rail will go through Uptown on

the Greenway.

The Board approved the 2007

budget, which shows a deficit of

about $46,000 to be covered with

reserves. A finance committee

is being formed to improve the

accounting of the budget, which

has expenditures of $1,008,700

this year. The Art Fair accounts

for $730,700 of that.

Gary Farland is an ECCO resident.

ECCO BOARD MEETINGMINUTES FOR September 6,2007. (East Calhoun neighborhood

monthly meeting)

Meeg tme: Meetings are the

first Thursday each month, 7 p.m.at St. Marys Greek OrthodoxChurch (public invited)

boar Memers prese: Ralph

Knox (vice president) Carrie Men-

ard (secretary), Duane Thorpe,Ted Ringsred, Gary Farland,

Heidi Niziolek, Michael Ekholm,Tim Prinsen, Ruth Cain and Rob-ert Kean.

Oers prese: Gael Ellis (NRPcoordinator) and Bob Miller (resi-

dent)

Welcome a iroucos: VicePresident Ralph Knox called themeeting to order, welcomed board

members and others and initiatedintroductions.

Oe forum: Gail Ellis men-

tioned the dedication of the Gate-way Art Park, which took place

on August 26th at Lake CalhounParkway and Lake Street. Gaelencouraged others to come see it.

The dedication had about 30-50people with food donations madeby Rainbow and Kowalskis. It has

been designated a garden, and willbe maintained by the Park Boardwith water supply by The Edge-

water. A plaque was dedicated tothe Minnehaha Watershed. Thesculptures that were built were

used turn of the century remnantsfrom St. Paul buildings.

Robert Kean mentioned thatthe Park Board has put out their

Master Plan on their website andin libraries, environment, use ofparks, safety, etc.

Aroval o Seemer Agea

a Augus Mues: Minutes and

agenda were approved.

Laor day parae Uae: Car-rie Menard reviewed the out-come of the parade. One again the

parade and potluck were a greatsuccess. The parade is well likedby the community. There was no

police coverage this year, due tolack of police officers on staff. Itwas decided police escorts are not

needed and that they should beavailable to the community foremergencies. Carrie also stated

that there was a lack of volunteers.Robyn Cooke always does sucha great job, but the burden needs

to be shared by others. Thank youagain to Robyn Cooke for all yourall of your hard work.

We Uae: Ralph Knox andCarrie Menard will go forward

with obtaining new software toupdate the East Calhoun Web

page. Before it is purchased theywant to make sure that they canswitch to a new user if either one

can no longer be Webmaster, or topossibly obtain a discount as it isa neighborhood group. They will

also take a training class. They are

hoping to have it ready before thenext meeting. Mike Ekholm will

help them with this as they moveforward.

nRp Uae: Gael Ellis, NRPcoordinator and Ralph Knox,ECCO vice president, reviewed

what is happening with NRP.Meetings for the NRP steeringcommittee will take place before

the board meetings, the firstThursday of each month between6 and 7 p.m. This month was the

most successful. The next onewill be at 6 p.m. before the annualboard meeting. Approval of modi-

fying the NRP survey and distrib-uting it at the annual meeting wasapproved. It will be distributed

prior to and at the annual meet-ing. A motion was also made andapproved to get a speaker for the

annual meeting. They are hopingthat these surveys will momen-tum interest. There is an election

for policy on November 15th inwhich someone must have beenappointed by September 14th. A

motion was made and carried tohave Mike Ekholm appointed andTim Prinsen as a back up.

Zog Commee Uae: HeidiNiziolek chair for the zoningcommittee, advised that there wasnothing new to report at this time.

Uow Small Area Maser pla:

Tim Prinsen, representative for

ECCO on the steering commit-tee announced that the last publicmeeting for the Small Area Master

Plan was held at Calhoun Squareon September 19th from 2-4 p.m.and 7-9 p.m. as it was the final

public hearing it was encouragedthat all attend who could.

The Steering Committee met on

September 11th from 7-9 p.m.and although no public commentscould be heard, the public couldattend and listen. Some concerns

for development that were men-tioned were traffic, pollution andprotection of the lake.

Aual Meeg plag: Dis-cussions were started regard-

ing the annual meeting October4th. The theme was decided tobe Bringing The Community

Together. The agenda was tenta-tively decided as an NRP update,Ralph Remington, councilperson,

Inspector Arneson, the 5th

pre-

H ll weeParty!Wed., Oct. 31,6-8pm

Bryant Square Park 612.370.49073101 Bryant Avenue South

Join us or a ghoulishly good time at theBryant Square Park Halloween Party!Do the monster mash at our dance partyor have un telling scary stories androasting smores around the fre. Weregoing to have a spook-tacular time!

cinct regarding a crime update, anupdate on Calhoun Square and/or

the Calhoun Business Association.Michael Ekholm, event and socialchair and Bruce Grimm will work

together with volunteers from theboard to obtain speakers and work

with informing the neighborhood.

There will be special planning

meetings in preparation for theannual meeting.

Aoucemes: Minneapolis ishosting eight public meetings, Oct.9 Oct. 25, to discuss the Citys

draft Ten-Year TransportationPlan and its Streetcar Feasibil-

ity Study. The public will have anopportunity to provide feedbackon plan recommendations and to

discuss key transportation issuesfacing Minneapolis. Go to the city

website for more information.www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/

In 2007 the Minneapolis CityCouncil approved the GreatStreets Neighborhood Business

District program, a coordinatedeffort to help businesses develop

and succeed along commercialcorridors and at commercial nodes

throughout the city.

City resources are available forbusiness loans, real estate develop-ment gap financing and business

district assistance such as faadeimprovement programs, mar-ket studies and retail recruitment

efforts. All applications are due nolater than October 8th.

The next meeting is October 4th,which is also the annual meeting.

Advertisers!

If youd like to advertise in the November Holi-

day GuideA collaboration with The Wedge

Neighborhood Newspaper, contact Susan

Hagler, Advertising Sales Representative,

612.825.7780, [email protected].


14/16


utocommutyevetcommunity events calendar

(Editors Note: We will run com-

munity event listings every monthon this page. Contact [email protected] to submit your

event information by the 17th ofeach month to be included in thenext issue.)

visual artshiGhpOint CEntER fOR

pRintMAkinG

2638 Lyndale Ave. S. 871.1326

www.highpointprintmaking.org

Gallery Hours: Mofr, 10 am

5 pm & Sat noon 4 pm

Thurs. Oct 25, 6-8 pm -- Evening

discussion & tour ofGraphic Real-

ity. Dr. Guillermo Rojas, professorof Chicano Studies at the U of MN

and Brian Hartley Sago, print-maker and art educator, will leada public tour and discussion about

the prints and artists. Their com-bined knowledge will help pro-vide historical and cultural context

for the prints. Free but registrationis required. Graphic Reality: Mexi-

can Printmaking Today is o vew

thru Nov 28. A traveling exhibitof prints by a young generationof Mexican artists. Lithographs,

screenprints, relief prints, etchingsand other works on paper as wellas innovative hybrids of print-

making and street art, skateboardculture and animation will be pre-sented.

intERMEdiA ARtS/SASE2822 Lyndale Ave. S 871.4444

www.intermediaarts.org

Gallery hours: MoSa, noo - 5

m

Thru Jan 5 --Art & Healing: Mind

Fields in the Main Gallery. Explore

the many dimensions of the invis-ible and make psychological reali-ties tangible. This groundbreaking

new exhibit from Intermedia Artstakes a frank and creative look atneurological and mental health

inviting local artists and healthcare practitioners to address theways in which artistic expression

can be used as a tool for healing.The Life of a Spirit by Bridget

Riversmith, part of Intermedia

Arts MindFields exhibit. Reprint-ed from Intermedia Arts web siteby permissi

october 2007 uptown neighborhood news

Documents