January 3 Annual Meeting Report
The meeting started promptly at 5 PM and all commissioners were present except Commissioner Berry-Graves who was having car trouble but arrived soon thereafter and Commissioner Mason who was awaiting the impending arrival of her first grandchild (congratulations).
The Agenda was approved, honored guests were introduced and former commissioner Walter Carpenter was remembered (passed away recently).
Guest Louis DeMars (sp?) was given the opportunity to speak and he spoke of the times pre open meeting laws and suggested that the MPRB set an example for the Legislature and other bodies of how to have respectful disagreements.
Commissioner Young gave a presentation on Minnehaha Falls in honor of the 150th anniversary of Longfellow's poem "Song of Hiawatha".
Elections:
Commissioner Young nominates Jon Olson, President and John Erwin, Vice President for a second term. They are elected 7 aye 2 absent.
Secretary Don Sigglekow 7 Aye 2 Absent Attorney Brian Rice 8 Aye 1 Absent
Appointments and Committees... Planning Commission...Carol Kummer ( 2nd year of 2 year term) Board of Estimation and Taxation...Bob Fine NRP Policy Board Jon Olson, alt John Erwin St. Anthony Falls Heritage Board...Bob Fine, Walt Dziedzic, Jon Olson and Superintendent Gurban Youth Coordinating Board...Walt Dziedzic (staff liaison Superintendent Gurban) Minneapolis Institute of Arts Board.. Rochelle Berry-Graves Public Art Design Advisory Panel...Jon Olson Water Quality Task Force... Annie Young, alt Carol Kummer Middle Mississippi Watershed Management Organization...John Erwin and Marie Hauser John H. Stevens House Organization...Rochelle Berry-Graves Midtown Community Works Partnership...Marie Hauser Minneapolis Bicycle Advisory Committee..Vivian Mason Blue Water Association... Annie Young, alt Carol Kummer People for Parks... Jon Olson Minneapolis Tree Advisory Committee... Vivian Mason Minnehaha Creek Visioning.. Bob Fine
Admin and Finance Committee Chair... Marie Hauser, V-Chair Walt Dziedzic Vivian Mason, Annie Young, Rochelle Berry-Graves
Recreation Commitee Chair... John Erwin, V-Chair Rochelle Berry-Graves Bob Fine, Walt Dziedzic, Marie Hauser
Planning Committee Chair...Bob Fine, V-Chair John Erwin Walt Dziedzic, Marie Hauser, Annie Young
Operations and Environment Committee Chair...Annie Young, V-Chair Rochelle Berry-Graves Bob Fine, John Erwin, Vivian Mason
Legislation and Inter-Governmental Committee Chair Walt Dziedzic, V-Chair Carol Kummer Annie Young, Bob Fine, John Erwin
Committee on Standards and Conduct Chair Carol Kummer Bob Fine, Walt Dziedzic
Commissioner Hauser asked that the 2005 schedule not conflict with religious holidays.
Commissioner Dziedzic recommended a Saturday retreat.
Meeting Adjourned (to the party room with the great chandeliers run by Twin Cities Catering, the only tenant in the MPRB Headquarters).
p.s. I asked and it was cash bar but the rest came out of a fund for this type of activity (per Commissioner Olson).
Liz Wielinski Columbia Park
Comments
Last night, January 3, I attended the Park Board's Annual Meeting at Park Board Headquarters. There were about a dozen members of the public there. Former Park Board Commissioners had been invited and were also in attendance.
After the meeting, the Park Board held a reception on the main floor in the space occupied by Twin Cities Catering. However, when I and other members of the public entered the reception area, Superintendent Gurban was there waiting to tell us that we were not invited and could not come in. My first thought was "You've got to be kidding!" But what was happening was no joke. The public was being barred from participating in what should have been a public event. What I thought was going to be a cordial New Year beginning was turned into a public insult.
Posted by Arlene Fried | Wed, 01/05/2005 - 1:16pm | Login to post comments
I was appalled at how tacky and rude this was. Jon Olson announced the party during the meeting, and invited everyone. Then when we got downstairs, the noble freethinkers attending the annual meeting were shown the door.
Posted by lloydletta | Mon, 01/17/2005 - 1:16am | Login to post comments