Keewaydin addition will go south

Park board working to figure out what to do about the playground, wading pool that will be displaced

by Tesha M. Christensen

What will the $16 million addition at Keewaydin look like? Community members looked at a preliminary design for the first time on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012.

While the design presented will be refined over the next three months, the decision has been made to build to the south of the building. This will displace the wading pool and playgrounds currently on the property. However, it means that the baseball and soccer fields will remain untouched.

Community member Michele Honderick stated that in this tough economic time, “We cannot afford to actually replace the equipment we already have in place.” She asked why the decision to build south was made, and expressed support for an addition on the east.

Minneapolis Park Board Planner Jennifer Ringold explained why the park department supported a school addition on the south side, even though it means displacing the existing playground and wading pool. “This wasn’t an easy decision,” she said.

Ringold noted that the existing fields are well used. If they were moved south, it would place them too close to the park building. A playground costs about $300,000 to replace, and a wading pool about $500,000; a building is much more expensive, she said.

The lifespan of a playground is 20 years, Ringold pointed out. The existing playground, installed with funds from the school, the park and the Nokomis East Neighborhood Association, was built 13 years ago. The wading pool was installed in 1970 and is already 40 years old.

The playground and the pool “are the ones that will reach their life expectancies the fastest,” she said.

The park department held a meeting on Saturday, Jan. 21 to solicit input from community members about priorities at the park. From those comments, a new master plan for the park will be created. The new plan will be reviewed by the park board in February.

The parks department has not yet identified where the money to move and/or purchase new playground equipment and a pool will come from.

Ringold noted that as the parks department evaluates whether it can merely move the existing playground equipment, it must consider whether the equipment would survive the move. Additionally, the equipment must meet existing safety and handicap-accessible standards. The parks department had not yet determined whether the existing equipment meet those criteria, but Ringold said it was likely the items for younger children could be successfully moved.

Keewaydin Principal Jane Ellis noted that from the start, the number one issue for the building steering committee has been the playground and wading pool.

“We want that playground back,” agreed Doug Walters of the Nokomis East Neighborhood Association.

A BIGGER SCHOOL

Keewaydin’s space will double with the new addition. As presented on Jan. 19, the majority of the $16 million available for the project will be used to construct new space. Targeted areas in the existing structure will be remodeled. Work will start as soon as this school year ends and be finished the summer of 2013.

A key part of the plan is that there will be an educational wing and a public wing. The education wing (located in the existing structure) can be locked at night when the performance space and gymnasium in the addition are being used.

“Our goal is to create 21st century middle school-grade classrooms and instructional spaces,” observed Dave Richards, a Minneapolis Public Schools capital planning staff member.

“What we’re doing here is we’re closing the gap,” explained Richards. “The gap has widened in the recent years.” The school will be brought up to current Educational Index Improvement standards with this project. Richards noted that the age of the kids served in the building has changed since it was constructed in 1928, as well as the programs themselves. One example is performance spaces. Whereas once they were only found in high school, now they are included in middle schools.

An audience member questioned whether there are enough students to warrant an addition. Richards remarked that the 2010 Census data shows that enrollment is increasing. “There are simply more kids in the area,” he said.

Will taxes rise because of this project? The cost will be paid by bonds, Richards explained. “The impact on property taxes will be zero.”

He added that changes to school buildings within the Minneapolis Public School system has never negatively affected property values of homes next to them.

Keewaydin parent and project steering committee member Jay Larson pointed out that the biggest issue in planning meetings has been the existing 84- by 50-foot gymnasium. “It’s very hard to teach students in this space,” remarked Keewadin Athletic Director Jennifer Dowzak. The new addition will include a competition-size gym that can be divided into two areas. It will seat 250 spectators.

“The goal is much more than an educational building,” stated Jay Larson. “It’s an opportunity for this community to come together.”

Matt Musich’s son attends Keewaydin. “I’m really excited about this project,” he stated. “This is an investment in our community for the long term.”

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SIDEBAR

Highlights of the school project

Architect Elena Peltsman of RSP Architects presented preliminary details of the project design during the Jan. 19 community meeting. Highlights include:

• The new addition will not be taller than the existing building, but will be about 30 to 31 feet tall.

• Based on the request of the student council, there will be a commons area for students to hang out in.

• The existing courtyard will be enclosed rather than filled in so that the classroom will retain natural light from the windows facing the courtyard.

• The administration area will be moved to the new facility, next to the new entrance to serve as gatekeepers and increase safety and security at the school.

• A designated bus area will be carved out of the east side of the building to ease traffic and congestion concerns on the street.

• Bathrooms will be part of the addition that will be big enough to serve the gym and performance space. It is not yet know if the existing bathrooms will be remodeled.

• The existing parking lots on both the north and the south will remained; the south side will be expanded slightly from 20 parking spots to 28.

• On the south side of the building, a hard surface play area with basketball hoops will be constructed. In the future, that space could be used for another addition, possibly as parks and recreation space.

• The existing gym will become a general music room.

• The current kitchen and lunchroom will be turned into an art room.

• The performance space and gym will be located in the center of the building so that rooms on the edges of the building can take advantage of window space. 

This story printed in the February edition of the Longfellow/Nokomis Messenger. http://longfellownokomismessenger.com/

Xcel power lines will go underground, Hiawatha West substation design not yet determined

Longfellow residents pushed for high-profile design to minimize disruption of trees planted at Hiawatha and 28th Street

by Tesha M. Christensen

Neighborhood advocates are pleased with the Public Utilities Commission 4-1 vote to require Xcel Energy to place high voltage lines underground along 28th Street rather than overhead along the Midtown Greenway.

“We’re thrilled with the news that the power lines will be buried under 28th street.  It’s been a long struggle, over many years,” said Midtown Greenway Coalition Executive Director Soren Jensen.

“Our coalition brought neighborhood groups together to provide a unified voice against the lines in the Greenway,” he added. “We hired an attorney, and worked together with the neighborhood groups to oppose the lines in the Greenway.”

The decision about the power lines was made following a day of testimony on Jan. 10, 2012 and another meeting on Jan. 12, ending a three-year permitting process.

In addition to placing two 115-kilovolt transmission lines underground for 1.5 miles, two distribution substations will be built on either end, one in the Longfellow neighborhood at Hiawatha and 28th Street. The entire project will cost $40 million.

The commission delayed deciding who will pay for the additional $13 million cost of burying the lines for another six months to gather more public input and information. It may be split between Xcel customers in Minneapolis, customers in Hennepin County or the total Xcel customer base.

Construction will be complete in 2014. The lines will be placed as close as possible to the middle of 28th Street, which will remain partially open during construction.

DESTRUCTION OF GREEN SPACE

Longfellow Community Council  (LCC) Housing and Environment Coordinator Spencer Agnew spoke during the Jan. 10 public hearing on behalf of the LCC. The community council joined with other neighborhood organizations to support placing two 115-kilovolt transmission lines underground. That line will run through the Phillips neighborhood from Hiawatha to Oakland Avenue South.

Agnew pointed out, “All of the impacted neighborhoods opposed the placement of the Hiawatha Substation on the Hiawatha West site. The Hiawatha West site had been the focus of neighborhood planning and investment for years to develop a community green space.”

The neighborhood council had pushed for the substation to be located off Hiawatha at 32nd Street, in an area that is currently empty.

The land on the east side of the Sabo bridge has been the focus of Arbor Day tree-planting events in an effort to transform the “brown space” into “green space.”

According to Longfellow Community Council Environment and Transportation Committee member Eric Hart, when the Sabo Midtown Greenway Bridge over Hiawatha Avenue was built in 2007, the entire area on the east side of Hiawatha Avenue from 26th Street south to the railroad tracks was identified as green space and a gateway area to the bridge and the Longfellow/Seward section of the Midtown Greenway.

Midtown Community Works Partnership (MCWP), a coalition of government entities, the Midtown Greenway Coalition, and private businesses with a presence along the Midtown Greenway, organized Arbor Day tree plantings in the space in both 2008 and 2009. During the first year, the area closest to the Sabo Bridge was planted with 234 trees and shrubs by over 200 volunteers. The next year, the group focused on the area where Hiawatha substation will be constructed. Approximately 150 volunteers planted 258 trees and shrubs there in April 2009.

In addition to loss of green space and conflicts with 10 years of land use planning, the Hiawatha West site has the following problems, according to Agnew:

• A Hiawatha West substation is very close to affordable housing – the substation design could affect noise as well as views from adjacent apartments.

• A Hiawatha West substation would be visible from both the Midtown Greenway and the new $5.2 million Sabo Bridge, providing visual impacts both on trail users and LRT passengers at the gateway to south Minneapolis.

•  A “low profile” substation could use up the entire site, preventing replacement of trees and green space and also preventing development of a planned bike trail connection from the Greenway to Lake Street.

Longfellow and other neighborhood parties requested specific mitigation measures if the Hiawatha West site were determined to be the only feasible choice for a substation:

1. That the high-profile smaller footprint of the substation be used to protect the Greenway and trail extension to Lake Street.

2. That connecting high voltage lines and feeder lines be placed underground to reduce impacts.

3. That an artist should be involved in the design of the substation and consideration given to using berms and digging below grade to reduce visual impacts.

4. That walls should surround all four sides of the substation and that walls be made graffiti resistant, potentially by planting vegetation to cover them.

5. That plantings and landscaping consistent with the Midtown Greenway landscaping plan be provided on all four sides of the substation.

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission did not explicitly adopt any of these specific items recommended by the Longfellow Community Council; however, it did adopt those made by Administrative Law Judge Beverly Jones Heydinger with a few slight changes:

“The substation shall be designed and constructed to minimize the impact of the project on the persons living and working in close proximity to it to the extent practicable. The HVTL Route Permit shall contain procedures which allow an opportunity for the parties of record to provide input into a) placement of the Hiawatha West Substation on the approved site, b) the substation’s wall design, lighting and landscaping. These efforts will be made to minimize disruption to the current and planned Midtown Greenway bicycle and pedestrian trails, to minimize the aesthetic impact, and assure compatibility with the surrounding structures to the extent practicable.”

The first opportunity to impact design will be offered to the city and county, not community organizations or the public, according to former Midtown Greenway Coalition Executive Director Tim Springer. “However, there may be opportunities for community members or a few individuals representing them to engage with the process in round one if invited to do so by city or county elected officials.”

Hart stated, “We are disappointed that other locations were not looked at further or a different configuration on the site that Xcel wanted was not worked out that would minimize damage to the plantings.

“The conditions that were put in place by the [Administrative Law] Judge are to our liking and LCC looks forward to working with Xcel Energy and other relevant organizations to make the substation as acceptable as it could be given its size and configuration.”

NEED FOR TRANSMISSION LINE

The Hiawatha Transmission Line will carry 55 megawatts of power, enough to serve 50,000 customers. According to the certificate of need filed by Xcel, the Hiawatha Project will provide the transmission capacity needed to maintain reliable service to the area and to support continued economic development in the future. Energy demand has increased due to the development of the Midtown Exchange, the construction of high-density development along the lightrail corridor, and improvements along the Chicago Avenue corridor by Abbott Northwestern and Children’s Hospitals.

Xcel maintains, “The Hiawatha Project will provide the transmission capacity needed to maintain reliable service to the area and to support continued economic development in the future.”

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ABOUT THE HIAWATHA TRANSMISSION PROJECT

• Xcel initially applied for a permit on April 24, 2009 to construct two new 115 kV single circuit transmission lines approximately 1.5 miles in length and two new distribution substations in the Midtown District.

• The Hiawatha Substation will be approximately 2.25 acres in size. It will be located on the east side of Hiawatha Avenue slightly south of the intersection of Hiawatha Avenue and East 28th Street. Currently this site is an open area owned by the Minnesota Department of Transportation, no business relocation would be needed.

The estimated cost for construction of the Hiawatha West substation site is $14.3 million.

• The underground transmission lines shall be placed in a concrete duct system. The underground line will require two identical concrete duct banks, containing four 6-inch PVC conduits for transmission circuits and two 2-inch PVC conduits for ground continuity and communication needs.

THE ISSUES

• Magnetic field exposure to residents and Midtown Greenway trail users in the area if the lines were above ground.

• Disruption of Midtown Greenway aesthetics if high voltage lines were erected on the trail.

• Loss of trees planted by volunteers on the east side of the Sabo Bridge if the Hiawatha West substation was built there.

• Disruption of planned trail connection from the Greenway to Lake Street by the Hiawatha West substation building.

• Cost to residents: who will pay the increased $13 million cost to run the power lines underground? Minneapolis residents or Xcel’s entire customer base?

Story printed in the February edition of the Longfellow/Nokomis Messenger. longfellownokomismessenger.com

THREE-YEAR BATTLE WITH LICE ENDS AT MINNESOTA LICE LADY SALON

Minnesota Lice Lady opens salon in Edina to serve Greater Metro area

EDINA, MINN -- Liz Ferron finally found peace of mind after visiting the Minnesota Lice Lady’s newly opened salon in Edina, Minn.

Ferron, a social worker from Minnetonka, and her 10-year-old daughter, Angela, had been battling lice off and on for three long years. “It’s very time consuming and stressful,” Ferron stated.

Ferron was relieved that someone else was handling her daughter’s latest lice infestation. When she walked out of the Minnesota Lice Lady’s salon after the follow-up treatment, she knew that her long ordeal with lice was over; her daughter’s head was clean and so was hers.

One of the things Ferron appreciates most about Minnesota Lice Lady Gonne Asser (it’s pronounced Honnah and reflects her Dutch ancestry) is that she not only eradicates lice in one treatment, but also is well educated about lice, and willingly shares her knowledge of the bugs. “I really like her thoroughness,” Ferron said. The Minnesota Lice Lady never asks clients to comb out at home and guarantees her service for 30 days.

"We are the experts and take on full responsibility to eradicate the infestation," said Asser, a St. Paul resident.

Asser wants parents to know they’re not in this fight alone.

There is a way to combat lice that doesn’t involve the use of harmful and dangerous chemicals.

There is a method out there that guarantees success. It’s the one the Minnesota Lice Lady uses. With the Shepherd Method of Strand by Strand Lice Removal, each head is first sprayed with enzymes and then combed out thoroughly with a professional grade nit comb.  A thorough nitpicking comes next as each strand of hair is examined one by one. Then, just to be sure the nits are gone, the Minnesota Lice Lady does a second visual check and a final comb-out. The four-step process with built-in safety nets typically takes one and a half hours for boys and two and half for girls, depending on how much hair a person has and the severity of the infestation. Within a week, clients return for a follow-up visit.

The Minnesota Lice Lady is so confident in her work that she offers a 30-day guarantee. If you get lice again within a month, treatment is free. “I couldn’t sleep if you had nits or lice on your head after seeing us,” said Asser, who treats clients throughout the Greater Metro area.

The Minnesota Lice Lady also works with clients to identify where the lice originated, and encourages friends, classmates, relatives and others to get their heads checked and treated if they have lice.

But don’t worry. She won’t be pushing any of her services on you or trying to get you to buy an armful of products that you don’t really need. Asser’s goal is to educate and to help parents -- not profit off their ignorance.

Her treatments are as much about helping families combat the myths around lice as they are about eradicating the lice itself.

“Our mission is to take responsibility for people’s lice infestations so that people can get on with their lives,” said Asser.

“After you come see us, you’ll be done with lice for good.”

ABOUT THE MINNESOTA LICE LADY

Let the Minnesota Lice Lady, Gonne Asser (it’s pronounced Honnah and reflects her Dutch ancestry), take those lousy worries away. She’s glad to help. In fact, she’s been aiding moms in the fight against lice for over eight years. After a friend helped her treat her children, Asser decided to pay it forward and help others. A year ago, the St. Paul resident launched into nitpicking full time to help as many families as she can. She continues to incorporate research and cutting-edge techniques. The Minnesota Lice Lady is the only company in Minnesota using the Shepherd Method of Strand by Strand Lice Removal, the most effective and thorough lice removal process available. The Minnesota Lice Lady has recently opened a salon at 3940 Sunnyside Road in Edina, and offers in-home visits throughout the Greater Metro Area. To schedule an appointment or get more information on natural treatment options, call 612-564-0678, email mnlicelady@gmail.com or browse mnlicelady.com.

SIDEBARS

LICE FACTS FROM THE MINNESOTA LICE LADY

• Head lice are completely dependent upon our heads in order to live. If they don’t get a blood meal within 24 hours (less for young lice), they will die.

• Lice do not live in the environment. In fact, they don’t want to leave your head. “It’s the perfect nest,” stated Asser that provides the right living conditions for lice. Once on your head, their legs lock onto a strand of hair. This makes it very unlikely that the lice will fall off in your house. “The bugs are not on the couch or the carpet or the American Girl dolls,” said Asser.

• Yes, you can have lice and not itch. Half of the people affected by lice show no outward signs, Asser noted.

• To eliminate lice, it is necessary to focus on the head, not on your environment.

• Most moms reach for the chemicals when they realize they need to treat a lice outbreak. “We’re so overwhelmed,” Asser observed. But what most moms don’t realize is that these chemicals can have many dangerous side effects, such as liver failure. Plus, lice are becoming resistant to these pesticides. Products such as Rid and Nix are only 44 to 46% effective. Even the home-remedies such as olive oil are only 60 to 70% effective.

WHAT MAKES THE MINNESOTA LICE LADY DIFFERENT?

• 30-day guarantee -- The Minnesota Lice Lady promises that if you get lice again within 30 days, she’ll provide treatment for free.

• Shepherd Strand-by-Strand approach -- The Minnesota Lice Lady uses the most effective and thorough lice removal process available.

• Relaxing salon environment -- Once you step into the salon in Edina, you’ll immediately breath easier. Tomorrow, you can forget you ever had lice.

• No-push products policy -- The Minnesota Lice Lady doesn’t want to sell you a bunch of products you don’t need, such as a specific house cleaner or spray that is guaranteed to keep lice away. 

Addition to double Keewaydin School

See construction plans at Jan. 19 meeting

by Tesha M. Christensen

Keewaydin School, the upper campus of Lake Nokomis Community School, will double its space next year during a $16 million building project.

Between 39,000 to 45,000 square feet will be added, likely on the south side of the building. While the district has also considered building out on the east side, many community members have expressed concerns about losing the baseball fields there.

Building to the south will mean the playground, basketball courts and pool will need to be relocated; they are currently on Minneapolis Public School land, as is half of the Keewaydin community center building. There is empty space on the east side of the Minneapolis Parks building because the tennis courts were removed from there several years ago. The parks department plans to move the playground to that space.

Keewaydin Principal Jane Ellis wants community members to know that the school is trying to be respectful of their needs, as well as of parent’s and student’s. One of the items in the plan, bump-out curbs on 30th Avenue, is meant to ease a long-standing complaint by residents about congestion on that road when buses are picking up and dropping off students.

The details of the building project are still being worked out. Many focus group meetings were held in December, as was a community meeting on Dec. 15. Another community meeting is slated for Jan. 19 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Minutes of each meeting are posted on the school’s web site. For those that can’t attend the meetings, there is a form on the school’s web site to fill out.

At the meetings, parents, students, teachers and community members shared items to add to a wish list. From there, the ideas went to the construction site team, which then passed them onto the steering committee. The final decision on what the addition will look like rests with the school board, which will vote on the plan in March.

Right now, Ellis anticipates that the existing facility, built in 1928, will continue to house the classrooms while the new section will have the multi-use and arts space.

After evaluating the various wishes  of all stakeholders, the architects will create a plan. A tentative design will be presented to the community at the Jan. 19 meeting.

“It really is about matching needs with spaces,” Ellis stated.

The school district has identified the 83-year-old building as deficient in a number of areas according to state and national standards. At 2,500 square feet, the gymnasium is the smallest in the city, noted Ellis. The new space will be 7,000 square feet, not including gym storage and office space. (See sidebar for more details on what will be included in the building project.)

“I feel that a gymnasium for the middle-school grades is critical,” noted Jay Larson, a Nokomis East resident with two children at Lake Nokomis Community School. He is also a member of the construction site committee. “Students that are interested in high school sports (and beyond) must have the opportunity to prepare for these sports during middle school.  I also know that students who are interested in band, choir or symphony prepare for high school during these middle school years.  Currently, Keewaydin is unable to offer these opportunities due to the fact that these spaces do not exist.”

The goal six years ago was an addition that would incorporate a community center, Ellis noted. To provide additional multi-purpose and gymnasium space, as well as make renovations at Keewaydin’s sister school Wennonah, Keewaydin had asked the school board for $24 million.

Although the plan has changed, the building will be arranged in such a way that Minneapolis parks could opt to add on in the future. This is not currently in the parks department five-year plan, however.

“The idea is that much of the new space being built will also be available for evening and weekend for community education use and for park and recreation use,” noted Larson. “I feel strongly that my neighbors and area residents will benefit from the new spaces that are being built.”

Ellis pointed out that the district hasn’t invested in capital projects in the last nine years. The last big project was at Burroughs in 2002.

The district plans to solicit bids on the Keewaydin project in April, with construction commencing in June 2012. Most of the work will be done by August 2013. During the school year next year, Ellis anticipates that students will move around some in order to accommodate the building project. Some work, such as tearing out the wall between the old and the new, will be completed on the weekend.

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SIDEBAR

PIECES OF THE PROJECT

By remodeling the existing building (10% of project) and adding on (90% of project), Keewaydin will be brought up to state and national middle schools standards. The most critical Educational Index Improvements that are being addressed include:

• Gymnasium: 7,000 sf

• Gym storage and office: 800 sf

• Performance spaces: 4,600 sf

• Lumch room spaces: 5,817 sf

• 2 Science classrooms: 3,000 sf

• 2 Computer labs: 1,800 sf

• Vocal/music classroom: $1,500 sf

• Offices: 1,000 sf

• Estimated cost per square foot: $365-380

• Proposed project budget: $16 million

Story printed in the January 2012 edition of the Longfellow/Nokomis Messenger.

New day for Minneapolis schools

Howe and Folwell to reopen to serve growing student body

by Tesha M. Christensen

It’s a new day for Minneapolis Public Schools, according to Area B Parent Liaison Kristin Berg Thompson.

While a few years ago it was shuttering schools, now the district is reopening some and adding on to others in the northeast, south and southwest areas of the city.

At its Nov. 29, 2011 meeting, the Board of Education approved nearly all the pieces of a plan it had reviewed earlier that month to address increasing enrollment in the district.

Howe will be reopened in 2013-2014  to serve as a PreK-5 dual campus with Hiawatha Community School. 

Additionally, Folwell will be reopened to house the Ramsey Arts Magnet School for the 2012-2013 school year. A new 6-8 middle school will be created in the Ramsey building for the Lyndale Elementary School and Burroughs Community School attendance areas.

Speaking on behalf of Area B, Berg Thompson stated that the area is excited to welcome Ramsey Arts Magnet. She pointed out that 70% of students who currently attend that school live closer to the Folwell site.

Melissa Erjavac is happy that the school board addressed the space problem before being in the throes of it. Her son is a second grader at Hiawatha. “I am happy that, with this decision, he will not be subjected to over-crowding,” she stated.

The district plans to use a variety of funds to pay for the changes.

Board member Hussein Samatar, who resides in Phillips neighborhood and serves on the finance committee, was the only one who voted against the changes. He explained that his nay vote wasn’t because he doesn’t want to see schools reopened or that he doesn’t think the district shouldn’t prepare for this growth. Samatar’s issues with the plan center around finances.

First, the estimates for reopening Howe ranged from between $2 to 4.6 million. Hussein wanted more solid numbers. In contrast, reopening Cooper, .7 miles away from Howe, would have been less (although that figure was never specified).

Additionally, the estimated cost to reopen Folwell is $9 million; Hussein said he wasn’t convinced that moving 1,000 students from Ramsey to Folwell was the best option academically for that pricetag.

“I know we don’t have the money to overspend,” Hussein stated.

Looking ahead, the district faces a structural deficit he believes will manifest itself in the next year or two. This will be a problem if the district maintains its current levels of spending (or increases it) without a corresponding increase in income.

Neighborhood resident Steve Warnke also questions why Cooper was not reopened, considering the various improvements made to the building before it was closed. “It would make more sense to use Cooper after the extensive amount of work put into it,” he stated.

Other neighborhood residents, such as Hilary Oppmann, expressed were delighted that Howe will be reopening.

“That is the best possible outcome,” Oppmann said. “It’s a beautiful building and good to have more school options in the neighborhood. MPS could never afford to build a building like Howe now, and I hated the idea that it might be torn down, losing the ability to ever use it again as a school, as well as possibly giving up that large public green space.”

Sarah Nassif has worked for six years to find a new use for the vacant Howe building. She heard the news it would be reopening as a school firsthand at the board meeting. “Wow,” she thought. “I can’t believe six years of work have finally paid off and we have our school back! Hooray!”

“I would like to thank Council Member Sandy Colvin Roy, the Longfellow Community Center staff, and Howe neighbors for volunteering such an incredible amount of time and expertise over the years to keep Howe a vital concern in our neighborhood,” Nassif said. “Together we raised awareness about a beautiful fixture in our neighborhood and saved it for ourselves and future residents to use and enjoy. That is a real impact we can be proud of.”

Printed in the January edition of the Longfellow/Nokomis Messenger. 

District not sure how it will fund school changes

Minneapolis Board members hope to avoid a levy

by Tesha M. Christensen

The question before Minneapolis Public Schools right now is how to sensibly deal with the growth that is occurring at the elementary-school age, according to school board member Hussein Samatar.

What makes this round of school changes different from those made a few years ago? “I really feel like we’re listening this time around,” said Samatar, who has served on the board since January 2011.

He encourages community members to email himself and other school board members to share concerns and ideas about this round of changes. Contact information is available at http://www.mpls.k12.mn.us/board_members.html. Identify yourself as a parent, point out the school you are writing about, and discuss a specific issue. Another way to contact Samatar is through his Facebook page.

“We could have done better the last time around,” admitted Samatar. The district may have panicked in the past, but he pointed out that projecting enrollment is dependent on many factors outside the school district’s control.

“Enrollment has been really hard to predict,” stated Minneapolis School Board Chair Jill Davis. She is grateful for the detailed data available through the 2010 Census, and thinks that if the board would have had that information a few years ago things would have been different.

The block-by-block data released in July 2011 shows that Minneapolis has more young kids than it did before. While in the past, young families moved out of Minneapolis to the suburbs, now they’re staying, according to David Dudycha, enrollment consultant for Minneapolis. Additionally, Minneapolis Public Schools is losing fewer students to private and charter schools.  

To alleviate the pressure on its elementary and middle schools, the district has proposed a multi-prong solution that includes opening some schools that were closed a few years ago, adding onto to others, and moving some programs.

Proposed changes in south Minneapolis include reopening Howe to create a dual campus with Hiawatha; moving the Ramsey Fine Arts Magnet program into Folwell, and expanding the Wellstone international high school at Roosevelt High to include middle school students. The board was expected to vote on these changes Nov. 28.

It has already approved a $16 million addition onto the Keewaydin campus of Lake Nokomis Community School. On Nov. 1, the architect was chosen. RSP Architects will be paid $907,500.

“It is a good thing to do,” said Samatar. “I think that Keewaydin has shown there is a need and growth potential.”

“It is a good investment to make, “ Davis agreed.

As of press time, Samatar was not yet sure how he was going to vote on the proposed changes regarding Howe, Ramsey Art Magnet and others. As a member of the district’s finance committee, Samatar has been working with others to pinpoint where the money for these changes will come from.

Hussein Samatar

IS A LEVY IN THE FUTURE?

The estimate for changes district-wide is $14,482,086. Funding will come from a variety of sources, such as the food service fund, general fund, and community development fund. The district may spend down its fund balances, noted Davis.

Samatar doesn’t foresee asking voters to approve a levy to fund the changes. “I understand this is a tough economic time. Minneapolis has been taxed enough,” Samatar stated. “We will do what we can not to increase the levy. We will do whatever else we can before we come back to that.”

Davis agreed that the board will try to avoid a levy. However, she pointed out that the district doesn’t know what changes the state may make to funding. Additionally, “integration and special education funding could hamper our efforts,” she said.

WILL CLASS SIZES GO UP?

The district has looked at a variety of solutions to the space issues, including increasing class sizes.

Samatar said that the district’s class sizes have been going up, and he doesn’t think increasing them more is the answer to this latest space crunch. Nor does he want to start busing kids from south to north to fill space in buildings empty in other parts of the city.

The school board wants to keep class sizes as low as possible, noted Davis. The district’s goal for class sizes is 26 students in K-3rd grade and 32 in grades 4-12. Six years ago, the ratio for the younger grades was 19 students to one teacher, according to Davis.

Questions before the school board, said Davis, include: how much space do you need in a building and what does it mean to have a building at capacity? The district is aiming for an 85% capacity rate in order to retain room for growth. The school board is also asking itself what kinds of strategies it needs to improve academic achievement, which impacts how a building is used. “To provide the kind of education experience we want to, we have to look at doing things differently,” Davis said.

Above all, Samatar wants to ensure that there are no winners or losers in these changes, that no one is left behind. “This time around we will not create anyone who feels they lost because of high enrollment,” Samatar pledged.

DETAILS ON HIAWATHA-HOWE DUAL CAMPUS

The recommendation before the school board is to create a dual campus with Hiawatha and Howe. Support staff will be shared and teachers and students looped across campuses. There are several other schools in the district that use the dual campus model, including Lake Nokomis Commuity School, Hale-Field and Lake Harriet. With the change, 258 students would move to Howe in 2013.

This proposal will provide 150 K-5 and 50 Pre-K seats in the Hiawatha attendance area.

Howe will be made up of existing Hiawatha teachers, grades 3-5, in the first year. One or two teachers each year will be added to the staff at the lower grades. Over a period of four years 10 new teachers will be integrated into the existing teams of teachers.

Why not reopen Howe as a K-5 school? According to district staff, a school that starts from kindergarten would be very small, have new staff and take time to develop a comprehensive program. It would be a challenge to provide a full set of electives.

It will cost between $3.5 and 5.5 million to reopen Howe, which has sat since 2005. The entire infrastructure of the building would be upgraded, including the roof, windows, and plumbing. The school would be upgraded with technology infrastructure and equipment to meet elementary standards. The playground and fields would also be upgraded to meet the program needs of the school and Sanford. The design and use of Howe will dictate the cost and location of equipment and fields.

If enrollment decreases what would happen to Howe? The school could be used to house preschool programs and alternative elementary programs as well as an annex space for Sanford Middle School. There are no plans to add onto Sanford; instead the district intends to make some changes within the existing structure to add a few classrooms. The district does not plan to add onto Hiawatha either, although it is high on the district’s list of buildings in need of capital investment as it relates to the educational programs.

Samatar appreciates that the idea of a reopening Howe and establishing a dual campus came from a community member at a meeting in May. “I feel if the idea comes from the community, it is much more credible,” Samatar remarked.

DETAILS ON THE RAMSEY ARTS MAGNET MOVE

By moving the Ramsey Fine Arts Magnet program from Ramsey to Folwell, the district will reuse a building that has been empty since spring 2010. It will create capacity for about 900 K-8 students in Zones 2 and 3. Ramsey will then be used as a 6-8 middle school to house about 200 students. Sixth and seventh graders who are currently at Burroughs and Lyndale will be able to complete their middle school years at Anthony, if they desire to. Overall, the switch will create middle school capacity and flexible space for Washburn High School in Zone 3.

The move is scheduled to occur by the start of the next school year to alleviate crowding at Anthony middle school. The district expects another 60 to 94 students in the 2012-13 school year; there are currently 880 students at Anthony.

In Zone 3, the zone with the greatest increases in enrollment, there are no closed school buildings (no school has closed in Zone 3 for over 20 years) that can be opened to accommodate the enrollment increases. All three of the shared-zone magnets (Emerson, Windom and Ramsey) are in Zone 3. In order to create capacity in Zone 3, the district intends to move shared-zone magnets out of zone 3 and into zone 2 as space demands continue.

The autism program will move to Folwell. A playground will be constructed, and the district is considering adding a dance studio.

The estimated cost for these changes is $6,839,285, of which the bulk is to reopen Folwell. The district estimates that it will spend $5,174,000 on construction, technology and equipment at Folwell.

The issues circling around moving the Ramsey Fine Art Magnet School from Ramsey into the currently-empty Folwell building are complicated. Parents and teachers met with the board to go over their concerns regarding the move and what issues need to be addressed in early November.

“Moving a program is a bigger thing than opening a building,” noted Davis. “It will be a hard change for people.”

Thus far, the reaction from parents, students and staff has been mixed. “They want to make sure we have the information we need and the people we need in place,” Davis stated.

“Folwell is a good space,” Samatar said. He pointed out that teachers agree that the building would accommodate the program. 

This story appeared in the December 2011 edition of the Longfellow/Nokomis Messenger.

Girls for a Cure

Nokomis woman bikes in LIVESTRONG challenges,
raises over $48,000 and heads up new organization to help those battling cancer

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN

Cancer sucks, something Nokomis resident Kari Kehr, 43, knows firsthand after losing her grandfather and two close friends to it. She has watched countless others, including her mother, battle it.

When Cathy Thyen, her roommate of eight years, and Best Buy co-worker died of a rare form of cancer in February 2009, Kehr pledged to ride her bike in the Austin Ride for the Roses/LIVESTRONG Challenge later that year. For Cathy. The two women had talked about doing it together, but time ran out for Cathy.

It wasn’t the first time Kehr had done something extraordinary to fight cancer. She went out to Boston to walk in the 3-Day for breast cancer research, and then walked three more times when the event came to the Twin Cities. The LIVESTRONG Challenge was her first long distance bike ride. “I’m not a biker,” Kehr said. “I’m doing this to fight cancer.”

That first year, Kehr raised $8,100. She and a friend biked 65 miles through Texas and went 3,300 feet in climbing elevation. She was honored with the LIVESTRONG Challenge Award recognizing her courage, perseverance, hope and “Warrior Spirit” through Cathy’s illness. When she learned of the award, “I was stunned and blown away,” Kehr recalled. “It was the best compliment I’d ever received.”

As she accepted the award, Kehr told those gathered in Austin: “I do believe that one person can make a difference and no effort is too small.”

When she sat down, things had changed for Kehr. She told the others at her table that it was the start of something big. Three years later, that desire to do more led to the creation of a non-profit.

“That feeling of helplessness when someone is diagnosed, that’s what drives me,” Kehr explained. She estimates that 60 to 70% of the people she knows have lost a loved one to cancer.

Kehr returned to the Ride for the Roses/LIVESTRONG again in 2010 and 2011, raising $20,000 each year for the cause. Her team, Girls for a Cure, has continued to grow each year and is made up of bikers (of both sexes) from around the United States. She is flabbergasted she was able to raise so much two years running, and credits her amazing donors.

One of the ways she raised money until recently was by selling “Cancer Sucks” t-shirts. The shirts were first made for a benefit for Cathy. Kehr (who is known as the Cancer Sucks girl in LIVESTRONG circles) estimates that over the past few years she has sold 800 to people around the world, mostly via Facebook. It helped when both Lance Armstrong and the CEO of LIVESTRONG wore the shirt. Regrettably, Kehr learned this summer that “Cancer Sucks” is trademarked, and she has discontinued selling the t-shirts.

People tell her all the time that they couldn’t do what she does, they couldn’t ride 65 miles through hilly country in one day. “That’s okay,” Kehr tells them, “because I need your money. I need people to support me.” 

She enjoys how biking gives her time to think without distractions. “There is a healing process when you bike,” Kehr said.

Girls For A Cure

Girls for a Cure (GFAC) received its 501c3 status in August. The organization aims to help people in Minnesota with all types of cancers. While the details are still being smoothed out and it will be about another year before any grants are made, Kehr envisions paying for prescription medicines and medical bills. Kehr knows there are people out there questioning whether to pay their mortgage or their medical bill.

She uses Cathy as her litmus test. Cathy would never have applied for assistance. So Girls for a Cure intends to reach out to others who know about those in need in order to pull them in.

Kehr and the board members of GFAC want to partner with other organizations that provide cancer education and resources by raising awareness and financial support. “I’m not trying to rebuild the wheel,” Kehr noted. “There’s a lot of little things people do and we want to pull all that stuff together.”

They are working to solicit sponsorships from businesses and sports teams, as well as individuals.

Kehr has been amazed how people have rallied around GFAC. “It’s overwhelming some days and it’s humbling. It totally energizes me,” she said.

Find out more about Girls for a Cure at www.girlsforacure.org or on the Facebook page.

This story appeared in the December 2011 edition of the Longfellow/Nokomis Messenger. Click here.