Bancroft Neighborhood Association

On Tuesday, April 24, beginning at 4 pm, the Minneapolis City Council will hold a public hearing at its Intergovernmental Relations Committee to receive testimony on the Mayor and Council President’s proposal for a Vikings Stadium in Minneapolis. Councilmember Elizabeth Glidden will chair this meeting, where speakers will have two minutes each to address the committee. The Intergovernmental Relations Committee will take testimony for up to two hours and then consider whether to amend the City’s 2012 legislative agenda to include a statement of support for a proposed Vikings Stadium.

The public hearing will be held at City Hall, 350 South 5th Street, Room 317 (City Council chambers).  For those who cannot attend in person, public testimony may be sent via e-mail to cityclerk@minneapolismn.gov; please include your name and address for the public record.  To date, the City has had no official position on the Vikings Stadium.

Come learn more about the Community Energy Services program and how to reduce energy waste in your home at one of our presentations!  We always provide coffee, cookies and FREE childcare.  You will also have a chance to schedule a home energy visit* from our energy experts.  Presentations begin promptly at their scheduled time and typically last between 45 minutes to an hour long.  To register by phone call 612-219-7334.

Saturday, April 28 at 10:00am, Green Central Park School  (3416 4th Ave S)

*Community Energy Services Home Energy Visit is currently available only to Minneapolis homeowners in owner-occupied single-family, duplex, triplex and four-plex homes.

PRECIOUS KNOWLEDGE is a documentary about Tuscon, AZ’s embattled Mexican American Studies program. Despite its positive effects on graduation rates, the program is under threat by Arizona lawmakers who view all ethnic studies programs as anti-American. A discussion panel led by community leaders will follow the film.
WHERE: El Colegio Charter School, 4137 Bloomington Ave S.
WHEN: 4:00pm April 20th

One more day to pre-order from the Bancroft Elementary PTO’s plant sale! Plants will be available for pickup on May 18th and 19th. A limited number of plants will also be available for sale on those days, but get your order from in tomorrow to get your pick of all the sale has to offer. Order forms are available in the main office at Bancroft Elementary (1315 38th Street East).

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) is seeking community members to serve two-year appointments on the Minneapolis Bicycle Advisory Committee (MBAC).  Those interested in serving on this committee should submit an application before 4:30 p.m. Friday April 27, 2012.  Applications are available at www.minneapolisparks.org in the volunteer section or by calling customer service at 612-230-6400.

The MBAC functions as an advisory committee to the Mayor and City Council as well as the Park Board, and serves as a liaison to bicyclists, businesses, neighborhoods, and other communities and agencies. It promotes commuter as well as recreational bicycling, advocates for bicycling infrastructure improvements, encourages safe riding, and works to involve city residents interested in bicycling issues.

The Park Board will appoint three at-large members from the Minneapolis Bicycling community. The term will be from June 1, 2012 to May 31, 2014. The MBAC currently meets the last Wednesday of every month from 4:00 to 6:00 pm. There is no compensation for serving on the committee.

Originally formed in 1990, the MBAC’s initial membership represented the Mayor’s Office, Public Works, City Planning, Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, City Graphics, Meter Monitors, City Council, the State Legislative Liaison, the City Public Information Office, the Minneapolis Police Department, the Minneapolis Park Police and a local liaison. Over time, the membership has evolved to include additional staff and community members.

This is being organized by the Powderhorn and Central neighborhood associations, but interested Bancroft residents are encouraged to attend:

Is your block organized?

Do you want to learn more about

BLOCK CLUBS

It’s not all about fighting crime……

That’s just one of the benefits.

Come learn about “building community” one block at a time!

 Monday, April 16^th                                                                Tuesday, May 15th

Powderhorn Park Rec Center                                                      Hosmer Library

Multipurpose room                                       OR                           Meeting room

3400 15^th Avenue South                                                            347 E. 36^th Street

6:00 pm Social/Registration

6:30pm-8:00pm Block clubs & your neighborhood

Traditional block clubs are groups of people who have homes and families on any given block in the city and have organized to improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods.  Block leaders are concerned neighbors who care about their communities and pull their neighbors together to share information, identify concerns and act collectively to address those concerns.  

The City of Minneapolis has adopted a new zoning code that makes it easier to grow and sell fresh, local food in the city. The zoning code text amendment approves two new land uses—for market gardens and urban farms—and sets development and design standards. Community gardens are already allowed in most areas of the city and there were more than one hundred of them in place last year. This new effort expands food growing opportunities for the benefit of resident health, the environment and the economic vitality of the city.

Under the new code, barriers that make it difficult to establish land uses for agriculture in the city have been removed. Urban agricultural land uses are now expanded in all zoning districts to include:

• Small market gardens, 10,000 square feet or less of growing area on the ground, on a rooftop, or inside a building.  A new temporary use permit was also created, allowing a farmstand to operate for up to 15 days per year.  This allows market and community gardeners limited ability to sell products at the location they are grown.
• Larger market gardens, on the ground, on a rooftop, or inside a building. Conditional use permit required; must be compatible with surrounding properties.
• Urban farms, limited to industrial districts and the general commercial district (C4 district), allowing produce to be grown, processed and distributed on the same lot.

The change in the zoning code originates from a broader vision and a specific recommendation for policy changes to support access to land for growing food and to support local food-related activities that was put forward in the first phase of the Homegrown Minneapolis initiative.

Stemming from the Homegrown Minneapolis initiative, the Minneapolis City Council formally adopted an Urban Agriculture Policy Plan in 2011. The Urban Agriculture Policy Plan clarified that development and agricultural land uses can be accommodated throughout the city. The plan was managed by the Minneapolis Departments of Health and Family Support and Community Planning and Economic Development and funded by the State Health Improvement Program and funded by the Minneapolis Department of Health and Family Support’s Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP), which aims to help residents live longer, healthier lives by reducing the burden of chronic disease.

The Urban Agriculture Policy Plan has been incorporated into the City’s comprehensive plan, The Minneapolis Plan for Sustainable Growth, to guide the decisions of elected officials and provide a basis for land regulation through the zoning ordinance. The comprehensive plan contains several goals and policy statements regarding healthy communities through connections between land use, transportation, urban design and community access to food. A healthy community is a sustainable community, and planning and zoning provide us with opportunities to create a healthier population and a more sustainable environment.

Like most neighborhoods in South Minneapolis, Bancroft has experienced an increase in burglaries in recent months.  Karen Notsch, the Minneapolis Police Department’s Crime Prevention Specialist for the Bancroft Neighborhood, will be conducting a free Burglary Prevention Training at 7pm at Bethel Lutheran Church (4120 17th Ave South) on May 24th. Information will be presented in both English and Spanish.  Attendees will learn:

• How to assess the security of your home and property with MPD experts
• New low-cost improvements and no-cost habits you can start using today
• One-on-one answers to your specific home security questions
•  How to recognize vulnerable areas and educate your neighbors to reduce crime.

Like many other neighborhoods in south Minneapolis, violent crime rates have gone down in Bancroft while burglary rates have increased.  To stay informed on these issues, sign up to receive MPD crime alert bulletins by clicking here.

You can also find out about starting or joining a block club by clicking here.

Friday, March 30th

7:30 – 9am

Turtle Bread

4762 Chicago Ave S

This month Early Mornings with Elizabeth has two special features! First, as the City updates its Climate Action Plan, we welcome award winning journalist and environmental reporter Don Shelby to Ward 8. Mr. Shelby, known to many as the long-time anchor of WCCO-TV, has a special interest in environment and ecology. His popular MinnPost articles have addressed the politicization of global warming, options for renewable energy, and his personal efforts to reduce his carbon footprint. Sure to be provocative and entertaining, join us for a conversation with Don Shelby about taking action on climate change.

We also honor youth leaders with the Stephanie Ball Bailey Youth Leadership Award, presented this year to students who participated in a stormwater drain stenciling project in the Field-Regina-Northop neighborhoods which reduces pollution into our water bodies.

Join us for coffee and great conversation!