Kingfield Neighborhood Association

National Night Out; A statement from KFNA

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National Night Out (NNO) is an event that takes place every year on the first Tuesday in August. Minneapolis leads the nation for NNO participation, and Kingfield often leads the City for participation. According to the City website, holding an NNO gathering gives you and your neighbors:

  • A reason to have a social gathering with your neighbors
  • A chance to get to know each other
  • Time to build important relationships with our neighbors that keep your neighborhood safe

With its roots in “community policing”, NNO was conceived of as a way to also connect police to the community. In Kingfield, this has looked like individual blocks inviting police officers to stop by their NNO event if the block wanted to invite them. KFNA has independently supported NNO events (without connection to MPD) over the two decades. The value that this event brings to neighbors cannot be overlooked.

We believe NNO events in Kingfield create the sort of community-based safety we know is cultivated by neighbors knowing each other, knowing each others’ kids and dogs, and being connected on our blocks and throughout our neighborhood. In this spirit, National Night Out is a community-building and safety strategy that KFNA supports regardless of its historical involvement with the police.

So in the spirit of connecting with neighbors, and in the spirit of creating a community where all neighbors feel welcomed and safe, KFNA will be visiting all block parties that registered their block party for NNO at the  City of Minneapolis (we access a list of these directly from the city) AS WELL AS all blocks that want to instead register as a site for the National Night Out for Safety and Liberation AND provide you block party address directly to us by emailing .

KFNA will be visiting all registered parties with cookies provided by our amazing neighborhood partners Butter Bakery Café (thank you, Dan!)and Sun Street Breads  (thank you, Solveig!)

 

 

 

Minneapolis Water Restrictions Start Wednesday 7/21

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Minneapolis is now under a drought warning per the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Citywide water sprinkling restrictions go into effect Wednesday, July 21, until further notice.

The Mississippi River has reliably provided the City of Minneapolis with drinking water for over 150 years. Public Works is confident in its continued ability to produce sufficient quantities of high-quality water for Minneapolis residents. The restrictions outlined below are consistent with other metro cities and will help reduce demand on the Mississippi River during this ongoing drought. You can also find details on watering restrictions here.

water-restrictions

Know the Restrictions

  • Sprinkling lawns is NOT allowed from noon to 6 p.m. on any day.
  • On calendar days that are even numbers (examples: July 26 or Aug. 18), the even side of the street CAN sprinkle lawns outside of the noon to 6 p.m. time window. Examples: 1238 Oak St. or 2574 Cedar Ave.
  • On calendar days that are odd numbers (examples: July 27 or Aug. 19), the odd side of the street CAN sprinkle lawns. Examples: 1247 Maple St. or 2561 18th Ave.

Know the Exceptions

  • Bushes and flowers may be watered with a hand-held hose as needed.
  • Vegetable gardens and new sod (first two weeks from placement) may be watered on any day but not during the prohibited afternoon hours of noon to 6 p.m.
  • Trees may be watered with a dripping hose, bucket or tree watering bag as needed.

Other Tips for Using Water Responsibly

The City also encourages residents and business owners to follow other responsible water conservation practices whenever possible. Here are some suggestions:

  • Water during the coolest part of the day to avoid evaporation.
  • Water grass only when it needs it. Most lawns only need an inch of water a week.
  • Install low flow shower heads and faucet aerators.
  • Take shorter showers using low flow showerheads instead of baths.
  • Turn the faucet off while you shave or brush your teeth.
  • Load dishes into the dishwasher without rinsing them.
  • Run the dishwasher only when it’s fully loaded.
  • Fill the sink to wash dishes by hand instead of letting the water run.
  • Use a large pan to clean vegetables rather than letting the water run.
  • Only wash full loads of laundry.

Captivating Calm Garden Tour Wrap-Up!

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It was a beautiful evening for neighbors to gather in each other’s gardens. Thank you to our hosts and our organizing team which this year was comprised of Kingfield neighbors Julie, Laura, and Aimee! We couldn’t do this event without our steadfast volunteers!

If you attended a garden, as we know that hundreds of people did!, we ask that you consider making a donation to KFNA to support our work organizing projects like this that build community in our neighborhood. Suggested donation is $3 if you visited one garden and $10 + if you visited more than 1 site. Donations can be made via Venmo @kingfield_kfna or at this link through GiveMN.

If you are interested in being part of the leadership team next year please contact and KFNA will be in touch with you in the spring. You can also send a message if you are potentially interested in being a garden host location!

Curran’s Site (4201 Nicollet) Development Update

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To Our New Neighbors,

This is a notification to make you aware that we will be starting construction of the new 4201 Nicollet Avenue Apartment project on the corner of Nicollet and 42nd Ave (the old Curran’s Restaurant location). We are scheduled to start the week of June 7th with an estimated completion date in August/September of 2022. Below are some key milestone target dates for everyone to be aware of:

  1. Demo – week of June 28th.
  2. Earthwork and Earth Retention System – starting the week of July 26th*.
  3. Foundations – starting the week of August 30th*
  4. Precast garage – starting the week of November 1st*.
  5. Framing activities – starting the week of November 22nd*.

Please note that dates can fluctuate and are given as our best guess from the information we have to date. If you have any question or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me at the number indicated above during the duration of the construction process. Once we have selected a project superintendent, I will forward their information on as well as they will have boots on the ground daily.

Sincerely,

Troy McConachie, Sr. Project Manager, LS Black Constructors

/ C: 218-310-8635

 

 

 

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