september 2008 uptown neighborhood news

8/7/2019 September 2008 Uptown Neighborhood News

1/16

Commetary ............................................2

Govermet ..............................................3

Crme & Safety ......................................5

Bsess & Real Estate ......................6

CARAG Report ........................................ 10

ECCO Report.............................................12

Evets Caledar.....................................14

September 2008 Volume 4, Number 9

sde

Photo (left) by Kay Nygaard-Graham Heaven & Earth. Reflecting pool in Frank Fitzgeralds NateSiegel Award-winning front yard.

Your Community-Supported News Source Covering the Neighborhoods ofCARAG andECCO and the Uptown Area

Photo by Bruce Cochran

Two members of Social Dance Studioperform at the Old Chicago Perfor-mance Stage. The 2008 Upown ArtFair, with attendance of 425,000 a21% increase over 350,000 of 2007sold over $100,000 in product. (See

related stories page 8)

Ar Far OPerforms

S Tw Ds Walk Int A Ba...Canines licker-it-up at new town pump

By Bruce Cochran

Not to be outdone by Mayor Rybaks recent push for citywide sculpturaldrinking fountains, dogs in Uptown have pushed for their own wateringhole.

It seems that less than two months ago, sculptural artist, Dennis Oliver,

Pass he Balava

Ellso Ecoraes Cze Parcpao

Illustration provided by Calhoun Square

The official reconstruction of Calhoun Square began August 6. Above is at the halfway block point of Hennepin. More public space will be provided by setting back the building entrance. (more details page 6)


Face Lf or Rebrh for Calho Sqare?

By Phyllis Stenerson

Congressman Keith Ellison whorepresents Minnesotas Fifth Con-gressional district in the UnitedStates House of Representativeswas the guest of Council MemberRalph Remington at his August 12breakfast meeting.

Ellison is serving his first term inCongress replacing Martin OlavSabo who represented the Districtsince 1979. Ellison is running forreelection in November 2008 withhis priorities being peace, middleclass prosperity, environmentalsustainability and civil rights foreveryone, meaning that a decentloving society has to honor everyperson.

The Congressman offered somecomments and then invited ques-tions. Following are notes on thebroad ranging conversation:

Friday through Sunday, September 5-7 marks the St. Marys Greek OrthodoxChurch 20th Annual Minneapolis Greek Festival - A Taste of Greece 2008. Eventsinclude a 5K Run/Walk, Greek Dancing, Wine Tasting, Cooking Lessons, Church

Tours, Food, Drink, Marketplace and a Raffle.

ELLiSOn page4

DOg BAR page15

SOunDtRACk page15

U.S. Congressman Keith Ellison

DigitalIllus

trationbyBruceCochran

Street Music as Integrated

AtmosphereBy Bruce Cochran

The heat radiating from the sidewalk

is actually hotter than the midday sun.

Even exhaust from idling cars

on Hennepin contributes

to the daytime swelter

of Uptown.

Midweek in the summer affords a


2/16


3/16

SEPTEMBER 2008 Uptown neighborhood news .

Your ECCO/CARAG NeighborhoodRealtor & Lender Team!

Providing 1st Class Realtor Services& Home Financing Programs in One Location

Lance FraserLakes Area Realty

[email protected]

651-230-1648

Josh HennesyPrime Mortgage

A Division Of The Business [email protected]

612.716.1187

1428 W 28th StUptown

(Next to Isles Buns Coffee)

govermetSro Cy, Sro SchoolsBy Jessica Fox

As sweltering August days turninto cool September nights, every

childs and parents thoughts turnto one topic: the start of school.Parents wistfully remembertheir school days past,from the smell of chalkboards to the excitementof learning somethingnew. Kids, on the otherhand, may look towardsthe school year witha mixture of joy anddread. Some children,like Uptown residentand future third graderMiki Schiefelbein antici-pate learning new skills,like calculating fractionsand memorizing the

times tables, and spend-ing evenings with herparents finishing home-work assignments.

With school starts justaround the corner,there is also the focus onimproving strugglingMinneapolis PublicSchools (MPS). Accord-ing to the August 6Superintendents Spot-light, only eleven of the70 MPS schools met theAdequate Yearly Prog-ress (AYP) standards ofthe federal No Child Left Behind

(NCLB) legislation. AYP gaug-es growth in reading and mathachievement, with standards set bythe state board of education. Min-neapolis Public Schools are notalone. Over half of all Minnesotaschools failed to meet AYP thisyear.

The Superintendents Spotlightacknowledged the challenges thatan urban school district faces, fromrising class sizes to limited resourc-es. Among the bright spots in thereport, two Minneapolis schools,Loring Elementary and LyndaleElementary, were highlighted bythe Superintendent as having a

culture where teachers are chal-lenged to do more and think dif-ferently.

In addition to supportive teachingand learning environments, somebelieve that school funding is anecessary step in improving Min-neapolis schools. This Novem-ber the ballot will include a newschool referendum that more thandoubles the 2000 referendum.

The Uptown Neighborhood Newshad the opportunity to interviewCourtney Cushing Kiernat, co-chair of the Strong Schools StrongCity Referendum Campaign.

Kiernat has lived in the ECCOneighborhood for the past decadeand is the mother of two childrenin Minneapolis Public Schools. Sheshared her organizations stanceon the school referendum and whyshe believes it is the key to lower-ing class sizes and improving MPSschools.

Uptown Neighborhood News:Strong City, Strong Schools is areferendum that proposes $60million to the Minneapolis PublicSchools. What will the money beused for and why should it replacethe current $29 million referen-dum?

Business is booming and WE NEED YOU!This PT retail sales position is highly visible to the public,and available immediately. Ideal candidate will have supe-rior customer service and communication skills, prior re-tail sales experience specically in the hardware/lightingeld, and a positive attitude on the job. Organization andpunctuality are required. Vendor relations and excellentphone skills are also required. Hours are fexible duringthe weekrom 20-35 hours and some Saturday morningsare mandatory. An excellent opportunity or a semi-re-tired individual. Our environment is ast-paced and up-beat - sound appealing? Send a cover letter and resume to:

Electrical/Hardware

Retail Sales

MOHN ELECTRIC CO.Attn: Mary Norris925 W. Lake St.Minneapolis, MN 55408

NO WALK-INS OR PHONE CALLS PLEASE/EOE

Uptown kids supporting the Strong City Strong ScoolsReferendum.

from across Minneapolis whobelieve that their communitiesbenefit from strong public schools.

UNN: How do you see the refer-endum working with No ChildLeft Behind?

CCK: The Strong Schools StrongCity referendum dollarswill not fund NCLB; theywill fund programs thatdirectly touch children.One of the major focusesof this referendum is tomake sure that everychild is reading at gradelevel by third grade anddoing algebra by eighthgrade. Making thesegoals a reality will go along way towards reduc-ing the achievement gapand, as a result, may havean impact on the federalgovernments assessmentof our schools.

UNN: Your organizationhosted an open house inAugust in the Uptownneighborhood. Whoattended and what wasthe experience like?

CCK: Our campaignheadquarters are locatedat 2937 Dupont Avenueand have been generouslydonated by Tim Prin-sen, an Uptown residentand MPS parent. Doz-

ens of people attended the event- students, parents, grandparents,teachers, staff, and concerned citi-zens. Volunteers were eager to putup lawn signs around their neigh-

Courtney Cushing Kiernat: In 2009,the current referendum which waspassed in 2000 will expire. TheStrong Schools Strong City refer-endum will replace the expiringreferendum. It supports the MPS

vision of every child being readyfor college. Half of the StrongSchools Strong City referendumwill fund educational essentials:early literacy with the goal ofevery child reading at grade levelby third grade, math and sci-ence with the goal of every childready for algebra by eighth gradeand graduating ready for the 21stcentury plus up-to-date materialssuch as textbooks and technologyto support student achievement.The other half of the referendumwill continue to fund class sizemanagement.

Unfortunately, the state and feder-al government have not adequate-ly funded public education. As aresult the citizens of Minneapolishave to step up to make sure ourschools have the resources theyneed to produce graduates readyto compete in a global economy.

UNN: What kind of support doesthe referendum have with city andstate leaders?

CCK: We are proud to have MayorR.T. Rybak and RepresentativeKeith Ellison as our very activehonorary co-chairs. Both recog-nize the importance of strength-ening public education in our city.They view the Strong SchoolsStrong City referendum as a keypart of building a stronger Min-neapolis.

The Strong Schools Strong Cityreferendum is also pleased to havethe support of the school boardand the overwhelming majority ofthe city council and the Minneapo-lis legislative delegation includingCouncilman Ralph Remington,Speaker of the House MargaretAnderson Kelliher, Senator ScottDibble and Representative FrankHornstein, all of whom representthe Uptown neighborhood. StrongSchools Strong City is also sup-ported by thousands of citizens

CitizenACtion

CARAG [email protected]

ECCO [email protected]

City Councilperson

Ralph [email protected]

Mayor R.T. [email protected]

State RepresentativeMargaret [email protected]

State RepresentativeFrank [email protected]

State SenatorD. Scott [email protected]

Governor Tim [email protected]

U.S. CongressmanKeith Ellison612.522.1212www.ellison.house.gov

U.S. SenatorNorm Coleman651.645.0323www.coleman.senate.gov

U.S. SenatorAmy Klobuchar202.224.3244www.klobuchar.senate.gov

PresidentGeorge W. [email protected]

VOtE!Primary Election is September 9General Election is November 4Voting is a basic responsibility and right of citizenship. Have your voiceheard in the selection of the people who will lead our countrys participa-tive democracy including President of the United States, United StatesSenator, United States Congressman, Minnesota State Representative,Minneapolis School Board and judges.

The Minnesota League of Women Voters provides extensive voter infor-

mation including a listing of all candidates registered for all offices plusinformation on each candidate, candidate forums and more. You cantype in your address to find your polling place and elections in your area.Go to www.lwvmn.org/edfund/election.asp or call 651.224.5445.

The Minneapolis City Clerks office is another source of informationfor things like voter registration, absentee ballots, becoming an electionjudge and more. Go to www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/elections or call 311.

borhoods and spread the wordabout the campaign. There wasgreat energy and excitement atthis event; we are glad our neigh-bors are fired up about passing theStrong Schools Strong City refer-endum!

UNN: How can parents or inter-ested residents get involved?

CCK: We need Minneapolis resi-dents who care about the futureof our youngest citizens to join uson the campaign. They can signup at our website, www.Strong-SchoolsStrongCity.org. They canalso contact our volunteer coor-dinator, Ona Abderholden Kellerat 612.824.7712 or [email protected].


4/16

4 Uptown neighborhood news SEPTEMBER 2008

govermetEllison is alarmed that our coun-trys sense of community is eroding,that the current administration haspromoted a youre on your ownculture. Health care, housing, aliving wage, college education andother basic needs have become outof reach for many people. This hasto change. He says a lot of peoplewho are well off are willing toinvest more for a good society.

The huge deficit accumulated dur-ing the last eight years is a majorproblem. We need to get back topay as you go fiscal responsibil-ity so we dont waste money oninterest and leave a debt for futuregenerations to pay off.

Early childhood education is anessential investment in the future.We cant be penny wise and poundfoolish; we have to spend now sowe can benefit later.

Transportation, predatory creditpractices, health care, infrastruc-

ture, the mortgage crisis and asatisfactory conclusion to the Iraqwar were discussed.

A community participant askedEllison when the Democrats weregoing to get a backbone, stand up

to Republican legislation that isdamaging the country and do whatneeds to get done. Ellison respond-ed by explaining that Democratsare the toughest critics of Demo-crats and that they have to workwith the reality that their caucus isa coalition of groups with substan-tial differences in philosophy andpriorities.

For example,Ellison is partof the Progres-sive Caucus thatsometimes differsfrom the BlueDogs who are

more fiscally andsocially conserva-tive. The Repub-licans have hadalmost total con-trol of the House,Senate and Presi-dency for the lastyears. Democratsnow have slimmajorities but notenough to over-ride Presidentialvetoes. He thinksSpeaker NancyPelosi is doing agreat job keepinga large, diversegroup of strongwilled lead-ers together andmoving forward.Hes looking for-ward to substan-tial change afterthe Novemberelections.

President Bushhas used anu n preced en tednumber of signing statementswhere he refuses to implementdecisions of Congress, 97% more

Photo by Allison Forester

Representative Frank Hornstein Senator Scott Dibble and a thank-you cake at

31st and Girard Block Party.

SUNDAY6pm-2am

TUESDAY10pm

MONDAY6pm-12:30am

Open daily 8am-2am

Breakfast, lunch,

dinner & late night eats

(612) 825-3737

810 W. Lake St Mpls

www.bryantlakebowl.com

Make Every Day Count.

Pretty good deals on Midwesternfood and beer. Oh yah, and bowl for $1.

DJs Ed Ackerson, Dan Boenand friends suss.

$3 Bells.

2 entrees, 1 bottle of wine or 2 beers,and a round of bowling $28.

nehbors CoecO naoal nh OBy Bruce CochranIn spite of a last minute story in the Star Tribune (8/4/8) about Matt Pes-kin, and his National Night Out (NNO) national directors salary of$322,000 taken from a budget of $1 million and all paid with taxpayermoney, people carried on in spite of the news. So I posed the question onNNO to gather some input from the neighborhood. Specifically I askedpeople at various block parties the following question, How you feelabout the NNO national directors salary?

At the 3400 Girard block party, resident Mike Flowers responded, Imnot having a block party. Im grilling in my front yard.

At 3200 Fremont, Sarah, who wouldnt give here last name but was will-ing to comment said, Thats nuts!

Minneapolis City Councilman RalphRemington

than the previous president, BillClinton. This practice and otherexcessive assertions of power areundermining the balance of pow-ers established by the Constitutionthat the three branches of govern-ment legislative, judicial and

administrative are supposed tobe equal.

Democrats are using vigorousCongressional oversight to exercisetheir Constitutional responsibilityin monitoring how governmentprograms are administered andmoney is spent. This work getsvery little media attention.

Impeachment of the Presidentand other administration officialsis being actively discussed but hasnot been fully pursued because it istime consuming and controversial.Ellison predicts that charges willbe brought against top presidential

advisor Karl Rove.

To make the changes needed in thiscountry, we need to be involved,says Ellison. Change starts with akernel and builds. He urged peo-ple to be advocates, to tell a story.

Ellison used the story of FannieLou Hamer as an example. Hamerwas a middle aged Mississippi

sharecropper withno experience inpolitics who wasasked by orga-nizers to join theVoter RegistrationDrive in the 1960s.

She stepped for-ward and became aheroic, inspiration-al leader, sufferinga brutal beating bypolice in the pro-cess as she tried toregister to vote.

When I say we,said Ellison, Imean all of us.

Breakfast WithRalph is a monthlyevent for constitu-ents to interactwith their Council

Member and oth-ers who influencepublic policy. Thenext meeting isWednesday, Sep-tember 10, at theCalhoun Grill, 3220West Lake Street,from 7:30a.m. to 9a.m. Sponsored bythe Uptown Asso-ciation, attendanceis free and food is

available for purchase. For infor-mation on invited guest or otherquestions call Remingtons officeat 612.673.3314.

Phyllis Stenerson is Interim Editor of the Uptown Neighborhood Newsand lives in CARAG.

Democrats are

the toughest

critics ofDemocrats...

they have to

work with the

reality that

their caucus is

a coalition of

groups with

substantial

differences in

philosophy and

priorities.

- U.S.CongressmanKeith Ellison

Photo by Kay Nygaard-Graham

Jeff Forrester made the most of the opportunity to sign neighbors up for CriticalParking at 31st and Girard Block Party.

ELLiSOn from1

nnO page5


Cast-Iron Cats played at 31st andGirard Block Party.


An apple a day for the MPD horses at

the 32nd and Fremont Block Party.


5/16


crme & safety

5tH PRECinCt (Sohwes Meapols)Secor 2: Crme Preveo Specalstom thompso: 612.673.2823

[email protected]

Jly 2008Crimes by Location (ECCO: west of Hennepin. CARAG: east of Hennepin.)

E

CCO

CARAG

CARAgECCO

Jeff Caulum at the 3400 party tooktime between raccoon stories tosay, I dont know about the rest

of the country but its been a hugescene in Minneapolis. If anybodyis getting their moneys worth, itsMinneapolis.

Yet others had different perspec-tives. Tim at the 3500 Fremontparty who also withheld his lastname, gave these words, If some-body was stupid enough to pay methat type of money, Id be stupidenough to let em.

Overall the response was eitherno knowledge of the story or notmuch of an opinion, or maybe justfear of giving last names. Anyway,events appeared to unfold with the

usual traditions. The MinneapolisPolice Department horse trailermade a visit, local candidates madespeeches and an inflatable moonwalk and live music topped theentertainment bill at some gather-ings.

And if it was any indication ofpeoples intentions, I noticed aconspicuous lack of cell phones.One child on a big wheel capturedthe essence of the night. As I wasapproaching the 3400 Fremontparty he came right up to me andsaid with assurance, THIS is awe-some! They block off the wholeblock and kids rule the street!


35th and Fremont Block Party


34th and Holmes Block Party


34th and Girard Block Party


34th and Girard Block Party


34th and Irving Block Party


Live music at the 32nd and FremontBlock Party

nnO from4


6/16

Uptown neighborhood news SEPTEMBER 2008

Fary godmoher s now upow

bsess & real estate


Kurt Klink, Red Richter and Merlin Stokes pause to discuss the details of the

upcoming work.

Fac or FcoIs Starbucks REALLY Closing?

Theres been a bit more magic inUptown since early July when theFairy Godmother moved into Cal-

houn Square.

Fairy Godmother is a gift shop

with things for inspiration, encour-agement, and fun.

Owner Terre Thomas says thestores philosophy was inspired byher youngest daughter: The pur-

pose of life is to make the worlda better place and have fun whileyou do it!

Staffed by fairy godmothersdressed in ball gowns, there aregreeting cards, gifts and books,many with an emphasis on sympa-thy and comfort, plus a collectionof fairy gifts and a romance sec-tion.

Fairy Godmother was formerly onthe corner of 38th and Grand since2003.

Its a thrill to be in the heart ofUptown with its unique vibrancy,says Thomas, but well dearlymiss our Kingfield neighbors. Wehave a temporary lease because ofthe renovation of Calhoun Square

but were flexible and we know weare in Uptown to stay.

The word on the street has neigh-bors speculating that within thenext few months the familiarmeet and greet landmark maysoon be conspicuous by its absence.After 12 years at its prime location,

anchoring the mid-block entranceto Calhoun Square, employeescited limited profitability as thereason they were given for theestablishments departure. Most

acknowledged that a revampedCalhoun Square might providethe company with some incentiveto return in the future, but addedthat a new location somewhereelse in the area was also a possibil-ity. A new and improved Cal-houn Square with some of the oldhustle and bustle would certainlybe an incentive. Time will tell.


VS. Social Standard, new in Uptown Row at Lake and Emerson, raises the stan-dard for retail clothing and bike accessories.

uber Chc


Looking forward to a retail space twice their current size,Verizon is due to moveinto the new building across the street, at Dupont and Lake, at the end of Fall.

isa Bld

Calho Sqare Ramps up Wh Recosrco


Doug Huemoeller, owner of Kitchen Window; Dale Everson, VP Construction Cap-ital Growth Madison Marquette; Councilman Ralph Remington and Keith Ander-son, Senior VP Capital Growth Madison Marquette kicked off the reconstruction at

the Calhoun Square parking ramp.

Redevelopment of Calhoun Squareofficially began August 6 with aground breaking that will startwith two new levels to be addedto the existing parking ramp. Theparking in the ramp will be valetservice only. Ramp construction isestimated to take six months.

With an outdoor plaza alongGirard Avenue the new CalhounSquare will be larger and include arenovated center. This will includenational retailers, local boutiquesand restaurants.

LA Fitness was the first tenant tobe officially announced for the newspace this week. Club services willinclude expansive workout areas,state-of-the-art exercise equip-ment, a full array of group fitnessclasses and the option of personaltraining. There will also be a LAFitness Kids Klub with activitiesand supervision for children ages 3

months to twelve years.

All merchants will be open and theproject estimated completion dateis Spring 2010. For more informa-tion go to www.calhounsquare.com.

Parking Ramp Kicks off Renovation of Digs


As the overall plan strives to be more pedestrian friendly, the Girard Avenue entrance will allow for programmed use, marketsof the season or entertainment.


Above is a rendering of the reconstructed parking ramp.



7/16


winetasting

LIVE

MUSIC

2008

20TH MINNEAPOLIS GREEK FESTIVAL

SEPT. 5, 6, & 7

FRI & SAT | NOON - 10PMSUN | NOON - 6PM

5K RUN-WALKSEPT. 5 | 6:30 PM | LAKE CALHOUN

BENEFITING SPECIAL OLYMPICS MINNESOTA

WINE TASTINGSEPT. 5-6 | 7PM

LAMB DINNERS & MORETAKE OUT AVAILABLE

HAND MADE

PASTRIES & SWEETS

LIVE MUSIC

& GREEK DANCING

CHURCH TOURS

INFLATABLE PLAYGROUND

COOKING DEMOS

FREE TICKETS($2 VALUE)2

WITH PURCHASE OF 10 TICKETSAT TASTE OF GREECE 2008(NOT VALID WITH ANY OTHER OFFER)

ST. MARYS GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH3450 IRVING AVE S. | MINNEAPOLIS | MN 55408

WWW.STMARYSGOC.ORG | 612-825-9595

JOIN US FOR SUNDAY WORSHIP | 9:30 AM

Wha is the Role Of Labor i the global Ecoomy?An interview with United Transportation Union State Legislative Director, Phillip Qualy - August 14, 2008,By Kay Nygaard Graham

With Labor Day fast approaching,it seemed appropriate to check inwith longtime CARAG resident,activist and friend of labor, PhilQualy, to discuss some of the issues

facing the Labor Movement in the21st Century. Qualy has alwaysset the bar high for himself, forhis work, and for the community.It was apparent from the day heand his family first moved into theneighborhood in the mid 1980s.While holding down a full timejob as a conductor on the railroadfor 28 years, he somehow man-aged to raise three small childrenand still found time to activelyparticipate in a host of communityaffairs, serving as CARAG BoardPresident from 1987 through 1990.Always striving to build a betterworld, Qualy became a registeredlobbyist and, following his election

in 2004, he serves today as Unit-ed Transportation Union (UTU)Minnesota Legislative Directorrepresenting the safety, legislativeand governmental affairs of rail-road workers in Minnesota. Heenjoys gardening and loves Min-neapolis.

UNN: What issue facing the LaborMovement today most concernsyou?

Qualy: In the 25 years since theReagan revolution, with whatappears to be an unbridled freemarket economy, its all about oiland cheap labor.

UNN: Statistics show organizedlabor membership has fallen torecord low levels in America. Areyou concerned for the future of theLabor Movement?

Qualy: Yes, but its not like weregoing away. Many of the funda-mental issues of workplace safety,equity, and investment remain justas relevant today as when the pyr-amids were built. Americans havea legal right to bargain collectively,although I dont believe that everytype of working relationship nec-essarily demands a collective bar-gaining unit to assure a good, fair

and healthy workplace. I am con-cerned, however, that by profitingfrom the economic inequities ofother countries our society has fos-tered a race to the bottom whichhas resulted in the now huge eco-nomic inequities that are tearing atthe fabric of society in this country.There is an indisputable and directhistorical and economic correla-tion between the demise of unionmembership in numbers and a dis-appearing middle class. Remem-ber that before the civil rights,anti-war and other social justicemovements, we had the labormovement. A legacy of empower-ment worth remembering is that

of populist labor leader, EugeneDebs, who fought for the very eco-nomic fairness in the workplacethat created and sustained a pros-perous American middle class formany years in the 20th Century.

UNN: What about that giantsucking sound foretold by RossPerot speaking about the effect thatthe North American Free TradeAgreement (NAFTA) would haveon jobs and the American econo-my? Can Americans earn a liv-ing wage and still compete in thecurrent environment?

Qualy: Not without reform of our

current economic and taxationpolicies and laws. Beginning withthe Air Traffic Controllers strikeof 1981, the cumulative effect ofReagans trickle-down econom-ics has been to create a hugeimbalance in the distribution ofwealth. Most of the wealth in thiscountry has actually trickled-upinto the hands of roughly ten per-cent of the society. It is imperativethat we restore a balance betweenthe interests of Wall Street (invest-ment capital) and the interests ofwage and salary earners on MainStreet.

UNN: How can collective bargain-ing rights expand in the currentglobal economy?

Qualy: I believe it really comesdown to the old saying: Workersof the world unite. The UnitedNations has a Human RightsCharter regarding labor rights;however there is no internationalpolitical leadership to advocate forthe charter. We need to establishworld wide collective bargainingrights. The reality today is that wehave policies, trade agreements,and recent court rulings that stiflelegitimate opportunities for work-ers to advocate for their rights.Were not saying what workersin other parts of the world shouldbargain for, but rather that theyshould be able to come togetherwithout fear of harassment, tor-ture or assassination. We need torevisit NAFTA and other tradeagreements to ensure labor andenvironmental laws are strength-ened. With proper labor andenvironmental laws, new mar-ket economies in Mexico and thethird world could begin to flour-ish, allowing new middle classes toemerge and, over time, creating atruly cyclical and sustainable glob-al economy. This will inevitablyfoster the growth of new marketsabroad for the sale of American-made goods to workers who willthen be able to afford them. Laborunions contribute economic stabil-ity to societies.

UNN: Would you comment on therecent controversy surroundingthe America Free Choice Act?

Qualy: A number of TV com-mercials have been produced bysome right wing advocacy groupsthat have depicted union leadersas thugs and bullies, raising issuesregarding a workers union orga-nizing activity and the privacy ofhis election ballot. These groupsare terrified of the America FreeChoice Act. They have created afalse contest by pitting legal andfree choice against personal pri-vacy in a perverse juxtaposition. Iunderstand it has been an effectivecommercial. Theyve done a mar-velous job of confusing people bytwisting the truth, conjuring upbad guys and creating fear - that iswhat they do best.

UNN: What is the America FreeChoice Act?

Qualy: The America Free ChoiceAct is federal legislation that pro-vides that if a majority of work-ers in a workplace want to forma union and they present a writ-ten request to the employer, theywill have the right to meet andconfer with that employer. Today,employers can simply refuse torecognize the workers and oftentie up the representation vote for

years before the National Media-tion Board. In the meantime,workers may be harassed or forcedto attend (employer-sponsored)meetings with anti-union edu-cation. Organizing leaders areoften fired or black balled - sounds

familiar doesnt it? If passed intolaw, the America Free Choice Actwill create a level playing field forlabor to ensure a workers right toseek self-help through collectivebargaining.

UNN: I understand you work atthe federal as well as the state levelin your capacity as State Legisla-tive Director. Can you describewhat a State Legislative Directordoes?

LABOR page11


8/16

Uptown neighborhood news SEPTEMBER 2008

upow Ar Far 2008As the Paint Cures

Emma tries out the wheel from North-ern Clay Center.

Photo by Sarah Burson, Calhoun Square

the Mesoa CoecoPhotos and Story by Kay Nygaard-Graham

Consider Ann Wood and Dean Lucker. After receiving the Best of Show for MixedMedia in 2007, the St Paul artists bested themselves this year by being awardedthe coveted 2008 Best of Best of Show Award. They are pictured here hold-ing another of their unique mechanized paintings. Push the barely noticeablehandle on the right side of the painting, ever so gently, and the hidden message is

revealed. This one says I will always love you.

Worthington, MN could be proud of finalists Bill and Amy Keitel who were thrilledthat their one-of-a-kind leather work earned them a coveted spot on the 2009 Art

Fair roster!

Brooch made from 24 karat gold and sterling silver from the Judith Kinghorn Col-lection (partial close-up view)

The piece de resistance was UptownJewelry Designer and Metal smithJudith Kinghorn who barely had towalk across the street from her studioin the Wedge neighborhood (LHENA)to be awarded Best of Show for Jew-elry Design. Pictured here, longtimeassociate Nadine Harrington stoppedto talk about the incredible materialsand intricacies of the processes Ms.Kinghorn employs (22-24 karat goldand sterling silver are often prominentcomponents) in the construction of her

stunning creations.

What is it that Minneapolis, St.Paul, Two Harbors and Worthing-

ton MN all have in common?How about artists? Award-win-

ning artists? As it turns out, Min-nesota artists racked up more than

their share of recognition at the bigUptown Art Fair last month.

Kay Nygaard-Graham is president ofthe CARAG board, a member of the

UNN board and lives in CARAG.

JorDan Hamilton of the Black Book ProjectThe summer art fair season keeps art-ists like Salem Barker always workingon the next show.

Photos and Storyby Bruce Cochran

Boasting the second largest attend-ed event in the state, the UptownArt Fair has wide range appeal.The extent of its reach reverber-ates throughout the community.Because of this ripple effect, sev-eral third party venders pop up inthe neighborhood hoping to play apart.

On the far right at top is a localboy, Aidan, who appears everyyear to sell drinks. Hes very goodand hell probably tell you thattoo. Hes not shy. Below that is hiscompetition, his next door neigh-bor with another stand of bever-ages. The third photo down on theright is a group of women raisingmoney for their Pink Team forBreast Cancer Awareness (Tyler

Aasness, Meghan Harris, MelissaDreier and Kate Bjorklund) withtheir team name Save My Girlsand still looking for donations atwww.the3day.org. At the very bot-tom right is yet another vendorselling homemade photographyfrom around the world.

the Rpple Effec


9/16


Ly-Lae Baers upBy John Meegan


Celebrating the harvest, neighborhood youth, and the end of summer, the Lyn-dale Youth Farm Harvest Festival gave garden tours, a free community meal,presentations and a step show. The evening event on August 13 at Zion LutheranChurch raised the bar of community events. The event was a modern return tothe community village of our roots. This signature event epitomized the essence ofwhat a community can achieve.

The Mission of the Youth Farm and Market Project is to nurture relationshipsbetween urban youth and their families, their communities, and the earth around

them by growing, cooking, eating and selling healthy food. Within our three mainfocus areas of Urban Agriculture, Youth Organizing and Cultural Nutrition. More

information can be found at www.youthfarm.net.

i Sep

Roos, Rhyhm & RollPhoto by Bruce Cochran

The Pizza Luce Block Party on August 9 hosted a variety of musical entertain-ment. One of the featured acts, Kill the Vultures, transcended time and style. Thenarrative style of this group payed homage by borrowing from House, Drum nBass, Rap, Spoken Word and Mississippi Blues.

Jay and Kristine Wyant of CARAGhave been working on this adoption foralmost a year. In March they receiveda referral and traveled to Addis Ababa,Ethiopia in July to pick up their daugh-ter, now named Frankie. She is 19months old and is a beautiful, outgoinggirl. She joins a household that includesHunter the chocolate lab, and Vito and

Roy, the two cats. All are getting alongwell.

Welcome Frae

the roadwork.

Although the project is not sched-uled for completion until mid-November, things are shaping up.There are several signs ofhow the new face ofLyndale and LakeStreet will look

next spring whenparking is restoredand buses go backto their normalroutes. Pedestri-ans will be ableto move aroundwithout trippingover uneven side-walks and streets.New benches,trash containers,and lots of newbike racks havebeen installed.

Many of the newstreetlights along

Lyndale from29th to 31st Streetare turned on andhanging on eachlamppost are someinteresting ban-ners that deservesome explanation.

To the passing automobiles, thebanners offer just a geometric col-lage below the Lyn-Lake RisingSun motif. But to the pedestrianwalking the street and lookingup, the banners contain symbolicicons of different aspects of theLyn-Lake intersection. A localgraphic designer, Aleks Stancevic

of Entropy Design Lab, contribut-ed over 100 hours of research andcreative time to come up with the

banner design. Aleks has watchedthe gradual changes that haveshaped Lyn-Lake into one of themost vibrant and funky intersec-tions along Lake Street. She appre-ciates the lack of large franchisesand respects the large number ofsmall businesses that have estab-

lished themselves here.

Each icon on thebanners depicts

detailing fromthe buildings,e n v i r o n m e n t ,and businesses.Some are histori-cal (brick work,stone detail) andsome are fun(pizza, flowers, abike wheel). Thebanner design isultimately abstract,so as not to give too

much weight to anyone element of Lyn-

Lake and still repre-sent all the diversity

that this area contains.

Two years ago, when theplans for the streetscape

designs were being formulatedwith representatives from the busi-ness community and the neighbor-hood, one of the neighborhoodsstrongest requests was for theamenity of banners. The concernwas that often the design of streetbanners seemed more appropriatefor suburban mall parking lots,and had become pass. Thanksto the thought and uniqueness ofdesign, in both shape and color,Lyn-Lakes banners function astrue artistic embellishment. Theintersection should thank Aleks

for her beautiful contribution toour streetscape. It will be appreci-ated for a long time.

Aleks Stancevic

After two summers constructionseasons the streetscape and road-way reconstruction project is com-ing close to the finish on the west

segment of Lake Street. As anyonein the immediate neighborhoodknows all too well, the project hascreated lots of congestion and traf-fic delays and been extremely hardon all the businesses in the path of


10/16


Calhoun Area Residents Action GroupCARAG reportLake St.

36th St.

H

ennepinAve.

LyndaleAve.

The CARAG Boardmeets the thirdTuesday of eachmonth, 7 p.m.at Bryant ParkCommunity Center,31st and Bryant.All CARAG residents

are welcome andurged to attend.

Seor BashPhoto by Bruce Cochran

Pat Marentic in jubilation, at the Senior Picnic organized by Southwest SeniorCenter at Lyndale Farmstead Park on August 7.

Calhoun Area Residents ActionGroup. Monthly NeighborhoodMeeting Minutes. August 19, 2008

DRAFT: Subject to Approvalat the September 2008 CARAGMeeting

Board Members Aed

Brendan Jordan, Bill Morton, KayNygaard-Graham (President),Aaron Rubenstein, Scott Schiefel-bein, Howard Verson, Anna Mat-thes, Ellan Meyer

Absent: Jamie Ronnei

Aeda

Motion, Seconded to approve theagenda as submitted. Approvedunanimously.

Plaed 31s Sree traffcSal Lhs

Donald Sobania, Public WorksTraffic Safety Engineer, attendedthe meeting to talk about newoverhead traffic signal lightsplanned for 31st Street at Bryant,Dupont, Emerson and Hennepin

Avenues. Sobania noted:

These lights will be installedduring a first phase betweenChicago Ave & I35W. They willbe installed between I35W andHennepin Avenue during a sec-ond phase.

Federal funds will cover 90% ofthe cost of the lights with localmoney covering the remaining10%.

Public Works installs these lightsfor traffic safety purposes- witha potential t-crash reduction of70%.Signals would be replacedat Bryant, Dupont and Emerson;the new poles would also havestreet lights

CARAG neighbors made com-ments about the proposed lightsincluding:

Concerns about the industrialcharacter of the lights in the resi-dential area.

Concern that overhead lightsincrease speeds because they canbe seen from greater distances.

Some interest in pedestrian andbicycle safety improvements for31st Street including the addi-tion of a landscaped median.

Sobania noted that Dupont andEmerson Avenues at 31st Streetdo not warrant traffic signallights based on the Citys formulafor determining the placement ofsuch lights. The City would likelysupport an all-way stop sign inter-section at these locations if thereis interest from the neighborhood.Sobania said an all-way stop wouldbe the safest type of intersection,but there are downsides too:

Not everyone stops at stop signs- causes some danger for pedes-trians, motorists

Everyone is required to stop -causes brake and engine noise

More constant traffic insteadof groups of cars - makes cross-ing at uncontrolled intersectionsmore difficult.

Motion (Verson), Seconded that

CARAG requests the City PublicWorks Department install all-waystop signs on 31st Street at Dupontand Emerson Avenues. CARAGalso requests that Public Worksinstall new overhead traffic signallights at Bryant a few feet further

from the curb to accommodate afuture median. Approved.

Mdow greewayCoalo updae:Breda Jorda

Jordan is the newly selectedCARAG representative to theMidtown Greenway CoalitionBoard of Directors. He noted thatthe last MGC meeting focused onfinance and safety issues. Jordanwould like CARAG to clarify itsposition about rail in the MidtownGreenway. A CARAG resolutionfrom 2006 is somewhat unclear,but generally states that CARAG

supports a streetcar, but supportsLight Rail if a streetcar isnt imple-mented. The MGC opposes LightRail in the Greenway.

Motion, seconded to send this issueto the Transportation Committeefor discussion and have them drafta proposed resolution. Approved.

trasporao Commeeupdae: Howard Verso

Verson noted that the committeedeveloped a list of potential bikeand pedestrian improvement proj-ects to be considered for a potentialFederal Grant and/or future NRP

projects. This list includes (in noparticular order):

Bryant Bridge over creek.

Bryant bikeway saftey improve-ments:

- better crossings at east weststreets

- Signal improvements

- Better ped crossings

31st St bikeway -ped bike street.

Sidewalk on south side of 36thSt.

Mes

Motion, Seconded to approve theJune minutes with a change fromrestricting to prohibiting.Approved.

CARAg Operaostreasrers Repor:Aa Mahes

Matthes presented the June andJuly reports. Checking has abalance of $14,088.83 and asset

accounts are valued at $7,187.20for a total of $21,276.03 as of July31, 2008. First through third quar-ter budget tracking reports wereavailable for review. Matthes alsopresented FY09 preliminary bud-gets for CARAG Operations andNRP administrative accounts.

upow nehborhoodnews treasrers Repor:Jll Bode

Bode presented a six-month finan-cial report for UNN. The balancein the UNN checking account is:$3,586.46 as of 8/19/08.

nRP: Sco EelEngel noted:

The NRP Steering Committeeis planning a Town Hall Vision-ing session for October 14 forthe community to brainstormideas for the $636,000 Phase IIprogram.

The City Council released anupdated draft of the NRP-Framework for the Futuredocument in late July and theMayor proposed $8 million peryear to fund the program start-ing in 2011. The City Councilwill hold a Public Hearing onAugust 20 to hear comments

about the Framework.

Zo Commee:

Aaro RbeseRubenstein reported:

The second Lyn-Lake SmallArea Plan community meetingwill be Monday, Sept. 15, 7 to 9pm, location TBD (see ). Top-ics include an update on people'svisions for the area, analysis ofreal estate market trends, anddiscussion of existing conditionsand land use issues.

The Favor Cafe (913 W. LakeSt., formerly Restaurant Miami)is requesting an upgradedliquor license to permit livemusic by three or fewer musi-

cians with no dancing. Pro-posed closing hours are 9 pmSunday, midnight Monday, and1 am Thursday through Satur-day. A motion was made andseconded that CARAG makeno recommendation due to thelack of sufficient off-street park-ing (variance to zero spaces, 8shared spaces behind building);CARAG strongly encouragesthe applicant to find and pro-vide 28 parking spaces and alsoencourages earlier closing times.Approved 8-1-1.

Bsess Assocaos:Bll Moro

Lyn Lake Association did notmeet. Morton gave an updateabout the Uptown Associationmeeting.

Sepember 16 AalMee & Polc:kay graham

Nominations were taken for theCARAG Board of Directors, andnominations will be accepted priorto the election at the Septembermeeting. Maren Nowicki andJohn Darlington were nominatedand accepted the nominations.

Adjourn


11/16

SEPTEMBER 2008 Uptown neighborhood news 11.

upow Assocao Wpes O graff

Photo by Bridget Aymar

Volunteers remove stickers from a traffic light.

By Bridget Aymar

We have all seen it on our way towork, while were out walking thedog or when were catching a biteto eat on the patio of our favoriteUptown restaurant - unsightlygraffiti and trash strewn aboutsidewalks and lawns. The Uptown

Association acted on the com-munitys outcry to clean up ourneighborhoods with help from theCity of Minneapolis. Teams of vol-unteers assembled to clean up thegraffiti and clean up their neigh-borhood.

Uptown Wipeout took place allday on Tuesday, August 19 withthe help of neighborhood asso-ciations, local businesses and theiremployees, youth and local orga-nizations. Street signs, sidewalks,newspaper boxes, street lights,parking meters, bike racks andwaste receptacles were cleaned andpainted and trash picked up in the

effort to spruce up Uptown. Over600 graffiti tags and stickers wereremoved around Uptown. All par-ticipants volunteered their time inorder to beautify their community.

The City of Minneapolis donatedthe supplies necessary to executethe cleanup as a part of theireffort to beautify Minneapolis inpreparation for the 45,000 expect-ed attendees of the RepublicanNational Convention on Septem-ber 1 through 4. Everything from

graffiti remover, to paint, to glovesand safety vests was provided bythe City. Kowalskis, Brueggers,Old Chicago and Bar Abilenedonated food and beverages toreward volunteers for their hardwork. The YWCA Uptown actedas the headquarters for the eventand Calhoun Square generouslydonated carts to carry the cleaningproducts to the 60 sites. Forty vol-unteers assembled and took actionagainst graffiti in Uptown to makethe cleanup a great success.

The cleanup not only attracted theattention of local Uptown business-es and residents, but national atten-tion as well. National Public Radio

stopped by to cover the cleanupeffort for Living on Earth, a pro-gram focused on environmentalconditions in todays world. Theyspoke with volunteers and coveredthe cleanup in a story that will airon September 5.

Graffiti control is currently one ofthe top priorities of the UptownAssociation and this cleanup effortwas essential in accomplishingtheir goal to curb Uptown graffiti.Uptown Association was recentlyawarded a micro grant by the Cityof Minneapolis for innovative graf-fiti prevention methods, and willcontinue to do event and program-ming through the fall.

Pictured above are Kathie Prieve, Executive Director; Mike Pomeranz, KARE 11 anchor; Pat Hagan, Board Chair; Vicky Couil-lard, Associate Director.

The Tour de Vail raised $20,000 for Vail Place on July 26 with its Non-Athon around Lake Calhoun, Lakeof the Isles and the Greenway followed by its open House and BBQ Picnic with a live Dixieland band.

Vail Place provides psychosocial rehabilitative and support services that allow adults with serious and persistent mentalillness to manage their illness and receive the opportunities and support necessary to live in the community. The goalis to provide opportunities to develop skills, confidence and relationships, with a focus on participation, ownership and

self-sufficiency. A Community Support Program (CSP) and Provider of Adult Rehabilitative Mental Health Services

(ARMHS) More info at www.vailplace.org.

F-raser for Val Place

urba Earh Co-Op Celebraestwo Year AversaryBy Gay Noble

The first retail flower and garden cooperative in the U.S., Urban EarthFlower and Garden Store Co-op, opened its doors on October 1, 2006.

The Co-Op is hosting an open house on September 28 from noon to 4p.m. and serving up cake, cider and surprise guests to celebrate the mile-

stone.

The store and greenhouse at 36th and Bryant was scheduled to closeafter an almost 30 year history as Youngs Flowers and then GreenstoneFloral. Learning that the store would close and the greenhouse wouldpossibly be torn down and made into a parking lot, CARAG residentsGay Noble, Stephen Eisenmenger and Ellan Myer got together with theidea that the store could be owned by the community as a cooperative.In early spring of 2006 a core committee made up of neighborhood resi-dents formed to create the cooperative.

Through a grant from the CARAG neighborhood association severalvisioning sessions were held to give residents an opportunity to envisionhow the flower and garden store cooperative could fit the needs of thecommunity. With an emphasis on locally grown, produced and organicproducts, Urban Earth carries native perennials, annuals, herbs, soils,fertilizers, compost, mulch, soil amendments, gardening tools, indoorplants, cacti, organic plant food, indoor and outdoor decorative pots, sea-

sonal items, fresh cut flowers and gift items by local artists.

This year Urban Earth formed a not-for-profit educational arm to fur-ther meet its mission and vision. Currently classes are being held onNative Plants, Water Gardens, Shade Gardening, No-Till Garden-ing, and Winterizing Your Garden. (See Events Calendar, page 14, fordetails)

Urban Earth Flower and Garden Store Cooperative is currently ownedcooperatively by 183 shareholder/members and continues to grow. Inconjunction with the anniversary, the Co-op is holding a membership/share drive to promote continued community ownership. Its goal is 100new membership/shares purchased between August 20 and October 1.Call 612.824.0066 or go to www.urbanearthcoop.org for information.

Qualy: It is a real privilege to rep-resent my peers and our workingfamily agenda. I was elected by therailroad workers to do the best Ican for railroad safety and publicsecurity. We try to work in part-nership with the railroads. Therailroads are earning record prof-its and we run the trains. We strivefor safety and security not onlyfor our members but also for thepublic. In this business, every daywithout a train wreck is a goodday.

UNN: Have you had occasion towork with Representatives FrankHornstein and Margaret Kelliher

or Senator Scott Dibble duringyour tenure at the capitol? On anyissues of local significance?

Qualy: You have a lot of talentedand dedicated people workingover there. I wonder if peoplein South Minneapolis are reallyaware of just how highly respectedSenator Dibble and RepresentativeHornstein are by their legislativecounterparts - statewide and onboth sides of the aisle? And I cantsay enough good things about theskill and diligence of MadamSpeaker Kelliher. To illustrate,when Margaret and David (Kel-liher) started their careers as State

Committee Administrators in theState Office Building back in 1991,they were always the first staffersto arrive in the morning and veryoften the last to leave in the eve-ning.

UNN: What do you think of Gov-ernor Pawlenty as a potential VicePresidential Candidate?

Qualy: Well, personally, I wish himgood luck. Governor Pawlenty is acharming and amiable guy. Afterall, hes a Minnesotan. However,Im uncomfortable with his styleof leadership. For example, theLegislature commissioned a study

of what was going on administra-

tively at the Minnesota Depart-ment of Transportation prior to

the I-35 Bridge collapse. I believethat the Gray Plant Moody Reportis informative as to what can hap-pen when governmental leaderschoose ideology over advocacy fortheir departments. Another con-cern is that during past sessionswe simply have not seen him or hisstaff in the corridors at key timesduring the session. At times likethese the Governors leadership iscrucial to providing parameters,building consensus and bring-ing people together. Many peoplehave commented that that essen-tial quality, in whatever form, hasbeen absent.

Bonding and funding issues havealso been a problem. Mixed signalsoften cause confusion and resent-ment among legislators who areoften taken by surprise when whatwas thought to be a viable com-promise bill is later rejected andridiculed when brought to thefloor. At the Statehouse its beenreferred to as the Mad Dad syn-drome.

UNN: Uptown faced strong devel-opmental pressure with seriousenvironmental issues when youwere CARAG President duringthe late 1980s. What is your opin-ion of Uptown today?

Qualy: I love my neighborhoodand my neighbors. This has beenand, hopefully with careful plan-ning, can continue to be a greatplace to live. With the proposeddevelopments in Uptown, how-ever, I am concerned that the frag-ile balance between commercialdevelopment, the need to gener-ate revenue for the city and ourneighborhoods health and livabil-ity may be jeopardized. The issuesof traffic in neighborhoods, airand noise pollution from cars andrestaurants are ever-present issuesin Uptown. We must keep the bal-ance. The neighborhood repre-

sentative process can work when

neighbors unite and attend meet-ings. Unfortunately, the reality is

that too many neighbors are notable to make planning and licens-ing meetings due to pressures ofwork and family. While develop-ers have their paid representativesand business association lobbyists,residents suffer from meetingfatigue and struggle to keep upwith events. It really comes downsquarely on the shoulders of theCity Council Member and hisskill and willingness to representthe interests of residents and keepa healthy balance between com-mercial and residential intereststhroughout the district.

UNN: Now that the Uptown Small

Area Plan is in place and construc-tion on Calhoun Square has begundo you have any concerns or sug-gestions regarding future develop-ment in Uptown?

Qualy: Yes. I am already mourn-ing the loss of that beautiful brown

brick building on the northeastcorner of 31st and Hennepin.

Please do not tear down thatbuilding! We cannot keep tearingdown our old street car cornersand replacing them with new sub-urbanized looking brick replicas.That building at 3049 Hennepinhas extraordinary brick detailwork and that particular cornerhas a lot of Uptown history. Atleast leave the front wall faade.That brown brick is a part of Min-neapolis heritage.

UNN: The Republican NationalConvention is coming to the TwinCities on Labor Day Weekend. Doyou have any suggestions for thoseof us who are a little more left of

center as to how we can best makeuse of our brief holiday?

Qualy: Go to St. Paul and checkout the Peace Island Picnic onHarriet Island from 1 to 8 p.m.on September 4. Its going to be ablast! Show up The best of Min-

nesota will be there! If you careabout civil, social and environ-

mental justice this is the place foryou.

*Authors note: A variety of musical groups will be performing, includ-ing Tao Rodriguez Seeger (grandson

of American folk icon, Pete Seeger), and Minnesota activist and trou- badour Larry Long among others.There will also be lots of interac-

tive and artistic activities includingpeace kite flying; Quilt Memorial;US Peace Memorial displays; Min-

nesota True Blue Jumbo-Tron Pro-gramming and more.

UNN: Final thoughts? And wherewill you be on Labor Day?

Qualy: Ill be doing my best toLet no one diminish the dig-nity of labor (as my mother onceremonstrated when I made a wise-crack about George Meany) at theRepublican National Convention ( he laughs).

LABOR from7


12/16


East Calhoun Community OrganizationECCO reportECCO meets the

first Thursday of

each month, 7

p.m. at St. Marys

Greek Orthodox

Church, 34th

and Irving. All

ECCO residentsare welcome and

urged to attend.

LAKECALHOU

N

Lake St.

36th St.

HennepinAve

.

ECCO Board Meeting Minutesfor August 7, 2008. (East Calhounneighborhood monthly meeting)

Minutes recorded and submittedby Robert Kean

Mee tme

Meetings are on the first Thurs-day each month at 7:00 PM locat-ed at St. Marys Greek OrthodoxChurch. The public is invited toattend.

Board Members Prese

Bruce Grimm (President), KeithRuddick, Elaine Beyer, RobertKean, Gary Farland, Ruth Cain,and Ralph Knox.

Ohers Prese

Gail Ellis, Kay Anderson, ConradSchmidt, Scott Sansby, CourtneyCushing Kiernat, Darleen Ken-yon, Dyanne Westerlund, JakeWeyer, Maude Lovelle

Welcome / Aocemes

President Bruce Grimm calledthe meeting to order, welcomedboard members and others andinitiated introductions.

Ope Form

Conrad Schmidt, from BoyScout Troop 89, is rechippingthe Loon Lake path for hisEagle Scout Project. He will belooking for volunteers to helpwith this effort, and will returnto the Board when he has a defi-nite date.

There will hopefully be fliersto hand out at the Labor DayEvent; it was decided thatNRP money would be used topay for the fliers.

The board approved $100 tobe provided to pay for refresh-ments for volunteers.

Courtney Cushing Kiernat fromthe Strong Schools, Strong Citycampaign visited the board and

will be returning in Septemberwith more information.

(Brought up later in the discus-sion of Graffiti) There have beenyoung men travelling throughthe ECCO neighborhood andsoliciting donations for a Uni-versity of MN sports team.These people are frauds, do notgive them money. It is suspect-ed that they may have been cas-ing the neighborhood for goodburglary prospects. One groupwas caught by the police at 34th

and Irving.

Approval of Je Mesad As Aeda

The June minutes wereapproved.

The August agenda wasapproved.

Made Lovelle, ExecveDrecor, upow Assoc. graff gra, upow ArFar updae

Ms. Lovelle informed the Boardthat the Art Fair was very suc-cessful; about 425,000 peopleattended, and 4 artists sold over$100,000 in product. The aver-age of the artists for this year

ECCO Boardand Neighborhood Meetings

Thursday, September 4, 2008at 7:00 PM

St. Marys Greek Orthodox Church(35th and Irving Ave. S.)

Annual EastCalhoun

Labor Day

ParadeMondaySeptember 1, 2008

at 2:45 PMSt. Marys Greek Orthodox Church

(35th and Irving Ave. S.)Join in the parade!

Stay for fun and games!

Bring a dish to pass.

Position Available:

ECCO NRP Coordinator

Provide proessional services as an independent con-tractor to coordinate the implementation o the EastCalhoun Communitys Neighborhood Action Plan romPhase I and assist in writing the Phase II Action Plan.

The contractor shall assist the ECCO NRP SteeringCommittee in carrying out the renewed strategies oHome Security and Boulevard Elm Tree TreatmentGrants; Boulevard Tree Replacement and Deteriorat-ing Housing Concerns. The contractor will assist theSteering Committee in identiying unulflled goalsin the Phase I Action Plan and prepare proposals touse remaining Phase I unds. The coordinator will at-tend and coordinate meetings o the ECCO NRP, itssubcommittees, the community and governmentalagencies, conduct research and such studies as arenecessary to acilitate projects or to develop alternateplans and will be responsible or the dissemination ina timely manner o all reports and inormation or theECCO NRP and ECCO community.

Qualifcations: Knowledge o NRP, sel motivated,strong organizational skills, ability to organize and leadvolunteers, available or evening meetings.

Letter o interest and resume should be emailed to:[email protected]

Mailed to:ECCO2751 Hennepin Ave., #13

Minneapolis, MN 55408

Yeasayer Ss for idepede Rado

All ages gathered at Urban Outfitters in Uptown in August. Free Yr Radio and 89.3 FM The Currentpresented Yeasayer, free in concert.

Free YR Radio is a program created by Toyota Yaris and Urban Outfitters to support and publicize theimportance of independent radio. Free Yr Radio comes to life through a series of events developed to

generate awareness and support for a handful of partner stations.

ECCO page13


13/16


ECCO nehbors Wal For Safey

the Vale of treesDid You Know

By Nancy Ward

A shade tree on the east or west side of your home can reduce coolingcosts by up to 35% or even 50%!

Shade trees cool concrete sidewalks which affects the whole neighbor-hood.

Mature trees can increase the value of your home by as much as 20%.

Thousands of elms were lost to Dutch elm disease last year in Minne-apolis and it is continuing to take our valuable old elms at a great rate.Drought-stressed trees are more vulnerable and this is our third yearof summer drought.

Tree treatments are guaranteed for three growing seasons.

Coordinating tree treatment with your neighbors can provide signifi-cant additional savings and protection to our neighborhood and theurban forest overall.

Did You Also Know ECCO provides matching grants up to $250 for treating boulevard elm

trees for Dutch elm disease. The cost of treatment may easily be offsetby utility bill savings. ECCOs program is set up as a co-pay arrange-ment.

Step 1. You get an estimate from a professional tree care provider.

Step 2. Contact 612.824.1343 for an application form.

Step 3. Return completed application form and copy of the estimate.

Step 4. Have your trees treated and protected. ECCO sends a check forhalf the cost, up to $250, to the tree care provider. You pay the balance.

Water trees well both before and after treatment.

Early Fall is a good time to treat trees SAVE YOUR TREES NOW!

was not known when the Boardmet, but last year the averageper artist was between $5,000and $10,000.

The graffiti reduction effort iswell under way.

The Uptown Association appliedfor a $10,000 grant in April andgot it. This grant was for outside

the box ideas on how to reducegraffiti in our neighborhood and itlasts from May 1 to December 31of this year.

This plan is:

Community based

Youth involved - becausestudies show that graffiti ismost often done by malesbetween the ages of 18 and24.

A course has been developedin collaboration with Juxta-positionArts and IntermediaArts, to reach out to theseyouth and informs them

about why graffiti is so bad,and how they can expresstheir creativity in otherways. Interested youthhad to apply to attend thiscourse. The first class washeld at the YWCA July 9th-11th and 24 students partici-pated.

Artist involved

Education centered.

There has been an educa-tion class for businesses andresidents by the police thatwas held June 5. 65 peopleattended this class; about 30of them were residents in

the area. Outreach to the community

through the Art Fair andOperation Black Book andthe upcoming clean-up effort.

Operation Black Book washeld inside of CalhounSquare and was a huge suc-cess. During the Art Fair,program participants usedgraffiti lettering to cre-ate pieces, upon request,that incorporate customersnames in exchange for afee. It went so well thatother communities are ask-ing to copy the programthe Uptown Association is

using.

The community clean-upwill be held on August 19.There will be food for thevolunteers; the main actionwill be for painting over orremoval of current graffiti.NPR will be doing a storyon this clean-up effort whichwill air on September 5.

The Uptown Association willnot receive the grant moneyuntil they prove that theymet their objectives. As ofright now, they are paying for

everything out of their ownpocket, and they need to comeup with a matching $10,000.They would appreciate helpany form, including monetarydonations and volunteers.

The ECCO Board will bedeciding how much moneyto give the Uptown Associa-tion at the September meet-ing.

Graffiti in East Calhoun- on therise?:

It is agreed that graffiti is onthe rise in the East Calhounarea. The Board is aware of theextra graffiti that has appearedbetween 31st and 32nd Streetsnear James Avenue, and thatthere has been some with vulgarlanguage.

To have graffiti cleaned up, call311 or go to the citys website andfill out the report form. Thereis also a designated amount ofNRP money dedicated to theremoval of graffiti in the neigh-borhood.

It is important to remove thegraffiti because it could pos-sibly be gangs marking theirterritory and because the prob-lem spreads when it is ignored.Stevens Square has a good pro-gram which requires people toremove the graffiti on their pri-vate property as well and finesthem if they do not.

nRP updae

Phase 1

There is a Home SecurityGrant program in place whichallows up to $250/householdand contains $5,000. Therehas been one recipient of thisprogram so far.

There is a Boulevard TreeTreatment Grant programin place which allows up to$250/tree and contains $5,000.There has also been one recip-ient of this program so far.

There will be a plan for theMPRB and ECCO relation-ship regarding the replace-ment of boulevard trees readyfor the September Boardmeeting.

The trees that are being plant-ed will need to be watered.One possible option is togive homeowners money forwatering their new trees if thetrees live past 2 or 3 years ofage.

Phase 2

The original allocation forPhase 2 was $334,613. Theavailable funding now is74.15% of that or $248,103.

The ECCO available fundsare $9,078.70.

Total funds available (carry-over from Phase 1) for grantprograms as well as otherfunds needed to plan forPhase 2 are $46,246.78

There will be a transfer of filesto the new NRP Coordinatorwhen selected.

nRP- new nRP Coordaor

Gail is leaving this positionbecause of her new job in educa-tion.

There is no official process tochoose a new coordinator, butif there is interest please contactPresident Grimm.

This is a contractor posi-tion, not an employee so theapplicants will need to be selfemployed.

It was decided that PresidentGrimm would put an ad inthe Uptown NeighborhoodNews, which now has a dead-line of the 15th of the monthfor submitted material.

It was suggested that CouncilMember Remington put anannouncement in his newslet-ter as well.

There should be an announce-ment in the NRP e-newsletteras well.

The officers of the Board willhire the new coordinator. Itis hoped that the new NPRcoordinator will be selectedby September 15.

We tas Eve updae

The unsold tickets from theevent as well as the money fromthe sold tickets need to be turnedin as soon as possible.

102 tickets were sold by ECCOfor the event (raising $2,500).

Michael Ekholm will tally thefinal results and report at theSeptember meeting if we havethe final results (including allot-

ment of money for tickets soldat the event).

Cocl Member RemoRespose re: 3249Hmbold Ave. S.

An inspector was sent to thehouse.

Note: it is illegal to enter a con-demned house, so if you see any-one, you should call the police.

Jim Doherty (owner) has a law-yer, and they have until August20 to respond to the condem-nation if they want to keep thehouse.

Labor Day Eve updae The Event is still on for LaborDay. It potentially starts at 2:45and there will be games and apotluck. Thanks to residentRobin Cook who will chair theevent again.

An announcement will mostlikely be going into CM Rem-ingtons newsletter along withthe usual announcements (UNNand a flyer distributed in theneighborhood).

The next ECCO Board Meetingwill take place on September 4,2008.

ECCO nRP Provdesgras For HomeSecry EqpmeBy Gary Farland

The residents of all residential properties in ECCO (both owners andrenters) are eligible for a grant of up to $250 to purchase home secu-rity equipment, including home security systems. The recipient wouldbe responsible for costs above $250. The ECCO Board has designated$5,000 for this project, which is given on a first-come basis. The fundscome from some $48,000 of unspent Phase I NRP grant amounts.

Some examples of eligible purchases are outdoor security lighting,motion detectors, deadbolt locks, window pinnings, light timers, homesecurity systems and electrical work related to home security. A verygood source of technical information is the Minneapolis Police Depart-ment web site. Its easiest to find it with a search engine, but the site iswww.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/police . One then goes to Crime PreventionResources and then to Home Security Information. One page espe-cially, called Minimum Home Security, lists the three Hs of a securehome: hardware, habits and humans. The hardware portion lists manythings to buy.

One can also obtain pamphlets at the 5th Precinct Station, 3101 NicolletAve. So. And, one can call the Crime Prevention Specialist for ECCOand CARAG, Tom Thompson, at 612.673.2823.

Other portions of the website and pamphlets deal with specific issues likebuying a home security system, securing basement and other windows,and even preventing your snowblower from getting swiped.

The home security work can be completed by a licensed contractor or ona do-it-yourself basis. You may have to meet city permit requirementsfor a project -- you can call city information at 311 to find out if you needa permit. All projects are eligible that were started and completed afterMarch 6, 2008.

One can obtain the guidelines and application form by contacting theNRP Coordinator Gael Ellis at [email protected] or by calling herat 612.987.2344.

Gary Farland is a board member for ECCO and the UNN and lives in ECCO.

Photo provided by www.rainbowtreecare.com

An Elm being treated for Dutch Elm by Rainbow Tree Care.

By Nancy Ward

A kickoff meeting for a newECCO Neighborhood WalkersGroup will be Wednesday, Sep-tember 10 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.at the Dunn Brothers Coffee Shopon 34th and Hennepin. Find outhow groups of neighbors strollingthe streets reduce crime and buildcommunity and what role youmight like to play in strengtheningour neighborhood.

Almost all other neighborhoods inMinneapolis have established and

benefited from walkers groups,neighbors who look out for eachother and note and report suspi-cious activity. Building allianceswithin the community, as thisactivity does, and establishing acommunication channel with acrime prevention specialist havebeen shown to decrease manytypes of crime. Safety Officer TomThompson will be there to providean overview and suggestions tohelp us.

While this is serious crime preven-

tion, the activity itself can be stim-

ulating and fun. Themed walks(costumes optional), dogs, kids andstrollers, coffee time and meetingnew and interesting folks in thismost creative zip code in Minne-apolis are all possible. People typ-ically commit to a monthly walkand athletic speed is not required.Get to know your neighborhoodin a new way.

Put your shoes on, collect yourfriends and neighbors and makethis an even better place to live! Seeyou at Dunns. Call 612.824.1343

for more information.

ECCO from12


14/16


commty evets caledar

CALEnDAR page15

Mainstt Bank is udt sns t UNN calnda

(Editors Note: We will run community event listings every month on this page.Contact [email protected] to submit your event information by the10th of each month to be included in thenext issue.)

DiSCuSSiOnDUNN BROTHERS

3348 Hennepin Ave. So.Tues. 7:30 pm, weekly

The Socrates Cafe is an open meeting.The evening is spent discussing a shortlist of questions of philosophy thatrange all over the map from self iden-tity, capital punishment, perceptionand anything else in between. Bringyour questions and prepare to engageyour mind.

Every Monday night from 10:00pm-midnight Barbette features free live music and September 1,8,15 and 22 features Romantica.

Romaca

ViSuAL ARTSINTERMEDIA ARTS/SASE

2822 Lyndale Ave. S. 612.871.4444www.intermediaarts.org

Gallery Hours: Mon. to Fri., 12 pmto 7 pm, and Fri. and Sat., 10 am to 5pm.

Tues., Sept. 30 -- Entry deadline. Art& Healing: Body Burden is a visualarts exhibit featuring works that dem-onstrate the connections between ourenvironment and our bodies. Artistsare invited to send in their visual artsworks for consideration. Painting,sketches, photography, new media,multi-media installations, sculptureare welcome.

SOO VISUAL ARTSCENTER/TOOMERGALLERY

2640 Lyndale Ave. S. 612.871.2263www.soovac.org

Gallery Hours: Wed., 12 pm to 6 pm,Thur., 12 pm to 8 pm, Fri., 12 pm to 6pm, Sat., 12 pm to 4 pm.

Fri., Sept 5, 6 pm to 9 pm Open-ing reception for Paper Tiger: Worksby John Vogt. Exhibit runs throughOct 26. Fri., Sept 5, 6 pm to 9 pm Opening reception for Minneaturesby Plasticgod. Exhibit runs throughOct 26.

BOOK CLuBSBRYANT LAKE BOWL

810 W. Lake St. 612.825.8949www.bryantlakebowl.com

Tues., Sept 9, 7 pm Books & Bars. Aunique atmosphere for a lively discus-sion of interesting authors, fun people,

good food and drinks. Septs book isZeroville by Steve Erickson. The Seat-tle Times called this novel a surprisingpage-turner, driven by a jumpy energyand short, cinematic chapters.

ONCE UPON A CRIMEBOOKSTORE

604 W. 26th St. 612.870.3785www.onceuponacrimebooks.com

Tues., Sept 2, 7 pm -- Twin Cities Sis-ters In Crime meeting. Book for thenight is Deanna Raybourns Silent inthe Grave. Wed., Sept 10, 6:30 pm -- Mystery Reading Group. Book forthe night is David RosenfeltsOpen &Shut.

WALKER LIBRARY2880 Hennepin Ave. S. 612.630.6650www.mpls.lib.mn.us

Tues., Sept 9, 6:30 pm to 8 pm Walk-er Book Club. Tues., Sept 16, 6 pmto 8 pm Love in the Stacks: MPLsRomance Book Club. Call for currentselections.

AuTHOREVEnTSMAGERS AND QUINNBOOKSELLERS

3038 Hennepin Ave. S. 612.822.4611www.magersandquinn.com

Fri., Sept 5, 7:30 pm -- Four prestigious

poets participate in a poetry party. Thepoets are Deborah Bernhardt--Echola-lia; Lightsey Darst--works in progress;Juliet Patterson--The Truant Lover;and William Stobb--Nervous Systems.

ONCE UPON A CRIMEBOOKSTORE

604 W. 26th St. 612.870.3785www.onceuponacrimebooks.com

Tues., Sept 9, 7 pm Launch party forSteve Thayers The Leper. Wine andhors doeuvres.

FOR KiDS& TEEnSBRYANT SQUARE PARK

3101 Bryant Ave. S. 612.370.4907

www.minneapolisparks.orgStarting Tues., Sept 2, 6 pm to 9 pm-- Open Soccer. Games are Mon. orThurs. and Sat.; occasionally a gamemay be on Wed. night. A post-seasontournament will be held in Oct. Ageverification is required, unless alreadyon file. Practices will start in late Aug.Section 11U for ages 8-11 and 13U forages 13-14. Fee $25. Mon. & Wed.,Starting Sept 8, 5 pm to 6 pm -- Funda-mental Soccer. Build your soccer skillsthrough drills at stations and games.Parents are encouraged to participatein the program along side their child.Child must be in Kindergarten for fallof 2008. Ages: 5 to7. Fee $15.

PAINTER PARK620 W. 34th St. 370.4911www.minneapolisparks.org

Mon.-Thurs., Sept 8-Oct 24, 9:30 amto 12:00 noon -- Knee-Hi Adventurespreschool. Full preschool curriculum,circle time, reading, singing, visits bynaturalists, snack and outdoor play-time. Ages 3-5. Mon.-Thurs.: $235,Mon. & Wed.: $110, Tues. & Thurs.:$110. Fri., Sept 12-Oct 31, 9:30 am to

12:00 noon -- Parents Morning Out.Looking for time for yourself? Dropyour preschooler off for two and a halfhours of fun and safe activities. Thiswill give you a chance to run errands,go grocery shopping, or just enjoy amorning to yourself. Ages 3 to 5. Cost:$70.

WALKER LIBRARY2880 Hennepin Ave. S. 612.630.6650www.mpls.lib.mn.us

Wed., Sept 3- 24, 10:30 am PreschoolStorytime. For children ages 4 to 6.Enjoy stories together and build lan-guage skills. Thur., Sept 4-25, 7 pmto 7:30 pm Family Storytime. Forchildren ages 2 and up. Share books,stories, rhymes, music, and move-ment with your children. Sat., Sept12, 10:30 am to 12:30 pm -- Second SatSeries. For kids in preschool and theirfamilies. Enjoy a fun-filled morning ofstories, live music and crafts.

THEATERBRYANT LAKE BOWL810 W. Lake St. 612.825.8949

www.bryantlakebowl.comSat., Sept 6, 7 pm (6 pm doors open)& 10 pm (9:30 pm doors open) -- Lim-erick Records Presents: Satellites. Aspoken-word fusion of hysterical truestories and original music, starringacclaimed comedian Taylor Negron(Curb Your Enthusiasm, Friends, Sein-feld). Accompanied by singer/song-writer Logan Heftel. Tickets: $20 inadvance/$25 day of show.

JUNGLE THEATER2951 Lyndale Ave. S. 612.822.7063www.jungletheater.com

Tues.-Sun., Sept 19-Oct 26 A Life in the Theatre. David Mamet celebratesthe love, admiration, humor and sad-ness that accompanies the passing ofthe artistic torch from one generationto the next in this dramatic comedy.Tickets. $26-36, with discounts avail-able.

COMMuniTY/GET inVOLVEDBRYANT SQUARE PARK

3101 Bryant Ave. S. 612.370.4907www.minneapolisparks.org

Tues., Sept. 16, 6 pm to 9 pm --CARAG Annual Meeting & Elections.Potluck at 6 pm, meeting & elections at7 pm.

JOYCE METHODISTCHURCH

1219 W. 31st St. 612.822.5288www.joycechurch.org

Sat., Sept 6, 7:00 pm SpiritualSpringboard Coffeehouse. Featuring:a Drum Jam. Bring your drum alongif youd like to join in. An evening oflively and meditative rhythms to giveenergy for dance and food for thought.Free coffee and treats from LuciasBakery, an art table for self-expression,

and cozy corners where you can justrelax. Please join us - all are welcome!

LINDEN HILLS

43rd St. & Upton Ave. S.Sat., Sept 13, 10am to 3 pm -- Woof-stock. Proceeds will be donated toAnimal Ark, and donation collectionjars will be available. Events at family

friendly Woofstock will include: ThePooches Promenade: decorated dogsparade along Upton and 43rd withtheir people in tow, Dog Tricks Con-test on stage in Famous Daves park-ing lot, Scavenger Hunt, InflatableJump-a-saurus, Face Painting, Carica-ture artist, Dog-Friendly vendors andmuch more.

LYN-LAKE SMALLAREA PLAN612.673.3242www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/cped/Lyn-Lake.asp.

Mon., Sept 15, 7 pm to 9 pm Secondcommunity meeting. Work is pro-gressing on the Lyn Lake Small AreaPlan. Meeting location is still to bedetermined. The agenda will include

an update on what weve heard aboutpeoples vision for the Lyn-Lake area,an overview of recent real estate mar-ket trends and a discussion of existingconditions and land use issues. Formore info, contact Amanda Arnold,Principal City Planner, at numberabove.

SOUTHWEST SENIORCENTER

3612 Bryant Ave. S. 612.822.3194Sat., Sept 6, 10 am & Mon., Sept 8, 6pm Visioning Workshop. Mon.,Sept 15, 6 pm -- Mosaic AssistantTraining Workshop. Mon., Sept 22,6 pm & Sat., Sept 27, 10 am -- MuralWorkshop. Help create a mosaicmural for the exterioror wall at theSouthwest Senior Center. People of allages are welcome.

ST. MARYS GREEKORTHODOX CHURCH

3450 Irving Ave. S. 612.825.9595www.stmarysgoc.org

Mon., Sept 1, 3 pm to 6:30 pm -- ECCOLabor Day Picnic and Parade. Paradestarts at 3:00 pm. Fri & Sat, Sept. 5-6, noon to 10 pm, Sun, Sept 7, noonto 6 pm -- Taste of Greece Festival. 5KM run-walk, Sept. 5, 6:30 pm LakeCalhoun, benefiting special OlympicsMN, Lamb dinners available, winetasting, live music and Greek dancing,inflatable playground, cooking demosand church tours.

CLASSES/WORKSHOPS/

LECTuRESBAKKEN MUSEUM3537 Zenith Ave. S 612.926.3878www.thebakken.org

Sat., Sept 6-27, 10 am to 4 pm (Museumis open until 5 pm) -- Family ScienceSaturdays. Participate in hands-on sci-

ence activities. Play with Lego Robotsand program them to do special tricks.Check out the Ax-Man InventorsTable and see how lights, switches, cir-cuits, batteries and buzzers work. Freewith general admission.

LAKE HARRIET SPIRITUALCOMMUNITY

4401 Upton Ave. S. 651.414.0545Mon., Sept 8, 7 to 9 pm -- Kate Greg-ory will conduct a public mini-work-shop sponsored by the TheosophicalSociety. How to Build a Church inYour Heart is designed to expand per-sonal spiritual resources available to allpeople. Refreshments. Used book sale.$6 for non-members.

THE MENS CENTER

3249 Hennepin Ave. S. #55 612 822-5892www.tcmc.org

Wed., Sept 3, 7 pm to 9 pm -- Fam-ily Law Clinic. Targeted to the needsof men or women going through oranticipating divorce or dealing withother family law issues. Open to menand women. Wed. Sept 10, 7 pm to 9pm -- A Circle of Warriors. The Man-kind Project is an organization of menworking together to improve their livesand help other men. Wed., Sept 17, 7pm to 9 pm -- The Double: Male Eros,Friendships, and Mentoring. Everyman carries within his soul a psychicpattern of energy called a double.Explore some of the significant doublerelationships in human history andliterature, and what they can teach usabout ourselves. Wed., Sept 24, 7 pmto 9 pm -- The Mediation Option. Wewill explore mediation as an alterna-tive to hiring attorneys and using thecourt system to resolve disputes. Thislow or no cost option can be especiallyeffective when issues arise concerningco-parenting and family issues withformer spouses or partners. Open toMen and Women

URBAN EARTH FLOWER

& GARDEN COOP910 West 36th St. 612.824.0066www.urbanearthcoop.org

Thur., Sept 4, 7 pm -- High Impact,Low-Care Native Plants. Learn howgetting to know your site will helpyou select the right plant for the rightspot. Also learn the top 10 criteria thatall plants should meet so you have alower maintenance garden. Tues.,Sept 9, 7 pm -- Shade Gardening WithNative Plants. Learn how to use eye-catching groupings and some interest-ing leaf shapes to create a recipe for ashade garden that stands out. Thur.,Sept 18, 7 pm -- No- Till Gardening.Convert your lawn to a vegetable orperennial garden without heavy work.Let beneficial microbes break downsod, till the soil and release nutrientsfor the plants you put in next spring.

Tues., Sept 23, 7 pm -- WinterizeYour Yard and Garden. Learn howto protect plants, when to mulch, usea living mulch in the vegetable gardenand why you need to water until thegarden freezes. Class fees: $5 for mem-


15/16


Got a little junk in thetrunk?Sell it or give itaway with a FREEUNN classifed.

CARAG and ECCO residents

can run a ree classifed ad in

one UNN issue per year. Free

classifeds are limited to 25

words or less and must be non-

commercial in nature. Ater one

ree ad, classifeds can be run in

additional issues or a small ee.

Snd you ads to

[email protected]

o

Uptown Nihbohood Nws

Attn: Cassifds

3612 Byant Avnu South,

Minnapois, MN 55409.

MASONRY REPAIRS

Steps, brick, stucco, tuckpoint-ing, foundations, basements. 29years experience. 612-377-3822

classfedsSERViCES

REMODELING

Windows and doors. Siding.Fences and decks, finish carpen-try. Sheet rock, taping. Customtile. Local references, free esti-mates. Tom 612-824-1554.

PAINTING\REMODELING

Int.Ext.Painting, Drywall-sheet-rock Hang, tape ceiling textur-ing. Wall paper removal, skimcoating, Ceiling & wall repair,deck staining. Honest, friendly,respectful. Fully insured, own alltools. [email protected] 612-825-9959/612-991-6384

Commercal classfed ad sales are 40 per word,10-word mmm. Ad ad advace payme arede he 15h of he moh. Please sed a checad ad copy o: upow nehborhood news, A:Classfeds, 3612 Byant Avnu South, Minnapois,MN 55409.

CARPET CLEANING

2 average -sized rooms & a hall$48.95. Upholstery Cleaning:couch $49.95, Love seat $39.95,chairs $29.95. Owner oper-ated, 35 years experience. Dave612-721-5105/612-636-3073 orwww.orbcarpetcleaning.com

FURNITURERE UPHOLSTERY

Labor starting at: Chairs -$190,Love seats - $290, Couches-$390, Owner operated, 35years experience. Dave 612-721-5105/612-636-3073 orwww.orbcarpetcleaning.com

advertse wth s...SUSAN HAgler

Advertising Sales Representative

612.825.7780

[email protected]

tHE UpToWNNeIghBorhooD NeWS

iS nOW AVAiLABLEAt tHE FOLLOWing

LOCAtiOnS

Amore Vcora

Ble Sy Creamery

Boosmar

Bremer Ba

Brya Sqare Par

Cheapo Records

Cha Ma tha

D Brohers(Lae)

D Brohers(34h)

Falafel k

Famos Daves BBQ

Frs uversals Chrch

gs Caf

Heep-LaeLqors

is gree o Me

Joyce uedMehods Chrch

La Bodea tapas Bar

Lydale uedChrch of Chrs

Maers & QBoosellers

Marlas ida &Carbbea Cse

Moh Elecrc

Pares Aomove

Pzza Lce

Rabow Foods

S. Marys gree

Orhodox Chrchupow Bar & Caf

upow theare

urba Bea

urba Earh

Waler A treeops

Waler Lbrary

the Wave Salo

YWCA (upow)

HELP CHILDRENLEARN TO READ

Wanted: caring adults (50+ yrs)to tutor K-3 students in Mpls.4-15 hrs/wk Sept-Jun. Trainingprovided. Small stipend avail-able for those who qualify. Callnow for placement this fall. 612-

617-7807.

NEW CHURCHLIVING FAITH MINISTRIES

Service Time: Sundays 10:30A.M. For more info: [email protected] West Lake Street Suite 105.

Minneapolis, Minnesota 55408

HELP WAntED

CHuRCH

pedestrian orchestration of lightschanging, people running errandsand business lunch chatter. Butwhat seems to color the atmo-sphere and tie it all together is thelyrical flute of Rodney McMillan.What would normally constitute arather warm day with a scheduledlist of midday events has beentransformed into the urban canvasthat is Uptown.

At its best, street music has thepower to connect, energize andtransport the community. Andwhen Uptown was labeled anEntertainment District the namefailed to fully encompass the largerartistic sphere that defines it moreas an urban cultural center.

Street musician McMillan hasplayed all over town. Hell try sev-eral spots until the mood strikeshim. Hes homeless but doesnt

look it. Hes clean shaven, dressedwell and wears a nice hat. Hedoesnt necessarily play for themoney. His tip jar is really justmotivation to keep on practicing.Hes driven mostly by the artist-ry and energy. He explains howhe was playing a song once andcouldnt get all of the notes exact.A passerby mumbled somethingand dropped one half of a fiftydollar bill into his jar. McMillan

said, What is THAT? What amI supposed to do with half a fifty?So he kept it as a souvenir. Weekswent by and he continued to prac-tice the song. He was playing inrelatively the same location whenbehind him he heard,

september 2008 uptown neighborhood news

Documents