Help Stop Crown Hydro

Hello Friends, Neighbors, and Concerned Citizens:

With your help, we had 30-40 supporters at the May 4 Park Board meeting, resulting in the issue being tabled until the next meeting on May 18. Thank you!  But...

As you read this, the Minneapolis Park Board, under the duress of threatened State Legislation, is negotiating an agreement with Crown Hydro, LLC to build an ill-conceived power generation facility in Mill Ruins Park.  See the attached flyer for how to contact your elected officials and more information on Crown Hydro.

If successful, Crown Hydro will risk:

- Damaging the historical birthplace of Minneapolis

- Ruining decades of hard work and millions of dollars taxpayers have invested in revitalizing the Downtown Riverfront

- Drying up St. Anthony Falls!

Why would the Park Board virtually give away National Historic Parkland to a private developer?  How much more corporate welfare can we afford?

We’re in the 11^th hour, but it’s not too late to stop this.  Please:

1.  Contact Board President John Erwin and ask him to stop the negotiating process and vote no to Crown Hydro.

2.  Contact each Park Board Commissioner and ask them to Vote No on Crown Hydro at the May 18 Board meeting at Park Board headquarters.

3.  Contact the DFL State Legislators sponsoring the bill to force the Park Board to give away our National Historic Parkland to Crown Hydro and ask them to drop their support.

4.  Attend the Minneapolis Park Board meeting on May 18 at 5:00 PM to let the Commissioners know we're paying attention.  When the next election rolls around we won't forget their vote on this issue.

See the attached flyer for how to contact your elected officials and more information on Crown Hydro.

Thanks so much for your help. We can still stop this, and you can make a difference!

If you have any questions, please contact me:

David Tinjum

612-321-8020

dave@millcitymedia.org

http://MillCityTimes.com

PS. If you have friends or colleagues interested in protecting the riverfront, will you please forward this email to them? The more folks we get to write, call or attend meetings the better our chances for stopping this ill-conceived project!

PS. Visit our Facebook page at http://facebook.com/NoCrownHydro and share your opinion.  Hit the like button while you're there to show that there are many more against this project than for it.

*See the attached flyer for how to contact your elected officials and more information on Crown Hydro.

Download the flyer...

A River Runs Through It from @RiverLifeUMN [Video]

River Life coordinator Pat Nunnally discusses the relationship between the Mississippi and the U of M.

Crown Hydro Quote of the Day - Lisa Goodman - NoCrownHydro.org

From Minneapolis City Council Member Lisa Goodman -

What’s next, the Legislature passing a bill ordering the city to sell the Minneapolis Farmers Market land for a Vikings Stadium or sell Gold Medal Park for a new high-rise?”

Sediment Reduction Plan to Benefit South Metro Mississippi

From The Red Wing Eagle:

The south metro Mississippi River is receiving nearly 1 million tons of sediment from other rivers annually, but a new cleanup plan has targeted the pollution sources and is calling for significant reductions.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency released the first draft of a TMDL — total maximum daily load — Wednesday that recommends the Minnesota River - the primary source of pollution to the south metro Mississippi reduce its sediment flow by up to 60 percent.

Read the full article...

Crown Hydro Quote of the Day - Lisa Goodman - NoCrownHydro.org

From Minneapolis City Council Member Lisa Goodman -

“It is simply outrageous that the Legislature would even attempt to override the decisions of local government, in this case the Park Board, and compel both the sale of public land and the planning approvals required for a private developer for their private development”

Update on Tuesday, May 17, 2011 at 7:41AM by David Tinjum

Please attend the Minneapolis Park Board meeting May 18 at 5:00 PM to show your support for stopping this ill-conceived project.

Contact your elected officials and ask them to drop their support...

Park Board Delays Crown Hydro Vote Again, But Details Gain Clarity

From The Journal:

Crown Hydro will have to wait until May 18 to find out if the Park Board will allow the company to install hydroelectric turbines above St. Anthony Falls. 

The Board voted 6-3 to postpone a decision on a letter of intent that would have set the framework for a contract with Crown Hydro.

At-large Commissioner Annie Young and others said that because they didn’t receive the letter until the afternoon of the May 4 board meeting, they wanted more time to review the document’s details. 

Read the full article...

The Mississippi and Minneapolis Locks [Video]

The rushing of the waters over St. Anthony Dam and the locks provided great entertainment on May 6, 2011, when Sara Mayfield and Gay Pogue visited Minneapolis.

Crown Hydro's Senate Bill 1191 Laid Over - NoCrownHydro.org

From Minneapolis Park Watch:

CROWN HYDRO'S SENATE BILL 1191 LAID OVER

SF1911, Crown Hydro's land grab bill, was heard in the Senate Local Government Committee Wednesday, May 4, 2011.  Testifying for the bill were Senator Gen Olson and Crown Hydro lobbyist Jim Erickson.  Testifying for the Park Board were MPRB President John Erwin, MPRB Superintendent Jayne Miller, League of Minnesota Cities representative Craig Johnson and Minneapolis resident Arlene Fried.  There was no vote; the bill was laid over.  It could die or it possibly could be heard in committee on short notice next week.

Arlene Fried
Co-founder of Park Watch

Crown Hydro Senate Bill Update

From Minneapolis Park Watch:

The following comments were offered during testimony on the Crown Hydro Bill in the Committee on Local Government at the Capitol today:

May 4, 2011

Re: SF 1191

Committee Members:

Thank you for the opportunity to speak before you today about Senate File 1191.

I believe that this bill usurps the authority of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board by attempting to compel the MPRB to transfer Park Board property to a private, for-profit entity that has not been able to allay Park Board and public concerns about the project's economic validity and negative impacts on the historic St. Anthony Falls and adjacent historic and cultural resources.

I have been attending Park Board meetings on a regular basis for over seven years now. I have been present at the many meetings at which Crown Hydro has been on the agenda. It was a frequent topic. If this project was one of unquestionable and apparent merit, it would have been approved long ago. Unfortunately, it remains a controversial and risky project. The Crown Hydro folks are asking you to do what the MPRB Commissioners, as stewards of our park system, have been unwilling to do. Please respect their decision-making authority. I urge you to vote against this irresponsible and embarrassing bill.

Thank you.

Arlene Fried Minneapolis MN

Crown Hydro Park Board Meeting Recap

Just returned from the meeting, it's late, I'm tired, so this will be short:

- In 2 days we (collectively) rallied over 40 people to attend who oppose the project, 11 spoke against, none for

- Superintendent Miller brought a last minute (literally) proposal to the Board to vote on

- Only 3, the same old 3, were for putting it to a vote

- Board President Erwin moved to table to give the Board time to consider

- Motion passed

Next meeting May 18.