‘Neighborhood News’ Archives
Notes and Quotes: Community Meeting
Oct. 7th About EPNI
By DAEMEAH KARBEAH On October 7th, former East Phillips Neighborhood Institutions (EPNI) staff hosted a community meeting to discuss updates on EPNI and provide community members a space to ask questions. The meeting began by highlighting EPNI’s achievements, including grants such as a $120,000 grant from the Department of Agriculture. However, as of October, there is no purchase agreement for the Roof Depot. The city of Minneapolis plans to deconstruct part of the building starting in December. Communication regarding this deconstruction has reportedly been inconsistent. Daniel,the former Development Director at EPNI, discussed the internal rift between the board and staff, specifically after the alleged abrupt termination of the Interim Executive Director, Joe. A representative from EPNI’s Sustainable Community Investment Fund (SCIF) community advisory council also said the SCIF council voiced concerns about board dynamics in a letter to the EPNI Board. Patricia, [...]
Call for Dialog and Mediation
Letter to the Editor By STEVE SANDBERG I am writing to call for support of a formal, transparent dialogue and mediation process between the board of the East Phillips Neighborhood Institute (EPNI) and the Community Advisory Council. Recent termination of staff positions and subsequent staff resignations have led to concerns about the EPNI board’s commitment to community governance and ownership. Such a commitment, over the past many years, was an essential part of the success and financial support that has brought the project within reach of a purchase agreement for the southern half of the Roof Depot property. As a result of the upheaval surrounding this rapid loss of EPNI staff, financial backers are taking a wait-and-see approach. This puts the entire project in jeopardy. Community involvement in the decisions being made is essential. Community stakeholders have offered mediation services, and the board of EPNI needs to accept and thereby [...]
Honor Efforts of the Past and Work Together
Toward Future EPNI Success By JOAN VANHALA Statement read at October EPNI Community Meeting. Too many times, in the past, I have witnessed Phillips neighborhood folks attack each other when the money starts to land. Now is not the time for pointing fingers, but it is the time to honor the efforts of the past and work together for success. I am a 35 year East Phillips resident and am a strong supporter of the East Phillips Neighborhood Institute’s (EPNI) efforts over the years. I have also made a commitment to be on the EPNI Community Advisory Committee. Many, many people, neighbors, and organizations, including Little Earth, have supported EPNI in powerful ways and led, against all odds, to successful achievements. Without this broad support we would never have been able to achieve what we [...]
