Minneapolis mask requirement remains in effect for all indoor public places

Minneapolis’ mask requirement remains in place pending review of public health data and local vaccination rates. Schools, private businesses, public transportation and other settings also have face covering requirements.

For now, if you’ve been fully vaccinated you still need to follow local requirements, guidance at your workplace and individual businesses. You should still watch for symptoms of COVID-19, especially if you’ve been around someone who is sick, and get tested if they appear.

If you haven’t been vaccinated yet, get a vaccine as soon as you can. We know that vaccinated people are less likely to spread COVID-19 and that COVID-19 vaccines are effective at preventing COVID-19 disease, especially severe illness and death.

Minnesota now vaccinating 12- 15-year-olds

Minnesotans ages 12 to 17 can now be vaccinated at state sites that have Pfizer vaccines, including the State Fair Grounds, Roy Wilkins Auditorium, and the Mall of America. Appointments are not necessary; these sites take walk-ins. A parent or guardian must be present with 12-15-year-olds, and 16-17-year-olds can get consent in person or online beforehand through the registration process. Families – join your child and get vaccinated at the same time.

Vaccinating kids will get them back to the summer activities they love: sports, seeing friends, concerts. Getting vaccinated will give them a significant level of protection to keep them, their families and their communities safe.

Get a free COVID-19 test and help stop the spread

Testing is still an important way to help stop the spread of COVID-19 along with vaccinations, wearing masks correctly, keeping 6 feet from anyone you don’t live with and washing hands.

The State is urging athletes, coaches, referees, volunteers and other sports participants to get tested for COVID-19 weekly. Students not participating in sports or other group activities are still strongly encouraged to test every two weeks.

The State is offering free at-home saliva tests. Any person in Minnesota can order a saliva test kit from the COVID-19 Test at Home program.

Other options include testing sites at the Masjid Omar Islamic Center, Phyllis Wheatley Community Center, and Minneapolis Convention Center. Visit the State’s COVID-19 testing webpage to register.

Neighborhood notes for May 2021

• The Waite Park Community Council board of directors will hold its next meeting on Thursday, May 27, at 7 p.m. via Zoom.

• The Minneapolis Parks & Recreation Board is offering new Neighborhood Day Camps this summer, including at Bottineau and Van Cleve parks. The themed, weeklong camps are available June-August and cost $10 per child. 

• The tenth annual NEighbors Sale Days will take place the weekend of June 18-19. The community-wide garage sale will be promoted in the June 16 edition of the Northeaster newspaper. Registrations required by June 4.

• Sammy’s Avenue Eatery was recently visited by a TV crew from Hulu’s Small Business Revolution program that is expected to air this fall.

• Ready Meats recently reopened after a closing for three days of renovations. 

Do you have a neighborhood news item to share with the Waite Park Voice? Share your tip or news release using this form.

More '20 is Plenty' speed limit yard signs available

Speed limits in Minneapolis and Saint Paul are 20 miles per hour citywide unless otherwise posted. Slower speeds on local streets make travel safer for everyone no matter how you get around. Speeding was involved in about 75% of fatal crashes in Minneapolis last year; please slow down to save lives.

To help get out the word about the new speed limits and the importance of slower speeds for safety, the City again has yard signs available for community members. You can pick up your “20 is Plenty” yard sign in Northeast at 1809 Washington St. NE, outside the fence at Jefferson Street and 18th Avenue.

Signs will be available 24 hours a day for no-contact pickup while supplies last. Signs come with metal stands.

Learn more about the new speed limits. —City of Minneapolis

Waite Park Anti-Racism Series: What Can I Do?

Parks round-up: Earth Day, spring sports, new hoops, summer jobs

The following report was submitted by Brian Hall, recreation supervisor for Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board’s Waite Recreation Center.

More than two dozen community members on Saturday helped do their part to keep the park and community clean as part of the MPRB’s Earth Day event.

We had 10 adults and 16 kids brave our chilly, windy morning walking around the park grounds finding trash and recyclables. Earth Day can be everyday if we all chip in to do our part. 

Other parks news:

• Spring sports practices are kicking off this week (April 26) with 61 kids signed up across levels and ages 5-13 years old. We will be making 6U T-ball and two 8U Coach Pitch teams, 10U baseball and 10U girls softball team and a 12U baseball team. We are looking for more players on the girls slow pitch softball team. 10U girls softball Birthdate ranges 9-1-2010 to 9-1-2012

• I would like to give a HUGE THANK YOU to our VOLUNTEER COACHES! Without them, these kids would have no team. They include Luke Middendorf, Quang Nguyen, Will Dawkins, Jim LePlavy, Michelle Donovan, Nathan Ferguson, Jason Sellers Philip Markose, Clay Carter, Chris Rath, Jon Morgan. 

• Waite Park Rec Plus school-age childcare program fall registration begins Monday, April 26 at noon. Waite is a popular site, so sign up early for those families looking for care before school 7-10am and after school 2-6pm.  More info please contact our lead childcare staff Colleen at Waite Park.

• Our new basketball hoops are up and in action! They are adjustable and currently one is at 8 feet and the other at 9 feet with the 10-foot hoops on the full court. Come join in the fun, now for all ages!!

• We also will be getting a bang board for the tennis court for those who want a little more practice alone. Funds provided by WPCC general park programs and equipment allocations.

• Summer is right around the corner, we will have staff back — primarily outdoor supervision and drop-in leaders. Job opportunities are available — check out the parks job page. Current part- and full-time openings include: aquatics attendant, aquatics instructor, gardener, golf course park keeper, lifeguard and head lifeguard, park keeper, plumber, police officer, and seasonal equipment operator.

• Waite wading pool will open after school is out on June 12th. Outdoor restrooms will open alongside pool operations, they will also be available while sports teams are practicing or playing games.

What’s the latest on 35th Avenue construction?

The following article was submitted by Lisa Goddard, an engineer with the City of Minneapolis Public Works/Surface Waters & Sewers department:

A storm sewer replacement project on 35th Avenue is expected to be finished by the end of July after delays last year pushed the project into a second season.

Work began last spring to replace and enlarge the city’s storm main under 35th Avenue from Central Avenue to Ulysses Street, and on Tyler Street between 35th to 36th avenues. In addition to replacing the main, stormwater inlets that collect runoff flowing on the street and access structures have been replaced. A stormwater pretreatment unit was also constructed at the intersection of 35th Avenue and Tyler Street using grant funding from the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization.

The city’s pipe crew encountered several unexpected conflicts with other underground utilities that slowed their progress. Because the facilities that make concrete pavement materials close during the cold winter months, the city put down temporary pavement last fall to restore the streets after the pipe crews did their work on the western part of the project. 

The paving crew came back earlier this month to start prepping those blocks for permanent concrete west of Taylor Street. This entails removing the temporary pavement with backhoes to be trucked off site. Smaller equipment is then brought in to create a smooth base for the pavement. Finally, the concrete trucks will come when they are ready to pour the permanent pavement.

The pipe crew is currently at Pierce Street and working east to Ulysses, completing roughly 1 to 1.5 blocks per week. There will be road closures as they complete the work. They now expect the storm sewer replacement to be completed by June 1.

The paving crew will follow behind the pipe crew and continue to restore the road as the pipe crew advances to the east. The city expects to complete all paving work by the end of July. They will also be replacing sod where it was impacted by their construction.

This project was initiated out of a large study to reduce flooding, among other goals, in the Waite Park, Columbia Park, Marshall Terrace, and Audubon Park neighborhoods. The City’s storm sewer improvements work in conjunction with the new storm pipes and three stormwater basins currently under construction by the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization in Columbia Golf Course and Park to the west. 

Once both projects are completed, the potential for flooding within the neighborhood will be less, and when it does flood, the depth of water covering the streets will be reduced. The stormwater basins in Columbia Golf Course and Park will also help improve the quality of stormwater reaching the Mississippi River, and the pretreatment structure on 35th Avenue. will help ensure the long-term function of those basins by separating and screening out trash, sediment, and hydrocarbons.

Join the citywide do-it-yourself Earth Day clean-up

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board along with the City of Minneapolis announce the annual Minneapolis Earth Day Clean-Up event has moved to DIY mode with supply pick up available at participating Earth Day sites, including Waite Park, on April 24 from 9:30 am-noon, near the playground off Garfield.

The Minneapolis Earth Day Clean-Up has been the city's largest community service project for many years. Since 2008, more than 20,000 residents have removed more than 160,000 pounds of garbage from Minneapolis parks, neighborhoods, and watersheds. 

You can participate anytime in April — while staying safe and preventing the spread of COVID-19.  By sharing photos of your cleanup, everyone will see what we can accomplish for the 2021 Earth Day. 

Residents are encouraged to participate by volunteering to help pick up trash in parks, neighborhoods, and watersheds. No registration needed, just follow these easy steps:

1. Use a trash bag from home or pick up bags and gloves at participating Earth Day sites on April 24 from 9:30 am to noon.

2. Head to a nearby park or trail to pick up trash (while getting fresh air and exercise).

3. Practice social distancing and other current COVID-19 guidelines. Learn more at www.minneapolisparks.org/coronavirus-covid-19-information/

4. Share photos of your trash haul on MPRB's @MPLSEarthDay Facebook page and

   using the hashtags #MplsDIYEarthDay and #WaiteParkMPLS

How to participate in Waite Park’s 2021 raingarden program

Update: This program is FULL for the 2021 season, but you may still contact Metro Blooms to be placed on a waitlist.

The Waite Park Community Council is again sponsoring a neighborhood raingarden program in partnership with Metro Blooms Design and Build. 

Twenty raingardens will be available on a first come first serve basis. 

If you are interested in having a raingarden installed on your property, contact Jennifer Moeller at Metro Blooms at (preferred) jmoeller@metroblooms.org or 612-367-6080 with your name, address, phone number and email address if you have one. Please reference Waite Park because several neighborhoods have raingarden programs. 

The community council uses funds from the City of Minneapolis to subsidize the cost of the consultations, designs, project oversight and installation, bringing the homeowner cost down to approximately $350-$400 per property.

Metro Blooms and the Conservation Corps of Minnesota expect to install the raingardens in early August, with consultations starting in late June.

Waite Park Anti-Racism program expanded due to popular demand

Thank you to all who participated in last week’s kick-off to our anti-racism discussion series in partnership with Tru Ruts. Registration is full, but due to popular demand we are adding two new sessions that will be open to all:

Anti-Racism: What Can I Do?
Monday, April 19, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Raising Anti-Racists
Monday, May 24, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Both sessions will take place on Zoom. Registration is required HERE and limited to 100 people on a first come basis.

The programs are being led by artist/activists and community leaders E.G. Bailey and Sha Cage with support from neighborhood liaison Michelle Filkins and facilitators trained in diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-racism work. We recently spoke with Filkins about some of the themes in the series.

Q: What does anti-racism mean? 

A: The definition of an antiracist, according to Ibram X. Kendi, is “one who is supporting an antiracist policy through their actions or expressing an antiracist idea.” As is often pointed out in discussions around anti-racism, being antiracist is about more than not being racist. One key is that being antiracist is a conscious decision that often involves actions, big and small, that contribute toward racial justice. 

Q: Why is it important to have this conversation in Waite Park? 

A: There are a variety of reasons why we choose to live in Waite Park. Many rankings list Minneapolis in the top ten best places to live, yet Minneapolis has a legacy of exclusion. While the population of Minneapolis as a whole is approximately 63% white, the Waite Park neighborhood is 85% white. Waite Park is one of the communities in Minneapolis that once had discriminatory deeds, or racial covenants, on properties which prohibited non-white residents to live in or own property in the community. While racial covenants were outlawed in 1968, the legacy in terms of home ownership, generational wealth, and other disparities still persists. By having this conversation, we have an opportunity to imagine ways that we can make our neighborhood more welcoming and accessible to everyone, and at the heart of this is anti-racism. 

Q: What do you hope people will understand better after participating?

A: Thinking about the history and legacy of racism in our country can be overwhelming. After participating in this series of conversations, I hope that everyone will feel more comfortable having difficult conversations and contemplating the ways that we are all able to contribute to building a more just society. Being racist or antiracist are not fixed identities. Each day we will encounter situations where can take steps, big and small, that will help to build the kind of community we all want to live in. By promoting this sort of action, we are being antiracist. By the end of the series, I hope that everyone feels like they have a few more tools in their toolbox that will help them to embody antiracism and to advocate for antiracist policies.

Q: Our neighborhood has dozens, maybe hundreds of yard signs on themes of being “welcoming to all.” How does that idea compare to anti-racism?

Signs that are “welcoming to all” or that affirm that Black Lives Matter are important. Putting a sign in your yard can be an anti-racist action. Cumulatively, the lawn signs are signaling to our neighbors, and to all who visit, that we are interested in fostering a welcoming and inclusive community. But anti-racism is about a series of actions. We can’t stop with lawn signs. Antiracists will seek out opportunities to advocate for BIPOC neighbors in tangible ways. 

Q: A year or two from now, how do you hope our neighborhood is different because of these conversations and the relationships formed in them?

I hope that our neighborhood will be a place where all are truly welcome. That we will get to know our neighbors, and not just on National Night Out. That we will support our neighbors. I hope that this series of conversations is just a start, and that all of the attendees will continue to have important conversations and to ask difficult questions. I hope that we will be aware of and seek out opportunities to advocate for anti-racist policies and actions, whether within our schools, the Waite Park Community Council, or with city officials.

Waite Park Community Garden waitlist open for 2022 season

The following note is from Samantha Saunders, president of the Waite Park Community Garden for 2021. Contact her at wpccngmember@gmail.com. 

Hello neighbors!

Our 2021 growing season at Waite Park Community Garden has kicked off for the year, and we are excited to welcome 17 new faces to our community. Our season’s registration started about 2 months earlier this year, and we quickly filled up for the season. Many of our new gardeners were on the waiting list last season and waited patiently for almost a year. 

We have 70 plots in our garden, which means that almost 25% of our plots this year are rented by new gardeners. We don’t usually see such a high level of interest, but because of COVID and general unease about food supply issues, many people are looking to get outdoors and learn about sustainable urban gardening. We have a waitlist started already for next season, so if you are interested in renting a plot for 2022, please email us to get on the list!

Also new this year, we have budgeted to add 2 or 3 more plots to a sunnier area of the garden. We are “retiring” 2 of our shadier plots on the east end of the garden. The trees in the boulevard get bigger and leafier every year, and our 2 retired plots are almost completely shaded by mid-June, which makes them poor for growing summer vegetables. If anyone from the Waite Park community has soil or building materials that they would like to donate, we would greatly appreciate it. We plan to begin building these new plots later this season, available for rent next season. 

We are hoping to get back to hosting some outdoor activities when we can safely gather. In the past, our events have been limited to community garden members, but in the future we plan to invite all of our neighbors and friends, regardless of their membership status. We also plan to host some virtual events this season as well, so stay tuned for those announcements. 

Our calendar of upcoming social events will be posted on our website. We also have some great blog posts and resources on our website that can be enjoyed by anyone — our latest posts are a chive oil recipe and squash beetle prevention, both written by our mowing lead, Jessica. Check back often for new content!

Have a beautiful spring!