Saturday, March 21st
9:00am – 3:00pm
Minneapolis Convention Center

(Click here to register)

Why a nonConference?

Organizers have dubbed this year’s event a “nonconference” due to its highly interactive nature. Participants will learn by seeing and doing rather than sitting and listening to presentations. They will be immersed in experiences that will give them the skills and strategies to take creative placemaking techniques back to their own communities.

• You’ll be challenged and interested: You will be learning by seeing and doing rather than sitting and listening to presentations.
• You determine your own schedule: Come and go as you please during the times of 9:00am – 3:00pm.
• There will be engaging Learning Labs: Learning labs replace the typical workshops, there are only 8 of them and they rotate throughout the day so you can attend the ones you like.
• Interaction is key: This is the meat and potatoes of the conference. The Village Square is where you get to meet other participants and interact.
• Everyone can participate: Language is often a barrier for participation from members of cultural communities in Minneapolis. Having many visual interactions allows for everyone to feel welcome.
• The conference is family friendly: If not having a babysitter is preventing you from attending, you can bring your kids with you. We won’t have formal child care, but we will have a few family friendly activities in the Village Square.

Register for an Exhibit Table in the Village Square!

Present your ideas, experiences and knowledge as an exhibitor at the conference. The registration and payment deadline is Friday, March 6.

• Exhibitor tables are an excellent way to promote your services or work, launch a new idea, or simply network with a wide range of participants.
• As an exhibitor, you will be featured in the Community Connections Conference program that is provided to each conference participant.
• Hosting an exhibitor table exposes you to a large group of active residents and neighborhood organizations who are looking for information, ideas and assistance to help them further their work.

The cost for an exhibitor space is free to neighborhood organizations and nonprofits with operating budgets of $250,000 or less. The cost is $100 for government, for-profit and large nonprofit agencies. More information on exhibitor registration is available on the City website.

Project proposal for 112-116 East Hennepin Ave Site (Current site of Nye’s Polonaise Room)

From the Project Description, submitted by the developer:

Schafer Richardson is proposing to redevelop the 112-116 East Hennepin site in Northeast Minneapolis. The 20,000 square foot site currently accommodates a 12,000 sf surface parking lot and 8,000 sf of combined building footprint area. The existing buildings are currently occupied by Nye’s Polonaise Room on the ground floor with residential apartments above. The 1-story infill buildings, built in 1950s-1960s, will be demolished. The existing 2-story building, built in 1907, at the corner of Lourdes Place and East Hennepin will be preserved in its present location. The 3-story “Harness Shop” building, built in 1905, will be moved south on the site to abut the existing 2-story building.

A new mixed-use development, not yet named, will be incorporated with the existing, rehabilitated buildings on site. The new tower will be a 29-story structure with approximately 189 market rate apartments and approximately 9,000 square feet of retail. The development will include 2 levels of underground parking with approximately 66 parking stalls. There will also be 5 levels of enclosed podium parking above the first floor retail/residential lobby space. The podium will provide approximately 174 additional parking stalls.

From the Minneapolis Department of Community Planning and Economic Development to the Heritage Preservation Commission:

The St. Anthony Falls Historic District Design Guidelines were adopted in 2012. The design guidelines establish standards for determining the appropriateness of work that is planned in the district, including alterations to historic buildings and the design of new structures. The design guidelines provide general guidance for the district as well as specific building rehabilitation guidance and standards for new infill buildings in the district.

To see what these design guidelines are and to read the whole 97 page document sampled in this article, click here for the PDF file: Nye’s Site Development Proposal.

Morris Park Players Spring Auditions for Willy Wonka

Tuesday and Wednesday, February 17th and 18th at 6:30 p.m.
Thomas Edison High School’s Auditorium – 700 22nd Ave. NE. – Minneapolis, MN 55418

Performance dates will be the second, third and fourth weekends in April. For more information go to www.morrisparkplayers.org

Black History Month Celebration

Friday, February 20 2015 at 6 p.m.
Thomas Edison High School’s Auditorium – 700 22nd Ave. NE. – Minneapolis, MN 55418
Cost: $3 at the door – all proceeds go to the Black Leadership Council

Thomas Edison High School’s Black Student Leadership Council invites you to join us for an evening of entertainment and education. Learn about the history African American leaders while enjoying entertainment along with student performances – African dance, Yung Madness Steppers, poetry readings, music and much more.

Thomas Edison’s Theater Presents…Twelfth Night

Thomas Edison High School Theater is proud to announce “Twelfth Night” as its winter play! Widely considered,  one of Shakespeare’s finest comedies, twelfth night will bring laughs for the whole family. Twisted love triangle, lost siblings, fighting, it has the perfect formula for fun and won’t fail to disappoint! Hope to see you there!

What: “Twelfth Night”
Where: Edison High School, 700 22nd Ave NE, Minneapolis
When: Thursday, March 5th−Saturday March 7th at 7 P.M.
Tickets: Adults: $6, Students (6-17): $5, Children (5 and under): free

Tickets can be purchased at the door, all proceeds go to Edison Theatre

Edison’s Choir Concert

Wednesday, March 11, 2015 at 7 p.m.
Thomas Edison High School’s Auditorium – 700 22nd Ave. NE. – Minneapolis, MN 55418

Join us for an evening of music performances Edison’s choir. This a FREE concert and these performances will be enjoyed by all ages.

Northeast Minneapolis Band Festival

Tuesday, March 17, 2015
6:30 p.m. – opening reception – light refreshments
7:00 p.m. – concert
Thomas Edison High School’s Auditorium (700 22nd Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN 55418)

Join us for the first annual Northeast Minneapolis Band Festival. Several bands from our Northeast Schools and community will perform 1 – 2 pieces that will showcase their ensemble with the finale’ being all bands performing one piece together.

Participants include the following bands: Edison High School, Northeast Minneapolis Community, Northeast Middle School, Marcy Open School, Pillsbury Elementary School and Waite Park Elementary School.

Convivio de Familias Latinas – en Northeast Minneapolis

19 de marzo, 2015 – 5:30 – 8 p.m.
Evento ubicado en la escuela Edison- 700 22nd Ave. NE. – Minneapolis, MN 55418

Minneapolis Police Department Crime Prevention presents:
Block Leader Training & Property crime prevention

Date: March 5th, 2015
Time: 6:30 – 8:00 pm
Location: Minneapolis 2nd Precinct (1911 Central Ave NE)

Join other residents throughout the city to develop skills for effectively working with your neighbors and securing your neighborhood.

Topics to be covered:

• Introduction to Community Crime Prevention
• How to organize a block/apartment club
• Services of Community Crime Prevention
• Responsibilities of a crime prevention block leader
• How and when to use 911
• How to solve problems effectively
• Meet your crime prevention specialists
• Best practices of property crime prevention

For more information or to RSVP, please call 612-673-2874 or send an email to [email protected]

February 17 at the California Building

Yeah, we know, Mojo Coffee Gallery actually opened on November 17, but now they’re doing it up right with a BIG GRAND OPENING on February 17, aka Valentine’s Day. Not incidentally, this also coincides with the California Building’s monthly 2nd Saturday Open Gallery event. All week this week, Mojo will feature daily specials as a lead in to their special day.

The 2nd Precinct Advisory Council (2PAC) wants YOU!

The 2nd Precinct Advisory Council meetings are for everyone who cares about the safety and security issues we all must handle.  You can join 2PAC if you are a resident, business owner, or other stakeholder in Minneapolis’s 2nd Precinct.  They welcome your participation and support.

Don’t know if you’re in the 2nd Precinct? It’s pretty much all of Northeast Minneapolis, i.e.“The 2nd Precinct’s service area is bounded by the Mississippi River on the west and south, 37th Avenue NE on the north, and the cities of St. Anthony and St. Paul on the east.”

This month the meeting will be held at 6 PM on February 9 at Monroe Village Apartments (1900 Central Avenue NE).  There is plenty of on-street parking close to the front door.

Here is what they have to say:

February is Heart Health month!

February is all about loving and living, and the basis of all that is good living is keeping our hearts healthy.  Our guest speaker—Ross Chavez, a practicing paramedic for Hennepin EMS and a former Hennepin EMS Paramedic Supervisor—will give us plenty of information about keeping our hearts healthy.  He also wants us to understand what happens when things go wrong and how HCEMS will help get things back to ‘right’.

What do you do when things “don’t feel right’?  What do you do when a friend ‘doesn’t look right?’ When is it time to dial 911?  What if your friend “doesn’t want a fuss”? What happens then?

After Ross reminds of about what we can do to stay heart healthy, he will talk about when and how to access the 911 emergency medical services system when your heart isn’t so healthy.  He will let us know how EMS services work for us.  What happens when they come to the door and what does it mean?  What happens next?  Ross will also demonstrate some of the equipment that Hennepin EMS uses to diagnose and stabilize their patients.

Besides their guest speaker, 2PAC also features Court Watch. Starting at approximately 7PM on the night of the meeting, “Court Watch is your chance to watch the judges and let them know about sentencing decisions involving  East Side crime.  If you don’t like revolving door sentences or want to urge treatment over jail, this is the place to make your opinion heard.”

Is your home in need of repairs but you can’t afford the cost? Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity has a home repair and restoration program called A Brush With Kindness (ABWK).

A Brush with Kindness helps homeowners with painting, repairs and critical health & safety issues.  Their program works in partnership with municipalities and agencies in the Twin Cities to help struggling homeowners remain living in a safe, healthy home.

In 2014, they served 130 families in the Twin Cities, many of whom live in the inner cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Also, this past year they moved their ABWK offices/warehouse to NE Minneapolis and would love to do more work in their new Nordeast “backyard” and its neighborhoods.

Their typical home improvement projects include exterior painting and minor repairs to siding, porches/decks and windows. Their interior projects include painting, minor patching and some flooring work. They also do a few larger projects as well as some accessibility work (including roofing, ramps, and railings) and some electrical and plumbing work.

Requirements to qualify for the program include filling out an application, having an income below 60% AMI (Area Median Income), having a significant repair need, and, if capable, a willingness to work alongside project volunteers.

Don’t know if your income is below 60% AMI? Here is what the income guidelines were in 2014 (established by HUD, subject to change in 2015):

Household size – Max Combined Household Income Accepted (this is 60% of the AMI)
1 – $34,860
2 – $39,840
3 – $44,820
4 – $49,740
5 – $53,760
6 – $57,720
7 – $61,680
>7 – $65,700

If this is something that fits your needs and you wish to apply, simply call the program office (612-788-8169) or visit their website at www.tchabitat.org/abwk to get more information, apply online or download an application.

Wintertide: Biennial Juried Art Exhibition
Inaugural Debut in 2015
Presented by NEMAA in Partnership with Public Functionary

Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association (NEMAA) and Public Functionary proudly present the inaugural Wintertide, with major support from Cedarwoods Foundation. Wintertide will be a competitive juried art exhibition which highlights regional NEMAA artists who produce remarkable, quality artwork.

Join us at the our opening reception on January 24, when artists will be presented with $10,500 in cash awards selected by guest judges. Be the first to sneak a peak of this unforgettable exhibit while enjoying live music and craft beer from nearby 612Brew.

Come celebrate the bounty of outstanding artwork that NEMAA artists have to offer – a bright light in Northeast during the coldest time of the year.

Location: Public Functionary
1400 12th Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413

Dates & Hours:
January 24, 2014 – February 7, 2015
Opening Reception/Prizes Awarded: Saturday, January 24, 7pm-11pm
Gallery Hours: Thursday 12pm-6pm / Friday 12pm-6pm / Saturday 12pm-6pm

2015 Jurors

• Jean Bevier, Professor Dominican University
• Leslie Hammons, Director, Weinstein Gallery
• Peter Remes, CEO, First & First
• Christina Schmid, Art Critic, Professor University of Minnesota
• Tricia Khutoretsky (2nd round juror), Director/Curator, Public Functionary

Dr. Bernadeia Johnson tenders resignation

Minneapolis superintendent will step down Jan. 31, 2015

Minneapolis Public Schools recently announced that Dr. Bernadeia Johnson submitted her resignation, which was accepted by the Minneapolis Board of Education. Johnson will remain in her position through Jan. 31, 2015.

In a letter submitted to Board of Education Chair Richard Mammen, Johnson said she continues to have strong confidence in the direction set for improving outcomes for Minneapolis students, a vision captured in her Acceleration 2020 strategic plan, and she thanked the board for supporting those efforts. She acknowledged that her family commitments have become increasingly challenging – and she determined that stepping down would best serve both the school district and her family.

At a previously scheduled session this evening, the school board accepted Johnson’s resignation and began determining a path forward. Mammen emphasized the school board’s appreciation for the superintendent’s dedicated service.

After accepting Johnson’s resignation, the school board named Chief Executive Officer Michael Goar as interim superintendent effective Feb. 1, subject to his acquiring either a superintendent’s license or a variance from the state Board of School Administrators. Goar possesses more than 20 years of professional experience as a leader in urban school districts including Boston, Memphis and Minneapolis. The school board will determine the process for filling the role on a full-time basis in the months ahead.