Stop the Lake Nokomis - Hiawatha Master Plan New Road Proposal

PLEASE OPPOSE THE NEW ROAD IN THE NOKOMIS-HIAWATHA MASTER PLAN

In November, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board issued for public review and comment a draft “Nokomis-Hiawatha Regional Park Master Plan and Improvements” that will direct the use and development of this area for the next 20-25 years. The Master Plan contains a lot of great things, but the proposed road is not one of them.

You can download the entire document at:

http://www.minneapolisparks.org/default.asp?PageID=1475

Hard copies are available at the following locations:

• Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board Headquarters, 2117 West River Road N


• Nokomis Community Center, 2401 E. Minnehaha Pkwy., Minneapolis


• Lake Hiawatha Community Center, 2701 44th St. E, Minneapolis


• Nokomis Library, 5100 34th Avenue South, Minneapolis

Public comments about the plan may be submitted until January 12, 2015:

• Via online form available at the above website address


• By Mail: Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board; 2117 West River Road N, Minneapolis, MN 55411, ATTN: Adam Arvidson, Project Manager


• By Phone or E-mail: Contact the project manager, Adam Arvidson, at 612-230-6470 or aarvidson@minneapolisparks.org


• Each and every member of a household is allowed to comment on the plan

The issue with the draft plan affecting our neighborhood and the park:

The current draft shows construction of a road through the park, extending 56^th Street  between Edgewater Blvd and West Lake Nokomis Parkway (pages 27-30 of the draft Master Plan).  This road should be removed from the draft Master Plan for a number of reasons:

• the Park Board has a mission to ‘preserve, protect, improve and enhance’ our parkland (and not to address traffic issues, which are the purview of the city and/or county).


• the road gives up green space for the purpose of encouraging single vehicle motor traffic in a residential area.  This road will encourage non-resident traffic to use 56^th Street as a thoroughfare between 35W and Cedar/77 to 62/Crosstown.


• the road does nothing to encourage other modes of transportation, such as bikes, consistent with the mission of the Park Board.


• the plan draws no connection between such a road and any possible benefits to park users or residents, including improving safety at existing intersections along Cedar/77 at Lake Nokomis.

If you agree that the road should be removed from the draft Master Plan, then the Park Board needs to hear from you during the public comment period.  To that end, residents opposed to the proposed road need to ask the Park Board to:

Change the Master Plan to remove the road through Edgewater Park as shown on pages 28 and 30 of the plan.

Remove all associated wording that recommends putting a road through a park for any reason

Add a recommendation to the Master Plan that aligns with what citizens have asked through this planning process:  increased safety for pedestrians and bicyclists at the Cedar Avenue intersections at the south end of Lake Nokomis

We have provided a sample letter as a guide for you, however, we encourage you to include your personal opinion and experiences.  It is important to express how you feel about the draft plan to the Park Board. 

Also, please share this information with friends and neighbors in the area to educate them about the Master Plan and its potential impact on the West side of Lake Nokomis.

Thank you for taking time to comment!  Please feel free to contact any of us with questions or for more information.

Concerned neighbors,

John Ibele  (johnibele@yahoo.com)

Jim Soholt  (jsoholt5@comcast.net)

Amy Langanki  (amy@langanki.com)

Keiko Sugisaka  (keiko_sugisaka@yahoo.com)*

Monica McNaughton  (mcibeles@comcast.net)

Alex Ibele  (ibele008@umn.edu)