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HomeMy WebLinkAboutEditionEdinaFeb2019Scholarship Program Gives Kids More Opportunities Connect Card Holders Have Access to a Variety of Programs A special program helps ensure all youth in Edina have access to playground programs, sports, art classes or whatever activities they want to experience and enjoy. About 250 families last year had a Connect Card, which allows holders to enroll in programs or memberships at reduced or no cost. Each family with a Connect Card has an annual $300 credit to enroll in activities of their choice from the Edina Parks & Recreation Department or City facilities such as the Edina Art Center. “We want to make sure all children in our community have opportunities to participate in activities they like,” said Edina Recreation Supervisor Amanda Clarke. One of the most popular uses of the Connect Card is for Edina Aquatic Center season pass, Clarke said. An Aquatic Center season pass allows kids unlimited visits during the summer. Clarke is working to increase awareness of the Connect Card and the opportunities it offers. Youth must be under 18 and be a resident of or attend school in Edina. Families qualify based on income or financial hardship. The income qualifications align with those for free or reduced lunches at schools. Dick Crockett, Executive Director of the Edina Community Foundation (ECF) that runs the Connect Card program, says it was designed to be easily accessible and treat applicants with the utmost respect. Only the certification people at ECF see their information. Participating programs, which include the Southdale YMCA and several local athletic associations, know the cardholder has already been evaluated. Crockett welcomes more organizations and programs to take advantage of the Connect Card as the qualifier for assistance. The ECF supports the scholarships given through Edina Parks & Recreation. To make a tax-deductible donation to the ECF Youth Scholarships fund, send a check made out to the Edina Community Foundation with “ECF Youth Scholarships” in the memo line to 5280 Grandview Square, Edina, MN 55436. Donate online at edinacommunityfoundation.org; hover over “Donate,” and look for “ECF Youth Scholarships” on the “Donate to ECF Programs” page. Families can apply for a Connect Card online or fill out a paper application available in English, Somali or Spanish. To learn more or enroll, visit Edinachallenge.org or call 952-833-9573. Edition: Edina FEBRUARY 2019 Volume 6, Issue 2 4801 W. 50th St. Edina, MN 55424 | 952-927-8861 | mail@EdinaMN.govCity of Edina EdinaMN.gov Run, Jump and Play Indoors at Braemar Field During Tot Time! Cold outside? Bring the kids to Tot Time at Braemar Field, 7509 Ikola Way. Tot Time is held Monday and Wednesday mornings from 9 to 11 a.m. through April 24. The cost per visit is $5 per child. File Photo 58th Street to be Reconstructed Engineering Department Staff Looks for Feedback on Street Design Reconstruction of 58th Street between Wooddale Avenue and Xerxes Avenue is slated for 2020, and Engineering Department staff is looking for feedback on the street design now. The community will have the option to weigh in on bike facilities, parking, sidewalks, shared-use path and storm sewer opportunities. Some questions Engineering staff needs answered are: • Should bike facilities be on the street or off? • Should on-street parking be provided? If so, on one or both sides? • Should there be more than one off-street pedestrian sidewalk or path? • Should we go above normal practices with storm water management? “We’ve held meetings in the past, and open houses, but this year we want to give people even more opportunities to participate in the feedback process,” said Engineering Director Chad Millner. On the City’s new engagement site BetterTogetherEdina.org, residents have a chance to answer staff’s questions about the redesign of 58th street, which averages up to 4,000 vehicles daily. Feedback will also be collected in person at various community meetings and focus groups, which will be announced once scheduled. “The feedback online should have the same weight as the feedback we receive in person,” said Millner. “We’d also like the feedback at the beginning of the project to have the same weight as the feedback we collect at the end. We want to continue to build trust with the community.” Millner hopes to have the feedback compiled and present the findings to Council for approval by June, so that they can calculate assessments and draw up the detailed plans in time for construction come Spring 2020. Engineering staff will meet with residents in the Chowen and Pamela Park neighborhoods this summer to discuss what they should expect during construction. To sign up for project emails, visit EdinaMN.gov/CityExtra and select the “58th Street” list. For more information about the project, visit EdinaMN.gov/58thStreet or contact Millner at cmillner@EdinaMN.gov or 952-826-0318. City, Edina Schools Study Demographics of Changing Community Expert Will Help Determine Impact of Development What’s a school district to do when its city is a highly desirable, established entity within a large metropolitan area, but one that, like so many cities in recent years, is experiencing substantial changes to its overall community identity, and even a bit of a renaissance? Dig for details in the demographics, of course! The City of Edina and Edina Public Schools are working to identify the current and future needs of the community’s schools and its students by conducting a demographics study, which is a fairly complex process of extrapolating relevant information using statistics gleaned from multiple sources, such as property tax records, school student enrollment and housing developments, to name a few. Gaining a better perspective on the needs of Edina’s student population is something that became evident with the recent development of additional apartment complexes in the Southdale area. It was clear that apprising new developments within the city and their direct impact on neighboring schools was imperative to maintain the excellent educational standards for which Edina is known. Enter Hazel Reinhardt, Minnesota’s premier demographer and a revered pioneer in the world of demography research. Secured by the City of Edina to conduct an in-depth study on the impact development is having and will continue to have on the city’s schools and its students, she possesses the unique ability to take what may seem like incomprehensible statistical gibberish to the average person and break it down into clear, practical and applicable facts and figures that provide valuable insight into the makeup of neighborhoods. This decoded data enables school districts to effectively and confidently decide how to allocate money in their budgets to best meet the needs of their schoolchildren. The City has sought Reinhardt’s assistance and guidance in previous studies, as the makeup of the community has experienced significant changes in recent years, with a fluctuating economy, an aging population and the exciting rebirth of a new generation moving into Edina, with many older homes being razed to make way for modern versions within their original footprints. While some may see changes within a community as negative, others recognize that they can present wonderful improvements. Reinhardt made a keen observation when discussing the merits of demographic studies and addressing communities’ needs: “Be sensitive to opportunities within challenges.” The Richfield and Hopkins school districts extend into Edina, with approximately 20 percent of Edina households in the Richfield school district and 10 percent of Edina households in the Hopkins school district. The study is expected to conclude this spring. The City of Edina will carefully consider the results and plan accordingly to ensure the needs of Edina Public Schools students are satisfactorily met in the future. BetterTogetherEdina.org Edition: Edi na FEBRUARY 2019 4801 W. 50th St. Edina, MN 55424 | 952-927-8861 | mail@EdinaMN.gov City of Edina EdinaMN.gov Upcoming Events Recurring Events: Children’s Entertainment at Edinborough Park Noon Thursdays Family Night at Braemar Field 6:30-7:30 p.m. Saturdays Saturday, Feb. 9, 10 a.m. The Author’s Studio: Unveiled Beauty: Handwritten Stories from a Poetic Heart with Lisa Harris, Edina Art Center Saturday, Feb. 9, 7 p.m. The Rockin’ Hollywoods Valentine Concert, Braemar Golf Course Thursday, Feb. 14, 7:30 a.m. Housing & Redevelopment Authority Meeting, Edina City Hall Saturday, Feb. 16, 9-10 a.m. Walk With the Mayor, Galleria Monday, Feb. 18 City Hall closed, Presidents Day Wednesday, Feb. 20, 7 p.m. City Council Meeting, Edina City Hall Friday, Feb. 22, 6:15-7:15 a.m. Fitness on the Field, Southdale YMCA, Braemar Field Wednesday, Feb. 27, 11:30 a.m. State of the Community, Edina Country Club Thursday, Feb. 28, 7:30 a.m. Housing & Redevelopment Authority Meeting, Edina City Hall For a complete listing of meetings and events, visit EdinaMN.gov. Number of class registrations in Spring/Summer 2018 10,182 840 Softballs purchased in 2018 BY THE NUMBERS Get Ready to Register for Spring and Summer Activities Registration for spring and summer programs at Edina parks and recreation facilities begins Feb. 19 for residents and Feb. 25 for those who live outside Edina. The Activities Directory, a catalog of offerings, will arrive in Edina mailboxes around Feb. 11, or download a copy at EdinaParks.com Number of summer 2019 playground programs Kayaking classes offered for youth this summer 27 2 City Approves 70th & Cahill Small Area Plan Neighborhood Seeks to Keep Area ‘Timeless and Inviting’ A vision for the future of the 70th & Cahill neighborhood node has been set. Given the age of the buildings in the area of 70th Street and Cahill Avenue, future redevelopment proposals are likely. The City worked with residents and businesses in the area to proactively determine the best uses for land in the area and documented them in a small area plan approved by the City Council in January. According to the plan approved at the Jan. 8 City Council meeting, the community wants the historical sense of place reclaimed in the neighborhood, which they hope will have a “timeless and inviting” village appeal. The plan calls for improved wayfinding; more housing types; and connections to the regional bike trail, industrial area and transit. Key to the plan is ensuring that new buildings gracefully transition to nearby attached and single-family residential properties and that existing properties are redeveloped with mixed uses and a variety of housing types. A variety of building heights between three and five stories would be allowed. For multi-family housing projects, a density of up to 50 units per acre would be permitted. “The Working Group and residents were clear from the beginning that they really appreciate the node-like quality and village-like feel that [the area] already has to some extent, so that was … woven throughout the plan,” said Susan Lee, co-chair of the Small Area Plan Working Group, who was proud the plan was unanimously approved. The small area plan will be included in the City’s Comprehensive Plan Update, scheduled to be completed later this year. The City Council will next meet 7 p.m. Feb.20 and March 5. For more information, visit EdinaMN.gov. ‘Invaluable’ Plan Outlines Future of Southdale Area Greater Southdale District Plan Will Guide Growth and Development Three years and hundreds of hours of work by residents and business owners in the Southdale area has resulted in a plan that will guide growth and change for decades to come. City Council members lavished praise on the work group that developed the plan before unanimously approving it in December. The Greater Southdale District Plan will be part of the 2018 Comprehensive Plan Update to be adopted later this year. “You produced this document that is without a doubt one of the finest things I’ve seen in the years I’ve been on the Council,” Mayor James Hovland told the work group members. The plan includes guidelines for land use, building types, housing density, transportation, public space and water resources for the Southdale area and around Pentagon Park. Among the concepts are transition zones between the more intense development along France Avenue and the residential areas to the west to reduce impacts in the 750-acre area. The plan also suggests a new central park and connections to Centennial Lakes Park to the north and Fred Richards Park to the west. “The work group started with the idea that we would plan a district based on human experience – not about how big or small buildings are, not about how we accommodate parking for cars, but how a person walking down the street, walking along the sidewalk, walking to a park, how their lives would be shaped by the form of this district,” said co-chairman Michael Schroeder. Council Member Kevin Staunton noted that the plan gives the City Council – and residents and developers – the big picture of how everything ties together. It provides connections to areas, how blocks should develop, the feel of the area and other factors that will help the City Council in making decisions on project proposals. “This is going to be invaluable to us” he said and other Council members repeated. Residents also praised the work group and the final outcome. “I was pleased they totally captured the concerns of the Cornelia Neighborhood,” said resident Nora Davis, noting the plan addressed water concerns and creatively proposed using stormwater as an amenity. “It’s a wonderful plan.” The work group included co-chairs Michael Schroeder and Colleen Wolfe and members Steve Brown, Julie Chamberlain, Chris Cooper, Peter Fitzgerald, Robb Gruman, John Hamilton, Steve Hobbs, Don Hutchison, Ben Martin, Jim Nelson, Ian Nemerov, Jo Ann Olsen, Joel Stegner, Lori Syverson, Harvey Turner and Amy Wimmer. See the entire plan along with the draft Design Experience Guidelines that detail design concepts for the area at EdinaMN.gov/smallareaplans.Submitted PhotoPeople go over a map of the Southdale area during an open house hosted by a work group as it developed the Greater Southdale District Plan.