In a message dated 11/17/01 10:29:29 AM Central Standard Time,
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: referencing her trip to less utilized Wirth
Parkway;
<<
I don't go there very often, mostly because it's outside the areas
where I usually spend time. A couple summers ago, I took an extended
bike ride (alone) that included Wirth Park. It was a nice Sunday
afternoon. There were other people around, not nearly as many as at
Lake Calhoun or Lake of the Isles. I was happy to have a large
stretch of trail where I wasn't running into or being run down by
inline skaters. No one threatened or harrassed me.
Could Annie or Dean comment on whether there is a great deal of crime
in Wirth Park?
Rosalind Nelson
Bancroft Neighborhood
>>Keith Says,
On average, Rosalind bikes Wirth Parkway every two years. She biked
alone on a sunny Sunday, probably at average speed, and she did not get
mugged. She was "happy" a stretch of classic Mpls. trail WASN'T crowded
w/users as she rolled on. She pedaled home and hasn't come back for two
years. Success, Wirth Park works great. Or does it?
Now picture our New Riverview Park on the Mississippi River's west
bank just above
West Broadway in North Mpls. Maybe Rosalind pedals over from Wirth Parkway
or Victory Parkway or West from the newly restored Grain Belt Complex and Old
NorthEast. She must pedal north from West Broadway to 6 plus wild acres of
parkland in a box canyon hemmed by the River and industry.
She might wonder if there is anybody hanging out there; are there any
other women recreating there; any families and children? Maybe she has
children with her. She might wonder who happens to be in this pristine and
remote park. Is there any behaviors occurring that might trouble the children
or that they would find disturbing in such a quiet place that they can't just
ride through? Who is monitoring and influencing toward appropriate behaviors
and providing the necessary "EYES ON THE PARK"?!
I believe in the mixed-use (park and residential, unsubsidized)
proposal, offered by JADT and presented by Mr. Tim Baylor. City park and
upscale housing for the Riverview site is the optimal configuration of Nature
and Presence. The West Broadway Area Coalition Supports this Plan. So does
the West Broadway Business Assoc. All adjacent Neighborhood Assoc.'s approve,
as does the Mpls. Park Board. This site is a textbook example of a
residential overlay district in a commercial or industrial zone and the plan
is lovely. Tim Baylor, as owner of the property, and developer is a godsend
to our community. Tim Baylor, who is a former pro football player, has shown
great business acumen by owning and personally operating two successful
McDONALD'S Restaurant franchises on West Broadway. And he does other building
development. I can tell you that he provides excellent attention to speed and
quality in the burger and breakfast biz, always. He has also been a mentor to
many of his employees young and older. I believe he has been an icon, of
success-by-participation and straight up hard work, to the Black Community
which he serves.
This project needs to get done right and it will be. Let us all get busy
to get this development and park up, and serving our community!
Keith Reitman, Someday I'll see you on West Broadway or at the New Park,
Near North
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