T H E M I N N E A P O L I S O B S E R V E R A Weekly Digest of All Things Minneapolitan www.mplsobserver.com Vol. 2, No. 26 February 3, 2003
To subscribe ($12/yr.), hit 'reply' and we'll set you up. Thanks. ********************************************************** THIS WEEK IN THE OBSERVER: * Target Center Will Snatch NRP Funds * Fired Indian Health Board Doctors Open New Clinic * Local Film Buff Hopes to Revive St. Anthony Main Theater * Group Studying International Air Cargo Facility * City Will Market Its Bomb Disposal Services Plus: R.T.'s police problem, Pawlenty's $475,000 name change, and remembering when men ran the city. ********************************************************** TARGET CENTER WILL SNATCH NRP FUNDS Already facing a dramatically slashed budget, the Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP) this year will also lose money to a decidedly non-neighborhood facility: Target Center. As David Brauer reports in the Southwest Journal (http://www.swjournal.com), the downtown home of the Minnesota Timberwolves faces a $1.2 million budget deficit this year, the result of the same legislative tax reforms that have busted the city's budget. That means the arena's $1.6 million mortgage this year will have to come out of the city's estimated $3 million NRP budget, said city finance director Pat Born. The Timberwolves and Target Center's other major tenant, Northwest Health Clubs, paid $1 million less to the city than in 2001 because of those property tax reforms, Brauer explains, creating a fund deficit. And because bonding debt must take precedence over NRP allocations, the city will have to dip into the NRP fund if the mortgage payments fall short. The situation could become more dire if the budget-strapped state legislature reneges on its promised $750,000 annual payment. The city already allocates $500,000 a year for arena improvements, but has balked at making substantial changes to upgrade the facility because the lease does not require it. Seventh Ward Council Member Lisa Goodman has suggested selling the facility to Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor to get out from under the $75 million obligation, but no negotiations have taken place. FIRED INDIAN HEALTH BOARD DOCTORS OPEN NEW CLINIC Three doctors fired last year in a controversial purge at the Indian Health Board (IHB) will open their own clinic Feb. 11. LOCAL FILM BUFF HOPES TO REVIVE ST. ANTHONY MAIN THEATER A local film buff and his partners are trying to revive the five-screen St. Anthony Main Theater by delivering a mix of mainstream, art, and independent films. ********************************************************** The Minneapolis Observer is published 48 times/year by Independent Media, L.L.C. �2003 Independent Media, 4152 Snelling Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55406; www.mplsobserver.com. No part of this publication may be reprinted without the permission of Independent Media. Subscriptions: $12/yr. To unsubscribe, send us an e-mail ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) and we'll get you off the list and refund the unused portion of your subscription. Editor: Craig Cox Deputy Assistant Senior Executive Editor: Sharon Parker Contributing writers: Chris Dodge, Leo Mezzrow Equine consultant and coffee shop correspondent: Nora Cox Perspective: Martin Cox ******************************************************* Fight media consolidation! Support the independent press! Pick up your neighborhood newspaper! ******************************************************* TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Send all posts in plain-text format. 2. Cut as much of the post you're responding to as possible. ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
