Minneapolis CERT Training Starts March 29

Minneapolis CERT’s (Community Emergency Response Team) first training of 2008 is scheduled for March 29th, April 5th and 12th from 8am – 5pm.  The training will be held at the former Hamilton School located at 4111 Dupont Ave. NE.  The target audiences for this course are private citizens and neighborhood and community groups that want the skills and knowledge required to prepare for and respond to a disaster. The purpose of CERT training is to provide citizens with the basic skills required to handle virtually all of their own needs and then to be able to respond safely and appropriately to their neighborhood’s needs in the aftermath of a disaster.  With the collapse of the 35W Bridge we saw how unexpected and quickly a disaster can occur.  We also saw how swiftly by standers and victims themselves responded.  How much better it would be for you and your loved ones to be prepared and trained to know how to respond on the day you are in or near a disaster.    To learn more about Minneapolis CERT you can go to:   http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/emergency/CERT_Home.asp.  To register for training e-mail CERT Coordinator Susan Ude at: susan.ude@ci.minneapolis.mn.us.  Susan would also be glad to present information about CERT at Neighborhood meetings or to staff a booth or table at a Neighborhood Event. Susan Ude, CERT Coordinator, Minneapolis Emergency Preparedness 250 S. 4th Street - Room 400-PSC, Minneapolis, MN   55415 Phone:  612-581-9624 I Fax 612-673-3262 E-mail: susan.ude@ci.minneapolis.mn.us Web-site: www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/emergency/CERT_Home.asp Resolve to be Ready in 2008

NRP Policy Board Monday 28 January

The next meeting of the Minneapolis Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP) Policy Board is on Monday, January 28th. The meeting begins at 4:30 pm in Conference Room C-2350 of the Hennepin County Government Center. The agenda and meeting materials are now available on our website www.nrp.org a link to the page on the site is below for your convenience http://www.nrp.org/R2/AboutNRP/PB/PBAgenda2008/PBA20080128.html

Gabby's Public Hearing Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2008

Gabby’s Public Hearing will take place on Wednesday, January 23, 2008 during the Public Safety and Regulatory Services Committee Meeting at 1:00 pm, in Room 317 City Hall.  This hearing is number 18 on the  committee’s agenda.   This is  your opportunity to voice your opinion on this matter, please do so either in person or by e-mail to me at diane.hofstede@ci.minneapolis.mn.us.      Thank you,   Diane Hofstede Minneapolis City Council-3rd Ward 350 S. 5th St.  Rm 307 Minneapolis, MN 55415 diane.hofstede@ci.minneapolis.mn.us 612-673-2203

Informational meetings dates, times, locations

The links to the City notice with dates, times and locations of the upcoming informational hearings didn’t work for everyone. So, here is the listing with the times, dates and locations of the informational hearings: SE quadrant  Tuesday, January 22 6:30-8pm Sibley Recreation Center 1900 E. 40th St.   NE quadrant Wednesday, January 23 7-8:30pm Eastside Neighborhood Services 17th Ave NE & 2nd St NE   NW quadrant  Monday, January 28 6:30-8pm  Folwell Recreation Center 1615 Dowling Ave N   SW quadrant  Tuesday, January 29  7-8:30pm  Lynnhurst Recreation Center 1345 W. Minnehaha Pkwy.   Central Monday, February 4  12-1:30pm City Hall, room 319 For more information, see the entry Informational Sessions on the Future of NRP

NEH'S “WE THE PEOPLE” GRANTS

*****GRANTS, AWARDS, CONTESTS AND FUNDING RESOURCES***** NEH'S “WE THE PEOPLE” GRANTS http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/wtpchallenge.html Due February 5 The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) invites applications for We the People Challenge Grants in United States History, Institutions, and Culture. This program, part of NEH's We the People program, is designed to help institutions and organizations secure long-term improvements in and support for humanities activities that explore significant themes and events in American history, thereby advancing knowledge of how the founding principles of the United States have shaped American history and culture for more than two hundred years. The Endowment particularly welcomes proposals for programming at America's historic places (historic sites, neighborhoods communities or larger geographical regions) as well as applications that address this theme through the use of digital technologies.

HOLD THE DATE-SATURDAY, 1/19/08-10 AM TO 12:00 PM - TUESDAY, 1/22/08 6:30 PM TO 8:30 PM - SATURDAY, 2/2/08 10 AM TO 12:00 PM DISCUSSION OF CLOSED HOLLAND SCHL PROPERTY

Please attend a community meeting to discuss the future of the closed Holland School property at 1534 6th Street NE.   The meetings are as follows:   University Lutheran Church of Hope 601 13th Avenue SE Saturday, January 19, 2008 10:00 am to 12:00 pm   Logan Recreation Center 690 13th Avenue NE Tuesday, January 22, 2008 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm   Saturday, February 2, 2008 10:00 are to 12:00 pm   Please send this notice to your distribution lists and encourage them to attend!     Diane Hofstede Minneapolis City Council-3rd Ward 350 S. 5th St.  Rm 307 Minneapolis, MN 55415 diane.hofstede@ci.minneapolis.mn.us 612-673-2203  

Clarification of Yesterday's Email regarding NRP Informational Sessions

An e-mail was sent out yesterday regarding upcoming informational sessions of the future of NRP. A number of questions have arisen that I hope to clarify in this message.   First, for many people the link to additional information broke within the body of the e-mail. Therefore, when they clicked on the link they were taken nowhere. We have created a shorter link to the same document. The new link is:   http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/NRPInfoMtgs.pdf   I hope that this link will work for everybody. If not, please let me know. (For those who were able to navigate using the old link, that link is still active and takes you to the same document.)   Another frequently asked question has been about the purpose of these informational sessions. I will try to be more clear.   In an effort to make better use of everybody's time, and to take advantage of the deep networks established by neighborhood groups, it was decided not to do broad public meetings to gather comments. Rather, we are hoping to gather those comments and more through the deliberations of each neighborhood group. Therefore, these informational sessions are intended to be a question and answer session to provide staff and key leadership of those organizations with a deeper understanding of the NRP Work Group's proposed framework for the future of NRP and its connection to the broader community participation work of the City. Again, it is hoped that this deeper understanding will help to inform the discussion at each neighborhood group as they consider and respond to the proposed framework.   These meetings are being held as early as possible in the process to allow neighborhood groups the maximum amount of time for their deliberations and still meet our deadline of returning to the City Council Committee of the Whole with a report on neighborhood groups' comments by April 3, 2008. As the information linked to above indicates, if your neighborhood group will have difficulty in meeting the deadline for comments (March 17), please let Jennifer Lastoka know when your input may be available. Jennifer is the City's Community Engagement Coordinator; she can be reached at jennifer.lastoka@ci.minneapolis.mn.us or 612-673-3163.   I hope that this information is helpful. Please let me know if you have any questions.          Robert Cooper Senior NRP/Citizen Participation Specialist City of Minneapolis, Finance Department Development Finance Division 105 Fifth Avenue South, Suite 200 Minneapolis, MN  55401   (612) 673-5239 (612) 673-5212 (fax)

Informational Sessions on the Future of NRP

A Partnership of Neighborhood Organizations and the City Neighborhood groups are integral to the work of the City and are positioned to reach the residents of Minneapolis.  The NRP Work Group is hosting informational sessions about the "Framework for the Future" in the next couple of weeks and asking neighborhood groups, with their capacity to tailor outreach efforts in their communities, to facilitate gathering input from their residents in February and March. Please note that the informational sessions are coming up soon to allow neighborhood groups as much time as possible to collect input and offer feedback on the framework. The meetings are being held on: Tuesday, January 22, Wednesday, January 23, Monday, January 28, Tuesday, January 29, and Monday, February 4 For more details about this process and the informational sessions please view the PDF document found at this link. http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/communications/docs/Neighborhood_City_Partnership.pdf If you are unable to download this PDF or have any questions please feel free to contact Jennifer Lastoka, Community Engagement Coordinator at Jennifer.Lastoka@ci.minneapolis.mn.us or 612-673-3163.

RFP Announcement - Façade improvement matching grant program administrators

Date: Fri, 4 Jan 2008 16:51:44 -0600 From: Bob.Cooper@ci.minneapolis.mn.us To: Bob.Cooper@ci.minneapolis.mn.us CC: Rebecca.Brown@ci.minneapolis.mn.us The City of Minneapolis is seeking proposals, through a Request for Proposals (RFP) process, from organizations to administer a Façade Improvement Program, on behalf of the City of Minneapolis, in commercial corridors, commercial nodes, downtown business districts, and Hiawatha LRT station areas. The organizations selected through this RFP process will provide matching grants to businesses and commercial property owners as reimbursement for exterior storefront improvements. The RFP is online at http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/cped/facade_admin_home.asp Proposals are due no later than 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 19, 2008, to: Contract Services Department of CPED 105 Fifth Avenue South, Suite 200 Minneapolis, MN 55401 Rebecca L. Brown Project Coordinator, Business Development Minneapolis Department of Community Planning and Economic Development (CPED) 105 5th Avenue South - Suite 200 Minneapolis, MN 55401 612.673.5018 direct phone 612.673.5113 office fax rebecca.brown@ci.minneapolis.mn.us

Non-partisan Presidential Caucus Training

2008 is one of the most exciting election years ever.  Learn how you can become involved in choosing presidential candidates at the grassroots level by attending your precinct caucus.  We invite you and your organization to a free caucus training sponsored by the League of Women Voters Minneapolis, Somali Family Services and the Minneapolis Community and Technical College.  Please share the enclosed information with your members.   Non-partisan Presidential Caucus Training Sponsored by: The Minneapolis League of Women Voters Somali Family Services and Minneapolis Community and Technical College Political Science Dept.   January 28, 2008 6:30-8:30 p.m. Minneapolis Community and Technical College - Room K2800 1501 Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis   Want to be prepared for Minnesota's presidential caucuses on February 5?  2008 will be a very important and exciting year for politics in Minnesota and the country.  We invite you to be a part of the selection process for candidates and issues.   Come to this interactive, non-partisan workshop to learn about presidential caucuses in Minnesota and how you can participate.   The training is free of charge, but space is limited.    Please RSVP to Lena Jones at lena.jones@ussfs.org by Tuesday, January 22, or call the League of Women Voters Minneapolis at 612/333-6319.       Refreshments will be served.     Lonni McCauley Executive Director League of Women Voters Minneapolis 81 South 9th Street, Suite 335 Minneapolis, MN 55402 612-333-6319 lmccauley@lwvmpls.org www.lwvmpls.org  

Are you prepared for an emergency?

Communications Department 301M City Hall 350 S. 5th St. Minneapolis, MN 55415 News Release Contact:  Matt Laible, Communications Department, 612-673-2786 View this release online at www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/newsroom Minneapolis City Goals: A Safe Place to Call Home • One Minneapolis • Lifelong Learning • Second to None • Connected Communities • Enriched Environment • A Premier Destination Are you prepared for an emergency? New “Code Ready” newsletter helps families be ready   Jan. 3, 2008 (MINNEAPOLIS) Folks in the Minneapolis area have a new tool to help them prepare their homes, their families, and their neighborhoods for emergencies. Minneapolis Emergency Preparedness has produced the first issue of a new newsletter called “Code Ready.” The quarterly newsletter will feature tips and other helpful information on how to make sure your family is prepared for everything from health emergencies to fires and extreme weather.   In the January 2008 issue, folks can find information on preparing for winter hazards and flu season. It also includes information on the City’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), which is a disaster preparedness course that people can take to prepare their families and neighborhoods for many kinds of emergencies.     To read the Code Ready newsletter online, visit www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/emergency/.   Minneapolis Emergency Preparedness works closely with codeReady, a statewide initiative created to help people across Minnesota stay informed, organized, and connected on emergency preparedness. The new Code Ready newsletter also includes links to other helpful information on the state codeReady Web site at www.codeready.org.       # # #

CURA Conference: Involving Immigrants in Community Organizations

Registration Open “Involving Immigrants in Community Organizations”  In 2007 CURA supported six Minneapolis neighborhood groups with mini-grants to increase the participation of immigrants in their organization. Come and find out what happened and to learn about practical strategies you can use to involve immigrants in your organization. The mini grants were Minneapolis based but all are welcome to attend. Wednesday, January 30, 2008 – 5:00 to 9:00pm Law School - 229 19th Avenue S - Minneapolis, MN 55455 West Bank Campus - University of Minnesota  (http://onestop.umn.edu/Maps/MondaleH/index.html) (Location to be confirmed)   Dinner provided to registrants! Visit http://www.cura.umn.edu/Conference/Register.html to register or see attached registration form Registration Deadline Monday January 28th   Agenda  5:15-5:30 Welcome       5:30-6:45 Neighborhood Presentations 6:50-7:40 Breakout Groups by Organizing Strategy 7:45-8:45 Breakout Groups by Immigrant Group 8:45-9:00 Report Back   This conference is being organized by CURA (Center for Urban & Regional Affairs, University of Minnesota) with funding provided by the City of Minneapolis Department of Community Planning and Economic Development.

November December NRP Link

Download the November/December NRP Link here: Nov-Dec 2007 NRP LINK