During the 2014 construction season, 40th Street West - from Lyndale to Stevens - will be resurfaced. For a resurfacing project, the top asphalt layer of the street is scraped off and new layer is put in place (mill and overlay). This will extend the life of the road at least 10 years and likely more.

Properties adjacent to 40th Street will be assessed for a portion of the street resurfacing project; the remainder of the project will be paid for from general property taxes. You can find out more about the assessment for the project here. Affected property owners will receive individual mailings with more information.

A community meeting to discuss the project will be held Tuesday May 27, 6:30 pm, at Dr. Martin Luther King Park, 4055 Nicollet Ave. This is a “pre-public hearing” meeting. The official public hearing on this project will be held on June 17, with more information to come. Questions? Call project manager Chris Trembath at (612) 919-1196 or chris.trembath@minneapolismn.gov.

Volunteer opportunities at Nicollet Square include front desk greeter, employment support, affordable housing searches, garden support and cooking. We will have additional independent living skills volunteer opportunities available this summer and into the fall. Job descriptions will be available at the orientation however if you have questions about any particular position please feel free to ask in advance.

If you are interested in attending the orientation please email Jenny Lock at jlock@beaconinterfaith.org or call at 612-823-0122 x102. RSVP is required and a brief volunteer application must be completed before the orientation. Jenny will be happy to answer any questions you might have about Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative, Nicollet Square or our expectations for volunteers who do direct service with tenants. Light refreshments will be provided at the orientation.

In collaboration with the American Red Cross, the Kingfield Neighborhood Association is offering a Certified Course of the Red Cross’ Babysitter Training. This hands-on course, which takes about 6 hours, is designed for students ages 11 to 16, and provides the knowledge and skills necessary to safely and responsibly care for infants and children up to the age of 10, as well as to manage a babysitting business.

This class usually costs $85, but with scholarship money available from the Red Cross, KFNA is able to offer the class for a $10 (non-refundable) registration fee; the class is open to a maximum of 16 participants. Space in the class will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis, and priority will be given to residents in the Kingfield neighborhood.

Registration will open on April 30. If you are interested please visit www.Kingfield.org or contact: Cheryl@Kingfield.org for a registration form.

A Kingfield Sunday tradition! Come stock up on local produce, meats, breads, cheeses, prepared foods, crafts, music, and then stock up on community info at the KFNA table. This week learn about some of the Walking Tours planned by KFNA to help neighbors discover the hidden treasures in their very own neighborhood!

Upcoming Kingfield Tours include the Little Free Library Tour (June 19) and the Garden Tour (July 10). Garden nomination forms can also be found at the table this week. August is a bit of a switcheroo as National Night Out is the KFNA Board’s chance to tour each and every block in the neighborhood and partake in all your parties—kind of a reverse tour!

Open Eye Theater and Driveway Tours present A Very Cool puppet show
"Tucker's Robot"
Friday, June 6th, 7:00 PM
4019 Blaisdell Avenue South

30 minutes of family fun! Bring a blanket or chairs to sit on. Pass-the-hat, free-will offering collected post show.

Open Streets Mpls is returning to Lyndale Avenue South for the fourth year! On Sunday, June 8, from 10:00am - 4:00pm, Lyndale Avenue South will be open to people from 22nd Street to 42nd Street. Neighborhood residents and business owners are encouraged to get involved. Please see information on the Open Streets website.

Thank you for your ongoing patience as we work to bring the best of options 1A and 4 into a playground design for you to review and finalize. The design team is energized by the additional comments they received through the most recent survey. The comments are enriching both the theming and the play value to produce a better playground equipment design. The goal is to finalize the design on June 25, 2014, then bring it and the overall concept for the playground area to the MPRB for approval in July. Construction is anticipated for the spring of 2015. There are several opportunities to get involved on and before June 25. Please see below:

June 9, 2014 – 6:00 -8:00 pm - Public Open House at Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Park (4055 Nicollet Avenue S). At this meeting, the design team will present the revised play equipment design. The play equipment design will not be finalized at this meeting, but there will be an opportunity to review and comment on it.

June 10 – 22, 2014 – The play equipment design will be at the park and posted on the project’s web page for individuals to review and comment.

June 12, 2014 – 10:00 am – 2:00 pm Sabathani Community Center (310 East 38th Street Minneapolis MN 55409). Design team members along with a Spanish interpreter will be at Sabathani to display the equipment design and collect comments.

June 17, 2014 – 10:00 am – 2:00 pm Sabathani Community Center (310 East 38th Street Minneapolis MN 55409). Design team members along with a Spanish interpreter will be at Sabathani to display the equipment design and collect comments.

June 22, 2014 – 10:00 am- 1:00 pm - Kingfield Farmer’s Market. Design team members will be at the farmer’s market to display the equipment design and collect comments.

June 22, 2014 – 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Play Date at the Park at Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Park Playground (4055 Nicollet Avenue S.) Design team members will be at the existing playground to display the equipment design and collect comments.

June 25, 2014 – 6:00 – 8:00 pm - Community Meeting at Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Park (4055 Nicollet Avenue S). The design team, play equipment manufacturer and community members will work together to identify any modifications and finalize the design for the play equipment based on the comments received from June 9-22.

Following approval from the MPRB, our goal will switch to making progress towards implementation and we ask that you stay highly involved in the process. We can’t wait to see everyone at the park enjoying this playground.

Learn more about the project and get involved! Please visit the project’s web page and sign up for updates or contact Jennifer Ringold at jringold@minneapolisparks.org or (612) 230-6464.

Eight C Hip Hop Dance
Tuesday, June 3rd 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
CFPA, 3754 Pleasant Ave. S.

Hip Hop Cardio Fusion: A high-energy class with very basic movement and taught at a beginner pace. Enjoy the benefits of building muscle memory and cardio endurance, all while having a great time and burning lots of calories. You'll even be a bit sore the next day from breaking it down! All dancers 13+ welcome. Single class: $10; Student Class: $8; Buy 3, get the 4th free class packages available. Get more details at www.eightcdance.com or follow us on Facebook. Email eightcdance.com with any questions.

Also:
Zumba with Darryl Sellers
Thursdays, 6:15 PM - 7:15 PM
CFPA, 3754 Pleasant Ave. S.

Ditch the workout and join the party this summer! Latin groove your way to fitness at Zumba classes with Darryl Sellers on Thursday nights 6:15-7:15 at the Center for Performing Arts, 3754 Pleasant Avenue South! Your first class is FREE!

Also:
Kingfield Adult Softball each and every Thursday.
Get outside. Play some softball. Go to Lowbrow for happy hour.
MLK Park, Field 3.
6:30 - Warm-up and stretch / 7:00 PM - Play ball! / 9:00 PM - The Lowbrow

Utility boxes sit on our street corners all over the city hiding the wires and triggers that make our phones, lights, and traffic signals work. Once you notice them, you begin to wonder how you ever avoided seeing the often battered and frequently graffitied metal canvases that grace our urban neighborhoods. The Kingfield Neighborhood Association recognized the untapped potential of these boxes and conceptualized and piloted a project in 2010 to wrap them with printed photographic images in an effort to reduce graffiti and beautify our community. Since then, the project has spread through other neighborhoods including downtown, and along the American Indian Cultural Corridor, as well as into other cities.

KFNA is seeking images from local photographers, professional and amateur, to complete the wrapping of the boxes in 2014 thanks to a matching grant from the City of Minneapolis, Solid Waste and Recycling. The completed project will result in the creation of a virtual outdoor gallery that improves the streetscape in the Kingfield neighborhood.

Kingfield is bordered by 36th Street and 46th Street south and 35W and Lyndale Avenue; priority will be given to images captured within this area, but any photo capturing the spirit of our Minneapolis also will be considered. Images (up to 3 per artist) will be accepted between June 2 and July 7. All Photographers of selected images must sign a VARA waiver allowing KFNA to modify their image to fit on a utility box, use the image for promotional purposes, and remove the image at the end of its life.

Full details on the project including the Call for Images, Submission Form, and the VARA waiver can be found on our website at kingfield.org/art-connecting-kingfield/ or you can contact Executive Director Sarah Linnes-Robinson at info@kingfield.org or 612.823.5980.