Good news, Bottineau: Some unused NRP funds designated by the City for Bottineau Neighborhood have unexpectedly turned up and we, as a community, need to vote on how we are going to use that money. And you will have that opportunity at our first community meeting of the new year at East Side Neighborhood Services (1700 2nd St. NE) on Thursday, January 28 at 7:00 p.m.
At our December meeting, the BNA board discussed funding priorities in the Neighborhood and voted to recommend that we reassign this money—$46,340.85 from an old commercial loan program—to the current housing grant program that benefits Bottineau property owners and helps keep our neighborhood’s housing stock in good shape. If that sounds familiar it’s because you’ve read about it in the Gazette before—it’s the Bottineau Matching Grant program that provides up to $2000 for home improvement projects.
To reassign this money from an old NRP strategy to a current neighborhood priority, we need the community—a.k.a. you—to ratify the board’s recommendation.
But that’s not the only NRP money available to be reassigned: another $9000 in uncontracted funds from an NRP I bike path strategy has also turned up and the Board has voted to recommend using these funds to engage neighborhood residents in other meaningful ways. One thing the Board wants to do is again fund the family reading program we piloted in 2014. A popular and effective program, it worked with immigrant families to better prepare their children’s reading skills and, thus, their ability to succeed in school. Volunteers read books to children and every week each child was given a book to take home.
Other potential uses for these funds include translation services at meetings; youth arts programming via Juxtaposition Art, or via workshops organized in conjunction with resident artists at the California Building; and Movies in the Park—something we can all enjoy.
But, again, this is something for our community to vote on, and other ideas—for how to use this money to engage neighborhood residents—are certainly welcome. To propose an idea, though, you need to show up. In fact, the world is run by people who show up.
Hope Community is seeking to hire a lead facilitator in their Youth Stewards program. The position will be direct work with youth engagement in food, environment and leadership opportunities.
Thursday, December 10 – 12, 2016 at 7 p.m.
Thomas Edison High School – 700 22nd Ave. NE. – Minneapolis, MN 55418
“Very family friendly—less than two hours with an intermission. $8 for adults, $6 for students – tickets sold at the door.”
Edison’s Winter Choir Concert
Tuesday, January 12, 2016 at 7 p.m.
Thomas Edison High School – 700 22nd Ave. NE. – Minneapolis, MN 55418
“Join us for an evening of music performances by Men’s/Women’s Concert Choirs and Varsity Choir. This a a FREE concert and these performances will be enjoyed by all ages.”
Edison’s Winter Band Concert
Wednesday, January 13, 2015 at 7 p.m.
Thomas Edison High School – 700 22nd Ave. NE. – Minneapolis, MN 55418
“Join us an evening of music performed by Edison’s Concert Band, Rock Band and selected students from the guitar and piano classes. This is a FREE concert and these performances will be enjoyed by all ages.”
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
Northeast Farmers Market Winter Market
Third Saturdays, November – March, 10:00am – 2:00pm
Norseman Distillery
451 Taft Street NE, South loading dock
Minneapolis, MN 55413
[MINNEAPOLIS – November 4, 2015] The Northeast Farmers Market announces the 1st annual Winter Market located at the Norseman Distillery. Support local food vendors and artisans during the winter months and celebrate the community spirit of the Market.
Expect music from DJ The Ring Toss Twins, children’s activities, and more. Meet new friends, visit with familiar faces, and shop local!
MARK YOUR CALENDARS:
Saturday, November 21st
Saturday, December 19th
Saturday, January 16th
Saturday, February 20th
Saturday, March 19th
Special thanks to Norseman Distillery for making the Winter Market possible.
The Northeast Farmers Market is on its sixteenth year of operation and is located in the parking lot of St Boniface Church. It is the oldest community based market in the Twin Cities and has been named the top Farmers Market for two years by “City Pages”.
Store To Door Volunteers using Tablets for Shopping and Updated Online Ordering
Store to Door (S2D) partners with 500 volunteers a year to take client grocery orders over the phone and enter it online, shop customer grocery orders, and provide administrative support. In an effort to stream line their systems and improve their customer service, Store To Door has made updates to it’s online order taking system and has added tablets to shopping. Store To Door is a nonprofit grocery shopping and delivery service for senior 60+ years old in the seven county metro area.
Store To Door recently updated its online order taking system -Volunteer Order Takers are assigned four seniors, calling two one week and two the next week. Order Takers use their own phone and computer/tablet to connect to S2D’s online/internet ordering system. The grocery ordering system has comprehensive list of Cub grocery items. Orders are entered into the system while the senior tells their grocery order over the phone. Volunteer Order Taker Julene notes “S2D staff listened and learned what is needed to make this [the order taking] process even better.” This Virtual Volunteering makes it easy to volunteer at home, during a lunch break or in any other location where you have online access. Because of the dangers of snow & ice, Store To Door adds over 200 clients in the winter months which means they need 50 additional volunteer order takers. Order Taker Training is scheduled for Monday, November 9 1-2:30 p.m. or Thursday, November 19 6-7:30 p.m. at Store To Door’s offices in Roseville. There is a current need for Order Takers who can call clients on Sundays, Mondays and Fridays.
Store To Door is also busy training volunteer shoppers to use tablets as they shop client orders – Volunteer Shoppers use an electronic tablet to fill individual grocery orders during a shift at one of five Cub Foods locations (Bloomington, Crystal, Maplewood, St. Anthony, or St Paul). Shopper shifts begin at 6AM and end about 10AM, Tuesday-Friday. Volunteers do not pay for groceries nor do they deliver them to clients.
If you are interested in attending an order taker training or would like to learn more about volunteer shopping and other volunteer experiences at Store to Door please contact Carolyn Swenson, Volunteer Program Coordinator at 651-642-1892 or [email protected].
The Minneapolis Commission on Civil Rights, the Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights, Minneapolis City Council, and the Minneapolis Mayor are pleased to present the 2016 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Contest. This contest is open to all Minneapolis students in the 9th, 10th, and 11th grades.
The topic for this year’s contest is: Dr. King’s vision is alive and well through the work of current civil rights activists. What kind of impacts are these activists making on the current political and social landscape, and how do you see their work influencing the future?
Provide and properly cite all direct quotes from at least two current leaders/activists in your essay, and give their contact information for verification purposes. You can use information gathering techniques such as interviews, reaching out to organizations/houses of worship doing civil rights work, attending community meetings, and much more. Essays may be from one to three pages in length and address the selected topic. Completed entry forms with parent’s signature must be attached to the back of the essay. All submissions are due by November 16th, 2015.
Teachers can request a member of the Minneapolis Commission on Civil Rights to visit their classroom and to assist students with the essay topic. To request a visit, please contact the commissioner listed at the bottom of this letter.
Additional packets can be found on the Minneapolis Commission on Civil Rights website, here.
All contest winners will be notified in January, 2016. There will be three winners chosen from each grade level.
The contest winners will receive a gift card to be awarded at a ceremony before the Minneapolis City Council in January 2016, in the following amounts:
First Place $ 300.00
Second Place $ 200.00
Third Place $ 100.00
There will be a reception after the award ceremony to honor the winners. Teachers, parents, educators and others are invited to attend. Students will have the opportunity to meet and take pictures with the Minneapolis Commission on Civil Rights members, Minneapolis City Council members and Mayor Hodges. Interviews may be requested by the media. The first place winners will have an opportunity to read a portion of their essay at the awards ceremony
Completed Essays should be returned no later than Monday November 16th, 2015 to:
Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights
Attention: Christian Taylor, MCCR Liaison
350 South 5th Street, Room 239
Minneapolis, MN 55415 [email protected]
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.
The deadline for art submissions for the 5th Annual Northeast Arts Calendar is October 8th at 6 PM. The calendar is produced and distributed by the Northeast Community Development Corporation (NECDC). Artists should send in works that represent one or more of the 14 Northeast Neighborhoods with an address or clearly defined location that inspired the work. (See map at bottom). Neighborhoods include: St. Anthony West, St. Anthony East, Beltrami, Mid-City Industrial, Northeast Park, Logan Park, Sheridan, Bottineau, Holland, Windom Park, Audubon Park, Waite Park, Columbia Park, and Marshall Terrace.
Artists will be paid $50.00 per each work selected and the artist’s work that is chosen for the calendar’s cover will be paid $250.00. Artwork must be formatted in 300 dpi and submitted electronically to [email protected]. Click here for a printable flyer (pdf).
New this year: Northeast Neighborhood residents, artists and business owners are encouraged to attend the art selection open house at East Side Neighborhood Services (1700 2nd St NE) on October 15th from 6:00 – 8:00 PM. Highest ranked artworks will be used in the calendar. Snacks and beverages provided.
Call 612-801-7834 regarding submissions for event.
Thursday, September 10 — 6-8 p.m.
Sheridan Memorial-Above the Falls Regional Park, Northeast Minneapolis
Help maintain the riverfront raingarden in Minneapolis’ newest park. In addition to beautifying this memorial park, the raingarden provides bee, butterfly and bird habitat while reducing the amount of polluted runoff flowing into the Mississippi River.
Learn more and sign up via the event page, or sign up now with Amy at [email protected] or 651-222-2193 x31.
Native Wetland & Green Infrastructure Planting
Thursday, September 17 — 6-8 p.m.
Crosby Farm Regional Park, St. Paul
Near the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers, volunteers will work in a raingarden, a runoff-reducing berm and in a demonstration prairie, planting a variety of native plants in each. This “green infrastructure” reduces erosion, filters water pollution and provides much-needed pollinator and wildlife habitat in the urban river corridor.
Learn more and sign up via the event page, or sign up now with Amy at [email protected] or 651-222-2193 x31.
Woodland Seedling Tending
Thursday, September 24 — 6-8 p.m.
Whitetail Woods Regional Park, Farmington
Join us in Dakota County’s newest park, 456-acre Whitetail Woods! Working alongside FMR and Dakota County staff, volunteers will install and repair tree tubes to protect seedlings recently planted by local volunteers from Dakota Electric. In addition to protecting the young trees from rabbits and deer, the tubes will shelter the seedlings from high winds and create a sort of microclimate to help them make it through their first winter.
Learn more and sign up via the event page, or sign up now with Amy at [email protected] or 651-222-2193 x31.
Community Spirits Night
Thursday, September 24 — 6-9 p.m.
Wander North Distillery, 771 Harding St. N.E., Ste. 150, Minneapolis
FMR is the nonprofit of the night at this new local distillery! Enjoy a tour (8 p.m.), drink raffles and craft libations in the cocktail room. Plus a dollar of every drink sold goes towards FMR, and it’s a great way to introduce friends or family to your favorite local nonprofit. Rusty Taco food truck will also be there. No RSVPs necessary!
Seed Collection in the Sand Coulee/Rare Prairie
Saturday, October 3 — 9:30-11:30 a.m.
Sand Coulee Scientific & Natural Area, near Hastings
After a brief training, volunteers will help collect much-needed native prairie seed while enjoying this rare sand-gravel prairie in full fall bloom. All seed will be used for further habitat restoration. Large quantities —— of volunteers and seed alike —— are needed!
Learn more and sign up via the event page, or sign up now with Amy at [email protected] or 651-222-2193 x31.
Showy Demonstration Prairie Planting
Thursday, October 8 — 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Ole Olson — Above the Falls Regional Park, Minneapolis
Join us as we break ground on FMR’s newest restoration site in north Minneapolis! Working with FMR Ecologist Alex Roth and Stewardship Coordinator Adam Flett, volunteers will install a demonstration native prairie garden along the bike trail — beautifying the park and providing much-needed pollinator habitat.
Learn more and sign up via the event page, or sign up now with Amy at [email protected] or 651-222-2193 x31.
Hayride + Buckthorn Blast — Join one or both!
Saturday, October 17 — 8:30-1 p.m.
3M-Cottage Grove bluff top woodlands and prairie, Cottage Grove
Thanks to community volunteers and a long-term partnership with 3M, FMR has had the privilege of helping to preserve and restore a rare prairie and oak woodlands at 3M’s Cottage Grove facility just above the Mississippi River. Former invasive species thickets are now home to wildflowers and wildlife, and help connect adjacent natural areas to create a green corridor in southern Washington County. Come help celebrate our success and continue this important restoration project!
This special event kicks off with a light breakfast followed by a prairie nature walk and hayride with FMR Lead Ecologist Karen Schik. Next, volunteers are needed to work with FMR Ecologist Alex Roth and River Stewardship Coordinator Adam Flett to help restore the oak woodlands by hauling pre-cut brush, primarily buckthorn, and then enjoy a catered lunch. You can sign up for the walk and hayride (8:30-10:30 a.m.), the buckthorn blast (10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.), or both!
Learn more and sign up via the event page, or sign up now with Amy at [email protected] or 651-222-2193 x31. Don’t forget to let Amy know if you’re planning to join the nature walk and hayride, the buckthorn blast — or both!
Restore Habitat at Pine Bend Bluffs
Saturday, October 24 — 9 a.m.-noon
Pine Bend Bluffs, Flint Hills Resources restoration area, Rosemount
Join FMR, Flint Hills Resources and Great River Greening as we return to the Flint Hills property within the Pine Bend Bluffs Natural Area along the Mississippi River —— one of the largest and most diverse native ecosystems remaining in the metro area. The site is only accessible to the public for special occasions such as this annual restoration and celebration event.
Learn more and sign up via the event page, or sign up now with Amy at [email protected] or 651-222-2193 x31.
