It is nice to see north minneapolis getting some attention and help. ***************************************************************** Editorial: State of a city/A boost for north Minneapolis May 3, 2004 One of Minneapolis' nicest problems is that increasing numbers of people want to live in the city. More than 3,000 new housing units were built over the last two years. Prices and home values are rising in nearly every neighborhood.
Much of the North Side lags behind, however. In his State of the City address last Friday, Mayor R.T. Rybak suggested that Minneapolis is rapidly becoming two cities -- one upwardly mobile and often affluent, the o ther stuck in dead-end poverty. That's why his announcement of a major new housing initiative for north Minneapolis came as such welcome news. Cynics and government-bashers should take special note. City Hall set aside $1 million last December and by last week had multiplied it into a $41.8 million fund, thanks to hard work by talented city officials and to two $20 million commitments from the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency and Franklin National Bank. The new fund will renovate boarded and vacant property, encourage private housing renewal and boost home ownership opportunities for minorities. Officials say the new fund may benefit as many as 700 North Side households. That's huge for a city on an extremely tight budget. Instead of whining about lack of money, Minneapolis has aggressively sought public and private partners on a number of important initiatives. Rybak was right on Friday when he said that striving for more affordable housing cannot be separated from striving for better jobs. Many people hoping to buy or rent one of those newly rehabbed homes will need job training and higher incomes. That's where another public-private collaboration comes in. A new "close the gap" partnership with private employers and local colleges aims to place 2,400 people on career ladders. It's an ambitious experiment based on a successful program at Abbott Northwestern Hospital. These two initiatives on housing and jobs tell much about the state of the city in 2004. As with any such address, mayors tend to list accomplishments and initiatives. Rybak's list reflects his energy and optimism. Minneapolis is, indeed, thriving and growing. Most crimes continue to decline. The economy is improving. Downtown housing and nightlife is booming. http://www.startribune.com/stories/561/4752776.html Posted by Shawn Lewis, Field Nieghborhood -- ___________________________________________________________ Sign-up for Ads Free at Mail.com http://promo.mail.com/adsfreejump.htm 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