Karen Collier writes: "The money to (clean up the lakes) came primarily from the federal government and from the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District. (South Mpls residents) are taxed by the Watershed District. Therefore, to use the cleanup of those areas, if in fact you were, as an example of money which should or could have gone into north and northeast Minneapolis is a little bit of a stretch." Federal money is not monopoly money. Last time I checked, north and northeast residents also pay federal taxes. And I believe the latest lake clean up, for Lake of the Isles, is being substantially funded by state monies to which we all contribute. There is a Middle Miss Watershed Mgmt Org that will be using taxing authority to improve water quality in the river. This organization was basically a paper organization for nearly 20 years, thus depriving the upper river corridor of needed attention to river quality issues. Now that it is up and running, the taxes garnered from our properties will begin to address our needs. However, we also will need subsidies outside the city, as does the south side. The point is, the Park Board has not placed as high a priority on funding water improvement requests for the upper river corridor as they have for south side lakes. When the Park Board made a request to the State Legislature for somewhere around $7 million for Lake of the Isles, some of us asked why a similar amount was not being requested to address erosion and revegetation for the upper river. We are not suggesting that south side lakes be abandoned. We just want parity in funding requests and project development. Scott McGerik writes: "I, for one, am not convinced that removing the industrial scrapyards and replacing them with a ballpark, in a park, is neglecting the river or the historic or ecologically significance of the river. Rather, I see it as a way to harness the value of the river in an environmentally sound matter." What is the value of the river, and how do we define "environmentally sound?" We have an opportunity in Minneapolis to redevelop our upper riverfront as a model for how a river can be restored to pre-settlement conditions as much as possible. The intrinsic value of the Mississippi River is not as an entertainment venue, but as one of the most rare and complex ecosystems in the world. Its significance goes well beyond the Third Ward of Minneapolis. Harnessing its environmental significance will also bring social and economic benefits without treating the river merely as the latest real estate development opportunity. In 1993, the Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee, a group of river biologists from five Midwestern states, stated that there is some documented evidence that the ecological collapse of the Upper Mississippi has already begun. We can help reverse that if we seek the highest and best use of our riverine area. There may be neighborhoods that would welcome a ballpark in their midst. I believe there are too many negatives to a riverfront location to support such a proposal. Should it come to a serious discussion, I hope that residents will consider what is good for the river first. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * F. Guminga <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
