Two recent posts. First, by Andrew Reineman:
> Great News!!! I just saved the Park Board a lot of money!!! I did not > remember seeing any internet access at my local rec center (Linden > Hills), so I drove over there and asked if they had any. Nope. I > continued with my questioning by asking if there were any internet > programs for kids? Nope. > > Well, I figured it is a small rec center, so I drove over to Lynnhurst. > Same answer. How about a place that is not quite as economically > well-off? I then drove to Painter on Lyndale and 34th Ave S., and they > do not even have any computers there anymore. For what it's worth, King Park does have Internet access - and I see kids there use it regularly. Largely minority kids, by the way. It would be great to see a list of which parks do, and don't have this, however, to justify spending $75K for internet access citywide. This might also be a great place for R.T.'s combine-the-resources idea: Hosmer library, with its cool new technology center, is six blocks away from King Park. Question, not accusation: why have two public computer sets so close together? Now, Jonathan Palmer: > How about before we develop cutting edge technology, we make sure that all > the parks have the basics first. While this discussion is going about how > necessary it is to have Wi-Fi for a civil society, Jordan Park is one of the last, > if not the last park to still have the old chemically treated wood playground > equipment. Don't you think before we start arguing over the digital divide > between us and other cities we ought to deal with the resource divide between > neighborhoods and parks in Minneapolis? > > The replacement of said equipment was moved up from 2007 to 2005 thanks to > the efforts of Jon Olson, but how do you explain to one of the kids in Jordan > that they've got to wait until next year for the basics in playground equipment, > because some kid in one of the "nice" neighborhoods needs to have internet > access while sitting by the lake? And we've got to help fund the replacement! I understand Jonathan's outrage, though I feel it's misplaced in this circumstance. These initiatives shouldn't be seen as either/or. Jordan should definitely have new equipment (the question to generations of district commissioners - why didn't you make this happen? And where was NRP, which has funded a lot of equipment in wealthier neighborhoods. Poor neighborhoods had a lot more NRP bucks to use for such purposes). Perhaps Jordan should even have a park center - though that would cost FAR more than any wi-fi initiative, so it isn't really a fair comparison. However, if John Erwin's plan can be proven to save money and/or bring in revenue compared to current expenditures, it shouldn't be competing with Jordan Park. Making sure wi-fi saves/makes money should be a basic principle for the Park Board on this one. In other words, it should be seen as freeing up resources to spend at places such as Jordan. Second, playing the class envy card simply isn't a way to build a functioning city. Everyone needs to buy into the park system for anyone to have it. While it has to happen under sound fiscal principles (see above), wi-fi will expand park use (in a very low-impact way on the resource) while deepening the bond between Minneapolitans and their greenspace, not to mention increasing a public good provided by a public body. Down here in Kingfield, we are within 10 blocks of a lake - and 10 blocks of some pretty poor areas. I've used King, Fuller, Lynnhurst, Pearl, Lyndale Farmstead and Pershing Park in the last year. EVERY park is a democratizing factor in its neighborhood, no matter how wealthy - EVERY park I've been in is more diverse than the neighborhood in which it sits. I won't oppose anything that pays for itself, while being mindful of where spending can produce the greatest good for those who need it the most. David Brauer Kingfield REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
