Southwest Journal, April 19–May 2, 2018 by The Southwest Journal

Housing market hasn’t cooled

REAL

ESTATE

PAGE B1

GUIDE April 19–May 2, 2018 Vol. 29, No. 8 southwestjournal.com

A call for action

Activists took control for most of the two-hour public safety forum

By Dylan Thomas / dthomas@southwestjournal.com

Activists interrupted the second of two recent city-hosted community forums on public safety, deriding an engagement process they said produced plenty of talk but little action. “It is a tragedy in the city of Minneapolis that we keep on doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results,” said Nekima Levy-Pounds, a 2017

candidate for mayor who took control of the microphone partway through the April 10 event. Like several others who spoke up at the gathering, Levy-Pounds said it was past time for the city to take steps toward police reform and officer accountability. Speaking

Around the world at 8 mph After learning to sail at Bde Maka Ska, Nabil Amra prepares to circumnavigate the globe

By Michelle Bruch / mbruch@southwestjournal.com

When Nabil Amra competes in a solo sailing race around the world, the Regina neighborhood resident will bring freeze-dried burrito bowls from World Street Kitchen. He’ll bring an eight-month supply of other home-cooked and freeze-dried meals made by friends, along with sails by the local Sailcrafters loft and perhaps playlists by The Current on cassette. (No modern tech is allowed.) The Golden Globe Race departs from France July 1. Nineteen sailors will travel nonstop without assistance and without touching shore for about nine months, replicating a 1968 race that produced only

Chauntyll Allen was one of the activists who expressed impatience with the city at a forum on public safety held April 10 at Sabathani Community Center. Photo by Dylan Thomas

one finisher. They’ll travel without GPS or other modern technology. Amra quit his job in mid-March as foreign exchange trader at U.S. Bank. He is traveling to England to sail his 1990 Biscay 36 class ketch yacht for the first time. He’s funding the race out of his personal savings, with the help of a GoFundMe campaign and a recent fundraiser at fellow sailor Sandy Shipp’s Northeast Minneapolis home. “I told him we’ve got to get you to the starting line,” Shipp said. “Then it will be up to Nabil.” Amra, age 43, learned to sail at age 30 at SEE AROUND THE WORLD / PAGE A10

SEE PUBLIC SAFETY FORUM / PAGE A12

Police body camera policy revised again Mayor says new guidelines are stronger and more precise By Nate Gotlieb / ngotlieb@southwestjournal.com

Minneapolis police officers must activate their body cameras at least two blocks away from the location of any calls for service, according to an updated policy city leaders announced April 4. Officers must keep their body cameras powered on and ready to activate at all times during their shifts, the policy says. Once recording, officers must keep their cameras active until the conclusion of an event, and they must document cases in which they deactivate the cameras early. “This is a stronger, clearer and more precise policy,” Mayor Jacob Frey said at a press conference. The updated policy comes nearly nine months after ex-Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor fatally shot Fulton resident

Justine Damond in the alley behind her home. Neither Noor nor his partner had his body camera activated during the shooting. Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman charged Noor in March with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Former Police Chief Janeé Harteau resigned less than a week after the shooting at then-Mayor Betsy Hodges’ request, and Hodges subsequently named Medaria Arradondo acting chief. The City Council approved his appointment on a permanent basis in August. Arradondo updated the Police Department’s body camera policy within a week of becoming acting chief, requiring officers to activate their cameras for all dispatches. SEE BODY CAMERA POLICY / PAGE A14

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southwestjournal.com / April 19–May 2, 2018 A3

By Michelle Bruch / mbruch@southwestjournal.com

46TH & GRAND

Tap Society Tap Society is slated to open in June in the former Kings Wine Bar space at 4555 Grand Ave. S., offering flat top burgers and self-serve beer taps. “We’re not doing anything fancy or flashy, we’re just making a good burger and keeping it simple,” said co-owner Mike Fritz. The restaurant will serve bar snacks, chocolate and vanilla shakes and fries seasoned with garlic and pepper. Burgers will be priced at about $5.25, Fritz said. “It’s simple, so we can keep the prices down,” he said. Customers can walk in for an ID check and receive a beer card that allows them to purchase by the ounce, sampling from a wall of 26 taps like Surly’s Todd The Axe Man IPA. Taps will include a few ciders and wines as well. Customers will order food from kiosks, which also helps keep prices down, Fritz said. He said burgers are available with a special relish sauce that’s “a little bit tangy and a little bit sweet.” Described as similar to In-N-Out Burger, the menu will include a veggie burger and a carnitas burger topped with sautéed onions and a fried egg. Fritz previously worked in Macy’s food division on restaurant projects across the country. He’s tested the Tap Society concept since midAugust in pop-up events at Cavé Vin. Cavé Vin owner Ken Wills is sharing the space for free on days Cavé Vin is closed — Tap

5748 Duncan Lane, Edina • $429,900 Enjoy the private wooded setting of this redone townhouse on 9 Mile Creek Mike Fritz serves shakes and classic burgers at a Tap Society pop-up at Cavé Vin. Photo by Michelle Bruch

Society cook Brian Daniels is a regular, he said. Wills said the paper napkins, kids and ketchup bottles provide an interesting contrast to typical nights at the restaurant. “Right now it doesn’t look like people will be drinking white Bordeaux in 36 hours,” he said. Kings Wine Bar opened in 2009. The business transferred in 2015 to new owners who reworked the menu to include Pan-Asian cuisine. The restaurant closed with a “heavy heart” March 31, thanking customers for an outpouring of love and support in the final days. Prior to opening, Tap Society is planning one more pop-up preview April 22–23 at Cavé Vin. For more information, visit Tap Society on Facebook. “It will be a good neighborhood hangout,” Fritz said.

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LAKE & EAST CALHOUN

Lola’s on the Lake, an eatery with a mission Expect to wait until mid-May for Lola’s on the Lake to open in the former Tin Fish refectory on Bde Maka Ska. “I talked to the Park Board, and there is still 18 inches of ice on the lake,” said owner Louis King, explaining that they can’t pump water to the building until a full spring thaw. Lola’s has grown from backyard parties to the Super Bowl, beating 11 other pitches for the five-year lease to replace Tin Fish at 3000 East Calhoun Parkway. “Why not throw our name in the hat?” King said. “I think I can shorten the lines.” He said one way to do that is offer a quick line for grab-and-go food like kids’ meals, salads, pulled pork sandwiches and smoked mac and cheese. There will be frozen treats and 10 beers on tap. “We’ll spice it up and speed it up,” King said. Another line with longer waits will offer specials like fried fish and red snapper garnished with peppers. The wings are a customer favorite.

Lola’s on the Lake owner Louis King will employ neighborhood kids, dovetailing with his day job’s vocational training mission. Photo courtesy of Summit Academy OIC

The Sweet Sticky Thing, named after the Ohio Players song, are made with a “secret glaze.” After the refectory hits its stride, mobile food carts with ice cream will travel to spots like Thomas Beach. King said he launched the business to teach work ethic to his daughter, Lauryn “Lola” King. They started by cooking for a jazz festival at Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park. “It gave us the fever,” he said. They went on to work concessions at the Jim Lupient Water Park in Northeast, and later succeeded in taste tests to cook at U.S. Bank Stadium. At their busiest game, where the Vikings played the Green Bay Packers, they made $30,000 in a few hours. “We are built for speed,” King said. King is a U.S. Army veteran, and he works as president and CEO of Summit Academy OIC, a vocational training and job placement program in North Minneapolis. He asserts that “the best social service program in the world is a job.” Summit offers accredited training programs at no cost to students in fields like construction and healthcare. The New York Times featured the academy in a February story about the lowest-ever black jobless rate, still twice that of whites. Summit Academy is in the midst of a campaign to provide 1,000 low-income Minnesotans with education and job training. According to Summit, the average graduate comes to the program earning less than $10,000 a year, and leaves to earn about $34,000 a year, with 82 percent still employed three years later. King plans to extend that mission to Lola’s on the Lake. “The first thing we’re going to do is make sure neighborhood kids far and wide know we’re hiring,” he said. “… They need some independence and they need to make a little money.”

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36TH & BRYANT

Residences at Southwest Senior Center site A proposal to build 41 residences at 3612– 3616 Bryant Ave. S. will come before the city Planning Commission on April 23. The residences would stand on the site of the former Southwest Senior Center, which closed last summer following a reduction in United Way funding. 36 Bryant LLC, which cites Jeffrey Hall as the registered agent, did not return calls to describe the plans. According to the public hearing notice distributed by the East Harriet Farmstead Neighborhood Association, Collage Architecture is requesting a conditional use permit to increase the height of the

building, as well as a variance to increase the floor area ratio and a variance to reduce the setback to the south. Details of the proposal will be posted at minneapolismn.gov/meetings/planning. Hennepin County records indicate that 36 Bryant LLC purchased the property from Volunteers of America on March 6 for $699,600. The site is zoned C1, a Neighborhood Commercial District, which allows development of 2.5 stories or 35 feet. The public hearing is April 23 at 4:30 p.m. in room 317 of City Hall, located at 350 S. 5th St.

A view of G & L Furniture at 318 W. Lake St. Photo by Michelle Bruch

LAKE & GRAND

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Five-story building would house G & L Furniture, studios G & L Furniture may anchor a new fivestory building where the store currently operates at 318 W. Lake St. City Planning Commissioners recently took a first look at the proposal, which calls for 44 studios and efficiencies of 350–537 square feet. G & L Furniture would occupy the first floor and small businesses would stand on a mezzanine level. The project does not have an off-street parking requirement, and no parking is proposed, according to a city staff report.

Today there are five rental units above the furniture store, and the existing building would be demolished. The owner of G & L Furniture currently owns the property. The project would take advantage of Sunrise Banks’ New Market Tax Credit Program, according to the city. The program uses federal income tax credits to encourage private investment in low-income communities. Past projects have included the Seward Co-op’s new Friendship store and Izzy’s Ice Cream’s manufacturing center.

A proposal for the G & L Furniture site at Lake & Grand includes a new home for the furniture store, space for small businesses and studio residences. Rendering by UrbanWorks Architecture

southwestjournal.com / April 19–May 2, 2018 A5

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The Hummingbird, a new live-work building anchored by an architecture firm, features long sightlines to the street. Photo by Michelle Bruch

35TH & HENNEPIN

The Hummingbird Fielding Nair International has designed schools in 47 countries, from Douglas Park School in Saskatchewan to Chongqing Secondary School in a fast-growing region of China. They design spaces for collaborative teaching, or bullying prevention, or messy work, or “living textbooks” that expose how building systems function. “Some of our key principles are lots of light, lots of connection to the outside and also connection to people,” said Randall Fielding, founding chairman. Those principles are on display at the firm’s newly constructed office at 3453 Hennepin Ave., where the building’s agility led them to call it “The Hummingbird.” The workspace offers long interior and exterior vistas — on the ground floor, workers can see from the backyard edible garden to the front porch. Fielding said workers unconsciously appreciate long sightlines to rest their eyes. Like the schools they design, the architects created a semi-private “nest” space for people to work in a quieter atmosphere. Glass doors open to the street. Artwork by Don Grandbois populates the “vertical gallery” in the

stairwell, where motion lights flicker on as people move through the passageway. Sound is muﬄed in baﬄes on the ceiling. Light fi xtures shine indirect light over desks. “By bouncing light off the ceiling, it’s more like the sky,” Fielding said. Apartments are available for rent and will accommodate out-of-town guests working with the firm; one live-work studio includes a hidden Murphy bed. Fielding and his wife Kris expect to someday downsize and move in to one of the units. Projections anticipate that the job market will increasingly value creative skills, Fielding said. He said across the globe, schools are interested in similar design. They want to encourage entrepreneurial thought, information synthesis and complex problem-solving. “That’s something everyone around the world needs,” he said. “… People want to collaborate and move around.” The Hummingbird will also provide space for education by hosting public workshops on topics like the future of learning and design. A book club focused on education will meet at The Hummingbird on May 19. “We’re all lifelong learners,” Fielding said.

LAKE & EXCELSIOR

Developer submits proposal for lakeside hotel, condos Elevage Development Group has formally submitted a proposal to build an eight-story (100-foot) building at 3012 Excelsior Blvd, currently home to a BP gas station. The developer proposes 100 hotel rooms, 20 condominiums and a 4,700 square-foot restaurant. The building would hold 107 enclosed parking spaces with one parking level underground. A submitted traffic study suggests that the new development would reduce traffic to the site, from 700 daily trips at the gas station down to an estimated 633 daily trips at the proposed hotel. In the application, the developer said the

project may incorporate a signature gateway sculpture at the corner plaza, and said they are working with Hennepin County and Public Works to improve the Lake & Excelsior intersection with plantings, seating and cobblestone pavers. Hennepin County has budgeted $1.5 million to realign Lake Street at Excelsior Boulevard to create a more traditional intersection at an angle closer to 90 degrees, aiming to improve pedestrian safety. The 2019 project would enhance crosswalk markings, add a green island, add curb ramps and shorten crossing distances. To view project renderings, visit southwestjournal.com.

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The City of Minneapolis is planning to relocate more than 1,000 employees to a new office building planned for a site kitty-corner from City Hall, and in April it revealed more detailed plans for the project. The 10-story, skyway-connected building designed by Henning Larsen of Denmark and Minneapolis-based MSR is one piece in a $210 million plan that also includes renovations to City Hall. The consolidated office building is scheduled to open in fall 2020; demolition of the parking ramp that it will replace could begin as soon as June. In addition to City Hall, the city currently owns or leases office space in seven downtown buildings, including the First Precinct at 4th & Hennepin. When completed, the consolidated office building will bring eight city departments under one roof. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This today, to me, represents a vision and an opportunity,â&#x20AC;? City Coordinator Nuria Rivera-Vandermyde said during an April 11 briefing on the project. Having city employees â&#x20AC;&#x153;scattered throughout the cityâ&#x20AC;? is not just inefficient, she said, it makes it more difficult to collaborate between departments. Both the City of Lakes Building and the Public Service Center are aging, and relocating employees currently housed in both creates an opportunity to rethink how city services are delivered to the community, she added. Rivera-Vandermyde described the consolidated office building as the â&#x20AC;&#x153;manifestationâ&#x20AC;? of the answer to a question posed during the design process: â&#x20AC;&#x153;How does the city come to community in a much different way?â&#x20AC;? The boxy, modern structure is covered in birdsafe frittered glass. Cutouts in the faĂ§ade open to interior spaces designed for collaboration. The building will include three skyway connections and a skyway-level public service area â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the publicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first stop for everything from business licensing to paying utility bills. Architect Michael Sorenson of Henning Larsen said the nearly transparent first floor was designed as â&#x20AC;&#x153;a very open gestureâ&#x20AC;? to the Hennepin County Government Center plaza across 4th Avenue. The 382,000-square-foot building was designed to accommodate 1,300-plus employees in offices spread across floors three through nine. The 10th floor is a common area for staff. The building also includes one underground level with space for bike storage. The Minneapolis Police Departmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s investigative unit will occupy about one-third of the building when it opens.

Of the $210 million estimated budget for the project, at least three-quarters is expected to go toward construction of the new office building, with the rest reserved for renovations at City Hall, said Mark Ruff, the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chief financial officer. Ruff declined to give a more specific breakdown because the numbers could change, he said. Ruff said the project got rolling way back in 1999, when the City Council instructed staff to stop investing in the city-owned office buildings near City Hall. That decision didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t anticipate a major recession and a later councilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vote to strike a $20 million deal with the Park Board for park and streets improvements, two factors that pushed back a groundbreaking date. â&#x20AC;&#x153;2016 is when the council took up the project in earnest again,â&#x20AC;? he said. The City of Lakes Building and Public Service Center have now gone 20 years without an upgrade to the buildingsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems, Ruff said. The city plans to sell those buildings, both located on the same block, and use the proceeds to pay for the new consolidated office building and City Hall renovations. Asked how much the city thinks it will get for the properties, Ruff noted the city had a pending deal to sell the Nicollet Hotel Block to United Properties for $10.4 million. The City of Lakes Building and Public Service Center sale would be for about three-quarters of a block, not a full block, in a less desirable location, he said, estimating the city could get $5 millionâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;$6 million for the properties. New tax revenue generated by the redevelopment of the site is expected to offset a portion of project costs. The city is also counting on the savings it gets from ending payments on the leased downtown office space it will no longer require and avoiding the expense of maintenance and renovations to those buildings. Ruff said the city expects to have paid down debts from other projects by 2022. It will also issue bonds for the consolidated office building and City Hall renovations. Ruff said there would be no increase in property taxes due to the project. The project budget includes $2 million (about 1.5 percent of the total cost) for public artworks in the new consolidated office building, Mary Altman, the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s public arts administrator. Tristan Al-Haddad of Atlantaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Formation Studio was selected to identify art opportunities and select artists to contribute to the project. Al-Haddad will also design one signature artwork for the new building.

The glassy first floor is designed as an â&#x20AC;&#x153;open gestureâ&#x20AC;? to the plaza in front of the Hennepin County Government Center across 4th Avenue. Submitted image

southwestjournal.com / April 19–May 2, 2018 A7

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LINDEN HILLS FESTIVAL MUSIC STAGE! The Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam closed to navigation in 2015, and now there are plans to redevelop the site. File photo

Council resolution supports St. Anthony Falls-area redevelopment A unanimous City Council on April 13 passed a resolution in support of a redevelopment plan for the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam, which closed to navigation in 2015. The resolution also called for a prohibition on development of any hydroelectric generating facilities in the lock and dam area. A local nonprofit, Friends of the Lock and Dam, is developing plans for a visitor center and other attractions in the falls area. The city is seeking $1.5 million in state bonds to begin the redevelopment process, an amount Friends of the Lock and Dam plans to match. “I think it’s a huge opportunity for us in Ward 3 and for the entire city to really

develop this asset and make the river more accessible,” City Council Member Steve Fletcher said. The resolution also noted that redeveloping the lock and dam as a regional attraction fits in with official city and Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board plans to revitalize the riverfront area. In a press release, Tom Fisher, vice president of Friends of the Lock and Dam, said, “The Mississippi River is such a significant feature of our state — it informs our culture, commerce, and recreation, and it presents a wonderful opportunity for the next generation of urban place making.”

Judge dismisses defamation lawsuit against former mayor A Hennepin County District Court judge on April 3 dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed against former Mayor Betsy Hodges by a Minneapolis police lieutenant. Lt. John Delmonico sued Hodges in October, alleging that statements she made in text messages with former police Chief Janeé Harteau were defamatory. At the time, Hodges was campaigning for re-election. In the July 2017 text exchange — made public after the Star Tribune filed a records request — Hodges and Harteau argued over the former chief ’s plan to appoint Delmonico inspector of the 4th Precinct in North Minneapolis. Another officer, Aaron Biard, ultimately got the job. Although Hodges initially described the decision as Harteau’s “call,” she in subsequent texts wrote that “we know we can’t trust John,” adding that local progressives “remember lots of racist stuff he has done.” Hodges ultimately reversed the appointment. In the lawsuit, Delmonico claimed Hodges purposely set out to harm his reputation by portraying him as untrustworthy and racist. Delmonico alleged the texted statements were made with malice because of past disputes with the Hodges, both when she was a City Council member representing Ward 13 — and clashed with him over police union pension benefits — and later, after becoming mayor, when Delmonico claimed in a KSTP news report that Hodges flashed a gang sign while posing for a photograph with a campaign worker in an incident that became known as “Pointergate.”

Hennepin County District Judge M. Jacqueline Regis found Hodges, as the mayor of a major city holding appointment power over the police department, was immune from Delmonico’s defamation claim, adding that she “addressed legitimate concerns about Delmonico’s appointment” in the texts. Regis agreed with the argument made in Hodges defense, that she was protected from the defamation claim by the “absolute privilege” granted state judicial and legislative proceedings, a privilege that is extended to higher-level members of the executive branch. Regis wrote that “Hodges’ text statements to Harteau satisfy all the factors for granting absolute immunity to an executive-branch official.” Regis noted in the order that the Fourth Precinct inspector’s job was “one of the toughest assignments in the Minneapolis Police Department” and that the former mayor’s appointment power for police was an “integral part of Hodges’ duties as the mayor of the City of Minneapolis.” “In this case, the public interest is substantially served when the mayor of the City (of ) Minneapolis, who has the power to appoint officers in the Minneapolis police department, frankly and openly discusses filling the inspector vacancy in one of the toughest precincts in Minneapolis with the Minneapolis chief of police,” Regis wrote in her order granting Hodges’ attorney’s motion to dismiss. “Conversely, the public would be ill-served if a mayor is afraid to discuss issues with a subordinate which substantially affects the public’s interests.”

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A8 April 19–May 2, 2018 / southwestjournal.com

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By Jim Walsh

The night Trump stiffed Ike (and other residency stories)

eading up to his Wednesday-nights-inMay residency at Icehouse, Ike Reilly has a good story to tell about the inspiration for his song “Took It Lying Down.” It was 1987, and the Libertyville, Illinois-based songwriter was working as a doorman at the Park Hyatt Hotel in downtown Chicago. “I was working at the hotel one night and Donald Trump and his first wife Ivana came in,” said Reilly by phone from Libertyville. “They were staying in the penthouse suite for free because they were doing a deal with the Pritzker family, who owned Hyatt and owned most of Chicago. The bellman had gone home and they came in late, so I took the Trumps up to the penthouse suite and showed ‘em all around and hung there as long as I could looking for a tip and got stiffed. I was like, ‘That (bleeper).’ “It kind of stuck with me. Over the years, every time I’d see that guy on TV, being all arrogant, I’d be like, ‘Jesus Christ …’” A couple decades later, the experience made it into a song, one of many high points on Reilly’s superb new “Crooked Love” album. “I needed another song for the record,” he said. “I had a lot of songs that were recorded that will come out on the next record that didn’t exactly fit. So I thought back to my hotel doorman days. Whenever I’m in need of a song, I harken back to my doorman days, because it opens up a lot. “I started the song with ‘It’s been so long time since I been stiffed hauling bags to the penthouse with Ivana.’ Then it’s about how I would come home from work after I would have these manufactured or fabricated conversations with guests, and would tell my wife all the witty and angry and rebellious things I said to people that I never really ever said. The catalyst for the song is Donald Trump stiffing me, but like the song says, I took it lying down. “It’s about getting (screwed) over and taking it lying down, but I guess the song itself is my way of standing up because it’s such a rebellious kind of rock ‘n’ roll song. So it started with this memory of this (jerk) stiffing me, and then at the end of the first verse: If I’d known then what I know now, I would’ve killed you myself. If I knew that I’d be haunted by your mere presence and the disgust I feel when I look in your face … I wish I’d known then, I would’ve killed you myself. “But I didn’t have to be personally stiffed by him to realize what a total disgusting, detestable human being he was. I hate everything about what he stands for. He’s a cheater, a liar, he represents greed and temporary pleasure — not that I’m against temporary pleasure. “But I’m mad that he takes up so much of my time. I feel like the country needs to get a power washer and just get sprayed off of him and his whole (bleeping) rotten family.” The idea of a Reilly-Trump meeting is poignant, no matter how short it may have been. Reilly has been a hero to his fans for his songs about

the working class, looking out for each other, speaking truth to power and eating the rich. Meanwhile, Trump embodies the ugly American in new ways every day. “At the time, that presidential suite — kind of ironic that it was called the presidential suite at the time — was the most expensive room in Chicago, $2,500 a night, and it overlooked the water tower,” said Reilly. “I was talking until I could get a tip. ‘Hey, here’s the shower curtain.’ I was the classic bellman, milling around until the guy reaches in his pocket — but he showed no interest in the historical aspect of the room, or in any damn thing.” Trump’s perceived little victory over Reilly is like so many of Trump’s perceived little victories over (fill in the blank), and their meeting is par for the course from America’s Greatest Narcissist. Poetically, for the listener, “Took It Lying Down” poses the question: What am I doing to make the world better? In the face of this Trump presidency, do I speak up for my life and my people and the poor and disenfranchised? Do I stand up for what I believe in no matter how uncomfortable the conversation, no matter how cynical the times, or do I take it lying down? “I met a ton of people at the hotel,” said Reilly. “I met Keith Richards, Bob Newhart, Milton Berle, Pat Summerall, the Dalai Lama, Bill Clinton — I can’t say a bad thing about anybody that I met that was either in the political or entertainment world. You might get stiffed if someone was frazzled or in a hurry, but coming in people usually have time to tip. But the song isn’t so much an indictment of Trump as it is of me dwelling on it. Or you can take it anyway you want. It’s a funny anecdote.” Reilly promises to treat audiences to “Took It Lying Down” and more from “Crooked Love” at his May residency, the likes of which South Minneapolis is awash in these days — regular staples on the club docket that afford clubcrawlers the opportunity to develop a routine of socializing and listening. To be sure, weekly and monthly residencies have the potential to become churchlike affairs wherein partakers meet up with new and old friends, find a familiar weekly groove laid down by all and imbibe in the communion of live music, which is reliably terrific at many South Minneapolis go-to gigs, be it the Driftwood Char Bar (Lolo’s Ghost’s church ‘n’ brunch Sundays, the Shotgun Ragtime Band’s Grateful Dead Sundays, St. Dominic’s Trio Tuesdays); the Warming House (free music Thursdays); the Hook and Ladder (free music Wednesdays); the Schooner Tavern (open jam Sundays and Thursdays); Merlin’s Rest (Sunday pub sing); Studio 2 Café (Thunderheads and friends every first Saturday of the month); moto-i (open mic Tuesdays and artist showcase Wednesdays); and Icehouse (JT’s Jazz Implosion Mondays; Tina Schlieske every first Thursday of the month). “There’s something about Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and a residency that makes me feel renewed and excited again,” said Reilly, whose

Ike Reilly sets up shop every Wednesday in May at Icehouse MPLS, 2528 Nicollet Ave. S. His residency is one of many that bring a weekly churchlike flavor to the South Minneapolis club scene. Photo by Luis A. Lopez

Icehouse residency lands May 2 (with Laska), May 9 (with Mary Bue), May 16 (with Hannah Von Der Hoff ) and May 23 (with Natalie Lovejoy; tickets here: bit.ly/2EVWgb8). “I played at the Icehouse for the first time earlier this year, and I thought it was a cool venue for this kind of a rap I’m doing. I’m excited to play all these new and old songs at this residency, because they don’t really happen in my head until I test ‘em live.” In addition to the Icehouse residency, Reilly will take up Thursday night residencies in May at Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music and in June at New York City’s Rockwood Music Hall. Over the next two months, he’s scheduled to play 30 solo shows, the most of his career. And while The Ike Reilly Assassination remains one of the fiercest rock ‘n’ roll bands in the land, Reilly’s solo shows provide a rare intimacy and a chance for the barroom bard to be “more conversational with people” — though his between-song chatter may or may not directly target Trump. “It’s so obvious that I don’t want to be patronizing to people,” he said. “I don’t want to be pandering. I say enough. Based on that song, he’s eaten up enough of my time. Things are rolling around now, and his time is going to end — hopefully before too much permanent damage is done. “When I’m playing, I try to talk about things that people actually deal with on a more personal level. Not in the grand schemes, or the specifics of the Mueller investigation, or what a (creep) Trump is. That’s evident. I’d rather have people laugh their asses off than get too beaten down by how (screwed) up things are — at least for 90 minutes.” Jim Walsh lives and grew up in South Minneapolis and hosts/sings/shouts/resists at The Mad Ripple Friday Night Hootenanny every Friday at Studio 2 Café (6:30 p.m.–9 p.m.) until June 15 (last Hoot ‘til break). He can be reached at jimwalsh086@gmail.com

southwestjournal.com / April 19–May 2, 2018 A9

Voices

Thissen appointed to Minnesota Supreme Court Light rail decision was wrong U.S. District Court Chief Judge John Tunheim got it wrong when he ruled against Lakes and Parks Alliance of Minneapolis in the lawsuit that would have required the Metropolitan Council to follow the federal National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regarding Southwest Light Rail. When LPA brought its first motion for summary judgment, Tunheim stated the Met Council “has come dangerously close to impermissibly prejudicing the ongoing environmental review process.” LPA uncovered a multitude of emails, letters and documents that clearly demonstrated the Met Council reached a decision on the route for SWLRT long before the end of the environmental review process in July 2016. The following are just a few examples: • In August 2013, Susan Haigh, then chair of Met Council, asserted in a letter to Gov. Mark Dayton that routing the SWLRT outside of the Kenilworth Corridor had already been “rejected.” • On Oct. 6, 2013, Adam Duininck, then a member of the council, sent an email to Susan Haigh stating he agreed with the City of Minneapolis that it was overwhelmingly clear the Met Council staff wanted the SWLRT to run through the Kenilworth Corridor. • On Oct. 9, 2013 at a Southwest Corridor Management Committee meeting, Mark Furhmann, Metro Transit rail project program director, specifically stated that a proposed resolution to discontinue work on moving the existing freight rail out of the

Kenilworth Corridor “will make it very clear for the (Federal Transit Administration) that the action of the SWCMC is a shallow LRT tunnel and all other options that were considered are no longer in play.” Tunheim’s decision rests on the basis that agreements (referred to as memoranda of understanding, or MOUs) the Met Council signed with the City of Minneapolis, City of St. Louis Park and the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board regarding SWLRT did not commit the Met Council to a specific route, “despite giving the appearance that it did.” In effect, the court said the Met Council made promises that can be broken. In addition, the Minneapolis MOU nowhere states that it is “nonbinding” or “conditional.” It specifically states that “in consideration of the mutual agreements set forth herein, the Parties agree as follows.” This language makes the document a contract, based on mutual consideration binding the Met Council to a specific route before the completion of the environmental review in violation of NEPA. Stuart Chazin Kenwood

Behind the wheel at the Park Board Nowadays, we transition our teens into driving with restrictions on age, time of day and number of passengers, among other things. My mother was just given a driver’s license when she turned

18 in 1933 — no instructions, no provisional rules — and she hit the road. I was fortunate to get behind the wheel of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board when there were seven experienced driver-commissioners to smooth the initial ride for me and my other new colleague. Oh, I’m sure the two of us made some wrong turns and spinouts that our experienced colleagues tolerated with either a smile or a “huh?” With two-thirds of the Park Board as new drivers this year, many of you have asked me: How’s the drive so far? Well, no crashes, but maybe a whiplash or two with breaching of policy, protocol and procedure, with urgencies upon urgencies, with willful disregard of staff and legal opinion and with a hasty pen on the blank check of our budget. But I am hopeful that each new commissioner will transition as I did, with no crashes. I have confidence that each colleague will drive from the campaign trail to the highroad of governance. Thanks to some very experienced and wise park staff, additional training has been provided, a strategic direction has been distilled from our collaborative input and a time schedule affirmed for a superintendent search and hire — the no. 1 function of the Board of Commissioners. I ask for the community’s patience, as you were gracious enough to give to me four years ago. But I also ask that you pay attention and hold us accountable to our driver privilege. Meg Forney Commissioner, Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (at-large)

Gov. Mark Dayton on Tuesday selected state Rep. Paul Thissen to fill a vacancy on the Minnesota Supreme Court. Thissen, an attorney first elected to the state House in 2003, served as Speaker of the House during the 2012–2013 biennium. He replaces former Judge David Stras, whose appointment by President Donald Trump to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was confirmed by the Senate in January. Thissen, who plans to resign his seat April 20, said he was “now ready to move from policy-making to principled interpretation of the law.” “Serving on the court, I believe, is going to allow me to continue to advance the basic values that have long motivated the work I’ve tried to do: to promote fairness, to advance individual dignity and rights, to make sure that we’re accountable to each other and the institutions that serve us are accountable to us and, perhaps most importantly, to make sure that every single person’s voice is heard,” he said. Thissen announced in January he would not seek re-election to a 9th term in the House. He instead had his sights set on the governor’s office, but dropped out of the race to succeed Dayton after a poor showing in the February precinct caucuses. Dayton said there would be no special election to fill the open seat. It would take 38 days to hold the election, and there were only 34 remaining in the current legislative session. — Dylan Thomas

A10 April 19–May 2, 2018 / southwestjournal.com FROM AROUND THE WORLD / PAGE A1

Bde Maka Ska (formerly Lake Calhoun), joining a sailing community that keeps guitars below deck and offers free rides to people on the dock. “I admire him,” said Minneapolis sailor Alberto Forte. “It’s a mixture of awe and envy,” said Rick Kane, a CARAG resident who has sailed at Bde Maka Ska since 2006. Forte said the lake is great practice, given its small size. “Sometimes in the ocean, you sit for a day,” he said. “On Lake Calhoun, you have to tack every 10 minutes. You have the chance to practice a lot of skills.” Forte sailed through his first storm with Amra on a 200-mile trip from Saint Martin to Puerto Rico, where a third sailor became seasick in the high winds and waves. “You’re never done learning when it comes to water and weather,” Kane said. “You can only anticipate so much and then you have to trust your experience and instincts.”

It taught me a whole bunch and also really roughed me up. … People say, keep the water out and the mast up, and everything else is an inconvenience. I ﬁnd that three or more inconveniences also become a really big problem. — Nabil Amra

The trial run Amra’s longest journey to-date was a 25-day trip last May from Fajardo, Puerto Rico to Portland, Maine. “It taught me a whole bunch and also really roughed me up,” he said. “… People say, keep the water out and the mast up, and everything else is an inconvenience. I find that three or more inconveniences also become a really big problem.” He didn’t see the sun for five days while practicing celestial navigation, which sent him 100 miles off course. The self-steering gear broke, and he had to steer the boat by hand for 800 miles. And he sailed through the Mother’s Day nor’easter that hit the East Coast in May.

To prepare for the Golden Globe Race, Nabil Amra practiced celestial navigation, funneled drinking water from the sails and navigated 50 mph winds. Submitted photo

“I got my taste of 50 mph winds and 30-foot seas,” he said. Falling short on food rations and drinking honey and olive oil, he docked for a short time at Nantucket. The Coast Guard fed him bowl after bowl of chili, and the local Fire Chief gave him a place to rest up before continuing the trip. Aside from the challenges, Amra described beautiful experiences as well. On trade-wind sailing days, he could relax and fish from the dock. He spent a day in a high pressure system where the water was

smooth as glass, and he went for a swim. “You can’t tell the water from the sky sometimes. You can’t make out the horizon. It’s all just a beautiful blue,” he said. He successfully practiced using a funnel to capture rainwater off the sails. “I got seven or eight gallons in 15 minutes of trying,” he said. During the race, he’ll bring enough potable water to last 160 days, and he will rely on rainwater for the remaining 100-plus days of travel. In case of emergency, there is a GPS chart

plotter, a desalinization pump and a satellite phone under glass, although breaking the glass means an automatic loss. And the sailboat holds a standard method for sending a distress signal. “So if you pull a pin, basically it sends out a signal and they send in the cavalry. Of course much of this race will be so far away from anything, it might be a while if it happens farther south,” he said. The racers will depart from France and travel south through the Atlantic, around SEE AROUND THE WORLD / PAGE A11

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Amra greets friends at a Northeast Minneapolis fundraiser in April. Photo by Michelle Bruch

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South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, past Prince Edward Island to Storm Bay in Tasmania, around Chile’s Cape Horn and back to Les Sables d’Olonne in France, the city where they started. Amra said he’s weighed the risks and he’s ready to go. “I’d rather have a broken bone than a broken spirit,” he said. “… I’d say this is going to be a mental race, more than physical.”

The sailors In the original 1968 Golden Globe Race, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston was the only finisher, and the first to circle the world solo and nonstop. Eight other competitors left the race or died at sea. The tragic story of one sailor is captured in the 2018 film “The Mercy,” starring Colin Firth. The Sunday Times reported that KnoxJohnston set sail with “sponsorship totaling £5, a stack of tinned food, 120 cans of beer, a makeshift self-steering mechanism designed on his garage floor, a barometer borrowed from the wall of his local pub, 50 books, a shortwave radio that packed up after a couple of months and a mighty overdraft.” He competed at age 67 in another race around the world in 2006. He told the Sunday Times that he wanted to send a message to older people: “‘Look, if I can do this, you can.’ People don’t have to slump in front of the TV just because they’re retired; you’ve only got one life, so paint it in bright colours.” Amra said he was honored to meet KnoxJohnston as part of the run-up to the 2018 race. “I call myself an underdog,” he said. Amra’s competitors include Abhilash Tomy, who sailed 52,000 miles serving in India’s Navy and circled the globe solo in 2012. The UK’s Susie Goodall started sailing at age 3. Jean-Luc van den Heede is a five-time circumnavigator who is considered the father of French solo sailing. But Amra said the contest rules, which aim to mimic conditions in 1968, will help level the playing field. They’re traveling in boats designed prior to 1988 that are similar

to Knox-Johnston’s winning boat. Though modern boats can travel around the world in 80 days, the racers’ smaller boats will circle the globe in about 300 days. They will rely on paper charts and sextants and celestial navigation, without the aid of weather forecasts, communicating through a long-range high-frequency radio.

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Team Palestine Those who follow Amra’s progress via goldengloberace.com will be cheering for Team Palestine. He grew up in Chaska and moved to the West Bank at age 12. His family intended to stay for a single summer, but arriving at the start of the 1987 Intifada, they ended up staying for two years. His school closed after the uprising started, and he joined other youth in demonstrations against the Israelis. Walking home after one demonstration, he said a jeep picked him up and he got a “week’s worth of beatings in a tin box.” “Maybe this will be my thumb in that eye,” he said. “… It was an eye-opening experience for a kid with no political leaning at the time to get wind that we were a thirdclass citizen somewhere. And yet the people themselves were generous and gracious, and the hospitality like you’ve never seen before, for people that had nothing. Part of this is for them.” Amra said that if he wins, he will use the prize money to buy racing dinghies for the Palestinian Sail and Surf Federation. He’s renaming his boat “The Liberty,” which is the translation of his grandmother’s Arabic name and references the U.S.S. Liberty, which was attacked by Israeli aircraft in 1967. In the final days before his departure to England, Amra freeze-dried food in his kitchen, including trays of Milkjam ice cream, Holy Land hummus and pasta made by friends like Forte. “I didn’t expect it to be such a community supported thing, but it’s really become that,” he said. “… It might be a solo race, but there is nothing solo about preparation or the practice or the provisioning.”

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A12 April 19–May 2, 2018 / southwestjournal.com FROM PUBLIC SAFETY FORUM / PAGE A1

to a room that included City Council members Alondra Cano, Andrea Jenkins, Jeremy Schroeder, Phillipe Cunningham, Linea Palmisano and Steve Fletcher, Police Chief Medaria Arradondo and other city officials, she said “over-policing” was harming parts of the city, including the North Side. “Too many police and not enough jobs is fueling the prison-industrial complex,” Levy-Pounds said. Officially a special meeting of the City Council’s Public Safety and Emergency Management Committee, the forum drew about 200 people to the gymnasium inside Sabathani Community Center, located just across Interstate 35W from the Kingfield neighborhood. Cano, the committee’s chair, welcomed participants by describing the gathering as a chance for community members to identify their priorities and share their vision for public safety. Forum participants gathered around tables meant to foster small-group conversations among eight to 10 people. But the meeting got off track before those conversations even started, during a lengthy period of introductory remarks by members of the City Council. That was when Chauntyll Allen strode to the front of the gym and told the audience that change would not come from sitting in a room. “We know we have problems. They’ve been hearing us for years and years and years on the same issues,” said Allen. “We are tired. And how many of us are going to get gunned down in the streets while you keep having these meetings?”

Nekima Levy-Pounds, center, said parts of Minneapolis were suffering from “overpolicing” and a lack of economic opportunity. Photo by Dylan Thomas

Allen described herself as a member of Black Coalition, a group named after the clothing label founded by Minneapolis activist Tyrone Williams. The 33-year-old was shot and killed April 3 in the Near North neighborhood. Williams attended the first of the two public safety forums, held March 28 on the North Side, in which he described attending meeting after city-organized meeting on public safety as “like psychological warfare to me.” In a video of his remarks posted online, Williams said it “feels like being set up” when community members repeatedly

Mayor Jacob Frey listened to the activists from the side of the room. At the outset of the meeting, he dispelled rumors that he was considering adding 100 officers to the city’s police force. Photo by Dylan Thomas

show up at the events and share their time and energy seeking solutions only to be let down by the city’s lack of action. “We need more jobs in North Minneapolis instead of police,” Williams said, adding that young black men in his neighborhood got involved in crime “because, systematically, this hasn’t been a place for them to win.” Black Coalition member Satara Strong said they disrupted the meeting as a way of honoring Williams’ memory. She said city officials “deliberately disrespected him” when they went ahead with the second forum. “It’s not that we don’t need more community input,” Strong said. “It’s more like we give community input over and over again.” She added later: “So what is the point of having another focus group meeting when all you’re going to do is continue to talk about solutions and then not utilize them? There’s no point.” The activists’ speeches were interrupted briefly by a tussle with several members of the audience, including former mayoral candidate Al Flowers, who shouted “Stop black-on-black violence” over the activists’ call-and-response chant. The Rev. Jerry McAfee of New Salem Missionary Baptist Church joined the cluster of activists and audience members in a heated engagement that was broken up when Chief Arradondo and several others stepped in. Flowers also attempted to shout over an impassioned, impromptu speech by John Thompson, who became a prominent local

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voice for police reform following the 2016 shooting death of his friend, St. Paul Public Schools employee Philando Castile, during a traffic stop in St. Anthony. Flowers told Thompson to “Go back to St. Paul.” Whatever his disagreement with the other speakers, McAfee agreed with them that the Minneapolis Police Department was in desperate need of reform. He describe the department’s culture as “rotten” and said the police union, led by Lt. Bob Kroll, had too much power. But McAfee also said the issues facing his community went beyond safety and policing. “What about homelessness?” he asked. He, too, expressed his impatience with city leaders. “Every solution you need, you have it,” he said. “You won’t implement it.” Levy-Pounds said she’d been frustrated at the forum held two weeks prior on the North Side when she and others sought answers from Mayor Jacob Frey about plans for adding officers to the police force. Based on reports from the Star Tribune, it appeared Frey was considering increasing the force by 100 officers at an estimated cost of $10 million. Frey, who attended a portion of the Sabathani event before leaving to get to another meeting, dispelled those rumors at the outset. “I just want to be very clear: That’s not happening this year, that’s not happening next year,” Frey said, adding later: “That’s not a thing.”

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A14 April 19–May 2, 2018 / southwestjournal.com FROM BODY CAMERA POLICY / PAGE A1

He said the newly updated policy provides more specificity than the previous version. “This is far more robust and more clearly defined than we ever had before,” Arradondo said.

New guidelines Under the updated policy, an officer assigned a camera must keep it charged between shifts so it is fully charged at the start of a shift. The officer must keep the camera powered on at all times during his or her shift, including if working the front desk of a precinct. He or she must also perform a check at the beginning of a shift to ensure the camera is working. An officer who is dispatched to a call less than two blocks away must immediately activate the camera. The officer must keep the camera in record mode until either he or she or the citizen has left the scene or until he or she has finished transporting a suspect into custody. An officer who needs to deactivate his or her camera before an event ends must narrate the reason for doing so prior to deactivating it. The officer must document the reason for early deactivation if he or she subsequently prepares a police report. If the officer does

not prepare a report, he or she has to document the reason for early deactivation in the department’s computer-aided dispatch system or call it into its emergency communications center. Officers who fail to activate when required or deactivated their cameras early face disciplinary action that could include suspension or termination. The policy requires officers to upload all camera footage at the end of their shifts by placing their cameras into their assigned docking stations. It also requires officers to categorize the nature of the recorded incidents before the end of a shift.

Transparency Frey said the precision of the updated policy would benefit officers while providing increased transparency and accountability to the public. Arradondo said the policy addresses issues that it did not previously, such as specific disciplinary consequences and procedures for when the cameras are not working. When asked how the new policy would have changed the Damond situation, Arradondo said he wants to focus on what the department can do going forward.

He also said officers are accepting the technology, saying it has been a helpful tool. “This is an important piece of technology that our communities have asked for,” he said of body cameras, adding that they help officers gather evidence at scenes and capture officers’ engagement with the community. “It tells a story. It’s not the complete story, but it tells an important story,” he said.

Community input Ryan Patrick, a legal analyst in the city’s Office of Police Conduct Review, said his office was included right away in revising the policy, noting that the Minneapolis Police Department was open to input. Cathy Spann, executive director of the Jordan Area Community Council in North Minneapolis, told a story of police searching outreach workers with her organization without permission after a shooting in the neighborhood in 2014. She said the officers assumed the workers were involved in the shooting, despite them carrying clipboards and surveys and being part of a group. “No one asked them questions,” Spann said. “No one took a moment to say, ‘Are you representing an agency?’ They actually frisked them.”

Spann said the outreach workers are so used to being treated poorly that they kept working, adding that she did not find out about the incident until the next day. She said she could not understand why the police stopped and frisked them, adding that her organization called several community meetings afterward. “What had happened is that when a community is so used to being violated, what happens is that they believe it is part of the norm,” she said. “But it is not.” Spann said she thinks the outcome of the situation would have been different if the police had had body cameras in 2014. She said the footage of the situation could have potentially led to disciplinary action, adding that she supports the use of body cameras to build community and police relationships. Justin Terrell, executive director of the Council for Minnesotans of African American Heritage, challenged leaders to think more broadly about what it takes to produce safe communities. He said leaders should think about the resources that communities need, such as jobs, housing and childcare, to make officers’ lives a little more predictable. “Those are things that create safety communities,” Terrell said. “Ironically, it’s not cameras or guns or use of force policies.”

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southwestjournal.com / April 19–May 2, 2018 A15

News

By Nate Gotlieb / ngotlieb@southwestjournal.com

District modifying budget cuts after board vote Minneapolis Superintendent Ed Graff and his team are working to modify their proposed $33 million in budget cuts for 2018–2019, after the School Board voted April 10 to restore $6.4 million in funding for middle and high schools. Graff wrote in a letter to staff on April 11 that his senior leadership team was working to make $6.4 million in cuts to programs and services funded out of the district’s central office. He wrote that the district would have to review spending decisions for at least 16 schools and potentially undo staffing decisions made at school sites. The district will need to make and communicate all decisions by April 20, Graff wrote. “This will be a difficult process, as I firmly believe the budgets submitted to the Board were intentional, equity-focused and built to maintain maximum supports to schools and students,” he wrote. The letter came a day after the School Board voted 5-4 to restore the funding, which the district gives to middle and high schools to add time to the school day. Supporters of the resolution said before its passage that middle and high schools faced disproportionate budget cuts that would leave some schools unable to operate. Opponents said it would be a continuance of poor budgeting practices and jeopardize other district programs and services, such as athletics and the Office of Black Male Student Achievement. “To me, we’re basically saying this line item

is the most important thing in the budget,” board treasurer Jenny Arneson at the April 10 meeting. “I don’t think that’s really a good way to budget or govern.” The resolution was prompted by the 2018–2019 budget allocations to Washburn High School, which was set to receive a total budget cut of about 13.3 percent, or $1.7 million. The district cut about $787,000 from Washburn in time-adjustment funding, which it distributes on a per-student basis to all middle and high schools, plus about $410,000 in federal Title I money. The school’s allocation also dropped because of enrollment projections and a district decision to withhold compensatory funding to pay for English learning programming. Because of the budget cuts, Washburn eliminated the equivalent of about nine teaching and 18 support-staff positions, including multiple counselor, dean and security positions. Staff and parents said they worried how Principal Rhonda Dean would be able to run her school. “No other school is suffering anything like this impact,” Washburn site council member and parent David Genrich told the School Board on March 13. The district restored $241,800 in Washburn’s Title I funding in early April, bringing the school’s total budget cut down to about $1.45 million. But Washburn community members continued to advocate for restoring the time-adjustment funding at the School

Board meeting on April 10. They said the loss of the support-staff positions would hurt the school and would be too much for it to handle. “These staff are the backbone of our school, and we cannot survive as a school if these cuts happen,” one student said. Members of other high school communities also advocated for increasing their funding during the meeting. Students and teachers at Patrick Henry, which faced a $1.9 million cut, said their school stood to have increased class sizes, fewer course offerings and fewer counselors. Students at Roosevelt said their school stood to lose its Spanish language heritage program. “We want a balanced budget just as much as you do, but not at the expense of student opportunities,” said Alison Criss, an English teacher at FAIR High School, which was set to see a 21.1 percent budget cut. “Just because you can end this debt in one year doesn’t mean that you should.” Graff said he recognized the challenge that schools face with the budget cuts and took note of what the district’s budget does provide, such as fully funded English language services and literacy support. He said the cuts were the beginning of significant and important changes the way MPS conducts business. “We are attempting to make progress and head in a direction that will better serve our students and our community for many years to come,” he said.

The board voted to restore the timeadjustment funding, despite concerns from Graff and multiple board members about paying for it. The resolution does not allow the district to tap into its reserve funds or make additional cuts to schools, which means the cuts have to come out of the district’s central office. Graff wrote April 11 that the district might reduce funding for centrally funded services such as transportation, athletics, custodial support, placement, payroll, curriculum and instruction and safety and security. He added that the resolution would delay the district’s ability to finalize the budget. The resolution could also complicate contract negotiations between the bargaining units with which the district has not finalized a contract agreement. The district came to an agreement with the teacher’s union in March, which will increase total teacher pay by about 2 percent annually. Shaun Laden, educational support professionals union president, said the resolution would put “downward pressure” on his union in negotiations. Teachers union President Michelle Wiese said she hoped the district was willing to listen to the money-saving proposals her union offered in negotiations. Those could include reductions in testing, a reduction in instructional specialist positions or, as a last resort, reducing the number of school days.

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REMODELING SHOWCASE

NEW BATHROOM DOESN’T MAKE THE OWNER SAD ANY LONGER Vujovich Design Build creates a functional, beautiful space

usan DeMaris felt a little sad every time she walked past her guest bathroom. It was small and dark, had peeling paint, and hadn’t been updated since the 1980s. But, she and husband Peter DeMaris had other priorities. First was the removal of a massive, old air conditioner from a living room wall and the requisite matching of the newly filledin wall with the surrounding interior and exterior finishes. Then there were the potential remodels of the TV room, master bedroom and bath. The sad guest bathroom – formerly the three DeMaris boys’ bathroom -- would have to wait. The Kenwood couple hired Vujovich Design Build of Minneapolis for the air-conditioner removal and repair work and discussed their remodeling list. “They said, ‘You know, you might want to start with the bathroom.’ The other ones were not as necessary as the bathroom,” Susan DeMaris said. “It actually upended the priorities I had.”

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“It was more or less trying to come up with a holistic plan, providing timelines and costs early on, but we were able to allow Susan and Peter to choose what was the best project,” added Vujovich Project Designer Lisé Rubins.

They didn’t want to expand the bathroom or change its windows, which were original to the 1912 house. Susan DeMaris wanted to bring in some color to liven up the space just a little. The shower was dark, the radiator large,

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REMODELING SHOWCASE and having a pedestal sink instead of a vanity forced the family to use makeshift storage for everyday items. Plus, the bathroom’s whole style didn’t really fit with the design of the rest of the house. “The main reason we bought this house was because we loved the old architecture, and the old windows and the floors that are not quite straight — all the things that old houses have,” DeMaris said. “I didn’t want it to look disconnected.” The small space posed some challenges. The vanity counter would have to be higher than standard height for the couple’s sons, who range from 6’1” to 6’5” tall and would still use the bathroom most. (Two are in college and one in high school.) The vanity drawers couldn’t be very deep, nor could they bump the toilet when opened, but the vanity still needed to look like furniture. Susan and Peter DeMaris had also found tile that they wanted to use as an accent. This tile had an elongated hexagonal pattern and came in four colors within a family of warm grays and whites. The accent tile would primarily be used as a framed art piece on the shower wall. “We selected the tile first and then decided how we were going to use it,” Rubins said. “We knew that we wanted this picture-framed piece of art in the shower, but how can we kind of sprinkle it around the room to unify the look? It just so happened that the size of that tile was just enough to create a backsplash under the windows. We were able to modify the height of the countertop just enough to get a sense of the variation of colors.” The DeMarises went with a warm-white subway tile for the rest of the shower and to run halfway up the remaining walls, with strips of 2” by 8” tiles alternating with 4” x 8” tiles to make it interesting. With those tile selections complete, the couple had to decide whether the floor tile should be light or dark. Susan DeMaris didn’t want another pattern to detract from the hexagonal tile backsplash and shower art. Rubins recommended using a rectangular tile and provided several samples. “She picked these

great tiles. It’s sort of a charcoal gray with sparkle in it,” Susan DeMaris said. “Lisé figured out I’d like a little glam. This isn’t going to be a boys’ bathroom forever.” When it came down to it, Susan DeMaris selected the design and materials that made her happy, according to Rubins. “I like the color palate they chose. It’s very classic and soothing,” the designer said. “I like the openness too, knowing what it was, very warm and closed in. I like your splashes of sparkle, the

hardware and the light fixtures and the play of glass.” Susan DeMaris likes it, too, and appreciates Vujovich’s attention to detail, and respect for the family’s home and their time. “I know this isn’t the biggest project that Vujovich has ever done, but I did feel like this was a priority. That made me feel confident about it,” she said. “I wanted a more functional but beautiful space. I wanted to not go by it and be sad. I’m not sad at all anymore.”

The tile was selected first and then they decided how to use it. It just so happened that the size of that tile was just enough to create a backsplash under the windows.

About Remodeling Showcase Remodeling Showcase is a paid series of profiles featuring local contractors in Southwest Minneapolis. The profiles are written by Nancy Crotti, a freelance writer.

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A18 April 19–May 2, 2018 / southwestjournal.com

By Nate Gotlieb / ngotlieb@southwestjournal.com

Park Board’s Earth Day Cleanup rescheduled for May 12 The Park Board is welcoming anyone to join its 24th-annual Minneapolis Earth Day Cleanup, which has been rescheduled for 9:30 a.m.–noon Saturday, May 12. The Park Board says people should check back at its website after April 30 for an updated cleanup site list. More than 19,000 residents have removed more than 158,000 pounds of garbage in events since 2008. In 2017, 1,809 volunteers collected more than 7,700 pounds of garbage. The cleanup was initiated in 1995 to draw attention to the water-quality improvement needs of Minneapolis’ lakes and the effects that individual actions have on water quality. The Park Board says the goal of the event is to provide a volunteer experience and environmental education to Minneapolis residents and park users. No registration is required, and people are encouraged to bring gloves if they can. Visit minneapolisearthday.com or call 230-6479 to learn more. Several neighborhood organizations are also

holding their own cleanup or green events on April 21. Those events include the following: • Plate to Table Compost event. 10 a.m.–2 p.m. in the parking lot south of the Lynnhurst Community Center, 1345 W. Minnehaha Parkway. This event is only for Lynnhurst and Tangletown residents. They can pick up 20-pound bags of compost or bring containers to fill themselves. Suggested donation is $2. • Southwest Community Cleanup. 8:30 a.m.–noon at Southwest High School. The public is welcome to join the Southwest Community Education Advisory Council and students from the Southwest Green Team to clean up around the community. A picnic lunch will be provided after the event. • Stevens Square–Loring Heights Cleanup. 9 a.m.–10:30 a.m. at Stevens Square Park, 18th & 2nd. The neighborhood organization will provide trash bags and cloth gloves.

• Lowry Hill East Spring Community Cleanup. 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. at Mueller Park, 2500 Bryant Ave. S. • Lyndale Green Expo. 1 p.m.–4 p.m. at Lyndale Community School, 312 W. 34th St. The event will include activities such as a do-it-yourself trail mix booth and opportunities to learn about greener living and sustainable building. It’s part of the Lyndale Neighborhood Association’s effort to increase participation in residential organics recycling. The event is free and open to the public. The first 50 people in attendance will receive a Chinook Book. Visit goo.gl/oM8To1 to sign up for a volunteer shift. • Earth Day at the Kingfield Outdoor Oven. 5:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m. at Kingfield’s Pleasant Community Garden, 3754 Pleasant Ave. S. The Kingfield Neighborhood Association invites community members to enjoy pizza around its outdoor oven. It suggests

Lakewood Cemetery to hold greenhouse tours Lakewood Cemetery will hold tours of its greenhouse 10 a.m.–3 p.m. April 22 in celebration of Earth Day. Tours will run about 25–30 minutes, and guests will be able to pot a plant to take home after the tour. Guests must register online at lakewoodcementery.org to take the tour, as space is limited. A $5 donation for the tour goes toward the cemetery’s Permanent Care and Improvement Fund. Cemetery President Ronald Gjerde, Jr. said the tours are part of the cemetery’s effort to provide people with experiences beyond what they would normally expect to have at a cemetery. “It’s just inviting the community in to do something in the cemetery that they wouldn’t normally do,” he said. People are also welcome to visit the cemetery grounds during open hours (8 a.m.–8 p.m.). Lake-

wood will have self-guided tour brochures of art and history at the cemetery available, and visitors can also download the Lakewood mobile app for more info.

Lakewood Cemetery will hold tours of its greenhouse on April 22. Photo by Nate Gotlieb

a contribution of at least $10 per person and $5 per child to offset the costs of the events. Pre-register for it at goo.gl/J7ubEx. Visit kingfield.org for more information. A no-cost performance by three local artists will follow 7:30 p.m.–9:30 p.m. at the Center for Performing Arts, 3754 Pleasant Ave. S., as part of the “Works in Progress: a ReClaim New Works Residency” series. In addition, the Park Board will hold its annual Arbor Day celebration 4 p.m.–8 p.m. April 27 at Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park. It will include tree-themed activities, educational opportunities, music, food, beer and the planting of 150 trees around the park. There will also be a casual 5k run, with registration fees going to the nonprofit Brewing a Better Forest. Visit minneapolisparks.org/activities__ events/events/arbor_day/ to learn more about the event and eventsprout.com/event/ arborday to register for the run.

County seeking citizen scientists to monitor wetlands Hennepin County is seeking citizen scientists to monitor bugs and plants in wetlands in their communities. The volunteers will work with other citizens to collect invertebrates and identify plants in specific wetlands within their communities. Teams typically consist of six to 12 volunteers and are expected to commit approximately 15 hours per month from June to September. Partnering cities use the data collected to determine the health of water resources and assist with natural

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southwestjournal.com / April 19–May 2, 2018 A19

By Eric Best / ebest@southwestjournal.com

Park commissioners pass oil divestment resolution The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board is expected to call on state leaders to divest from oil companies and sell state investments in the fossil fuel industry within five years. The board’s Legislative & Intergovernmental Committee unanimously passed a resolution April 4 that, if approved by the full board, would be signed and delivered to the Minnesota State Board of Investment, a four-member body led by Gov. Mark Dayton that manages the state’s retirement funds, trust funds and cash accounts. The resolution follows several similar divestment campaigns, including a plan announced in January to move New York’s $189 billion in pension funds away from fossil fuel companies. East Side Commissioner Chris Meyer, who authored the resolution and chairs the committee, said global climate change has become an urgent crisis, with recent years bringing the hottest

temperatures in recorded history. “We need to do what we can, and I believe we can make this happen,” he told fellow commissioners. The full board is expected to pass the resolution on April 18, after this issue went to press. Meyer said he plans to have commissioners sign the resolution and deliver it to the governor’s office. “A lot of resolutions don’t have teeth to them. This is a way you put teeth to them,” he said, “If we bring it to his office, then he’ll hear us.” The Minnesota State Board of Investment consists of Dayton, State Auditor Rebecca Otto, Secretary of State Steve Simon and Attorney General Lori Swanson. As of the end of last year, it controlled more than $93 billion in assets, including the city’s public employee pensions. It’s unclear how much is currently invested in fossil fuel companies.

The resolution describes climate change as a “serious threat to the health, safety, and welfare of the people of Minneapolis” and spells out several goals of the wider divestment movement, including one to keep an increase to the planet’s average temperature below 2 degrees Celsius, or about 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Many scientists, environmentalists and world leaders point to that number as a threshold for avoiding global disaster. City Council Member Cam Gordon (Ward 2) spoke in favor of the resolution and said the Council should revisit this topic. Gordon co-authored a resolution in 2015 that banned the city from investing in fossil fuel companies. Minneapolis is prohibited by law from investing in individual companies. “There is actually a lot of city money and public money that’s going into the funds at the state, and

some of that money is definitely being invested in fossil fuel industries,” he told commissioners. Dan Engelhart, a senior business agent with the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees and a steward of Office and Professionals Employees International Union’s Local 12, told commissioners that divesting is right for young pensioners looking to collect decades down the road. “We look at how the investments are looking and fossil fuels are clearly no longer a sound investment,” Engelhart said during a public hearing. President Brad Bourn (District 6) said the resolution evoked the board’s values as the “greening leader” of Minneapolis. “A lot of times the Park Board stays in its lane and we don’t look at the influence that we do have with other influencers and other decisionmaking bodies in the state,” he said.

it hired Miller in 2010. The search will be national, recruiting in candidates from across the country. Miller, now the president and CEO of the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, previously held several leadership positions with the City of Ann Arbor and the Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority. President Brad Bourn said a search firm is a “very wise investment” that will pull in candidates from the non-profit, parks and recreation

and other fields who may not apply until they’re approached. “We want to make sure we’re getting the best applicant from various fields,” he said. “At the end of the day, this Park Board wants the best applicants to start from.” Bourn said this superintendent hiring process will be the first to feature a community engagement component with Minneapolis residents and the board’s partners.

Park Board looks for executive search ﬁrm The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board is now accepting proposals from executive search firms to assist its search for the next superintendent. The request for proposals released April 6 is one of the first steps the board will take over the next six months as it prepares to hire a new executive following Jayne Miller’s resignation earlier this year. Interim Superintendent Mary Merrill will lead the board until it finds a perma-

nent replacement, who would take the helm in early October. Proposals are due by April 19. Commissioners are expected to approve a contract with a recommended firm on May 16. The selected firm would then work with Merrill and the nine-member board to develop processes for searching and vetting candidates. The Park Board went through a similar process of using an executive search firm when

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Southwest Journal April 19–May 2, 2018

GUIDE

s e m o h r a l l o d n o i l l i M s r e f f o e l p i t l u m h t i w By Michelle Bruch / mbruch@southwestjournal.com

Luxury homes traditionally take longer to sell. But in a market that remains tight for yet another year, some agents are selling Southwest Minneapolis’ priciest homes without ever posting a sign in the yard. “I just make a few phone calls and sell them,” said agent Al Theisen, who said he sold about four houses priced $700,000–$850,000 in the past six months without listing them on the open market. Demand varies by house, but Minneapolis’ most-wanted homes are seeing multiple offers, regardless of price point. A Linden Hills property at 4329 Ewing Ave. S that sold for a single dollar in 1993 was listed for nearly $1.4 million on March 30. The firm Sustainable 9 built the modern house in 2014 to be energy efficient, with a glass-walled meditation room, four decks and a patio. SEE MILLION-DOLLAR HOMES / PAGE B6

A home listed March 30 for nearly $1.4 million at 4329 Ewing Ave. S. is under contract. Photos courtesy of Sustainable 9

B2 April 19–May 2, 2018 / southwestjournal.com

LANDSCAPE SHOWCASE

LAKE HARRIET HOME’S NEW YARD ‘LIKE A PAINTING’ Gardening Angel brings in multiple design elements

t helps to have a landscape designer in the neighborhood. That’s what Tom and Cassie Jones learned last year. When the couple bought their house along Lake Harriet in 2014, the curb appeal was in pretty rough shape, according to Tom Jones. The buttresses that lined the front steps were leaning away from the sidewalk, the walkway to the home’s front entrance was pulling away from the house and the foundations of the landscaping had washed away. The yard was sloping and muddy and needed new stairs. The Joneses wanted to be able to see the lake from the house, but also have some privacy on their patio and inside their home from the many people who walk, run or cycle past daily. The yard also had to be safe for their three-yearold son, Max. The fairly steep hill from the edge of the front patio to the

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sidewalk featured a small stone wall across the middle. “It was steep enough that the grass couldn’t survive,” Tom Jones said. “Erosion was enough so that the grass was very patchy.” The Joneses had hired a landscape contractor to raise the level of the front yard beyond the patio as a play area for Max. That company also replaced the front walk, stairs and buttresses, but ran into a backlog that delayed the project’s completion. One day, neighbor and landscape designer Margi MacMurdo-Reading, owner of Gardening Angel Garden Design, noticed that the project had been taking a while, so she knocked on the Joneses’ door and asked if they needed help. They took her up on the offer. MacMurdo-Reading designed the landscape with small trees — Korean lilacs, hydrangeas and miniature crab apples — planted in a geometric pattern down the hill. The trees will grow no taller than 10 feet, preserving the view of the lake from indoors while preserving the family’s privacy. Golden arborvitaes ring the curved wall at the edge of Max’s play area. Dream and Reality Landscape MN planted the trees and embedded stone blocks in the hillside below to prevent erosion. Gardening Angel staff planted masses of purple catmint, white and magenta astilbe, and white daylilies on the hill below the wall. Before any of those will bloom, 600 tulips will make a springtime appearance. “It’s like a painting. Something should be blooming all the time,” MacMurdo-Reading said. “Each season should be exciting and nice.” Boxwoods line the sidewalk, intermixed with golden arborvitae shrubs. MacMurdo-Reading also had boxwoods planted at the edge of the upper lawn to act as a natural fence. She redesigned the plantings in the terraced back yard, with a line of boxwood atop the back wall and the lower terrace with more golden arborvitae, catmint and scarlet Flower Carpet groundcover. “Our appeal for working with Margi is she had such a

Boxwoods line the sidewalk, intermixed with golden arborvitae shrubs. The trees will grow no taller than 10 feet, preserving the view of the lake from indoors while preserving the family’s privacy. The landscape designer, who is also a neighbor, says, “It’s my favorite yard.”

vision,” Cassie Jones said. “It’s sort of exciting to have someone so excited to work on it.” Gardening Angel will maintain the Joneses’ yards going forward. While off-duty, MacMurdo-Reading can’t resist pulling the occasional weed as she walks by. “It’s my favorite yard,” she said. “It was a really fun project.”

About Landscape Showcase Landscape Showcase is a paid series of profiles featuring local contractors in Southwest Minneapolis. The profiles are written by Nancy Crotti, a freelance writer.

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southwestjournal.com / April 19–May 2, 2018 B3

OUTING THE UNDISCOVERED RESTAURANT By Carla Waldemar

Submitted photos

It was hiding in plain sight.

SMITH & PORTER RESTAURANT + BAR 428 S. 2nd St. 249-5503 smith-porter.com

Yeah, I knew there was a restaurant lurking within the confines of Abiitan, a newish senior living space I regularly passed en route to the nearby Guthrie. Geezer food, I reckoned: canned peaches and Jell-O salad embellishing the meatloaf. That’s before I received a nudge to go online and scrutinize the actual Smith & Porter menu, created by Chef Kai Phanthavong, who grew up working in his family’s restaurant, Pad Thai, on St. Paul’s Grand Avenue. No canned peaches. No canned anything, in fact, on this locally sourced list — one that millennial diners could recognize and easily embrace. Said my daughter: “Good food and service, and … it’s quiet here! A place for girls’ night out where we can actually carry on a conversation.” Oh, by the way, there is meatloaf, but it’s not granny’s recipe. But first, as my daughter enjoyed an Oregon Pinot, I sipped a classy Bourbon cocktail while cocooned in a generous booth (or choose banquette or four-top in the pleasant, if not headturning, design scheme). We started with her girls’ night essential, French fries, upgraded here to poutine. A mountain of slender, house-cut fries arrived generously mined with pulled pork and (here’s how we improve on Canada’s national addiction) Wisconsin cheese curds. They’re tossed with bits of giardiniera, so watch out for the occasional wheels of jalapeno (wouldn’t find them in Canada, either). Next, a pair of pillowy, hoisin-brushed steamed buns loaded with house-cured pork belly, whose crispy edges led to a juicy interior, just the way it should be: all garnished with infant sprouts. Or choose a charcuterie board, smoked walleye tots, bar-fave chicken wings ($9–16) or the evening’s special, plantains with roast pork and pickled pineapple salsa. It shouldn’t be stressful to summon a salad, right? But what do you do when faced with four choices ($10, sized for sharing) that all call your name? Grilled romaine Caesar with poached egg? Heirloom tomato and burrata on arugula? Frisee and quinoa with roasted squash in green goddess? (And how long since you’ve seen that classy dressing on a menu? Here, it’s a peppier version than gramps enjoyed.)

Our selection: beet salad, showcasing sweet, meaty chunks amid arugula, flavorful sparks of feta, a painting of savory walnut puree and pools of deeply flavored beet molasses. Good choice. (Well, I’m betting they all would have been.) Skipping the sandwiches (for now; I’ll be back for the fried chicken in Japanese mayo, the barbeque pork with bacon and the adult grilled cheese), on to entrees ($21–$31). Pasta lovers, heads up. Plates of crab ravioli and gnocchi head the list, followed by salmon en papillote, steak with cherry-mustard demi and a scrumptioussounding Moroccan chicken with couscous, lamb sausage and cumin yogurt. Plus, the night’s special: a mushroom ragu on parsnip-infused polenta, along with poached egg and pesto. Instead, I went for the scallops and grits. No regrets. The serving featured four plus-sized, juicy and sweet nuggets lounging on a pool of limpid, almost-liquid grits. I’m a grits fanatic, and these were well-sourced and well-made. The plate also included grilled leaves of radicchio rising like a fan, root veggies and a warm bacon vinaigrette. Our second choice was that meatloaf, with a hearty proportion of duck and lamb joining grandma’s beef, served with a rich porcini gravy, potato tostones and a side of punchy, pickled mustard seeds. The too-huge-for-two serving does boast a pronounced, slightly gamy flavor that takes getting used to (two bites does it). No need for the sides to share ($9) — spuds, veggies — on these well-planned plates. Dessert’s another story — a tired one, to be honest. Choose cheesecake, chocolate cake, carrot cake, crème brulee or pumpkin pie ($8) and wish for a couple of alternatives as interesting as the rest of the menu. We split the cheesecake, and I’ve gotta admit that the slice — a rectangle, like a ladyfinger — was a supple-textured, nicely vanilla’d one, joined by a roasted pear and pear puree and, standing in for the customary crust, a tumble of gingersnap crumbles on the side. Foodies, hail another nice option for Guthrie and MacPhail nights — or to fuel a stroll along the river — in a dining room that marries lack of attitude with food that’s fun to eat.

B4 April 19–May 2, 2018 / southwestjournal.com

Crafting a vision A conversation with Sarah Schultz, executive director of the American Craft Council By Dylan Thomas / dthomas@southwestjournal.com

After a few years on the East Coast, Sarah Schultz is back in Minneapolis, living just north of Lake of the Isles and commuting to work at the Grain Belt Brew House in Northeast. That historic building houses the headquarters of the American Craft Council, and on April 2 Schultz officially started as the nonprofit’s new executive director. Schultz replaces Chris Amundsen, who resigned last year; he had led the organization since it relocated to Minneapolis from New York City in 2010. Schultz just made a similar move, herself. Most recently the interim vice president of public programs and education for Friends of the High Line in New York City and a visiting curator for Mural Arts Philadelphia, Schultz previously spent more than 20 years at the Walker Art Center. As director of education and curator of public practice for 14 of those years, she helped to produce popular programs like artist-designed mini golf and Open Field. This month, the council hosts its American Craft Show in St. Paul, a marketplace for handmade goods that also pops up annually in San Francisco, Atlanta and Baltimore. In a phone conversation conducted less than two weeks before the April 19 preview party, Schultz talked about her vision for the American Craft Council and her relationship with craft. This interview has been edited and condensed. Southwest Journal: What was it that attracted you to this opportunity with the American Craft Council? Schultz: My career has really been dedicated to

fostering and supporting creative practice and a creative life. I’m a strong advocate for helping artists, in particular, thrive and create work, and then really engaging audiences with contemporary work and contemporary practice, and making those connections between living artists and audiences. This was a very, very exciting opportunity to do that in a somewhat related field but actually in a broader way. The thing that excites me

about craft is that every community has craft practices. Craft is really embedded in our lives and in our daily lives. And so the opportunity to join an organization that has a storied legacy of supporting the work — and then being able to pay it forward and think about the future of craft — was an incredible opportunity and one I couldn’t resist. Tell us about your plans for the council. Where do you intend to focus your efforts? First of all, I think that the work that has happened with the craft council over the years (since) it moved to Minneapolis and the ways in which it has expanded its reach is something really to build off of and to amplify. I’m interested in really working with everyone to think about what opportunities artists need going forward in the future to make work: what the market place looks like and how artists are actually working today. I intend to spend a good part of the next several months talking with artists about what it is they need. What are the issues they’re wrestling with, and what kind of work is being made today, and how can the ACC be responsive to the field and really following what artists are doing? I’m discovering is there is not as much awareness ACC is in the Twin Cities as I had thought,

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so I think there is a tremendous opportunity to engage local audiences with the ACC and more opportunities to engage in and with craft and artists here, as well. I spoke with your predecessor about the aging of the craft world, both artists and consumers, and ACC’s drive to reinvigorate the scene and engage younger and more diverse audiences. How well do you think the organization is doing that? I think the organization has made some great steps in that direction. I think some of the things you see at the American Craft Show are part of invigorating that. Like Style Slam (a program that pairs professional stylists with makers of clothing, jewelry and accessories)? Style Slam. Hip Pop, the emerging artist program, I think has been really, really critical to introducing younger artists both to new audiences and also the opportunities that they have for actually developing a professional life around craft-making. One of the things I noticed at the Baltimore show was also the degree of what I would call inter-generational mentoring that’s happening at the show, which I think is exactly the kind of match-making or convening that the ACC can help do: artists actually learning from each other. Make Room, (a program that invites interior designers to display craft show objects as home décor, encourages) thinking about how craft not only integrates into your everyday life but how craft already is in your everyday life. I think those opportunities to engage, to experience and to educate are a really important part of the show. This is not just about the marketplace; this is a full-spectrum engagement with craft. We’re in this interesting moment where people are increasingly aware and conscious

of the source of the things that they own and they buy. And that’s not just who makes it, but what goes into it, what is the material, where does the material come from. We’re reconnecting with the material world in a variety of different ways, both sensually or tactilely — as we become more virtual, more digital, we want more hands-on encounters — and I also think there’s a certain kind of consciousness about where things come from and who makes them and our concern about what we produce and what we consume. There’s also just an interest among young people in the handmade. And I think that’s everything from handmade objects to craft beer. As someone who spent decades at a contemporary art museum and is coming from the fine art world into the world of craft, how do those two areas overlap? What are the differences? What has that shift been like for you? One thing I really learned in my years working in the contemporary art world is that there are in fact many art worlds. There’s a lot of overlap between what we define as the craft world and the art world. And, quite honestly, this is an exciting moment for me to open myself up to a new world of artists or a new cadre of artists, but I’m not necessarily sure I see a difference of spirit and intent in wanting to make something and put it in the world. The boundaries between these definitions and these disciplines are always blurring. It’s always dynamic, and it’s never static. There are a lot of contemporary artists who are very interested in craft-based practice, just as there are a lot of craft artists who are doing work that is non-functional or has conceptual underpinnings to it. I don’t know if this is a generational thing or just generally in the culture now, but there is a lot of fluidity around definition, and I think younger artists don’t want to necessarily be pinned down as having a particular kind of practice, per se.

Making connections American Craft Shows are more than just a marketplace. They’re also a place for makers to meet and interact, both with their customers and each other. That’s a big part of the draw for Kaja Foat, who with her twin sister Zoë runs FOAT, an ecologically minded clothing business. They founded the company in 2001 and were early adopters of online sales and marketing, but Kaja said they’ve found that shoppers in this increasingly digital world really appreciate a face-to-face connection. Southwest Minneapolis natives, Kaja and Zoë studied art in college and then moved to New York City to take jobs in the fashion industry. Working as yoga instructors on the side, they struggled to find clothes that didn’t lose their fit after a few minutes of stretching. The sisters started making their own clothes out of a cotton-Lycra blend. Today, their basic yoga pant is made to order from 95 percent organic cotton, 5 percent Lycra fabric. That same material is used in other popular pieces, like their drop-crotch onesies.

The line long ago expanded beyond active wear to include one-off and limited-run garments ranging from ponchos to dresses, often incorporating reclaimed scraps from other projects. “As artists, we were always more interested in the no-waste section, because we had to be creative,” Kaja said. “We were making new things weekly.” While Zoë is currently based in Charleston, South Carolina, Kaja works out of Northeast’s Northrup King Building. Both plan to staff their booth at the St. Paul show — one of about eight FOAT has appeared at in recent years, including American Craft Shows in Baltimore and Atlanta — and Kaja said they’re looking forward to connecting with other makers. “I remember the feeling of setting up the first time and looking at all the amazing artists and thinking, wow, I was picked to be in this? I was so floored,” she said. “I feel like I’m around super-amazing artists that are doing the same thing I’m doing.”

Twin sisters Kaja and Zoë Foat run FOAT, a label that began with yoga clothes but has since expanded beyond active wear. Submitted photo courtesy Isabel Subtil

southwestjournal.com / April 19–May 2, 2018 B5

Moments in Minneapolis

By Cedar Imboden Phillips

Moose’s all-stars

he years 1910, 1911 and 1912 were exciting ones for Minneapolis baseball fans. The Minneapolis Millers, our local minor league team, was sweeping up American Association championships, and fans from across the area were flocking to watch games at the sincedemolished Nicollet Park at 31st & Nicollet. The Millers weren’t the only team in town, though, or even the only ones to play at Nicollet Park. Shown here are the members of Perry Werden’s All Stars, a local semi-pro team also headquartered at the stadium. The team was managed by former baseball star and one-time Minneapolis Miller Perry “Moose” Werden. The All Stars played home games at Nicollet Park while the Millers were on the road, ensuring that local baseball fans never had to go long without access to competitive ballgames in their own city. Cedar Imboden Phillips serves as the executive director for the Hennepin History Museum. Learn more about the museum and its offerings at hennepinhistory.org or 870-1329.

Image from the collection of the Hennepin History Museum

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B6 April 19–May 2, 2018 / southwestjournal.com

REAL ESTATE GUIDE

SPRING

2018

FROM MILLION-DOLLAR HOMES / PAGE B1 Listed for $1.4 million, a home under contract at 4329 Ewing Ave. S. is 4,051 square feet with four decks and a green roof. Submitted photos courtesy Sustainable 9

“The one who wrote an offer the quickest ended up getting it,” said Sustainable 9 Partner and realtor Chad Hanson, who said four potential buyers were interested in a purchase.

Low inventory The offers reflect a low inventory of homes for sale. Northstar MLS data indicate that the number of previously-owned Southwest Minneapolis homes priced at or above $499,000 is lower in 2018 than any time in the past 10 years. The houses’ median time on the market is 14 days, typically sold after 21 showings, receiving a median 99.9 percent of the asking price. Theisen listed a $1.05 million home near 53rd & Vincent on April 7 and accepted an offer within four days. He said it’s a unique property, with a luxury office and wet bar over the garage and southern exposure on one of the nicest corners in Fulton. “If I put it back on the market, I would get three offers within the next day or two,” he said. “… For the last year or so I’ve been marketing those homes for at least $50,000 more than I have in the past, and they still fly off the shelf.” Agents said that despite the tight market, luxury homes that aren’t priced right can linger on the market for a while. Luxury buyers who encounter too many objections, even easy fixes like paint colors, might not make an offer, Hanson said. “If there is a common denominator here, it has to do with condition,” said realtor Cotty Lowry. He said buyers in this price range are often busy with their families or their businesses, and they have no interest in renovations. “I think the things that fly out the door are ones that are just really well done. Somebody else has put in the money and the sweat,” he said. “That’s why new construction sells so well. The architecture may be inferior to an older house, but you don’t get all kinds of maintenance issues.”

Price spike Lowry said he’s been surprised to see a number of homes in the $800,000 range sell in a day or two, or sell with multiple offers. “Linden Hills and Fulton continue to be incredibly strong,” he said.

Realtors always quip “location, location, location,” but it’s truly the top criteria appraisers use to value properties, said Cassandra Wilkey, owner of Hillside Appraisals, based in Northeast Minneapolis. She said home sales are so low this season that it can be challenging to find comparable sales that meet lender criteria for financing. If multiple bidders drive up prices far beyond the appraisal, some sales have to be renegotiated, she said. Appraiser Byron Miller said he’s watched home prices in Southwest Minneapolis spike, reflecting the shortage of homes for sale, with gentrification moving eastward. He noticed one house at 38th & 1st purchased in 2016 for nearly $265,000, then renovated and sold about six months later for nearly $400,000. “We’re seeing some similarities we saw previously before the mortgage bubble burst back in 2006,” he said. “… But at the same time, it’s kind of a supply-and-demand issue.” In the Kingfield neighborhood, Chad Kampe and his realtor Cara Strauss told friends and neighbors via Facebook that he’d soon sell his house at 39th & Blaisdell. “My phone started blowing up immediately.

A bathroom in the Ewing Avenue house.

People wanted to see it before it went on the market,” Strauss said. “One-hundred seventy-five people came through the house on opening weekend,” said Kampe, who fielded nine offers well over list price. Realtor Ross Kaplan said he’s missed

many dinner plans as buyers rush to see new houses. He has clients who want to sell, but they’re locked in place because they can’t find anything to buy. “Just when you think it can’t get any tighter, it gets tighter,” he said. “… It’s feeding on itself at this point.”

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southwestjournal.com / April 19–May 2, 2018 B7

REAL ESTATE GUIDE

SPRING

2018

Tour showcases Twin Cities homes Locals show off their homes during the Minneapolis & Saint Paul Home Tour

By Eric Best / ebest@southwestjournal.com

thanks to some privacy hedges once finished. “I want sort of a secret garden feel in the backyard,” she said. She said they plan to talk about how in their case finding a run-down property, sitting on it for years and eventually building their dream home was ultimately worth because they got to tailor it to their needs. “I think you have to be aware that it’s a lengthy and frustrating process, but what you put forth in terms of the effort of going through the design and build process, you do end up with something that is made for you with your input,” she said.

Going up in Kenny

Kristy Barnes and Bryan Carter added a new kitchen as part of a complete overhaul of what was a tiny 1937 home in Kenny. Submitted photos

Need tips on finding or building your dream home? Minneapolis residents are showing off what they’ve learned with their own homes as part of the annual Minneapolis & Saint Paul Home Tour. Homeowners from nearly 50 properties are set to open their doors April 28–29 for the free, self-guided tour across the Twin Cities. From building a modern home from the ground up in Northeast Minneapolis to expanding onto a tiny Kenny home to entertain, these locals have experience in remodeling or completely redoing a home.

A teen hangout in Lyndale With two growing teenagers at home and one shower to share among the entire family, Bryce and Kelly Pier knew they needed to renovate. Or Bryce’s sister-in-law did. The architect had an idea of turning a sleeping porch and a small bedroom Bryce used as an office into a master suite. And the projects started from there. “I think every time we do a project there’s a lot of scope creep, project creep. ‘Oh wait, we’re going to do that,’” he said. Bryce said they had put off redoing the roof of their 1904 Victorian home for some time. So, when they decided to add a solar electric array to the home, they decided to take care of the roof as well. The approximately 6000 kW array now generates the equivalent of about 130 percent of the Pier family’s energy needs. “We pay Xcel (Energy) about four months

a year, and the rest of the year they pay us,” Bryce said. While they were up there, Bryce decided they could add skylights and work around a chimney that had made it hard to get into the attic, which they ended up renovating. The top-floor space has become a family room with a home theater, but it’s mostly for their two kids, ages 16 and 13. Bryce added his own personal touch with a fiber optic star ceiling with color-changing lights, and the kids got hooks for hanging hammocks, giant bean bag chairs and soundproofing so they can make as much noise as they want. “When your kids are teenagers where do you want (them) to be? Under your roof,” he said. Bryce said the wave of projects have made their home more comfortable and energy efficient. In the 13 years they’ve lived there, they’ve redone the kitchen, which was featured the in the Minneapolis & Saint Paul Home Tour 10 years ago. Bryce said the house has evolved and adapted with the family’s needs over the years. He said they hope to show off how homeowners can work with the home they have instead of trying to pay for something new. “It’s always been about: We want to make this house what we want it to be,” he said. “I hope we’re done, we’ve pretty much touched everything in the house.” There’s still the matter of landscaping and redoing the front porch, he said, but that’s another project.

Modern design in Sheridan

MINNEAPOLIS & SAINT PAUL HOME TOUR When: April 28–29 Where: Self-guided tour across 49 Twin Cities homes Cost: Free Info: msphometour.com

It’s always been Jeremiah Albrecht’s dream to design and build his own home. Albrecht and his wife Gretchen Bierbaum finally have that home in the Sheridan neighborhood of Northeast Minneapolis where Bierbaum operates two businesses, Sip Coffeebar and Straightline Dance Fitness. The two bought a run-down home in the neighborhood a decade ago, but the Great Recession decided the dream home would

have to wait. Last year, they finally got to start on construction, and they’ve just recently moved into their new home. The two-story house gives the family about twice the room as their previous twobedroom, one-bath home that they moved into in 2003. Albrecht, whose background is in designing and manufacturing furniture, put together the vision for the large, box-shaped home. Inside, it features lots of wood, simple white cabinetry in the kitchen and the clean lines associated with modern design. “We designed it very specifically for how we like to live,” Bierbaum said. Bierbaum said the house sticks out in the neighborhood with its flat roof and its exterior, which features uncoated Cor-Ten that will eventually develop an orange outer layer patina. “Our section of the block is very eclectic already, so I felt OK about adding a modern house to this area because there is no solid design aesthetic,” she said. Bierbaum said the project showcases what homemakers can do with a small lot. The two tried building the home in the corner of the property so they could preserve some green space, which she said will look secluded

When Kristy Barnes and Bryan Carter decided their 690-square-foot cottage wasn’t enough room anymore, they looked up. Barnes moved into the tiny one-bedroom, one-bathroom house nearly 30 years ago. Not wanting to move from the Kenny neighborhood they’ve grown attached to, they started renovating. During the construction, the two stayed out on Stubbs Bay in Orono, but Carter said they couldn’t wait to move back into their remodeled home. The house has seen several projects over the years. They originally redid the kitchen and the bathroom. Then the two renovated the living room and added new built-in storage. “We couldn’t entertain. We couldn’t have family dinners,” he said. “Essentially, we could have two people for dinner. I tell people we had three spoons.” Eight years later and what was a five-room house has been nearly redone. The home is now two stories and is nearly three times the size at 1,770 square feet. Through the project, Carter got a sewing room. They have an extra bedroom for guests. Despite the large expansion on top of the house, he said they got to retain the home’s cozy interior, which featured lots of windows and plenty of room situated around the central fireplace. “We didn’t want this crazy McMansion,” he said. Carter’s tip for homeowners is “spend the time and money to plan it out thoroughly.” The two took a year to work with designers, plumbers and others to pick out light fixtures, textiles and the plumbing to do it right. The only surprise along the way was a deteriorated part of the home’s chimney that required rebuilding. “We sketched out these plans a long time ago, almost 20 years ago when we were dreaming about this,” he said. Bryce and Kelly Pier turned the unused attic of their Lyndale home into a hangout space for their two teenagers and added touches of their own, like a fiber optic star ceiling.

B8 April 19–May 2, 2018 / southwestjournal.com

REAL ESTATE GUIDE

SPRING

2018

In tight market, some choose to renovate Builders say it’s a busy time for remodeling

By Nate Gotlieb / ngotlieb@southwestjournal.com

With one daughter at home and another on the way, Fulton residents Sean and Kim Sweeney could have bought a new house in the area. But it would have approximately doubled their mortgage, Sean said, and gotten them just 300–400 additional square feet of space. So instead, the Sweeneys decided to renovate their 1,700-square-foot bungalow, adding several bathrooms, renovating the basement, redoing the upper level and kitchen and adding a new garage, siding and a roof. The renovation ended up doubling the couple’s mortgage, but it gave them an additional 1,200 square feet. “Lo and behold, we basically have a brand-new house at the end of the day,” Sean Sweeney said. As the housing market stays tight, some Southwest Minneapolis homeowners, like the Sweeneys, are turning to renovations or rebuilding projects instead of buying new. They say the love what the area has to offer, such as the schools and the parks, but haven’t found success finding a new home that fits their needs. “A lot of people are stuck in the market,” said Todd Shipmann, a relator for Lakes Sotheby’s International Realty and a past president of the Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors. SEE REMODELING / PAGE B9

Fulton neighborhood residents Sean and Kim Sweeney remodeled their kitchen, living room, basement, exterior siding, roof and upstairs floor, among other areas of their house, during a recent remodel. Submitted photo

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REAL ESTATE GUIDE

SPRING

Linden Hills Classic

SOLD

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2018

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The renovated exterior of Sean and Kim Sweeney’s remodeled home in the Fulton neighborhood. Submitted photo FROM REMODELING / PAGE B8

The inventory of homes for sale in the Twin Cities metro was down 27.5 percent at the end of 2017 compared to the end of 2016, according to the association. In Minneapolis, houses were on the market for an average of 43 days in 2017 compared to 54 in 2016. That crunch has factored into some families’ decisions to take up renovation projects. Sean Sweeney, for example, said he thought his old house was great but that certain features made it tough, such as the fact that they couldn’t open the dishwasher and refrigerator at the same time. He said he and Kim looked around the Southwest area for approximately six to 12 months before embarking on their renovation project. Lynnhurst resident Steve Jewell said he and his wife did a preliminary look at the market in 2016 before renovating their rambler. Jewell said they realized they would have a hard time finding the features they liked in the house at the same value. The couple did renovations that included taking walls out, adding all new appliances and renovating the kitchen. Jewell said he’s happy with most of the work and that he expects to be in the house for at least another 10 years.

Increased spending

Lo and behold, we basically have a brand-new house at the end of the day. — Sean Sweeney

Taking the plunge Greg Schmidt, founder of South Minneapolis-based Home Restoration Services, said he’s seeing a lot of interest in renovating basements, bathrooms and some desire for mother/ father-in-law apartments. He, too, said people are doing more expensive projects and added that he tries to make sure his clients are aware of timelines for the project, noting the labor shortage. Schmidt said that if he were advising a homeowner, he would tell them to look carefully at online profiles and online reviews. He added that it’s important to make sure the builder is acquainted with the style of house he or she is remodeling and that he or she should have an ability to build any type of project. Sweeney, the Fulton resident, said renovating isn’t as simple as just hiring someone to do it. He encouraged prospective remodelers to be very realistic about the cost and the timeframe and to look at multiple architects and builders and get references for both. He also said it’s important to get one the same page as your spouse and partner about the renovation. “Going through a remodel can be stressful as far as you don’t realize all the decisions you have to make,” he said.

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David Siegel, executive director of the Builders Association of the Twin Cities, said homeowners are doing bigger projects than in past years. His observation echoes national trends. HomeAdvisor reported last year that the average homeowner spent nearly 60 percent more on home projects from February 2016 to February 2017 than he or she did in the previous 12-month stretch. About two-thirds of homeowners said they planned to spend the same amount or more on home improvements in 2017, according to HomeAdvisor’s report. The report attributed the increase in home-improvement spending to a twofold increase in homeowner equity over the previous five years and the

overall rise in home values. It said baby boomers and millennials were leading the charge when it came to spending on home improvement. Siegel said bathrooms are no. 1 and kitchens are no. 2 when it comes to the most popular remodeling projects. He said a problem now for builders is a shortage of labor, adding that a lot of young people are not going into construction. East Harriet resident Ethan Johnson, owner of EK Johnson Construction, said it’s a busy time for him and a majority of other contractors he’s talked to. He reiterated the sentiment that people are spending more on projects, and he added that he doesn’t hear much about people who are doing a project with the intent of selling quickly compared to when he first started. “It’s definitely a good market,” said Johnson, who does the majority of his work in South Minneapolis. Johnson said that it’s becoming easier for people to invest in their own home, with the value of real estate increasing so much. He said he could be doing more work with the amount of leads his company is getting but that it’s not simple to grow with a lack of workers.

Southwest REAL ESTATE Guide

southwestjournal.com / April 19–May 2, 2018 B9

4/12/18 1:41 PM 4/16/18 11:02 AM

B10 April 5–18, 2018 / southwestjournal.com

REAL ESTATE GUIDE

SPRING

2018

Quality

CONSTRUCTION, CUST

‘Affordability gap’ grows Rising prices and low supply squeeze homebuyers

By Dylan Thomas / dthomas@southwestjournal.com

When Jessica Seidlitz was shopping for her first house, she got some advice from her dad. Houses, he told her, are like buses: If you miss one, there’s another right around the corner. Now it’s Seidlitz’s turn to dispense the home-buying advice, and with inventory levels still at historic lows in Minneapolis, the Edina Realty agent tells buyers to know what they want and act quickly when they see it. Seidlitz suggested buyers focus on the location and condition of the home and be willing to concede on cosmetic issues that can be fixed with a bit of remodeling. “If you hesitate,” she cautioned, “it will be gone.” For first-time homebuyers, those opportunities have already disappeared in much of Minneapolis. As the lack of supply pushes prices higher, there are fewer and fewer starter homes in the hottest spots in the local market, places like Southwest Minneapolis. In this region, $250,000 is generally considered affordable for a family earning the median income, said David Arbit, director of research and economics for the Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors. In Southwest Minneapolis, the median sales price for a singlefamily home was recently at about $390,000. The median sales price for a townhome, by comparison, was $246,000, and condos were even more affordable at a median price of $168,00. But those opportunities remain rare; over the last 12 months, Southwest Minneapolis saw 852 single-family home sales but only 7 townhome and 66 condo sales, Arbit said. “There are still some limited condo and townhome sale where people are able to find affordability — but not much,” he said.

Rising prices The median sales price of a Twin Cities home reached an all-time high in 2017, and inventories hit a 15-year low. As of February, the Minneapolis housing market had just one month of supply, far less than the four to six months of supply in what is considered a balanced market. Herb Tousley, director of real estate programs at the University of St. Thomas’ Shenehon Real Estate Center, said prices in the housing market are rising faster than area incomes, creating an “affordability gap” that can be difficult for would-be homebuyers to overcome. As of February, Twin Cities sales prices were up 12.8 percent year over year. “People are either going to have to come up with more money down, or they’re going to have to dedicate a bigger percentage of their income to housing,” Tousley said.

You can be in multiple oﬀers and be over list price on all of them and still not win the day. It’s those folks who are feeling a little bit sidelined, and they’re kind of waiting. — David Arbit, director of research and economics for the Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors

Housing supply remains at historically low levels across the Twin Cities. Buyers are more likely to be facing off against multiple bidders, especially for low- to mid-priced homes, he said. “Getting into that first home or that first move up is pretty hard right now,” Tousley said. Jesse Godzala, another Edina Realty agent, said the combination of short supply and high demand for single-family homes has made this the most frustrating year in the last decade for his team. It’s now normal for houses to attract multiple bids and sell for over list price. Godzala said he bought Chaska townhome for $163,000 as an investment property last year. This year, a unit in the same development sold for $190,000. “That scares me,” he said. “I want a more balanced market.”

Back to the city The monthly residential real estate index issued by the Shenehon center notes that fees, higher land prices, increasingly expensive building materials and a labor shortage are all driving up the cost of new home construction in the Twin Cities metro area. The effect is minimal in a built environment like Minneapolis, since most new home construction is happening outside of the metropolitan core. Tousley said there’s also a trend — especially pronounced among members of the baby boom and millennial generations — of choosing urban over suburban locations to cut down on commute times and be closer to jobs and amenities. “I see more people going that way, which puts more pressure on the housing stock there,” he said. Arbit said that back-to-the-city movement is one of the factors driving what he calls a “spatial mismatch” in the metro-area market. “There’s no question that new construction and homebuilding will help alleviate the shortage,” Arbit said, “but there’s also no question to the fact that where builders are able to build, in the Blaines and Lakevilles, is not necessarily where this Millennial, this up-andcoming homebuyer generation, wants to be.”

Demand softening? Arbit said there were some early indications of “some slight demand softening” in Minneapolis, but that’s not necessarily good news. It may instead be a sign of just how tough the market has gotten for potential buyers. “You can be in multiple offers and be over list price on all of them and still not win the day. It’s those folks who are feeling a little bit sidelined, and they’re kind of waiting,” Arbit said. Arbit said early March numbers showed a 2-percent dip in pending sales from March 2017. Closings were down about 1.5 percent over that same period. The economy hasn’t dipped back into recession, interest rates remain historically low and showings are still drawing strong foot traffic, Arbit noted. So the slight sales drop may be a measure of frustration. “The one thing that’s changed is that this supply shortage has gotten so tight and has started to squeeze so many buyers that I think we are starting to see it influence our sales numbers,” Arbit said.

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southwestjournal.com / April 5–18, 2018 B11

TOMER SATISFACTION

& Trust.

By Meleah Maynard

Let’s grow stuﬀ ! · CUSTOM CABINETRY · ADDITIONS & DORMERS · KITCHENS & BATHROOMS · WHOLE HOUSE RENOVATION ·

don’t know about you, but this winter nearly killed me. Thank heavens it’s time to grow stuff. Need seeds or have seeds to share? Come on over because the Little Free Seed Library is open again at my house. As always, the top shelf of our Little Free Library is reserved for seed sharing in the spring and fall. The library is located on the boulevard on the corner of 44th & Washburn in Linden Hills. On the left side of the seed library shelf you’ll find pens and pencils as well as coin-sized envelopes that you can use to pack up seeds to take home. Please take what you want from the envelopes, baggies and store-bought seed packets that you’ll find on the right side of the shelf. If you have seeds (purchased or collected from your garden) to share — and we can always use more — please bring them in their original packets or label them in envelopes or baggies in some way so people can clearly see what they are. Feel free to add seeds to the library yourself. Or, if you have a bunch of seeds and want to drop them off, just ring the doorbell or leave them by the front steps. As always, thank you all so much for helping make this seed-sharing library a success. It’s been such a fun thing to do for the last several years.

Direct sowing annuals

PORCHES & SUN-ROOMS · FINISHED BASEMENTS ·

There are lots of good reasons to start annual flower seeds indoors, namely that you get to enjoy blooms earlier than if you wait to sow your seeds outside. But if you can stand to wait until mid-summer to enjoy some of your annual flowers, direct sowing sure is an easy way to go. Annuals can be sown just about anywhere — pots, window boxes, raised beds or the ground. Whatever way you want to go, take a little time to prepare your soil. For pots and window boxes, buy or make your own potting soil. Don’t use regular garden soil, because it’s dense and heavy so it won’t drain well, and your containers will weigh a zillion tons. To sow seeds in raised beds or directly in the ground, prepare the soil by removing weeds. Next, use a trowel or shovel to dig in some compost: kitchen compost, composted manure or another type of compost will do just fine. You don’t need a lot, just a bit of organic matter to enrich and lighten up the soil, especially if you’re dealing with heavy clay. Most flowering annuals like full sun and reasonably well-drained soil, so keep that in mind when choosing what you would like to plant. Also, be sure to read your seed packets so you know how far apart and how deeply seeds should be planted. It’s fine if you want to go overboard at planting time and sow seeds more closely together than is suggested. But if you do that, and loads of them germinate, be sure to thin out some of those seedlings. I hate killing baby plants, too, but growing things don’t do well when they’re super crowded together, so steel yourself and do what must be done.

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Moss roses look great in containers or as a groundcover. Submitted photo 4/12/18 12:12 PM

The Little Free Seed Library is open at Meleah’s house. Submitted photo courtesy Mike Hoium

Water seeds regularly after planting. Once they sprout — usually within a week or two — you can ease back on watering and start fertilizing at about one-third the rate specified on the label of the product you use. Many annuals, especially those growing in containers, need food to bloom well. I’ve tried going without it and seen the difference a little fertilizer can make. I like Neptune’s Harvest fish and seaweed fertilizer, a liquid, organic blend that you can get at many garden centers or online. (It smells like someone dumped a load of dead fish in your yard for about an hour after you use it, but then all is well.) If that sounds dreadful, there are many other organic and synthetic fertilizers to choose from. Here are several annuals that are easy to direct sow in May: • Sunflowers: These beauties come in a wide array of colors and heights, and many of them are often available at the seed-sharing library at my house. Kids love sunflowers, and birds and other critters enjoy eating the seeds. • Four o’clocks: Also called Marvel of Peru, four o’clocks are my favorite annual flower to grow from seed. The flowers are trumpet-shaped and can be solid colors of orange, yellow, pink or burgundy as well as a speckled mix of different hues. Bees and hummingbirds are attracted to the blooms, which last for many weeks. • Zinnias: Also popular with bees and other pollinators, zinnias are about the easiest plant to sow directly outdoors. Flowers come in just about every color and plants range in height from a few inches to nearly 3 feet tall. • Cosmos: I love the daisy-like flowers of cosmos, and their ferny foliage is lovely too. Blooms come in many colors and will attract pollinators for many weeks, especially if you don’t fertilize them. Yes, that’s right. Cosmos are one of those plants that thrive when treated poorly. So no food and not a lot of water for these guys. • Moss roses: Don’t give their weird name a second thought. Moss roses are gorgeous and super tough, withstanding just about everything except shade and overwatering. A perfect addition to hanging baskets, they also make a good-looking ground cover and are available in many different colors. • Nasturtiums: People usually think of nasturtiums as training vines with orange flowers, but there are other colors to choose from, and plants can also have a bushier form. A nice, peppery-tasting addition to summer salads, nasturtiums are like cosmos in that the plants thrive on neglect. Fertilize too much and you’ll end up with a whole bunch of greenery and not many blooms. Meleah Maynard is a writer, editor and master gardener. For more gardening ideas and tips, visit her blog, which has been renamed Livin’ Thing: livinthing.com.

B12 April 19–May 2, 2018 / southwestjournal.com

By Dr. Catherine Hageman

Do natural and herbal always mean safe for our pets?

s the use of supplements and alternative therapies continues to rise for our pet population, it’s important to consider the safety of our furry family members. While the terms “natural” and “herbal” have a reassuring sound, they are not indicators of either quality or safety in a product or service. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently requested public comment on the use of the term “natural,” but it is not currently regulated on pet food or supplement labels. There is no official definition and there are no requirements for making this claim. In fact, there are supplements and therapies that can be harmful to pets. Here are just a few examples of natural and/ or herbal therapies that can be dangerous for pets: • Tea tree oil: Application of concentrated tea tree oil to the skin or oral exposure is considered moderately to severely toxic and may be life-threatening to pets. Symptoms include vomiting, weakness, incoordination, seizures, liver toxicity and coma in cats and dogs. Even lower concentrations can cause dermatitis in sensitive individuals. • Garlic and onion: Ingestion of these foods from the allium family by dogs or cats can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, collapse and anemia, as well as possible increased bleeding tendencies at surgery.

• Alpha lipoic acid (ALA): Found in many supplements, ALA can cause hypoglycemia, seizures and liver toxicity in pets at higher doses. • Aloe: When ingested, aloe in its various forms can result in vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy and rarely tremors. • Ephedra/ma huang: Found in some weight loss products and herbal decongestants, this stimulant can cause hyperactivity, racing heart rate, fever, tremors, seizures and death from cardiovascular collapse. • White willow bark: Typically used for its possible anti-inflammatory effects, this herb contains salicylates that are particularly toxic to cats. It can also have dangerous interactions with anti-inflammatory medications and heart medications that are prescribed to pets. • Pennyroyal oil: While considered a pest/ flea repellant, this oil is extremely toxic to pets if ingested and can cause vomiting, difficulty breathing, liver toxicity and death. • Marijuana and cannabinoids: Ingestion of any formulation and/or inhalation of smoke from marijuana may result in hypothermia, incoordination, seizures, coma and even death. Safe dosing of marijuana and its various formulations has not been determined for cats and dogs.

Even supplements that are generally considered safe can be dangerous when over-consumed by a pet. This is particularly concerning given the number of supplements that are increasingly incorporated into appealing, flavorful treats. For example, when ingested in large quantities, joint supplements can lead to gastrointestinal upset, liver toxicity and blood sugar regulation problems in pets. There is also a general lack of regulation and monitoring of supplement health claims, especially for pet-specific products. The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 requires that product labels with claims regarding beneficial health effects also have the statement: “This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.” However, the FDA and American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) have taken the positions that this act does not apply to animals. Supplement quality and efficacy are not closely regulated either. A label description of ingredients and dosages may vary significantly from the actual dose delivered, and there are risks of supplement contamination with potentially harmful substances. Product contaminants such as heavy metals may be harmful, especially with long-term use. Ensuring that a supplement has been tested by an independent laboratory is helpful. Listed below are some websites that may be helpful in evaluating supplements, but keep in

mind that websites can be fallible, and there is variation from batch to batch in the manufacturing of any product: • fda.gov/Food/DietarySupplements: Maintained by the FDA, this site describes regulation of supplements and reporting of adverse events. • quality-supplements.org: This site by the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) lists human supplements that have met independent testing requirements for quality, potency and safety. USP audits the manufacturing facilities for these supplements as well. • labdoor.com: Labdoor is an independent company that tests supplements through FDA-approved laboratories for label accuracy and contaminants. • consumerlab.com: This site charges a fee for members to access their reports evaluating primarily human supplements. Ultimately, your veterinarian can be your partner in helping you assess the need for supplements, as well as safety concerns and potential for interactions. It’s important to always inform your veterinarian of all supplements your pet is taking, especially if you’re having your pet evaluated for illness or prior to surgery.

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southwestjournal.com / April 19–May 2, 2018 B13

Mill City Cooks

Recipes and food news from the Mill City Farmers Market

Nutrition powerhouses to brighten your spring

othing says spring like the first harvests of greenhouse-grown spinach and brightly colored spring onions! The Mill City Farmers Market’s recipe for potato and spring onion soup that follows is a perfect way to transition from winter to spring — respecting the remaining potatoes stored in root cellars since October harvests and paying homage to vibrant new green vegetables, which add crunch and lightness to our plates

after the heaviness of a long winter. Despite their modest reputation, potatoes — which are members of the nightshade family along with eggplant, peppers and tomatoes — are actually nutrition powerhouses. Nutrition value varies depending on the variety of potato you eat, but in general they are an excellent source (greater than 10 percent of your daily recommended value) of fiber, iron and vitamin C. Spring onions, with their long green leaves,

are onions harvested before the plant is mature. They are only available in the spring and early summer. They also contain fiber and vitamin C but are best known for their high amounts of a variety of phytonutrients. Phytonutrients are natural chemicals in plant-based foods that can help prevent disease. Last but definitely not least is spinach. Available locally the majority of the year and extremely adaptable in cooking (soups,

smoothies, sauces …), this dark leafy green is packed with heart-healthy nutrients that support digestion, strong bones and more. Find these spring vegetables, radishes, mushrooms and more at the Mill City Farmers Market’s final indoor market on April 28 and outside every Saturday starting May 5. Learn more at millcityfarmersmarket.org. — Jenny Heck

POTATO AND SPRING ONION SOUP WITH SPINACH PESTO By market chef Nettie Colón • Serves 4 You can make this soup a meal by topping it with ham, bacon or peas. Or simply garnish it with this spinach pesto for a humble spring first course.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover with a butter wrapper or paper lid and the lid of the saucepan. Sweat on a gentle heat for approximately 10 minutes.

Ingredients (for the soup) 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter 1 pound potatoes, peeled and diced 1/2 cup onions, diced Salt, to taste Freshly ground white pepper 21/2 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock or more as needed 1/2 cup milk or more as needed

Meanwhile, bring the stock to a boil. When the vegetables are soft, add the boiling stock and continue to cook for about 10–15 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.

Preparation (for the soup) Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan. When it foams, add the potatoes and onions and toss them in the butter until well coated.

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includes the answers to the starred clues 60 See 58-Across 62 Pub size 63 “The World According to __” 64 Concave navel 65 Not leave 66 Leave 67 Surprising plot development

DOWN 1 Used up 2 Cursor shape 3 Proofer’s change 4 “Game of Thrones” network 5 Soda water 6 Interior designer’s concern 7 Eggs, to a biologist

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37 Business magnates 39 Era that began with Sputnik 42 Church songs 43 Soldier’s cooking supplies 46 Actress Farrow 47 In need of air freshener 49 Burial chamber 50 Int.-reducing mortgages 51 Like sugar 52 Egyptian snakes 53 Foolish one 54 Funny Fey 55 “The Destroyer” of Marvel Comics 59 Med. scan 61 Opposite of SSE Crossword answers on page B15

4/17/18 4:34 PM

Add the milk and purée the soup in a food processor or with an immersion blender. Taste and adjust seasoning. Ingredients (for the pesto) 4 cups baby spinach (or 3 cups spinach and 1 cup basil) Zest and juice of 1 lemon 2 garlic gloves

Optional: 1/4 cup of any toasted nut (pine nuts, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, hazelnuts, etc.) 1/2 cup olive oil (add more if you like it saucy) 2/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese Salt to taste Method (for the pesto) Begin by placing the spinach, lemon and garlic into a food processor. Pulse until nicely chopped (30 seconds or so). While it’s pulsing, slowly add in olive oil, then the parmesan. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Swirl leftovers into other soups, beans, salads, pasta, or use as a sauce for chicken, fish, pork and lamb. Store in the fridge for up to two weeks.

B14 April 19–May 2, 2018 / southwestjournal.com

Get Out Guide. By Jahna Peloquin

‘ACROSS FROM PARADISE,’ ‘DARK ADAPTATION’ AND ‘PECULIARITIES’

RECORD STORE DAY

Soo Visual Arts Center presents a trio of new exhibitions featuring three Minneapolis-based artists creating thought-provoking, haunting works. In “Across from Paradise,” Syed Hosain borrows from 19th century–style history painting and abstracted landscapes for images that suggest a view from a privileged perspective to the disasters and challenges of living in conflictstricken places. Hosain, a Muslim immigrant, seeks to challenge the western vision of the world through juxtapositions of beauty and horror, desire and revulsion, and fear and fascination. Amanda Hamilton’s “Dark Adaptation” comprises paintings and site-specific work about darkness, which she illustrates through powdered pigments, volcanic black salt, sandpaper dust, geode particles, powdered graphite and charcoal. The textured works are intended to challenge the viewer’s perception and inspire contemplation. Mary Gibney’s “Peculiarities” is a new experiment at the gallery — a five-week residency in which the artist will create an evolving exhibition onsite. A closing reception in early June will reveal the final results.

When: April 28–June 2; opening reception Saturday, April 28, 6 p.m.–9 p.m. Where: Soo Visual Arts Center, 2909 Bryant Ave. S. Cost: Free Info: soovac.org

Though streaming continues to dominate consumers’ listening habits, vinyl is still going strong. Record Store Day, an annual event held every April since 2007 at record stores around the world, brings together music fans to celebrate vinyl and features exclusive releases. Highlights among this year’s limited-edition releases include four David Bowie offerings, including the rare Berlin-era U.S. promo album “Bowie Now”; the album famously recorded live at a prison, “Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison”; and Madonna’s “The First Album,” a special 1983 Japanese 8-track Picture Disc LP. Local record stores hosting in-store events include Electric Fetus, 2000 4th Ave. S., which will feature live sets from DJ Jake Rudh, Greg Grease and more, plus food trucks, Glam Doll Donuts and kids’ activities. Fifth Element, 2411 Hennepin Ave., will feature live sets from local DJs and rappers, plus deals of 20–60 percent off. Hymie’s Vintage Records, 3820 E. Lake St., will host its annual Record Store Day block party featuring live music from local bands.

When: Saturday, April 21 Cost: Free Info: recordstoreday.com

‘AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE’

‘THE REQUISITE MOVERS: TWIN CITIES’

“An Enemy of the People” follows Tom Stockmann, a geologist who discovers dangerous water pollution in a resort spa in a Norwegian town. When he tries to inform the public and get the resort closed to prevent a crisis, he comes under ﬁre from his brother (the town’s mayor), the press, his neighbors and his family for wanting to publicize a problem that threatens the town’s economy. This new adaptation by Brad Birch is a modern-day, ripped-from-theheadlines retelling of Henrik Ibsen’s classic 1882 political drama about a scientist who tries to save his town from water pollution but winds up a scapegoat. Despite being more than a century old, “An Enemy of the People” speaks to our times, with a plot that combines a divisive protagonist, political extremism, corruption, environmentalism and a lack of government accountability.

Led by artistic director Deneane Richburg, a black woman who grew up as a competitive figure skater, non-profit performing arts company Brownbody was founded in 2007 to merge Richburg’s love for figure skating and dance with sociocultural issues. Brownbody has teamed up with a group of black female choreographers from around the country for “The Requisite Movers,” a showcase of original works that explore the African diaspora with stories rooted in the complexities of the black experience. Guest artists include FlyGround creative director Lela Aisha Jones, a Philadelphia-based choreographer and movement performance artist who intertwines personal history, diasporic movement, social commentary and interdisciplinary methods, and Brooklyn-based contemporary dancemaker Leslie L. Parker of the Leslie Parker Dance Project. The evening’s three performances include FlyGround’s ensemble work, “Native Portals” a reflection on the invisibility of lynching in U.S. history and the killings of black people in the country today. Richburg’s new solo show “Her Song” combines film, dance and figure skating to tell the complex story of a black girls’ experience in the predominantly white world of figure skating. The artists will hold post-show talkbacks following the performances.

When: April 28–June 3 Where: Guthrie Theater, 818 S. 2nd St. Cost: $15–$67 Info: guthrietheater.org

J ‘ ASON MORAN’ While the work of Jason Moran is grounded in musical composition, it bridges the visual and performing arts through inventively staged productions. Known for using personal experiences to create dynamic musical compositions, Moran challenges the conventional forms of the medium with an experimental approach. In combining objects and sound, he pushes beyond both the traditional staged concert and the realms of sculpture and drawing, amplifying the inherent theatricality of both mediums. For this exhibition organized by the Walker Art Center — the artist’s ﬁrst museum show — his own sculptural pieces, as well as collaborations with visual artists and multi-media performances, will be on display. Highlights include his mixed-media “set” installations, a series of sculptural vignettes based on music venues from past eras, which he contributed to the 2015 Venice Biennale. In-gallery musical performances will activate the sculptures during the run of the show to complement the gallery presentations. Moran will also premiere his Walker-commissioned addition to this series, “The Last Jazz Fest,” which takes inspiration from a celebrated, defunct New York jazz venue.

When: Friday, April 27 and Saturday, April 28 at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, April 29 at 2 p.m. Where: The Southern Theater, 1420 S. Washington Ave. Cost: $12–$24 Info: southerntheater.org

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Flower power

After a seemingly endless Minnesota winter, bright, bold colors have never been more appealing. Fortunately, several Minneapolis museums, arboretums and greenhouses offer a colorful respite from the chill with flower and garden shows.

ART IN BLOOM One of the Twin Cities’ rites of spring is the Minneapolis Institute of Art’s Art in Bloom event, in which classical works of art have served as the inspiration for floral arrangements created by professional florists and amateur gardeners for more than 30 years. A new addition to this year’s festivities is Flower After Hours, in which works of art will come to life on models dressed in living floral designs in a pop-up fashion show in the museum’s galleries. When: April 25–28; Flower After Hours: Thursday, April 26, 5:30 p.m.–9 p.m. Where: Minneapolis Institute of Art, 2400 3rd Ave. S. Cost: Free (select events are ticketed) Info: artsmia.org

SPRING FLOWER SHOWS AT BACHMAN’S Bachman’s Floral, Gift & Garden center in Minneapolis hosts several floral shows throughout the year presented by area flower organizations. They include the Daffodil Society of Minnesota’s Spring Daffodil Show running May 4–6, which features more than 500 daffodil blooms — and they’re not just yellow anymore. Then, on May 20, the Daylily Society of Minnesota presents its annual daylily sale. When: May 4–6, May 20 Where: Bachman’s, 6010 Lyndale Ave. S. Cost: Free Info: daffodilmn.org

MINNESOTA LANDSCAPE ARBORETUM EVENTS The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum always provides a great escape from the cold all year round. In May, the center hosts several special events, including the National Public Gardens Day on May 11, which doubles as a celebration of the Arboretum’s 60th anniversary. It features the unveiling of a display of 38,000 tulips in a rainbow of color, walking tours, story time, activities and more. On May 12 and 13, the center will host the 50th Arboretum Auxiliary Plant Sale, featuring more than 1,000 plant varieties. When: May 11–13 Where: Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, 3675 Arboretum Dr., Chaska Cost: $15 admission; free admittance to plant sale Info: arboretum.umn.edu

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Be the Change

By Ryan Stopera

It’s time to commit to affordable housing

om had been living in his car for three years. Before that, he spent five years camping out in the Minnesota cold. With a felony from 30 years ago, his time spent in jail and out of work, he struggled to find a place that he could afford. Stories like Tom’s are what bring housing and tenants’ rights advocates and non-profit community developers to Make Homes Happen, a grassroots coalition of organizations mobilizing for the production and preservation of affordable housing and protection of tenants’ rights in Minneapolis through education, advocacy and public policy reform. As housing advocates, we know that stable and affordable homes are the foundation of vibrant, thriving communities. We envision a city in which all residents can afford their homes and have meaningful choices in where they live. Ethrophic Burnett, equity and engagement manager at Urban Homeworks, is one of the advocates who have been working with the MHH coalition. Ethrophic said she “advocates for affordable housing because that is the housing that I grew up in.” “Affordable housing is more than a want, it’s a basic human need,” she said. Urban Homeworks is a Minneapolis-based non-profit developer using equitable housing as a platform to build community and one of the 20-plus and growing organizations involved with Make Homes Happen. The reality is that affordability is slipping away from Minneapolis. One of out five resi-

dents is a cost-burdened renter, and average monthly rent has risen 31 percent since 2012. Although affordable units are being added to the market, it’s simply not enough. Between 2000 and 2014, the city is estimated to have lost 11,500 affordable units. Production of affordable housing needs to at least triple just to keep up with annual population growth. Ensuring that all areas are neighborhoods of choice and opportunity with a range of housing types and affordability across the full housing continuum will require various investments and tools from the city and its community partners. Affordable housing investments helped Tom find a place to call home with Alliance Housing when he was locked out of other options because of a tight rental market and stringent screening procedures. These investments also helped Abdul, his wife Asli and their six children move from Minneapolis public housing to their own home. Abdul’s family worked with PRG, Inc., an affordable housing nonprofit, and said that they actually save money and have more control over their finances as homeowners. “We believe in America for dreams. We’ve got big dreams, like this house now,” Abdul shared. “I try to help other people, friends, family to get a house like me.” In addition to developing new units and preserving already existing affordable housing, we need to protect renters’ rights. Implementing increased accountability for unlawful rental practices will create more dignified living conditions for tenants.

Erickson Saye is a renter in Minneapolis who plans on attending law school at University of St. Thomas in the fall. As a college student living in rental housing, he’s witnessed injustices happening in the private rental market in Minneapolis and has been a strong voice advocating for change. “It’s been eye-opening to see how marginalized communities are being taken advantage of by landlords,” Erickson said. “I’ve talked to so many renters who say they don’t have heat and have to use blankets to stay warm. Renters with roaches and mice have asked their landlord for help and have been told to just get a cat. “These are people who pay their rent on time and have lived in their buildings for years. It’s sad to see the community I love being treated like this.” We know how to improve the affordable housing crisis: We need to produce more affordable units, we need to preserve existing affordable housing units and we need stronger tenant protections for the renters that live in the private rental market. Minneapolis needs more affordable homes, in part because there are not enough homes. But to address our affordable housing needs we have to do more than simply increase density. If we are eliminating zoning constraints, we need mechanisms ensuring access for households of color and additional financial resources to develop affordable units at the scale necessary to meet demand. Make Homes Happens proposes the city commit $50 million annually, for ten years, in

new, local, dedicated revenue to produce and preserve affordable rental and ownership housing. Currently, the city’s primary program dedicated to building affordable housing is the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. When the Affordable Housing Trust Fund was created in 2003, city leaders established a $10 million annual funding goal. It has historically been susceptible to frequent changes each year by the City Council and mayor because it lacks local, dedicated revenue sources. Fluctuating state and federal resources for affordable housing also underscores the need to ensure a consistent increase in local funding and transparent processes in the use of funds. Make Homes Happen proposes these investments would be made with input from a community advisory committee that includes residents from low-wealth communities, communities of color and other stakeholders. As Ethrophic said, “Decisions should no longer be made about us without us.” Affordable housing doesn’t just benefit the people who live in units built by non-profit organizations. Affordable housing benefits every member of our community. It is critical infrastructure for the entire city, and we need your help to make sure it is a priority for the City Council and mayor. Learn more and join us at our coalition kickoff 4:30 p.m.–6:30 p.m. April 30 at The Hook and Ladder Theater & Lounge. This column was written with the support of the Make Homes Happen Coalition.

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612-825-7316 afreshlookinc.com

A Fresh Look SWJ NR2 2cx6.indd 1

10/18/16 11:32 AM

Free Estimates Interior & Exterior Painting • Insurance Claims Wood Finishing • Exterior Wood Restoration Water Damage Repair • Patching • Enameling

Hammer Guy SWJ 2013 1cx0.9 filler.indd 7/31/13 1 8:31 AM

612.568.1395 PROTECTPAINTERS.com

LOCAL BUSINESSES

ProTect Painters SWJ 042315 1cx1.5.indd 4/7/15 1 1:39 PM

ADVERTISE WITH US

squeegeebobs.com 952-848-7700 Call or go online for a free quote

PAINTING & DECORATING

Wallpaper removal & hanging • Plaster & sheetrock repair • All facets of interior painting • Stripping & “trim” restoration • Skimcoating

Squeegee Bob's SWJ 032615 2cx3.indd 1

612-310-8023 Dave Novak

35+ yrs. experience Lic • Bond • Ins SWJ 041918 Classifieds.indd 3

Local Business 1cx2.indd 10

Insured | References

Family Owned for Over 60 Years

•

Novak Painting SWJ 020818 1cx3.indd 12/22/17 1 10:03 AM 8/24/17 2:51 PM

LOCAL BUSINESSES

3/23/15 5:31 PM

ADVERTISE WITH US

greg@chileen.com

612-850-0325 FOR ADS CALL KYLE 612.436.5072

Chileen Painting SWJ 051916 2cx4.indd 1

5/13/16 11:37 AM

4/17/18 3:34 PM

southwestjournal.com / April 19–May 2, 2018 B19

PAINTING

PLUMBING, HVAC

TO PLACE YOUR AD CALL KYLE AT 612.436.5072

PRO MASTER

Exterior, Interior & Decorative Painting Staining Decks • Wallpaper Stripping & Wallpapering • Wood Stripping, Refinishing & Cabinets • Plaster, Sheetrock, Texture Repair & Skim Coating • Ceiling Texturing & Texture Removal • Wood Floor Sanding & Refinishing •

(612) 827-6140 or (651) 699-6140 PAINTINGBYJERRYWIND.COM

REMODELING

ADVERTISE WITH US

Full-Service Plumber 651-337-1738

promasterplumbing.com Call Jim!

Experienced craftsmen (no subcontractors) working steady from start to finish. Neat and courteous; references and 2 year warranty. Liability Ins. and Workers Comp. for Your Protection.

Painting by Jerry Wind SWJ 123115 2cx1.5.indd 1

LOCAL BUSINESSES

Plumbing, Inc.

•

Pro Master Plumbing SWJ 071615 1cx1.indd 7/2/15 13:20 PM

Local Business 1cx1.indd 12

12/30/15 TigerOx 9:54 AMPainting SWJ 070912 2cx1.5.indd 1 TO PLACE YOUR AD CALL

7/2/12 KYLE AT 612.436.5072

10:37 AM

EK Johnson Construction you dream it

Install a new kitchen or bathroom faucet

Leaky sinks, faucets, showers, toilets & pipe repair

we build it

Hot water heaters Fix low water pressure

Call Ethan Johnson, Owner

Sinks that drain slow

ekjohnsonconstruction.com

EK Johnson Construction SWJ 060216 2cx2.indd 1

5/31/16 4:49 PM

Specializing in Reproduction Kitchens & Baths

No project is too small for good design

Toilets that are always running Faucet that drips

Lic: BC637388

Design/Construction

Cross off all your plumbing checklist items

Garbage disposal repairs & installation

Living and Working in Southwest Minneapolis

612-669-3486

8/24/17 3:13 PM

CallUptown.com • (612) 424-9349 Call today and SAVE

46.50 OFF

Your NEXT plumbing service

3/29/18 TO PLACE AN AD IN THE SOUTHWEST JOURNAL CALL 612.436.5072

Uptown Heating SWJ 040518 2cx4.indd 1

8:05 PM

inspiredspacesmn.com 612.360.4180

Lumberyard of the Twin Cities

Inspired Spaces SWJ 022714 2cx2.indd 1

REMODELING 2/17/14 3:02 PM

612.821.1100 or 651.690.3442 www.houseliftinc.com

(612) 221-4489

Your vintage home remodeler

License #BC378021

HomeRestorationInc.com

Mantis Design Build SWJ 061517 1cx1.5.indd 6/12/17 Home 16:15 PM Restoration Services SWJ 012915 1/14/15 1cx1.5.indd 2:15 PM 1

House Lift SWJ 041612 2cx3.indd 1

4/5/12 3:00 PM

Remodeling and Addition Packages Fences / Decks / Garages M-F 7:30am–5pm, Sat 8am-Noon 3233 East 40th St., Mpls • 612-729-2358

LOCAL BUSINESSES ADVERTISE WITH US

Bristol Built SWJ 012617 1cx1.5.indd 1/20/17 1 1:29 PM Local Business 1cx1.5.indd 14

Bringing ideas to life

Create • Collaborate Communicate

952.401.3900

612-655-4961 hansonbuildingandremodeling.com Lic #BC633225

Hanson Building SWJ 011118 2cx2.indd 1

2nd Stories • Additions • Kitchens • Basements Bluestem Construction SWJ 011118 2cx1.5.indd Baths • Attic Rooms • Windows

8/24/17 3:42 PM

1/3/18 3:02 PM

edgework-designbuild.com License #BC003681

Imagine the Possibilities

Our team makes your dream space come to life.

Remodel • Design • Build

612-924-9315

1/4/18 11:51 AM

www.fusionhomeimprovement.com MN License #BC451256

TO PLACE AN AD IN THE SOUTHWEST Fusion Home Improvement SWJ 021314 2cx3.indd 1 1/31/14 10:44 AM JOURNAL CALL 612.436.5072

Lumberyard of the Twin Cities M–F 7:30am–5pm, Sat 8am–Noon 3233 East 40th St., Mpls • 612-729-2358

(651) 730-1880 | QualityCut.net

SWJ 041918 Classifieds.indd 4

4/17/18 3:34 PM Quality Cut SWJ 030818 2cx2.indd 1

3/2/18 9:55 AM