Residents will meet at Franklin Park at noon on Saturday April 26 and perform a Walking Audit with guidance and checklists from James Gittemeier, senior transportation planner with the City of Duluth. Two areas will be highlighted on this initial outing, the bridge to 13th and the area near Lafayette. We will gather at Lafayette after the audit for a debrief and go over next steps. Councilor Roz Randorf will be joining us as we look our neighborhood and how we might make it an even better place to live, visit and recreate.

 Join the Park Point Community in supporting  MMIWR  May 1-5.  Hang a red dress in front of your house.  If you need a dress, pick one up from the box on the porch at 3205 Minnesota Ave. Scroll down to see more information and how to get involved and support the missing loved ones and their families.

Learn more about Duluth Red Dress Displays
www.NoMoreMMIWR.com

Attend City of Duluth’s May 5, 2025 MMIWR event
www.facebook.com/events/duluth-city-hall/5th-annual-national-day-of-awareness-for-missing-murdered-indigenous-women-relat/597385763138143/

 Donate to Duluth’s “They Will Be Remembered Forever” MMIWg2S Reward Fund 
https://mshoop.org/mmiwg2s-reward-fund/

From April 15th meeting: Guest speaker at April 15th’s meeting will be Rene Ann Goodrich, a local long-time advocate for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives, will give a brief talk. Park Point’s Red Dress Display, May 1-5, is in support of the work she and others are doing to address this issue in the Twin Ports.

Come with clothes!
Please, bring extra red dresses and shirts to the meeting! We’re collecting for our Garment Give-n-Take Box!

Park Point Red Dress Display in Solidarity with No More MMIWR by Lisa McKhann, presentation of project idea to PPCC, 3/18/25)

Read and learn more here from neighbors and advocates working together:

Though I have no personal connection with Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives (MMIWR), I have felt the visceral impact of encountering just one red dress, day after day, where it hung from a gatepost. It’s haunting. So, when I considered our unique geography here on Park Point, and our kind care for everyone in our greater community, this came to mind:  The image of a river of red dresses, blowing in a spring breeze or taking on a May shower. Vehicles slowing to take them in, asking questions, and learning the troubling answers.

Background about MMIWR:The red dress or shirt is used in Canada and the U.S.as a symbol for Native American and First Nation lives lost to violence, often sexual violence. These garments represent the indigenous women, girls, and other relatives, who are missing or murdered at a vastly disproportionate rate to any other demographic. Minnesota, Wisconsin and Canada share this issue, geographically and culturally. 

In 2022, a broad coalition created a local Award Fund to help move cases forward in the justice system. Alicia Kozlowski, now a Minnesota State Representative for Duluth’s District 8B, then spoke for the City of Duluth.:

“In Minnesota and Wisconsin, historical and contemporary forces intersect to make native women especially vulnerable to sexual violence. While native women are 1% of Minnesota’s female population, they are 8% of all missing and murdered women in the state. On any given month in Minnesota, there are between 27 and 54 native people who are missing.”

Historically there have been issues of jurisdiction for prosecutions on and off tribal lands, for charging native and non-native assailants; prejudice against the victims in police work and media reporting; prevalence of domestic violence and sex trafficking.

Kozlowski went on to say, 

“This is a human issue, a community issue. 

When one is dehumanized, we all are dehumanized.”

Long-time advocate Rene Ann Goodrich works with Native Lives Matter Coalition and No More MMIWR, among others, bringing justice and healing to families.

“There’s a history of trafficking in Twin Ports, connected to the land base. We are bringing awareness, education and action to address the epidemic of missing women, girls, and two spirits.” 

Rene Ann says Visibility is key.

So come on Park Point. Let’s make good use of our unique geography and our caring concern. Help make our Five-Day Display.   

Learn more and get connected! Email Lisa, lulu@cpinternet.com 

Learnings from the Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition Conference

In light of the upcoming MMIWR awareness day and the initiative on Park Point, I want to take a minute to reflect on a conference that I attended where I was first exposed to MMIWR. The conference was hosted in 2022 by the Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition (MIWSAC), a statewide tribal coalition dedicated to ending sexual violence. Things hit home when all the conference-goers were gathered in a room and informed that the body of a young woman, Alexis Whitehawk Ruiz, who had disappeared from North Minneapolis late in 2022 had just been found in the Mississippi River. In the following days, I learned about the disappearance of Neveah Kingbird who was last seen in Bemidji (where the conference was being held) in the fall of 2021. I met Neveah’s cousins at the skatepark in Red Lake, talked to her relatives in the audience at the conference, and I heard her mother, Teddi, speak at length about her longing for her daughter and her tireless organizing to bring Neveah home. I heard the mother of Jeremy Jourdain, who went missing from Bemidji as a teenager in 2016, express her rage that six years had passed and she still had no answers as to the whereabouts of her son. Something switched in my thinking: this isn’t just a trend that becomes apparent if you pay attention to data; it’s something current, ongoing, and incredibly real in people’s lives. The roots of this epidemic aren’t easy to contend with: sexual and domestic violence, hamstrung tribal prosecutorial authority, a long history of Native people being devalued and disbelieved, to name a few. There are glaring similarities between the way that the wider culture responds to the loss of Native lives and the way it handles the loss of Black and brown lives. The reflex is to somehow blame the individual, their character, and the culture that they’ve emerged from for their own death or disappearance. A former colleague of mine, in fact, the person who brought me to the MIWSAC conference, said that Black people die, in part, because of hypervisibility while Native people die from invisibility. This upcoming day of awareness is a way to, however briefly, push back against that invisibility. I urge everyone as neighbors to join together in doing that.

-Pentti Hanlon

The names of three indigenous people murdered or missing in this area:

Peter Martin, age 31, last seen on the Fond du Lac reservation one year ago this month. 

Chantel Moose, murdered one year ago in Duluth, an open case with the City of Duluth. 

Sheila St. Clair, missing since 2015. 

Donations:

Duluth’s ‘They Are Remembered Forever’ Reward Fund, offering rewards for information leading to the resolution of unsolved cases of local missing or murdered indigenous people in our area.
https://updateandnews.wixsite.com/gaagige-mikwendaag-1

contact Rene Ann Richardson at Native Lives Matter Coalition, nlmcoalition@gmail.com

Extra garments will be donated to the local organization No More MMIWR advocating for families of MMIWR and raising awareness through displays. www.nomoremmiwr.com

Dollars for dresses for acquiring thrift-store garments, please email Lisa McKhann: lulu@cpinternet.com    Thanks!

Participating Organizations, Community Partners, Groups– Supporting the Local Annual MMIW Events and Twin Ports Red Dress Campaign and Reward Fund (an ever-growing list)

City of Duluth, Duluth City Hall
Duluth Indigenous Commission
Native Lives Matter Coalition
Twin Ports No More MMIWg2S Great Lakes
Native Lives Matter Great Lakes
Gaagige-Mikwendaagoziwag
Justice For Chantel Moose
Justice for Native People
Safe Haven Shelter & Resources
Building for Women
Justice for Native Lives
YMCA Duluth
CASDA 
PAVSA
Life House
Rural Aids Action Network 
Duluth YWCA
Rainbow House
American Indian Community Housing
Mending the Sacred Hoop
Duluth Candy Shop
We Health Duluth 
Building Unity Org
Women Against Military Madness
WRAC – Women’s Resource Action Center
UWS- Indigenous Student
UMD- Indigenous Student Organization
Harm Reduction Sisters
Duluth, Denfeld High School
Duluth – Harbor City International School

Media coverage of Feb. 14, 2025 MMIWR march in Twin Ports

https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2025/02/17/march-for-missing-and-murdered-indigenous-people-focuses-on-wisconsin-minnesota-several-tribes

https://www.northernnewsnow.com/2025/02/15/10th-annual-missing-murdered-indigenous-relatives-memorial-march-held-friday

Read and learn more here from neighbors and advocates working together, pdf.

Additional PPCC initiatives:

Summer Camp for Kids Ages 7-12: Contact Carolyn Kerns at camplafayetteparkpoint@gmail.com with questions about camp. Slots will fill quickly, don’t delay!

Walking Audit with City Transportation Planner, James Gittemeier, Saturday, April 26, noon, meet at Franklin Park.

PPCC meeting Tuesday 3/18, 7pm; come over to Lafayette at 645pm to check in with neighbors and have a cookie and a coffee. If you have not joined or rejoined for 2025, bring the form and see the president or vice president to pay your dues and get on member roster.

March 18 Meeting Agenda in person, volunteers are offering a Zoom link to hear what is happening at the meeting, details below and on the agenda notes here.

5/18 meeting will include information on MMIWR and how Park Pointers can show support on May 5 with the Red Dress Campaign. Neighbor Lisa M. is rescheduled from last month and will be sharing information with us on how Park Pointers might engage with this movement. Resources here, check back for more details.

Zoom link for the meetings, third Tuesdays of the month. Meeting will be held in person at Lafayette with limited participation via Zoom. Thank you to volunteers who facilitate this access.

Topic: Park Point Community Club Zoom

Time:07:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

        Every month on the Third Tuesdays

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87486932151?pwd=UttxbM5XIaMF71YBrWtYq5a2H1R3Xe.1 Meeting ID: 8748693 2151. Passcode: 524055

Camp Lafayette 2025 is looking like a go! Neighbor Carolyn K. will lead the program and share her plans for this summer’s camp. The details on signing up for camp will be posted after this meeting. PPCC membership will vote on supporting tuition scholarships for this program. Want to volunteer to help with the summer program? Email parkpointcc@gmail.com. Questions on the program? Call Rory Strange.

James Gittemeier, City of Duluth Senior Transportation Planner, will join us to talk about a Park Point Walking Audit we are planning for late April, tentative date is Saturday, April 26. We will talk about what data we will want to collect and what we want to accomplish, have neighbors sign up and participate.  We’d also like to talk about the possibility of painting the recreation lane and the next steps we can take to move forward with this project. We have invited James to come back to the May meeting on 5/20 to talk about Railroad Street Project, Lift Bridge Project & traffic calming ideas. There will be public informational meetings to attend re. the projects.

The March Breeze is here.

Membership Form

2/24 Skating season is wrapping up with the warm temps. Please removes items from the rinks after use!

2025 Summer Youth Program at Lafayette: We are finalizing the details for Camp Lafayette 2025! Registration details will be posted soon! Check back for more information.

Emergency services questions and what can Park Pointers do to reduce risks and promote safety?Letter for the city is here.

From neighbors Lisa and Otto on an opportunity continuing at Lafayette on Sunday mornings- starts 2/23, $5 donation per session (or $60 for the whole 13 weeks), contact Lisa at lulu@cpinternet.com to learn more, share ideas and sign up.

“Mindfulness Meditation:Sunday Practice Is Back for Spring. I will be leading, drawing from my 2-year training in Insight Meditation with Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield. Otto Johnson will be co-leader, helping support our gatherings. Join us! Please share this information, classes are open to the public.

Sundays, February 23^rd – May 18^th

9am-10am at Lafayette community center on Park Point,3026 Minnesota Ave., Duluth, MN
 Each session will include:

• a teaching from within Insight Meditation tradition
• meditation practice
• dialogue with others

The first three weeks we’ll cover the foundational lessons of mindfulness of breath and body; mindfulness of thoughts; and mindfulness of emotions. Then we can move on to new territory—equanimity, self-forgiveness, pain, joy, anger, right effort, and more.”

Lisa McKhann and Otto Johnson, lulu@cpinternet.com

MPCA Mercury Seminars 2/26 and 2/27

Hello,My name is Lisa Weidemann, and I am a community affairs specialist with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA).The MPCA is hosting public forums on mercury in the St. Louis River Watershed, and I thought your groups may be interested in attending.MPCA researchers will talk about how mercury moves through the watershed and fish, and we’ll have time for Q&A. This work supports a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) study that is in-progress.

The first date will be February 26^th, from 3 – 5 p.m. at Minnesota North College – Eveleth Campus Atrium, at 1100 Industrial Parkway, Eveleth.

The second date is February 27^th, from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College Amphitheater, at 2101 14^th St. in Cloquet.

Content for the two event dates will be the same, so no need to attend both.I’ve also attached a flyer with event details that you are welcome to print and share.

Please feel free to reach out with questions.

Thanks,

Lisa Weidemann| Community Affairs Specialist, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA)525 Lake Avenue South, Suite 400 | Duluth, MN | 55802, 218-302-6637

lisa.weidemann@state.mn.us  | www.pca.state.mn.us

Rinkfest: Thank you to the Kuzel family, Bob Boynton, rink crew plus event planners and volunteers who worked on & hosted at Rinkfest 2025 on Sunday 2/2. Thank you to Club members who donated the food and beverages plus a big thank you to the Lafayette Community Edible Gardeners for providing the delicious treats! Photos are here. Great to see neighbors connecting and enjoying a return to winter with the snowfall arriving just in time for the celebration. A shout out to neighbors who brought over snowblowers and shovels and helped get ready for the event!

2025 Summer Youth Program at Lafayette: Please contact Rory Strange with questions. A Request for Proposals with details and contact information is here. Volunteers to serve on the Youth Committee & support the program are needed. Contact VP Tom Griggs if you are willing to help! We are planning to have a decision in early March on whether or not a summer program will start in June!

The pizza will be served at 630pm. Thank you to the hospitality committee for organizing this celebration! Agenda notes here.

Zoom link for the meetings, third Tuesdays of the month.

Topic: Park Point Community Club Zoom

Time: 1/21/2025 07:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

        Every month on the Third Tuesdays, 36 occurrence(s)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87486932151?pwd=UttxbM5XIaMF71YBrWtYq5a2H1R3Xe.1

Meeting ID: 874 8693 2151

Passcode: 524055

1/15 Hockey Night on Park Point, Wednesday from 630 till 9pm.   We will have both rinks ready and the Wild game on the radio in the warming house.  We can bring Pizza and some beverages.   

We will plan on flooding Tuesday night 1/12. 

Thanks!

PS.  Thanks to Bob Boynton for plowing the pleasure rink! Mark your calendars for Rinkfest to celebrate winter and our community! Sunday 2/2 noon to 3pm with food, fires and fun!

1/17 Pottery Reunion to Celebrate an 85th Birthday!

12/31 Tuesday and Happy New Year’s Eve! : Rinks are ready! Thank you to Bob B. and Brad K. for rink prep. and maintenance! Mark your calendars for Rinkfest on Sunday, Feb. 2, noon to 3pm

Support Minnesota Point 50; Year-end fundraising is underway!

It’s December in Duluth and Minnesota Point is as beautiful as ever.  Snow, ice, wind and massive lakers all grace this unique sandbar that is home to deer, beavers, eagles, the occasional bear, and a few humans.  

Minnesota Point 50 (MP50) is working hard to make sure this December scene exists 50 years from now, and we need your help.

In the next year we are planning several actions that will impact the resiliency of our beloved Minnesota Point.  Your gift today will help: 

• Fund a Recreational Visitors Guide to educate the 1 million visitors annually to help us protect Minnesota Point.  
• Underwrite research on Dune Restoration to ensure a strong and healthy ecosystem.
• Create a Minnesota Point Coastal Resiliency Education Series to engage all residents and businesses in learning how to care for Minnesota Point. 

As part of a Great Lakes Hope Spot, Minnesota Point is vital to the health of our economy, the stability of our environment, and the health of the ocean.  https://www.sheddaquarium.org/care-and-conservation/the-great-lakes-the-first-freshwater-hope-spot 

Join us today by making a generous donation at https://www.minnesotapoint50.org

to support our work to protect Minnesota Point for generations to come. 

Four ways to give:

Give by Check:
o Make checks payable to: Minnesota Point 50
o Send to: Minnesota Point 50, P.O. Box 16326, Duluth, MN 55816-0326
o For tribute gifts: Include a note with your check or email us at minnesotapoint50@gmail.com

Give Online:
o Donate through the Minnesota Point 50 website:
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/355a3eaf-07b9-4c2b-8cb2-622eaf651468

Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs): Contact the treasurer, Charlene Roise, minnesotapoint50@gmail.com

Donate Stock or Securities (without using a DAF): Contact the treasurer, Charlene Roise, minnesotapoint50@gmail.com

12/15 Sunday: Please stay off the hockey rink, it should be ready again on Tuesday 12/17.

It’s OK to skate on the pleasure rink on the field. Thank you to the rink tenders and best for a great day!

12/11/2024 Presentation for the Parks Commissioners

“During each of our Parks and Recreation Commission meetings, we try to invite a community group to share a brief overview of their organization and activities, which helps our Commissioners better understand the uses of our park system. We typically allot about 10 minutes for presentation and up to an additional 10 for Q&A with the Commission. While a public meeting, there is not Q&A with the general public in attendance, it is an informational presentation to the Commission.”

Wednesday, December 11 at 5:00 p.m. in Conference Room 330 (third floor of City Hall)

Slides: PPCC & MP50

Handout for the Commissioners

The December Breeze is Here!

A few pictures from the Festive Potluck on 12/9

Reminder: No regular meeting of the PPCC in December, Jan. 21 is the membership pizza party! 630pm pizza, 7pm meeting.

Sat. Nov. 30 Big thanks to rink volunteer Brad Kuzel and the ice mentors for facilitating the hockey rink on the basketball court. The pleasure rink is in the creation process.

The hockey rink is ready for kids and please see the expectations for rink use and have fun!

December 1, 2024 the hearing aids in the bag were found and returned to the owner! Thank you to everyone who was looking for these lost items!

Please call Marie M at 218-340-4952 , her neighbor George is missing his hearing aids that are in this bag.  

Nov. 28. Hi Neighbors,

The plastic bag was left on top of a car that drove away on PP, maybe near 36th.

The bag could be on Minnesota Ave or Lake Ave on Park Point.

Thank you very much! Happy Thanksgiving

Dawn

Lafayette Edible Garden Potluck Holiday Potluck, Mon. Dec. 9th from 6-8pm, upstairs at Lafayette

Solstice Luminary Hike,Thursday, December 19

Enger Golf Course

5-8pm

“Free and Free Hot Chocolate and Free hanging out around a campfire.

Easy hike, hike at your own pace and show up whenever you want between 5-8pm.

Welcome winter with a self-guided, candle-lit walk! Drop in anytimebetween 5-8 p.m. Start from the Enger Park Golf Course Clubhouse and follow the luminaries along a snow stomped path. Enjoy a cup of hot chocolate as you welcome in longer days ahead!

Limited parking; please carpool. Trail will be less than a mile, and conditions will vary based on weather leading up to the event. Event updates will be posted on our social media pages.

Free, all ages

Location: Enger Park Golf Course 1801 W Skyline Pkwy”

Next PPCC Meeting is on Tuesday January 21 2025 for the membership drive pizza party, 630pm, meeting starts at 7pm

We will meet in person at Lafayette on Tuesday, Nov. 19th. The PPCC Exec. Bod meets at 6pm; Neighbors Connect starting at 645pm and the monthly meeting starts at 7pm.

Agenda Preview

Zoom link for the meetings, third Tuesdays of the month.

Topic: Park Point Community Club Zoom

Time: Nov 19, 2024 07:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

        Every month on the Third Tuesdays, 36 occurrence(s)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87486932151?pwd=UttxbM5XIaMF71YBrWtYq5a2H1R3Xe.1

Meeting ID: 874 8693 2151

Passcode: 524055

Photo by Paul Treuer, 11/18/2024

11/19 From Paul Treuer, Minnesota Point 50:

The materials below are from the recent, Oct. 29, 2024, Section 111 public meeting at the Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center Conference Room in Duluth, Minnesota.  The meeting was hosted by the City of Duluth on the USACE Section 111 (CAP) Study of Minnesota Point.  The focus of this meeting included a project update by USACE and a report on the ongoing modeling studies of sediment transport by Barr Bergmann Engineering.  

October 29, 2024, 2:00 – 4:00 PM. Public Meeting Duluth Minnesota (presentation recording): Section 111 Minnesota Point Modeling of Sediment Transport

October 29, 2024, USACE Section 111 Minnesota Point, Handout Materials (Prepared by USACE)

The third Section 111 public meeting on the modeling studies is expected at the beginning of next year.  Once it is scheduled an announcement to this MP50 email list will be sent out.  

Thank you for your interest in, and support for, activities promoting the resilience of Minnesota Point. 

Paul Treuer

MP50 Program Coordinator

MP50 website

Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation with your Park Point neighbor Lisa M.; also see Yoga options for Wednesdays, details below. Link to flier is here.

Four Sundays, 9-10am at Lafayette Community Center
Nov. 24, Dec. 1, 8, and 15
(3026 Minnesota Ave. Duluth, MN)
Suggested donation: $20-$40 (four 1-hour classes) (Funds collected above covering building rental will be donated to a local food bank.)
Open to the public; bring a friend!
Email Lisa to sign up: lulu@cpinternet.com

Join teacher Lisa McKhann to begin or re-energize your mindfulness meditation practice. Over four weeks, learn the basics of “insight meditation” (based in Theravada Buddhism), how we still the mind with compassion and awareness. Each class will include a brief talk, guided meditation, and time for questions. 
Lisa McKhann is finishing a two-year training with renowned meditation teachers, Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach. 
She also is certified as a 200-level soma yoga instructor.

To sign up (or if you have questions), please email:
lulu@cpinternet.com

Yoga Options are here:

Four Wednesdays, 9-10am at Svalja Yoga
Nov. 20 and 27, Dec. 4 and 11
(18 N. 1st Ave. W., Duluth, MN)
Sign up at www.svalja.yoga

Click here for The November 2024 Breeze

Thank you to the Nov. 5th poll workers at Lafayette!

Link to the USACE presentation is here.

Link to questions collected for the public meetings.

Join virtually:

Microsoft Teams Need help?

Join the meeting now

Meeting ID: 277 622 936 342

Passcode: ij8myK

---

Dial in by phone

+1 312-549-8285,,354662477# United States, Chicago

Find a local number

Phone conference ID: 354 662 477#

For organizers: Meeting options | Reset dial-in PIN

Flag Football update: Game is on for tonight, Tuesday, Oct. 22, all ages and all experience levels are welcome! 6-7pm. Players aged 7-78 are regulars this season!

Notes from the June 3 2024 USACE Public Meeting #1 on the Third Section 111 Study

Meeting agenda/notes for the 10/15 meeting meeting.

Flag Football update: Game is on for tonight, Tuesday, Oct. 22, all ages and all experience levels are welcome! 6-7pm

Envisioning Threats to Great Lakes Shorelines: Check out this video from Great Lakes Now, Detroit PBS

SEGMENT 1 | Duluth, Chicago, Detroit

Lost your glasses? A pair of prescription glasses were found on the beach at 35th. This was about two weeks ago.They are blue with sparkly areas on the bows. Contact Gretchen at 218-591-2772 to claim. Thank you!

Photos from the Edible Garden Potluck from Monday the 14th.

The Breeze of October 2024. Link to Lafayette Boardwalk Photos.

Section 111 Study: Please note this date and time on your calendar, Tuesday, 10/29, 2-4pm, check back for any changes:

The City of Duluth and USACE is hosting the second public meeting on the Minnesota Point Section 111 Study. The event will be the afternoon of Tuesday, October 29th in the Lecture Hall in the Maritime Museum Visitor Center, 600 Canal Park Drive. The updated time is from 2-4pm; the meeting will be led by the modeling contractor, Barr Bergmann, and US Army Corps Staff from the Detroit District. The focus of the meeting is presenting information and data from the modeling process which is now 50% complete. Can’t make this meeting? Scroll down for how to hear/see virtually and/or attend the meeting at Lafayette at 6pm. Link to the items from the first public meeting held on 6/3/2024.

Minnesota Point 50 and PPCC will host a debrief and summary after the public meeting from 6-730pm upstairs at Lafayette. If you were unable to attend the work day meeting, stop by for the latest updates.

Join virtually: Details here to hear the 10/29 2-4pm presentation and see the slides, there is no camera in the room; the meeting will be recorded.

Microsoft Teams Need help?

Join the meeting now

Meeting ID: 277 622 936 342

Passcode: ij8myK

---

Dial in by phone

+1 312-549-8285,,354662477# United States, Chicago

Find a local number

Phone conference ID: 354 662 477#

For organizers: Meeting options | Reset dial-in PIN

Co-op Owners, please vote here and consider supporting Minnesota Point 50!

The projects are delayed, details below from City Engineering. Neighbors expressed concerns and asked questions about the safety precautions due to large holes in the street, speeding trucks and the reason for the extended timeline:

“Work has been prolonged due to discovering the elevations of many utilities underground.  This has forced us to reevaluate the design due to conflicts and make appropriate adjustments.  JMF should be back to work near your home within 1-2 weeks, closer to the latter.  A pipe will be installed crossing Minnesota Ave at 32^nd Street connecting to another catch basin which will ultimately outfall to the bay.  Jackhammering is to be expected when they commence work again here.

Jackhammering is in-fact necessary to complete the work.  Under the bituminous surface of Minnesota Ave is a layer of 7-inches of concrete.  To remove this concrete it was saw cut and as you’ve witnessed, hammered out for removal.

It is City policy that work does not take place between the hours of 9pm-7am.

Please feel free to reach out to me with any further questions.

Jacob Oetterer | Senior Engineering Technician | City of Duluth | 411 West 1^st St, Room 240,  Duluth, MN 55802 | 218-730-5077 |  joetterer@duluthmn.gov“

9/23 The boardwalk at Lafayette is underway and you may see equipment on the beach for this project. The estimated date of completion is Oct. 11.

We had a request to share this plea with Park Pointers who use the channel behind Hearding Island, see below. We discussed this at the meeting on 9/17. Behind this marina, there is bay access for the public. Access the space from the chain link gate next to the apartments off of the circle adjacent to the entry to the marina. Sadly the brown and white access signs were taken down so it may not be clear on where to go. We have asked City Planning for support to get the signage back. See photo below for guidance.

“Hi, my name is Derin Van Loon, and I’m a member at Sand Point Yacht Club.

My apologies for the late notice, but I am hoping that for your meeting tonight you might consider adding an agenda item at the request of the S.P.Y.C., regarding a dredging project we are about to undertake this fall.

As many you are aware, the Corps of Engineers was tasked with maintaining the water channel between Hearding Island and the mainland when it was officially developed. Over the years, they have not, and Sand Point has maintained this channel at our own expense, with occasional donations.

As all Park Pointers know, keeping this channel open greatly aids in the water mvement behind Hearding island, creating a healthier environment for all, and we also know many Park Pointers, fisherman, pontoons, powerboats, sailboats, jet skiers, kayakers, etc. enjoy the use of this channel regularly.

If you could make the Park Point community aware of this project, please let them know we would appreciate any contributions (large or small) to help with the dredging cost. 

Please contact Dean Baltes, our current treasurer, at Sand Point. His number is 218.348.9439.

Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.”

At the meeting on 9/17, we asked the City how we might collaborate on projects (signage, erosion mitigation, education) in Pontliana Woods, the wooded area off of 17th Street and Minnesota Ave, also accessible from St. Louis Ave near the Bayshore Nursing Home. The City of Duluth worked with St. Louis County and obtained the land as part of a land exchange. From 2019:”Residents have been crusading to preserve this three acre parcel of land from development since 1994. Over 200 Duluth residents signed a 2012 petition to save Pontliana Woods Wetlands. In 2015, the City Council, Dept. of Parks and Recreation, and Park Point Community Club all passed resolutions to establish  Pontliana Woods Wetlands as a City of Duluth Park.  The results of the 2016 environmental assessment conducted by the City of Duluth prove Pontliana Woods Wetlands meets Wetlands criteria. Additionally, in meetings with Councilor Westerlund and Jim Filby Williams, in 2017, we had been assured that the Pontliana Woods Wetlands would be included in the St. Louis River Estuary preservation plan.” 

As of the meeting on 9/17, there are not plans and residents asked to be involved in the future. Minnesota Point 50 & partners may take a closer look at needs at this location. Thank you to Jim Filby Williams, Director of Property, Parks and Libraries, and City & County staff members for seeing this transaction through and protecting this bayside green space in the estuary.

The September Breeze is here.

Questions collected for City partners; a representative from the City will be at the meeting on Tuesday:

Road configuration changes at the end in the Park  due to erosion bayside and rising waters, believe there is a grant for this project. Status, timeline and what is the plan? Where will the new road go? How might the project affect art fair, Duluth Superior Sailing, beach house access etc?

Pontliana Woods, this was a land swap deal with the County, please share vision and needs for this property on the bayside, 17th,  south of Bayshore Nursing home. Signage, trails, shoreline erosion etc 

Boat Club Site on the bay, 13th where the Yacht Club has the socials after the Wednesday races. Fun event there with a band a few weeks back! City’s ideas/vision on use of this property. I have spoken with members of the DBC on ideas, brainstorming, and collaboration. Who from the City will be working with the partners?

Lafayette Boardwalk, timeline and fall and winter bathroom hours. (They are year round facilities per the grant)

Signage at 8th & South Lake Ave  to mark the beach access &  portage to the bay at that street. We have met with city councilor, police, parks and rec and have asked for signage at that location beginning in 2019. The Ojibwe name for little portage has been suggested at that location, “Onigamiinsing.”  

Recreation Lane art project to promote the no parking status in this lane. Parking issues persist as the signage is inadequate. Maybe next year? How to promote the riding etiquette in this lane and really stop the parking on the lake side in the summer? More promotion, add to the Fire Department sign re. no fires and speed limit reminder? Also,  attached physical cones were a possibility for traffic calming at problematic areas. Maybe next year? 

Beach Sand/Snow Fence project- ongoing and who do folks call if the fence is damaged and needs repair? Here is a link to photos of the fencing installation by Park Pointers and the City’s Parks and Recreation Crew on 9/10 and 9/12.  Is there going to be a second fence line parallel to the first one? Will there be an overlapping fence covering the gap in the fence gap at 8th Street? A lot of sand blows at that location. More photos of the blowing sand issues from the bridge to 12th Street.

Agenda:

Call to Order, 7:00pm

Welcome and Welcome Back! 

2024 Annual Membership accepted throughout the year

Presentation and action on the minutes of the previous meeting as printed in The Breeze, last meeting was August 20.

Presentation and action on the treasurer’s report: Update and report from treasurer, Mary Treuer, Exec Bod reporting.

Reading of communications received:

Report of the Committees, Standing and Ad hoc

• Executive Committee
• Youth- New parents; thank you Britta DeSutter for assisting with the transition and for keeping Camp Lafayette on track & thriving over the past several summers!

• Art Fair- Carla Tamburro- was the 52nd this year! Next June tentative dates are June 28,29 2025.
• Breeze- Alan Dartanyan
• Environmental- Dick Gould
• Hospitality – Diane Gould
• Sunshine- Pam Griggs
• Rummage Sale, Deb Strange, Friday June 13th and Saturday June 14th 2025
• Program- Dave Poulin
• Watch- All of us- what are you seeing

• High Water & Erosion- Hamilton Smith

• Traffic Safety- Pat Sterner: Jeremy O’Connor, is our community officer, he has been in the Community Policing Unit for several years,JOconnor@duluthmn.gov

• Minnesota Point 50 (MP50) 501c3, Paul Treuer, MP50 is a community- based organization for learning, planning and taking action to build coastal resilience for MN Point. Board members are Pat Sterner, Dawn Buck, Brian Ruggle, Charlene Roise, Dan Ross, Paul Treuer, Jessica Boehland, Brittany Prim, Gary Glass, Dave Poulin
• Mission: We lead strategic actions with a diverse group of partners to   ensure the   ecological, cultural, and economic resilience of Minnesota Point.

Vision: Minnesota Point, a dynamic and fragile ecosystem and community, sustains its land, water, wildlife, infrastructure, and people for generations to come. 

Discussion and action on unfinished business plus updates:

• Reminder: Internet at Lafayette, bring your library card
• Blowing Sand, City of Duluth Project , on the list of questions for three items.
• Lafayette Boardwalk: Fall start of the project reports Parks and Rec., on the questions list
• St. Andrew’s hosted  Neighborhood Night Out on August 6, 2024
• Storm drain work 32nd, 37th, anywhere else? City contact is Brad Scott, bscott@duluthmn.gov “Yes – the project should be starting next week with the little bit of work near 32^nd and will continue after Labor Day with work at 37^th.” 

JMF is the Contractor. 

There are no assessments for any property owners – this work is paid for out of the City’s stormwater fund.”

Discussion and action on new business:

Motion to adjourn

August 2024: City Park Maintenance folks have been out getting the sand dune fencing/barrier placement started. There are 66 rolls of fencing that need to be placed. It is relatively straightforward and many hands will make light work indeed.

Volunteer opportunities will be from 4:00 – 7:00 PM. Folks can meet on the beach near 8^th Street South. Park Maintenance staff will be there to guide and support the project, and provide supplies. Dates will be:

• Tuesday, September 10
• Thursday, September 12
• Tuesday, September 17
• Thursday, September 19 (if needed)

The September Breeze is here.

Minnesota Point 50 Website Launch with Video! The website has information, contains a professional video about MP50 efforts, and contains a Donate button. We’re official and we thank you for your continued support!