Hawthorne Neighborhood Honored by the City!

Post and photos by Jeff Skrenes, Hawthorne Neighborhood Council Housing Director.  Videos by Jeff Skrenes except where noted otherwise.

Based on the neighborhood's award-winning success in and around the EcoVillage, and in celebration of Habitat for Humanity's and former President Jimmy Carter's partnership in bringing several new families to our community, the Minneapolis city council recognized the tremendous accomplishments of Hawthorne, PPL, and Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity at today's full council meeting.

Videos are after the jump as well, and the resolution reads...

MetLife Award Presented for Progress in EcoVillage

Post, photos, and video by Jeff Skrenes, Hawthorne Neighborhood Council Housing Director.

The MetLife Foundation yesterday awarded Project for Pride in Living and the Minneapolis Police Department for their work in conjunction with the Hawthorne Neighborhood Council and many other partners in the EcoVillage.  Out of 720 applicants from across 48 states, we were one of only eleven recipients this year.  Steve Cramer of PPL said in his remarks that they had trouble putting together a design for the press release because there are so many partners that we weren't sure how to fit them all on one page.

Many of them are pictured here.

 After the presentation, the first new construction of the EcoVillage, 400 31st Avenue North, was ready for its open house...(more pictures after the jump)

Meet the New Homeowners! (Yes, ALL of Them)

A few weeks ago, I met some of the folks who will be new homeowners in and around the EcoVillage thanks to Habitat for Humanity.  They were amazing people and we'll be blessed to have them in our community.  Then, last week, I received paper copies of the neighbors' profiles and stories.  Today, I learned they were posted on the Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity website.

Halima Abdi, Abdul Wali, and family

For Halima Abdi and Abu Wali, life is about balance. With three energetic young boys and their teenage niece at home, it can be hard for these working parents to find time for their own careers. And for the next few months...(click here for the rest of their story)

Hamza Ahmed, Abdulazize Hamza & family

A room, no larger than a small office, houses four mats, four pillows, and a TV on a stand. Abdulazize, his father Hamza and two younger brothers share these four walls, which hold all of their possessions. “It’s a room to sleep,” Abdulazize says. The family of four, all boys...(click here for the rest of their story)

Drakeima Ingram, Robbie Loyde Jr., and family

Drakeima Ingram moved her family from Chicago to Minneapolis in 1995, hoping to find a better life. Since then, they have been at the mercy of bad landlords, dealing with...(click here for the rest of their story)

Nina Kimmons and family

When Nina heard that she had been selected for a Habitat home, she shouted with joy and then fell silent, stunned by the good news. As she hung up the phone, Nina’s children stared at her in surprise. “Mom,” they asked, “Are you okay?” (click here for the rest of her story)

Melo Lawson and family

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." Melo Lawson and her family are an incredible reminder of these powerful words. Since coming to the United States from Togo in 2003, (click here for the rest of their story)

Donjia McDonald

Born and raised in the Twin Cities, Donjia McDonald is a friendly, busy, and proud mother of three. She currently works as an overnight counselor at a group home. She had worked at a bank for four years, but she lost that job when the recession deepened...(click here for the rest of her story)

Kitessa Nigere, Ebise Bayisa, and family

By the time their home in North Minneapolis is ready, Kitessa and Ebise’s family of three will become four. Kitessa and Ebise, both from Ethiopia, are expecting a second child at the end of July. For this young and growing family...(click here for the rest of their story)

Just reading these stories and finding out about the new residents we'll have in Hawthorne gives me goosebumps.  I never imagined that we'd be adding this many people to the EcoVillage and surrounding blocks all at once.  Now, if you're like me, you're probably wondering, "How do I volunteer during the first week of October for this completely transformative event?"  (That IS what you're wondering, right?  RIGHT?!)

Well, I'm glad you asked.  Click here to sign up for various tasks; we still need plenty of help.  Or you can email Andy Barnett or Trista Matacastillo.

Once again, thanks a million to Habitat and President Carter, and to all of our new residents, welcome to the neighborhood!

Video Footage from the EcoVillage Hawthorne Huddle

Agenda for the September Hawthorne Huddle

Mike Christenson greets Valeria (aka "The Polish Lady" at the EcoVillage Groundbreaking

Drive by the house at 400 31st Ave N on your way to the Huddle.  You'll hardly BELIEVE what it looks like now!

Post and photos by Jeff Skrenes, Hawthorne Neighborhood Council Housing Director

HAWTHORNE HUDDLE
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2010

To: Friends of the Hawthorne Huddle

At this month’s Hawthorne Huddle, we’ll hear about the Hawthorne EcoVillage, a commitment to the community that is both ecologically friendly and economically affordable. The EcoVillage development represents a shared vision among neighborhood residents and leaders, community agencies and the City of Minneapolis. The goal of the project is to create and maintain a neighborhood that is a model of sustainability. Our panelists will tell us about this neighborhood-driven project which will preserve existing homes, build new single family homes, include mixed-income living opportunities, and create a healthy and sustainable urban community. Please join in the discussion about this great collaborative project. We welcome and encourage your input and ideas.

The Hawthorne Huddle will be held from 7:30 to 8:45 a.m. in the Multipurpose Room at Farview Park, located at 621 29th Avenue North. A continental breakfast will be available at 7:15 a.m.

A G E N D A
WELCOME Ellen Luger
SAFETY UPDATE Inspector Mike Martin, Minneapolis Police Department 4th Precinct
IDEATION RECAP Jeff Peterson, General Mills Community Action
MAIN PROGRAM TOPIC: ECO VILLAGE
Introduction: The Honorable R. T. Rybak, Mayor of Minneapolis
Panelists:
Diane Hofstede, Council Member, City of Minneapolis
Bev Scherrer, Chair, Hawthorne Neighborhood Council Housing Committee,
Chris Wilson, Director of Real Estate Development, Project for Pride in Living (PPL)
Susan Haigh, President, Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity
Andy Barnett, Director, Construction, Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity
ADJOURNMENT

Next meeting: Thursday, October 7, 2010

South Hawthornites Raise Concerns

This dumpster has been left on 2228 4th St N, vacant land owned by Hennepin County.

311 and MnDot have been informed of the broken sound wall.

Post and photos by Jeff Skrenes, Hawthorne Neighborhood Council Housing Director

Residents in the southeastern section of Hawthorne have brought up areas of concern along the 2200 block of 4th St N. Sometimes, as shown above with the retaining wall, those problems spill over to 3rd St - or even, technically, several feet beyond.

Drug dealing, dog fighting, and other illicit activities have been reported along this block, with a notable drug arrest reported by a neighbor at 2210 4th St N. This property is owned by Mohammed Moghul, presumably a relative of Bashir Moghul. Mohammed uses a contact address in Roseville that Bashir and other Moghul relatives have used in the past. And the place is at least $8,100 behind on taxes.

In the first picture above, the vacant lot brought back some fond memories. Once again, someone is misusing Hennepin County land. I called this in to 311, Hennepin County Property Services, Commissioner Stenglein's office, and even Veit Disposal. We'll see which one alleviates this nuisance first.

The other incidents described by residents were not occurring during my visit to the area, but the information has been passed on to our councilperson and the 4th Precinct. We watch, we call.

Habitat Spurs Progress in EcoVillage!

Post and photos by Jeff Skrenes Hawthorne Neighborhood Council Housing Director

As we gear up towards the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter visit in October, I strolled through the EcoVillage this week. Pictured above is 430 30th Ave N. When I went by one day, it was a normal vacant lot with a Habitat sign and some markers on it. The following day, ground was being broken here, as well as at 416 30th Ave N. I also had the chance to meet two of the families who will be living at 430 30th and 419 30th. They're wonderful people who will be excellent additions to the neighborhood.







Just south of the EcoVillage boundaries is another Habitat rehab at 2917 6th St N.



And while the new LEED home at 400 31st is a PPL project and not Habitat, it's still coming along nicely. The garage, being worked on in the photo below, is likely complete by now.



Mike Christenson of CPED has been fond of saying, "When things are done in the EcoVillage you're not going to belive it." Well, we're only in the infancy of building anew, and the future is already so bright. Here's what I believe: I believe that in several years, we'll put the finishing touches on this project. And when that happens, we'll tell all the newbies about how rough it was here for a while. When that happens, things will have been so good for so long that THEY'LL be the ones who don't believe us.

Hawthorne Neighborhood Council Purchases Office Space!

Post and photo by Jeff Skrenes, Hawthorne Neighborhood Council Housing Director

The Hawthorne Neighborhood Council is now the proud owner of 2944 Emerson Ave N, closing on our long-standing office space in July. With an exciting new beginning also came a bittersweet end; the transaction marked the final works of the Bethel Lutheran Church Dissolution Committee.

Originally, the house was a structure associated with the church building to the north of the site. It was used as the church parsonage from its construction until 1958. For the next thirty years, Bethel Lutheran Church held Sunday school in the building and used it as their church office space. Shortly afterward, the Hawthorne Neighborhood Council (then called the Hawthorne Area Community Council) began renting office space from Bethel. As attendance and membership at Bethel Lutheran Church declined, the church was sold to New Bethel Baptist and the lots were divided to create two separate properties.

Prior to closing on the house, HNC first went to the city of Minneapolis for a zoning variance, which was approved. The city's findings and recommendations can be found here.

Hawthorne is grateful for the hard work of our board members, staff, and other colleagues who helped guide us through the zoning and acquisition processes, including the advice from Project for Pride in Living regarding energy-efficient and environmentally friendly ways we can begin to rehab our new home. We are now owners of our own office space at a fraction of our previous rental costs.

In the coming months, HNC will begin the work of improving the property through a new roof and refurbished windows, as well as landscaping and other changes. Hawthorne and NoMi neighbors are encouraged to stop by and see our "new" home!

Wafana's - Going, Going, Gone!

Post and photos by Jeff Skrenes, Hawthorne Neighborhood Council Housing Director.

The Wafana's store at 24th and Lyndale once logged over 1,400 911 calls in a 12-month period and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in city resources. At the 3rd Ward CARE meeting this week, I heard the news it was demolished. Already, as shown above, new trees have been planted along the property.

EcoVillage LEED House Ready for Showing!

Post by Jeff Skrenes, Hawthorne Neighborhood Council Housing Director. Image contributed by Banneker Realty.

The first new construction of the Hawthorne EcoVillage is ready for sale! For more information on this exciting new home, which is expected to be LEED-certified upon completion, go to its official website. From there, you can contact our excellent listing agents at Banneker Realty. From all the wonderful neighbors in Hawthorne, welcome to the EcoVillage!

Rehab Begins at 915 22nd Ave N!

Post and photos by Jeff Skrenes, Hawthorne Neighborhood Council Housing Director

Rehab work is in full swing at 915 22nd Ave N, making it impossible for no-accounts to use the spot as a place to come and deal or use drugs. Neighbors are happy to see the progress, and we hope the house will be sold to a good owner-occupant in the near future!

New Arts Opportunities

FY 2011 grant application deadlines

The Minnesota State Arts Board has posted its schedule of grant application deadlines and advisory panel review meetings for the first part of FY 2011.  The board expects to have one grant round in the fall/winter and another in the spring; additional dates will be added to the calendar later this fall. www.arts.state.mn.us/calendar/index.htm

Grant information sessions

Sessions are being offered this month for the upcoming Artist Initiative grant round.  Register online if you'd like to attend. www.arts.state.mn.us/calendar/info_sessions.htm

And for the right artists this might be an exceptional opportunity: The Creative Community Leadership Institute @ Intermedia Arts.

A Quick Note About Comment Moderation on this Blog

This blog is the approved blog of the Hawthorne Neighborhood Council. In posting and commenting here, its contributors are expected to keep that in mind. HNC welcomes spirited debate around important topics to our community, and is committed to approving comments on all sides of an issue.

However, comments that do not fit our mission statement will not be approved. That statement reads: "The Council seeks to improve the quality of life in the Hawthorne Neighborhood through empowering the residents in order that they can address the physical, cultural, social, and economic needs of the community."

A recent anonymous comment has not been approved because it does not fit the above statement.

915 22nd Ave N: Fence It Off, Fix It Up, or Tear It Down!

Post and photos by Jeff Skrenes, Hawthorne Neighborhood Council Housing Director

Earlier in the summer, Hawthorne residents brought drug use problems at 915 22nd Ave N to my attention. We still have not stopped people from sneaking around to the back of the property, shooting up, lurking, and leaving their drug paraphernalia and other litter behind. Every time I've gone to this property, there have been more needles and litter strewn throughout the yard. What makes this an especially difficult problem to address is that it is quite literally impossible to see what's going on from the street or alley. The house is built in such a way that one can stand on the steps to the back/side door and be completely hidden.

The only way to confirm whether someone is back there is to actually go around the corner and check for oneself. This is not a safe activity for the little old ladies running the nearby community garden to engage in. Heck, even for a strapping, corn-fed farmboy such as myself, checking this place out is pretty risky. As much as we respect the fine work done by the MPD, there's also no real way they can consistently monitor this property. Drug use, loitering, lurking, littering and other activities reportedly happen at all hours of the day.

It should be noted that due to the arson and current condition of the building, as well as its odd layout that blocks alley access for 2128 Dupont, the Hawthorne Neighborhood Council supports demolition of this structure, and a re-platting of the properties to extend 2128 and 2126 Dupont Ave N to the alley.

Either demolition or rehab will certainly take many months to accomplish, and unless action is taken, the illegal activities will continue unabated. Can we get the current owner of the property to fence it off and limit access in the meantime?

Hawthorne Receives Neighborhood Revitalization Award from MetLife!

Post and photos (except where noted otherwise) by Jeff Skrenes, Hawthorne Neighborhood Council Housing Director

Upon my return from a vacation in Tanzania, the very first work email I opened up gave me this tremendous news. The Hawthorne Neighborhood Council, in conjunction with many of our EcoVillage partners, received a Neighborhood Revitalization award from the MetLife Foundation. There were 720 applicants from across the country this year, and eleven were chosen as recipients. Hawthorne and our partners are proud of and grateful for this honor.

The difficulties and accomplishments in the EcoVillage have been documented by the USA Today, National and local Public Radio, in the Star Tribune, and even some odd ones, like a Japanese television station, and al-Jazeera. But the story of the EcoVillage has been most extensively detailed on a blog belonging to Hawthorne board member John Hoff.

We started with an area besieged by foreclosures and vacancies well before the housing crisis hit. Drug dealing and prostitution were so rampant on the corner of 31st Ave N and 6th St N that many drivers did not even come to a complete stop at the four-way stop sign. But EcoVillage and Hawthorne residents were vigilant, calling 911 incessantly and getting the attention of many at the city of Minneapolis who would be crucial in this fight against blight.

Hawthorne, the Northside Home Fund, and PPL sat down in the HNC office with just about every city department that deals with livability issues. We went house by house, issue by issue, and assigned tasks to various people and departments. As Inspector Mike Martin said, "Everybody did exactly what they were supposed to do. Even the bad guys went away."

There was pushback, as former board chair Peter Teachout had his truck set on fire, and a known drug dealer was suspected of arson at a property he lost to foreclosure. That house, and others, had to be demolished.



We worked at it.

Contributed photo above

And we celebrated, often with Polish sausage from EcoVillage resident Anders Golebiowski.



But our work is not nearly done. We are building our first new LEED-certified home.



President Carter is coming to the EcoVillage in October, and we need plenty of volunteers before then to pave the way. Mike Christenson of CPED said that the turnaround in this neighborhood happened faster than he's ever seen. Hawthorne owes a debt of gratitude to our partners in this venture, as we know that the momentum will keep us on this path to revitalization.

A formal presentation of the award from MetLife is being planned, and will be announced soon on the Hawthorne Voices blog.

Minnesota State Arts Board's Artist Initiative Grants!

The next application deadline for the Minnesota State Arts Board's Artist Initiative grant program will be Friday, August 27, 2010. 

Artist Initiative grants support and assist artists at various stages in their careers. The program encourages artistic development, nurtures artistic creativity, and recognizes the contributions individual artists make to the creative environment of the state of Minnesota.

Several things about the program are different this year:

—  Artists, working in any discipline, are eligible to apply

—  The grant range has been expanded; artists may request from $2,000 to $10,000

—  Projects will need to include a community component

—  Applicants will need to apply online, using the Arts Board's Web based forms

Many things about the program are the same as they have been in previous years:

—  Artists, at any stages in their careers, may apply

—  Grants must be used to fund a specific project that will enhance the applicant's artistic or career development

—  Artists will have a one-year period to expend the grant funds.

Visit the Arts Board's Web site for more information about the program and how to apply:

http://www.arts.state.mn.us/grants/artist_initiative.htm

A series of grant information sessions will be held in communities throughout the state, the schedule will be posted during the last week of July.

Agenda for the August Hawthorne Huddle

Post and photo by Jeff Skrenes, Hawthorne Neighborhood Council Housing Director

The following is an email announcement sent out by Sophie Winter of the General Mills Foundation.

July 29, 2010

HAWTHORNE HUDDLE
THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 2010

To: Friends of the Hawthorne Huddle

As the Hawthorne Huddle looks ahead to its 13th anniversary (birthday!) this November, we’d like to engage the group in brief dialogue on where we’ve been, and where and how we’d like the Huddle to grow in its teen years. On Thursday, August 5th, General Mills Foundation staff will facilitate a 1-hour “reflection and ideation” session to get your thoughts on the Huddle’s biggest accomplishments and opportunities. We hope you can join us with your memories and motivations for future Hawthorne Huddle impact!

The Hawthorne Huddle will be held from 7:30 to 8:45 a.m. in the Multipurpose Room at Farview Park, located at 621 29th Avenue North. A continental breakfast will be available at 7:15 a.m.

Agenda

• Welcome - Ellen Luger, General Mills Foundation

• Safety Update - Inspector Mike Martin, Minneapolis Police Department 4th Precinct

• Main Program Topic - Looking Back, Looking Ahead, What's Next for the Hawthorne Huddle?

Come and be a part of the neighborhood dialogue in Hawthorne!

Video Footage from the Hard Hat Gala

Post by Jeff Skrenes, Hawthorne Neighborhood Council Housing Director. Video contributed by Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity.

This spring, Habitat for Humanity came by and shot some footage of the EcoVillage in order to promote the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project at their annual Hard Hat Gala. Folks who saw the video at the gala kept on coming up to me, saying how passionate my acting was in the video. "That's because it wasn't acting," I said.

Interestingly enough, one of the first houses we went to was what the neighborhood has nicknamed "The Brick House," one we are hoping to save and rehab. As we were walking up to the place, I was telling the story about how excited I was in seeing all kinds of mortgage geeky paperwork that would get posted here. (Click here for a picture of that.) Frankly, I had to struggle to keep my composure when I saw the order to raze the building posted.

After shooting the footage, I went into high gear and contacted our partners at the city to ask that the raze order be removed. They complied by the end of that same day, a sign of how committed our partnership with them really is in the EcoVillage. But out of all the footage we shot, the ONE clip I had hoped WOULDN'T be used instead was put RIGHT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE VIDEO. I love the irony of it all.

Habitat House Near Farview Park Nears Completion!

Post and photos by Jeff Skrenes, Hawthorne Neighborhood Council Housing Director

What a difference a few weeks make! When I left for vacation in Tanzania, the exterior of the Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity project at 610 29th Ave N was still being worked on, and I hadn't had a chance to see the interior. And now the house looks almost done. Several TCHH board members were volunteering today, practicing what they preach.

Work also started up this week on two of Habitat's rehab projects in and around the EcoVillage in preparation for the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project in October. Hawthorne and Habitat are looking for volunteers to contribute and help coordinate the rehab and new construction leading up to President Carter's visit. More information is on its way on how Hawthorne members, NoMi residents, and anyone who's willing can help.

In the meantime, Hawthorne thanks Habitat for their partnership!