January 2019 Neighborhood Night Recap

Every month the Folwell Neighborhood Night hosts Neighborhood Night where residents come together to share a meal, get to know each other, and organize around the topics they care about. To learn more about this program, click here.Below you will find the notes taken from the evening.FNA Neighborhood Night RecapLocation: Folwell ParkDate: January 21, 2019# of people: 10Board Members present: Buzzy Bohn, Stacey HendersonCommittee’s present: Crime and Safety, Youth, Green Team, Garden TeamSpecial Guests/Contact info:

• Brian Kelley, Young Builders and Designers: 612-839-5219, kelley01@visi.com
• Nancy Przymus, Bottineau Neighborhood Association: 612-801-7834

 Presentations:

• Young Builders and Designers came to share about their month long youth program for middle school students. Joining a building and design team includes 8 kids, 2 adults, 3 workshops and 1 competition. It is $400 per team. Each team meets once a week for a month focusing on a specific project that they design out of legos. The goal is to learn basic skills and language in architecture, designing and building.
• Bottineau Neighborhood Association to discuss Lowry Bridge Cancer & Asthma Public Health Prevalence Study . Presented the findings of the Air test results and asking for Folwell to join in the effort to demand the city/state extend the Air testing beyond 2021. The study reveals that chronic Health Ris Values, HRV’s for Formaldehyde exceed the limits for human health almost 100% of the time for the past 4 years around the lowry Formaldehyde exposures this high can cause leukemia and brain cancer. Short term health effects include skin, eye, nose and throat irritation. To learn more contact BNA at bna@bottienauneighborhood.org or 612-367-7262. Door Knocking training will be on Feb. 2 at 2pm at 1808 University Ave NE.

 Community Build Question/Activity:

• What inspires you about MLK?
• Reflecting on MLK day, we put up a poster for each team/committee and asked the question: “What is your dream for…” Residents spent the rest of evening adding words or comments. Those are captured below.
  • Housing
    • That landlords and tenants have better connections
    • That landlords should make sure that they run radon tests on all of their rental property.
  • Gardens
    • More gardens in our communities
    • More volunteers
    • More art
    • More music
    • More gatherings together
    • Feeding more people
  • Crime and Safety
    • That there will no longer be shots fired in North Minneapolis.
    • That the police could confiscate more weapons
    • That Police and Community could be more respectable and caring towards one another.
  • Green Team
    • That people would clean up behind themselves, be it their property or the streets.
    • That more residence would adopt trash containers on their block
    • Have them painted with art or a Clean slogan that inspires us

 Committee Reports:

• Crime and Safety
  • Chair: Buzzy Bohn buzzy@folwell.org
  • Topics/Discussion:
    • Focus on getting a 4th Precinct Inspector
    • How do we change the narrative and tell the positives of the neighborhood
    • Safe Streets clinic can be moved under this committee
  • Action Steps:
    • Signs like “Drive like your kids live here” around neighborhood
    • Safe Streets Action Clinic for the whole community

• Clean Team / Green Team
  • Chair: Kathleen Acaso clean@folwell.org
  • Topics/Discussion:
    • Spring Clean sweep week after Earth Day celebrated at Folwell Park
    • Change name to Green Team
    • Are residents interested in hiring a truck 1-2 a year to pick up uncollectibles? The general consensus was not very inspired by the idea.
    • Looking into the FNA sponsoring trash receptacle along Penn, and/or getting businesses to sponsor a trash receptacle on their corner. No decision was met, more research is needed.
  • Action Steps:
    • Dani to contact Christine about changing email and website to green team
    • Kathleen to send Dani clean schedule to be added to Folwell Calendar

• Youth Team
  • Chair: Stacey Henderson stacey@folwell.org
  • Topics/Discussion:
    • Creating a Health and Wellness program: Mentorship, Physical Fitness, Nutrition, Self-Esteem, Peaceful Mind Development. This program will be for 8-18 yr olds.
  • Action Steps:
    • Stacey to reach out to Pastor Chapman at Redeemer and hear about their programs.
    • Connect with Youth Link at Folwell Park to hear about their programing and how the FNA program works alongside it or with it
    • Create a Kick Off event

• Garden Team
  • Chair: Dani Tietjen danielle@folwell.org
  • Topics/Discussions: This didn’t happen this month. There will a garden event for painting signs in March. We will take time in Feb to discuss it and announce a date.

 Issues brought by Community:

• Mary - Is there a way to create a network of folks who would sit with residents when they are witnesses in court? It would be a huge help and comfort to have someone in the court just for you, the witness.

 One word Evaluation Activity:

• This activity didn’t happen. We closed out the evening in spirited conversation.