MONTHLY MEETINGS
The Longfellow Business Association generally meets the second Thursday of the month to talk about issues of concern to the business community.
Check the Longfellow Community calendar or contact the LBA office at 612-722-4529 to find out meeting times and locations.
NEWS
Upcoming meetings
Longfellow Business Association
Meets
Thursday, March 8, 2012
8:30 – 9:30 am
Gandhi Mahal community room – 3009 27th Avenue S
Sam Newberg / Joe Urban Inc will present results of the East Lake Market Study. LBA was awarded a City of Minneapolis Great Streets Grant for the proposal for a corridor assessment/market study of East Lake Street and Art in Vacant storefronts on East Lake St. in partnership with the Longfellow Community Council and League of Longfellow Artists (LOLA).
Most recent Meeting minutes
Longfellow Business Association
Meeting Minutes
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Peace Coffee 33rd & Minnehaha Ave
In Attendance: Mark Kersey – Boker’s, Inc., Larry Foss – The Fix Studio, Sophie St Jacques – The Fix Studio, DeEtte Feurtado – N2Living, Elina Kolstad – resident, Munir Nassar – resident, Scott Cramer – Northern Sun Merchandising, Kristi Adams – Financial advisor, Jeremy Woerner – Blue Door Longfellow, Pat McDonough – Blue Door Longfellow, Brian Fitzgerald – Reddy Rents, Kit Fitzgerald – Reddy Rents, Denis Woulfe – Longfellow Nokomis Messenger, Donna Sanders – JBS Business Solutions, Michael Cain – Law Office of Michael Cain, Dan Kennedy – Kennedy Law, Aaron – Day – Blue Construction, Amy Moore – Volunteers of America, Kristine Blomquist – Becketwood Cooperative, Meghan – Peace Coffee, Mike Smith BrownSmith Restoration, Eddie Landenberger – Redesign, James Brown – BrownSmith Restoration, David Bernick – Riverview Winebar, Collette Mullen – Longfellow Nokomis Messenger, Ruth Romano – LBA staff,
Co-chair Amy Moore called the meeting to order at 8:35 am.
Welcome and Introductions all around.
Aaron Day/Blue Construction raingarden
LBA member Aaron Day of Blue Construction talked about the raingarden he installed in back of his 33rd & Minnehaha Ave building. Aaron removed 1300 sq ft of concrete to install the raingarden. Garden includes a swale and underground storage to handle runoff from 5000 sq ft roof. Plantings are indigenous and drought tolerant.
Blue Door Longfellow
Blue Door partners Jeremy Woerner and Pat McDonough presented their business model and plans for Blue Door Pub Longfellow and asked LBA to support their request for a Charter Wine with Food License. A motion was made and seconded to support Blue Door Longfellow’s request for a Charter Wine with Food License.
Longfellow Business Association members in good standing were asked to vote. The vote was 10 in favor, 1 opposed, to support Blue Door Longfellow in their application. The results will be sent to City Council members.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:40 am
Minutes submitted by Ruth Romano
Longfellow Business Association
Meeting Minutes
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Gandhi Mahal community room
Amy Moore – Volunteers of America/Co-chair LBA, Ruhel Islam (host) – Gandhi Mahal, Kathy Nelson – Writer, Ruth Romano – LBA staff, Laura Hoenack – Hymie’s Records, Holly Larson – Emerge Community Development, Kristi Adams – Waddell Reed, Spencer Agnew – LCC staff, Susan Zdon – Corazon, Shirley Yeoman – SENA/WRBA, Kay T. Johnson – Re/Max Results, John Kolstad – Mill City Music, Amy Ruzack – Re/Max Results, Riz – Gandhi Mahal, Sarah Dietrich – LCC board member
Co-chair Amy Moore called the meeting to order at 8:35 am.
Welcome and Introductions all around.
Longfellow Business Association welcomed Sam Newberg / Joe Urban to talk about his market research study of vacant commercial space along E Lake Street. Longfellow Business Association (LBA) with partners Longfellow Community Council and the League of Longfellow Artists (LOLA) was awarded a Business District Support Grant through the City of Minneapolis Great Streets program. The program has two components: Art in Vacant Storefronts and an East Lake Street corridor assessment. For Art in Vacant Storefronts, partners LCC, LBA and LOLA will work with local artists and owners of vacant commercial properties on East Lake Street to install displays of local artwork in vacant storefronts. This will increase visibility for local artists, improve the aesthetics of vacant buildings, and attract positive attention to available commercial spaces. The project will culminate in Spring 2012 with an Art on Lake Street Tour and a meeting to present the corridor assessment.
The full presentation can be downloaded
http://www.longfellow.org/downloads/SamNewbergSurveyOct2011.pdf
Business Announcements
Riz from Gandhi Mahal said he is working with the Restorative Justice partnership and encourages business owners to get involved.
http://www.longfellow.org/partners/restorative-justice.php
The meeting was adjourned at 9:40 am
Minutes submitted by Ruth Romano
On Thursday, June 9, about 40 people from the Seward Civic and Commerce Association (SCCA) and the Longfellow Business Association (LBA) gathered in the community room of Gandhi Mahal (3009 27th Ave. S.) to hear local legislators discuss matters that may affect small businesses in Minneapolis. Before the legislators took the floor though, owner Ruhel Islam welcomed all to sample from Gandhi Mahal’s delicious buffet.
After attendees finished their meal, Amy Moore of the LBA invited Senator Patricia Torres Ray to give her prepared presentation. Senator Torres Ray wanted to raise the spirits of those in attendance, but she said there was “not much good news to report.” After business owners of Seward and Longfellow voiced their concerns to the senator some time ago, Torres Ray reported that she attempted to influence legislation that would impact businesses near major road construction. Unfortunately though, Torres Ray said that small business do not have a strong voice in the Senate. After her re-election, Torres Ray reported that she would attempt to strengthen the small business community’s voice by being appointed to the Economic Growth Committee.
In addition to the lack of a voice, Torres Ray said that the conservative republican majority that composes the senate doesn’t favor small businesses in commercial corridors, especially when the budget for business expansion has been reduced significantly. After Torres Ray’s presentation, a question was asked regarding the nature of taxes for small businesses. Torres Ray said that the fiscal structure of our economy should be one in which opportunities are provided to small business owners through tax investments. “That’s not what’s happening,” Torres Ray added. “We need to fix that, but the rhetoric that surrounds this issue convinces people that taxes will heavily affect job creators.”
After Senator Torres Ray held her discussion, Representative Jim Davnie reported on matters that those in attendance would find interesting. Davnie echoed Torres Ray when he said that there is “no voice for small businesses” in the House of Representatives. The main concerns that Davnie reported were the ramifications of House File 1, the Environmental Finance Bill, and the much discussed Surly Bill. Those matters aside, the overarching issue at hand was the $5 billion deficit and the possible solutions to reduce it. According to Davnie: “It’s not a matter of if we’re going to raise taxes, but whose taxes we’re going to raise.”
Davnie also mentioned that government aid is dictated by a need-based formula and the formula that hasn’t favored small business owners in the past has yet to be reformed. Part of the reason why taxes affect small business owners in Minneapolis so heavily is because government aid is not distributed on a per capita basis. For this reason, the city “pays far more than we back.” Compared to other cities, Minneapolis receives a large amount of funding, but that funding is not proportionate to small counties that receive much more money. In fact Hennepin County ranks near the bottom of those 87 counties that receive proportionate funding in government aid.
The reality of raising taxes may seem daunting, Davnie said, but in order to solve the problems in our state and county, we need to be willing to start paying higher taxes. Minnesota has a very large achievement gap in our education system and without funding, our schools will not be able to address the problem. Also, without paying for public transit, a large number of workers would not even be able to enter the city to work and support our local economy. And, in addition to focusing on the tax increase, Davnie said that we should keep in mind the job structure as many jobs are have left the area.
When Representative Davnie was finished with his discussion, Commissioner Peter McLaughlin’s aide began to outline the changes made to fix the deficit. In addition to cuts to education and several medical programs, there have been major changes to child care, corrections, and sex offender programs. The aide also mentioned that the county and state are preparing for an imminent shutdown. This would mean that many government-funded institutions like state parks, the Minnesota Zoo, higher education, and road construction would shut down until a resolution has been found.
Notes submitted by Dave Madsen, Redesign, Inc
Longfellow Business Association
Meeting Minutes
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Minnehaha Communion Lutheran Church, 4101 37th Avenue S
In Attendance: Michael Cain – Law Office of Michael Cain, Dan Kennedy – Kennedy Law, Howard Roston – Max It Pawn, Al Puder – Northwest Graphics, Aaron – Day – Blue Construction, Patrick Connoy – Hennepin County, Jerry Kormarik – Bridgeman’s, Robb Luckow – Hennepin County, Amy Moore – Volunteers of America, Ruhel Islam – Gandhi Mahal, Dan Swenson – Alexander’s Import Auto, Kathy Nelson – Writer, Nick Peterson – Hennepin County, Megan Sheridan – Redesign, Jeff Handeland – City of Minneapolis, Ruth Romano – LBA staff, Pastor Dan – Minnehaha Communion Lutheran Church (host), Loren Olson – Ward 12 Aide
Co-chair Amy Moore called the meeting to order at 8:35 am.
Welcome and Introductions all around.
Max It Pawn Proposal for 4135 Hiawatha Ave. (former Hiawatha Joe’s location): Howard Roston and Aaron Day were present to receive community input on a proposal to locate a Max It Pawn at 4135 Hiawatha Ave, the former location of Hiawatha Joe’s. The site is zoned I-1 (with no overlay zones), which allows pawnshops but requires that they receive a conditional use permit. Max It currently has locations at 2726 Lake St and 815 Cedar Ave, both of which will remain in operation if a new location were added at 4135 Hiawatha. There are no formal plans yet for the building, as Max It first wanted to gather community input on the concept. Aaron stated that Mark Smith, the owner of Max It, does not accept guns or dangerous weapons at his businesses and seeks to incorporate environmentally friendly building design (such as energy efficiency and large windows with natural light). Howard noted that Minneapolis requires the use of Automated Pawn System (APS), an initiative of Minneapolis Police which tracks pawn transactions and monitors for stolen items.
Aaron asked for feedback on the general concept of developing a Max It Pawn at this location. There is some concern regarding the addition of another pawnshop to the community, but a general consensus that it would be preferred to vacant space. Aaron stated that given this feedback, Max It will likely move forward with the plans. He may request a formal letter of support in the future.
Hennepin County Community Works Update
Robb Luckow discussed the CARE Community Action for Renewed Environment grant recently received from federal EPA. The grant provides funding for Hennepin County and partners Longfellow Community Council and Women’s Environmental Initiative to survey residents along the Minnehaha – Hiawatha corridor and a small geographic area in East Phillips to determine environmental challenges and concerns affecting residents. Hennepin County and partners plan o use this information to apply for a phase 2 grant to address the concerns prioritized by residents.
Patrick Connoy from Hennepin County and Nick Peterson, Senior Planner for City, gave a brief update on Minnehaha reconstruction planning. Project is in the initial stages of planning and currently on track to begin in 2013. Utility companies have been contacted and sewer and water issues are being identified. Centerpoint may replace some of their infrastructure at same time as road reconstruction. Arborists have taken an initial look at trees and plantings and will develop a plan for them.
Currently there is no source for cash for business assistance programs for businesses along project area. Hennepin County and LBA have discussed developing some plans for business assistance cash but no funding sources identified at this time. Concerns were raised about not duplicating the problems encountered during the East Lake construction project.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:40 am
Minutes submitted by Ruth Romano
Longfellow Business Association Meeting Minutes Thursday, April 14, 2011
Annual meeting and Board of Director elections
Present: Terrill James – Capstone Home Inspections, Patience, Volunteers of America, Ruhel Islam – Gandhi Mahal, Kristi Adams – Waddell & Reed, Greg Toltzman – Professional Interpreting, Ruth Romano – staff, Susan Zdon – Corazon, Donna Sanders – JBS Solutions, Jeff Buhs – Longfellow Nokomis Messenger , Dave Hoenack – Hymie’s Records, Megan Sheridan – Redesign, Inc. – Scott Cramer – Northern Sun Merchandising, Nina Joy Hanson – Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Leo Exley – Kennedy Transmission, Matt Lerner – East Lake Liquor, Sam Nestingen – Parkway Pizza, Cam Gordon – Ward 2 councilmember, Ben Smith – Glaciers Café, Denis Woulfe – Longfellow Nokomis Messenger, Michael Cain – Law Office of Michael Cain, Dan Swenson – Alexander’s Imports Auto Repair, Kathy Nelson – writer, Amy Moore – Volunteers of America, Mike Bishop – XYandZ Gallery, Steve Krause – Minnehaha Lake Wine & Spirits, Dan Kennedy – Kennedy Law Group, Kim Jakus – Longfellow Community Council, Jerry – Bridgeman’s,
Co-chair Ben Smith called the meeting to order.
Welcome and introductions all around.
Budget discussion: Members thoroughly and thoughtfully discussed the proposed budget for 2011. Most of the discussion was focused on allocating money to publish a business directory. Steve Krause suggested holding off for one year; that the trend is towards print media becoming obsolete and that our bank balance is currently low. (Business associations citywide did not receive city funding last year. LBA did receive $6000 in Business Association Assistance Program funding for 2011). Kathy Nelson said that LBA membership benefits by having a print directory and that in Longfellow many people still use print; electronic data is not an option for some residents. Kathy maintains that we have to gather the data anyway to keep the LBA database updated. Leo Exley added that the directory is a useful tool for recruiting new members. Dan Kennedy noted that the directory is a service to members. Greg Toltzman said that waiting a year makes updating harder, that it may be less work to update more frequently. Mike Bishop suggested we use the business directory to direct people to the website. Scott Cramer was in favor of funding the directory as having someone contacting businesses directly representing LBA has resulted in increased membership.
Kathy Nelson motioned to allocation $1600 to the directory line item in the budget.
Several amended motions were made but eventually the original was brought to the table for a vote. Motion carried. 10 in favor, 1 against.
Director Elections
Secretary Dan Kennedy reviewed director responsibilities and noted there are 15 board seats open.
Nominations for board seats opened.
Motion to approve proposed slate of directors:
• Kathy Nelson
• Michael Cain
• Sam Nestingen
• Ben Smith
• Ruhel Islam
• Amy Moore
• Greg Toltzman
• Leo Exley
• Dan Swenson
• Dan Kennedy
• Steve Krause
• Scott Cramer
Motion seconded. Motion carries.
Motion to approve slate of officers
• Amy Moore (2 year term)
• Ben Smith, co-chair (serving 2nd year of 2 year term)
• Michael Cain – Secretary/Treasurer
• Ruhel Islam – Secretary/Treasurer
Motion seconded. Motion carries.
City Councilmember Cam Gordon talked about his proposal for commercial recycling program. Although most businesses already have a recycling service CM Gordon’s proposal would become mandatory via a city ordinance.
Meeting adjourned 1:40 pm
Minutes submitted by Ruth Romano
Welcome to the new LBA web site! Members please check your listing and report any glitches to ruth@longfellow.org. Business owners wanting to join the LBA and be listed in our directory can check out the membership page for more information.
