When: Thursday, October 2 @ 7 pm
Where: East Side Neighborhood Services (1700 2nd St NE)

On the Agenda:

BNA Board Elections: 

BNA by-laws provide many avenues for voters to participate in board elections. You can vote in person at our annual election meeting (7pm on October 2 at East Side Neighborhood Services, 1700 2nd St NE), mail in the ballot we’ve sent to your home, or drop your ballot off at the BNA office (2205 California St NE #107)—just slip it under the door. This year two director positions are open, each for two year terms.

Fumes from GAF:

Council Member Jacob Frey, City of Minneapolis, MPCA and GAF personnel have all been invited to this community meeting. Bottineau residents who are concerned about GAF’s emissions should also plan on showing up–this is your opportunity to be HEARD.

NOTE: GAF’s Air Emission Permit (No. 05300043- 001) and a major amendment (dated 9/17/2004) can be found at the following links:

www.pca.state.mn.us/index.php/view-document.html?gid=10888,

www.pca.state.mn.us/index.php/view-document.html?gid=10887

From the Engineering Firm, SEH Inc: 

As many of you know, Centerpoint Energy has been performing utility work (gas main relocation) along St. Anthony Parkway and surrounding roadways (Main Street, California St., Columbia Ave., 31st Ave.). Centerpoint Energy anticipates that it will be done with the utility work along the roadways after the first week in September, and then it will continue relocation work in the railyard through the end of September. Estimated timelines may change, but all Centerpoint Energy utility relocation work is anticipated to be done by the end of September.

Xcel Energy utility work (power line relocation) has not yet been scheduled, but may take place this year or in the Spring of 2015.

For more information, visit the project website: www.stapbridge.com

From Minneapolis Public Schools: 

What could be more fun than tasty food, a Corn-Shucking Contest, live farm animals and hands-on activities for kids? MPS Culinary & Nutrition Services is proud to announce that our third annual FREE Farm to School Community BBQ will be on Thursday, September 25th from 5:00 to 7:30pm!

The event will take place in the parking lot of our Culinary Center, located at 812 Plymouth Avenue North. Students, families, staff and community members will have the chance to enjoy a locally-sourced meal, taste samples made by local chefs, learn about community organizations and meet some of the farmers who grow food for our school meals.

Open Streets – Central Avenue

Lowry Avenue Community Works had a busy day at the Central Avenue NE – Open Streets Mpls event. From our station at Central and Lowry Avenues, we shared information about corridor planning with hundreds of people as they waited to cross the intersection.

People had opportunities to vote on roadway concepts for Lowry Avenue NE and share comments and ideas at the “big table,” a 25-foot-long community conversation space. Meanwhile, kids redesigned intersections using crayons, pipe cleaners and play-dough. Go to hennepin.us/lowry to see the roadway concepts for yourself.

Save the date: September 25 public workshop

Hennepin County is hosting a third and final public workshop dedicated to the Lowry Avenue NE plan: Join us on Thursday, September 25 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at East Side Neighborhood Services, Inc.

The Community Works team and partners will share information on final design recommendations for street design, intersection concepts, redevelopment opportunities and streetscape design.

Safely dispose of your household hazardous materials

In order to provide residents with a way to get rid of unwanted batteries, thermometers, drain cleaners and a host of other household chemicals and hazardous products, Hennepin County organizes an annual series of community collection events.

If you missed Northeast Minneapolis’ community collection event earlier this month, head to the University of Minnesota campus September 18 to 20. Materials will be collected on from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. each day at Parking Lot C66 at 2904 Fairmount St. SE, Minneapolis. Materials are accepted for free from households only. Businesses must manage their waste properly. For a full list of accepted materials and directions, visit hennepin.us/collectionevents.

Items can also be taken year-round to drop-off facilities located at 1400 W. 96th St., Bloomington; and 8100 Jefferson Highway, Brooklyn Park. For more information, call 612-348-3777.

Business grants available for recycling

Did you know that Hennepin County offers grants of up to $50,000 to help businesses manage their waste? Funds can be used to start or improve programs to increase recycling and decrease food waste.

From large office buildings to small churches, restaurants and apartment buildings, most county businesses and non-profits are eligible to apply. Grants can be used for the purchase of containers and equipment, installation and hauling service charges and minor improvements to loading docks or waste enclosures.

Applications for the final round of grant funding for 2014 are due by October 15. Get more information at hennepin.us/businessrecycling or call 612-543-1316.

In July, 470 people gave feedback about corridor planning for Lowry Avenue NE through an online survey. Of the respondents, approximately 72% live, work or own businesses along or near the corridor. Among residents who noted their neighborhood, 240 (or 51%) are from neighborhoods directly along the Lowry Avenue NE corridor.

West of the Central Avenue intersection, respondents’ first preference is for a roadway with a bicycle lane, with a second preference for wider sidewalks. For Lowry Avenue east of Central Avenue, the first preference was a buffered bike lane and the second, a bicycle lane.

Survey responses about the six study intersections emphasized better signage for turn lanes and general wayfinding, improvements to building facades and streetscaping, wider sidewalks and redevelopment.

The survey data will be evaluated along with additional community input received to date, in the decision-making process for final recommended roadway and intersections designs.

Hennepin County will be hosting a third and final public workshop for the Lowry Avenue Northeast plan on Thursday, September 25 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at East Side Neighborhood Services (1700 2nd Ave NE).

The Community Works team and partners will share information on final design recommendations for street design, intersection concepts, redevelopment opportunities and streetscape design.

For more information, please contact:

Say Yang | SCOPE Planning Analyst
Hennepin County| Department of Housing, Community Works & Transit
612.348.0748 | [email protected]

Things to do Northeast …

Saturday, September 13th,  11:00am – 2:00pm

Waite Park Fall Festival
featuring the 6th Annual Waite Park Pushcart Derby!
1810 34th Ave. NE, Minneapolis, MN 55418

On Wednesday, BNA was contacted by Thadra Sheridan from Button Poetry about establishing Teen Poetry Workshops in different communities around Minneapolis, including Bottineau Neighborhood. Here is part of what she wrote:

I am working with Button Poetry, a local literary organization to create a Slam Poetry program in Twin Cities neighborhoods this fall.  What we are looking to do is start with 8-12 neighborhoods with the goal of expanding in the future.  In each neighborhood, we would use a teen center, community center, library, possibly a school to conduct a weekly workshop on writing and performance with neighborhood teens.  The workshops would be run by local adult professional performance poets overseen by Button Poetry and myself.  We are working with the Office of Student Equity to ensure that we reach out to marginalized community youth for this program, as they are often the ones most in need of this resource and form of expression.  The Office of Student Equity will also be working with our teachers on sensitivity training to ensure they are respectful and appropriate while providing an open creative outlet.

Slam Poetry is an extremely popular and accessible art form for youth.  It provides a vehicle for them to address their identities, the world around them, and their emotions.  It also enables students to enjoy a tolerant, supportive, and open-minded environment where they can learn from each other’s perspectives and experiences.  Button Poetry has worked hard for the past three years to showcase slam poetry on the internet and have become the largest internet provider of spoken word content in the world, connecting dozens of poets to Upworthy and other major media outlets.  We plan to use their resources and artists to contribute to the next generation and provide a platform for their expression and a community amongst their peers.

When the program gets under way, the workshops would last for six months, include Slam Poetry competitions between the different neighborhood groups, and culminate in a final citywide competition. More than anything, this project is “designed to give teens a way to express themselves, to have their voices heard, and to meet and learn from their peers across the city while working with established artists from their community.”

This sounds like a good opportunity for Bottineau youth, but what Button Poetry is asking for from us now is … are we interested in pursuing this opportunity? Do we know of community centers in the neighborhood that would host the weekly workshops? Can we help support them financially to cover administrative fees and pay teachers?

In short, should Bottineau Neighborhood Association help facillitate this project in our own neighborhood? Do we see this as an opportunity for our neighborhood youth and do we want to support it?

If you live in the community and have an opinion about this opportunity, please contact the BNA office via email ([email protected]) or by phone (612-367-7262).

Minnesota Housing loan programs offer up to $70,000 in assistance

Residents affected by June flooding in Carver, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott and Wright counties may be eligible for state loans up to $70,000 through Minnesota Housing. Funds are for capital improvements that return the home to pre-disaster or comparable condition.

There are two loan programs available:

• Community Fix Up flood loans can provide up to $50,000 in repair funding for residents with qualifying credit. The interest rate for these loans has been reduced to 3.00%.
• For residents who do not qualify for a Community Fix Up loan, or those who have flood repair needs beyond what is covered by the Community Fix Up loan, the Quick Start Disaster Recovery Program can provide additional assistance up to $20,000. Quick Start loans are interest free and forgiven if the owner remains in the home for 10 years. Funding for rental housing properties is also available under similar terms and conditions.

“These programs are critical resources for people who experienced this year’s flood damage,” said Mary Tingerthal, Minnesota Housing Commissioner. “I encourage property owners in affected areas to contact our lender partners to learn more.”

To be eligible for loans, residents in the declared counties and tribal areas must first contact their insurance company. Only damages that are not covered by insurance can qualify.

Informational public meetings for homeowners to learn more about the application process and speak with a CEE Lending Center representative have been scheduled at the following locations and times:

Hennepin County residents are encouraged to call the CEE Lending Center directly at (612) 335-5851

The application deadline for both loan programs is October 24, 2014. Eligible residents should contact the local administrator, Center for Energy and Environment, to learn more and apply:

Center for Energy and Environment
212 3rd Avenue North, Suite 560
Minneapolis, MN 55401
612.335.5851