NRP Success Stories - Ward 3 - Some of the Success Stories from Ward 3

• Beltrami Park Improvements – NRP funds paid for major improvements to Beltrami Park.  Improvements included new playground equipment, a soccer field, and a ventilation system for the Beltrami Park building.

• Mississippi Eastside Neighborhood Development Corporation – Residents from the St. Anthony West, Sheridan, and Bottineau neighborhoods created the Mississippi Eastside Neighborhood Development Corporation (MEND) to ensure that future development benefits new and existing residents alike. 

• Eastside Neighborhood Services – Eastside Neighborhood Services (ESNS) has been an important part of Northeast Minneapolis since1915. Bottineau residents invested $200,000 of NRP funds to support the construction of a new $7.8 million Eastside Neighborhood House two blocks from its original home. The new facility, which opened for business in August 2001, allowed ESNS to: increase its childcare capacity from 70 to 105 children, provide much needed space for ESNS’s Menlo Park Alternative High School, provide better physical support for the multitude of senior services that ESNS offers, and house a food shelf for families in crisis, employment services, family intervention programs and a Minnesota Care program

• Hawthorne Homestead Program –Under this NRP supported initiative, 25 new homes were built for owner occupants in a neighborhood in which little new construction had previously occurred. 

• Farview Park Improvements– Farview is one of Minneapolis’ busiest parks.  NRP funds have been invested in sports programs, computers, lighting, air conditioning and added staffing at this popular gathering spot for kids. 

• Grants for Youth, Family and Elder Services –Hawthorne invested $300,000 of its NRP funds in more than two dozen grants to community organizations.  Hawthorne residents recognized the richness of their community – and realized that they couldn’t improve the neighborhood on their own. The grants range from $300 to $30,000 and fund initiatives sponsored by the Southeast Asian Community Council, the Northside Family Resource Center, the Minnesota Council on Crime and Justice and many others.  

• Southeast Seniors Program – Residents in the Marcy-Holmes, Southeast Como and Prospect Park neighborhoods invested $128,140 from Phase I and Phase II of NRP in the Southeast Seniors Living at Home Block Nurse Program. The program enables seniors in the three neighborhoods to continue living in their own homes rather than face moving into assisted-care facilities. Seniors participating in the program can access in-home nursing services, certified home health aides, homemaker assistance, and companionship from visiting volunteers. In addition, the program helps seniors with transportation, meals, and other chores.

• Marcy Holmes Historic Restoration Program – The Marcy-Holmes Historic Homes Restoration Program provided forgivable loans for exterior improvements to owners of residential properties in the Fifth Street Historic District. Fourteen properties benefited from this program and generated significant positive impact in the neighborhood. Improvements ranged from the removal of aluminum and asphalt siding, to front porch restorations, to the replacement of architectural details. Single-family homes, apartments, condominiums and rooming houses were assisted.

• Elwell Park –Elwell Park is tucked into a pocket of land that once was the site for a single family home at 7th Avenue and 6th Street SE. The neighborhood helped develop the concept for the rehabilitated park (i.e. an imaginary house). The new “house” features public art elements including “front and back porch” gathering spaces, a mosaic tiled “sofa bench” and a bridge whose railings resemble the head and foot boards of a bed. The public artwork also includes a whimsical metal fence at the entrance and a new mosaic tile shell for the park’s beloved concrete turtle.

• Student Liaison –The Marcy-Holmes Neighborhood Association used NRP funds to hire it’s first-ever student liaison in 2004.  In a neighborhood dominated by rental properties and university students, there’s bound to be some tension between students and long-term residents.  The liaison reviewed police reports on noisy parties, met with students to hear concerns and provide information on responsible neighborhood living and made referrals to the Restorative Justice Program. 

• Cityview School – Residents of the McKinley Community were involved in every level of the school’s development, including site selection, orientation, building specifications, design, and programming. The Cityview school project has had a positive impact on the neighborhood and created a solid sense of community and collective ownership. Perkins Hill Park was preserved and connected to the school grounds and Cityview has become an anchor for the neighborhood, fostering redevelopment of the entire area.

• Storefront Matching Grant Program – The Nicollet Island East Bank neighborhood established the St. Anthony Heritage Storefront Improvement Fund using $155,748 in NRP funds.  Improvements were made to more than twenty businesses. The funds acted as seed money and the resulting improvements encouraged other development.  The commercial area has improved dramatically.

• Street Pavers on Nicollet Island – The Nicollet Island East Bank neighborhood invested $62,000 of their NRP funds for the installation of street pavers on the island.  The neighborhood investment supplemented Park Board funds used to reconstruct the streets of the island.

• Northeast Housing Resource Center –The Northeast Housing Resource Center, located just south of Sheridan at Catholic Eldercare, helps Sheridan residents with their home improvement needs.  The neighborhood is providing more than $750,000 to help owners improve their Sheridan properties.

• Community Building Initiatives –The Sheridan Neighborhood Organization hosts community building events such as the SNO Ball (a winter evening of entertainment and social connections) and the SNO Big Deal (an annual picnic).  Information on community events and programs is provided in the neighborhood newsletter, aptly named “SNO News is Good News”.

• Pierre Bottineau Library – What began as a modest NRP investment from St. Anthony West in library computers at the old undersized Bottineau library has grown into the newest community library in Minneapolis.  Sheridan and St. Anthony West residents invested over $120,000 of their NRP funds, and countless volunteer hours, to support the construction of the new 1,200 sq. ft. library.  The new library combines the best of the old (the 1893 Wagon Shed and the 1913 Millwright Shop of the old Gluek Brewery) with a new addition that maintains the same look and feel as the historic original buildings.  The neighborhood history collection, a youth tech zone, a conference room for book clubs and meetings, and teen-friendly areas are just a few of the assets of this new and old community landmark.

• Community Health Program – The neighborhood contracted with Hennepin County Community Health Department to administer a Community Health Program through the Northeast Senior Citizen Resource Center. The focus is on providing preventive services to seniors, lower income residents and young people.

• Home Improvement Program – Residents in the St. Anthony East neighborhood invested NRP funds in a home improvement program that improved the exterior and interior quality of the housing stock.  The focus is on addressing code compliance issues, improving handicap accessibility, reducing maintenance needs and minimizing energy costs. 

• STAWNO Housing Programs – The neighborhood’s NRP housing programs have touched nearly 25% of all housing units in St. Anthony West. Substandard structures have been rehabilitated and sold to new residents and residents have used NRP low-interest loans to improve their current homes. The Housing Resource Center administers the program for St. Anthony West.

• Cops on Bikes – The Northeast Cops on Bikes program was started by St. Anthony West.   Residents identify neighborhood “hot spots,” and police on bicycles get to know residents while working to address neighborhood-identified problems.