Kingfield Neighborhood Association

National Day of Racial Healing webinar on Jan. 18

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This year, the City of St. Paul, City of Minneapolis, City of Brooklyn Park, Ramsey County, and Hennepin County are partnering to bring a community cross government event to recognize the National Day of Racial Healing. Racism impacts all of us and we believe we need to create more safe spaces for our collective healing. This community event is intended to bring people together and strengthen relationships between local governments and community members.

We will discuss the racial equity work happening in our local governments and share resources for racial healing. There will be time for questions and answers as well as guided mediations.

Please register before joining.

Interested in Being part of a Grassroots Sponsor circle for Afghan Refugees?

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Come to the virtual meeting on Monday December 13 at 7pm on Zoom.  Register for more details.  Interested but can’t make it? Sign up anyways so you will be on the list as more information rolls out!
These groups are being organized by Solomon’s Porch, 100 West 46th Street, in cooperation with Sponsor Circles. 
 
In September of 2021 after a US withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan the Taliban retook full control of the country forcing many Afghan peoples to flee. Thousands of Afghan refugees were evacuated out by US armed forces but many more were left to flee across borders causing a new wave of refugees seeking safety in neighboring or far off countries.

Here in the US,  thousands and thousands of Afghan refugees have been flown into military bases across the country awaiting resettlement. They are tired, grieving, traumatized. As states struggle to resettle these refugees many are ill prepared after years of almost no refugee resettlement. The agencies that usually did this work have been gutted by the financial cuts and are overwhelmed at their diminished capacities. In response, the federal government launched two new initiatives in an effort to have all Afghan refugees off of military bases by February of 2022. These initiatives include utilizing local non-profits through state coordination to help resettle and a community Sponsor Circles initiative. [Read more…]

Community & Developer Conversation About the Development of 3030 Nicollet (former Wells Fargo site)

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Hosted by the Lyndale Housing Committee and open for all interested neighbors.

Monday December 6, 7-8 PM,

on Zoom (Contact to get a link)

Please join us for a conversation about 3030 Nicollet, a proposed development by Project for Pride in Living at the site of the former Wells Fargo that includes 110 units of affordable housing over a rebuilt Wells Fargo branch bank and commercial condos. At this meeting we will share information about several items, including:

  • The proposed site, pocket park and exterior design

  • The shared parking lot entrance on Nicollet used by the former Wells Fargo and the businesses at One West Lake (the blue 4-story building at the SW corner of Lake and Nicollet)

  • The vision for 31st Street between Nicollet to Blaisdell

  • Commercial condo RFP targeted at local BIPOC-owned businesses

  • PPL Community Room and potential community uses

  • Sustainability features

  • Project funding and timeline

  • Any questions you have

Questions should be directed to ">Project Manager Faith Cabel Kumon.

Lake & Nicollet Community Engagement Recap, Session #2

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The second session for the Lake and Nicollet redevelopment area focused on the American Dream. In this virtual meeting participants were encouraged to share their thoughts on the following questions related to the American Dream: What is it? Has this dream changed? Where do people get these thoughts? Certain themes emerged such as: it isn’t something that can be reached, it’s mythological/aspirational, etc. Others noted that the dream is real but isn’t achievable for all. Some participants shared how it can relate to contrasting/disparate ideas: individual vs. collective, freedom vs. oppression, privatization of the dream.
 
The discussion ultimately revolved around what is “the good life”? The meeting wrapped up with everyone sharing one measurable outcome/change that they would like to see in the next 10 years in this neighborhood. A few highlights of these were: higher quality education, more security, greenspace/public space for community gathering and collaboration, business development and incubations, wealth creation, etc.
 
For those interested in listening, learning and supporting this effort I welcome you to join me at future meetings (the next two sessions will be in person!)
Thanks,
Joanne Chappellaz,
KFNA Redevelopment Committee Liaison

Wells Fargo Community Engagement Report

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“It was a privilege to participate in this first session for the Nicollet and Lake redevelopment area. We got to hear brief introductions from the stakeholders who are guiding this process: Project for Pride in Living, Cultural Wellness Center and Wells Fargo. It was brought up that how we build is as important as what we build, thus the focus on community engagement and centering the community voice.
 
This first session focused on the history of Lake Street extending both directions from Nicollet Ave. Through imagery and stories we learned about this neighborhood through the decades from the late 1800’s to today. We got to see how the area evolved through the years with the introduction of cars, the move of businesses to the suburbs and the hard truths of erosion of community, redlining, the construction of 35W as well as the renewed focus on culture with the development of the Midtown Global Market. We also learned of inspiring community members who lived in the neighborhood at different times: Lena Olive Smith (Minnesota’s first female African American lawyer), Wayne Glanton (pioneering carpenter and construction entrepreneur) and Willie Mays (who played for the Minneapolis Millers before joining the New York Giants). 
 
For those interested in listening, learning and supporting this effort I welcome you to join me at future meetings.”
Joanne Chappellaz, Kingfield Neighbor and Member of the KFNA Redevelopment Committee