Posts Tagged ‘East Phillips Park Cultural and Community Center’
East Phillips Park Cultural and Community Center at 2300 17th Ave. Exemplifies reward of unity after 40 years of vision and six years of struggle
: It has been forty years since hopes and visions of improvement to the two blocks of land between 17th and Cedar Avenues and 22nd and 24th Streets began. Initial plans and proposals for dense housing were halted by limited citizen initiated political “arm twisting” that was nonetheless effective. That effort led to park development limited to the barest of un-staffed, built facilities. Six years ago that same awareness and tenacity of local residents-- knowing their numbers and needs were greater than were being met and propelled by the obvious inequity of program and facility availability for local youth compared to other parts of the city””initiated concentrated focus on further improvement. The January 22, 2011 Building Opening and Ribbon Cutting marks the culmination of six years of creative and determined effort by neighborhood organizations, residents, and the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board with city, county, and state support. The [...]
Open Letter to the Community Historic Community Protection Legislation is studied locally by North Mpls. and nationally by CA”“Re-Elect Responsible Lawmakers
With regard to a post on Mpls.e-democracy forum suggesting we sweep all the incumbents from the legislature, I just received a note from a friend in north Mpls. telling me to hang on to Rep. Karen Clark and Sen. Berglin. My friend”'s neighborhood is facing exposure to becoming host to a hazardous waste site and is aware of what Rep. Clark, Sen. Berglin and many neighborhood folks have accomplished together to bring about a first-in-the-nation environmental justice zone protective of the Phillips”' population through a bill in the legislature. The legislation requires far stricter guidelines than currently exist to protect a large section of the urban core neighborhood of Phillips, based on poverty statistics, already existing area pollution, health challenges and intense diversity. Phillips and Clark/Berglin”'s high profile protective bill are being watched from as far away as California for implications and responses. The bill is historic on the environmental [...]
Curious about another threat to East Phillips Community Center?
By Brad Pass, Chair East Phillips Park Community Design Team Once again East Phillips Cultural and Community Center has uncovered a deeply dismaying setback. Serious hazardous pollution was discovered as excavation proceeded this spring as if the struggles to gain political support, funding, and an appropriate design were not enough,. Borings and beginning excavation last Fall did not find this problem. Foundation rubble from houses demolished in the early 1970s left small quantities of numerous pollutants; asbestos, lead, ash and fuel oil, and others thoroughly intermixed with the excavated soil. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) require all excavated material be treated as hazardous waste and disposed and new soil brought substituted. The total cost of removing this and purchasing more clean fill and top soil far exceeds budgeted project funds. The solution proposed by the Park Board was to reduce the building”'s size and function by: Eliminating 1,000 Sq. [...]
