Fun Holiday Gift Ideas from the Minneapolis Park and Rec Board

Our friends at the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) would like to remind everyone that they offer unique gifts that will delight loved ones and help support the parks.

Their gift cards can be applied toward outdoor fun at the Wirth Winter Recreation Area, health and fitness activities, environmental programs, cross-country skiing passes, snowboarding, golf, and dog parks. How about an annual parking permit for easy access to parks, gardens and trails?

Click to view the MPRB Holiday Gift Guide.

Capella Tower on a Frigid Morning in Downtown Minneapolis

It was -5 degrees when I took this a few minutes ago.  The Capella Tower does not usually create an upward beam as seen below.  I speculate ice crystals from nearby powerplants caused this cool effect.

DID Requests Participation in the Annual Downtown Minneapolis Perception Survey

The Minneapolis Downtown Improvement District (DID) is hosting the Annual Downtown Minneapolis Perception Survey.  They request we participate in this survey and forward the below link to residents, fellow employees/colleagues, students, etc., to help the Minneapolis DID collect much needed feedback from the Downtown Minneapolis community.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PerceptionSurvey2013

Central Mississipp​i Riverfront Regional Park Master Plan Charrette Meetings

Via a December 4 e-newsletter from the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board:

Central Mississipp​i Riverfront Regional Park Master Plan Charrette Meetings

The Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board will host a two-day charrette to gather public input for the Central Mississippi Riverfront Regional Park Master Plan. This is the third charrette of five for the Master Plan and will focus on Nicollet Island and its connections.  A charrette is an intensive creative session intended to generate alternative approaches to a design problem. It is a way to immerse a project team with key stakeholders and the community in a real-time, iterative learning and creative process. Please join us!

Charrette Public Meeting Day 1:

Date - 12/10/13 - Tuesday

Time - 8:00am to 10:00am

Location – Nicollet Island Pavilion – 40 Power Street, Minneapolis

Teams - Central Riverfront Master Plan Team

Meeting Info: Comment and feedback to define key site program issues, possibilities, and limitations for Nicollet Island.

Charrette Public Meeting Day 2:

Date - 12/11/13 - Wednesday

Time - 4:00pm to 5:30pm

Location - Nicollet Island Pavilion – 40 Power Street, Minneapolis

Teams - Central Riverfront Master Plan Team

Meeting Info: Review preliminary design framework plan and concepts for Nicollet Island completed during the charrette.

The Park Board encourages the public to stop by the Nicollet Island Pavilion to share ideas, concerns and priorities with the Central Mississippi Riverfront Regional Park design team.  Later in December, ideas from this two-day charrette will be presented to the project advisory committees for discussion.

For more information, please go to the MPRB project page.

Contact:        Tyler Pederson, Landscape Architect
Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board
612-230-6418
tpederson@minneapolisparks.org

New Hennepin County Website Scheduled to Debut Today

A newly revamped Hennepin.us site is scheduled to launch today, December 4. The new site will be accessible on any device – desktop, laptop, tablet, or mobile - with information written in plain language and organized with the user in mind.

For the short term, some of the links users are accustomed to will change. Moving forward, the goal is to continue to ensure important information is easily accessible to residents and partner organizations. The new search engine should help you find the information you need, but if not, send an email to webteam@hennepin.us.

View the new design at http://www.hennepin.us/.

Ugly Holiday Sweater Bus Pub Crawl

Looking for a fun Holiday party idea?  How about a private Ugly Holiday Sweater Bus Pub Crawl with Taste Twin Cities?

This year Taste Twin Cities is offering this Pub Crawl on private-party basis only, so you can pick a date that works best for you.

Description:

Don your ugliest holiday sweater, hop on the heated coach bus and take a festive tour of some of Northeast Minneapolis' most storied bars. On this two and half hour pub tour you'll enjoy a drink at Psycho Suzo's that was featured on Diner, Drive In's and Dives; Gasthof's where you can enjoy beer in a boot or a snuff board; and Tony Jaros where you will enjoy their signature Greenie or Pinky drink. This tour also includes an Ugliest Holiday Sweater contest, prizes and a Polaroid picture to remember a bunch of people in sweaters just as ugly as yours.

More Info.

New Video - Crown Hydro Public Meeting

Crown Hydro held their public meeting last week, 2 days before Thanksgiving, in the middle of the work day.  Many question were asked, but few straightforward answers given.  Still, it was a very interesting meeting.

Vikings Stadium Construction - Week 2

Construction equipment arrived last week.

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.