urbanMSP

Park Board, DNR, and state legislators have agreed to a 5-year permit to maintain pumping at increased levels at Hiawatha Golf Course. This will keep the course open until parties can figure out what's next.

http://www.startribune.com/minneapolis- ... 449824863/

So glad they're focusing on the issues Minneapolitans care about most...

It's pretty clear a lot of Minneapolitans do care about this site. It would be weird if they didn't spend time working on it.

MPRB Superintendent Jayne Miller has resigned, effective Feb 2018. She is taking a job in Pittsburgh. Her contract was up later in 2018.

She saw the writing on the wall. The newly elected commissioners wanted her gone.

Bold prediction: MPRB is going to be a mess for the foreseeable future. Much money wasted on feel-good projects while the core functions are ignored.

Well, as a member of the CLIC who saw all the projects being funded with the neighborhood parks money, I can say that there's a lot of core-function-spending going on in the near-term. The city (wisely) restricted that money to those neighborhood parks by ordinance, which the park board commissioners can't change. I think there may be shifts, frustrating outcomes, whatever, but core operations and facility updates will be predictable.

Maybe the new park board can hand back some "core functions" to the city, such as maintaining a roadway network and police force.

The Park Police have an annual budget of $5 million, and while it's a little hard to tell precisely, parkway maintenance has an annual budget of $3 million. So that is 10% of the budget, right there.

Sure would be nice if things like fixing crumbling sidewalks and replacing wildly out of ADA compliance "crosswalks" were "core functions."

Or, as Matt suggests, let the city do it.

I think keeping the city and park police departments separate are a good idea. Minneapolis has to budget an additional approx. $30,000 per officer on insurance/payout money due to their long history of nefarious activity. Park Police don't have that problem.

A LOT of the 20 year Neighborhood Parks Plan (NPP20) money will go into sidewalks, lights, benches, etc. The Park Board agreed to adding road funding as part of the NPP20 agreement because it would go towards the parkways. I think they have an agreement with the city to do all the work.

If the Park Board were to cede any functions (and they'd fight like hell against it to "stay independent"), I would suggest starting with 1. IT, and 2. replacing/augmenting the customer service department with city 311

Happy new year y'all. The first Park Board meeting of the year is this Tuesday the 2nd at 5:00 pm. You are welcome to join the swearing in of the new board and celebration of all the hard work we accomplished this year! The board will elect the president and make all the appointments.

Agenda is here: http://minneapolisparksmn.iqm2.com/Citi ... nline=True

New Master Plans coming for Mississippi Gorge (between #9 Bridge and Minnehaha Park), Minnehaha Parkway trail, and Southwest Service Area.

I would love better connections to the river from above.

https://www.minneapolisparks.org/news/2 ... inneapolis

I would love better connections to the river from above.

And this for the Mississippi River Gorge.

https://www.americanrivers.org/2018/01/ ... s-say-yes/

Bde Maka Ska's name has now been changed on Google maps.

My concern about the name Bde Maka Ska is that some people might interpret "Bde" as "bidet".

Regarding the Hiawatha Golf Course, the slate of candidates who ran in support of preserving the course was pretty much wiped out in the last election (save for 1 person) so I expect it will be going away.

Good

Resiliency is the focus of Lake Nokomis shoreline design project

Nearly $450,000 will be spent on plantings and other improvements around Lake Nokomis this year to improve the eroding shoreline and water quality. With this, invasive plants will be removed, and habitat developed.

Although they seem expensive, it's nice to see projects like this which build habitat within city limits. Personally, I like to see wildlife in the city. (Minneapolis's newest island is the most notable example.)

Figured this was the most relevant thread to post this in. Regarding the potential removal of Lower St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam and Lock and Dam #1 (The Ford dam), the Army Corps have posted a few updates on their website:http://www.mvp.usace.army.mil/MplsLocksDisposition/
The disposition study was funded and resumed as "Phase 2" this past April and will wrap up in 2019. In the disposition study information paper, there's a line that caught my attention: "The likely outcome of Phase 2 will be a report containing recommendations to deauthorize and dispose of one or more of the lock and dam properties. A draft report will be made available for public comment in early 2019."
All signs seem to be pointing towards dam removal and a restoration of the river gorge. Personally, I am excited by the prospect. Restoring the gorge would have numerous ecological and recreational benefits. A whitewater park minutes from downtown would be a unique attraction for the city. Additionally, the results of the disposition study will determine if "The Falls" destination visitor center plans (http://thefalls.org/about/the-falls-initiative/) move forward, which would be another fantastic addition to the Mill District. Stay tuned.