I was enjoying a good laugh or two about the "neighborhood ball parks" until
I realized some people are getting serious.
Holy Habitat! A ball park on the river an amenity? Maybe we rubes north of
downtown should settle for a ballpark on our precious riverfront because
it's better than some godawful commercial or industrial site? There isn't
enough money to do what's right for the river and our neighborhoods? And
there would be a great site line from left field? PULEEZE!
Looking at David Brauer's listing of median home values by ward, one can see
that the Third Ward, which covers nearly all of the upper river corridor
riverfront area, has a median home value of under $70,000 and ranks third
from last in the city. Take away the cost of the lot and you could hardly
buy the material to build a cheap rambler for that kind of money. It
indicates a disturbing fact. Although we are essentially river
neighborhoods, many with low crime rates, our property values do not reflect
the value placed on homes in the gorge area. Yet most of our homes are
pre-WWII craftsman-type bungalows and four-squares which command thousands
more in south Minneapolis. Does anyone seriously believe plunking a ballpark
on the riverfront will result in rising property values? And don't get me
started on the environmental issues.
North and northeast neighborhoods have been on the short end of capital
investment for way too long. Sorry, folks, but we don't buy the argument any
longer that there just isn't enough money. What is it costing to restore
Lake of the Isles, and how much money has been allocated to restoring other
south side lakes in recent years? Avenue of the Arts? Central riverfront?
Mill ruins park? I could take many of the arguments made for supporting the
library referendum and replace "library" with "upper river corridor" and the
arguments would be equally compelling.
The Mississippi River is the most significant water resource on the North
American continent. It deserves better, and so do our river neighborhoods.
Have we become so enamored with concrete and steel that we have lost touch
with the intrinsic value of one of the great rivers of the world right on
our doorstep? Block E should be green space, but the upper riverfront should
have a ball park?
Some of us have been fighting 20 story high rises and 50 foot ribbons of
green and geese proposed in the upper river master plan because we believe
we can do better by our river. We would like to think residents would value
their little piece of this historic and ecologically significant river and
want to see it restored to its natural beauty. Maybe others would be willing
to "settle" for some hulking sports arena, but this is one north ender who
is not.
Fran Guminga
Bottineau, Ward 3
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F. Guminga
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
