A community mediation process between Hamline University and neighborhood activists has yet to get off the ground, but some residents are already calling foul on the proposed format, on public notification, on the fact that the university president will likely retire before the discussions and a demolition moratorium on neighborhood residences are even complete...
Let's start at the top, shall we?
Drive around the Hamline-Midway neighborhood and you're sure to spot these hard-to-miss lawn signs asking Hamline University to "STOP THE DEMOLITIONS!"
Image may be NSFW.
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Consider the demolitions stopped, at least for now. After tearing down five houses this summer as part of a long-term campus expansion, Hamline University officials last month agreed to a voluntary, self-imposed, one-year moratorium on further demolition, with the possible exception of a single home on Minnehaha Avenue.
The exception was short-lived. This week, the university added 1549 Minnehaha Ave. to the list of houses they won't tear down for at least a year.
You might think the fine folks at Historic Hamline Village would be jumping for joy and crying victory, but some members of the new neighborhood coalition are feeling a tad irked.
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Hamline University bought this house at 1549 Minnehaha Avenue and plans to tear it down. Some in the area are relieved. Others are outraged.
The anti-demolition crusaders note that Hamline University President Linda Hanson's announcement about 1549 Minnehaha Ave. was circulated to the public in a social media blast from the Hamline-Midway Coalition (HMC), one of the city's 17 designated neighborhood district councils. Ditto for an open letter to the community from St. Paul City Council Member Russ Stark.
In short, Historic Hamline Village is feeling left out of the communication loop. They'd like the same respect and recognition as the district council. Are we not all neighborhood activists? Cut us, do we not bleed cheese curd?
Says Historic Hamline Village co-organizer Tom Goldstein:
“We’re very pleased that Hamline University has agreed to include the property at 1549 Minnehaha as part of the one-year moratorium on any further demolitions in the neighborhood. We think that’s an important gesture that is a great first step toward starting a community-wide dialog that will address Hamline’s potential expansion needs while minimizing impacts on the surrounding neighborhood. However, it seems a tad ironic that President Hanson’s letter to the Hamline Midway Coalition announcing this news makes no mention of the Historic Hamline Village coalition, which formed primarily because the HMC board failed to take a leadership role on this issue.”
Looks like there's a little tension between at least some members of Historic Hamline Village and the Hamline-Midway Coalition on that point. (In a carefully-worded letter this summer, the Hamline-Midway Coalition did, in fact, urge Hamline University to at least consider the moratorium, but only at the goading of Historic Hamline Village).
As for Stark's pledge to find a mediator for a series of community and small group discussions, even that format is likely to receive some pushback from Historic Hamline Village, which met with university officials on Sept. 17 at Hamline Church United Methodist. That meeting ended with a series of promises to meet again, but a specific format was not agreed to.
Looks like this is going to be an interesting year. What makes it even more interesting is that Hanson, the Hamline president, and Chief Financial Officer Doug Anderson are both retiring in the coming months, and may not be around when the moratorium is over.
In other words, another president and CFO will inherit the results of these discussions. A church member, who asked not to be identified, also noted that the university's expansion plans will also surround United Methodist, which apparently isn't too thrilled about having a campus built around it. Holy buckets, Hamline -- it's hot in the kitchen!
Council Member Russ Stark's open letter on the upcoming community discussions
Hamline University President Linda Hanson's letter to the Hamline-Midway Coalition
The post Historic Hamline Village wants same respect Hamline University gives Hamline-Midway Coalition appeared first on City Hall Scoop.