Photo and blog post by John HoffThe house at 2219 Bryant Ave. N., which is near my own house, has been vacant since I arrived a couple years ago. Nothing ever happens there except...
1.) Sometimes the yard needs mowing, but apparently one of the neighbors takes care of this task in a spirit of selfless service. Rarely does anybody need to call 311.
2.) The stupid phone book companies drop off stupid phone books, which is stupid but it gives me a great project to complete with my son during visitation, click here.
Week after week, month after month, and (apparently) year after year, nothing changed at the house. But then one day a few weeks ago, a water shut-off notice appeared. First of all...
...I am surprised to learn water was turned on at the house in the first place. Like, you mean this house has been vacant for a couple years, but somebody has been dutifully paying the water bill this whole time? Who? Why? Looking up the property on the city website reveals it is owned by a Conie Lawler, who doesn't appear to own anything else, certainly not some large slumlord empire.
Seeing the water shut-off notice makes me hope this property will move forward...that it may hit the market, and become occupied by a nice family who will make good neighbors. Or perhaps some slumlord will buy it, and I will make a point, constantly, of publicly shaming the slumlord in every small action taken toward the house. We shall see.
My neighborhood is in the midst of a great transition, which is composed of numerous small changes at thousands of individual properties. Neighbors notice these small changes; they talk and speculate. But what is currently happening to this house, to that house is a stream of information too microscopic for the mainstream media.
Yet when it comes to the network of blogs in North Minneapolis dedicated to revitalization, we watch, we call, WE CARE and we share information.
