I would hope we could all agree that DeLaSalle is a wonderful private with excellent students and strong supporters and end discussion on those issues. I would also like to end posts like the recent one that extolled all the students arriving by bus from the inner city and citing the large numbers of scholarship students. That is so I don't have to ask folks to look at how many students arrive and park their private cars or check out the student driving a black (newish) SUV who almost clipped me on my run the other day. The issue is again not the school vs. the residents but the proper actions of the Mpls. Park Board for the highest and best use of the Mpls. Park system. Here is a letter written by one of my neighbors and sent and not published in the Strib last month.
August 4, 2005 Commissioners: After listening to the discussions and hearing comments at all of the Park Board meetings on the Nicollet Island/De La Salle proposal, the school has not been convincing as to any real need for the field nor have they shown any concern for the aesthetic beauty of the island's environment. In each of Brother Michael's presentations he frames his comments in terms of the good work of the school and the academic excellence of its programs*no one is debating that issue* we are all in agreement there. The real question has been, and remains the design of a major high school sports facility in a very small and vulnerable park space. Essentially the school wants it and they intend to have it with the assistants of commissioner Dziedzic and John Derus*both have been affiliated with the school*at the very least Dziedzic should recuse himself from voting. The blatancy of their political agenda is shameful. The '83' agreement did allow them to build a full size football field which they now have, said agreement does not provide for seating for 750 visitors nor does it say that the Park Board should provide adjacent space for the needed supplemental equipment and food concession stands. The Park Board has honored the '83' agreement*in 1996 the Board provided three tennis courts which are under used. The Park Board has indeed fulfilled its obligation to the school. In 1994-96, during the public meetings on the land use and landscape redesign the school made no mention of the field nor did it at that time ask that it be considered in the future. Since 1983 many decisions have been made by the school that might have been better had the football field ever been a priority. The new gym could have been designed to allow for bleacher seating on the current field, even now, however, limited design options are possible. Because the school made design mistakes does not mean that the park board or the residents of the Island and the East Island neighborhoods should accommodate every whim the school might entertain. Brother Michael Collins, De La Salle president and John Derus began this debate by accusing the Island residents and residents of the surrounding neighborhoods with elitism and lack of sensitivity to change. I challenge the school to look carefully at the course it has chosen and to consider working with neighbors rather than making false accusations of bigotry and elitism. Thomas Rose Artist and Island resident posted by Phyllis Kahn State Rep 59B REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact 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 Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[email protected] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
