So sorry but 1 was too big so I had to split it ....
6:10 pm OPEN TIME ( okay... does anyone know what part of the agenda
we are at, no wonder the cable viewers get confused )
Laura Stonebarker: Appeals to the MPRB to ban smoking in the fenced in
areas of the wading pools and on the tot lots ( after an incident of a
child stepping on a smoldering butt and being burnt)
Stephanie Gozum and her son 6 year old Gabriel ( Liz was in the hall
and so her notes were forwarded to me.... )
Hi, I'm the mother of a 6 year old boy... Gabriel. I am here to give
him a voice... As a child's voice often goes unheard. The wilderness
area on Nicollet Island proposed for demolition is very important to
Gabriel. Gabriel loves everything about nature found in that park
prairie land... my son and i go on nature walks daily... snake hunting,
catching crickets, exploring and mapping the prairie land.
Gabriel knows more about snakes, crickets, spiders, wildflowers, and
toads than most adults... Why?? Because he observes, feels, hears, he
experiences nature in the park sanctuary... passion and inspiration
exploring nature... inspiring him to go home and watch national
Geographic instead of cartoons... inspiring him to read and learn... to
identify the bug he saw.. to find out what garter snakes eat... to
learn about the differences in reptiles and amphibians... passion to
learn.
Nature in downtown Minneapolis... parkland... where else can you go to
experience nature in its unadulterated form downtown? I argue no
where in downtown Minneapolis. Park land..
My son Gabriel knows every inch of this area... Ask hi about:
Snake rock... and the baby garter family that lives there
Cricket fields
Baby toads
Red foxes
Bunny families.. and where heir homes are
the spiders.. wolf spiders... garden spiders
The birds... goldfinches, nuthatches, redwing blackbirds, finches,
mourning doves, killdeers, blue birds that live on the insects in the
fields
The leafhoppers.. the very unique animals, insects, and wildflowers
that are found on the island... wild catnip and the purple, yellow,
pink, lavender, orange, white wildflowers... Stunning
A few days ago Gabriel and I were walking to snake rock. It was just
before a summer storm when the air was changing and fragrant with a
bouquet, the fields blowing wildflowers in full bloom like a
watercolorist palate.
Gabriel and I just stood and breathed in the air... I said to him,
Gabriel: just look how beautiful this is...
Gabriel's reply, " Mom. of course it is... it's God's creation... and
he made it perfect. God loves all his creatures."
Wisdom.. from a 6 year old child in it's purest form...
My son, a city boy, nature lover...
If you want to provide something for the inner-city kids... provide
them the opportunity to experience nature... Teach them to respect and
preserve God's creations... and put the Astroturf stadium somewhere
other than on park land. do it for the kids... All the city kids...
( there was a rumor that Gabriel had one of his many collected snakes
in his backpack for show-n-tell )
Edna Brazaitis : Shows a copy of the Nicollet Island Master Plan from
the 1990's. There is no football field shown in this rendition and
there were representatives from DeLaSalle on the planning committee at
the time. ( A copy is available at Pierre Bottineau Library )
Steve Rosenberg: Discussed how unique Nicollet Island is and that many
residents of the coop make less than 50% of the Metro Median Income.
Tammy Wong: Ms Wong a single mother and small business woman was there
to support having a field close to the school for the kids that attend
that can not be driven to practice because their parents are working
etc...
Kate Carlson: Gave statistics on the student body of DeLaSalle 30%
students of color, 30% from single parent families, 1/2 get need based
financial aid.
Nikki Carlson: (Kate's mom) Claims the mission and goals of the MPRB
are consistent with those of DeLaSalle in both wanting to form public
and private partnerships
Ethan Lassiter: Wants the DeLaSalle field so that there are more
fields in the city as there are many in the suburbs.
Linda Lincoln reading a letter from her husband ( who is very involved
with Minneapolis soccer leagues ) He would like to keep Nicollet
Island as is and any claims that Minneapolis is suffering from a
shortage of soccer fields is false. He schedules many leagues and
tournaments in the city and never has had an issue with a shortage of
fields.
Christine Viken : $65,477 is the amount the Van Dusen mansion paid in
property taxes last year. By building a competing event center on Lake
Calhoun the MPRB would be giving a competitor that would not be
contributing towards the tax base an unfair advantage. Any enterprise
can seem profitable if you eliminate costs that its competitors must
absorb. What comes next after this event center? The Minnehaha
Mini-Mall?
The time is now 6:35 and we are going back to the Planning Committee
and more discussion about the Wildflower garden.
Liz Wielinski
Columbia Park
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