DOWLING
COMMUNITY GARDENS IN DANGER
On August 21, 2003, the Star Tribune published an article concerning
the Minneapolis Public Schools’ proposal to close Sanford
Middle School and build another K-8 or middle school in the southeast
corner of the city ("Board considers school closings, changes").
One of the options being considered is to build a new middle school
on the grounds of Dowling Urban Environmental School on the space
currently occupied by the Dowling Community Gardens. As a member
of the community and a gardening enthusiast, this is disturbing
news. In July, Dowling Community Gardens celebrated its 60th anniversary
and is the second oldest continuously operating Victory garden in
the nation. Besides providing fresh fruits and vegetables for community
members, gardeners donate surplus produce to two area food shelves,
The Aliveness Project and Loaves and Fishes. The Dowling School
grounds also include a small wooded area, an orchard and an open
field, which provide an important green space in the middle of an
urban environment and serve as a recreation area and a community
gathering spot for the neighborhood. As a parent of a student who
attends Dowling school and a teacher of the Mpls Public Schools
I understand the need to explore the possibility of creating a new
K-8 or middle school in the southeast area in order to better serve
the needs of students and their families. I also believe that this
goal can be accomplished without destroying an important and irreplaceable
community asset. The school board has given very little time for
public input. The public hearing is Sept. 16, 5:30 p.m. at 807 NE
Broadway, and the final vote to decide the fate of this historical
treasure will be on Sept 30. I strongly urge all those concerned
about the fate of the gardens to attend these meetings and to contact
school board members to voice their opinions.
Jeffrey S. Johnson
Parent and Teacher
3825 46th Ave So
Mpls, MN 55406
612-729-4042
ACID GRAFFITI
Last month Nicollet ACE Hardware was hit with the new ACID graffiti.
We were issued a warning letter from the city defining the rules
for us to remove the graffiti ASAP or be fined. The acid CANNOT
be removed and our windows had to be replaced at $750.00 each. So,
of course, we complied.
Now, almost two months later, the MTC bus shelter @ 38th and Nicollet,
which had the largest and most visible Acid graffiti, is still covered
and there has been no attempt to remove it. As you all know, leaving
it only encourages more graffiti. The Acid graffiti is a really
expensive fix for us so the encouragement that the MTC shelter conveys
really concerns us. Is MTC excempt from the same graffiti removal
responsibility that the businesses must adhere to?
Sincerely,
Julene Lind
Nicollet ACE Hardware
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