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The Future of Parks this Friday at Breakfast with Gary

Minneapolis Parks Superintendent Jayne Miller will be speaking at the March 25, 2011 Breakfast with Gary with Park Board President John Erwin.

Join new Minneapolis Parks Superintendent Jayne Miller and Park Board President John Erwin at Breakfast with Gary this Friday, March 25^th. Miller and Erwin will talk about their ambitious efforts to build new riverfront parks, and efforts to redesign neighborhood park services.

Miller is a 23-year veteran of parks and recreation services. Before operating a five-county regional park system in Michigan, Miller headed up parks, community development and housing for the city of Ann Arbor, Mich.

“I’m excited to hear from the new leadership at the Minneapolis parks system, they are tackling new projects that will shape our parks for generations,” said Gary Schiff.

Breakfast with Gary is a monthly meeting held from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. the final Friday of the month at the Mercado Central, 1515 East Lake Street. $5 buys breakfast.

Will Hiawatha Avenue finally be fixed?

Cars waiting at the lights for the Hiawatha train to pass.

The notorious Hiawatha Avenue traffic engineering mess may finally have a solution. A City of Minneapolis plan to seek $1.1 million for improvements could bring new hardware and new software to the corridor by the end of the year. Currently, waiting for a green light on Hiawatha can take up to five minutes, frustrating neighborhood residents and commuters alike.

Deputy Director of Public Works Heidi Hamilton explains the problem. “Right now each time a light rail train passes through an intersection, the controller goes back to the beginning of the signal cycle, rather than where it last left off." The new technology will be "smarter" and will be able to detect which direction had the longest wait time, and start the next cycle accordingly. This new software was not available when the Hiawatha LRT line first opened, she said.

In addition, the city is seeking to install more loop detectors at intersections. Loop detectors tell the traffic signals how many cars are coming, and what the length of a green light should be to accommodate the heaviest traffic flow.

City Council Member Sandy Colvin Roy, chair of the city's Transportation and Public Works Committee, says the fixes have been sought a long time. "The time wasted by individuals and businesses and the shifting of traffic to other streets are serious problems," she says.

Currently Minneapolis has $250,000 of the total $1.1 million needed for the project. The city is working with MnDOT, Hennepin County and Metro Transit to secure the rest of the funds necessary to complete all improvements. Changes are expected to begin by the end of this year.

Hymie’s Records celebrates 25 years with street fest

Hymie’s Vintage Records is  located at 3820 E. Lake Street.

After 25 years on Lake Street, Hymie’s Vintage Records is ready to no longer be Minneapolis’ best kept music secret. The family-owned shop was recently noted by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the “Best 25 Record Stores in the USA” and will be honored with a City Council proclamation declaring April 16^th “Hymie’s Record Day in the City of Minneapolis.”

A street festival on April 16^th will feature well known Twin Cities’ artists on two stages, one inside the shop (at 3820 East Lake Street) and one on 39^th Avenue. Live music starts at 11:00 a.m. with a lineup that includes the Annadale Cardinals, Buffalo Moon, Martin Devaney, Fat Kid Wednesdays, Is/Is, Cadillac Kolstad, Erik Koskinen, Molly Maher and Ben Weaver.

The event will also host street performers, artists, and tables for local neighborhood organizations.

For over two decades, Hymie’s has offered a huge selection of records in all formats and categories. Rolling Stone Magazine described it as “a classic, overstuffed mom-and-pop used-vinyl haven.“ The shop has a listening station where customers can play records before buying. They also offer turntable repair services. Visitors to the store can often find the owners, Laura and Dave Hoenack, behind the counter, along with their employee Jill, and the resident Boston terrier, Irene. 

 Plant a tree for just $25 this spring

The City of Minneapolis and Tree Trust are providing 1,500 trees to city residents.

The City of Minneapolis is partnering with Tree Trust to combat the effects of emerald ash borer by making 1,500 trees available to Minneapolis residents, businesses, and non-profits. The cost of a tree is $25. Planting a tree is the easiest way to improve property value, reduce energy needs and improve air and water quality. Residents can order one tree per household, and all trees will be made available on a first-come, first-served basis. In the past five years, this program has planted 6,000 trees in Minneapolis.

There are eight varieties to choose from: maple sienna glen, oak regal prince, Kentucky coffeetree, redbud (Minnesota strain), serviceberry autumn brilliance, apple honeycrisp, blue beech, and juniper welchii.  Trees may be ordered online or through an order form available at neighborhood associations and local libraries. For more information on how to order a tree, contact Tree Trust at (651) 644-5800 or karenz@treetrust.org .

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 through a local initiative with the Center for Energy and Environment.

Minneapolis residents are eligible for low cost compact florescent bulbs, low-flow showerheads, pipe wrap, programmable thermostats, and more energy saving devices –all for just $30 thanks to a new program 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 30^th 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.