Latest News from the LCC
We Need Your Clothes, Books and Bus Passes!
The Longfellow Community Connections Committee, the Longfellow Faith Forum, and Volunteers of America are hosting an item drive and we need your help! Volunteers of America operates a residential reentry facility for men transitioning out of prison and into our community, providing them the opportunity to restore community ties and obtain employment.
Did you know that when a prisoner completes their sentence they are often sent away from prison with nothing? No clothing, money, transportation, and oftentimes no friends or family to support them. With your help, we can ensure their basic needs are met and they have the opportunity to thrive. They need clothing for interviews, bus passes for transportation, and other necessities. Please help by donating new or clean, gently used:
- Belts
- Jeans
- Professional clothing & accessories (ties and dress socks)
- Winter coats & gear (gloves and hats)
- Wallets
- Alarm clocks
- Backpacks
- Bus passes
- Books career, self-help & fiction new releases
- Volunteers to manage the closet and library
- Shoes
Help these men have a better chance at turning their lives around by donating any of the above items.
Donations can be dropped off at Huge Theater, the Longfellow Community Council or Volunteers of America Building through January 31st. For more information contact Joanna@longfellow.org or call (612) 722-5429
Housing Development Project Updates
Two major housing development projects in the Longfellow Community are preparing to begin construction. Longfellow Station, a long-planned apartment and commercial development at the Purina Mill site is set to finally move forward with construction later this year or early next year. Sherman Associates, the developer of the project, is currently performing sound testing on the site in accordance with requirements of the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which is providing some funding for the project. HUD is concerned that noise from the nearby freight rail tracks may be a substantial nuisance; sound testing is being performed to determine what level of noise is generated by the train activity. If noise is found to be substantial, the building design and materials may be adjusted as a mitigation measure.
Another housing project in the neighborhood at 46th Street & 46th Avenue is also set to begin construction soon. The project by Master Development and The Lander Group received the necessary approvals from the Planning Commission in August. The project is utilizing existing building foundations that are in place from a previous condo project on the site that stalled soon after construction started due to a decline in the housing market. The project will include a "Hourcar" shared vehicle, which will be available for use by both residents of the new building and the general public (see www.hourcar.org for more info on the shared vehicle program).
LCC & LBA Bike Rack Program
Summer of 2011 was the end of a successful program by LCC and the Longfellow Business Association (LBA) to encourage the installation of bike racks at neighborhood businesses. LCC and LBA jointly provided matching funds to businesses to install bike racks. Participating businesses include: The Fix Studio, Jakubas Dental, AV Solutions, Peace Coffee, Trylon Microcinema, XY&Z Gallery, Affordable Energy, Harriet Brewing, East Lake Liquors, and Turtle Bread. The next time you head to one of these neighborhood businesses, consider taking your bike!
East Lake Street Market Study Report
In October, Sam Newberg of Joe Urban, Inc., gave an initial report on a market study of East Lake Street. Sam presented initial research findings to the Longfellow Business Association. The market study seeks to assess the commercial real estate market on East Lake Street (between Hiawatha Ave. & the Mississippi River), identify causes of high vacancy, and explore strategies to revitalize the street and opportunities for new business. The market study is being funded through a Great Streets Businesses Development grant from the City of Minneapolis. The Grant is also funding a project to install local artwork by the League of Longfellow Artists (LOLA) in vacant storefronts on East Lake Street.
Some of the initial findings from the market study include the following:
- "Big box" retail and grocery stores (Target, Cub, and Rainbow) occupy a quarter of all commercial space on East Lake Street.
- There is approximately 933,000 square feet of commercial space in the corridor, of which approximately 15% is vacant
- The highest commercial vacancy occurs between 28th Ave and 38th Ave; this section contains 249,000 square feet of commercial space, of which 27% is currently vacant.
When completed, the market study will also assess demographics in the corridor, compare conditions on East Lake Street to other similar corridors, analyze the role of tax increases and special assessments on commercial property costs, and provide a detailed analysis of vacant properties.
Longfellow Faith Forum
Longfellow area faith communities are gathering on Tuesday, November 8 from 12 – 1 PM at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. Volunteers, staff, and leaders of faith communities are all welcome to come to this brown bag lunch for networking, brainstorming and collaboration. Please RSVP to Joanna@longfellow.org <Joanna@longfellow.org> .
October through December
Facing Race - New Conversations
The Longfellow Community Council is proud to partner with the Saint Paul Foundation to offer Facing Race, a series of participatory, discussion-based, events that offer residents the opportunity to learn about race and racism and the impact it has on our community. LCC believes talking about race and racism is a good first step toward creating a community where everyone feels safe, valued and respected.
Facing Race events are free and open to everyone but you must register. You can RSVP through facebook or send an email to joanna@longfellow.org. Ideally participants attend all three events, but you are welcome to attend as many as you like. I have attached a flyer! Please spread the word!
Light snacks will be provided.
Saturday, October 22nd
New Conversations About Race and Racism
1:00 - 4:30 pm
Becketwood Senior Cooperative
4300 W. River Parkway
Wednesday, November 16th
New Conversations about White Privilege
6:00 - 8:00 pm
Minnehaha Academy
3100 West River Parkway
Thursday, December 8th
New Conversations: Understanding the Myths that Keep Racism in Place
6:00 - 8:30
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church
October 15 - November 13th
Rake for the River Community Clean Up
The leaves are falling! We need your help to improve water quality. You get to have fun, build community, help the river and win great prizes! Win a pizza party or $75 gift certificates to local businesses! Organize your block, faith organization, school, or other group of volunteers to spend an hour or two raking the leaves, dirt and other debris from your street and storm drains. Lawn signs, bags, and other materials available at LCC. Download instructions and a registration form here:
- R4R instructions (Word DOC)
- R4R Registration Form (Word DOC)
- R4R Lawn Sign (PDF)
Questions? Contact Hillary Oppmann at hillary.oppmann@gmail.com or 724-8110.
Give to the Max Day - November 16th, 2011
Give to the Max Day is an annual day for Minnesotans to come together on GiveMN.org to raise as much money as possible for nonprofits in 24 hours. Last year over 42,000 donors participated raising over $10 million for Minnesota non-profits, and more than 25 of our friends and neighbors showed their support for Longfellow! Our goal is to double what we raised this year, and so we're shooting for $1,500! You can learn more about giving to the Longfellow Community Council on Give to the Max Day by visiting http://longfellow.org. Thank you for supporting Longfellow, and making our neighborhood a great place to live!
Shop Locally at the LCC
Hate the mall? The crowds? The piped in music? Try the Longfellow Community Council for your holiday gifts! We guarantee friendly service and no crowds or long lines. Local author and historian Eric Hart's The Neighborhood by the Falls: A Look Back at Life in Longfellow is a fascinating and informative look back at the history of the Longfellow area through stories, anecdotes, illustrations, narratives and a collection of photographs dating from the 1800s to the present. $ 25.00 per copy. If you don't already own a copy of our award winning The Longfellow Planbook: Remodeling Plans for Bungalows and Other Small Urban Homes, we have copies available for $10.00. Longfellow Community Council is in the Western Roofing Building at 2727 26th Avenue S. Cash or check only. FFI: 722-4529.
September 23, 2011
A Message from Executive Director Melanie Majors
LCC Proposes NRP Plan Modification and by-law amendment – Review and vote held at October 27th General Membership Meeting
LCC is proposing a plan modification that will move $100,000 of Phase I Housing Program Income funding (Phase I Major Remodeling Program) into Phase II Administrative funding. Program Income is funding that has been returned to the organization from low-interest housing loan repayments over 15 years.
The Neighborhood Revitalization Program requires that Plan Modifications greater than $25,000 require community notification and a community vote for approval. The LCC Board of Directors approved this plan modification at the September 15, 2011 meeting and is recommending it to the community for approval. Notice of this meeting is being advertised in the October 2011 edition of the Longfellow/Nokomis Messenger, in the LCC Insider email newsletter and will be sent to LCC’s email lists.
The LCC Board of Directors is also proposing an amendment to the organizational by-laws. You can view these proposed changes and the current bylaws here:
Now Posted
Get $400 Worth of Energy Saving Devices for Just $30
Minneapolis homeowners can swap in energy saving materials such as compact fluorescent bulbs, low-flow showerheads, pipe wrap, and programmable thermostats, and more—all for just $30 thanks to a new program called Community Energy Services (CES) that is funded by the McKnight Foundation and the Center for Energy and Environment.
The Outreach Grant Challenge allows participants to receive up to $400 in services to improve energy efficiency for their home for a co-pay of only $30. In addition, neighborhoods that have the highest percentage of homeowners participating in the program will earn incentive dollars. The challenge runs through September 30th this year.
The group has already helped over 2,800 Minneapolis residents save on utility bills in the last year. The program offers a home visit by energy experts, personalized recommendations, feedback on energy use, and installation of energy saving materials. CEE will also help homeowners with utility rebates, contractors, and financing. To find out more and get started by signing up for a workshop, visit the CEE website.
Join Us on Facebook!
Our new fan page allows us to have a more up-to-date and interactive relationship with residents. It is great for posting events, uploading photos and communicating with the neighborhood.
So join us! Here's to getting a 1,000 fans by the summer!
Follow Us on Twitter!
Look for "LongfellowCC" to get all the latest from LCC.
Sign up for the e-forum!
We need at least a hundred members before the forum can officially open so sign up today!
New Longfellow History Book Available
The book The Neighborhood by the Falls: A Look Back at Life in Longfellow (Eric Hart and the Longfellow History Project) is available at the LCC office.