Columbia Park Neighborhood Association

CPNA 13 YEARS LATER

Oct 20, 2001

CPNA 13 YEARS LATER
Sue Bembenek and Nancy Pirsig
Sometimes you have to look backwards to know how far you've come and Nancy and I did just that as we looked over 13 years worth of Columbia Park newsletters. We thought you would enjoy going with us on this trip back through time.
We had our beginning in March of 1988, Volume 1.
Attention Columbia Park Neighbors!!
At the March 24th meeting at Columbia Chalet, there will be an election of Board Members for the newly formed Columbia Park Neighborhood Association. The primary purpose of this group will be to disseminate information on city programs available and issues of neighborhood concern. Duties of Board members will include organizing approximately two meetings during the year and putting out three or four newsletters. ... A small grant has been applied for to fund our activities. ... Organizing Group
Sue Bembenek, Lotte Melman, Shirley Murzyn, Karen Varian
Cargill Property Update
Wondering what will become of the Cargill property on 37th and 5th St.? Well, so is the City of Columbia Heights. ... the City of Columbia Heights has contracted ... to prepare a planned study for a 50 acre area, bounded on the west by 3rd St., north 40th Ave., east by Jackson and south 37th ave. ... The decisions the City of Columbia Heights make on this property can affect the redevelopment/reuse of the approximately 5 acres of Cargill property located in Minneapolis ... Currently this property is zoned industrial and the City of Minneapolis is always looking for new industrial opportunities. What would the Columbia Park Neighborhood residents want here?
Lucky for us that we all decided we would like the Gateway with our present community gardens and ornamental crab trees!
Recycling
As many of you know, twice a month recycling collection began in October. The Minneapolis Recycling Program hopes that by providing twice a month collection, recycling will be more convenient... .
Now recycling is as ordinary as setting out the garbage but we were there when it all began. (The new 90 Gallon containers - June 1988, Volume 2) Another beginning we covered was Community Crime Prevention in that same issue.
S.A.F.E. PROGRAM
In our Columbia Park area we are fortunate to have the S.A.F.E. (Safety for Everyone) Program available for our use. It's purpose is to help neighbors to solve a wide variety of problems that often arise between each other.
Crime Prevention Block Clubs, National Nights Out and McGruff houses were all to follow.

In Volume 3, November 1988 we reported on the results of our first survey of neighborhood opinion on a variety of topics. Many of these desires are now realities.
SURVEY RESULTS by Karen Varian
Thirty-six households responded to the survey we published in our spring newsletter. ... Below is a summary of results received so far on some of the major questions. ... 84% would like the playground at Columbia Park moved. 73% would like a Tot Lot at Triangle Park.
42% wanted playground equipment improved at Hi View Park. ... Sixty-nine percent favored single family homes on this site while only 14% favored light industry ... Seventy percent favored single family homes ( at the Shoreham Yards) ... and fifty-seven percent were concerned about the condition of housing.... .
Some interesting comments included: -locating a soccer complex in the area ... build steps up to the playground and shelter in Columbia Park-build a fenced-in dog run ... more park area in Columbia Park for neighborhood use.

In Volume 11, February 1993 one of the most profound events occurred in our neighborhood with the introduction of the Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP) .
COLUMBIA PARK NEIGHBORHOOD CHOSEN
FOR NEIGHBORHOOD REVITALIZATION PROGRAM
by Nancy Pirsig
In August of 1992, the Columbia Park Neighborhood was chosen to be a part of the...NRP. The NRP process provides residents with an opportunity to decide the future of their neighborhood. Neighborhood people will determine what issues they want the city to address and develop an action plan which describes the strategies needed to address these issues.
The Columbia Park Neighborhood Board spent the last four months developing a participation agreement which outlines the process our neighborhood will use to develop our action plan.
If some of this sounds familiar look no further than page one of the current newsletter. We are basically repeating the work we did over nine years ago as we enter phase II of the NRP process. In this issue we also announced that the newsletter would become a quarterly event and we took our first look at the St Anthony Railroad bridge.
NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION WANTS RAILROAD
TO MAINTAIN BRIDGE by Lotte Melman
The St. Anthony Boulevard Bridge is owned by Burlington Northern Railroad (BNR), and is in need of repair and painting. Yearly inspection reports on the bridge dating back to 1987, ... documenting the work that needed to be done were forwarded to the BNR. ... The latest word is that the BNR has hired a consulting firm to do an inspection of the bridge.
Once again we are giving you the latest word on the bridge on page two of this issue, approximately eight years later! That is what I call follow through.

In the August 1994, Volume 17 issue we accepted the need to be good stewards of the Mississippi River that flows along our western neighborhood boundary.
CPNA JOINS THE MISSISSIPPI CORRIDOR
NEIGHBORHOOD COALITION
The Mississippi Corridor Neighborhood Coalition is a coalition of neighborhood organizations working to preserve, protect, enhance and restore the Mississippi River, ... . The ... Coalition shall promote ... the human and natural environment through plans and projects as may be fitting to accomplish these purposes.
Over the next decade the neighborhoods and the city of Minneapolis will be working through the implementation of the Upper Mississippi River Plan which details the development of the Mississippi River banks from Main Street to the Minneapolis border at 37th Avenue NE. As a river neighborhood we were their in 1994 and we are active today in these vital river issues.

In the February, 1995 Volume 19 issue we took a giant leap forward and hired our first community organizer to lighten the load of board members and process the higher level of neighborhood work caused by our involvement with the NRP process. In the same issue we looked into environmental issues in the neighborhood by acquiring an intern.
INTERN TO DO ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY
The Environment Focus Group has arranged for an Intern from the Humphrey Institute to work with our neighborhood. ... His main task is to do an environmental profile of industries in the neighborhood.
At present the CPNA board is looking into updating that profile by having another intern work for the neighborhood. Environmental issues at the Cargill site dog run area and the Canadian Pacific Railway Shoreham site. demonstrate the need to update this study.
The February 1995 issue also announced our first class at the "Columbia Chalet", as we called it then.
PILOT PROGRAM BRINGS ACTIVITIES TO THE CHALET
A goal of the Park Focus Group is to have activities at the Columbia Chalet. We envision the chalet becoming more of a community center. ... The first (event) was a neighborhood sliding party on Saturday, January 29th. ... The first event was a successful start to our use of the chalet to foster a sense of community ... The second activity is a cartooning class ... .
Since then the Columbia Manor has hosted numerous classes and events, meetings and public forums. In essence it has become the center for community activity that we had hoped for so long ago.

With the July, 1996 Volume 24 issue we went to six newsletters a year due to the increasing amount of information generated by our neighborhood activities. This issue also announced the debut of our very popular and successful housing program. This was by far the most ambitious program we had done so far as a neighborhood.
COLUMBIA PARK NRP HOME IMPROVEMENT GRANT
PROGRAM WILL BEGIN IN AUGUST
After years of planning, the ... CPNA is happy to announce the start of the Neighborhood's Home Improvement Grant Program. CPNA is making available $200,000 for exterior home improve-
ments in the Columbia Park neighborhood.

In the May, 1997 Volume 29 issue we started one of the most sought after renovations in the neighborhood, namely the creation of our new playground and recreation space.
PLAYGROUND RENOVATION TO BEGIN AUGUST 1ST
The NRP Playground Task Force and the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board have agreed on the design for the renovation of Columbia Park recreation space, a major component of our NRP plan. ... A rugby/soccer field and a softball diamond will be installed in the hollow to the north of the current playground.
This would prove to be a wonderful marriage between the Metropolis Rugby Club and CPNA. The present issue proves that point with continuing coverage of rugby activities at our very active park.
In 1998 we returned to a quarterly newsletter. In October, 1998 Volume 36 we got our first view of what our future Gateway design will look like and we cut the ribbon on our newly completed Columbia Park playground and Rugby recreation site. You just have to see that issue to take it all in! In January, 1999 Volume 37 we prepared for the future.
COLUMBIA PREPARES FOR Y2000
... CPNA has been discussing the best way to mobilize the neighborhood if any of our current services are interrupted due to computer failures that might occur on January 1, 2000.
Little did we guess that the processes that we developed then, here and in other American cities, would be used in dealing with the attack on New York City last month.

In the July 1999 issue we gained an intern whose skills will bring this newsletter to our present website. (thank you, Dan Harris) And in October, 2000 Volume 44 we celebrated the completion of the Gateway.

The rest is history as they say. Now you need to look to the future and create another 13 or more years of memories and achievement in the Columbia Park neighborhood. Nancy and I wish you well as we put the October, 2001 Volume 48 issue to bed, as they say in the printing industry, for the last time.

SWEET DREAMS