By JAN WILLMSAlthough a plan for a Vikings

stadium touted by Mayor R.T.Rybak is as up and down as a yo-yo at the Minnesota legislature,ideas and discussions continue toswirl around the team's future.

Minneapolis residents havebeen debating the pros and consof a Downtown East Vikings stadi-um plan promoted by Rybak, asthe mayor has brought his case tothe people with neighborhood fo-rums.

With seven City Councilmembers now supporting the con-troversial plan, Rybak has cited thebenefits to the hospitality industry,the growth in jobs, and the lower-ing of property taxes as major rea-sons for forging ahead with thisproposal.

The $975 million stadiumwould be funded by contributionsof $427 million from the Vikings,$398 million from the state and$150 million from the city. In ad-dition, the team would provide$327 million and the city $189million in operating costs. The sta-dium would be built on theMetrodome site in downtownMinneapolis, with hopes of a 2016opening.

Facing a mixed crowd of sup-porters and opponents, Rybakfielded questions at an April 10

gathering of about 100 city resi-dents at the Nokomis RecreationCenter.

Admitting there is a lot ofconfusion about the return in in-vestment from the plan, and thatit might require 57 doctoral thesesto figure it all out, Rybak nonethe-less cited the importance of theproject in benefitting the hospital-ity industry.

“We need to stop and look atthe people working at the jobs inrestaurants and parking ramps,”he said. He said a lot of thoseworkers are immigrants, and theirjobs are important to them.

By redirecting city sales taxesto fund the $150 million, Rybakemphasized that the plan wouldinvest in the hospitality industrywhile lowering property taxes byaiding the city-owned Target Cen-ter.

“The issue is whether we as acity have control over this,” Rybaksaid.

“I have tried for 10 years forus to have some control over taxes.The state imposes, and the statehas 100 per cent control. For thefirst time ever, we would have con-trol. The state would take its shareto use for the Vikings and give usthe remainder for economic devel-

opment.”Some audience members ex-

pressed concern, however, that thestadium funding issue is not beingput to a vote.

The City Charter adopted lan-guage in 1997 that requires a city-wide vote when Minneapolisspends more than $10 million ona stadium.

A resident asked Rybak howhe could say people do not have aright to vote on it, questioningwhether such action would belegal.

Rybak said the charteramendment does not apply in thiscase, based on an oral opinionfrom the city’s counsel.

This is the statement City At-torney Susan Segal has issued re-garding the charter issue:

“Based on my reading of thecurrent proposal the legislaturewould direct the Commissioner ofRevenue to retain a part of Con-vention Center taxes for the pur-pose of paying off certain capitaland operating expenses requiredfor the proposed Vikings stadium.If that is the case, the taxes wouldbe outside the control of the Cityand our Charter provisions.”

“I am not a big advocate ofreferendum government,” Rybak

said. “We elect people to maketough decisions.”

Rybak added that the stadi-um would not just be for theVikings games. “They have 10dates per year,” he explained. “Itwould be used for many otherthings, such as soccer games andconcerts.”

His view that the stadiumwould act as a huge job generatorfor the construction industry wasmet with approval by unionmembers in attendance.

“There’s a lot of anti-union,racist policy going on with localand federal government,” onewoman claimed. “I’m not a bigsports fan, but this is the bestthing we can do.”

As one person attending saidthe issue was all about building aVikings stadium for a billionaire,and another rose to disagree, themayor called for everyone to berespectful of each others’ views.He made this comment a fewtimes during the forum, and wasable to keep the discussion run-ning smoothly.

Rybak said he could notquantify how important havingan NFL franchise in the city is,how much it will draw businessin. He said the real issue is replac-ing property tax with a sales taxon hospitality.

He also expressed that if hehad control of the money, hisnumber one issues would be edu-cation and transportation. “Idon’t put the Vikings at numberone,” he said.

The audience questions andviews seemed to be split in sup-port and opposition of themayor’s plan. One man expressedhis support because he sees this asa great opportunity for Min-neapolis not to have to raise prop-erty taxes.

Continued on page 9

Your Neighborhood Newspaper For Over Twenty Years

Vol. 29 No. 3 21,000 Circulation

Sabo Bridgemay soon reopen

Construction is onat 46th and 46th

Nokomis homeson Home Tour

INSIDE

MAY 2012

News..................2

News..................5

Feature.............3

Feature.............6

Trail riders keepGreenway safe

Minneapolis continues stadiumdebate despitestall in Legislature

Facing a mixed crowd of supporters and opponents, Minneapolis Mayor R.T.Rybak fielded questions at an April 10 gathering of about 100 city residentsat the Nokomis Recreation Center. (Photo by Stefanie Berres)

Some audience members at the Nokomis Recreation Center expressed con-cern that the stadium funding issue is not being put to a vote. (Photo byStefanie Berres)

“I am not a big advocate of referendum government.”

- Mayor R.T. Rybak

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSENThe Martin Olav Sabo

Bridge may soon open back upto pedestrian and bike traffic.

Experts are investigatingwhether Minnesota’s only cable-stayed suspension bridge couldbe opened to users before a per-manent fix is made, accordingto Minneapolis Public Worksdeputy director Heidi Hamilton.

The five-year-old bridge hasbeen closed since Feb. 19, 2012when a pair of cables was foundlying on the bridge deck. TheChicago-based firm Wiss, Jan-ney and Elstner (WJE) is cur-rently investigating why the an-chor plates holding the cablesfractured. Minneapolis andHennepin County are splittingthe $150,000 fee.

In order to reopen the SaboBridge, one major questionneeds to be answered. “We needto know if the shoring in placeis adequate to support a liveload of bicyclists and pedestri-ans,” said Hamilton. The origi-nal design engineering firm,URS, will answer that questionin early May.

Meanwhile, the search foranswers as to why the anchorplates fractured continues. Sev-eral instruments were installedby city workers and WJE staff

the week of April 16 that willprovide experts with importantdata about how the bridge han-dles weather and wind condi-tions.

According to MinneapolisBridge Engineer Jack Yunza,anemometers were installed totrack wind speed, duration ofwind and temperature duringwind events. Strain gauges, dis-placement transducers and ac-celerometers will provide actualstress range movement, ampli-tude and frequency of cable vi-brations experienced by thebridge during wind events.These instruments will be moni-tored 24 hours a day.

Together, these two piecesof data will be correlated to pro-vide a complete picture ofwhat’s happening to the bridgein all kinds of weather, ex-plained Yunza.

The data from these instru-ments will then be reviewedalongside the report of why theplates broke. The metalurgicalanalysis of the broken plates isbeing done by Lehigh Universityin Pennsylvania.

Yunza stated, “The infor-mation gathered will becomethe basis for the repair plan.”

Page 2 May 2012 • Messenger • www.LongfellowNokomisMessenger.com

1885 University Ave. St. Paul, MN 55104

651-645-7045

Publishers:

Calvin deRuyter, Tim Nelson

Managing Editor:

Denis Woulfe

Advertising:

Denis Woulfe - 651-917-4183Colette Mullenmaster - 651-494-8047

Photographer:

Stefanie Berres

Production/Illustrations:

Bob Wasiluk

Contributing Writers:

Iric Nathanson, Deborah Brotz, Jane McClure, Tesha M. Christensen,Sherri Moore, Tom Gilsenan, Jan Willms

Now, communicate with theLongfellow/Nokomis Messenger electronically!Now it’s easier than ever to keep in touchwith the Messenger. Letters to the editorand news releases for publication can besent via e-mail at denisw@aplacetore-member.com. Be sure to send copy in thebody of the e-mail, and please markwhether the copy is a letter, a news releasefor publication, or perhaps just yourthoughts on the last issue. Don’t forget towrite!

The Longfellow/Nokomis Messenger is amonthly community publication in theLongfellow and Nokomis areas of Min-neapolis, owned and operated bydeRuyter-Nelson Publications, Inc. All cor-respondence should be sent to the Mes-senger, 1885 University Ave., #110, St. Paul,MN 55104. Editorial and advertising of-fices can be reached at 651-645-7045. Ourfax number is 651-645-4780.

All rights reserved. The contents of theMessenger cannot be reproduced withoutexpress written permission of the publish-er. Copyright ©2012.

Next deadline: May 21

Next issue: May 31

For more information call 651-917-4183

“A Touch of Mexico” inSouth Minneapolis

Full Authentic Mexican Menu

Join us on our beautifulgarden “Patio”

Lake & 40th • 4000 E. Lake St.612-722-6888

Mon. - sat. 10 a.m.-9 p.m.(closed sundays)

Sabo Bridgemay reopensoon

Minneapolis considers opening the bridge back up before a

permanent repair is completed.

Workers install a variety of equipment on the Sabo Bridge in order to collectdata about how the bridge responds to weather conditions. That data will beused to help fashion a repair plan. (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)

CORRECTIONIn the March issue of theLongfellow Nokomis Messen-ger the “What’s Cookin’” col-umn had an incorrect phonenumber for Augustana. Thephone number should havebeen 612-238-5255.

Page 3www.LongfellowNokomisMessenger.com • Messenger • May 2012

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSENTrail Watch riders help keep

the Midtown Greenway safe everynight of the week.

Traveling in groups of threeor more, the riders act as extraeyes and ears for law enforcementby observing and reporting suspi-cious behavior or unsafe condi-tions. Trail Watchers do not inter-vene in incidents they comeacross in the Greenway; ratherthey’re a friendly presence on thetrail and report criminal or intim-idating behaviors that are noticedduring the shift to police.

The program began as an off-shoot of the Minneapolis bicycleforum mplsbikelove.com in re-sponse to the number of assaultsand robberies on the Greenwaythat had happened in the fall of2008. People talking together onthe forum organized a citizen’spatrol. In 2009, the MidtownGreenway Coalition took over theprogram and formalized it. Thereare similar programs in cities suchas New York, Portland and An-chorage.

FIGHTING PERCEP-TION THE TRENCHISN’T SAFEAndrew Paule is a single dadwith a daughter who uses theGreenway as a basic route fromUptown to the River Road. Hejoined the bike-mounted safetypatrol because he thought itwould make her safer, as well asother riders.

“The goal of the programhas always been to make the rid-ers on the Greenway feel safer,”said Paule, who leads rides onFridays and Saturdays. “A percep-tion existed that the Greenwaywas unsafe at night, and eventhough it is much safer to ride itthan city streets, many peopleavoided it. Plus, the ‘trench’ (be-tween 28th St. and Hennepin) isdown, away from others, and canbe eerie at night alone for some.”

“It’s important to know thatcrime against bikers and others israre in the Greenway,” pointedout Midtown Greenway Coali-tion Executive Director andLongfellow resident SorenJensen. “In fact, the Greenway isone of the safest places to ride abike.”

But like other places in thecity, crime does exist, and TrailWatch riders help prevent it bytheir presence.

“I think we have had an im-pact,” Paule noted. “Crime isdown on the Greenway signifi-cantly. We had zero incidents be-tween 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. for twoyears.”

There was a small crimewave this winter of two to threeincidents near the 12th Ave.bridge. Trail Watch riders re-sponded by patrolling that areamore frequently, particularly dur-ing the time the incidents wereoccurring.

Gabriel Hoffman, the Se-ward representative on the coali-tion board, heads up the Mid-

town Greenway Coalition’s TrailWatch program and is the Thurs-day night ride leader. “I havecome across the aftermath of sev-eral situations,“ he said. “We pro-vide what help we can, and call911, but most nights it is prettyquiet out there. I keep my eyesopen when I’m down there, butI’ve never had a problem, norbeen in an uncomfortable situa-tion.”

The Midtown GreenwayCoalition encourages people toride in pairs after dark when pos-sible, and is launching a “buddyup” program this year.

“While Trail Watch will al-ways be our #1 crime preventionprogram, the coalition has also re-cently started a Crime PreventionTask Force to look at more thingswe can do to help prevent crime,from working on more lightingand cameras, to hiring private se-curity patrols,” said Jensen.

WHAT IS A RIDE LIKE?Trail Watch riders set off nightly ataround dusk from the Midtownbuilding entry on 10th Ave., ac-knowledging that people using theGreenway tend to get uneasyaround that time of day. They puton their vests and notify policedispatch that they’re heading out.Then they begin traversing the trailbetween Lake Calhoun and theMetrodome.

“For the first couple of hoursafter dark there are still a lot of rid-ers out and we believe that manyknow who we are and feel saferbecause of it,” said Paule. “The po-lice also know who we are now,and respond better. The dispatch-ers in particular know where weare now, and get cars out quickly.”

All rides carry a basic me-chanical kit (fixing flats, brokenchains, etc.) and will help peoplewho are not able to fix their bikes.Trail Watch riders also sweep glassand pick up trash (especially glassbottles) to help out.

Each night the rides strike adifferent pace and tone.

“Friday night ride is a fast rideand we tend to do a lot of ‘up top’riding,” said Paule. “We have hadproblems with people tossingrocks off of bridges, and problemswith people hanging out on theGreenway. Being at street level al-

lows us to peer down and seewhat is going on. The people whocause the problem spots knowthat we are out and looking forthem and not simply riding alongthe Greenway.”

Saturday tends to be the “passout lights” ride. Paule and anotherrider buy lights and distributethem to people riding without. “Ithelps keep all of us safer,” he said.

Wednesdays used to be theWOW (Women Ride on Wednes-days) ride. In the winter, there’shot cocoa on Sundays.

“The riders tend to know eachother pretty well,” pointed outPaule, and each ride is a socialevent for those involved.

Just as there are more ridersout on the Greenway during niceweather, so there are more TrailWatch volunteers during thosemonths.

“Biking is very seasonal formany people,” observed Paule.“They ride a lot during the spring,some in the summer (it’s hot) andbasically stop for the fall and win-ter. It’s like gyms - you can’t find aparking spot in early January, butyou can use any weight station ormachine you want in late summerat any time.

“But, 30 years ago there weremaybe a dozen people who rodein the winter. Now there are thou-sands, and every year more peopleare doing it. So we are gettingmore people out year round forTrail Watch.”

Some Trail Watch volunteerscome out for several rides a week;others show up once a year. “It’s avolunteer thing and we viewshowing up even for an hour as agood thing,” noted Paule.

There is an incentive programfor Trail Watch riders courtesy oflocal businesses. Bryant-LaneBowl, Common Roots Cafe,Galactic Pizza, Pizza Luce providefree food once a month. Addition-ally, riders who participate in sixor more rides in a quarter get a10% discount on in-stock partsand accessories and a 5% discounton bikes at Free Wheel Bike, aswell as maintenance and tune-upsfrom Bikes and Pieces. Wells Fargodonated $1,000 to continue devel-opment of the program.

Learn more at http://www. -midtowngreenway.org. Or, emailtrailwatch@midtowngreenway.org .

CATOYA’SCORNER

Living Life to the FullestAugustana Apartments are all about choices, which mayinvolve celebrations, volunteer activities and personalpassions. Start the day in our ceramics center, completewith kiln to fire your creations; build a bird feeder inour woodworking shop; curl up with a book in thelibrary. The chance to find intriguing new friendshipsand pursuits will follow you wherever you go.

Older adults are vital to our communities. New experi-ences, relationships and giving back to the communityare all important aspects of their lives. At AugustanaApartments, we provide services that help older adultscelebrate life as they live it to the fullest.

Spiritual care is also a vital part of the Augustana Careexperience. Chaplains and volunteers are dedicated toproviding spiritual and emotional support to residentsand families from a variety of cultures and back-grounds.

We invite you to visit, share a meal with us and experi-ence life as it is lived and celebrated at Augustana. Youare always welcome!

In the heart of the historic Elliot Park neighborhood,Augustana Apartments and Health Care Center combinecharm, convenience and community. Independent, mem-ory care and assisted living services are also available.

For older adults who cannot afford market-rate rentals,one-bedroom apartments are available at reduced ratesto those who qualify. To learn more, please inquire atour housing office 612-238-5255.

Catoya Clausell, B.S., M.A.Marketing DirectorAugustana Apartments of Minneapolis1510 11th Ave SouthMinneapolis, Minnesota 55404Direct: (612) 238-5255Cell:    (612) 554-8513www.augustanacare.org

PAID ADVERTISEMENT

by Catoya N. Clausell

Trail Watch riderskeep Greenway safeVolunteers report suspicious behavior and unsafe conditions, help fix flat tires, and provide a friendly presence on the trail

Trail Watch volunteers (left to right) Andrew Paule, Tom Kern, Kathy Koch pre-pare for a Sunday evening ride. To volunteer with Trail Watch, send an email totrailwatch@midtowngreenway.org, or visit the Trail Watch page athttp://www.midtowngreenway.org/trailusers/Trail%20Watch/TrailWatch.html.

Nichole McIntosh has four fa-vorite places around our neigh-borhoods where she takes visi-tors. She sent her list in responseto a recent column in which Iasked for good places to takefamily and friends who come tovisit (Hiawatha Notebook, April2012). At the top of her list is SeaSalt Eatery, that fine restaurant inthe refectory building at Min-nehaha Falls. If you choose your night and seating care-fully, you can hear live music on one side of you andMinnehaha Falls on the other side. The menu is mostlyseafood. “I like the crayfish po’boy,” notes McIntosh.

Second on her list is Matt’s Bar, 3500 Cedar Ave. S.It’s the home of the Jucy Lucy, a burger with the cheeseinside the meat instead of on top. (Yes, Matt’s spells thisburger without an ‘i.’ “Visitors have to try a Jucy Lucy,”she says. Matt, by the way, is Matt Bristol, who started thebar in 1954.

Next on her list is the Riverview Theatre 3800 42ndAve S. It’s been a part of the neighborhood since 1948.“Who doesn’t love cheap movies!” says our reader. Lowprices for movies is just part of the attraction of this the-ater. Also appealing is the eclectic film selection. Plus,you can get popcorn to go.

Fourth on the McIntosh list is the Birchwood Cafe,3311 E. 25th St. Longtime residents may remember this asa grocery store. Built in 1926, this was originally a dairyand converted to a grocery store in the 1940s. Since 1995,it’s been a very nice neighborhood restaurant with plentyof vegetarian and vegan offerings. Says our reader: “Greatneighborhood spot with delicious desserts.”

How about you? What’s on your list of best places totake visitors around our neighborhoods. Let me know ina letter or an email.

❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊Traffic on Minnehaha Avenue should be sped up, notslowed down. That’s the view of John O’Neill, who re-sponded to my recent column suggesting slower speedsand more room for bikes and pedestrians along Min-

nehaha. “I disagree,” he writes. “Ibelieve all should be done tomake Minnehaha as auto friendlyas possible.”

O’Neill says Minnehaha is agood — and necessary — alterna-tive to Hiawatha for cars. He saysHiawatha “has become a parkinglot due to the traffic light situa-tion.” Moving more cars ontoMinnehaha would reduce “gas

wasted sitting at lights” as well as accidents and deaths atthe train crossings.

❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊As for my thoughts about what’s happened to the mail,Michael LePree suggests I don’t know what I am talkingabout. He writes: “Obviously you are totally clueless as toyour facts so why would you embarrass yourself by writ-ing about something you know nothing about.”

❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊

(Tom Gilsenan has been writing a column for the LongellowNokomis Mesenger since 1997. You can reach him via emailat tomgilsenan@gmail.com. Or write to him the old-fashionedway in care of the Messenger.)

Page 4 May 2012 • Messenger • www.LongfellowNokomisMessenger.com

Annual NeighborhoodMeeting – May 15NENA’s Annual NeighborhoodMeeting will be May 15, 6:30pm atCrosstown Covenant Church,5540 30th Ave S. We’ll start withdinner at 6:30pm, followed by themeeting at 7:15pm, with Boardelections and volunteer recognition.

If you are committed to neighborhood improvement,citizen participation, advocacy and community building,consider volunteering your time, energy and talents byrunning for the Board of Directors. It is a great way tostay current on neighborhood news, and participate indiscussions of issues and how NENA can best serve theneighborhood.

We will be electing two representatives from each ofour neighborhoods: Keewaydin, Wenonah, Morris Park,and Minnehaha. Neighborhood representatives on theBoard must live in the neighborhood they represent. Ifyou are interested in running, please call the NENA office(612-724-5652) for an information packet.

If you are new to the neighborhood, or to NENA, theAnnual Meeting is the best time to learn about yourneighborhood organization and its work. It’s also a goodtime to meet other people from the neighborhood.

Growing Monarch Habitat WorkshopNENA will be offering its annual Growing Monarch HabitatWorkshop on Saturday, May 26, 10-11am at the NokomisCommunity Center. The workshop includes an overview ofthe monarch butterfly life cycle, and the different types ofnative plants that it needs for food and shelter. A “Garden-to-Go” kit is included in the registration price. It has a se-lection of native plants to start your own monarch garden,and you’ll learn how and where to plant them.

The registration fee is $25, but people who want to at-tend the workshop and do not need the plants may attendfor free. Please call or email the NENA office for a registra-tion form (612-724-5652 or nena@nokomiseast.org.Don’t delay – the number of garden kits is limited. Regis-trations are due May 18.

Neighborhood Garage Sale is June 23The annual Nokomis East Neighborhood Garage Sale willbe Saturday, June 23, with advertised hours of 8am –4pm. If you want to hold a sale, and be included in themap and address listing, registrations will be accepted upuntil June 11. Last year’s survey of participants showedthat people wanted the maps available earlier, so thedeadline is earlier this year.

There’s no fee for participating, but you must livesouth of Minnehaha Parkway and East of Cedar Avenue.

Here’s how it works: You plan your own garagesale, and NENA will publicize the event in garage sale cal-endars, Craigslist, etc. We’ll create a listing and map ofsale locations for shoppers. At the end, we’ll ask partici-pants to complete a short survey to let us know how itwent.

The best way to get good traffic at your sale is to re-cruit your neighbors to hold a garage sale. Shoppers willlook for clusters on the map to maximize the number ofsales they can hit. Registration forms are available at theNENA office (3000 East 50th St) and on our website:www.nokomiseast.org

Do You Want a Community Gar-den?NENA has had a small group ofvolunteers working for the lasttwo years on getting a communitygarden started in Nokomis East.It has done extensive research,

but is at a point now where, without additional peoplegetting involved, the project will run out of steam.

The community garden gurus tell us that it takes agroup of 10 committed people to get a garden going. Ifyou are interested in working on a community garden,and can commit to spending a year working on it, pleasecontact the NENA office (612-724-5652). Without newvolunteers, it’s unlikely we will be able to start a commu-nity garden in the foreseeable future.

Upcoming NENA Meetings and EventsAnnual Neighborhood Meeting 6:30 PM, Tuesday,May 15, at Crosstown Covenant Church, 5540 30th AveS. The meeting will start at 7:15 PM.

NENA Board: 7 PM, Thursday, May 17, at NENA.

Important NENA Dates for 2012: NeighborhoodGarage Sale – June 23; National Night Out – August 7;Minneapolis Monarch Festival – September 8; Night Be-fore New Year’s Eve Party – December 30.

Last-minute schedule changes are posted on our Calen-dar page at www.nokomiseast.org or you may call (612)724-5652.

Please note that the NENA office will be closed May21- 28. Staff will be attending the Neighborhoods USAconference in Indianapolis, and giving a presentation onthe Minneapolis Monarch Festival.

Readers respond with favorite places

Hiawatha NotebookBy TOM GILSENAN

Meetings, Monarchs, and the Big Garage Sale

NENA (Nokomis East Neighborhood Association)By Rita Ulrich and Doug Walter, NENA Staff

Metro Blooms is proud to pres-ent Raingarden Workshops withsponsorship from the City ofMinneapolis.

On Saturday, May 12, a Rain-garden Workshop will be offeredfrom 10 a.m.-noon at LongfellowRecreation Center, 3435 36thAve. So.

Metro Blooms will also beoffering another RaingardenWorkshop on Thursday, June 7,from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at NokomisLutheran Church, 5011 31st Ave.So.

In each of these two-hourworkshops you will learn the ba-sics of why, where, and how to

install a raingarden. During thepresentation, you will learn whatmakes up a watershed, how pol-lution affects a watershed, andhow residents can improve waterquality. We will coverhealthier lawn care practices in-cluding less-toxic lawn care,using rainbarrels, and using na-

tive plants, trees and shrubs. Wewill present the basics of raingar-den design, installation, andmaintenance, including where toinstall a rain garden, how tomeasure infiltration, how to sizea raingarden, how to preparesoil, how to redirect downspouts,and how to choose suitable na-

tive plants. Participants will re-ceive a packet of supporting ma-terials including a homework as-signment to guide the planningof their own rain garden.

To register for this and otherMetro Blooms workshopsvisit www.metroblooms.org orcall 651-698-1390.

Metro Blooms presents Raingarden Workshops May 12, June 7

By IRIC NATHANSONAn abandoned construction

site at one of Longfellow’s mostprominent intersections isshowing new signs of life nowthat work has resumed on thelong-stalled development at46th Avenue and 46th Street.

The intersection was to havebeen the site of an upscale con-dominium development but theproject was abandoned whenthe bottom fell out of the condomarket in 2006 and 2007. Lastyear, the property was sold to adevelopment team led byMichael Lander, who built WestRiver Commons at Lake Streetand West River Parkway.

In place of a 32 unit condo-minium, Lander is building a 48unit apartment building at the46th Street site. The apartmentswill be built on the foundationthat had been laid for the earlierdevelopment.

Lander said he and his teamare using the existing founda-tion because of their emphasison adaptive reuse. “We couldhave started over and ripped outthe foundation, but we chosenot to do that. It is part of ourgreen focus. We have encoun-tered some challenges as wehave moved ahead with con-struction, but we are overcom-ing them,” Lander said.

The Minneapolis developersaid that his group decided toconvert the project from owner-ship to market-rate rental be-cause of fundamental changes inthe housing market. “Rightnow, it is very difficult to fi-nance condos. Buyers are nerv-ous after the market collapse.”

“We are finding that a lot ofpeople, who may have opted forownership in the past, now wantto rent, so we are targeting thatsegment of the market com-posed of one and two personhouseholds,” Lander explained.

The 46th and 46th project,now renamed, Parkway WestApartments, is one of severalrental developments now underconstruction in Longfellow, in-

cluding the Station 38 Apart-ments at Hiawatha LRT’s 38thStreet station and the Oaks Sta-tion Place at the 46th Street sta-tion.

The Parkway West Apart-ments will have the same heightand footprint of the earlier proj-ect but it will look less massive,according to Lander. “We havedesigned the facade to havemore articulation so it resem-bles a series of town homes. Wethink it will provide a welcom-

ing architectural statement forpeople driving over the FordBridge into Minneapolis, and itwill replace what is now some-thing of a neighborhood eye-sore.”

Lander said that the projectwill make use of extensive land-scaping along the sides of thebuilding fronting on 46th Streetand 46th Avenue. “Landscapingis important to us because itadds character to the develop-ment. The landscaping at West

River Commons is a good exam-ple of the approach we use,” hesaid.

With its location on twomajor bus routes and an LRTstation a half mile away, Park-way West is billing itself as atransit oriented development.Residents will receive a monthlytransit pass and will have accessto an “Hourcar,” a rental vehiclethey can use on a short termbasis. If security and insuranceissues can be resolved, the

Hourcar may be available toneighborhood residents as wellas to Parkway West tenants.

Lander said that construc-tion of the project is scheduledto be completed in early 2013. Itwill include a mix of one andtwo bedroom apartments with aone bedroom unit averagingabout 640 square foot. Thesmaller units will “live big,” ac-cording to Lander, through theuse of properly-scaled appli-ances and a design that maxi-mizes natural light.

Tenants will have their ownbike storage units and access toa rooftop deck and a communi-ty room.

Rental rates, in the $1.50-$2.00 per square foot range, willbe set two to three months priorto completion of the project,Lander said.

The Parkway West projecthas generated opposition fromsome nearby residents who feelthe project is out of scale withthe surrounding neighborhoodand will exacerbate traffic prob-lems in the area. In an August1, 2011 letter to the city’s Com-munity Planning and EconomicDevelopment Department, theLongfellow Community Councilacknowledged these concerns,but said it was supporting sever-al zoning variances requestedfor the development, becausethe Council believed that the“long-delayed project will be ofgreat benefit to the Longfellowcommunity.”

Page 5www.LongfellowNokomisMessenger.com • Messenger • May 2012

Construction resumes at 46th and 46th development site

In place of a 32 unit condominium, developer Michael Lander is building a 48 unit apartment building at the46th Street site. The apartments will be built on the foundation that had been laid for the earlier development.(Photo by Stefanie Berres)

The 46th and 46th project, now re-named, Parkway West Apartments, isone of several rental developmentsnow under construction in Longfel-low. (Photo by Stefanie Berres)

By IRIC NATHANSONKris Davidson faced a small

crisis as she was ready to start re-modeling her kitchen. The daybefore the tiles for the back-splash were scheduled to be de-livered, the tile company burneddown. But Kris did not have to

face the crisis by herself. She hada design consultant, ChristineNelson, who got to work rightaway, lining up a replacementsupplier. “With Christine’s help,we didn’t miss a beat,” Kris re-called. “That wouldn’t have hap-pened if I was on my own.”

Kris’s home at 5145 29thAve South will be open to thepublic on April 28 and 29 as partof the Minneapolis-St. PaulHouse tour, now in its 25th year.

In 1996, Kris purchased hercompact Cape Cod in NokomisEast. “Right from the beginning,I loved the house, but I knew itneeded work,” she recalled. “Thekitchen was dark and dated, withorange laminate countertops. Iknew those had to go.”

After living with the orangelaminate for more than ten years,the Nokomis homeowner decid-ed that she was ready to moveahead with her remodeling in2010. She selected Christine Nel-son to work with her at the rec-ommendation of some friends. “Iknew I wanted a cottage look inthe kitchen. Christine helped mepin down the specifics in termsof color and design, and thatserved as the basis for my plan.”

A focal point for the planwas a colorful tile art piece, madeby SoMi Tile, that served as back-splash behind the sink. Kris’splan included all new appliances,kitchen cupboards and a remod-eled bathroom. “We took every-thing down to the studs andstarted over again. Luckily, I hada friend that I could stay withwhile the construction was un-derway, so I was able to moveout. I would advise people whoare planning a major remodelingto do that whenever possible. Itmakes the whole process muchless stressful.”

Kris was not able to bumpout the walls of her compactkitchen, but she was able to takeout a chimney that was no longer

Continued on page 7

Page 6 May 2012 • Messenger • www.LongfellowNokomisMessenger.com

12 oz. cup of brewed coffee

with $5 purchase.Good for the month of May

Nokomis areahomes featuredin Mpls-St. PaulHome Tour

For Allen and Joanne Hinderaker, light was an important considerationwhen they were putting together their kitchen remodeling plan.

1. How did you happen to become the owner of theFireroast Mountain Cafe?

When I discovered that Fireroast was for sale, I made the deci-sion to buy it because I really wanted to offer food and drinkthat was not just delicious, but also good for people, and for theenvironment. It’s been really rewarding for me to see people ex-cited about what we’re doing here, the quality of our food andcoffee and the friendly community atmosphere.

2. What made you choose this community as a location?

As a runner, I have been a part of the river community for over a decade and have enjoyed the feel of theLongfellow / Howe neighborhood. Several years ago, I had Tim at Prairie Woodworking do some cabi-netry work for our home. Now as a local neighborhood business owner, it feels so great to build relation-ships with people like Tim to do work on the cafe and keep money and jobs in the neighborhood.

3. What is the best thing about running a cafe in this community?Unlike many coffee shops where people’s lives run parallel to each other and barely intersect, at Fireroast,people genuinely connect. I think there’s a sense of friendliness and relaxation here that makes that possi-ble. Customers enjoy that it’s the owner who makes their latte, and the pastry chef who hands them theirfresh-baked scone. This neighborhood appreciates that Fireroast isn’t just another café, it’s THEIR café.

What’s Cookin’...By COLETTE MULLENMASTER

Fireroast Mountain Cafe owner Jeff Fisher

Ingredients:3 tablespoons olive oil1 teaspoon ground cumin1 teaspoon mild chili powder1/2 teaspoon cinnamon2 teaspoons salt1 teaspoon black pepper1 large onion, diced

Moroccan-Spiced Tomato Soup

Fireroast Mountain Cafe3800 37th Avenue South Minneapolis 612-724-9895 fireroastmountaincafe.com

Jeff Fisher

4 cloves garlic, minced2 pounds organic tomatoes (fresh or canned)4 cups vegetable broth4 cups cooked chickpeas3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsleyYogurt for garnish (optional)Red pepper flakes for garnish (optional)

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the diced onion, and sauté until the onion begins to soften andcaramelize (about 5 minutes). Add the spices and the minced garlic, and sauté for an additional 5 minutes, adding a splashof oil if necessary to keep the onions from sticking. Remove the pot from the heat. Purée the onion mixture with the toma-toes and the vegetable broth. Return the soup to the stove and add the chickpeas, mint, and parsley. Heat the soup through,and salt to taste. Serve with a spoonful of yogurt, a dash of red pepper flakes and a sprig of mint.

Home TourContinued from page 6

being used. “We gained an extrafour feet in the kitchen, and thatmade a big difference. We alsotook out the dropped ceiling,and that gave us more heightand more storage space,” shesaid.

An avid Minneapolis-St .Paul tour-goer, Kris said shegained a lot of good ideas frompeople whose homes were onthe tour in earlier years. “I amglad that I will be able to giveback some of what I learned tothe people who will be comingthrough here at the end of themonth.”

For Allen and Joanne Hin-deraker, light was an importantconsideration when they wereputting together their kitchen re-modeling plan. “All these years,we had been chopping carrots inthe dark, and we did realizethat,” said Joanne, whose homeat 5341 Woodlawn Boulevard isalso on the Home Tour.

The Hinderakers, who havelived in their home facing LakeNokomis since 1978, had re-modeled once before, in 1986,but decided that it was time foranother makeover. The 1986 re-modeling had included akitchen cabinet hung from theceiling over their central island.But the cabinet made the roomlook small and the island im-peded traffic flow in the modest-sized kitchen.

Joanne and Allen installedall new appliances, cabinets andlighting in the kitchen, and re-modeled a tiny half-bath on thefirst floor of their Tudor-stylehome. Because they were notable to bump out the walls ofthe kitchen and the bathroom,they had to do some carefulplanning with the help of theirdesigner, Diana Berndt.

“You have to be creativewhen you are working with asmall space. Every inch counts.You can do a lot with less, butyou have to be thoughtful aboutit. And you have to consider thetrade offs, if you are workingwith a budget. If you upgradethe counters then you may haveto get by with a less extensivelighting system.”

“When you are getting readyto remodel, it is important toconsider how you use the space.You need to consider whatworks now in the space youhave, but what needs to bechanged because it drives you alittle crazy,” Joanne said.

“The trust factor with yourcontractor is also important,”she added. “We were lucky that

we were able to find Greg Hoschwho was a good fit for us. Gregwas very good at communicat-ing. He kept us updated everystep of the way, and that made abig difference for us.”

“It is a little daunting toconsider all the people who willbe coming through our home,”Joanne acknowledged, “but weare glad to be a part of the tour.We like living here in Nokomis,and we hope the tour can en-courage more people to see theadvantage of city living.”

Other area homes on thetour include 2518 East 52ndStreet in Nokomis East and2852 35th Avenue South and3520 35th Avenue South in

Longfellow.The self-guided Minneapolis

St. Paul House tour will be heldfrom 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Satur-

day, April 28 and from 1 to 5p.m. on Sunday, April 29. Moreinformation is available on-lineat www.msphometour.com.

Tour guides are also available atHennepin County and St. Paulpublic libraries.

Page 7www.LongfellowNokomisMessenger.com • Messenger • May 2012

Bradley R. Olson, DPM Sarah P. Whittaker, DPM

2221 Ford Parkway, Suite 350St. Paul, MN 55116

Call today for an appointment

651-698-8879

We accept most insurances Lots of free parking

www.mnfootdoc.com

Comprehensive surgical & non-surgical care in

your neighborhood

Now offering laser fungal toenail treatments!

The Twin Cities Outstanding Gourmet Grocery Store!

5615 CHICAGO AVE. SOUTH

Taste of Kowalski’s Summer EventSaturday May 5 from 11-5

Marinated chicken breasts, tortillas, mango chipotlechicken salad and many more great summer treats to taste!

612-824-2430 www.kowalskis.com

Allen and Joanne Hinderaker, who have lived in their home facing LakeNokomis since 1978, had remodeled once before, in 1986, but decided thatit was time for another makeover.

Kris Davidson’s home at 5145 29th Ave South will be open to the public on April 28 and 29 as part of the Min-neapolis-St. Paul House tour, now in its 25th year.

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSENIn a few years, bicyclists will

be able to hop on a trail and ridefrom Lake Nokomis to the Min-nesota River.

Portions of the 7-mile Inter-city Regional Trail are slated forconstruction in 2014. Right now,planners are accepting commentson the design.

“The Intercity Regional Trailwill expand opportunities forsafe recreation and commuting.It will provide convenient, off-street trail connections to theThree Rivers Park District region-al trail system via the Nine MileCreek Regional Trail (which isnearing completion), as well asto the future state trail in theMinnesota River Valley. Trailusers also will be able to connectto the Mall of America,” saidJason McGrew-King of the ThreeRivers Park District.

The Intercity Regional Trailwill begin on the south side ofLake Nokomis, connecting theMinneapolis Ground Roundstrail system to the MinnesotaRiver in Dakota County throughthe cities of Minneapolis, Rich-field, and Bloomington.

Like the other regional trailsoperated by the Three Rivers ParkDistrict, the Intercity RegionalTrail will be a paved, multi-usetrail surface with mowed grassshoulders, according to McGrew-King. The majority of the 10-foot-wide, asphalt trail parallelexisting city streets.

“In Minneapolis, trail users

will have good vantage points ofLake Nokomis. Also in Min-neapolis, Edward Solomon Parkoffers natural areas and opportu-nities for passive recreation,” Mc-Grew-King pointed out. “TaftPark in Richfield offers a greatdeal of recreational opportuni-ties, and Taft Lake will be under-going significant water qualityimprovements. In Bloomington,the trail also will travel nearWright’s Lake Park. Furthersouth, the trail will provide viewsof the Minnesota River Valley.”

In some areas, the trail willtravel through an urban environ-ment and will provide access toemployment centers, shoppingand restaurants, and will offerconnections to mass transit, Mc-Grew-King added.

There will be rest stops everymile.

FEDERAL FUNDSWILL HELP PAY FORCONSTRUCTIONMost of the trail is not yet con-structed, although there are a fewpieces already in place. Work willbegin on 3.8 miles between LakeNokomis and the Mall of Ameri-ca in 2014, courtesy of a FederalSurface Transportation Programgrant in the amount of $5.5 mil-lion.

The trail segment betweenthe Mall of America and Min-nesota River will be constructedas resources are available andwhen the Minnesota Valley State

Trail or a feasible and acceptablecrossing of Long Meadow Pondis complete.

It will cost $348,000 for theportion of the trail in Minneapo-lis, which includes not only thecost of the trail but also that ofmodifying Old Cedar and Edge-water Blvd. The total project willcost an estimated $8,994,000, ofwhich $630,000 is for right-of-way; the majority of this tab willbe paid by federal funds. The an-nual cost of maintenance for thenew section of trail will be about$817, and will come out of theMinneapolis Parks and Recre-ation budget.

The bill did look larger forMinneapolis in the initial plan-ning process, when it was pro-posed to replace the pedestrianbridge on Cedar to minimize ve-hicular conflicts and limit right-of-way. That option is no longeron the table.

CHANGES AT EDGEWATER ANDOLD CEDARChanges in the area will affecthow traffic moves. To make thetrail crossing shorter, EdgewaterBlvd. will be narrowed at theCedar Ave. intersection to mini-mize the distance trail users willneed to cross the street and betterdefine the roadway intersectionfor motorists.

The entrance to Old CedarAvenue from Cedar Avenuesouthbound will be reconfiguredand will include a longer deceler-ation lane. Old Cedar Avenuewill remain one-way southbounduntil 58th Street E. Old Cedarwill be narrowed and one lane ofparking removed. This will createseparate walking and trail facili-ties, and include a 4-foot grassboulevard between the trail andsidewalk, adequate space forsnow storage and space for load-ing/unloading of parked vehicleson Cedar Avenue.

NEIGHBORHOODCONCERNSFat Lorenzo’s owner Scott Siegelis skeptical that these changeswill make the area safe enoughfor bicyclists. “I don’t know whyyou’d want to put a bike onCedar,” he said. “I look at Cedaras a freeway. People drive fastaround here.”

Instead, Siegel thinks thetrail should go down 16th Ave. S.

Siegel pointed out that Edge-water is a busy, uncontrolled in-tersection, one at which he al-ready sees bicyclists injured at ona regular basis. ‘The reality isthey’re not going to stop thecars,” Siegel said. He has advocat-ed for turning Edgewater into acul-de-sac to help solve some ofthe traffic woes. Siegel wishesthat the parks department willconvert the open space betweenEdgewater and the Lake NokomisParkway into a parking lot.

He noted that people useOld Cedar and Edgewater morethan the parkway, both for traveland parking. Siegel is concerned

Continued on page 9

Page 8 May 2012 • Messenger • www.LongfellowNokomisMessenger.com

TASTE THE LOVE(have some gnocchi before the nooky-nooky)

5001 34th Ave. S., Minneapolis 55417

612-724-3009HOURS: Lunch: Weds.-Sat. 11:00 am-2:00pm

Dinner: Sun.-Thu 4:30pm-10:00pmFri.-Sat. 4:30pm - 11:00pm

New bike trail to link LakeNokomis with Minnesota RiverFat Lorenzo’s owner concerned about safety along Cedar Avenue

The regional trail corridor extends south from Lake Nokomis Parkway inMinneapolis, along Cedar Avenue, adjacent to Solomon Park and westalong E. 60th Street to Bloomington Avenue S. From there the trail routeextends south into Richfield and then into Bloomington. It finally reachesthe Minnesota River where it will connect with the proposed Minnesota Val-ley State Trail.

Bike trailContinued from page 8

about removing one lane of park-ing on Old Cedar, pointing out itwill not only affect his customersand attendees at Hope LutheranChurch, but also those who usethe existing trails around LakeNokomis.

As proposed, the trail willmean that half the sidewalk infront of his door will be taken

away. Access into his business andspace for outdoor seating is amajor concern for Siegel.

He’s hoping for anotherneighborhood meeting at which toaddress his concerns, and thosehe’s heard from other residents. “Idon’t think there’s a lot of neigh-borhood support,” Siegel stated.

COMMENT ON THE PLANThe public has the opportunity

to provide comments f romApril 2 through May 1; writtencomments may be submittedby e-mai l to ICRT@Three-RiversParkDistrict.org, by fax to763-557-5248, or by mail to:Three Rivers Park District, In-tercity Regional Trail, 3000 Xe-nium Lane N., Plymouth, MN55441. Final trail design is ex-pected to begin in late fall orearly winter.

What is the goal ofthe program?

“To keep the Midtown Green-way safe. The trail is, in fact, alot safer than the surroundingstreets, and we want to keep itthat way.”

What’s a typical nightlike on the Greenway?

“On a good night, where thereare no incidents, it’s just a funride with a bunch of friends.And fortunately, most nightsare good nights.”

What sort of situationshave you come across?

“Most nights, it is pretty quiet.We sometimes get rocks beingthrown off of bridges, andwith some frequency we haveto deal with people passed outdrunk under one or another ofthe bridges. On very rare occa-sions, we come upon the vic-tim of a mugging (personally,I ’ve only seen this once).Then there are the occasionalodd ones — we had a personfall off one of the bridges andbreak his leg. Most of the

time, if we see anything, it isgroups of young men whoseem to be setting up for anattack, at which point we callit in and wait for the policefrom a safe distance away.”

What does a ride withthe Trail Watcherslook like?

“Rides last about two hours,and the mileage depends a loton who shows up, and whathappens while we are on theride. The most I’ve ever donein one night was about 25miles, and the least (on anight with multiple events)was about 10.”

Page 9www.LongfellowNokomisMessenger.com • Messenger • May 2012

Q & A With Trail Watch OrganizerGabriel Hoffman

“The Intercity Regional Trail will connect several regionaltrails, providing excellent opportunities for people to live

healthier lifestyles by using the Intercity Regional Trail and connecting trails for recreation and bicycle commuting. The trailwill serve areas of Hennepin County that historically have been

underserved by regional trail facilities.” Jason McGrew-King

StadiumContinued from page 1

Others questioned how muchthe Vikings are really paying whenthey are also getting all the nam-ing rights. “I would really like tohave the real numbers,” that indi-vidual said.

Kevin Carpenter, chief finan-cial officer for the City of Min-neapolis, said the stadium is notan investment of city resourcesthat will generate a 500 per centincrease, but nonetheless is impor-tant.

“It’s not what we get back, butwhat do we lose if we don’t do it?”he asked.

One audience member citedthe cost of suites that rent out forapproximately $47,000 to$325,000 a year.

“We’ll end up paying about$75,000 per year per suite, and theVikings will generate that fromus,” he said. “What is the real con-tribution the Vikings will make?”

Another person in attendancequestioned the state’s reliability asa funding source. “Why doesn’tthe city ask more of the state?” hewondered.

Rybak admitted that thestate’s funding sources seem tochange every couple of weeks. “I’mnot sure how they will fund it, andI feel bad that I can’t speak moreto how the state will do its fund-ing,” he said. He noted that withthis stadium project women, smallbusinesses and minorities will be

a part of the plan.“When we came to the table,

we said we would only be in-volved if they were included,”Rybak said.

Council member SandyColvin Roy, who recently decidedto support the stadium plan, givesRybak his majority support on theCity Council.

Colvin Roy said her supportfor his proposal is primarily be-cause it offers property tax relief.

“I understand that there arestrong feelings about the topic ofpublic funding for stadiums, butafter a lot of investigation I came

to believe that this plan wouldbring substantial property tax re-lief to Minneapolis property taxpayers, something I cannot ig-nore,” she said.

“We can use sales taxes, themajority of which are collected indowntown, to ease the burden onproperty tax payers by covering thebills for Target Center,” Colvin Roysaid. “Minneapolis residents cer-tainly contribute to the sales tax,especially the ½ per cent city-wideportion, but many people whocome downtown for events or visitrestaurants and businesses acrossthe city also contribute a lot to

those taxes.”“City residents invest in our

infrastructure and amenities,”Colvin Roy continued, “but get in-creasingly less help to supportthose regional amenities. Themayor’s proposal would help tocorrect that by spending the taxescollected in Minneapolis on cityneeds.”

Ward 9 council member GarySchiff, who along with Ward 2’sCam Gordon does not support themayor’s plan, disagreed.

“I don’t oppose a new Vikingsstadium,” he said. “I oppose thehorrible funding plan that places

the burden on everyone who eatsand drinks in downtown Min-neapolis, and robs the ConventionCenter and Target Center of fundsthey need to operate effectively.”

Schiff said he does not be-lieve a stadium bill will getthrough this legislative session.And based on recent events, heappears to be correct. In a voteApril 16, a Minnesota Housecommittee voted down theVikings stadium bill, although inthe last few days it has beenbrought to life again.

Citing his optimism that theDFL will take control of theHouse and Senate, and that theVikings are not going anywhere,Schiff said next June is a time tohave discussions about paying sta-dium costs fairly with user fees,not taxes on the meals of down-town workers.

“I do not accept the city attor-ney’s verbal reading that a citizenvote is not required,” Schiffadded. He said the referendum tothe City Charter was approved in1997 because people do not trustpoliticians to spend money ap-propriately.

“I think that is more truetoday than ever, and people de-serve to vote,” Schiff said. He saidhe does not approve the relief of$5 to $12 per household for prop-erty tax in exchange for a $625million subsidy to the Vikings.

A formal hearing and prelimi-nary vote by the Minneapolis CityCouncil will be held April 24 atCity Hall, 350 S. 5th St.

Dan Webster speaks to the crowd on behalf of the Vikings stadium, saying he thinks it offers a great opportunity forMinneapolis not to have to raise property taxes. (Photo by Stefanie Berres)

By JAN WILLMSWham! Bam! Bam!These were the noises Eliza-

beth Tobias, who lives on 16th Av-enue S. in Minneapolis, said sheexperienced as she drove her carover the railroad tracks on East35th St. in Minneapolis.

“It scared the daylights out ofme the first time I drove over thosetracks,” she said. “Thirty-secondand thirty-eighth streets are perfect-ly nice, but the right-hand lane on35th seems to be disappearing.”

Tobias said there are no lanemarks there, and the merging isnot clear.

“Traffic can be challenging,and the person in the left lane willslow down a lot. People are tryingto pass them on the right, andsome people abruptly slow down,”Tobias said.

She and her husband, Peter,cross the railroad tracks everymorning from Monday throughFriday to take their son to hisschool in Saint Paul, and theycross every weekday afternoon tobring him back. On Sundays theydrive across the tracks on their wayto church and back.

They have ample, first-handexperience of the jarring shaking totheir car as they go over the unevenpavement.

Tobias said she was not surewho to complain to. “The train

tracks belong to the railroad, theroads belong to the city, and theproperty to whoever owns thegrain elevator there.”

As it turns out, the seven setsof railroad tracks are owned byGeneral Mills, Archer Daniels Mid-land Co. and Minnesota Commer-cial Railroad.

According to City CouncilMember Gary Schiff, the city ofMinneapolis has been asking SooLine/MN Commercial Rail to re-pair the broken pavement and rail-road ties on E. 35th St, just east ofHiawatha, for the past 10 years.

When he asked people to e-mail the railroad with their com-plaints, apparently someone lis-tened and the bumpy spots wererepaired. Workers with the cityand the three companies removedrotting wood timbers and filledpotholes and spaces next to thetrack with asphalt.

Tobias said the recent repairsoffered enough improvement shedoubts anyone would now com-plain.

But the repair does not offerpermanent improvement, accord-ing to Schiff.

“I appreciate the asphaltpatching that the railroad compa-nies quickly provided to 35thStreet, but this is only temporaryand not a long term solution,”Schiff said.

He said he would again askthe railroad companies to begood neighbors and provide morepermanent repair.

“Hundreds of private vehiclesand bikes are damaged every yearfrom the condition of the tracks,”Schiff noted. “The solution ofconcrete ties that were put inplace on 32nd Street should beapplied to 35th Street. The rail-road companies want public taxdollars to be used to fix theirtracks, and I find that completelyunacceptable.”

According to a recent StarTribune article, permanent repairwill require cooperation betweenthe three companies and the city,but the groups cannot agree as towho would shoulder the biggestburden of the estimated $400,000cost.

Deputy Director of PublicWorks Heidi Hamilton has beenquoted as saying that the railroadhas told the city that this is not aproblem for them.

“Unfortunately, because therailroad is federally regulated andexempt from city laws, the citylacks any legal authority to forcethem to make repairs to the rail-road tracks at this crossing,” shesaid.

Several attempts to reach therailroad for comment were notsuccessful.

Page 10 May 2012 • Messenger • www.LongfellowNokomisMessenger.com

Motorists get rocked as they make therailroad crossing on East 35th Street

According to City Council Member Gary Schiff, the city of Minneapolis hasbeen asking Soo Line/MN Commercial Rail to repair the broken pavementand railroad ties on E. 35th St, just east of Hiawatha, for the past 10 years.(Photo by Stefanie Berres)

Neighborhood andCommunityEngagementCommissionerElectionsOn June 28, 2012, the City ofMinneapolis will hold electionsfor new Neighborhood andCommunity Engagement Com-missioners (NCEC) in Districts2, 4, 6 and 8. Greater Longfellowis located in District 8 and hasbeen represented by residentMarcea Mariani for the past 3years. This seat is open to anyresident in the 8th District whowould like to run. Commission-ers for the NCEC are elected byneighborhood residents who actas electors. Greater Longfellow,made up of Cooper, Longfellow,Hiawatha and Howe neighbor-hoods is allotted 4 electors and 4alternates. LCC is seeking resi-dents who are interested in act-ing as electors or alternates andwilling to attend the June 28th

meeting. Anyone interested inrepresenting LCC as an electoror alternate should contactMelanie at the LCC offices byphone at (612) 722-4529 or viaemail at melanie@longfellow.orgby Monday, June 25, 2012.

FFI:http://www.minneapolis -mn.gov/ncr/boards/ncec/WCMS1P-089624. The NCEC is an excel-lent opportunity for anyone inter-ested in serving on a City boardand who would like to participatein planning for the future of Min-neapolis neighborhoods.

Pathways to aPeacefulNeighborhoodLCC invites you to a 3-part se-ries of panel discussions on posi-tive, community-based approach-es crime and conflict. Join us forthe first panel and learn aboutrestorative justice and howneighbors from Longfellow andSeward created Seward Longfel-low Restorative Justice Partner-

ship to respond to youth crime inour community. Also, discoverways to apply restorative justiceto conflict in your own life.

Thursday, May 246:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Gandhi Mahal Restaurant -Community Room 3009 - 27th Avenue

The second and third panel dis-cussions will address ConflictMediation (Tuesday, June 5) andCourt Watch (Thursday, June28th). Look soon for more info onthese! Contact joanna@longfel-low.org with questions or formore information.

River GorgeFacebook Page

Do you love theMississippi RiverGorge? Keep upwith what's inbloom and othernews from the

Gorge via the new Facebookpage created by the River GorgeCommittee. Search for Mississip-pi River Gorge and "Like" us!Share what you've seen in theGorge and photos you've taken,or just see what others are post-ing. Thanks to volunteer MikeLynch for launching the page!

Midtown CommunityWorks Arbor DayEventFor the 12th annual Arbor Dayon the Midtown Greenway, vol-unteers will celebrate by plant-ing trees and shrubs between26th-28th Avenues. Tree Truststaff, Master Gardeners andTree Care Advisors will provideeducation on tree and shrubplanting as well as plant mainte-nance that will ensure stonggrowth. Snacks, coffee, waterand shovels will be provided.Don’t forget your gloves! Bikeracks will be available on site.Event will begin at 9am on Sat-urday, May 5th at 26th Avenue& the Midtown Greenway. FFIcontact Rebecca Spurr, 612-879-0106.

Saturday, May 5 9:00 am 26th Avenue and the Greenway

Longfellow Community CouncilServing Longfellow, Hiawatha, Cooper, and Howe neighborhoods

Longfellow Community Council2727 26th Avenue So., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Phone: 612-722-4529 • Fax: 612-724-1024

www.longfellow.orgMelanie Majors Executive Director melanie@longfellow.orgRuth Romano Office Staff ruth@longfellow.orgJoanna Solotaroff Community Organizer joanna@longfellow.orgSpencer Agnew Housing and Environment spencer@longfellow.org

Coordinator

Calendar of Meetings and Events

May 2012Meetings are free and open to the public, and are accessible.

Check the calendar on our website www.longfellow.org

Advancement CommitteeWednesday, May 27:00 - 8:00 pmFireroast Mountain Café3800 37th Avenue SFFI: joanna@longfellow.org

Community ConnectionsTuesday, May 86:30 - 8:30 pmLCC Office, 2727 26th Ave SFFI: joanna@longfellow.org

Neighborhood Development CaucusMonday, May 146:30 - 8:00 pmLCC Office, 2727 26th Ave S.FFI spencer@longfellow.org

River GorgeMonday, May 147:00 - 9:00 pmHiawatha School Park, 4305 42nd St. EFFI: joanna@longfellow.org

Board of DirectorsThursday, May 176:30 – 8:45 pmBrackett Park, 2728 39th Avenue SFFI: melanie@longfellow.org

Environment and Transportation CommitteeTuesday, May 226:30 - 8:00 pmHiawatha School Park 4305 42nd St. EFFI: spencer@longfellow.org

Celebrate All Things Longfellow!Join your friends andneighbors as we cometogether to celebrateeverything that makesour neighborhoodgreat! The LongfellowCommunity Council(LCC) is happy to an-nounce the return ofour Community Warm-ing party; bringing to-gether the whole neighborhood for food and fun! We'll be kick-ing off the Take a Look at Longfellow campaign - showcasingsome of our neighborhood's great places and history. There willalso be a silent auction featuring donations from local artists andbusinesses with all proceeds benefiting LCC.

Stop by and join the neighborhood for some food or adrink! The event is FREE and open to all!

Longfellow Community WarmingThursday, June 7th: 5:00 – 7:00 pmLongfellow Grill Patio2990 West River Parkway

Green the Greenway Tuesday, May 225:00 - 6:30 pmAnne Sullivan Ramp to Midtown Greenway

Join us for spring clean up andtending the native plantings on theMidtown Greenway. Tools, glovesand a snack provided. All ages wel-come! RSVP to Hillary Oppmannat hillary.oppmann@gmail.com or724-8110.

Longfellow Community Council andVolunteers of America Receive GrantLCC and the Volunteers of America (VOA) have received fundingfrom the U of M's Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CU-RA) to do an 8 month gardening and computer training programfor men who are transitioning from prison. Using a communitygarden plot, participants will learn how to grow healthy local foodand receive an educational curriculum provided by Harvest MoonBackyard Farmers. Ruhel Islam from Gandhi Mahal restaurantwill then teach participants cooking and food preserving skills fortheir garden bounty. We'll also partner with Free Geek, a non profit computer tech organization which will provide partici-pants with training on how to build and recyclecomputers. Through this initiative and partnership VOA partici-pants will gain job skills, experience a supportive learning environ-ment, and become engaged in the Longfellow community.

Page 11www.LongfellowNokomisMessenger.com • Messenger • May 2012

Garden Club Plant Swap– May 19 at SanfordRain or shine! That’s the traditionfor the Longfellow Garden Club’sannual spring Plant Swap.

Dig up extras of your happilyspreading plants and bring themto swap. If you have none to swap,just make a small donation to theClub’s Speaker Fund.

Plants can be brought begin-ning at 10:30 a.m. to Sanford’swest parking lot, on the 41st Av-enue side. The Swap starts prompt-ly at 11 a.m., and most plants dis-appear within 30 minutes!

Garden Club events are freeand open to the public. For moreinformation, contact us at:LongfellowGardenClubMail@gmail.com or go to www.face-book.com/LongfellowGardenClub.

Hiawatha School holdsFiesta May 24Please join the HiawathaCommunity School, 4201 42ndAve So., for their annual FIESTA!Thursday, May 24th from 4:30-7:30 p.m. Enjoy pony rides, inflat-ables, games, great food, silentauction and much more familyfun! Everyone welcome!

LBA meets May 10 forSafety UpdateLongfellow Business Associationmeets on Thursday, May 10, 1:30–2:30 p.m., for a Crime & SafetyUpdate with MPD CrimePrevention Specialists ShunTillman and Luther Krueger, and adiscussion of the 38th Street LRTstation rezoning study with CityPlanner Paul Mogush. MinnehahaCommunion Lutheran Church,41st & Minnehaha Avenue South

(4101 37th Av S) hosts. FFI Ruth612-722-4529 x1.

Mind-Body Connection &Stress ManagementJoin Longfellow/Seward HealthySeniors and MinneapolisCommunity Education for a pres-entation about the Mind-BodyConnection and StressManagement on Tuesday, May 15at 10:30 a.m. at Holy TrinityLutheran Church, 2730 E. 31stStreet. Stress plays a large role inillness and personal well-being.Learn how you can decrease yourstress and improve the way youfell. Participants will learn simplerelaxation skills that they can use

on their own. ContactLongfellow/Seward HealthySeniors at 612-729-5799 for moreinformation.

Safety event for olderadult driversRSVP/Volunteers of America ofMinnesota and Nokomis HealthySeniors are partnering to bring aunique safety event to older adultdrivers in the community. AtCarFit, drivers receive a quick butcomprehensive check of how wellthey and their vehicle work togeth-er. Trained volunteers walkthrough a 12-point CarFit checklistwith drivers, looking at proper po-sitioning for seats, seat belts, mir-

rors, steering wheels, and more.The entire process takes about 20minutes, and drivers leave with rec-ommended car adjustments andadaptations, a list of resources inthe community and greater peaceof mind. CarFit is not a driver as-sessment program, and any identi-fying information will be kept con-fidential. CarFit was developed bythe American Society on Aging incollaboration with AARP, Ameri-can Occupational Therapy Associa-tion and AAA.

CarFit will take place onThursday, June 14, 2012 from 9a.m. to 12 p.m. at Bethel Evangeli-cal Lutheran Church at 4120 17thAve. S., Minneapolis. Appoint-ments are required and can bemade by calling 612-729-5499.

Volunteers are also needed forthis, and other, CarFit events.Volunteer training will be held onFriday, May 11, 2012. Call 952-945-4161 to learn more.

Transition Longfellowpresents filmsTransition Longfellow presentstwo short documentaries:“Gimme Green” ~ (27 minutes)examines the American obsessionwith the residential lawn, and“Home Grown, 21st Century Fam-ily Farm” ~ (52 minutes) docu-ments a family that subsists on a1/5 acre inner-city plot of land.

This is a “Free Will Offering”movie night. Friday, May 18,Potluck 6:30 p.m. (optional),Movie 7:15 p.m., BethanyLutheran Church, 3901 36thAvenue South, 55406. A short dis-cussion will follow the movie forthose who want to stay. ContactAnnette @612-221-0131 for moreinformation.

Epworth UMC offersspring luncheonEnjoy a variety of salads and themusic of The Mellow FellowsSaturday, May 12, when EpworthUMC offers its spring saladluncheon. Serving begins at noonin the Fellowship Hall of thechurch, 3207 37th Ave. S.,Minneapolis. Tickets are $7 foradults, $3.50 for children 12 andunder. Tickets available at thedoor. Questions? 612-722-0232.

Spring Book Sale May19-20 East Lake LibrarySure, the late season tulips maystill be in bloom, but it reallywill be the Spring Book Sale atthe East Lake Library!

Dates: Saturday May 19 (10-4 p.m.) and Sunday May 20(noon to 3 p.m.).

Children’s and teen booksare 50 cents, adult hardcovers are$1 and adult paperbacks are 50cents. Bag sales ($5) are 3-4 p.m.on Saturday and all day Sunday.

Donations are welcome anytime – librarians can show youwhere to put them.

The book sales are a projectof Friends of East Lake Library,people in the community whovolunteer a little time to supportthe Library – we always welcomenew folks! Ask one of us at the Sale. Contact us at: east-lake@supporthclib.org

May 28 is officially JohnH. Stevens Day Come help us celebrate with his-toric games for kids and adults;entertainment, refreshments, andfree tours of the House HistoricJohn H. Stevens House Museum,Birthplace of Minneapolis, nowlocated in Minnehaha Falls Parkat 4901 Minnehaha Avenue,Monday, May 28, 12 to 4 p.m.,Admission FREE. For more infor-mation, call 612-827-0138.

Mother’s Day Brunch May 13The annual Mother’s Day Brunchwill be held on Sunday, May 13,from 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. atthe Danish American Center lo-cated at 3030 West River Park-way. The breakfast includes anegg dish, aebleskiver, Danish pas-tries, “rugbrod” (pumpernickel)with cheese, fruit and coffee.

The cost for adults is $9 formembers and $11 for others. Allchildren are $6.00 and under 5are free. No reservations needed– just come! For more informa-tion, call 612-724-7705. Hope tosee you there for this well attend-ed event!

Page 12 May 2012 • Messenger • www.LongfellowNokomisMessenger.com

LoLa Wants YOU June 1Are you an artist living or working in the GreaterLongfellow neighborhood? LoLa wants you tojoin our fourth annual Art Crawl. The deadline forartist registration is June 1, 2012.

What is the LoLa Art Crawl? The art crawl is aself-guided tour of exhibits at artists’ homes, gar-dens, or studios and at supportive local businessesthroughout the Longfellow neighborhood. Join-ing LoLa is a great way to show and sell your art,while giving admirers a glimpse of where and howyou do your work. The 2012 Art Crawl will be heldAugust 25 and 26, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Who is LoLa? The League of LongfellowArtists (LoLa) is a group of artists and arts sup-porters dedicated to bringing to light the work ofartists living or working in the Greater Longfellowneighborhood. Having begun in 2009 as a smallgrassroots effort, LoLa now flourishes as an artist-run annual art crawl featuring mediums of allkinds.

Join us! Registration is open to all artists who live or work in the Greater Longfellow neighbor-hood of Minneapolis (the geographic area east of Cedar Avenue to the Mississippi River, and south of28th Street to the Crosstown).

Visit the LoLa website at lolaartcrawl.com and select “Artist Registration.” Download and print thePDF registration form—it contains all the details. Every participating artist must submit a completedregistration form and $25 payment, postmarked on or before June 1, 2012. Please register one artistper form, $25 per artist.

Questions? Contact art crawl administrator Bob Schmitt at bob@laughingwatersstudio.com or call612-333-1881.

One of the LoLa artists who will be in the annualArt Crawl is Duane Boom. Boom creates stainedglass and fused glass.

The Greenway Glow planned June 9The Midtown Greenway Coalitionpresents The Greenway Glow (former-ly the Greenway Challenge), an illu-minated night-time bike ride and itsbiggest fundraising event of the yearon Saturday, June 9, 2012 from 9 p.m.-midnight. The Greenway Glowwill take participants on a brief tour ofNorthern Spark art installations in thecorridor, including a rest stop at theVine Arts Center and a post-ride partyat Intermedia Arts. Glow riders willenjoy free food from Bryant LakeBowl, as well as complimentary NewBelgium beer and other beverages. Fab-ulous prizes await the largest team, the individual with the best costume, the most creatively-lit bicycle, alucky raffle winner, and the rider who raises the most money.

Not only that, but those who register before May 25 are guaranteed a glow-in-the-dark performance t-shirt, and the first 75 to register will also receive a free mini bike light courtesy of Civia Cycles. Registration is$25 before May 25/$30 after, with each individual raising $75 or more before the event. To register visitwww.midtowngreenway.org or contact Rebecca at 612-879-0106 or Rebecca@midtowngreenway.org. Allfunds will help support the projects and programs of the Midtown Greenway Coalition, which include theTrail Watch safety patrol, Greenspace and Artspace committees, outreach to communities surrounding theGreenway, and working with developers to encourage Greenway-friendly buildings. For more on the recentactivities of the coalition, check out the Midtown Greenway Coalition’s current and past newsletters.

The Midtown Greenway Coalition presents The Greenway Glow(formerly the Greenway Challenge), an illuminated night-timebike ride on Saturday, June 9, 2012 from 9 p.m. to midnight.

Okay, so we don’t have rats. Thatis a very good thing since I havealready squealed over two deadmouse bodies. This is my secondattempt to clean out the storageroom we call a fruit cellar. In theold days, the lady of the housewould have colorful mason jarsof home-canned fruit and vegeta-bles lining the old woodenshelves. I have store-boughtcanned goods I put down there in2009, probably thinking wewould need them in case of in-clement weather. We could beholed up in the basement for atleast a week before we wouldneed any food! It would be agreat opportunity to take off afew pounds.

Mr. M. is helping me haulout boxes so I can clean out theroom and donate or sell whateverwe don’t need. He is armed witha face mask, work gloves, andwork glasses. He must be expect-ing hazardous materials.

I have a shirt on my head toprotect my hair from fallingmouse bodies or those dreadfulcobwebs.

Why a shirt? I didn’t want togo all the way up to the secondfloor for a scarf. I also have on aface mask since he scared me intowearing one. Gloves and my reg-ular glasses complete my stylishensemble.

Mr. M. has outdone himselfinto putting off being in the base-ment as long as possible. I justfound him in the garage where hewas supposed to be dropping offtrash. He was reading an oldmagazine. It could be worse; he

could be taking straight shotsfrom a pint size bottle of whiskey,like one of my deceased relatives.Compared to that, reading an oldmagazine isn’t so bad.

We returned to the basementand continued moving out boxestogether. A short time later, I dis-covered he was missing again.This time, I found him up on hiscomputer, checking on everyFinnish athlete.

“We only have an hour ofwork left, can you please join mein the wine cellar for light-heart-ed stories about my family, andmaybe haul out a few boxes?”

This time, I kept him enter-tained with a wide array of storiesto keep him entertained. Clean-ing with him is a good workoutfor my imagination.

It’s been at least 15 yearssince we really cleaned out every-thing from the basement.

“Just think, next time wehave to clean the storage room,we’ll be moving into a nursinghome.”

He didn’t laugh.“Yeah sure, I’m not going to

a nursing home!”“Okay, if you continue help-

ing me clean, I’ll cancel your

reservation.”He didn’t laugh again. It was

a tough room. I guess no onelikes to be reminded of our ad-vancing age or mortality.

After just a couple of hours,we have hauled a lot of junk outto my car. I’m having a garagesale with my son’s girlfriend atmy son’s house. She wants to sell

some of her kids clothes, and I’llsell the junk. I hope we makeenough to take a cheap vacation.I don’t think we’ll save the moneyfor the nursing home. Hopeful-ly, we’ll be able to get by on ourown. Besides, I hear 60 is thenew 40.

(Sherri Moore is a freelance writer,and resident of the Nokomis neigh-borhood. She and Mr. M. are intheir 19th year of renovating theirold white house. Sherri welcomesyour input and can be reached atsherrimoore92@msn.com.)

Page 13www.LongfellowNokomisMessenger.com • Messenger • May 2012

Neighborhood Churches Welcome You!Bethlehem Covenant3141 43rd Ave. S. • 612-721-5768www.bethlehemcov.orgChildren especially welcome(Handicapped accessible)Sunday School at 9:45 am thru 5/20Classic Worship 11 am thru 5/20The Gathering at 9 am on 5/13

(Contemporary Worship)May 27 Worship at 10 amWednesday Programs at

5:45 pm through May 16

Christ Church Lutheran3244 34th Ave. • 612-721-6611Sunday Worship at 9:30 amChildcare ProvidedEducation Hour at 11:00 amPastor: Kristine CarlsonA welcoming congregationwww.christchurchluth.org

Epworth United Methodist3207 37th Ave. • 612-722-0232Sunday Worship 10:30 am(Childcare Provided)(Wheelchair Accessible)Rev. Pam Armstrong

Faith Evangelical Lutheran (LC-MS)3430 E. 51st St. • 612-729-5463Worship 9 amFellowship Hour 10:00 amEducation Hour 10:30 amPastor Michael Middaugh

Holy Trinity Lutheran (ELCA)2730 E. 31st St. • 612-729-8358www.htlcmpls.orgSunday Worship 8:45 & 11 am Education opportunities for all ages 9:45 amChildcare availablePastor: Jay CarlsonTraditional Worship – ContemporaryMessage – A Call to Social Justice All are welcome – No exceptions

Lake Nokomis Lutheran Church5011 31st Ave. S. • 612-729-2323www.lakenokomis.orgSummer Worship at 9:30 pmSunday Worship at 8:00 am & 10:30 amEducation Hour at 9:15 am(nursery; fully accessible)

Minnehaha United Methodist3701 E. 50th St. • 612-721-6231www.minnehaha.orgTraditional Service 9:00 amContemporary Worship 11:15 am (Sept.-May)

10:30 am (June-Aug.)Education for all ages 10:15 (Sept.-May)(Childcare; fully accessible)

St. Albert the Great CatholicE. 29th St. at 32nd Ave. S. • 612-724-3643Sunday Mass 9:30 am (Childcare available)Saturday Mass 5:00 pmDaily Mass 8:15 am M,T, Th, F(Handicapped accessible)Fr. Joe Gillespie, O.P.www.saintalbertthegreat.org

St. Peder's Evangelical Lutheran4600 E. 42nd St. • 612-722-8000Worship 9:00 and 10:30 am,Summer - 9:00 onlyEducation for all at 9:00 am(Childcare; Wheelchair Acc., Braille)Coffee 10 amJulie A. Ebbesen, Pastorwww.stpeders.net

Trinity Lutheran Churchof Minnehaha Falls5212 41st Ave. S. • 612-724-3691www.trinityfalls.orgSunday Worship 8:30 & 11 amSunday School: 9:30 am (thru May 20)AA Meeting Tuesdays/Sundays 7 pm

Projects of the Neighborhood Churches Include:Minnehaha Food Shelf,

Serving People Tuesday 10:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Call us at 612-721-6231Minnehaha United Methodist, 3701 E. 50th St.

Cleaning out the ratty, old basement

The Old White HouseBy SHERRI MOORE

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSENIt looks like Cedar Towing

will be moving into Longfellowafter all.

Although the city consideredrevoking the company’s licenseto operate earlier this year, anagreement was reached in mid-April that will not only allowCedar to remain in business butalso facilitate its move to 3527Dight Ave. S.

Cedar Towing co-owner TomRodrigue expected to move tothe Dight Ave. building at theend of April from the present lo-cation at 359 Hoover Street inthe University neighborhood.The company had initiallyplanned to move in to the build-ing that formerly housed John’sWelding Service last fall.

“Everything is resolved,” Ro-drigue said. “I’m originally fromSouth Minneapolis and I’m gladto be back. I plan to bring a lotto the neighborhood.”

Minneapolis has announcedits intention in January 2012 todeny the company’s license tooperate because of numerouscode violations, including over-charging customers and allowingits own employee to authorizetows from private property.

In the settlement reachedbetween the city and Cedar Tow-ing, Cedar does not admit to anyguilt. However, Cedar will pay a$10,000 fine in two installments.

If there are any further violationswithin a two-year period, the citymay fine Cedar another $10,000.

The Class A towing licenseheld by Cedar will also be sus-pended for 30 days sometime be-fore the end of 2012. There areonly six towing companies inMinneapolis to hold a Class Atowing license, which allowstowing companies to tow a carwithout the owner’s consent aslong as the property owner hasasked that it be done. Cedar willmaintain its Class B towing li-cense, which allows the companyto handle tows for people whosevehicles have broken down.

“I think this is a very fair set-tlement and it averted a verylengthy hearing process for bothsides,” said Minneapolis LicensesDivision Manager Grant Wilson.

Cedar Towing is the city’slargest towing company. In 2008,Cedar Towing agreed to pay$1,341 in fines for various viola-tions, some of the same ones thecompany is accused of repeatingin 2011.

Cedar Towing’s business op-erations include service tows,motor club towing/services, im-pound towing, jump starts, lock-outs, winching, tire changes andgas fills. Cedar Towing also pro-vides snow plowing services, lotsweeping and a striping service.The business holds an Auto LienAuction most Tuesdays at 11 a.m.

Cedar Towing ontrack to moveinto Longfellow Settlement reached between Minneapolis and Cedar

Messenger Want Ads are $1 perword with a $10 minimum. Sendyour remittance along with yourad to Messenger Classifieds, 1885University Avenue, Ste. #110, St.Paul, MN 55104. Want ads mustbe mailed to the Messengerbefore May 21 for the May 31issue. Ad copy can be e-mailed todenisw@aplacetoremember.com.Call 651-645-7045 for moreinformation. Your classified adwill also be automatically placedon the Messenger’s website atwww.LongfellowNokomisMessenger.com

ACCOUNTING & TAXESIndividual and corporate taxreturns prepared for small andmedium sized companies.Accounting and payroll servicesperformed in addition. VernTeichroew Accounting. 612-726-1544 orvteichroew@comcast.net. 9-12

ADDITIONSMartin Dynneson & Son -kitchens, bathrooms, roofing,siding, gutters, expert painting,and home repairs. 612-724-8819.5-12

BATHROOMSBathroom/kitchen!! Basementfinishing. Bad water pressure?Sinks, toilets and tub/surrounds,etc. Ceramic tile. Basement bath-rooms installed. Call 612-275-9815. 7-12

COMPUTER REPAIR/SERVICEHarmony PC computer repair,service, instruction. Service inyour home. 20 years exp. StateCourts, Microsoft. Woman-owned. 651-605-5804. www.har-monypc.us 11-12

EMPLOYMENTThe Longfellow/Nokomis Mess -enger is looking for localreporters to write news and fea-ture stories on a free-lance basis.Pay is based on small stipendper story. Journalism students orgraduates are preferred, but notrequired. Prior newspaper expe-rience a must. Send resume,cover letter and clips to:Longfellow/Nokomis Messenger,1885 University Av. S., St. Paul,MN 55104.

FOR SALECable, spinet, cherry wood, pianow/original bench. $650. Will payup to $100 moving expense. 651-428-7419. 5-12

For Sale: Vintage 1900-1949lights, house hardware, doors,tubs, radiators, etc. Also furniturehardware. 651-644-9270. 20% offwith ad. 10-12

HALL FOR RENTSpacious, clean and refurbishedhall for rent. Parties, Birthdays,Weddings, Anniversaries, etc. callthe Post @ 612-724-9909 or Gary@ 612-987-8857. BB-9-12

HANDYMANNeed a handyman?? Any job, bigor small. Plumbing? Electrical?Remodeling? Decks? Leave it toDynamo Dave. Call me first andsave money. 612-701-2272.Shhhh! Dont tell my wife, but myown home projects can waitbecause yours will always takepriority! 12-12

Dr. House does it all: From aleaky faucet to a new addition. Ican save you money on electricaland plumbing. Call John at 651-231-5652. B-12

HAULINGJust Call, We Haul We haul awayalmost anything from old furni-ture and appliances to yard wasteand construction debris. Well doall the loading and clean-up foryou. For free estimate on cleaningyour garage, attic, basement, andyard. Just call 612-724-9733. 5-12

HOUSE CLEANINGHonest, Reliable, Reasonable. 24Years Excellent Quality Service.Robin, 612-724-0817. 12-5

House Cleaning & Pet Sitting,smith.laura.laura955@gmail.com, 651-274-2212. B-12

KITCHENS, DESIGNwww.KitchenComfort.net 1399St. Clair, St. Paul. 651-698-4949.12-12

LANDSCAPINGDragonfly Design and LandscapeLLC. Quality landscaping ataffordable prices. All areas oflandscaping. 612-529-5957.Credit cards accepted. 5-12

LAWN CARESorensen Lawn Care servingMinneapolis for 17 years. Servicesinclude mowing, spring and fallclean-ups, aeration, fertilization,mulch installation, emerald ashborer treatment. Call Jeff 612-781-3420. 7-12

PAINTINGInterior/exterior painting, wallpa-per removal, small wall repair, aver-age garage $250, average 3 rooms$250. Jim 651-698-0840. 6-12

Interior/exterior painting, enam-eling, plaster patching, free esti-mates. Bob. 651-633-5565. 12-12

PIANO TUNINGRegistered Piano Technician,charlesfruhstuck@mac.com, 651-489-3181. B-12

Quality piano tuning and repair.Reasonable rates. Call RobertClough @ 612-722-7586 or e-mail: robtclough@aol.com. 12-12

REAL ESTATEFlourish Realty LLC. Full ServiceReal Estate/Property ManagementServices. Local Realtor(R),Ecobroker(R), & Resident, DanielSchultz: 612-408-0233, dan@flour-ishrealty.net 7-12

Continued on page 15

Page 14 May 2012 • Messenger • www.LongfellowNokomisMessenger.com

Willies RubbishHauling

All Typesof RubbishClean Up

Residential Garage demolitionResidential Cement demolition

612-825-6511•Cell: 612-310-5559•Since 1972

Spring Clean-UpLandscaping • Lawnmowing Contracts

Tilling - Edging

Jim 612-275-6825

$250

Craftsman Radiator Covers

Chris 612-823-3885

SERVICES • SERVICES

ClassifiedsContinued from page 14

RENTALSOffice or therapy space for rent:On bus route. Easy access to lightrail. Located at Minnehaha Ave S.and 42nd St. Open to build out. 2nd floor office space avail-able. Call Jim between 8 a.m. 2p.m. 612-729-2316 or email:KRZ@NELSONELECTRICINC.COM. 5-12

SERVICESTrust a neighbor to do the jobright! Need a handyman?? Anyjob, big or small. Plumbing?Electrical? Remodeling? Decks?Etc. Call Dynamo Dave. 612-701-2272. Free estimates! 12-12

Glamping Minnesota, campingin comfort. Outdoor OutfitterService. 612-722-2172. www.Glamp -ing MN.comSheetrock, tape, texture, paint,free estimates. Dick Evans, 612-889-9228, 952-888-0600. 5-12

Home remodeling/repair. Kitchens,basement, bathroom remodelingand design to include all handy-man services. All calls returnedsame day. Always on time. Licensedand insured. Member BBB. Jeff 612-388-2258. www.grosscupremodel-ing.com B-12

Bathrooms, General Carpentry,Trim and Doors, Sheetrock andRepair. Mike 612-578-1611, 651-762-4705. B-12

Concrete work: Steps, sidewalks,patios, driveways. Licensed,bonded, insured. Call TomSeemon, 612-721-2530. 11-12

Hanson Building and RemodelingHome Remodeling and Repair.Local, Licensed, Insured. www.Han -sonBuildingandRemodeling.comCall Dan 612-655-4961. 6-12

Tuckpointing and repairs, steps,chimney and foundations, stuccorepairs. Basement walls and floor-ing. Basement ceilings. 30 yrsCurt 651-698-4743. 5-12

WANTED**WANTED** - Old StereoEquipment, Hi-fis & Hams. Andy651-329-0515. 12-12

Artist-Designer needs 400-500 sfstudio space in Longfellow neigh-borhood. Street level and quietpreferred. Call Anna, 612-360-7468. 5-12

WANTED TO BUYPaying the most for your furniture,dishes, glassware, knickknacks, cos-tume jewelry, antiques, pictures,lamps, household items, etc., I makehousecalls. Call Mary. 612-729-3110.5-12

Page 15www.LongfellowNokomisMessenger.com • Messenger • May 2012

• Trimming • Removal • Storm Damage Clean-Up • Stump Grinding

Check out our website www.bratttree.comfor an easy way to get a free estimate

Stan, Jon and Wally • 612-721-4153

Book artist Mary Witkus andbrush painter Bob Schmitt willopen their respective homes andgardens over Mother’s Day week-end, Friday, Saturday, Sunday,May 11-13, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Laughing Waters Studiohosts its 9th annual “Spring hasSprung” Art Sale. The sale in-cludes original paintings, Chi-nese calligraphy, scrolls, prints,cards, art lamps, art objects forthe home—all from the brush of

Bob Schmitt. Much of Schmitt’spainting interprets familiar Min-nesota scenes but in the mannerof Asian brush painting. He hasrecently completed a series offour paintings focused on LakeSuperior.

Sale hours are Friday, Satur-day, Sunday, May 11-13, 10 a.m.– 5 p.m.

Concurrent with the annualsale is Laughing Waters Studio’sfifth annual student show of Chi-

nese calligraphy & paintings, plusartwork created by the studio’sArt for Nonartists classes. Comesee the students’ work, try yourown hand at Chinese brushpainting, take a walk in thespring gardens of Laughing Wa-ters Studio.

Come for a cup of tea and bethe first to peruse the new collec-tion of books inspired by thespring garden. The handcraftedbooks Witkus creates may be

used as journals and photo al-bums. Many books feature hand-made papers and beads by localand international artists. She alsosells photo books and cards ofher Japanese garden.

Mary will have her Japanesegarden open for visitors. It hasbeen featured in several maga-zines, Fine Gardening is the lat-est, and has also been part of var-ious garden tours. She utilizesthe same aesthetics in her garden

and home as she does in herbooks. Sale hours are Friday, Sat-urday, Sunday, May 11-13, 10a.m. – 5 p.m.

Laughing Waters Studio isjust west of Hiawatha Avenue at3718 East MinnehahaParkway. For info, 612-333-1881.Mary Witkus’ home is just off theParkway at 4717 35th AvenueSouth, just 2 blocks west andaround the corner. For info, 612-743-7040.

Local artists show Asian arts and gardens over Mother’s Day weekend

For more information onService Display Advertising

call Denis Woulfe at 651-917-4183

Next deadline:May 21

Next issue: May 31

By JANE MCCLUREPlans to reuse the Ford Motor

Company property in HighlandPark are shifting into gear again.Anyone interested in a review ofthe past land use studies and up-coming redevelopment efforts canattend the Ford Site Planning TaskForce meeting at 6:30-8:30 p.m.Monday, June 4 at the plant’s edu-cation and training center.

The meeting comes at a timewhen there are efforts underway tosave parts of the plant. Twin Citiesautomotive historian Brian McMa-hon is leading efforts to reuse theMinnesota State Colleges and Uni-versities (MnSCU) education andtraining center at the plant, as wellas part of the original 1924 build-ing.

Family members of formerFord employees are asking thatpieces of the 1924 building façade,especially those pieces that honorplant workers, be saved and reusedin some way. Stonework on thebuilding, which includes bas re-liefs of workers, scrolls and chis-eled Henry Ford quotes, is thefocus of a preservation effort.

Few redevelopment sites in St.Paul have received the time and at-tention that the 122-acre Fordproperty has. The task force, whichis overseen by the city’s PlanningCommission and Department ofPlanning and Economic Develop-ment (PED), has studied the Fordsite since 2007. Delays in the origi-nal plant closing date have givencity officials and communitymembers more time to plan andmake suggestions for future sitereuse. But the study process hasgone on for so long, those in-volved agree that a meeting isneeded to share past studies andinformation.

“This will give the communitya good chance to see what hasbeen studied and to learn aboutthe steps ahead,” said Ward ThreeCouncil Member Chris Tolbert.

Planning and Economic De-

velopment (PED) Director CecileBedor said the meeting is a re-fresher course for those interestedin the redevelopment project, aswell as a look to the future. Shealso noted that all of the studiesare on the city’s website.

Ford closed the plant in De-cember after 86 years of manufac-turing trucks and cars there. Fordwill clean up the site and then sellit for redevelopment to a develop-er or developers. While Ford cansell to whomever it chooses, thecity’s leverage in encouraging itswishes for future land use, parksand other site features would bethrough any requested zoningchanges or public financing that adeveloper would need.

The task force has workedwith consultants and city staff todevelop five possible land use sce-narios for the Ford property. Allcall for mixed-used redevelop-ment, but each has a different pre-dominant land use, includinglight industrial, commercial, insti-tutional and housing uses. Overthe next several months the task

force and consultants will be in-volved in an Alternative UrbanAreawide Review or AUAR process,to study each of the five scenariosand their impacts.

The task force has also led thedevelopment of ideas for futureparks and recreation uses at theproperty, and has studied pollu-tion cleanup efforts. Ford is re-sponsible for site cleanup, whichwill get underway when the build-ings are cleared out and knockeddown. More should be known thissummer about the extent of sitepollution.

The site cleanup could also af-fect how the land is reused. Cityofficials haven’t ruled out the pos-sibility that parts of the site maybe too polluted for redevelopmentfor uses other than industrial orrecreation use. But Ford officialshave said they won’t know the ex-tent of pollution cleanup neededuntil the buildings are demol-ished.

McMahon, who works as ex-ecutive director of UniversityUNITED, a University Avenue

community development group,contends that the buildings canand should be reused, ideally asan industrial training center. He’sasking that the buildings be saveduntil a use can be studied.

McMahon notes other TwinCities area facilities have beenused for training and that moreneeds to be done to promotetraining of industrial workers.

“It would be shortsighted totear these buildings down until weknow if they can be repurposed,”he said.

MnSCU, for its part, doesn’twant to continue to use the facili-ty. “We have no use for the Fordproperty given its current condi-tion and unknown future,” saidMnSCU Public Relations DirectorMelinda Voss. “We have sites fortraining at campuses and else-where that meet our needs at pres-ent.”

“We are still evaluating all op-tions for the training center, butdemolition is a possibility,” saidStefanie Denby, marketing andcommunications director for Ford

Land. Ford Land is the propertyarm of Ford Motor Company.

No other viable use has beenidentified, according to Denbyand city officials. Because of wherethe training center is located onthe plant property, it could impactfuture redevelopment plans.

Ford’s termination of itsground leave with MnSCU doestrigger a penalty, because statebond funds helped pay for thebuilding. The penalty is estimat-ed at $2.5 million and wouldhave to be paid to the state. A billintroduced at the 2012 Minneso-ta legislature would require thatthe penalty proceeds be turnedover to the state commissioner ofemployment and economic de-velopment to be used for “jobcreation incentives or invest-ments to attract new employ-ment uses to the Ford plant sitein St. Paul as part of redevelop-ment.” McMahon has arguedthat the penalty should be usedto purchase the land beneath thetraining center and continue itsuse.

The 1920s-era part of the Fordplant has been studied for its his-toric significance but has had somany changes, it hasn’t been rec-ommended for preservation. “Theplant has been evaluated anddeemed to not have significanthistoric value because of renova-tions that have occurred over theyears,” said Denby.

Nor would it be eligible forstate for federal historic tax credits,such as those being used to rede-velop the former Schmidt Brewery.

Denby said Ford is aware ofthe community interest in preserv-ing parts of the building façade,such as the stonework, light fix-tures and other details. “We willattempt to save them as we demol-ish the structure,” she said.

Tolbert said if architecturaldetails from the plant could besaved and reused, he’d be interest-ed in that.

Page 16 May 2012 • Messenger • www.LongfellowNokomisMessenger.com

Plans emerge to reuse the Ford Motor Company property

Anyone interested in a review of the past land use studies and upcoming redevelopment efforts can attend the FordSite Planning Task Force meeting at 6:30-8:30 p.m. Monday, June 4 at the plant’s education and training center.(Photo by Stefanie Berres)

The Basilica Cathedral Choir willbe presenting "Totus Tuus" a Mari-on concert on Friday, May 4th,7:30 p.m. at St. Albert the GreatCatholic Church.

Thought by many to beamong the very best of churchchoirs in the area, their reputationfor powerful presentations is wellearned having been selected toperform at both state and nationalACDA (American Choral DirectorsAssociation) conventions. Thechoir has toured and performed inEurope and elsewhere in the Unit-ed States. Last month they re-leased their fourth CD. Currently

they are preparing for a Europeantour in June of 2012.

This 80 voice choir under thedirection of Teri Larson and fea-turing the Basilica Schola Canto-rum with Chris Stroh, organ, willbe featuring the music of W.A.Mozart, Henryk Gorecki, FranzBiebl, Eric Whitacre, Donald Krub-sack and Stephen Paulus.

Tickets will be available at thedoor the evening of the concertand are in support of their 2012European tour to the Netherlandsand Paris. $15 adults, $10 studentsand $50 families. St. Albert's is lo-cated at 2836 33rd Ave. S.

Basilica Choir performsat St. Albert the Great

The Basilica Cathedral Choir will be presenting "Totus Tuus" a Marion concerton Friday, May 4th, 7:30 p.m. at St. Albert the Great Catholic Church.