Stinson Parkway Task Force
Resolution passed Feb. 19, 2008, at WPCiA Neighborhood Meeting:
Stinson Parkway Bikeway:
"Whereas, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board proposes to complete the Grand Rounds Scenic Byway by closing the “missing link,” a loop which includes the creation of new bicycle paths on parkways in Northeast Minneapolis; and
Whereas, at the September 18, 2007, Grand Rounds Open House, the proposed “G” route to the east was voted by citizens in attendance to be the preferred route, as opposed to Route “E” which in part was to run north/south on Stinson Parkway; and
Whereas, the Grand Rounds Missing Link Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) chairman, the project manager, the project consultant, and our park commissioner announced at the January 30, 2008 ”Grand Rounds” Open House that a bicycle path will be constructed through the Windom Park neighborhood on Stinson Parkway, with conflicting statements regarding the placement of the path; and
Whereas, Stinson Parkway carries a heavy volume of traffic, with excessive speed, illegal truck traffic and multiple intersections, presenting serious safety issues; and
Whereas, the proposed bicycle path will result in the loss of mature trees and green space on one of the narrowest parkways in the City of Minneapolis, near homes with the shortest set-back from the street and median; and
Whereas, the bicycle path on Ridgeway Parkway will connect conveniently to the preferred “G” route at St. Anthony Parkway and the newly completed Northeast Diagonal Trail, creating the desired bicycle “loop;” now
Therefore, be it resolved, that Windom Park Citizens in Action at their February 19, 2008 meeting, hereby direct their representatives on the “Grand Rounds” Citizens Advisory Committee to promote the “G” route which includes the Ridgeway and Diagonal Trail loop, and oppose selection of an auxiliary loop on Stinson Parkway, this being the official position of the Windom Park Citizens in Action.
Furthermore, Windom Park Citizens in Action will appoint a task force to ensure protection of the neighborhood's interests, and the membership also requests its Board members to communicate this resolution to members of the Citizens Advisory Committee, to elected officials representing the Windom Park neighborhood (legislators, mayor, City Council member, park commissioner, county commissioner) and to adjacent Northeast neighborhoods."
Resolution passed April 15, 2008, at WPCiA Neighborhood Meeting:
Whereas, the Grand Rounds “Missing Link” Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) completed its charge on April 9, 2008, by establishing final recommendations for the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) relative to placement of bicycle routes, including a bicycle path on Stinson Parkway;
Whereas, a Resolution passed by the Windom Park Citizens in Action (WPCiA) on February 19, 2008 directed CAC representatives in our neighborhood to promote the Ridgeway and Minneapolis Diagonal Trail loop and oppose selection of an auxiliary loop on Stinson Parkway;
Whereas, the above Resolution established a Task Force to ensure protection of the neighborhood's interests;
Whereas, a Position Document accompanying the Resolution reiterated WPCiA's support for the overall Grand Rounds “Missing Link” Project, including bicycle paths;
Whereas, Stinson Parkway is one of the oldest parkways in the Minneapolis system and has homes with setbacks as close as 17 ½ feet from the Park Board right-of-way, there is a need to retain that small amount of green space;
Whereas, a “substantial increase in green space” is one of the goals listed in the Grand Rounds Route Evaluation Criteria. Conversely, a ten-foot-wide paved bicycle path on Stinson Parkway would eliminate almost 25% of the green space and many of the mature trees that make Stinson a Scenic Byway;
Whereas, the WPCiA Task Force attempted to share the neighborhood's concerns with the CAC as a whole by submitting the aforementioned documents on March 6, 2008 to the project manager as he had requested for the March 13 meeting. Notification was then received from the project manager that the Stinson Parkway agenda item would be put off until the last scheduled meeting on April 9.
Whereas, several members of the CAC have reported that the WPCiA Position Document had not been forwarded to them for their information;
Whereas, on April 9, 2008, the CAC chair withheld from the committee the Audubon neighborhood resolution which opposed any changes to the current configuration of Stinson Parkway that would result in the loss of green space, and mischaracterized our neighborhoods' votes as only individuals living on Stinson Parkway;
Whereas, the WPCiA neighborhood organization strongly disagrees with the CAC's recommendation to the MPRB;
Therefore be it resolved, that with the flawed CAC process, coupled with the strength of the documentation to oppose the placement of a bicycle path on Stinson Parkway, WPCiA hereby rejects the CAC's conclusions and recommendations as invalid; the community respectfully requests that the MPRB remove from the final plan the proposal for a bicycle path on Stinson Parkway and consider Ridgeway and the Minneapolis Diagonal Trail as the only “loop,” and pursue as soon as possible the traffic and safety issues that plague Stinson Parkway.
