November 2, 2011

To Whom It May Concern:

As stakeholders and residents of the Holland neighborhood, we would like to offer our support of the Minneapolis Riverfront Development RiverFIRST initiative and proposed projects and request that Holland be included as a community connector or “Green Finger” in the RiverFIRST plan.

The Holland neighborhood is located in the heart of Northeast Minneapolis, bounded by Central Avenue on the east and University Avenue on the west. This neighborhood takes its position as part of the Mississippi watershed and as a connector to the river very seriously and would like to see the RiverFIRST plan reflect this significant connection.  Holland is currently the site of a number of initiatives that relate to water quality and the deepening of this neighborhood’s connection to the river itself:

• 22^nd Avenue NE Bikeway: this recently completed bikeway, which is already identified in current drafts of the MRDI plan, creates an explicit connector between the Holland neighborhood and the Mississippi river. In fact, the 22^nd Avenue Bikeway runs through the heart of what has been identified as Holland’s green campus, a large green space at the center of the neighborhood that consists of the Edison School campus and athletic fields, Jackson Square Park and Public Works’ Flood Mitigation Basin.

• Green Campus Blueprint: a cross-jurisdictional land management plan created by representatives from City of Minneapolis, Minneapolis Parks & Recreation and Minneapolis Public Schools in conjunction with Preventing Harm Minnesota and with funding from Mississippi Watershed Management Organization. The Blueprint outlines Best Management Practices to maximize water quality and creates a path for all three jurisdictions to work collaboratively to implement those practices in the contiguous green spaces of the Edison High School campus and athletic fields, Jackson Square Park and Public Works’ Flood Mitigation Basin.

• Green Campus Project Implementation: based on a Mississippi Watershed Management Organization-funded feasibility study, the three jurisdictions (City of Minneapolis, Minneapolis Parks & Recreation and Minneapolis Public Schools) in conjunction with neighborhood stakeholders, are poised to launch a multi-year greening initiative in the Green Campus project area that will focus on improving the quality of the water that passes through this area on its way to the river. The project implementation will include both infrastructure improvements (water recapture and re-use through rain barrels, underground storage, etc.) and educational outreach (community awareness building, Edison student service learning opportunities).

• GREEN Community Schools: Edison High School, which is situated in the “Green Campus”, was selected to be the second GREEN Community School in the nation. GREEN Community Schools is a joint initiative of the MGR Foundation and environmental activist Jayni Chase and her husband Chevy Chase. The initiative funds a GREEN Resource Coordinator for the school for a three year period to work with school staff to integrate green subject matter into the curriculum. Coordinator Ashley Mueller has been working with MWMO and the Green Campus Project to increase educational outreach to students in terms of water quality issues and projects.

• Green Initiatives Stakeholder Group: based on community involvement in the Green Campus project and neighborhood representation in the MRDI process, the Green Initiatives Stakeholder group has sought to make more explicit the connections between the Holland neighborhood and the river and its watershed. Through a series of community events – a presentation of the Green Campus project at the NE Network Forum on May 12, 2011; two community stakeholder meetings regarding neighborhood involvement opportunities on June 29 and August 4 – a partnership was formed between the Holland Neighborhood Association and Metro Blooms to offer rain garden workshops and funding for installation. As a result of this partnership, ten rain gardens were installed on residential properties in the Holland neighborhood this fall.

That these many Holland-based initiatives coincide with the development of a plan for a vibrant river front design is more than serendipitous. Members of the Holland neighborhood have been closely involved in the MRDI process and this neighborhood is very committed to supporting the development of the river front, while at the same time celebrating and enhancing this neighborhood’s connection to the river. At the same time, Edison GREEN Community Schools coordinator Ashley Mueller has been assisting with environmental curriculum and community garden activity programming at Lucy Laney, the K-8 school adjacent to Fairview Park. What a wonderful opportunity to bring these two schools together as river schools in the RiverFIRST plan!

Thank you,

The Holland Neighborhood Improvement Association Board