Guse Hardware is open and there are parking meters on Bde Maka Ska.
Guse Hardware IS NOT CLOSED and never has been.
You CAN and have ALWAYS been able to make turns onto 46th Street from Bryant Avenue I can walk to Guse Hardware from my house and go there often.
Where did Susan Lenfestey get this information? Certainly not from Tom, the owner, and she should print a retraction.
Furthermore, I HAVE SEEN parking meters on Bde Maka Parkway in front of Minikahda Club.
Cathy Fuller | King Field
Keep But Simplify LOI Ice Skating
Outdoor winter skating in a city like Minneapolis is a much-loved seasonal amenity provided by the MPRB. But as pointed out in the recent article in the Hill and Lakes Press, due to warming the skating season is growing shorter by the year, and this sadly will continue given current lack of progress on altering the trajectory of climate change.
Given this trend, budget constraints and the fact that the actual number of people who skate, much less play hockey on the rinks is very small compared to those who use many of the park and recreation facilities year-round, it does seem that more than $750,000 spent on this each year should be reconsidered.
Those funds could be put to use to benefit the much larger number of year-round park users since there are significant ongoing and unmet maintenance needs in many places. I'm only familiar with the facilities at Isles but it would seem likely that a significant percentage of that annual $100,000+ is related to installing and removing the warming house and hockey rink each year, the cost of gas to heat the warming house and the electricity to supply the lighting.
But it would be sad to lose the ability to skate in the open air in such a lovely setting entirely. So here is a compromise: Since most use is daytime and doesn't involve the hockey rink and doesn't require a warming house (though it is nice!), why not simply provide for grooming a large area of ice, including some of the proposed extension trails to the islands in the Master Plan, but do without the warming house, the hockey rink, and the nighttime lighting?
One could station a Zamboni there, or just have a couple or so available for this and other parks with use as needed if this idea makes any sense for them as well.
Such a compromise would allow a significant percentage of this amenity to be maintained, but at the same time would likely save a significant percentage of the cost. Certainly this could be considered if the alternative is "all or nothing."
Steve Goldsmith | Kenwood
Wow
Upon reading the January issue— wow. You have so many wonderful contributors, both in articles and letters to the editor. Jim Graves, Susan Lenfestey,
Carol Becker, the two District Commissioners and Sgt. Parten all stood out. And then there’s the great article about Involve MN.
The Hill & Lake Press does a fantastic job of highlighting important issues while also showing that leaders are aware of them and actively working on solutions.
As this election year unfolds for Minneapolis, I can only imagine how interesting things will get!
Wendy Richardson | Brooklyn Park
Facing Addiction Together
I appreciated the piece about addiction and recovery by Courtney Cushing Kiernat and Lynne Redleaf in the January issue of the Hill & Lake Press. People struggling with addiction are all around us — some more obvious than others — and it can take a toll on not just them but everyone around them and our whole community. I'm thankful that Minnesota is particularly good at handling these issues, and I hope we continue to make progress on this extremely important quality-of-life issue that touches us all.
Thomas Regnier | Lowry Hill
