Hennepin County Approves Target Field Station Development Agreements

Via an April 8 Hennepin County e-newsletter:

The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners, Regional Rail Authority, and Housing and Redevelopment Authority gave approval Tuesday to final agreements with United Properties, the Minnesota Twins and Metro Transit for development around Target Field Station, a multimodal transportation station located just to the west of the ballpark.
 
The station is set to open May 17. This set of agreements clears the way for a second platform for light rail transit, a public plaza connecting to the ballpark promenade, a “Great Lawn” amphitheater, a 289-stall parking ramp, retail space and a landscaped area suitable for additional development.

“Target Field Station is a visionary project that unites transit and entertainment in the core of the region. Seeing these agreements through required hard work and a lot of trust between the negotiating parties,” said Hennepin County Board Chairman Mike Opat. “The result will be a breathtaking piece of architecture that provides essential improvements for transit riders and downtown visitors from all over.”

Eventually, Target Field Station will connect approximately 500 trains arriving and departing daily via the METRO Blue Line (Hiawatha), the METRO Green Line (Central Corridor) and the Northstar Commuter Rail. The METRO Green Line (Southwest) and Blue Line (Bottineau) extensions will bring additional rail service and connections to the region.

“The various lines and transit modes that converge on Target Field Station, coupled with 81 game days each year, makes this a dynamic and exciting space,” said Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin. “ The enormous investment interest in the area has dramatically changed the surrounding tax base. If you put it all together, Hennepin County’s partnership with the Minnesota Twins, Metro Transit, and United Properties will yield an estimated value of approximately $20 million to the County.”

Tens of thousands of rail and bus commuters passing through the area each day will have access to existing amenities such as the ballpark, the Minneapolis Farmer’s Market, abundant entertainment, and other amenities that will be realized as the area is redeveloped.

Minneapolis Historical Mobile Tour Smartphone App Now Available

Via a recent e-newsletter from Preserve Minneapolis:

One of our biggest recent projects has been the Minneapolis Historical Mobile Tour app, and we're pleased to announce that it is now available--for free!--for iPhones and Androids. There are two tours so far: The Old Highland tour (created in partnership with the Old Highland Neighborhood Association) and the Marcy-Holmes tour (created with the Marcy-Holmes Neighborhood Association).

The app offers users an on-the-go look into Minneapolis's past, from the well-known headlines to the forgotten tales and people. Learn more and download it now at http://cts.vresp.com/c/?PreserveMinneapolis/a00b9228f7/719e9f393a/8d82433f21.

Special thanks to our project partners, and to all the Preserve Minneapolis donors whose generous contributions helped bring this app to life.

The Bohemian Flats: A Novel

University of Minnesota Press has announced the May 2014 release of The Bohemian Flats: A Novel, a sweeping historical novel set in part in the Bohemian Flats neighborhood of Minneapolis during the pre-WWI era. The story carries us from the bourgeois world of turn-of-the-century Germany to a vibrant immigrant enclave in the heart of the Midwest and to the killing fields of World War I.

Author Mary Relindes Ellis will discuss The Bohemian Flats: A Novel at several upcoming area events:

11:30 AM, Saturday, April 26, at Scout & Morgan Books (114 Buchanan St. N., Cambridge; (763) 689-2474)
 2:00 PM, Saturday, May 3, at Chapter 2 Books (226 Locust St., Hudson; (715) 220-8818)
 7:00 PM, Tuesday, May 6, at Common Good Books (38 S. Snelling Ave., St. Paul; (651) 225-8989)

THE BOHEMIAN FLATS: A Novel
By Mary Relindes Ellis
University of Minnesota Press | 336 pages | May 2014
ISBN 978-0-8166-9220-0 | paperback | $16.95

Vikings Stadium Construction - Week 20

The first walls are going up:

We're attempting to publish a photo with this same view each week from the start of construction through the first game played at the new Minnesota Vikings Stadium in Downtown Minneapolis.

Northern Spark 2014 - Update #2

Northern Spark Launch Party Pre-Sale Tickets Available April 8

This year plan to kick off your all-night art adventure at the official Northern Spark Launch Party, 7pm-9pm at the newly-renovated Orchestra Hall.

A $50 ticket gets you noshes by Travail, Mill Valley Kitchen, Marin, Sparks, Black Sheep Pizza, Phillip and Desiree Dorwart from Create Catering, Whole Foods, and more—with brews from Indeed Brewery, Morning Star Coffee, and others, plus ambient music by local favorite Dosh.  

At the party there will also be drawing for a unique prize created by artist HOTTEA. All proceeds go to support Northern Spark!

Pre-sale tickets to the Launch Party are available when you support Northern Spark 2014 on Kickstarter—starting April 8.

Three-Session Bioethics Series Offered in the Mill District

Registration is open for Mini Bioethics Academy, sponsored by the Center for Bioethics and open to anyone interested in learning about and discussing bioethical issues.

Topics include: The Affordable Care Act as Health Care Reform: Fact, Fiction, Spin; Health Care Directives: Beyond the Document to the Conversation; and Shades of Gray: Ethics and Controversies about Brain Death.

Attendees may join one or more of the upcoming sessions: 6:30-8:30 pm, April 22, 29, and May 6, Mill City Innovation & Collaboration Center, 901 S. Second St., Mpls. Learn more.

Today: MSP International Film Festival Begins (runs thru April 19)

The largest film event in the region, and one of the largest and longest running film festivals in the country, the MSP International Film Festival annually presents some 200 feature length and short form narrative and documentary films from 60+ countries.

Ticket Info
Regular Screenings: $12 General Admission | $10 Film Society Members | $6 Students w/ Student ID. Certain films have different ticket prices. That information will be noted on the films’ pages.

Ordering online is easy. Browse the films, find one you want to see, and click the showtime of the screening you wish to attend. You don’t have to worry about printing out and forgetting your tickets at home – just bring the credit card with which you made the purchase to the box office.

Film Society Members, make sure to select the member ticket price and be able to present your membership card at the box office!

Brunch at Day Block Brewing Company

Did you know Day Block Brewing Company has a Sunday brunch menu?

Loved the BENE pizza - you can dip the outer crust in the soft egg yolks.  :)

The Baron of Bubble at Father Hennepin Bluffs Park

While out enjoying the glorious weather this past Sunday, who should we come upon at Father Hennepin Bluffs Park?  None other than The Baron of Bubble.   :)