Dear List Members: Below is: 1, My first follow-up question. 2, My initial inquiry about the Northwest Corridor Project for Highway 81. 3, A response from Smith Parker, the overseer of this County Project. 4, A letter from Leslie Davis, President, Earth Protector Org.
List Members: Please scan these communications as if the vitality of your City depends on your scrutiny, curiosity, and vigilance. The Northwest Corridor Project WILL have huge effects on the whole City. So, to begin: I now ask Erin Armsrong of Smith Parker a question. What was the history, reasoning, and timeline of the exclusion, subsequent inclusion, and then ultimate re-exclusion of West Broadway Ave, from the City limits to Penn Ave. in North Mpls, from the Northwest Corridor Project? This matter occurring during my tenure on the West Broadway Area Coalition Board of Directors; I can attest to the lack of publicity forthcoming from your office, to our neighborhoods, and residents. What appears to be your secrecy, and decision making FOR us, on a matter of vital concern, and huge implication, for the redevelopment, and vitality of our West Broadway. We did not know of these matters, decided for us by, mostly, suburban folks; people whose interests may not be our best interests. Keith Reitman NearNorth In a message dated 7/3/03 7:04:08 AM Pacific Daylight Time, PennBroKeith writes: > Keith says; Erin Armstrong is the contact person, provided by The Smith > Parker Law Firm, to reach with questions the public has about The Northwest > Corridor Project, while reviewing the Northwest Corridor Website. Hence, I E- > mailed these (below) questions and concerns to Erin Armstrong. > > Keith Reitman NearNorth > > Dear Erin Armstrong esq./Smith Parker Law Firm and Development Consultant > > Why is West Broadway not mentioned on the Map or Matrix at the Website of > the Northwest Corridor? Why haven't the West Broadway Business Assoc., and > West Broadway Area Coalition been informed of, and invited to, CAC monthly > meetings in Robbinsdale? Why haven't Mpls. Neighborhoods, and neighborhood > groups, abutting proposed Northwest Corridor, and proposed BRT routes, been > solicited, regularly or at all, to attend and participate in CAC meetings, in > Robbinsdale? > > I have just "cracked open" the http://www.northwestcorridor.org website so I > DO have a lot of perusing to do. The questions above popped up after only a > couple glances at the site. > > Please be proactive here: Tell me how you intend, from here forward (the " > bottom of the seventh inning") to get us Urban Stakeholders to the planning > table? I, and others, feel that we haven't been linked to the planning, > design, and implementation of the Highway 81 Roadway, nor the Public Transit > additions, that are being developed in our name, and on our behalf. > > Thank you, > > Keith Reitman Multi property owner -West Broadway and Lowry avenues in > Mpls. >From Erin Armstrong at Smith Parker, a response to my inquiry, above: Mr. Reitman, Thank you for you inquiry. Let me begin by clarifying something for you. I am not an attorney, nor am I a development consultant. I am the administrative assistant for the community outreach portion of the project; I staff the Community Advisory Committee, organize the public meetings, etc. I am forwarding your message to Tom Johnson, Transportation Consultant, here at my office Molly Grove, Community Outreach at Metro Transit, and Craig Twinem, Hennepin County Transportation; they can better answer your questions. The Community Advisory Committee (CAC) was formed by the Northwest Corridor Partnership and is made up of two representatives from each city along the corridor. The Minneapolis representatives are Nick Eoloff and John Trombley. Their contact information is on the Northwest Corridor website. The CAC members were appointed by their respective cities after an application process. For Minneapolis, Council Member Barb Johnson made the appointments because she is the member for the City of Minneapolis on the Northwest Corridor Partnership. The CAC began meeting in November of 2001 and met twice a month for a few months and has been meeting monthly since. The meeting time and location was determined by the CAC members at their first meeting. They meet the first Thursday of every month from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Crystal City Hall (4141 Douglas Drive). There is no meeting tonight as it is the night before a holiday. The CAC will meet again on August 7. These meetings have always been open to the public. The CAC has hosted open houses/public meetings. There were four in January 2002 (Minneapolis, Crystal, Maple Grove and Brooklyn Park) one in June 2002 in Rogers and three in October 2002 (Robbinsdale, Crystal and Brooklyn Park). These were advertised with a direct mailing of flyers, flyers inserted in the Sun Post newspapers throughout the corridor and new releases on the radio, Cable Channel 12 and all the community papers (North News, Sun Post, Press and News, etc.). There have been Project presentations/updates given to various groups in the corridor. Project staff went to a neighborhood monthly meeting with the Hawthorn, Jordan, Near North and I believe Folwell to discuss the Project. Those neighborhood associations, as well as Willard Hay, received notices about the public meetings as well as other Project information mailings. The West Broadway Business Association has also been informed of Project meetings and happenings. Dean Rose from Broadway Liquor Outlet, President of the West Broadway Business Association (at least he was at the time I spoke with him and added him to our mailing list) is on the Northwest Corridor newsletter mailing list as well as the CAC meeting packet mailing list. I am not sure if we have had direct contact with the West Broadway Area Coalition. If you have a contact name for them and could give it to me I can make sure they have been receiving Project information and that staff has been in contact with them. We are far from the 7th inning and there is much to be done as far as planning. The BRT will use West Broadway. The only dedicated transit lanes for the BRT are from Bass Lake Road north to 85th Avenue in Osseo. This is because south of Bass Lake Road, 81 is not wide enough to put in dedicated lanes and there would have to be substantial property takings to do so. It is also planned that there will be express service that will use Hwy. 100 to 394. There will be something for everyone, which means maximizing ridership for Metro Transit (i.e. maximizing the benefit for the cost). As far as station locations, they are shown on the map at Metro Transit's website http://www.metrocouncil.org/transit/northwest_01.htm and there is a station planned at North Memorial. I don't remember if it was you that asked why there wasn't going to be a station there, but there is. I will have to leave the rest of your questions to those involved in the actual busway planning. Thank you for your concern and interest. If you would like to e-mail me your address I will add you to the mailing list for Project information. Because of the budget cuts, etc. at the Legislature, not a lot has been happening in way of decision making for awhile, therefore there has not been a lot of information to send out. I do have a Project brochure that was done in January/February 2003 that I can also send you. Erin Armstrong Erin Armstrong Case Assistant SMITH PARKER P.L.L.P. Phone: (612) 344-1400 Fax: (612) 344-1550 E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] With permission to post, Below, a letter from Leslie Davis, resident near Lyndale and Lowry in North Mpls: To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Dear Madam or Sir: RE: NW Corridor Please put me on all your mailing lists for the NW Corridor. I would like to address the CAC at its next meeting. At your web site I noticed that you meet the first Thursday of the month. I assume you did not meet last Thursday due to the 4th and that you will likely meet on Thursday the 10th instead. Is this correct? Also, please advise when your web site will be updated. The focus of my interest in the NW Corridor is to obtain jobs, education, training, crime reduction, and professional mentoring for the populace surrounding Lowry and Lyndale Avenues where I live and work. Since I do not have a car I use public transportation and can attest to the fact that the transportation system in my area is excellent and should not be tampered with. We have the 22 on Lyndale to and from downtown and the 32 on Lowry going east and west. I have heard rumors that you are planning to put suburban Rapid Transit Buses on Lowry. Why? Who will ride them? Where will they stop? When will they run? How fast will they go? If transportation is needed for Lowry residents to go to Rogers, or points in-between, the 32 with a change at North Memorial or Robbinsdale would suffice. In my opinion Lowry Avenue does not have the need, or space, for suburban Rapid Transit Buses at this time. However, if you have a study or report that shows otherwise I would appreciate receiving a copy. Yours truly, Leslie Davis, President Earth Protector, Inc. 612/522-9433 TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.) ________________________________ 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
