Yet another busy month here in Shingle Creek, at our last Board Meeting we had Council President Barbara Johnson and Wade Bryant from Owens Corning as guests. On Saturday the 15th there were two North side events that kept us all busy with the DFL Senate District Convention at Henry High School and the
Northside Housing Fair at North High School. Along with all of this, the City and State are working on deciding what is going to happen to the Neighborhood
Revitalization Program after funding is scheduled to end in 2009. SCNA Board members and I spent last week at City Hall and at the State Capitol, advocating
for the extension of our funding source and the continuation of the independent multi-jurisdictional Neighborhood Revitalization Program governing body
from becoming just another City department. NRP is an award winning program that is unique in the country! Its a proven program to help us improve our
neighborhoods! We want to be sure its around for future generations! At our April monthly meeting Shingle Creek will be have our annual meeting and Board of Directors elections. All members of the Shingle Creek neighborhood are welcome to become a board member with SCNA! Its free! Its Fun! And everyone is welcome!
SCNA would like to send out a heart felt Thank You to Gail Anderson, Cheryl Anderson, and Lynn Hauger three long time Board Members who have decided to retire and move onto other phases of their lives. Gail and Cheryl both worked very hard to put together the Predatory Lending Forum,along with helping with the Bird Spring Ecology tour around the Retention ponds at 52xx Thomas Ave N and Shingle Creek Clean-up. Gail has also served as SCNA’s Treasurer for the past three years, working very hard on the books and expanding her educational level by taking a grant-writing class. Lynn was my predecessor as SCNA’s Board Chair, during his term SCNA helped bring in the award winning Minneapolis Business Center at 49th and Brooklyn Blvd to our neighborhood, and began the process of the Shingle Creek Welcome sign’s, which were finally hung this week. Our logoed blue and green signs will be hard to miss in the neighborhood!
SCNA would also like to thank Pam Owens and Lori Hanson who represented Shingle Creek at our table at the Northside housing fair. They worked very hard at putting a face to the neighborhood, our organization, and try and help attract home owners and residents to our area. Both are residents who volunteered to spend a wonderful Saturday inside answering your questions about the neighborhood and our programs including our home repair loan packages and yearly events like the Shingle Creek Clean Up or Tour DeCamden. Thank you both for the time that you put in helping SCNA and working with the other neighborhoods tables.
SCNA is also very grateful to our neighbor Mary Scott who’s lending her professional talents and writing skills to help enhance our monthly newsletter and website.
We look forward to seeing many new faces at future board meetings and at our many upcoming events in the planning for the next year!
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Saturday, March 1, 2008
March 2008 Greetings
SCNA has had a long history of educating residents about what’s going on at the city and in our neighborhood, promoting it, and advocating it as a great place to live, work, and play!
Bridging boundaries and working with our sister neighborhood to the east, the Lind-Bohanon neighborhood for joint meetings like the recent Winter Block Club Social, summer Tour de Camden, and year-long Youth Engagement Project have brought many benefits to our organizations and community.
Coming up in March, SCNA will have a table at the Northside Housing and Home Improvement Fair on the 15th at North High School to promote our neighborhood and the work we’re doing. Over 1000 residents and potential new homeowners attend. There is typically over 50 vendors tabling with ideas for all your home project ideas. So stop by and say hello and register for a free drawing!
April is a busy month! SCNA will be hosting our 14th Annual Shingle Creek Cleanup on April 19th. It’s a fun day for the whole family and a great way to give back to the community! Clean-up starts at 9:00 with lunch from 11-noon. Also on April 15th we’ll have our annual meeting and elections of new board members. Hard to believe it will only be a year this May since being elected chair. The board has done tremendous work this year on behalf of the neighborhood and we couldn’t have done it without them! Any resident of Shingle Creek is eligible to be a board member. So if you have two hours a month, ideas or talents to share please consider becoming an SCNA Board member.
Also the Common Ground Community Garden is looking for volunteers. Green thumb not required! This garden has been a community asset for nearly twenty years!
Vegetables, raingarden, hearty Minnesota prairie grasses, it’s all there! Contact Linda Eriksson if you’re interested in volunteering! 763-566-6618.
Our neighborhood signs will be springing up in March! Be watching for more details soon!
Til next month! See you in the neighborhood!
Brock Hanson
SCNA Chair
Bridging boundaries and working with our sister neighborhood to the east, the Lind-Bohanon neighborhood for joint meetings like the recent Winter Block Club Social, summer Tour de Camden, and year-long Youth Engagement Project have brought many benefits to our organizations and community.
Coming up in March, SCNA will have a table at the Northside Housing and Home Improvement Fair on the 15th at North High School to promote our neighborhood and the work we’re doing. Over 1000 residents and potential new homeowners attend. There is typically over 50 vendors tabling with ideas for all your home project ideas. So stop by and say hello and register for a free drawing!
April is a busy month! SCNA will be hosting our 14th Annual Shingle Creek Cleanup on April 19th. It’s a fun day for the whole family and a great way to give back to the community! Clean-up starts at 9:00 with lunch from 11-noon. Also on April 15th we’ll have our annual meeting and elections of new board members. Hard to believe it will only be a year this May since being elected chair. The board has done tremendous work this year on behalf of the neighborhood and we couldn’t have done it without them! Any resident of Shingle Creek is eligible to be a board member. So if you have two hours a month, ideas or talents to share please consider becoming an SCNA Board member.
Also the Common Ground Community Garden is looking for volunteers. Green thumb not required! This garden has been a community asset for nearly twenty years!
Vegetables, raingarden, hearty Minnesota prairie grasses, it’s all there! Contact Linda Eriksson if you’re interested in volunteering! 763-566-6618.
Our neighborhood signs will be springing up in March! Be watching for more details soon!
Til next month! See you in the neighborhood!
Brock Hanson
SCNA Chair
Friday, February 1, 2008
February 2008 Greetings
Now that the holidays are over and we’ve all had a little time to breathe, its time to start thinking about the spring and summer activities which are
right around the corner. Coming up in February is a Joint Neighborhood Block Club Social, the Caucuses, and SCNA’s Monthly Meetings. March will be having
the Northside Housing Fair and the City Conventions. April SCNA will be having our Annual Meeting along with Board Elections, and Shingle Creek Clean Up. If you’re interested in any of these activities or have some other ideas in mind that you would like towork on that will help connect our community please contact us.Many great projects start with just a simple idea!
SCNA and LBNA are partnering once again and holding a Block Club Social on February 16. Keeping our neighborhood safe is important. Our hope is any one who would like to start a block club, or who already has, will come out so we can share resources and learn from each other about what everyone’s tried or is trying and to see what has worked best in building a strong safe block. We’ll have resources available and will have guests from the Guardian Angles and State Representative Joe Mullery who is the Chair of the Public Safety and Civil Justice Committee at the capitol attending. If you’re getting a little cabin fever, spent all winter in side and have had no chance to see your neighbors or would like to meet new neighbors here’s your first chance for 2008.
Shingle Creek is in the process of hosting many events this year, all of which we need help in planning and organizing some exciting new and old events and activities. We’d love your help! Some events on our list include a Duck Race, Tour de Camden, National Night Out, and the Shingle Creek Clean Up, just to name a few. SCNA and I would like to thank all of the people who helped make 2007 a great year for Shingle Creek. Be watching for one of the biggest accomplishments coming soon!~~ New beautiful blue street signs are being printed and will be hung throughout the neighborhood very soon! Can’t wait!
Remember also February 5 is the Presidential Caucuses, your first chance to deicide who will lead the nation for the next four years. SCNA always has room at the table for new neighbors and new ideas!
See ya soon!
Brock Hanson
SCNA Chair
right around the corner. Coming up in February is a Joint Neighborhood Block Club Social, the Caucuses, and SCNA’s Monthly Meetings. March will be having
the Northside Housing Fair and the City Conventions. April SCNA will be having our Annual Meeting along with Board Elections, and Shingle Creek Clean Up. If you’re interested in any of these activities or have some other ideas in mind that you would like towork on that will help connect our community please contact us.Many great projects start with just a simple idea!
SCNA and LBNA are partnering once again and holding a Block Club Social on February 16. Keeping our neighborhood safe is important. Our hope is any one who would like to start a block club, or who already has, will come out so we can share resources and learn from each other about what everyone’s tried or is trying and to see what has worked best in building a strong safe block. We’ll have resources available and will have guests from the Guardian Angles and State Representative Joe Mullery who is the Chair of the Public Safety and Civil Justice Committee at the capitol attending. If you’re getting a little cabin fever, spent all winter in side and have had no chance to see your neighbors or would like to meet new neighbors here’s your first chance for 2008.
Shingle Creek is in the process of hosting many events this year, all of which we need help in planning and organizing some exciting new and old events and activities. We’d love your help! Some events on our list include a Duck Race, Tour de Camden, National Night Out, and the Shingle Creek Clean Up, just to name a few. SCNA and I would like to thank all of the people who helped make 2007 a great year for Shingle Creek. Be watching for one of the biggest accomplishments coming soon!~~ New beautiful blue street signs are being printed and will be hung throughout the neighborhood very soon! Can’t wait!
Remember also February 5 is the Presidential Caucuses, your first chance to deicide who will lead the nation for the next four years. SCNA always has room at the table for new neighbors and new ideas!
See ya soon!
Brock Hanson
SCNA Chair
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
January 2008 Greetings
Happy holidays to the Shingle Creek Neighborhood from Chair Brock Hanson
As always the last month was a very busy month in Shingle Creek and Minneapolis. The reuse committee is plowing ahead with the work to find a reuse for Shingle Creek Elementary School. We just hired a research assistant though the University of Minnesota to work on getting us data to help us in the fight to keep the building up and find it a community beneficial long term reuse.
So in the coming months we’ll be having community charettes for residents to weigh in on the researcher’s findings. I hope that you can find time in your busy schedules to join us at a 6:30pm Reuse Committee meeting on the January 14 at the Shingle Creek Common
SCNA and I would like to thank A Rotta Love Plus, Kellie, Brit, and Madeline for the wonderful Bite prevention program they did at Jenny Lind. SCNA was able to facilitate this program that you might have seen featured on channel 4’s six o’clock news. We had over 80 after school children attend this program on how to approach dog that they would like to meet and what to do if scary dog does approaches them.
And in our push to make Shingle Creek safer, LBNA and SCNA will be teaming up to host a block club party in February. This will be a gathering of block leaders, block club members, anyone who is in a block club, or who might want to start a block club. It will be a time for all of us to mingle, network, and learn from other block clubs. A time for us to learn from each other and find out that our block club is not alone. We are planning on having special guests to come out and join us.
If you have any questions or would like to help in the planning please contact SCNA at 763-561-1616. SCNA and I would like to welcome you to come and join us. There are already many opportunities for you to come and help with improving the Shingle Creek Neighborhood. On the first Monday (1/7) of the month is our finance committee meeting, the second Monday (1/14) is the Reuse Committee meeting, and our monthly membership meeting is the second Tuesday (1/15). But we’re sure residents have more ideas! We want to hear from you. Have a Happy New Year and SCNA and I look forward to seeing you in the coming year
Brock Hanson
SCNA Chair
As always the last month was a very busy month in Shingle Creek and Minneapolis. The reuse committee is plowing ahead with the work to find a reuse for Shingle Creek Elementary School. We just hired a research assistant though the University of Minnesota to work on getting us data to help us in the fight to keep the building up and find it a community beneficial long term reuse.
So in the coming months we’ll be having community charettes for residents to weigh in on the researcher’s findings. I hope that you can find time in your busy schedules to join us at a 6:30pm Reuse Committee meeting on the January 14 at the Shingle Creek Common
SCNA and I would like to thank A Rotta Love Plus, Kellie, Brit, and Madeline for the wonderful Bite prevention program they did at Jenny Lind. SCNA was able to facilitate this program that you might have seen featured on channel 4’s six o’clock news. We had over 80 after school children attend this program on how to approach dog that they would like to meet and what to do if scary dog does approaches them.
And in our push to make Shingle Creek safer, LBNA and SCNA will be teaming up to host a block club party in February. This will be a gathering of block leaders, block club members, anyone who is in a block club, or who might want to start a block club. It will be a time for all of us to mingle, network, and learn from other block clubs. A time for us to learn from each other and find out that our block club is not alone. We are planning on having special guests to come out and join us.
If you have any questions or would like to help in the planning please contact SCNA at 763-561-1616. SCNA and I would like to welcome you to come and join us. There are already many opportunities for you to come and help with improving the Shingle Creek Neighborhood. On the first Monday (1/7) of the month is our finance committee meeting, the second Monday (1/14) is the Reuse Committee meeting, and our monthly membership meeting is the second Tuesday (1/15). But we’re sure residents have more ideas! We want to hear from you. Have a Happy New Year and SCNA and I look forward to seeing you in the coming year
Brock Hanson
SCNA Chair
Saturday, December 1, 2007
December 2007 Greetings
Can’t believe we’re already at the end of 2007 and will be starting new adventures for 2008 very shortly. Reflecting back over this year, I’m grateful to be working with a group of such dedicated neighbors as the SCNA Board. This has been an amazing year for our neighborhood group. In preparation for 2009, we have taken steps to grow in new ways this year thanks to our volunteers and efforts of the newly formed Finance committee. This December, this City Council and Mayor will be making historical decisions that may end the NRP program and change the face of how neighborhoods and residents interact with the City forever.
The Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP) is unique in the nation for civic participation through the current independent system of NRP. In its nearly twenty-year history, NRP and we have reached some pretty monumental accomplishments. (see www.neighbors4nrp.com). If the City changes the structure and interface to be more of a City department, it will mean some pretty big changes ahead for all neighborhood groups across the City, notjust SCNA.
Until then, SCNA continues it’s important nonprofit work in the neighborhood of promoting the neighborhood and educating residents. This past month our SCNA Board members Jeff Johnson, Brian and Bonnie Hitchcock, Emily Stull, Marsha and Rock Rochow, and the Camden Youth Engagement Project(CYEP) attended the first two Minneapolis School Reuse meetings. They were well attended and the discussion is just starting in this long process of discovering what reuses are
possible of these sites. The Camden Youth Engagement ProjectCrew brought five things to SCNA’s attention as to what they would like to see at the site and reasons for them. We look forward to continuing to work with the CYEP to help them reach their goals to better our community.
Congratulations to our SCNA Secretary and former Chair, Jeffrey L. Strand for being reelected to the NRP policy Board. He’ll be a strong advocate for neighborhood organizations as he has been in the past. I look forward to learning much from him in the future as we both work on common neighborhood policy board issues together.
Many thanks also to SCNA resident Mary Scott who brought her idea for a story that she had been hearing was a concern to residents, did some research and wrote a story to share in this month’s newsletter. We’re open to anyone’s ideas or help so please feel free to contact us at scna@stribmail.com or our staff at 763-561-1616 anytime.
Happy Holidays from all of us at SCNA and hope to see you in 2008!
Brock Hanson,
SCNA Chair
The Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP) is unique in the nation for civic participation through the current independent system of NRP. In its nearly twenty-year history, NRP and we have reached some pretty monumental accomplishments. (see www.neighbors4nrp.com). If the City changes the structure and interface to be more of a City department, it will mean some pretty big changes ahead for all neighborhood groups across the City, notjust SCNA.
Until then, SCNA continues it’s important nonprofit work in the neighborhood of promoting the neighborhood and educating residents. This past month our SCNA Board members Jeff Johnson, Brian and Bonnie Hitchcock, Emily Stull, Marsha and Rock Rochow, and the Camden Youth Engagement Project(CYEP) attended the first two Minneapolis School Reuse meetings. They were well attended and the discussion is just starting in this long process of discovering what reuses are
possible of these sites. The Camden Youth Engagement ProjectCrew brought five things to SCNA’s attention as to what they would like to see at the site and reasons for them. We look forward to continuing to work with the CYEP to help them reach their goals to better our community.
Congratulations to our SCNA Secretary and former Chair, Jeffrey L. Strand for being reelected to the NRP policy Board. He’ll be a strong advocate for neighborhood organizations as he has been in the past. I look forward to learning much from him in the future as we both work on common neighborhood policy board issues together.
Many thanks also to SCNA resident Mary Scott who brought her idea for a story that she had been hearing was a concern to residents, did some research and wrote a story to share in this month’s newsletter. We’re open to anyone’s ideas or help so please feel free to contact us at scna@stribmail.com or our staff at 763-561-1616 anytime.
Happy Holidays from all of us at SCNA and hope to see you in 2008!
Brock Hanson,
SCNA Chair
Thursday, November 1, 2007
November 2007 Greetings
Well it’s getting to be fall, and I am sure everyone’s enjoying having leaves fall and raking them into nice little piles. If your yard is like mine, your Maples will be full until well into November and I’ll be writing the December Greetings from a leafy snowpile. Let’s get what we’ve been working on this last month out of the way first. Our major event was the hosting of the Camden Alliance of Neighborhoods (CAN!). We had on attendance of over 40 residents of the Camden Community, along with Directors of the Minneapolis School Board and Superintendent. We were brought up to speed as to what is happening with the North Side Initiative and where they were in getting community input in on their closed buildings. A school building community input meeting is planned for North Minneapolis on Saturday, November 10th, 10-Noon at Plymouth Christian Youth Center, 2210 Oliver Ave. N or Thursday Nov. 15 6:30-8:30 pm at Creekview Park.
For more details go to www.mpls.k12.mn.us/CADP_Meetings
When I’m biking or at meetings meeting new neighbors, I often hear the question, “What is the Shingle Creek Neighborhood Association and what does it do?” SCNA is a 501c3 nonprofit organization, made up of neighborhood volunteers, working on bettering the neighborhood and community at the grassroots level. Here
are just some of our accomplishments:
♦Over the past fifteen years, we have provided over 250 residents and leveraged over 1 million dollars of home improvements with low interest loans for home
repairs, which have increased the value of all of our properties. We also contributed with other neighborhoods toward the Shingle Creek Commons building.
♦ We have provided funds to Olson Jr High to repair their gym floor, supported various Minneapolis Park Board activities and programs atSummer, Summer Stars, Skateboard Park, Lighted Sign, Haunted House and various other efforts.
♦ SCNA provides open community meetings for all residents to freely participate in discussions and learn about local governmental process and procedures and
provide a supportive learning environment for greater and varied citizen participation through SCNA’s activities, projects, events, and programs.
♦ In the past, SCNA has participated in the planning efforts of the Humboldt Greenway. It has led community-wide planning, visioning, greening and beautification discussions about improving the footprint of the Humboldt Industrial Park area which has led to many improvement such as the Minneapolis usiness Complex at 49th and Osseo Rd, truck traffic reduction, and burming and beautification by various businesses.
♦ SCNA Committee advocated for keeping the Shingle Creek Elementary School open which kept the community asset open for another three years
♦ Most recently, we’ve partnered with most of the Camden neighborhoods to fund the Youth Engagement Project to create an asset map of youth-identified safe
places for youth to hang and provided leadership training.
♦ This newsletter is delivered monthly to inform residents and be a resource of what is going on in the neighborhood and how residents can effect change when seeing something wrong in the neighborhood. We also are able to put on projects and events like the Shingle Creek Clean Up, Tour de Camden, hold a School Supply drive, or help our neighbors put on Holiday on 44th and Heritage Days.
Or another question is: “Why is the City of Minneapolis Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP) so unique?”
As I found out from the Des Moines Neighborhood Summit, the current NRP program SCNA participates in as a 501c3 organization, is designed to operate independently to encourage all residents to participate in creating a better community and city from the grassroots “street” level by developing and implementing a neighborhood action plan. It differs from other programs because its not politically driven and a top-down city departmental program. It is
designed and has been fiscally accountable.
There has been more participation of residents as a result of NRP than at any time in the past 40 years. More than 1,000 people are on the Boards of neighborhood organizations city-wide and countless others are volunteers participate.
NRP has also encouraged investment in neighborhoodsMore than $1 billion has been leveraged as a result of the investments of neighborhoods citywide. In a 2005 Harvard Study of NRP, researchers found “Citizens who rated the City favorably are more likely to be familiar with the NRP than those who rate the City unfavorably. The same held true for the rating of one’s neighborhood.” All these factors are just some of the results of NRP.
What makes this program so successful and nationally unique?”
Along with it’s grassroots approach to citizen participation, is the State and City along with other multijurisdictional partners such as the Minneapolis Parks, Hennepin County, Schools, and Libraries all partner and help fund NRP through the City’s Common Project budget. (Not the General Budget that funds police and fire departments.) All of these amazing results take less than 7/10’s of 1% of the whole cities 1.6 billion dollar budget. Many neighborhoods
would have to hold 30 or more fundraising events annually to fund their current organizational programs and projects.
Why am I telling you this you might be asking? Because this November and December the City Council and the Mayor will be determining the critical future of NRP. The 2009 sunset date is being shaped in these next two months. As we have for the past 15 years, SCNA will keep residents informed of any progresses made on this important topic. For more information and updates on this topic go to www.neighbors4nrp.com.
Thank you for the many great questions and comments we received in the last few months. I look forward to hearing more of them and hope to see you November 13th, 6:30pm at Creekview.
For more details go to www.mpls.k12.mn.us/CADP_Meetings
When I’m biking or at meetings meeting new neighbors, I often hear the question, “What is the Shingle Creek Neighborhood Association and what does it do?” SCNA is a 501c3 nonprofit organization, made up of neighborhood volunteers, working on bettering the neighborhood and community at the grassroots level. Here
are just some of our accomplishments:
♦Over the past fifteen years, we have provided over 250 residents and leveraged over 1 million dollars of home improvements with low interest loans for home
repairs, which have increased the value of all of our properties. We also contributed with other neighborhoods toward the Shingle Creek Commons building.
♦ We have provided funds to Olson Jr High to repair their gym floor, supported various Minneapolis Park Board activities and programs atSummer, Summer Stars, Skateboard Park, Lighted Sign, Haunted House and various other efforts.
♦ SCNA provides open community meetings for all residents to freely participate in discussions and learn about local governmental process and procedures and
provide a supportive learning environment for greater and varied citizen participation through SCNA’s activities, projects, events, and programs.
♦ In the past, SCNA has participated in the planning efforts of the Humboldt Greenway. It has led community-wide planning, visioning, greening and beautification discussions about improving the footprint of the Humboldt Industrial Park area which has led to many improvement such as the Minneapolis usiness Complex at 49th and Osseo Rd, truck traffic reduction, and burming and beautification by various businesses.
♦ SCNA Committee advocated for keeping the Shingle Creek Elementary School open which kept the community asset open for another three years
♦ Most recently, we’ve partnered with most of the Camden neighborhoods to fund the Youth Engagement Project to create an asset map of youth-identified safe
places for youth to hang and provided leadership training.
♦ This newsletter is delivered monthly to inform residents and be a resource of what is going on in the neighborhood and how residents can effect change when seeing something wrong in the neighborhood. We also are able to put on projects and events like the Shingle Creek Clean Up, Tour de Camden, hold a School Supply drive, or help our neighbors put on Holiday on 44th and Heritage Days.
Or another question is: “Why is the City of Minneapolis Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP) so unique?”
As I found out from the Des Moines Neighborhood Summit, the current NRP program SCNA participates in as a 501c3 organization, is designed to operate independently to encourage all residents to participate in creating a better community and city from the grassroots “street” level by developing and implementing a neighborhood action plan. It differs from other programs because its not politically driven and a top-down city departmental program. It is
designed and has been fiscally accountable.
There has been more participation of residents as a result of NRP than at any time in the past 40 years. More than 1,000 people are on the Boards of neighborhood organizations city-wide and countless others are volunteers participate.
NRP has also encouraged investment in neighborhoodsMore than $1 billion has been leveraged as a result of the investments of neighborhoods citywide. In a 2005 Harvard Study of NRP, researchers found “Citizens who rated the City favorably are more likely to be familiar with the NRP than those who rate the City unfavorably. The same held true for the rating of one’s neighborhood.” All these factors are just some of the results of NRP.
What makes this program so successful and nationally unique?”
Along with it’s grassroots approach to citizen participation, is the State and City along with other multijurisdictional partners such as the Minneapolis Parks, Hennepin County, Schools, and Libraries all partner and help fund NRP through the City’s Common Project budget. (Not the General Budget that funds police and fire departments.) All of these amazing results take less than 7/10’s of 1% of the whole cities 1.6 billion dollar budget. Many neighborhoods
would have to hold 30 or more fundraising events annually to fund their current organizational programs and projects.
Why am I telling you this you might be asking? Because this November and December the City Council and the Mayor will be determining the critical future of NRP. The 2009 sunset date is being shaped in these next two months. As we have for the past 15 years, SCNA will keep residents informed of any progresses made on this important topic. For more information and updates on this topic go to www.neighbors4nrp.com.
Thank you for the many great questions and comments we received in the last few months. I look forward to hearing more of them and hope to see you November 13th, 6:30pm at Creekview.
Monday, October 1, 2007
October 2007 Greetings
Greetings Shingle Creek Neighbors!
Since becoming Chair of the Shingle Creek Neighborhood Association just five months ago, it’s already been quite amazing meeting so many new and old neighbors and hearing how these monthly recaps have been helpful in better understanding the Shingle Creek Neighborhood Association. The efforts of our small group of neighborhood volunteers can and have effected much change in our community. We are very lucky to have and participate in the City of Minneapolis Neighborhood Revitalization Program.
Last month, I had the privilege of representing Shingle Creek at the 4th Annual Neighborhood Summit held in Des Moines where over one hundred and twenty representatives from Des Moines, Omaha, Kansas City and Minneapolis attended. After listening to representatives from the other major cities, it was clear how the other cities were more a top-down neighborhood revitalization program model. This experience emphasized how unique and critical the “grassroots, bottom-up” approach of the City of Minneapolis Neighborhood Revitalization Program(NRP) truly is and why it is a national award-winning and world-renown model for citizen participation and revitalization. The other cities lag far behind the Minneapolis NRP model which gives each neighborhood resident a chance to gather at the neighborhood level and educate themselves about city, state, and local government to make better and informed decisions and provides an opportunity for residents to become involved in creating and improving the stronger community they envision.
In August, SCNA and LBNA held a joint neighborhood meeting to address crime and safety in the neighborhoods. We had a diverse panel, which included our City
Council President Barb Johnson, State Representative Joe Mullery, Minneapolis Park Commissioner John Olson, MPRB Park Police, CCP/Safe Specialist McDonough and LT. Michel Sauro who came out to answer our questions and listen to our concerns. The most important thing reinforced was the need to call 911 when in doubt about what’s happening around you. Some of the things we can do as residents are to form active block clubs, know our neighbors, and keep our doors locked. Other available methods are to get involved with your neighborhood organization or become active in the Fourth Precinct Adversity Committee (4PAC), which meets monthly with the Inspector of the 4th Precinct and other officials.
On October 3rd, SCNA is also hosting the quarterly meeting of Camden Alliance of Neighborhoods (CAN!) which is a big acronym for all of the seven neighborhoods in Camden. It will feature members of the school board and their staff and the President of the School Board Pam Costain and Dr. Perry will be
in attendance. One of the most vital issues facing Shingle Creek and many other neighborhoods are our public schools. SCNA is proud to be on the forefront of advocating for a beneficial community reuse of Shingle Creek Elementary School and also having members of the School Board come to our community to give an
update on the progress of the Northside Initiative. This meeting is a chance for anyone to come out and have a face-to-face contact with our elected School
Board representatives and hear first hand about important decisions they will be making on behalf of our children and future children in our community. Please feel free to attend this important meeting.
Lastly for now, SCNA believes good communication is imperative. We provide this newsletter and interactive website to help keep residents informed about upcoming important dates, projects, programs, and events in our community. Thanks for checking out our neighborhood website often for updates and for more details on the topics above.
Til next month,
Brock Hanson
SCNA Chair
Since becoming Chair of the Shingle Creek Neighborhood Association just five months ago, it’s already been quite amazing meeting so many new and old neighbors and hearing how these monthly recaps have been helpful in better understanding the Shingle Creek Neighborhood Association. The efforts of our small group of neighborhood volunteers can and have effected much change in our community. We are very lucky to have and participate in the City of Minneapolis Neighborhood Revitalization Program.
Last month, I had the privilege of representing Shingle Creek at the 4th Annual Neighborhood Summit held in Des Moines where over one hundred and twenty representatives from Des Moines, Omaha, Kansas City and Minneapolis attended. After listening to representatives from the other major cities, it was clear how the other cities were more a top-down neighborhood revitalization program model. This experience emphasized how unique and critical the “grassroots, bottom-up” approach of the City of Minneapolis Neighborhood Revitalization Program(NRP) truly is and why it is a national award-winning and world-renown model for citizen participation and revitalization. The other cities lag far behind the Minneapolis NRP model which gives each neighborhood resident a chance to gather at the neighborhood level and educate themselves about city, state, and local government to make better and informed decisions and provides an opportunity for residents to become involved in creating and improving the stronger community they envision.
In August, SCNA and LBNA held a joint neighborhood meeting to address crime and safety in the neighborhoods. We had a diverse panel, which included our City
Council President Barb Johnson, State Representative Joe Mullery, Minneapolis Park Commissioner John Olson, MPRB Park Police, CCP/Safe Specialist McDonough and LT. Michel Sauro who came out to answer our questions and listen to our concerns. The most important thing reinforced was the need to call 911 when in doubt about what’s happening around you. Some of the things we can do as residents are to form active block clubs, know our neighbors, and keep our doors locked. Other available methods are to get involved with your neighborhood organization or become active in the Fourth Precinct Adversity Committee (4PAC), which meets monthly with the Inspector of the 4th Precinct and other officials.
On October 3rd, SCNA is also hosting the quarterly meeting of Camden Alliance of Neighborhoods (CAN!) which is a big acronym for all of the seven neighborhoods in Camden. It will feature members of the school board and their staff and the President of the School Board Pam Costain and Dr. Perry will be
in attendance. One of the most vital issues facing Shingle Creek and many other neighborhoods are our public schools. SCNA is proud to be on the forefront of advocating for a beneficial community reuse of Shingle Creek Elementary School and also having members of the School Board come to our community to give an
update on the progress of the Northside Initiative. This meeting is a chance for anyone to come out and have a face-to-face contact with our elected School
Board representatives and hear first hand about important decisions they will be making on behalf of our children and future children in our community. Please feel free to attend this important meeting.
Lastly for now, SCNA believes good communication is imperative. We provide this newsletter and interactive website to help keep residents informed about upcoming important dates, projects, programs, and events in our community. Thanks for checking out our neighborhood website often for updates and for more details on the topics above.
Til next month,
Brock Hanson
SCNA Chair
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