Columbia Park Neighborhood News

September 2015

Columbia Park Neighborhood Association Meetings are open to the public, and are held on the third Monday of the month at Columbia Manor 3300 Central Ave. NE, beginning at 6:30 p.m.Future meeting dates:September 21stOctober 19thNovember 16thNo Meeting in December

Contactswww.columbiapark.orgcontact@columbiapark.orgCPNA Facebook page

City of Minneapolis 311 — Non-emergency calls

City Council member Kevin Reich 612-673-2201 kevin.reich@minneapolismn.gov

Park Board Commissioner Liz Wielinski 612-230-6443, Ext 1 lwielinski@minneapolisparks.org

Minneapolis School Board Director Jenny Arneson 612-382-0734 jenny.arnesonn@mpls.k12.mn.usCounty Commissioner Linda Higgins 612-348-7882 linda.higgins@co.hennepin.mn.us

East Side Neighborhood Services 612-781-6011Northeast Citizen Patrol 612-788-3544 (Duane Van Vickle).

June Annual Meeting ReportWe enjoyed a beautiful June evening and had a great turnout. More than 50 Columbia Park residents came for the pot-luck picnic and stayed for the presentations from our elected officials, followed by the annual meeting and board member elections.

State Representative Diane Loeffler spoke regarding the 2015 Legislative session. City Council Member Kevin Reich talked a bit about our community and about upcoming discussions on livability issues. Hennepin County Commissioner Linda Higgins reported that more than 20 percent of the county staff will be retiring in the next 5 years, and she is working with MCTC to make sure there will be replacements.Linda is also working with tax foreclosed boarded and vacant properties within the city. We are going to try attracting urban homesteaders again, a program where homeowners can buy a tax foreclosed vacant property for $1, agree to bring it up to code, and promise to live there for 3-5 years.Park Commissioner Liz Wielinski talked about pool and playground construction schedules for Hi View Park and the Columbia Park picnic

area and shelter, along with a presentation on the Closing the Gap initiative to address the serious shortfall in capital funding for our neighborhood parks.While all this was going on under the tent, the kids were all over in the bouncy house provided by Castle Remodeling, having a tremendous great time!

Gateway Gardens, Fall 2015

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Community Fall FestivalThursday, September 24th, 3:30 – 6:30 P.M.Senior Resource Fair, free food, music and entertainment, flu shots, door prizes, Green Book Fair. Bring a non-perishable food item or cash donation to support the NE Senior Food Shelf and be entered to win a Grand Prize! Rain or shine!RiverVillage East Assisted Living & Catholic Eldercare 2919 Randolph St. NE Info: 612-605-2515

Questions about housing? Renters Rights & Responsibilities Clinic!Tuesday, September 29th, 6:00 P.M. – 8:00 P.M. Edison High School Info: 612-728-5767This is a free community event. One-on-one legal assistance on a wide range of renters and housing issues available to all attendees. The clinic will be held on Tuesday, September 29th from 6pm to 8pm at the Edison High School Media Center. Resources from a variety of city and neighborhood organizations will be available at the event, so come meet your neighbors and get the information you need to have a safe and stable living situation!

Eastside Resource FairSaturday, October 3, 10:00 A.M. – 11:30 A.M., East Side Neighborhood Services, 1700 2nd Street NENeed funds for home improvements? Help with winter heat bills? Chore assistance for seniors? These questions and more can be answered at the Eastside Resource Fair. Attend this 1-stop shop for info about the many resources, services and assistance programs available to you and your community. From renters to homeowners, young people to seniors, this event has something for everyone.

Presenting partners include:• Center for Energy & Environment• City of Minneapolis 311, Regulatory Services,

and Solid Waste & Recycling• Community Action Partnership of Hennepin County• East Side Neighborhood Services• Housing Resource Center• Senior Community Services• Sustainable Resource CenterFor further information, or if you plan to attend the event and will need translation services or other accommodation, please contact:Ward 1 Council Associate Lisa Brock 612-673-2201 / lisa.brock@minneapolismn.gov

2015 Minneapolis Energy FairSaturday, October 10, 2015, 9:30 A.M. – 12:30 P.M. Minneapolis Convention Center, 1301 2nd Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55403Learn how to save money and help the environment at the inaugural Minneapolis Energy Fair sponsored by NRG Energy. This family friendly event will feature a variety of presenters highlighting ways to make your home energy efficient with the opportunity to learn more about solar options for your home. Xcel Energy, CenterPoint Energy, Center for Energy and Environment, and Clean Energy Resource Team representatives will be on site to answer questions and provide information on signing up for money saving programs. • Kid’s activities • Xcel Energy sponsored free LED light bulbs• Xcel Energy and CenterPoint Energy sponsored

free Home Energy Squad Visits • Grand prize giveaway • Complimentary continental breakfastContact Michael Rainville: 612-767-8074.

Senior Outreach & Caregiver ServicesA program of Senior Community Services, Senior Outreach & Caregiver Services provides support to friends, spouses, and other family members who help an older adult remain at home. The staff not only assists these caregivers in connecting with needed services and resources for their loved one, but gives support to them as well. The licensed High View Construction, September 2015

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social workers can provide consultation, caregiver support groups, family meeting facilitation, and coaching to the caregiver. For computer-savvy caregivers, the program also offers an online care team tool — CareNextion — to provide an efficient method of enlisting other family and friends in sharing the care. Senior Outreach & Caregiver Services 10201 Wayzata Blvd., Minnetonka, MN 55305 612-770-7005 tinyurl.com/pwoub5z

Save Receipts for School Supplies!Minnesota Revenue offers two valuable tax benefits for parents who purchase school supplies for their

K-12 students, the K-12 Education Credit and Subtraction. These benefits can reduce parents’ taxes to increase their refund, but is only available for those who keep their receipts. Purchases for most school supplies, field trips, and musical instruments for school band are eligible.Most Minnesota parents qualify for the K-12 subtraction, which reduces their taxable income. Parents under certain income limits may also qualify for the K-12 credit, which can refund up to 75% of their costs — even for parents who don’t owe any taxes. Visit the Minnesota Revenue website for details. tinyurl.com/n6ga5dy

St. Anthony Parkway Bridge Project UpdateWork crews have begun adding fill on the west side of the bridge to accommodate relocating California Street slightly to the west. The relocation itself will begin later in September, beginning with building a new retaining wall. California St. will be closed in that area while the new roadway is under construction. Demolition of the old bridge is still scheduled to begin later this Fall. The project is expected to be completed by mid-Summer 2017.The project website, tinyurl.com/phfglb8 has not been updated since June, 2015. However, there is a webcam watching the site that you can access 24-hours a day in real-time here: tinyurl.com/pnt8ryx

The parkway bridge is still open to pedestrians and bicycles, but this will end when demolition begins.

Minneapolis Train OrdinanceWith the steady increase of multi-car oil trains and containerized freight passing through our local rail yards, we are having more and more issues. Calling and emailing will establish an on-file record of railroad infractions.The City of Minneapolis has an ordinance that trains cannot stop and block an intersection for more than 5 minutes. If you are stuck on Central Ave. for more than 5 minutes and the train is not moving, please call both the Minneapolis hot line at 311 to report the incident and the CP Community Connect number at 1-800-766-7912. Email Canadian Pacific at: community_connect@cpr.ca

Columbia Park Neighborhood Association board:Jane McCarney Darielle Dannen Irro Mohamed Jeff Schalles Elaine Nissen Mike Melman Vicki Jensen Justin Martin Yusuf Mohamed Brian Wollum

Liz Wielinski, bookkeeper and staff 612-390-3735

Special thanks to those who help make this newsletter possible, especially Do-good.biz for printing and mailing. To get current Columbia Park info:http://columbiapark.org https://facebook.com/ColumbiaPark NeighborhoodAssociation

Uncredited photos: Jeff Schalles

The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of all members of the Columbia Park Neigh-borhood Association (CPNA).

We love hearing from you! Contact the editors, Jeff Schalles & Jane McCarney, c/o CPNA, P.O. Box 21593, Columbia Heights, MN 55421 or via our webpage, Facebook page, or email: contact@columbiapark.org

Columbia Park Neighborhood Association

CPNA, P.O. Box 21593, Columbia Heights, MN 55421 columbiapark.org

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Minneapolis Police Department 2nd PrecinctKatherine Waite, Inspector (612) 673-5702Susan Webb, Crime Prevention Specialist (612) 673-2874susan.webb@minneapolismn.gov

Gateway Gardens, Fall 2015