SNG newsletter, December

unedited, as emailed from Seward Neighborhood Group (SNG)
by Bernie Waibel and Seward neighbors (December 6, 2007)

SNG NEWSLETTER, DECEMBER 1, 2007

I. Calendar of Events, Dec. 1 to Dec. 15 – SNG Crime and Safety Committee, Dec. 10 – SNG Community Development Committee, no meeting in December – Seward Civic and Commerce Assoc., Dec. 12

II. Longer Term Calendar, Dec. 16+ – SNG Environment Committee; no meeting in December – SNG Board of Directors; no meeting in December: two in January

III. Other News and Items of Interest – Seward Co-op Groundbreaking Dec. 4 – Minnesota Department of Health proposes project on children and arsenic, Dec 6 – Public Information Meeting on Permit for Wood Burning Energy Plant at
2850 20th Av. S., Dec. 13 – Statement Regarding Burning of Garbage in Midtown Eco Energy facility – Seward Concert Band’s Holiday Concert, Dec. 15 – Climate Change Program Promotions – Thermostat Coupon – Energy Challenge Party on Sunday, Dec. 2 – Block Leader Training, Dec. 6 – New Internet based discussion forum for Seward Neighborhood Issues – A Brush With Kindness Applications Available for Spring Repairs – New Fund to Help Victims of Car Theft with Impound, Towing Fees
__________________________________________________________________

Calendar of Events, Dec. 1 to Dec. 15

SNG Crime and Safety Committee, Dec. 10

Mon, Dec. 10, 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Matthews Park, 2318 28th Ave. S.

Do you have neighborhood concerns about crime and safety? Come join your neighbors in solutions based problem solving in partnership with the 3rd Precinct. _________________________________________

Seward Civic and Commerce Association (SCCA), Dec. 12

The SCCA will meet at Northern Clay at 11:45 on Wed. Dec. 12th. If you’re a business person in Seward and wish to meet other neighborhood business people, please contact Mary Gaytan at Seward Redesign, 612 338 8729, x 101 or mary@sewardredesign.org. to reserve a tasty lunch. The meeting is free though the lunch cost is $8.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­______________________________________

II. Longer Term Calendar, Dec. 16+

SNG Board of Directors, No Meeting in December

There will be two meetings in January, 2008; January 2 and January 30.
Location to be announced

Residents and others who live, work or own property in Seward are invited to attend as the meetings are open to all. For the minutes from past meetings, please go to the SNG website at.
_______________________________________________________

III. Other News and Items of Interest

Seward Co-op Groundbreaking Dec. 4
At 1 p.m. on Dec. 4, Seward Co-op will break ground on the site of its new store at the corner of Franklin and Riverside Avenues. All members, investors and staff, as well as residents of the Seward neighborhood are welcome to attend.

Join Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and members of the Minneapolis City Council in celebrating this historic moment in the Co-op’s history.

More details are available at www.seward.coop/
______________________________________________

Minnesota Department of Health proposes project on children and arsenic, Dec 6
Thursday, December 6, 7-8 pm
Midtown YWCA, 2121 East Lake Street

Residents of Seward and nearby neighborhoods are invited to a community meeting next Thursday, Dec. 6, regarding a project to measure arsenic levels in children.

Earlier this year the Minnesota Legislature formed a program called Environmental Health Tracking and Biomonitoring. (Biomonitoring basically means measuring the amount of a chemical in people’s bodies to determine how much exposure to that chemical they have had.) The program calls for the state health department to develop four pilot projects, including one related to measuring arsenic in people’s bodies.

After the presentation there will be time for questions and answers from community members.

For more information, contact Michonne Bertrand at the Minnesota Department of Health at 651-201-3661 or michonne.bertrand@health.state.mn.us
________________________________________________

Seward Civic and Commerce Assoc. (SCCA), Dec. 12

The SCCA will meet at Northern Clay at 11:45 on Wed. Dec. 12th. If you’re a business person in Seward and wish to meet other neighborhood business people, please contact Mary Gaytan at Seward Redesign, 612 338 8729, x 101 or mary@sewardredesign.org. to reserve a tasty lunch. The meeting is free though the lunch cost is $8.
____________________________________

Public Information Meeting on Permit for Wood Burning Energy Plant Planned for
2850 20th Av. S., Dec. 13

Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 2730 E. 31st St.
Thursday, Dec. 13
6:00 – 6:30 p.m., Open House
6:30 – 7:00 p.m., Presentation by MPCA
7:00 – 8:30 p.m., Question and Answer period

A developer, Kandiyohi Partners has proposed to convert the garbage transfer station on 20th Avenue across from the Green Institute into a wood burning, energy producing facility. There is a concern by critics in surrounding communities that placing a large wood-burning facility in the middle of an urban area is a bad idea, no matter how efficient it is –the percentage of toxic pollution that escapes is too costly to health. Detractors’ concerns include: excess production of CO2; exposure of children and adults to nano-sized particles, and the production of particulites and diesel fumes by large trucks bringing waste wood to the site.

The public comment period begins Nov. 16 and ends Jan. 14, 2008 at 4:30 p.m. Comments must be received by that time. Comments must be presented in writing but can also be FAXed.

Contact information:
Paula Connell Air Quality Permits Section
Industrial Division, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
520 Lafayette Rd. No. St. Paul, MN 55155
Phone – 651-282-2605 FAX – 651-296-8717

To comment on the draft/proposed permit go to:
http://www.pca.state.mn.us/news/data/index.cfm?PN=1
Or, you can request a copy of the draft permit in writing.

MPCA staff state that there is a copy of the permit document at the East Lake Library
_________________________________________________

Link to a Southside Pride article critical of the Midtown Eco Energy burner
entitled “Meeting set for ‘potential major source of pollution’.

The article is critical of the proposed plant and states objections. Go to:

http://www.southsidepride.com/2007/11/articles/Meetingrpotentialpollution.htm

See also:

http://www.neighborsagainsttheburner.org/
________________________________________________

Statement Re: Burning of Garbage in Midtown Eco Energy

Robin Garwood of Cam Gordon’s office wrote on Nov. 28:

Our office has received a letter from Kim Havey, Project Director for Midtown Eco Energy (MEE), clarifying one of the questions I raise above about fuel sources. I quote:

“One item that has been raised is the confusion about Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) and the erroneous allegation that Midtown Eco Energy would use RDF as part of its fuel supply. While Minnesota Legislature has a broad statement that allows RDF to be included in the definition for biomass, MEE is not permitted to use any RDF, per the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency which, as a site-specific permit, is applicable over the legislative definition. In fact, the permit expressly states in table A: ‘Refuse-derived fuels as defined in Minn. Stat. Section 116.90 are not allowed to be burned in the boiler.’ Moreover, the back up fuel for Midtown Eco Energy, if necessary, will come from natural gas. The boiler used will be able to utilize wood or naturat gas or a combination of the two.”

I’ve confirmed this information with Paula Connell from MPCA, who also mentioned that MEE will be allowed under this permit to do “test burns” of various other biomass types, including some agricultural products (grasses, seeds, cobs, etc). She did make very clear that this would not include garbage. If MEE decided at some point in the future that they wanted to burn garbage, they would have to apply for an amendment to the proposed permit.

I hope this helps clarify at least one issue surrounding this proposed biomass plant.

Robin Garwood
Aide to Second Ward Council Member Cam Gordon
_________________________________________________

Seward Concert Band’s Holiday Concert, Dec. 15
South High School, Auditorium, 7:30 p.m.
3131-19th Avenue South, Minneapolis, south entrance

Tickets are available at the door and are $6 adults, $5 seniors and $4 students/children, MPR members receive two tickets for the price of one. Bring the entire family. As always, audience members are invited to join the band for refreshments following the performance.

For directions or more information, please visit our web site: http://www.sewardconcertband.org
­­­­­­­­­­­­_______________________________________

Climate Change Program Promotions

Thanks to the many Seward and Longfellow residents who have participated in our Climate Change/ CO2 reduction project. As the project wraps up in the next month we would love to continue to sign people up and reach our goal of 300 residents from both Seward and Longfellow. This means we need more people out there to take the challenge and start reducing carbon emissions and saving money! We have a few more promotions that go along with the energy challenge.

1) Longfellow Energy Challenge Party! Think you can do more to reduce your contribution to global warming? Join your friends and neighbors at the Riverview Café to learn and discuss more ways to make your home more energy efficient. We will be handing out FREE compact fluorescent light bulbs and lawnsigns to all participants. The event will be held at the Riverview Café on December 2nd from 3-5. Please contact Joanna at 722-4529 with questions.

FREE compact fluorescent light bulb. Replacing your standard incandescent bulbs with
energy efficient compact fluorescent bulbs could save you 100 pounds in CO2 emissions. If you already have replaced your bulbs, keep an extra one around for when your next incandescent bulb burns out.

Sign up with the Longfellow neighborhood team at www.mnenergychallenge.org (http://www.mnenergychallenge.org) and then stop by at Welna Hardware to pick up your lightbulb! Paper versions of the challenge are also available.

3) $25 off coupons for programmable thermostats. Installing a programmable thermostat in your home can save you a significant amount of energy and can reduce carbon emissions. You can program the devise to turn down the heat while you are out of the house or sleeping. Plese see the coupon below.

4) “Another Neighbor Taking the Energy Challenge” lawnsign. Show the neighborhood you are taking action to combat global warming. The more signs you see, the more you know people in the neighborhood are stepping up and taking the challenge. These are free and can be picked up at the SNG office or at Welna II Hardware.

_______________________________

Valuable Coupon!
Save Energy and Money!
$25 Off Any Programmable Thermostat
With this coupon only at Welna Hardware (2201 E. Franklin Ave)

Only the first 60 coupons submitted will be redeemed—come soon!
Open to Longfellow and Seward residents only. Please be prepared to verify your residency.

This program is brought to you by the Seward Neighborhood Group and Longfellow Community Council and made possible through a Climate Change Innovation Grant from the City of Minneapolis. By redeeming this coupon, you agree to provide your name and contact info to SNG and LCC and register for the MN Energy Challenge at www.mnenergychallenge.org

Name___________________________________

Phone #_________________________

____________________________________________________

Energy Challenge Party on Sunday, December 2nd

Didn’t make it to the Birchwood Energy Challenge Party? Join your neighbors south of the Greenway at Riverview Cafe, 3753 42nd Ave S, for another Energy Challenge Party on Sunday, December 2nd, from 3:00 to 5:00!

You can do more to reduce your contribution to global warming. Join your friends and make new ones at the Riverview Café to learn and discuss new ways to make your home more energy efficient and less costly. There will be speakers, refreshments, and staff that will assist you with signing up for the challenge. We will be handing out FREE compact fluorescent light bulbs and lawn signs to all who sign up, either using laptop computers or paper forms. Invite your neighbors and let us know if you are interested in attending! Or just drop in! For more information, contact Joanna at 722-4529.

Can’t make it? Sign up on your own! Go to http://www.mnenergychallenge.org and when it asks for your team select Neighborhoods, and then select Seward, if you live north of the Greenway. To receive the lawn sign and light bulb contact Bernie at bernie@sng.org and we can arrange a drop off, or stop by Welna Hardware. Let the challenge begin!

Carol Greenwood
Seward Neighborhood, Minneapolis
___________________________________________________

Block Leader Training, Dec. 6
(Community Crime Prevention/SAFE)

Thursday, December 6
6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
At: Minneapolis Police Department, 3rd Precinct Community Room
3000 Minnehaha Ave.

TOPICS TO BE COVERED
• Introduction to CCP/SAFE
• How to organize a Block/Apartment Club
• Services of CCP/SAFE
• Responsibilities of a crime prevention block leader
• How and when to use 911
• How to solve problems effectively
• Meet your crime prevention specialist

Join other leaders throughout the city to develop skills for effectively working with your neighbors. You MUST RSVP to attend this training! Call 612-673-2856.
__________________________________________

New Internet based discussion forum for Seward Neighborhood Issues

There is a new way to be involved in Seward Neighborhood—The Seward Neighbors Forum. This is an online discussion forum (either or both Web or email) for the discussion of issues related to the Seward Neighborhood and events in or near the Seward Neighborhood. The is a project of Minnesota e-democracy in cooperation with the Seward Neighborhood Group. Go to
http://forums.e-democracy.org/groups/mpls-seward/ for more details.
_________________________________________________

A Brush With Kindness Applications Available for Spring Repairs

A Brush With Kindness is a program which paints, landscapes, and does minor repairs to the exterior of homes for low-income residents at no cost to them. In particular, it focuses on those homeowners in difficult circumstances; the elderly, the disabled, and single-parent households. Applications are being accepted now for work to be done in the spring of 2008. For more information call 612-788-8169, or go to: http://www.tchabitat.org/content/category/6/33/28/
­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­______________________________________________

New Fund to Help Victims of Car Theft with Impound, Towing Fees

The Council on Crime and Justice’s General Crime Victim Services (GCVS) program, located in Minneapolis, provides advocacy, resources and guidance for Minnesota crime victims. We would like to bring to your attention a new fund that assists auto theft victims retrieve their car from the impound lot.

The Council on Crime and Justice is one of ten recipients of the Auto Theft Impound Fund, a fund established by the Minnesota legislature in 2007. The purpose of the fund is to provide auto theft victims assistance with towing and storage fees incurred due to impoundment of a recovered stolen vehicle in Minnesota.

In order for a victim to receive funding they must have simply filed a police report and have had insurance on the vehicle at the time it was stolen.

In order to apply for funding, auto theft victims can call the Council on Crime and Justice hotline at 612-340-5400 between the hours of 8am-4pm Monday-Friday. For other information, please call the Minneapolis City Attorney’s Office, 612 673 3549.
____________________________________________

This newsletter was compiled by the SNG with the assistance of neighbors who contributed suggestions and news items. If you know of an upcoming event, meeting or news item that should be included in a future newsletter, please email bernie@sng.org. Thank you!

last revised: December 10, 2007