What would happen to Lake Hiawatha if dams in creek were removed?

Park Board, City enter phase two of investigation and hope to find preferred solution to water issues at golf course

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN
If the level of Lake Hiawatha were lowered, would that keep the golf course playable and stop water from entering nearby basements?
Perhaps.
While dredging the lake wouldn’t help lower the level of the lake, planners are studying what would happen if the existing weirs at 28th St. and Hiawatha Ave. were lowered and the creek dredged between the two. (A weir is a low dam built across a river or stream to raise the level of water upstream or regulate its flow.) The outlet of the lake would also need to be modified.
A plus side to a lower lake is that it would offer more flood storage in the area. When there is a large storm and the area around Lake Hiawatha floods, that’s flood storage, pointed out a Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board FAQ on the issue. The bigger the area, the more flood storage there is. A lower lake level would not only provide more flood storage but also might lower flood elevations. The exact impact is not yet known because it hasn’t been studied.
Recently, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) adjusted its 100-year flood zone maps, affecting some properties in South Minneapolis. Nearly the entire golf course itself is within the FEMA 100-year floodplain. The level of the golf course could be raised by filling in the low areas.
Photo right: The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) and city of Minneapolis are working closely on a solution to the water issues around Lake Hiawatha and the golf course. Park Commissioner Steffanie Musich (at left), Minneapolis Director of Surface Water and Sewers Katrina Kessler, and MPRB Assistant Superintendent of Planning Michael Schroeder answered questions together at the public meeting on Tues., Nov. 29, 2016. (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)
While that might reduce the need for pumping groundwater, it would also reduce the flood storage, which increases the chances of roads, buildings and houses flooding.
Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) Assistant Superintendent of Planning Michael Schroeder stressed that neither the park board nor the city have the authority to make any alterations to Lake Hiawatha or Minnehaha Creek. Permits and approvals would be needed from regulatory agencies that include the Department of Natural Resources, Minnehaha Creek Watershed District, FEMA, and the Army Corp of Engineers.
“This is a big problem, and this will take a big solution,” said Schroeder during a public meeting on Nov. 29.
Phase one: water being pumped in a big circle
During the first investigative phase, planners gathered data to understand the scope of the problem.
The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board has been evaluating what to do at the golf course since the large amount of pumping was discovered last fall while planners were working to restore the golf course with $100 million from FEMA.
Photo left: Jeanne LaBore lives near the golf course. She commented that the planning so far seems predicated on the notion that a golf course will be maintained. She questioned the cost of that and suggested that remediation for the homes, such as the installation of sump pumps, might be cheaper. “What’s the best use of that land?” LaBore asked. (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)
The volume of water being pumped from Hiawatha Golf Course is far greater than allowed by a permit issued by the DNR in 1993 for 36.5 million gallons.
The golf course is currently pumping 263 million gallons of groundwater annually, the amount of water used by a small town in a year, said Schroeder.
Of that, 105 million gallons a year are being pumped in a little circle, seeping from the ponds into Lake Hiawatha and back into the ponds. Of the rest, 17 percent is stormwater run-off, and 50 percent is shallow groundwater. Tests determining this were done from Dec. 31, 2015, to Jan. 4, 2016.
If pumping were to stop, most of the course would be underwater, and it would be shut down.
Planners also realized that turning off the pumps might flood 9-18 homes nearby in the area of 19th Ave. and 44th St. They began meeting with homeowners in June to better understand how deep their basements are and the water issues they face. They also question whether homes farther upstream might also be affected.
Analysts estimate that some nearby basements are at an elevation of 811.3, which falls below the 812 elevation of the lake. The street is at an elevation of 816.3, while the ponds are at 808.6.
Illustration left: This graph shows the elevations of the land and water of Lake Hiawatha. The dark blue shows existing open water, while the light blue shows the area that falls below the 812.8 elevation of the lake, and would be under water if the pumping were to stop altogether. The white area shows the portion of the golf course that is at 813.8. (Photo submitted)
The elevation of nearby Lake Nokomis, which is separated from the creek, is 816. Planners acknowledge that anything done at Lake Hiawatha will affect Lake Nokomis, and plan to take that into account, as well.
Phase two: what’s next
MPRB is now ready to move on to phase two and pinpoint the best answer for the long-term future of the park land.
“We’re going to move through this process deliberately,” promised Schroeder.
He did stress that the property would remain parkland even if the golf course goes away.
MPRB is working closely with the city. “We know that the park board can’t solve this on our own. We’re going to find a solution together,” said Schroeder.
The solution will not just deal with the golf course, but also the trash flow and ecology of the creek.
“This is a very broad and complex issue, and we want to find a good answer to it,” said Schroeder.
Investigations will evaluate what will happen if the park board continues pumping, reduces pumping, or stops pumping.
“If we’re going to do this for another 100 years, we want someone to say it is good for 100 years,” said Schroeder.
Della Young of Young Environmental Consulting Group has been hired to provide expertise, and another technical consultant is expected to be hired.
A preferred scenario with a clear direction forward and costs will be identified by July 2017.
Jeanne LaBore lives near the golf course. She commented that the planning so far seems predicated on the notion that a golf course will be maintained. She questioned the cost of that and suggested that remediation for the homes, such as the installation of sump pumps, might be cheaper.
“What’s the best use of that land?” LaBore asked.
“We think it’s really important that before you get to that preferred concept, you address the ethics of trying to keep a wetland a golf course,” said resident Connie Peppin.
According to Schroeder, the next community meeting will be in March in order to get more input from residents.
How will the trash issue be solved?
The trash that flows directly into the lake without a filter from a stormwater pipe on the northwest side continues to remain an issue for residents. One attendee encouraged the city to put the stormwater somewhere else, not in the lake.
There are only so many options for stormwater, pointed out Minneapolis Director of Surface Water and Sewers Katrina Kessler. There are hundreds of storm drains in the city. “Ultimately, we are responsible to what is flowing off our properties,” she said. She urged residents to consider other alternatives to salt sidewalks this winter to keep that from entering the watershed.
Roxanne Stuhr remarked that much of the trash pulled out of Lake Hiawatha by volunteers has been styrofoam, and she suggested that the city ban these types of containers.
Another resident suggested that the city begin sweeping streets more frequently. Kessler responded,
“We are looking at that.” The parkways adjacent to lakes and creeks are already swept on a bi-weekly basis in the summer.
“This is a problem that takes many hands to solve,” said Kessler, who pointed out that they’re trying to attack it from multiple facets.
The Friends of Lake Hiawatha are encouraging residents to take part in the city’s Adopt-A-Drain program to keep trash from entering the lake. Volunteers commit to clearing leaves and trash from a drain regularly.
The city piloted a floating curtain in an attempt to catch trash entering the lake from the large storm drain last summer. The curtain netted only four pounds of trash. Compare that to the 2,400 pounds kept out of the city’s drains through the Adopt-A-Drain program, said Kessler.
Seventy residents have adopted over 120 drains in the Standish Erickson neighborhood, with 29 of those draining to Lake Hiawatha.

Article appeared in the December 2016 Longfellow Nokomis Messenger.

Wishing for a large grocery store on south side of Longfellow?

Developers eyeing city-identified ‘town square retail site’ near 46th and Hiawatha for grocery store and apartments

By TESHA A. CHRISTENSEN
Are you going out of the neighborhood to grocery shop? You’re not alone.
“Third-party grocery consultants estimate that 85% of the available food dollars leave the Longfellow neighborhood—resulting in more traffic and road miles traveled,” according to Drew Johnson of Oppidan Investment Company.
In fact, parts of south Minneapolis are classified as a food desert by the United State Department of Agriculture (USDA) because of low access to grocery stores.
Photo left: A grocery store and 140 to 160 apartments may be constructed at Snelling and E. 46th in 2017. The investment in phase one will be $38-$44 million. (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)
Oppidan hopes to change that by building a new grocery store near the 46th and Hiawatha intersection.
Construction may begin soon.
“Despite grocery options along Lake St., across the river, or further west of Highway 55, a market analysis reveals the area as a ‘food desert,’ so having a grocery store there would serve the community well,” said Ward 12 Council Member Andrew Johnson. “What will be important, though, is which particular grocer moves in. For it to be most beneficial to the community, I believe it has to offer something differentiated from what we already have nearby.”
5.7-acre site
Oppidan owns the 5.7-acre site with a 75,000-square-foot warehouse that Creative Kidstuff leases for its corporate office at 3939 E. 46th St. A landscaping company uses the southern portion of the site near the Dairy Queen and Nawadaha Blvd. The long, triangular-shaped parcel abuts a railroad track that is no longer used.
Illustration right: Oppidan’s plan for the site fits with the city’s transit-oriented development strategy for the area, which places a town square retail site at Snelling and 46th Ave. E.
Oppidan has been working on plans for a mixed-use project in the northern part of the site, with the grocery store fronting 46th St. Snelling Ave. will be extended south into the development and likely curve over to the area between Burger King and the mall.
“This store will bring grocery goods and services not currently offered in the trade area, and what consumers have come to expect in a grocery store: hot food bar with seating areas, grab and go options, large fresh bakery and large deli, floral, and organic offerings, as well as standard ‘center isle’ items,” said D. Johnson.
Early phase one concept plans show between 140 to 160 apartments, and around 50,000 square feet of retail, the majority for the grocery store. The investment in phase one will be $38-$44 million.
D. Johnson pointed out that the plan for the site fits with the city’s transit-oriented development strategy for the area, which places a town square retail site there.
Development challenges include barriers to development such as the high-voltage lattice towers, the cost of new public streets, and managing traffic on 46th and Hiawatha. Additionally, there will be environmental clean-up from some of the former uses at the site, including a coal/fuel company, a lumberyard, a gas station, and diesel storage.
Oppidan was drawn to the parcel because of its large size and location with great transit connections.
“Done right, this project will offer positive features to both new and existing residents/neighbors: additional housing options in a market that has an extremely low vacancy rate, multi-modal access to grocery, cleaning-up impacted soils from historical uses, treating stormwater before it leaves the site, and public trails and plaza areas connecting to other redevelopments in the area,” said D. Johnson.
“Despite being located across the street from Minnehaha Falls, a block from the 46th St. light rail station, and on a bus-rapid-transit line, the property today is mostly a giant asphalt lot… they even pile wood chips out back!” said council member Johnson. “I believe there are much better uses for such an excellent location.”
The sheer size of the property may be its biggest challenge. “This makes a strong vision and good urban design essential, as it is all too easy for most developers to pursue the biggest, easiest, and cheapest project possible to maximize profit and move on. I have seen firsthand Oppidan’s willingness thus far to focus on the details and make the redevelopment of this property a good fit for the neighborhood,” said A. Johnson. “They are also planning ahead for the future so that this site could be combined with others nearby to make a little village for shopping, living, and entertainment that’s integrated with green space and paths to the park and transit.”
When A. Johnson first saw the plan, he suggested some revisions to activate the public realm on 46th St. with commercial spaces and pedestrian-friendly features.
“They broke up the long and bulky building into two separate buildings, and they made some other tweaks to fit better with the site and neighborhood,” observed A. Johnson.
“Moving forward, the city will play a pretty big role in helping make any development of this site a success, as there are some public infrastructure changes to consider, such as extending Snelling Ave. and converting the abandoned railroad tracks into a connection with Minnehaha Park,” added council member Johnson.
Min Hi Line: a linear park
The Min Hi Line Coalition envisions a linear park traversing the space now unused by railroad tracks, of which the area within the grocery store development is the southernmost link to Minnehaha Park.
Since 2001, the city’s master planning guiding documents have also promoted the old rail right-of-way being turned into a linear park. A bike/walk trail in this area would create a protected connection between the Midtown Greenway and Minnehaha Pkwy, and complete the Longfellow Grand Rounds, as noted in the Minneapolis Bicycle Master Plan.
The Min Hi Line Coalition (www.minhiline.org) aims to incorporate park space with public art, trails, streets, historical markers and storm water management. Successful precedents from across the country, such as the Atlanta Beltline, New York High Line, and Minneapolis Midtown Greenway serve as models and guide the work.
Share your comments
The developer’s next step is to engage with community stakeholders.
Learn more on Tues., Jan. 3 at the Longfellow Community Council’s Neighborhood Development and Transportation Committee meeting at the Longfellow Recreation Center (3435 36th Ave. S.), at 7:30 p.m.

Appeared in the December 2016 Longfellow Nokomis Messenger.

Homeless grandparents will soon call Frey Flats home

Alliance Housing pulling together funds to construct apartments along E. Lake for single, homeless adults over 55 

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN
“Would you want your parents or grandparents homeless?” asked Alliance Housing Inc. (AHI) Executive Director Barbara Jeanetta. “It is nearly impossible for anyone to accomplish much positive in their lives without stable housing.”
To help ease the problem of homelessness in those over 55, AHI is constructing a four-story apartment building with 41 studios to house homeless single adults age 55 and over. Frey Flats will be built on the vacant lot at 3001 E. Lake St.

Photo right: (From left), Alliance Housing Inc. Executive Director Barbara Jeanetta and Human Services Commissioner Emily Piper talk with Alliance Housing rooming house residents Richard Love, Michael Huffman and Tracy Muse on Tues., Nov. 15, in Minneapolis. Piper announced this year’s Live Well at Home grants while visiting an Alliance Housing Incorporated building in Minneapolis’s Whittier neighborhood that serves primarily older Minnesotans with low incomes. Alliance Housing is receiving $700,000 to help build a new 41-unit affordable housing project in the Longfellow neighborhood to serve older homeless adults, a population that is on the rise across Minnesota. In 2015, the number of homeless adults age 55 and older was 843, an 8 percent increase from 2012, according to Wilder Research’s most recent one-night statewide study of homeless people. (Photo submitted)
Homelessness in adults over 55 is the only growing area of the homeless population in Hennepin County. The problem is expected to get worse as the number of Baby Boomers over 55 grows in the next decade.
Statewide, the 2012 single night Wilder Survey counted 777 men and women aged 55 and older, which is a 47% increase in their numbers over the 2009 Wilder Survey. In 2015, the number of homeless adults age 55 and older was 843, an 8 percent increase from 2012.
What people don’t understand
Jeanetta has found that most people don’t understand the level of chronic homelessness among adults over 55.
“Many of these adults have never had a place of their own or certainly not for many years,” said Jeanetta. “There is a high level of alcoholism and mental illness. Housing has proven to mitigate the problems from both.”
AHI plans to have a capable, experienced service provider on staff through Touchstone Mental Health that can address the health, well-being and behavior of tenants.
There are good examples of how stable housing and a supportive community environment are a foundation for a more positive lifestyle and opportunity to make other positive change. The lack of it leads to other chaos.
A 2012 report sponsored by the Family Housing Fund, “Financial Implications of Public Interventions on Behalf of a Chronically Homeless Family” documented significant savings of public dollars in emergency medical care, foster care, substance abuse treatment, and incarceration when people have stable and supportive housing.
Also, these elder adults are easy victims of assault, theft and other crime that further sets back opportunities for stability.
A shelter bed at Hennepin County cost $30 a day. A hospital stay at Hennepin County Medical Center for alcohol/drug use treatment is a minimum of $4,169 a day. A night is jail is $378 per day.
A room at an Alliance Housing facility costs $9-15 a day.
More than a bed
Optimistically, AHI will begin construction on Frey Flats in 2018.
“To keep rents affordable to very low-income persons, we raise money from public sources that don’t have to be repaid (city, county, state),” explained Jeanetta.
Currently, AHI has raised $1.2 million from the Department of Health Services and the city of Minneapolis. AHI has a $500,000 request pending with the Federal Home Loan Bank and will ask the State Housing Agency for about $8 million in the summer of 2017. AHI also needs housing infrastructure bonds that will need to be authorized by the State Legislature in the 2017 session.
While the design has not been finalized, it will include community, office and service space with a traditional storefront look.
The building will have elevators, a sizable community room, an office for rental and tenant services, a laundry, and storage areas. The efficiency units will all be furnished.
Outside there will be an area for grilling and a small area to raise vegetables and flowers.
AHI intends to operate the building with a live-in caretaker and a secure front desk. Very often, persons moving out of homelessness lose their housing because they cannot keep their old friends and associates out of their new place, explained Jeanetta. Having eyes on the property or a secure front desk help residents maintain their housing stability and ease the pressure of unwanted guests. AHI’s rooming house at 2011 Pillsbury has a live-in caretaker that compliments its property manager and has an excellent reputation with neighbors and the Minneapolis police.
AHI is seeking a service partner to assist residents with maintaining housing stability, managing health and well-being, and accessing community services. Conversations are underway with St. Stephens Human Services, Catholic Charities, Jewish Children and Family Services, and Longfellow Seward Healthy Seniors.
Alliance’s caretaker and the building design and amenities will support a connected community of residents. Often it is difficult for homeless individuals to transition away from and replace their “community of the streets.” Community space for passive and organized activities will help residents recognize and support their neighbors.
AHI creates long-term solutions
AHI was born out of the vision of St. Stephens’ Catholic Church volunteers and emergency shelter staff and residents who wanted to create tangible, long-term housing solutions for homeless families and individuals.
The nonprofit (not religious affiliated) organization was incorporated in 1991 and took advantage of vacant and available properties at low cost in South Minneapolis. Alliance continues to honor its history by developing housing solutions for homeless, poor and other individuals shut out of market opportunities.
Alliance’s programs and activities include affordable housing development and management and supportive housing programming for families. Its 450 units of housing serve a continuum of single adults to families.
Hiawatha Commons (2740 Minnehaha Ave.) in Longfellow is four-story, brick apartment building located a short walk from the Hiawatha Light Rail station on Lake St. This transit-oriented, mixed-income project was designed for low-wage workers who work in the neighborhood or at the airport, Mall of America and Downtown. The building was opened in 2006 and its 80 units stay leased consistently.
Meet Tom McDaniels

AHI’s housing development and property management fills a critical niche in Minneapolis’ affordable housing marketplace. Units fall among the most affordable in the city at 15-35% below market rents.
Alliance rents to tenants that other landlords turn down because of their low income or poor rental and criminal histories, like 75-year-old Tom McDaniels (photo left submitted). He had spent three years living in his car, after five years of camping out in the Minnesota cold, because a 30-year-old felony staining his record made finding affordable housing nearly impossible. Having spent many years in prison, McDaniels only has seven years of work experience, which provide him with just enough in social security and other benefits to make ends meet. On top of rent, McDaniels has regular medical expenses that come along with the health conditions he is faced with as he ages.
In January 2015, McDaniels moved into an AHI rooming house at 2011 Pillsbury Ave. He no longer has to worry about where he’s sleeping that night.
Alliance’s work makes it possible for individuals and families to create homes for themselves, regardless of income and background by developing and managing housing that is inclusive, affordable, relational, and flexible, according to Jeanetta.
Site on good transit corridor
AHI discussed the Frey Flats concept with Longfellow’s Community Development and Environment Committee in January 2016. Residents who attended the meeting were generally supportive and had questions related to design and use of green features.
AHI had hoped to construct this 55 plus building in the Phillips neighborhood, but wasn’t able to secure funding.
“We were searching for a site along a good transit corridor,” explained Jeanetta. “This site was available and within a reasonable price range. Longfellow has been very welcoming all along the process.”

Article appeared in the December 2016 Longfellow/Nokomis Messenger.

Brian Beatty featured in the Midway Como Monitor

Article linked here:

https://redbirdchapbooks.com/content/brian-beatty-featured-midway-como-monitor

Como writer, jokester, ‘bearder’ amazed at good fortune

Two volumes of Brian Beatty’s poetry being published—‘Coyotes I Couldn’t See’ and ‘Brazil, Indiana’

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN
2016 was a big year for Como poet and performer Brian Beatty. He had two poetry collections accepted for publication, “Coyotes I Couldn’t See” and “Brazil, Indiana.”
“I’m pretty amazed at my good fortune right now,” remarked Beatty (photo right).
“At 46 years old, I was late to get something book-length published. This interest in my work motivates me to keep knocking out poems.”
Natural creative outlet
Beatty was writing poems in high school English classes when he should have been reading Mark Twain or F. Scott Fitzgerald. “Initially I was inspired by the song lyrics of my favorite bands, but I quickly realized, with the help of a great teacher, that song lyrics and poetry weren’t the same thing—mostly because I was no Bob Dylan,” recalled Beatty.
In college, he studied fiction writing because that seemed more practical. “At the time, you could still sell short stories to magazines,” stated Beatty. He sold one to Seventeen magazine during his senior year of undergrad.
His first published poem worth anything was about a homeless man who tucked the money he panhandled into his boot. It appeared in a university literary magazine, across the page from a poem by Charles Bukowski. “I was pretty pleased (and smug) about that at the time,” said Beatty.
In 1994, he earned a master of fine arts degree in fiction writing from Bowling Green State University in Ohio, and then quit writing for about a year.
“I’d pushed too hard too soon,” he explained.
He questions university MFA programs, worrying that the university’s ownership of literature has done something to poetry and fiction traditions. “Not enough of writing these days is about what happens outside of academia,” said Beatty.
When he eventually returned to a computer keyboard, it was with ideas for poems instead of short stories. “I’ve stayed at it since then because I’ve never found a creative outlet that feels as natural to me,” said Beatty.
‘Odd, endearing, adored by hipsters and Wobegonians’
Over the last 25 years, Beatty has written for over 20 publications. Among them are Arts Indiana, The Bark, City Pages, Elephant Journal, The Evergreen Review, Glasgow Review of Books (Scotland), Lake Country Journal, Publishers Weekly, The Quarterly, The Rake, The Sycamore Review, The Writer, Urthona (New Zealand) and Yankee Pot Roast.
The bearded jokester has appeared on more than 15 stages, such as the Bedlam Theatre, Brave New Workshop, MPR’s Fitzgerald Theater, 2010 and 2011 Minnesota Fringe Festivals, The Playwrights’ Center, The Ritz Theater, The Soap Factory, Trylon Microcinema, The Turf Club, and the Woman’s Club of Minneapolis.
For two years Beatty hosted “You Are Hear,” a monthly literary podcast, for mnartists.org, a joint project of the Walker Art Center and the McKnight Foundation.
Comedian Maria Bamford considers Beatty one of her favorite Minneapolis comics. “Odd, endearing, adored by hipsters and Wobegonians alike,” she said.
Read, steal, and avoid cliches
Beatty grew up in Brazil, Indiana and moved to south Minneapolis in 1999. He wound up in St. Paul’s Como neighborhood in 2015.
He’s a big fan of Lake Como and all that the park offers.
“My favorite thing about the Como neighborhood is how residential it is,” remarked Beatty.
“Neighbors wave across the street and chat in the alley. I love that I don’t see cranes when I look toward the horizon.”
He has started reading at Barbaric Yawp, Chris Title’s monthly reading series at Underground Music Café at Hoyt and Hamline.
Beatty recommends that aspiring poets read as much as they can and steal what they find valuable.
“Read and steal—and be as clear as you can about what you’re trying to communicate without falling into horrible cliché,” stated Beatty, who also writes marketing and advertising copy for business clients.
Comedy and poetry
Beatty’s writing process involves plopping down in his living room chair with his laptop and hoping for the best, usually first thing in the morning after the coffee is started. “When nothing’s working, I crack open a book and read until I stumble upon something that inspires me,” said Beatty.
“I typically start with a single image or phrase and follow that wherever it takes me. Most of the time, I wind up telling tiny stories or jokes in my poems.”
His first poetry collection, “DUCK!” was a 100-page humor collection he self-published in 2009.
Ravenna Press in Washington published a small pamphlet-length collection called, “Earliest Bird Calls.” It includes a couple of poems that wound up in revised versions in the Coyotes collection.
“Coyotes I Couldn’t See” (photo left of cover), was printed recently by St. Paul-based Red Bird Chapbooks (redbirdchapbooks.com). This limited edition collection includes lyric and narrative poems written and published over a two-year period. The chapbook is loosely arranged to chronicle a year’s sequence of seasons. Included poems originally appeared in print and digital publications in the U.S., Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and Scotland, as well as in digital broadsides on the website of the Walker Art Center and in Motionpoems’ 2014 “Arrivals and Departures” public art project at Union Depot in downtown St. Paul.
“Brian Beatty’s poems conjure complete lives—houses, yards, people, ghosts, dogs, squirrels and invisible coyotes—out of just a few stanzas,” praised Minnesota musician Charlie Parr. “This collection reads like music, creating worlds that look like everyday life complete with the terrible uncertainty, the delicate and wavering balance, the long, long drop into the bottomless.”
Book tribute to grandmother
Beatty’s second collection, titled “Brazil, Indiana” (cover photo left), will be published in late 2016 or early 2017 by California-based Kelsay Books/Aldrich Press.
The 100-page sequence of short, 12-line lyrics pays tribute to the people and places of the poet’s rural, small town childhood years.
“It’s one long poem in the manner of John Berryman’s Dream Songs,” explained Beatty. “The book poured out in a handful of months. It started as a tribute to my late grandmother, who was my last connection to my hometown until her death last year.”
Excerpts from the sequence first appeared in numerous publications, including Clementine Poetry Journal, Dressing Room Poetry Journal, The Glasgow Review of Books (Scotland), Midwestern Gothic, The Moth (Ireland), Right Hand Pointing, Third Wednesday and Yellow Chair Review.
Twin Cities-based annual Poetry City, U.S.A. published the first of the Brazil, Indiana excerpts.
“The highlight of my poetry ‘career,’ such as it is, would have to be publishing six excerpts from the Brazil book in an Irish literary magazine. Otherwise, I sat next to the poet Robert Bly at a local documentary premiere once,” said Beatty.
Check Beatty’s web site (brianbeattympls.com) for book signing events.
“For all the jabber about nobody reading poetry these days, I’m fortunate to live in a place where there’s an audience for the work I do,” said Beatty. “It means the world to me.”

Article appeared in the December 2016 Monitor Saint Paul.

Simple and nature-based playground planned at Nokomis

Playground near community center will be redone next year and stand out as a unique park

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN

Neighborhood kids are excited by the plan to redo the playgrounds by the Nokomis Community Center next year.

The new design for the playground near the Nokomis Community Center features “logs” for balancing on and “wood” stepping stones made from recycled plastic materials, “tree” poles for climbing, and raised hills. There’s a “birds nest” to play in on one of the three-to-four-foot high raised hills, and a taller structure on another. There will be one tall slide and two smaller ones, a climber, diggers, swings and Willow Thicket. (Photo submitted)

They had the chance to check things out during an open house at the Nokomis Community Center on Tue., Nov. 15.
“It’s really cool,” said nine-year-old Emersen Russell after looking over display boards. Her friend, Annika Clift, agreed, pointing to an image of the multi-user swing. “We love those things!” she said.
Ava Beckett, age 10, is excited to see “those spinning things that I love.”
“Everything looks fun,” stated Gemma Cudd, age 10.
Adults gave the plan a thumbs up, as well.
“I think it looks nice,” remarked longtime resident Scott Beckett.

Playground designer Chris Desroches (left) explains the new pieces of equipment that will be installed at the Nokomis playground to Gemma Cudd, age 10, and Ava Beckett, age 10 during an open house. Beckett is excited to see “those spinning things that I love.” (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)

“It looks like they’re sticking to the spirit of the outdoors and nature,” observed 16-year neighborhood resident Mike Russell. “It looks very interactive.”
After seeing the parks in many other cities while traveling for work, Russell said he really appreciates what Minneapolis has. “The city and nature really blend like no other city,” Russell said. “We have access to a lot of things to do outdoors.”
Additional comments on the plan will be accepted until Dec. 2 either in person at the Nokomis Community Center or online at bit.ly/nokomisplayground.
It will go the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board for approval on Jan. 4, 2017.
Simple and nature-based
The new design for ages 2-8 has a similar feel as the parks at Wabun and Levine Triangle, but it isn’t meant to be like any others in the city.
“One of the goals is to have each playground be slightly different,” explained project manager Beth Pfeifer. “We want people to have different experiences at different parks.”
To get a feel for how residents use the current equipment, playground designer Chris Desroches observed it in person and then factored in resident comments before fashioning the new design. Comments were solicited earlier this year at three open houses and the Monarch Festival.
“People liked what was existing there and the style of it,” recalled Desroches. They expressed a desire for a simple and nature-based playground.
“This will be a unique space,” said Desroches.
The new design features “logs” for balancing on and “wood” stepping stones made from recycled plastic materials, “tree” poles for climbing, and raised hills. There’s a “birds nest” to play in on one of the three-to-four-foot high raised hills, and a taller structure on another.
“What we wanted to do was play off the nature play area, but not replicate it,” explained Desroches.
The hills will be well-suited for younger kids, who won’t be hurt if they end up rolling down them.
Residents asked for a high slide, so there’s one in the plan, as well as two other smaller ones. They wanted lots of swings, so the plan includes a row of six with another two baby swings on the other side.
People with older and younger kids commented that it is hard to maintain good visibility of all their kids with the current set-up. In recognition of that, a hill will be graded and benches installed that allow parents to view the entire playground area at a time.
Planners intend to tie the existing disconnected play structures into a single playground through the use of a long concrete border (that will double as a balance beam for children) and a single container filled with an ADA-compliant surface. The green portions are a material similar to that at Wabun, and the rest will be a virgin hardwood material made specifically so that a wheelchair can be rolled across it. Plus, it last longer than regular mulch.
Metal equipment to be reused
Some of the existing equipment looks like it is solid and still in good shape, pointed out some residents. Park workers agreed. Two galvanized steel slides, a climber, the chin-up and turning bars, and the diggers will be reused.
Because safety standards are different today than they were 50 years ago, not everything can be reused in the same way. The dolphin with teeth and a bowler hat can’t be used as is, but designers have a plan for it. The dolphin will be buried in the sand so that children can dig it up. Planners think this lends towards the desire by community residents to keep pieces that inspire creativity.
The Willow Thicket that has been at the Rose Garden temporarily will find a permanent home at Nokomis.
It will be surrounded by round concrete billers — sort of like the ones in the front of Target stores, explained Desroches. The bollards can be used many different ways. Children will be able to climb on them. Plus, they allow parents to engage with each other in a way that neither benches nor picnic tables do while also keeping a good eye on their children because they can lean on them and move around as needed. Other bollards will be placed around the concrete border to break it up.
Nature pop-up becomes pilot project
As part of the project, the pop-up nature play area on the south side that was added last spring will be made more permanent.
A natural play area wasn’t included in the Nokomis master plan, but since it was so well-loved, planners didn’t want to remove it, according to Pfeifer.
Instead, the pop-up will become a pilot project.
They’ve asked the forestry department to hold onto specific shapes and pieces next spring that will become key anchors in the natural play area.
The area will be closed for a short time to regarded and place the new wood pieces.
Work likely to take six weeks
Residents commented that they wanted to have a playground to use during the summer, particularly for use by the Rec Plus program that begins when school releases. Planners also recognize that having it under construction during the Monarch Festival would be bad timing.
The current plan is to wait until fall 2017 to begin work, but if there’s an early spring, the project will be done then instead.
Once work begins, it will take about six weeks to complete, depending on the weather.
The large playground structure for ages 5-12 that was recently replaced will remain. However, the existing sand will be replaced with an ADA-compliant surface. The hope is to complete that work first so that this part of the playground will still be usable while the rest is fenced off.
The $300,000 cost of the work is part of the MRPB’s 2015 Capital Improvement Plan and is funded with net debt bonds.

Article appeared in the November 2016 Longfellow/Nokomis Messenger.

Third leg of transit triangle eyes route over Ford Parkway Bridge

Planners studying whether a river crossing at the Ford Parkway Bridge, or Highway 5, would be better

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN
Will a new transit line connect South Minneapolis with downtown St. Paul in the near future?
The proposed Riverview Corridor transportation route would run 12-miles from St. Paul’s Union Depot to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and the Mall of America.
The proposed Riverview Corridor transportation route would run 12-miles from St. Paul’s Union Depot to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and the Mall of America. One possible route takes riders from the Union Station past the Xcel Center, down West 7th St., jogging over to the former Ford plant site in Highland Park, across the Ford Parkway bridge and to the 46th St. station before heading down to the airport and mall. (Photo submitted)

One possible route takes riders from the Union Station past the Xcel Center, down West 7th St., jogging over to the former Ford plant site in Highland Park, across the Ford Parkway bridge and to the 46th St. station before heading down to the airport and mall.
Another option is using Highway 5 instead of going through Highland Park or building a new river crossing.
“The goal of the Riverview Corridor is to create a new connection between downtown St. Paul and the airport, improving transit and stimulating development along the way,” remarked Ward 12 Council Member Andrew Johnson.
The Ford Parkway bridge may be the best place for the Riverview Corridor to cross the Mississippi River and also connect with the Blue line. “Longfellow is closer to Highland Park than much of Minneapolis, so not only could the Riverview Corridor better connect us with the great neighborhood across the bridge, but it also helps position the Ford Plant site to emerge as a thriving town square with great shopping, dining, entertainment, and recreation options that are just minutes away,” said Ward 12 Council Member Andrew Johnson. (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)

Johnson pointed out that the route will need to cross the river somewhere, and the options to do so are down to Highway 5 or the Ford Parkway bridge, each having advantages and disadvantages.
“While the Ford Parkway bridge would add additional transit time to the route, it also maximizes the development potential of the 135-acre Ford Plant site and avoids some logistical difficulties associated with using Highway 5,” said Johnson.
Spring 2017 new deadline date
The Ramsey County Regional Rail Authority launched the latest study of the corridor in July 2014, the fifth since 1998. Three committees have been collecting and analyzing data on modes and routes, of what is often called the third leg of a transit triangle, the others being the Blue Line in Minneapolis and the Green Line in St. Paul.
Planners have reduced the options to three: West 7th, the Canadian Pacific Spur Line that runs a few blocks south of West 7th, or a combination of the two.
Businesses along West 7th have been concerned about the potential loss of parking and lanes there.
The Policy Advisory Committee expected to select an option by spring 2017.
The project would then need to be adopted by several government bodies and funding secured. A new transit service could take up to 12 years to design and construct.
Light rail, Bus Rapid Transit or streetcar?
Possible modes include light rail, bus rapid transit, streetcars or a hybrid option.
Johnson’s preference for this route is a streetcar line. “Streetcars feel like light rail, but are significantly less expensive and don’t eliminate a lane of traffic,” he pointed out. “Yet unlike Bus Rapid Transit, the permanent infrastructure stimulates economic development. The latter is particularly important for the future of the Ford Plant site, which has the potential to become the extension of, and complement to, Highland Park.”
When the Godfrey Parkway bridge is replaced next year, the new bridge will be capable of supporting LRT or streetcars.
How would a streetcar cross Hiawatha without making traffic worse?
The biggest issue for Ward 12, according to Johnson, is how a streetcar will cross Hiawatha Ave. and the interchange at the 46th Street Station without making the traffic flow worse.
“The good news,” Johnson said, “is that this project may very well be the way we get Metro Transit to approve the use of ‘rail obstruction’ sensors. They would eliminate the need for the ‘clearing phase’ that occurs today, where an oncoming Blue Line train overrides the traffic signals to give eastbound traffic a green light even if they just had one.”
“The need to ensure that no vehicles are obstructing the tracks when a train comes is critically important, but the current method is terribly inefficient and disruptive to the overall flow of traffic,” Johnson noted. “A win-win would be using the Riverview Corridor project to secure this traffic flow improvement for Hiawatha.”
He is excited by how this line would connect South Minneapolis with its neighbor right across the river.
“Longfellow is closer to Highland Park than much of Minneapolis,” Johnson added, “so not only could the Riverview Corridor better connect us with the great neighborhood across the bridge, but it also helps position the Ford Plant site to emerge as a thriving town square with great shopping, dining, entertainment, and recreation options that are just minutes away.”
Existing bus not adequate
The bus line #54 currently travels between Union Depot and the Mall of America taking West 7th and Highway 5, making the trip in about 40 minutes. Officials say it is often crowded and inadequate for the corridor.
By the year 2040, the population in the corridor is expected to grow by 63% and employment by 33%, making this highly traveled corridor more difficult to travel in years to come.
Proponents say transit improvements would increase mobility, and support community and regional economic development goals.
The many people without a car in the area would also benefit. The percentage of households without an automobile in the Riverview Corridor study area is near twice that of households in Ramsey County as a whole.
Meetings planned
Upcoming meetings are being planned for the Longfellow neighborhood, but have not yet been scheduled. According to Johnson, the project team will soon be reaching out to Longfellow to engage the neighborhood and get feedback on the proposed route.
“This line will help connect residents with jobs and amenities on the other side of the river, provide a great transit route to downtown Saint Paul, and even help stimulate economic development on the east side of the 46th Street Station,” said Johnson.
To sign up for project updates, go to http://riverviewcorridor.com.

Article appeared in the November 2016 Longfellow/Nokomis Messenger.