The Fulton Farmers Market kicks off its second year on Saturday, May 19.  Join us from

8:30 a.m. -1:00 p.m. on the corner of 49^th & Chowen for food and fun.

New this year- The Fulton Book Swap!  Every week you are invited to take a book and leave a book.
To get the book swap started, we need your books – both children’s and adult books.
Please feel free to drop your books off at the home of Isabel Gottlieb at 4905 Abbott Avenue.

See you at the Farmer’s Market!

Whether you’re planning a new landscaping project or just a pot of color for the front steps, we have the plants for you.  Please visit our sale location at the corner of 51st & Ewing and make your selections.  Your support will help reforest Fulton neighborhood. 

The Fulton Plant Sale, June 1-3, wouldn’t be possible without your help. 

Here’s how you can contribute:

Donate your plants.  Most perennials, including hosta, benefit from being divided every few years and will appreciate the extra room.  For more information about dividing your plants, visit http://bit.ly/divideplants

Please consider volunteering your time.  Two-hour shifts are available starting at 7:00 a.m. on Friday, 10:00 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.  The last shift starts at 5:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 2:00 p.m. on Sunday.  It’s easy, it’s fun, and it’s a great way to meet new people from around the neighborhood, the Twin Cities, the state and the country.  Plant knowledge is helpful, but not necessary.  Hennepin County Master Gardeners will be on hand to answer questions.

To schedule your volunteer time, donate plants or for more information, contact Mary at 612-922-1591 or environment@fultonneighborhood.org.

Fulton Safety committee report:  May, 2012

(Submitted by Dave Delvoye)

Fulton neighborhood crime reports

 April 12  At about 1:40 a.m., officers saw a male walking on the sidewalk near 52^nd & Penn carrying a scooter.  Officers noted that there have been a number of garage burglaries and thefts from motor vehicles in this area.  21-year-old Adam Lloyd Tymeson of 6037 Penn Ave South was arrested for a misdemeanor warrant for carrying prohibited weapons.  Tymeson has prior convictions in Minnesota for possession/sale of a small amount of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

April 15  At about 3 a.m., officers came across a male on the 4900 block of Upton who appeared to be intoxicated.  18-year-old Dylan Michael Claggett of 3351 Dupont Ave South was arrested for a misdemeanor warrant for loitering with intent to buy or sell narcotics and possession of drug paraphernalia.

April 21  At about 12:50 a.m., police attempted to stop a vehicle which was traveling erratically.  The vehicle fled from police, then stopped abruptly.  Two people got out and fled on foot.  Officers found the driver a short time later at 53^rd & Upton.  21-year-old Peter Randall Brinkhaus of 5341 3^rd Ave South was arrested for driving while intoxicated, possession of marijuana in a motor vehicle, possession of drug paraphernalia, and open bottle in a motor vehicle.

April 25  At about noon, police were dispatched to a theft from person at 50^th & Xerxes.  The victim told police that a suspect attempted to take her cell phone out of her hand.  The victim stated that the suspect fled from the area after she screamed.  Squads checked the area but did not find the suspect.

April 27  Police responded to what appeared to be a burglary at a home on the 4900 block of Drew which occurred between 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.  Police developed information about a possible suspect.

April 30  Between April 30 and May 4, an unknown suspect attempted to enter a garage on the 4900 block of Zenith through a window on the wall facing the alley.  The window was pushed in and the pane was cracked, but steel bars bolted to the window frame prevented entry.

 Other crime reports: Linden Hills, Armatage, Kenny, Lynnhurst

 Forced entry property crimes

 April 11  Between 5 p.m. and 6:50 a.m., an unknown suspect forced entry to a home on the 4900 block of Emerson in Lynnhurst and took unlisted item(s).

April 21  Between April 21 and 24, an unknown suspect broke into a vehicle which was parked in the driveway of a home on the 4400 block of Zenith in Linden Hills and took change.

April 26  Between 9 p.m. and 8 a.m., an unknown suspect entered a vehicle which was parked on the street on the 4200 block of Ewing in Linden Hills and rummaged through it.

April 27  At about 11:10 p.m., a suspect kicked in the front door of an occupied home on the 5800 block of Vincent in Armatage.  The suspect entered the home and then left.

 Other incidents

 April 14  Between 9 and 10 p.m., a resident noticed a vehicle parked on the street in front of a home on the 4500 block of Vincent in Linden Hills.  At about 10 p.m., the resident heard fireworks exploding and saw three males standing on the sidewalk just south of the home.  The resident told the males to leave, which they did.  At about 10:30 p.m., the males returned and threw between five and seven eggs at the house.  The resident’s surveillance camera may have recorded the suspects’ activities.

April 19  At about 6:30 p.m., police were dispatched regarding a suspected intoxicated person at 59^th & Emerson in Kenny.  This was the second call regarding this person within 90 minutes.  Officers found the suspect, who was intoxicated, uncooperative, and had an open bottle of vodka in a clear plastic bag.  46-year-old David Gene Hunnicutt, who listed the Salvation Army Harbor Light shelter at 1010 Currie Ave as his address, was arrested for open bottle. 

April 23  At about 6:40 p.m., police cited 20-year-old Jaime Frederick Dudovitz of 3942 York Ave South for possession of drug paraphernalia and petty misdemeanor possession of a small amount of marijuana at 41^st & Upton in Linden Hills.

April 27  At about 10:35 a.m., police were dispatched regarding a suspicious occupied vehicle parked behind an apartment building on the 4400 block of Beard in Linden Hills.  Officers found the vehicle with two occupants asleep inside.  Officers arrested 27-year-old Albert George Cox of New Hope for a misdemeanor warrant out of Edina for driving an uninsured vehicle and two misdemeanor warrants out of Minnetonka for theft.  Officers arrested 27-year-old Kelsey Marie Burton of Maple Grove for a felony warrant out of Bloomington for financial transaction card fraud.  Officers found drug paraphernalia in the trunk of the vehicle and in the female suspect’s purse.  Cox has prior convictions in Hennepin and Ramsey Counties for releasing a harmful substance with intent to injure/coerce/molest, theft (5), theft from person, 5^th degree assault, and a number of traffic, driver’s license, and vehicle insurance offenses.  Burton has prior convictions in Minnesota for underage consumption of alcohol, possession of drug paraphernalia (2), and theft by swindle.

May 2  At about 8:40 a.m., a male exposed himself to a victim while standing in the driveway of a home on the 4600 block of Drew in Linden Hills.  The suspect had his sweatpants down around his ankles.  The suspect went westbound on 47^th St and was gone when police arrived.

May 3  At about 12:25 p.m., an officer saw a male standing in a grassy area posted for No Trespassing near the westbound off-ramp of Crosstown Highway 62 and Xerxes Ave.  36-year-old Mark David Nielson of Faribault was cited for trespassing.

May 6  At about 6 p.m., a pop bottle which had been placed by an unknown suspect at the front door of a home on the 4600 block of Emerson in Lynnhurst exploded.  Police stated that the bottle contained some sort of chemically activated explosive device.  The Bomb unit responded to the incident.

 The Fulton Safety Committee will meet on Tuesday, May 29, at 7 p.m.

Minutes of April 11, 2012

FNA Board Meeting

Board Members Present:  Jeff Alden, Jeremy Abbs,  Ellen Berner, John Finlayson, Steve Haslach, Jane Kohnen, Brad Orschel, Lynn Steele,  Jim Tincher and Steve Young

 Guests:   Ruth Olson, Dave Delvoye, Stacy Sorenson and Betsy Hodges

 Meeting called to order at 7:05pm.

 Minutes:  Minutes from the March 14, 2012 FNA meeting were reviewed.  John moved to approve the Minutes as presented; Steve seconded the motion.  Motion carried by unanimous vote.

 Treasurer’s Report:  Jim has pursued the previously discussed plan to reallocate Friends of Fulton funds among three CD’s and a savings account.  The new CD’s will renew each year in April and October.  The third CD (plant sale proceeds) will continue to renew in July and $15,000 will remain in cash in the bank. 

 NCR Report:  Stacy Sorenson, Neighborhood Specialist with the Neighborhood Community Relations (NCR) Department, provided an update on the Community Participation Program (CPP).  Neighborhoods will continue to receive funding, albeit not as much as under NRP, through 2013.  Guidelines for the second phase of the CPP have just been approved and submissions for funding will be accepted starting April 16, 2012.  There will be two parts to a submission:  the day-to-day community engagement activities and longer term Neighborhood Priority Plans (NPP); these do not need to be submitted at the same time.  Ruth will start working on the first part of the submission and have a draft ready for the May NRP Committee and full Board meeting.  More planning will need to go into the NPP and it will be submitted at a later date.

 Council Member’s Report:  Council Member Hodges provided an update on several City related topics:

• It is the intention of the City to fund neighborhoods beyond 2013 although the plan is not, yet, in place.
• Street sweeping began on 4/10/2012.
• They City recycling program has been expanded to include more paper and plastic options.  They are looking at single or dual sort options for the future.  Organics recycling (currently being piloted in Seward and Linden Hills) is very expensive, but they will continue to try to see if the program can be expanded.

 Pershing Park Director’s Report:  In Nikki Friederich’s  absence,   Ruth reported on current Park issues:

• Pershing Park is in need of volunteer softball and baseball coaches for the spring season.
• The field renovation contractor will be coming back by the end of the month to start watering, fertilizing, re-seeding, etc.  The snow fencing will remain in place until the beginning of August to give the fields a chance to develop.
• The Linden Hills tennis courts are being renovated.  Pre-planning meetings will be held on April 12^th and April 24^th at Linden Hills Park.

 Coordinator’s Update:  Ruth Olson reported on several items:

• The 2011 Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board Annual Report was circulated.
• The neighborhood sign on 50^th and Washburn has finally been repaired and informational posters have been put up.
• Ruth has completed updating the Business Directory on the website.  She will generate a one-page document listing all businesses that can go in the Welcome Packet and be used for advertising, etc.
• There are some historical Fulton School PTA documents available on E-Bay.
• Linden Hills neighborhood has asked if FNA is interested in sharing the cost of banners for the Silent Auction.  FNA will not pursue this as our auction is quite a bit smaller and may be held in conjunction with the Farmer’s Market in a paved lot.

 Committee Reports:

• Safety:  Dave Delvoye reported that the Burglary Prevention Workshop on 3/27 was well attended and had great information about property crimes and how they are processed.  There has been increased criminal activity seen in the neighborhood over the past month.  The police are seeing patterns develop and have been patrolling the neighborhood more often.
• Festival:  Steve asked for a new Chair or Co-Chair for the Fulton Fall Festival.  The major things (stage, band, etc.) have already been booked.
• Zoning:  Ellen Berner reported a tear down on 51^st and Upton has started.  The BLEND awards are also looking for new volunteers to keep the program going.  Ruth will highlight this in the May FNN.  Other zoning related issues include parking difficulty around the new daycare on 51^st & France, the LED lights at Holiday and a liquor license request for Bread and Pickle at Lake Harriet.
• Arts:  Lynn Steele is pursuing a City program to “wrap” utility boxes with artistic designs and will attend an informational meeting on 4/16.  There are about a dozen boxes in Fulton and we could choose which specific ones to wrap.  The ballpark estimate is $250 per box.  Some discussion was had about asking businesses to help cover the cost.  Ruth will ask Kingfield neighborhood (who has already done this project) if the wraps hold up well to graffiti and how long they last.

 Old Business:  There is still one opening on the FNA Board.  There will be a Board social gathering immediately following the May 9^th FNA meeting.

New Business:  none

 Meeting Adjourned at 8:30 pm.            

Minutes prepared by Ruth Olson, Neighborhood Coordinator

Approved by FNA Board:  _______________________

Signed: _____________________________________

                       Jeff Alden, Secretary

Notes from the Fulton NRP meeting of April 4, 2012

Present

John Finlayson, Jim Tincher, Ruth Olson, Dave Delvoye

 Minutes

The committee approved the minutes of the 3/7/12 meeting.

Fulton Neighborhood News

Ruth will send the e-newsletter this week and will begin work on the next issue of FNN – which will include an appeal for volunteer(s) to handle ad sales – in mid-April. Some neighborhood organizations contract with a person to sell advertising, offering a commission of 20% of the proceeds. This might be an approach for FNA to consider if no volunteer(s) come forward.

Farmers Market

The Fulton Farmers Market opens on Saturday, 5/19.

Safety committee

The 5th Precinct’s presentation on 911 calls and burglary prevention and investigation at the committee’s 3/27 meeting was successful: 35 to 40 people attended. Thanks to CPS Amy Lavender, CPS Chelsea Adams and

Lt. Lee Edwards of MPD.

50th Street streetscape

The FNA sign at 50th & Washburn has been repaired. Ruth is updating the neighborhood business directory, which is badly out of date. The document will be included in the new welcome packets and would be useful for the person(s) who will solicit ads for FNN.

Community Engagement

The group planning the annual plant sale fundraiser recently met to organize this year’s project.

 Welcome packets

The welcome packets are now on a schedule to be updated and produced quarterly.

 Minnehaha Creek pathway

The committee discussed a suggestion to ask the Park Board to install pathways along Minnehaha Creek in the neighborhood. The idea initially came up at the 3/14 FNA Board meeting. The committee’s advice included: contact Park Board staff about the idea; determine the potential location of the pathways; consider working with Lynnhurst Neighborhood Association to identify and address any gaps in the pathway system to the east of Fulton; consider running the project through FNA’s Environment committee; and make sure that the process, if it goes forward, is open, transparent, and well publicized so that all community members have an opportunity to participate. Ruth will research and compile information about FNA’s past partnerships and projects with the Park Board.

 Neighborhood and Commuity Relations department update

The City Council has approved revised Community Participation Program guidelines and funding allocations for 2012 – 2013. FNA will receive an increase in funding, which represents a portion of the NRP Phase 2 dollars which were lost due to City budget decisions for 2011.

Join the Southwest Community Education Advisory Council and students from Southwest High School for informative environmental workshops along with a one-morning effort to help clean up around the community.  We will meet at Southwest at 8:30 a.m. Sat., April 21, for juice, coffee, and rolls. Workshops will run from 9-10:30 a.m. followed by the clean-up from 10:45 a.m. to noon. We’ll be cleaning around the school and also the shoreline along Minnehaha Creek, Lake Harriet, and Lake Calhoun (bus transportation will be provided to and from the school). We’ll be providing a gourmet picnic lunch for everyone back at school (it’s a good idea to share bread with friends & neighbors!). For more information, call 612-668-3100 or email tom.neiman@mpls.k12.mn.us.

Fulton Safety committee report:  April, 2012

(Submitted by Dave Delvoye)

Fulton neighborhood crime reports

March 18  Between March 18 and April 4, an unknown suspect entered an unlocked home on the 4900 block of Zenith and took medication and a checkbook from a bedroom.

March 24  At about 9:10 p.m., an unknown suspect pried the back door of Perspectives Vision Clinic, 3102 West 50^th St.  It appears that no entry was made to the business.

March 24  At about 9:30 p.m., an unknown suspect pried the door to a vacant business suite at 3100 West 50^th St.  No entry was made.  This space is next to Perspectives Vision Clinic – see the report above.

March 25  At about 12:15 a.m., police cited 23-year-old Jonathan Daniel Ryan (no address given) for tampering with a motor vehicle at an address on the 5200 block of Vincent.  A 17-year-old female was also cited for tampering with a motor vehicle and curfew violation.

March 27  At about 9:55 p.m., officers stopped a male for jaywalking on 50^th Street near France Ave.  Officers smelled a strong odor of marijuana coming from the male.  Officers found the male to be in possession of narcotics.  25-year-old Kyle Patrick Bell of 3010 20^th Ave South was arrested for a felony narcotics violation.  Bell has prior convictions in Freeborn County for carrying a pistol without a permit and criminal damage to property.

April 4  Between 6 p.m. April 4 and noon April 5, unknown suspect(s) cut a chain and stole four bikes from the back yard of a home on the 5300 block of Chowen.  Six bikes had been locked to a bike rack.

April 5  At about 2:05 a.m., officers responded to a report of several males checking the doors of vehicles and arrested four suspects on the 5200 block of Ewing.  21-year-old Simon Grant Meyer of 5416 Columbus Ave, 20-year-old Dylan Selby Benkenstein of 4508 Vincent Ave South, and 20-year-old William James Peterson of 4033 Chowen Ave South were arrested for lurking with intent to commit a crime and fleeing police on foot.  20-year-old John Alexander Stavrou of 5063 Nicollet Ave was arrested for consumption of liquor by a minor, loitering with intent, fleeing police on foot, and felony possession of burglary tools.  Two bikes were recovered.  Meyer has been arrested in Minneapolis 3 times in the past five months and has prior convictions in Hennepin County for domestic assault (2), driving while intoxicated (2), theft, and felony theft of a firearm.

April 7  At about 4:30 a.m., officers responded to a burglary of an occupied home on the 4800 block of Thomas.

 Other crime reports: Linden Hills, Armatage, Kenny, Lynnhurst

Forced entry property crimes

March 12  Between 1:20 and 3:55 p.m., an unknown suspect broke out the passenger side window of a vehicle which was parked at West 42^nd St & West Lake Harriet Parkway in Linden Hills.  No loss was reported.

March 13  At about 1:50 a.m., officers responded to a report of two male suspects going through cars on the 3900 block of Drew in Linden Hills.  A witness pointed out the victim’s vehicle to officers: a Bluetooth, cell phone charger, and vehicle owner’s manual were taken.  Police brought in a K-9 unit and checked the area.  The suspects fled through the Minikahda Golf Course.

March 14  Between 9 a.m. March 14 and 1:10 a.m. March 15, an unknown suspect entered a vehicle and a garage at a home on the 5700 block of Upton in Armatage.  No loss was reported.

March 14  Between 9 p.m. and 9 a.m., an unknown suspect entered a vehicle which was parked at an address on the 5000 block of Logan in Lynnhurst and took a wallet and sunglasses.

March 17  Between 1:00 and 10:55 p.m., an unknown suspect kicked in the back door of a residence on the 5800 block of Penn in Armatage and took a digital converter and DVD player.

March 27  Between 6:15 and 11 p.m., a home on the 4100 block of Drew in Linden Hills was burglarized.

April 2  At about 10:30 p.m., officers responded to a burglary at a home on the 4500 block of Upton in Linden Hills.  An unknown suspect had cut a screen and broken a window on the front of the house.  Nothing inside the home was disturbed or taken.

April 5  Between 8 p.m. and 9 a.m., an unknown suspect stole a vehicle which was parked in a driveway in front of a home on the 4600 block of Upton in Linden Hills.

Unsecured property

March 12  Between 7 p.m. and 8:20 a.m., unknown suspect(s) entered an unlocked vehicle which was parked in front of a home on the 4200 block of Chowen in Linden Hills and used a garage door opener to gain access to the garage.  Three bikes were stolen from the garage.

March 25  Between 1 and 8 p.m., an unknown suspect entered an unlocked vehicle in the parking lot near 44^th & Upton behind Great Harvest Bread, rummaged through it, and took change and a GPS unit and charger.

April 1  Between 12:30 and 7:30 a.m., an unknown suspect entered a garage on the 5200 block of Girard in Lynnhurst through an open overhead door and took a bike.

Other incidents

March 22  At about 11:50 p.m., officers stopped a vehicle which had no tail lights at 55^th & Upton in Armatage.  18-year-old Brett Erin Beilke of St Louis Park was cited for a traffic violation and possession of drug paraphernalia.

March 23  At about 9:50 a.m., police cited 49-year-old Mariano DeLeon of 5320 Zenith Ave for removing solid waste without permission at an address on the 6000 block of Vincent Ave in Armatage.

March 23  At about 5:45 p.m., police saw a person holding a sign requesting money on the westbound exit ramp at Crosstown Highway 62 & Xerxes Ave.  The area is posted for No Trespassing.  51-year-old Kevin Charles Smith of 5633 Chicago Ave was cited for trespassing.  Smith has prior convictions in Hennepin County for 4^th degree criminal sexual conduct, driving while intoxicated, theft, disorderly conduct, and trespassing (2).

March 24  At about 9:20 a.m., a suspect exposed himself to a victim at an address on the 6100 block of Sheridan in Armatage.

March 25  At about 12:05 a.m., officers responding to complaints about kid trouble found three males sitting on the roof of a garage behind a home on the 5400 block of Girard in Kenny.  The males were from the area but did not live on this block.  A 16-year-old male and two 15-year-old males were cited for curfew violation and released to parents/guardians.

March 25  At about 11:30 a.m., police responded to a complaint about persons taking items from garbage containers and going into garages and yards on the 5700 block of Xerxes in Armatage.  Officers cited 30-year-old Earl Junior Gunn, 31-year-old David Ray Mitchell, and 25-year-old Mya Maria Vezina, who are all residents of Brooklyn Park, for removing solid waste without permission.

April 1  At about 11:30 p.m., police at West 50^th St and West Minnehaha Parkway in Lynnhurst found five people in the park after hours.  A 17-year-old male, a 16-year-old male, and three 17-year-old females were cited for curfew violation.

April 4  At about 11:20 p.m., officers responded to a 911 call at Lynnhurst Field, 49^th & Humboldt.  Officers saw a group of males by the tennis courts.  Several of the males fled on foot or bike.  Four adults were stopped, identified, and sent from the area.  A 16-year-old male and a 17-year-old male were cited for curfew violation and transported home.

Minutes of March 14, 2012

FNA Board Meeting

Board Members Present: Jeff Alden, Jeremy Abbs, John Finlayson, Steve Haslach, Jane Kohnen, Brad Orschel, Lynn Steele, Jim Tincher and Steve Young

Guests: Ruth Olson, Dave Delvoye, Nikki Friederich and Erica Schulte

Meeting called to order at 7:05pm.

Minutes: Minutes from the February 8, 2012 FNA meeting were reviewed. John moved to approve the Minutes as presented; Steve seconded the motion. Motion carried by unanimous vote.

Treasurer’s Report: Jim presented a strategy to reconfigure the three Friends of Fulton CD’s. He proposed to change the two CD’s that currently renew every 30 days to one-year CD’s; one will renew in June and the other in December. The third CD, which contains proceeds from Plant sales, will continue to renew on an annual basis in July. Proceeds from 2011 still need to be added to this CD, along with 2012 proceeds that will be available in June. Jim also recommends transferring additional money from the regular Friends of Fulton bank account to the two undesignated CD’s so that they both have a balance of roughly $15,000 each. Jeff moved to appropriate Friends of Fulton funds as recommended by Jim; John seconded the motion. Motion carried by unanimous vote.

Housing Report: Erica Schulte from Center for Energy and Environment (CEE) presented an overview of the existing Housing Loan Programs in Fulton. The programs have not been well utilized over the past two years and she attributes that to the fact that all the programs are energy based, the income limit and that CEE has been offering better programs made available by federal stimulus funds. However, she pointed out that just because homeowners aren’t utilizing the Fulton programs, they are utilizing CEE programs and work is being done in the neighborhood. Discussion was held as to how to make the Fulton programs more attractive to homeowners. Jim moved to re-write the terms of the Energy Revolving Loan Program to reduce the interest rate to 4%, increase the income limit to 150% of the Area Median Income (AMI) and to open up the funds to all exterior and interior projects; John seconded the motion. Motion carried by unanimous vote. The Energy Efficiency Deferred Loan Program will stay the same and the two other programs, which have not been accessed by borrowers (Emergency Deferred and Interest Subsidy Programs), will remain unchanged for now but may be revisited in the future as an additional source of funds Agreement was made to review the Loan Programs again after the revolving loan program has had a reasonable chance to operate under the new guidelines. Ruth will send an e-mail to Erica to that effect and she will be able to immediately apply the changes.

Council Member’s Report: No report was received from Council Member Hodges.

Pershing Park Director’s Report: Nikki Friederich reported on several upcoming Park Programs:

• Earth Day Clean-Up will be done in collaboration with Southwest Community Ed on 4/21/2012. Nikki will check into the possibility of adding in a toxic waste disposal option.

• The field renovation project has gone well, but it is important to keep people off the fields for the whole summer. Currently, a lot of people are cutting across the field rather than walking around. Nikki will look into temporary fencing and signs to re-direct foot traffic.

• Spring Sports registration has begun.

• There will be a Pajama Bunny Hop for younger kids on 3/30 at Lynnhurst Park.

• The Spring Fling Egg Hunt will be held at Linden Hills Park on April 7.

• A Dodgeball tournament will be held at Armatage Park on 5/5.

• Upcoming events at Pershing Park will include and Ice Cream Social in June and a Carnival in July.

Coordinator’s Update: Ruth Olson reported on several items:

• The sign has been repaired and has a new locking system. Ruth has bought new locks and will get a sign in there soon.

• FNA received a letter from the Restorative Justice Project which included an apology from a young man for a nuisance crime committed in the neighborhood.

• The new Community Participation Guidelines are in the final stages of City approval and should be made available to neighborhoods within the next few weeks.

• Ruth will invite the new Neighborhood and Community Relations Specialist for Fulton neighborhood, Stacy Sorenson, to attend the April FNA meeting.

Fulton Neighborhood News (FNN) Update: Ruth presented research regarding the publication schedule and advertising rates for newsletters in other Southwest neighborhoods. Discussion was held regarding FNA’s possible inclusion of advertisers in the bi-monthly FNN. If this option is pursued, delivery of the FNN needs to be expanded to all businesses in the surrounding business nodes- 50th & France, 50th & Xerxes, 50th & Penn and 54th & Penn. Jeff moved to try to sell ads in the FNN; John seconded the motion. Motion carried by unanimous vote. Ruth will put notices in the next E-news and FNN to recruit a volunteer(s) to sell ads.

Long Range FNA Funding Update: John asked for any feedback regarding the discussion of long-range funding held at the February meeting. Jim would like to investigate the possibility of working with the Park Board to add a walking/biking path for the part of Minnehaha creek that flows through Fulton neighborhood. Further discussion of this topic will continue at the April FNA NRP Committee meeting.

Committee Reports:

• Streetscape/Traffic: Steve Young reported that a meeting was held with Amy Lavender and the businesses at 50th & Penn. Safety measures, security options and behavior were discussed in response to a recent robbery. Steve also presented information regarding streetscape funding available from FNA. The businesses in this node are interested in joining NEHBA. They are concerned about the effect of the anticipated Penn Avenue reconstruction in 2013/2014.

• Safety: Dave Delvoye announced a Burglary Prevention Workshop to be held on 3/27 at 7 p.m. at Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd.

Old Business: Steve continues to remain in contact with the City of Minneapolis regarding the bright lights on the Holiday Station sign. One of the “bands” of light has been turned off; the City Zoning Department is expected to visit the site this week.

New Business: none

Meeting Adjourned at 8:25 pm.

Minutes prepared by Ruth Olson, Neighborhood Coordinator

Approved by FNA Board: _______________________

 Signed: _____________________________________

Jeff Alden, Secretary

Notes from the Fulton NRP meeting of March 7, 2012

Present

John Finlayson, Dave Delvoye, Ruth Olson

Minutes

The committee approved the minutes of the 2/1/12 meeting.

Fulton Neighborhood News

Fulton Neighborhood News will be delivered from 3/8 to 3/11. The monthly e-newsletter will go out on 3/9. The committee reviewed the updated FNA communciations production and delivery schedule which Ruth put together, and identified the annual events and projects which should be publicized. The committee suggested that the newsletter be delivered to all businesses which share commercial nodes with Fulton, including 50th & Penn, 54th & Penn, and 50th & France. Ruth also provided a chart showing the nature and frequency of newsletters produced by other neighborhood organizations in southwest Minneapolis, including information about whether they solicit ads and the ad rates per issue. NCEC member Matt Perry is advocating that the NRP Policy Board allow neighborhood organizations to solicit advertising for their newsletters without jeopardizing the use of NRP funds to help support those publications. The Policy Board tabled the proposal in February.

Safety Committee

At the committee’s 3/27 meeting, the 5th Precinct Crime Prevention Specialists and the lieutenant in charge of property crimes investigations will present information on preventing burglaries, how and when to call 911, and how property crimes are investigated.

FNA’s funding status

Following the presentation at the FNA Board meeting on 2/8, the committee will take comments and suggestions from Board members about how to use uncontracted NRP Phase 2 housing funds if the money is ever released by the City. The Board will decide how to use the income from its loan program which is administered by the Center for Energy and Environment (CEE) after a presentation by CEE at the 3/14 Board meeting.

Notes prepared by Dave Delvoye.