Hello Commissioners, City staff and Minneapolis residents,

My name is Amanda Winterer and I represent the Bottineau Neighborhood Association. I am the group’s treasurer.  Thank you for this opportunity to make this statement. Bottineau Neighborhood Association requests that the funding structure and levels of funding remain the same for all neighborhood groups for the foreseeable future. The Citizen Participation Program has worked well for the past 8 years.

For example, Bottineau has established Neighborhood Priority Plans. One such NPP is the Homework Helper at Bottineau Park.  After a few Somali parents asked for this help, at a community meeting, our neighborhood group got busy and set up the coordination of volunteer tutors to help all children get STEM help at our park. Another NPP implemented is Crime Solutions that works with the police to track crime trends and react with organized volunteers when shots are fired in the community or other crimes are committed.  We have many examples of this type of outreach conducted at community request.

BNA also requests that the Community Innovation Funds, CIF, be expanded and used more. BNA was a recipient of one such CIF grant and put it to use studying air pollution around the Lowry Bridge that leveraged an additional 500,000 dollars in MPCA air monitoring that is currently being conducted on the Mississippi Water Management Organization roof top near Lowry Bridge.

As a matter of neighborhood tradition, a pumpkin carving is held at the Park every fall and a Bottineau Neighborhood and Mississippi River clean-up is held every April in honor of Earth Day. This year, as part of the Green Zones in Minneapolis, we will be able to offer 25 free trees to the community to help remediate air pollution and improve the tree canopy in Bottineau.

Thanks again for listening to our request. Copies of this testimony are at the sign in table.

Also needed: Volunteers for our Graffiti Removal Team. Equipment provided.

TLC Meetup in Minneapolis
Wednesday, April 20, 5-7 PM
Dangerous Man Brewing
1300 NE 2nd Street

Join Transit for Livable Communities (TLC) on Wednesday, April 20, for a happy hour gathering in Minneapolis. Come meet their new executive director Jessica Treat and connect with other staff and advocates. They’ll share a bit about their current work—at the legislature and beyond—but the main focus is on conversation with local members interested in transit, bicycling, and walking. Light food is on TLC.

All are welcome, but RSVPs are much appreciated.

RSVP here: http://www.tlcminnesota.org/calendar/

How to get to the meetup:

TLC’s event location at Dangerous Man Brewing is served by Metro Transit bus routes 11 and 30. Bike parking is available. The 5th Street Bicycle Boulevard and other bike routes are nearby. Find Nice Ride bike-sharing stations about three blocks away at University & 12th and at Broadway & Marshall.

Questions? Contact Hilary Reeves, Member Engagement Director, at [email protected] or 651-789-1415.

Attn: Bottineau Neighborhood

On February 9, 2016, the Board of Directors for Bottineau Neighborhood Association (BNA) voted to move $2062.41 of program income funds from the NRP II housing loan program administered by the Center for Energy and Environment (CEE) to the Environmental Contract of Eastside Environmental Quality of Life (EEQL) for studies and research–Contract C-26748.

If you have questions please send an email to [email protected] or call 612-367-7262 and leave a message. We will get back to you promptly.

Win Two Tickets to Paradise!

Be a big winner at the California Dreamin’ art crawl on November 13 (5-10 PM) and November 14 (Noon to 8 PM). How? By winning a raffle for two round trip tickets to California.

Raffle tickets will be sold only at the event. Bottineau Neighborhood Association (BNA), the raffle’s sponsor, will also be selling beer and wine in the California Building lobby during the California Dreamin’ open studio event with proceeds benefiting Eastside Environmental Quality of Life (EEQL) and BNA. Beer & Wine sales are sponsored by Fulton Brewery, River Liquor Store and The Sample Room.

• One prize of a $1000.00 gift certificate for Sun Country Airlines will be awarded to the winner
• Drawing will be held on Saturday November 14, 2015 at 8:15 PM at 2205 California St NE Minneapolis MN 55418
• You must be 18 or older to purchase a ticket or win prize

The Minneapolis City Council and Mayor Betsy Hodges have taken significant action in the fight to protect the sharply declining local bee population. On August 21, 2015, the City Council passed a resolution that the mayor signed which commits Minneapolis to increasing bee-friendly plants in the city and decreasing pesticide use.

The resolution also declares Minneapolis a pollinator-friendly community and encourages residents and businesses to adopt pollinator-friendly practices such as planting habitat for bees and avoiding pesticides that are known to kill them.

Pollinator populations are in sharp decline because of an ongoing loss of habitat coupled with a simultaneous large-scale expansion of pesticide use by homeowners, landscapers, property managers and farmers.

Pollinators are a necessary component of a healthy ecosystem and food system, providing pollination of plants needed to grow vegetables, herbs and fruits. Local food production is needed to improve the health and food security of Minneapolis residents, and insect pollination is an essential component of local food production.

The City commits to making the following improvements to City policies and practices to increase pollinator forage and decrease pesticide use:

• The Public Works Department will pursue planting more pollinator forage in appropriate locations (including stormwater management ponds and large land areas) that are currently turf grass, adopt clear guidelines against the use of pesticides and pesticide-treated plants, and consider pollinator-friendly amendments to its land management policy.
• The Community Planning and Economic Development Department will pilot planting pollinator forage on vacant land it controls and encourage private developers to incorporate pollinator-friendly plantings into required landscaping.
• The Property Services Division of the City Coordinator’s Office will pursue planting more pollinator forage on City facilities. A pilot is already underway at four Minneapolis Fire Department facilities.
• The Health Department’s Environmental Services Unit will maintain resources for other City departments including a list of pollinator-friendly plants.
• The Minneapolis Convention Center will incorporate more pollinator forage into its plantings and phase out the use of “systemic” insecticides (which stay in the plant).

The City of Minneapolis urges all Minneapolis property owners, residents, businesses, institutions and neighborhoods to become more pollinator friendly by adopting practices including:

• Committing to not use pesticides, including insecticides that stay in the plant, on their properties.
• Avoiding planting flowering plants that are treated with insecticides that stay in the plant.
• Discontinuing the sale of pesticides and plants that are treated with insecticides that stay in the plant.
• Planting more pollinator forage on their property and using organic or chemical-free lawn and landscaping practices.

The State of Minnesota prevents local governments from regulating any matters concerning pesticides. The City of Minneapolis will continue to advocate at the State and federal level for increased authority to address the non-agricultural use of pesticides, and for other pollinator-friendly policies.