Mural, Connections Gallery unveiled at Roosevelt

Middle school and high school students collaborate on art projects

“You guys have done so much for Roosevelt,” stated Candida Gonzalez as she presented artists Greta McClain and Claudia Valentine with school t-shirts. “We want you to be teddies forever.” (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)

by Tesha M. Christensen

  

 “Tonight we’re here celebrating two big projects,” said Roosevelt High School’s International Baccalaureate (IB) Coordinator Candida Gonzalez on Wednesday evening, May 28, 2014.

Two pieces of artwork were added at Roosevelt this spring: a mural in the front entryway and the Connections Gallery on the front lawn. The Connections Gallery is still under construction.

EMBODYING THE SCHOOL MOTTO

The mural was created under the leadership of artist Greta McClain and her assistant Claudia Valentino in partnership with school art teachers and students.

The portraits of several students are part of this mixed-media mural that combines paint and mosaic pieces.  Five languages are featured, reflecting the student body and those who worked on the project.

In February, students drew their ideas out on large poster paper. Then, McLain drew up the overall design and students used her drawings to assemble the mosaic parts of the piece. Roosevelt students worked on it on Mondays and Thursdays, Green Central Students on Tuesdays and Sanford students on Wednesdays. Students from Northrup also participated. In April, the drawing was transferred to the wall of the front entryway and the painting began. The mosaic parts, featuring colored tile, dishes, mirrors, marbles and glass pieces, were added next.

“They took the IB learner profile attributes, they imagined what they’d look like, and they put them on the wall,” stated Gonzalez.

Gilles Mally, a junior at Roosevelt High School who is originally from Africa, was honored on May 28 for working on the mural every day till the end of the day.

“Gille embodies our motto at Roosevelt,” stated Gonzalez. “Enter to learn. Leave to serve.”

“It’s my way to help the community,” stated Mally.

Gonzalez noted that when she first viewed the question now above the front doorway -- “How will I impact my world?” -- she started crying. “I think the effect its going to have on students will be noticeable,” stated Gonzalez. “The questions are so thought provoking and really evoke the kind of experiences we want kids to have at Roosevelt.”

“This is how school spaces can change,” agreed Roosevelt art teacher Jaci Smolund.

Lindsay Walz of Creative Hearts is excited about how the mural will bring the neighborhood and school community together more. She pointed out that it sets a vibrant and energetic tone to the school right away when people walk inside.

“I loved the making of it because it pulls people in,” stated muralist McClain. Each person who works on the project then wants to take care of the place and take ownership, she added.

A great part of every mural project she embarks upon is that “there’s something for everyone,” she said. 

The mural at Roosevelt was special for her because she actually stepped back for part of it when she gave birth to her first child. “Leadership rose up. I loved that,” said McClain. 

CONNECTED BY ART

The Connections Gallery installation on the front lawn is a permanent structure with changeable components that Roosevelt, Minneapolis Public Schools and the community can use to make connections through art. Artwork from community members and students will be featured on a rotating basic inside 14 metal frames that are divided into smaller cells of acrylic panels.

The idea for the gallery was sparked by students in 2012. It was created in collaboration with Forecast Public Art and Seward artist Randy Walker (who was selected by students). In addition to a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board and an anonymous donor, 152 community members donated $8,583 through a Kickstarter Campaign.

“I really love the Connections Gallery,” said Walz. “It will enrich the neighborhood and be a source of inspiration for passersby.”

Flynn Piper was one of the third graders from Northrup who came over to Roosevelt one day to work on the mural. “It was fun,” said Piper. “I learned that it is very fun and hard to crack the plates.” (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)

 

Roosevelt health teacher Kari Anderson (left), student Shalaya Love and student Raziel Rayland read a poem composed by students during the unveiling on May 28, 2014. (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)

Story published in the July Edition of the Longfellow/Nokomis Messenger.

Winery and cider house to open soon on E. Lake St.

Urban Forage Winery & Cider House part of E. Lake St. renaissance

by Tesha M. Christensen

  

Someday, Jeff and Gita Zietler will run a winery/cidery/meadery on E. Lake St.

They will gather fruit from urban apple trees and raspberry bushes, pick dandelions and lilacs, and intercept useable but not saleable fruit from food co-ops and natural food stores that would otherwise go to waste and ferment it into something delicious.

Someday, they will make tasty beverages that fall in the range between grape wine and beer that rarely ever make it to store shelves. This includes honey mead, dandelion wine, sparkling apple cider and pear champagne. They’ll put them on the shelves and make sure they get the attention they deserve.

Right now, they’re putting in the sweat and tears to make that dream a reality.

STARTING WITH A FORECLOSURE

Last year, the Zietlers bought a foreclosed building at 3016 E. Lake. Gita had seen the building on Lake Street up for sale for almost two years before they took the time to look at it.

Jeff admits he was hesitant to look at a property on E. Lake St. “I lived in Seward in the late 90s and early 00s and at that time hadn't had a very positive impression of E. Lake Street,” he observed.

But now he feels like Lake Street is a really good fit for their business. “Initially it was mostly about the price, but now we feel like a part of something larger -- a renaissance that seems to be taking place on E. Lake between Hiawatha and the river,” said Jeff. “Since we bought it, so many new, innovative businesses have opened in this corridor, and that really confirms that this is the right place to be.  My initial skepticism that this was the right place to build a business is gone.”

When they looked at the structure, the water was shut off and the roof leaked, but overall, the bones of the building were good, and the price was in a range that they could afford. “If it had been selling at the pre-recession price, we might not have even looked at it -- especially given that the street was less vibrant back then than it is now,” said Jeff.

They didn’t expect to have so much in common with their neighbors. “Our business neighbors are a mix of immigrants and long-time Minnesotans, running small businesses similar in scale to what we are planning,” remarked Jeff. “We're a mixed family, so it felt like a comfortable fit in many ways. This is one of the things we love about E. Lake St.: it's pretty unassuming, but there's a lot going on below the surface, good things.”

In the basement of their building is 1,200 square feet with 9-foot ceilings, glass block windows and an antique jail cell. “Not exactly the picture of a winery, but a unique space, large enough to accommodate all of the equipment for a small winery and a nice cool year-round temperature,” said Jeff Zietler. (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)

Jeff and Gita Zietler are proud of the work they’ve done to rehab this foreclosured building at 3016 E. Lake St., which included tearing up carpet and linoleum and then redoing the hardwood floors beneath. The building was formerly a hair salon, pawn shop and jewelry store named Diamond Jim’s, among other things. (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)

INVESTMENT AND SWEAT EQUITY

A landscape architect from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Jeff has done as much of the work on their building as he can.

First was the clean-up. He removed layers of old flooring and refinished the original wood floors, painted and fixed up a myriad of little things. They hired contractors to fix the roof, reconnect the water and fix damage that was the result of the pipes freezing. They discovered that the air conditioning unit didn't work and that the furnace was on its last leg, so they hired a contractor to replace both.

“There was a lot of investment that went into it that partially offset the initial low purchase price, but we still felt like we got a great deal,” said Jeff.

They have rented out the street level as an office for a company that places personal care assistants in people's homes, and the lower level is vacant.  They're in the process of applying for a conditional use permit and parking variance with the city in order to be able to run a business on the lower level. 

Downstairs, they have 1,200 square feet of space waiting for them to fix up. 

Their first piece of professional-grade equipment – a 300 liter Italian-made stainless steel fermenter – arrived in June. The test run was 14 gallons of dandelion and lilac wine. “We don’t have the building finished yet, or the licenses to sell, but I’m ramping up my home winemaking in preparation for going professional,” wrote Jeff in their blog.

HOMEBREWER SINCE COLLEGE

Jeff made his first batch of hard cider while he was a college student at the University of Minnesota 20 years ago. “It wasn't very good, but I kept making batches and over the years started making wines and ciders that people really seemed to enjoy,” stated Jeff. “Gita and I are both pretty avid gardeners and foragers, and I'd make wine from whatever was seasonally available in the area.” 

If their garden had a good year for growing carrots, he would mash them up and make a batch of carrot wine. In the spring he makes dandelion wine. When he notices fruit on the wild mulberry trees that grow almost everywhere, he collects enough to make a batch of mulberry wine. 

“It's all about using what's at hand, and the results are usually surprisingly good,” observed Jeff.

He isn’t trying to outdo California or France or Chile in making a great Cabernet or Sauvignon Blanc.  “Rhubarb and sour cherries and dandelions and carrots and apples grow like weeds in our climate, and make wonderful beverages of their own – and most of them are not commercially available, so I want to be the one to introduce them to the market,” he stated. 

Jeff added, “Foraging is how I've always made wine and cider, and scaling up to production on a commercial scale could be challenging. My vision is that we will be able to work with a number of partners who will pick organic fruit from their own trees or gardens or surplus fruit from consenting landowners, and give it to us in exchange for finished product or a modest payment.” He also hopes to intercept non-saleable fruit and vegetables from local markets that is too aesthetically unappealing to sell at a market, but is still perfectly suitable for juice extraction and fermentation.

HEARTBREAK OVER LAWS

The Zietlers, who live in the Merriam Park neighborhood of St. Paul, have been frustrated by the laws governing wineries. Rural wineries (located on agricultural land of three acres or more) pay 1/10 of the licensing fee of an urban winery, can also produce hard liquor, sell their products on site, and sell samples and drinks by the glass. In contrast, urban wineries pay a much higher licensing fee, but cannot have a taproom or even sell bottles on site.

 “The laws that have loosened up fees and regulations for brewery taprooms and microdistilleries have not yet made it to wineries,” Jeff observed.

Earlier this year, the Zietlers recruited the help of Representative Jim Davnie and Senator Patricia Torres Ray in order to pass new legislation to change that discrepancy. “But the farm wineries came out strong against it, and the bill died in committee,” stated Jeff. “I was kind of heartbroken after that happened.”

But he hasn’t given up. Instead he’s working to gather support from others. “When I try again, I think I'll have the public support that I was lacking last time,” Jeff observed.

KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN TO LAUNCH

The Zietlers plan to launch a Kickstarter campaign in September to raise $20,000 to buy equipment and fermenters. If their permits are approved and the Kickstarter campaign is successful, Urban Forage Winery and Cider House will begin making wine and cider in the winter or spring of 2015. 

Follow their progress at http://urbanforagewinery.com/

As the Green Line opens, resident opinions vary

Some excited for new transportation option, while others worry it won’t be used

By Tesha M. Christensen

As the Green Line opens, local opinions about the new lightrail line vary widely.

Hamline Midway Coalition – District 11 Communications Coordinator Kyle Mianulli is looking forward to riding the Green Line to and from the Midway every day, both for work and pleasure.

 “There is so much vibrancy already here, and it will be interesting to see how this new mode of access will further energize the area,” Mianulli said.

Hamline Midway Coalition Transportation Committee member Stephen Mitrioni is excited to finally see “how this thing is going to work in real life.”

Mitrioni added, “I am also looking forward to it being a huge success and putting all the naysayers to shame.”

 “I don’t know if it will be good or bad for the city,” stated Ryan Wilson, who has owned the UPS Store at University and Hamline for 15 years. “I try to be optimistic, but at the end of the day, this really took a toll on us.”

However, when he looks ahead, Wilson hopes the Green Line is successful. “We want to see this thing succeed now that its here.”

GREATER TRANSPORTATION DIVERSITY

 “University Ave has the potential to be a truly great avenue, and the Green Line is a centerpiece for that transformation,” remarked Hamline-Midway resident Lars D. Christianson, who is a sociology professor at Augsburg University.

According to Mitrioni, the Green Line is one piece of the puzzle. “The best systems are designed with an ‘all of the above’ approach,” he observed. “People will have multiple options to walk, bike, bus, train and yes, even drive your car if you desire.”

He believes that the opening of the lightrail line will be positive for the neighborhood. “The first two years were disruptive, but did not make things too difficult. The neighborhood has done just fine,” Mitrioni said. 

CONCERNS

Chocolat Celeste owner Mary Leonard is concerned that there won’t be enough passengers on the train because of the length of time it will take to travel between the two cities. Wilson also questions whether someone will sit on a train for 60 minutes when he/she could hop in their car and make the trip in 15 to 20 minutes.

The lack of gates at each intersection is also concerning to Leonard. Wilson questions how snow removal will go.

 “There is going to be some adjustment to the flow of traffic with the system,” remarked Mitrioni.

IMPACT ON BUSINESSES

The three years of construction have been tough on the businesses along University Ave.

 “Small businesses have closed and failed because of the lack of customers and access,” said Leonard. Traffic along University decreased from 40,000 cars a day to 10,000.

Mitrioni pointed out that despite the worst economic downturn since the recession, businesses have moved into the neighborhood. “My end of town seems to be being dominated by non-profits,” he said. “Habitat for Humanity, Goodwill and various human service organizations seem to be drawn to my end of University. Density is definitely increasing, as it should.”

The old Snelling Bus Barn Site at the corner of University and Snelling will soon be redeveloped, and the Project for Pride in Living mixed-use affordable housing development will break ground in June.  

However, Wilson questions whether this development is being spurred by the lightrail, and suggests that it was already on its way.

Wilson recalled that initially, the construction was to be done in three one-year sections, with no one area torn up for more than one year. But some businesses, like his, were in the middle of a construction zone for two years. He lost 2,227 customers between 2010 and 2011.

He equates the process to taking your third grader out of school for three years and then putting him back into third grade.

Based on the initial projects from the Met Council, Wilson didn’t think it was going to be as bad as it was, and he feels like he was mislead by people who didn’t have a financial stake in the neighborhood. “There’s no accountability,” remarked Wilson. “I’d like to see someone take responsibility.”

He added, “It had a real financial impact on myself and my family. We paid a real price for this.”

Chocolat Celeste lost $500,000 in sales, and Leonard watched her business be cut in half. Because of the construction, she proactively moved her business from University and Highway 280 to 652 Transfer Rd. and reconstructed her kitchen in October 2010.

Neither Leonard nor Wilson think that the $20,000 forgivable loans offered to businesses along University were sufficient.

Wilson proposes that a fund be set up to help businesses, and wants to see more marketing done to promote businesses on University.

IS THERE ENOUGH PARKING?

In response to the proposal to convert one lane of traffic into bike lanes and parking, Wilson questions it is being done to force cars off the road in an effort to make lightrail more profitable.

Leonard suggests that parking ramps be built to address the need for more parking.

 “Businesses and homeowners should stop expecting the city to provide parking free of charge and the city should stop acting like every project should be driven by parking needs,” said Mitrioni. “The city should just make a declaration: parking your car is your own problem, not ours.”

 “The best remedy, in my opinion, is for people to stop relying so heavily on personal vehicles to get around town,” said Mianulli.

BENEFITS

Leonard believes the Green Line will bring in tourism money, and was a selling point for the SuperBowl in 2018.

“Trains on dedicated rail, like the Green Line, are able to be more consistent and predictable, in terms of service, than buses. I look forward to that consistency and predictability,” said Christianson. Trains are easier to board than buses, especially for those with bikes or wheelchairs. Because there isn’t an exchange of money with a driver, service is faster. And this is a mode of transportation that emits less CO2 per user than cars or buses.

Mianulli predicts that the Green Line will spur an exciting new chapter of prosperity and success, changing the perception of the Midway as merely a thoroughfare between two downtowns to a rich and vibrant destination of its own. “There is a strong sense of environmental responsibility amongst many of the neighbors that live here,” he noted, “and having this slick new form of transportation available will, I think, allow people to make more environmentally conscious choices when it comes to getting around town.”