The Bike Walk Center issue has made news again. The Strib posted an article sharing the decision to award the federal grant money to Redeemer Center For Life. I have always heard great things about everything that Redeemer does down in the Harrison neighborhood, on Glenwood Avenue. I know Redeemer has had some youth bike programming going for a while now and have been pretty successful. I'd love to hear more from readers about what Redeemer has already been doing and more details about the Bike Walk Center plans.
Since I am getting the only info I have from the Strib....
and since Strib links eventually go dead, I will post the link as well as the text from the article here. But hopefully we'll get some commentary here to fill us in and elaborate on the article.
Nonprofit gets approval for a Minneapolis bike-walk facility
After two other nonprofits fought to a draw, a panel recommended that a church-based bike program get $350,000 for a bike-walk center.
A Minneapolis City Council panel has recommended that a church-based nonprofit get $350,000 in federal money to create a bike-walk center on the city's North Side.
Redeemer Center for Life hopes to open by mid-summer a center with refurbished bikes and other bike-walk goods and programming. The objective is to lower the North Side's rates of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and other health problems. It comes before the full council on May 13.
The center would be at 1830 Glenwood Av., on the community's southern edge.
Redeemer has operated youth bike-repair and sales programs for several years. It was earlier part of a team assembled by the Pohlad Family Foundation to compete for the federal health promotion grant. But that group failed to win a city staff recommendation, which went to a team assembled by the Cultural Wellness Center. When some North Siders on the council objected, the council decreed a new competition in a move seen as reflecting the foundation's clout.
Redeemer then assembled a new team. City Health Commissioner Gretchen Musicant said neither the Pohlad foundation nor the wellness center is involved, to her knowledge.
"We're very excited about this," said Don Samuels, the City Council member for the lower North Side. "We've been talking about this for a long time."
The proposed center will occupy 1,700 square feet in an old hardware store on Glenwood. Council members suggested that a name more reflective of the greater North Side than the proposed Bassett Creek Bike-Walk Center be found; a contest may be held.
Steve Brandt • 612-673-4438
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I love Redeemer. River of Life and that church have done many things together. But still, am I the only one who is disappointed that we have a bike center that's currently dependent on some source of funding OTHER THAN strictly business financing and customer purchases?
ReplyDeleteNothing against Redeemer, but it looks like the location will effect more Nomi Bryn mar than greater area Nomi. (Just an observation not an accusation)
ReplyDeleteThey have their own bike walk near the intersection of Cedar Lake Road and Penn Avenue South. Believe me when i tell you that if there was not one in that very well organized and close knit community, they would not walk down to Glenwood and Morgan Avenues' North. So when you speak of the greater area of North Minneapolis, i'm trying to figure out if the same logic applies if you start at the other end of the north side of the city. I would also like to know the latest update from whomever the grammar police of chief is so i can truly come to the conclusion that i am the shiznit of the literature world. You go, ego, and leggome eggo. Goin' to Dustys' to get a Dago. The Lowry Cafe is next on my list and i will be ordering a Buffalo Chicken Wrap and Meat Loaf Sandwich with those delectable looking onions. Have a great day.
ReplyDelete$350,000 for bikes? A nonprofit church? Maybe you need to realize something. Nonprofits can be and usually are made into secret for-profits when the funds are distributed to other various organizations and people under the mask of a needed service. This includes churches.
ReplyDeleteI have nothing against churches the obey the Bible, but those have become quite uncommon nowdays.