Are you just a little curious about the Subject Line. . .Read on. (To read the original post drop to the end and then return to mine) Jan: I'm a resident in South Minneapolis, who read an unrelated article in the Strobe today regarding the stadium. Although I realize there are 1000s of out door ball fans, I am not one of them, so sorry. I am not loyal fan of any sports (boo hoo) and perhaps fall in the category of fair weather fan. If they are winning, i.e.. World Series I may buy a T-shirts. So some of you may wonder the connection with Gratia Countryman, ballparks, and libraries. I will find and connection if it kills me. Here's the article on the ballpark followed by the stadium webpage for your comments good or bad. http://webserv3.startribune.com/stOnLine/cgi-bin/article?thisSlug=STAD18&date= 18-Oct-2000&word=stadium Anyway I too wish to rename my local East Lake Regional Library. And this is part of the connection to Jan recommendation. "Gratia Alta Countryman" does have a great ring to me. So now that I heard about "stadium" discussion today, oh, boy did I grow a few gray hairs, Jan. So I am going to have to mix things up again and see if others are might be receptive to thinking about what a stadium might do to the scale and urban feel of our neighborhoods in south Minneapolis? I thought I would take an another direction with your idea. I pitched the name idea to several residents this past year. Including some of the local East Lake Library patrons, and to the library board this winter at one of the Library Board meetings held at the East Lake Library. I agree with you that Gratia was a great women, a single women, educated, and leader and visionary and I believe the first single women in Minnesota to adopt a child. Way ahead of her time. She had great ideas we still enjoy today, like the book mobile, and providing books in many languages to the communities she served. Nearly like the needs of today's library users and immigrant communities today. She deserves the recognition. Further, here's my selfish idea. Push the public and officials to again open the discussion to moving the NEW Library into the Hiawatha Corridor instead of the proposed location. South Minneapolis neighborhoods needs a destination that could serve EVERYONE, not just one audience, as I feel a stadium in my neighborhood might if that becomes a more solid plan. http://www.mpls.lib.mn.us/2010.htm I'm one of those perfectly fine with Bloomington as a location. Where it used to be. A just-outside-the-urban ring outdoor stadium. Okay fine with me. Package the whole kit and caboodle with that other wonderful amenity, the Mall of American. And place it at the end of the line for LRT. So Jan, there my connection. 1) Yes, Gratia should finally receive the recognition due her 2) I think this referendum is a for a plan downtown plus renovation to communities eventually. http://www.mpls.lib.mn.us/2010.htm 3) I recommend to all readers to rethinking the location of the main library one more time. I am not particularly bothered with those who might say it is too late. Because if enough people like this idea even just a little they will tell two neighbors and so on and so on. And just because we need to go to the voting polls to vote on the referendum. A good or bad idea may be born right this moment. 4) The Hiawatha corridor is presently bombarded with ideas. We are planning development in the corridor and together with LRT this could be the jump start of other development. Would not a new library be wonderful? 5) Let's all try to avoid placing more auto related development and pouring traffic into our urban neighborhoods. Enough is enough. In closing, I really haven't changed my mind on the library money, but we all know that one of pushes behind the referendum and funding for the main library was to also provide money for the community and regional libraries renovations and upgrades. Nothing has changed but perhaps moving things around a bit. Like chess. Okay I have run out of breath, I need to inhale. Gratia Alta Countryman, was a great women. If the reading audience hasn't read the book on Gratia Countryman, Her Life, Her Loves, and Her Library please do. You can pick up a copy at the local library, the author is Jane Pejsa a local author from Minneapolis. Good reading. Nodin Press, Minneapolis. Katie Simon-Dastych Cooper/ Longfellow Activist 9th Ward 612-724-1570 ______________ Jan's post on Minneapolis issues. Library Referendum Date: 10/18/2000 11:20:55 PM Central Daylight Time From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Multiple recipients of list) Okay, so say the library referendum passes and there will be a wonderful new facility. I am going to start lobbying right now that it should be called the Gratia Countryman Library. I don't know much about this woman who really was a driving force behind the Minneapolis Library, but from what I have heard, she was a person of humble beginnings, little formal education beyond high school and yet, really built the foundation upon which the present library system still operates. Please, other list members, if you know more about this woman, share the information with the rest of us. Jan Del Calzo Lynnhurst
