Wellness: by Coalitions and Compromises No New Pollution and Congestion – for now. Owner of Roof Depot Site Rejects City”'s Water Works Offer

Neighbors rally for Clean Air at the Roof Depot Site. (East 28th St. at Longfellow)

By Carol Ann Pass

Many East Phillips families and their children thank and appreciate the fact that the Owner of the Roof Depot Site said NO (at least for now) to the city”'s plan to interject more pollution and unwanted traffic to the already health and congestion challenged East Phillips Neighborhood.

The city plan was to move all the operations of the City”'s water maintenance facility along with their fleet of 68 large maintenance trucks, many of them diesel, and the personal vehicles of their large work force into our already polluted and congested neighborhood ”“ specifically, into the current Roof Depot site at 1860 E 28^th St. In pushing this plan forward, the City of Minneapolis Public Works Dept. has worked for over a decade without so much as mentioning this major plan to the surrounding residents, or considering including them in the planning process. This is disturbing and disappointing, given the past responsible actions of Public Works involving citizens in the work that had already gone on in the nearby Public Works site on E. 26^th St. The question ”˜What has changed?”'… Read the rest “Wellness: by Coalitions and Compromises No New Pollution and Congestion – for now. Owner of Roof Depot Site Rejects City”'s Water Works Offer”

Wellness: by Artists and Artisans Mikwanedun Audisookon, a center for Art and Wellness BY SHARON M. DAY, Executive Director of IPTF

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES TASK FORCE is a Native American provider of HIV education and direct services to the Native community in Minnesota. For over 26 years, IPTF has developed and implemented culturally appropriate programs to prevent further transmission of HIV, increase access to traditional and western medical services, and improve the quality of life for clients, families, and communities.

This will be the new home of the Indigenous Peoples Task Force (IPTF). It will be built on the property adjacent to the current home of IPTF and Manidoowahdak Odena Housing Complex at 1335 East 23^rd Street.

This will not just be a building created of bricks and mortar. This will be a building built from dreams and inspiration.

Over ten years ago, during a visioning session, the Board and Staff of IPTF drew up the designs for a building that would house our bodies and nurture our belief that we are the caretakers of this hemisphere. As caretakers, we need to take care of the land and the environment.

This new building will be made of compressed earth blocks, it will host an array of solar panels and be heated and cooled by the sun via a geo thermal system.

It will host a theater space for the Ikidowin Youth Theater Ensemble, one of the oldest ongoing Native theaters in the United States.… Read the rest “Wellness: by Artists and Artisans Mikwanedun Audisookon, a center for Art and Wellness BY SHARON M. DAY, Executive Director of IPTF”