Minneapolis Bike Week

May 11-17 is Minneapolis Bike Week, a series of events and activities geared around bike riding and encouraging people to get on their bikes and ride. Each day has a theme and various events in different parts of the city, including:

• Bike to Work Day – Friday, May 15 – 7:30 am – Meet City Councilmember Andrew Johnson at the Birchwood Café for complementary coffee and pastries. At 8 am CM Johnson will lead a ride to the Hennepin County Government Center Plaza for a Bike to Work Day kick-off event at 8:45 am.
• Bike to Small Business Day – Saturday, May 16 – 9am to Noon – Come to the SPOKES branch of Cycles for Change (1915 E 22^nd St) for a ‘Bike Swap, Fix-it Shop and Sale’. Bring a bike to swap for another, or purchase one and fix it up. Bike donations will be accepted and used parts and accessories available for sale.

Seward Garage Sale Days

Friday, May 15 and Saturday, May 16 will see the return of the Seward Garage Sale Days with over 100 neighbors holding yard and garage sales. Seward Neighborhood Group (SNG) creates a map of all the participating addresses so no one has to wander around aimlessly. And if you need a refreshment, stop in Zipp’s Liquors on Saturday between 2:00-5:00 pm and receive a free sampling of a delicious beverage!

Seward Solopreneurs – Saying No (and Yes)

The monthly meeting of Seward Solopreneurs will be held Wednesday, May 27 at 11 am at Boneshaker Books (Franklin & 23^rd Ave S). The topic is “Saying No (and Yes): Many of us say yes to projects we don’t really want to say yes to. We’re too busy, it’s not the work we want to be doing, or we just have a hard time saying no. Join the discussion with your stories and tips about saying no — and making room for work we want to say yes to.

Seward Solopreneurs is a group of one person or very small businesses, often home based. We meet monthly to talk about life as a solopreneur, share stories and offer support. Sponsored by the Seward Civic and Commerce Association. Questions? jenny@jenniferlarson.net

The Cooperage – photo by LHB Minneapolis

The Cooperage Senior Housing Seeks Advisory Board Members

Consider being on the Community Advisory Board (CAB) for The Cooperage in Minneapolis!  CABs at CommonBond are a great way to support affordable housing advocacy and to serve this neighborhood and the residents in an important way, though the meetings are often straight forward and quick when a site is not up for a re-acquisition or a rehabilitation.  Here are a few details:

• The sites that fall within the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) portfolio at CommonBond are required to host an annual meeting consisting of members of the community and staff to “review the financials” of a site
• Each site’s board consists of roughly 5-15 board members
• The board meetings occurs once per year, generally in May, and lasts anywhere from 30-60 minutes. The meetings happen during business hours.
• We are currently recruiting 2 individuals who work or live in the Seward or Phillips neighborhoods to serve on the CAB for The Cooperage @ 2304 Snelling Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55404.
• For a job description and more information, contact Kristina Kithinji at volunteerservices@commonbond.org

Franklin Avenue Bridge Reconstruction

The 2015 season will include “below deck” concrete rehabilitation. Hennepin County and Kraemer North America are removing concrete and rebar from the west pier of the Franklin Avenue Bridge as one of the first steps in the reconstruction of the bridge, which will be ongoing until the end of 2016.

Concrete rehabilitation work will involve use of chiseling hammers. The Franklin Avenue Bridge will remain open during this activity. The West River Parkway trail is closed on the south end of the Franklin Avenue Bridge. A temporary construction site at “Bohemian Flats” continues to be converted for the manufacturing of precast deck panels. These panels will form the new Franklin Avenue Bridge deck.

During the 2016 construction season, the bridge will be closed for complete deck removal and replacement. A marked detour will be provided during this closure. A detailed closure timeline will be provided before the actual closure. For more information and to sign up for email updates, visit http://www.hennepin.us/residents/transportation/franklin-ave-bridge

Open Streets Franklin 2015

Mark your calendars for this year’s Open Streets Franklin: Sunday, August 16 from 10am to 4pm. It’s an event where people and bicycles take over city streets, allowing residents and visitors to experience the neighborhood in a whole new way (www.openstreetsmpls.com). Franklin Avenue is hosting the event for the second time this year and will be closed to auto traffic from Portland Avenue to 28^th Ave S. In place of cars, we’ll have all kinds of activities, booths, and events to fill the street with people!

Open Streets Minneapolis has grown from one event in 2011 to eight events this year, held on streets throughout the city on different days. It’s an initiative of the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition with major support by Blue Cross Blue Shield and the City of Minneapolis.

Business Made Simple

In her State of the City address in April Mayor Hodges formally presented her draft plan for a Business Made Simple initiative she hopes to help implement this year. It is focused especially on reducing barriers for small and medium sized businesses by streamlining processes, providing special assistance for small businesses, eliminating inconsistencies and improving staff training to promote better customer service. You can find the full Project Overview here http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/www/groups/public/documents/agenda/wcms1p-139627.pdf  Thanks to Councilmember Cam Gordon for this news item.

10^th Annual Legislative Update – June 11th

Co-hosted by the Longfellow Business Association and SCCA, the 10^th Annual Legislative Update with State Senator Patricia Torres Ray, State Representative Jim Davnie, and Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin will be held on Thursday, June 11, 12:00 – 1:30pm, at the Gandhi Mahal community room (3009 27^th Avenue S).  Lunch buffet is $12/person. FFI Ruth @ 612.722.4529 x10 or ruth@longfellow.org. Gandhi Mahal staff will lead a tour of the aquaponics operation in the basement of the restaurant following the meeting for those interested.