Thank you to all the readers who contacted me to share their thoughts about the new Hill & Lake Press layout in my first issue as editor in March 2022. Your comments were overwhelmingly positive and I appreciate your feedback. We are actively seeking contributors to write articles or draw illustrations. Please contact me at hillandlakepress@gmail.com if you have something you would like to share that relates directly to our community and readers. I cannot promise to print it, but I will consider it.
This month the Cedar-Isles Master Planning process and SWLRT continue to dominate our news. I contacted several officials about the status of the of Hennepin Avenue planning effort and was told that there would be news to share in May. I hope you enjoy the features highlighting impacts of redlining versus designing neighborhood as well as the good deeds of residents Will Stensrud and Tom Nordyke. Finally, follow the advice of Dorothy Richmond and get your shingles vaccine if you are over 50. I did!
Craig Wilson lives in Lowry Hill and is the Editor of the Hill & Lake Press.
Kudos to Craig Wilson for doing a remarkable job of editing and producing his first issue of the Hill and Lake Press, and to retired editor Jean Deatrick for passing the editorial torch to such capable hands.
It was great to see so many new (to me) people writing for the paper, but as a geezer of 75 I respectfully call rank on my junior, 69-year-old Janice Gepner, who wrote about the need for designated bike lanes on Hennepin Avenue. (Senior Citizens Bike Too.)
I have already made several trips on my bike to shop on Hennepin Avenue this so-called spring. I used Irving and Humboldt to get there, as I have for nearly 50 years. (Back then we were all working to get cars off residential streets, not on to them!)
No one can dispute the need to drastically reduce carbon if our planet is to survive, nor the pleasure and virtue of using a bike for transportation when possible. What we can dispute is whether removing 90% of the parking on Hennepin between Douglas Avenue and Lake Street to create permanent bike lanes is a realistic or effective way to do that.
Bikes are a good choice for some people, in some seasons, but in a sprawling city with a climate like ours, e-cars and e-buses are the reality of the future.
It’s also a reality that no man is an island, entire of itself, and neither is any neighborhood. Limiting cars and removing parking from Hennepin to make way for bike lanes ignores the fact that just a few blocks to the west lies car-friendly Edina, St Louis Park, Hopkins....
If we’re serious about addressing climate change we need to face up to a metro wide transit plan that includes all forms of carbon-free transportation, and not put our limited resources into a ten block project that hurts local businesses and the neighbors who frequent them.
And trust me. Despite the potholes, biking on side streets is quite enjoyable.
– Susan Lenfestey
We are writing to express our concern about the potential closing of the swimming pool at Jones Harrison. When our father was evaluating assisted living facilities the ability to swim was a significant factor in his decision to move to JH. Dad is a World War II veteran and a life-long swimmer. At age 98, his mobility is declining and his twice weekly therapy sessions with Lavinia have greatly helped to slow this deterioration.
There are numerous research studies and organizations that tout the benefits of swimming for the elderly. The web site seniorsmatter.com in a May 18, 2021 article entitled, “Senior Exercise, Swimming for Several Reasons” stated:
“Swimming may not be the first activity that comes to mind when considering an exercise program for an elderly person, but it is one of the best exercises the elderly can do to stay young, able-bodied, and healthy. The benefits of this exercise are numerous, including a lower risk of falls, posture stability, a decrease in the amount of pain an elderly person feels, better mental health, and enhanced cardiac function. Because swimming is a simple, non-weight bearing exercise, almost anyone of any physical ability can participate in it.
The chair assist on the side of the pool ensures that residents of all abilities are able to safely enter and exit the pool. We are told that prior to Covid the pool was also available for people in the neighborhood to use. How wonderful for the residents to be able interact with the local community thereby brightening the days of your residents. In addition to the excellent therapeutic benefits the pool offers, it has been one of the few sources of joy for Dad at Jones-Harrison. We sincerely hope you will reconsider closing the pool, keeping in mind that in many organizations, each individual program doesn’t necessarily “pay for itself.” We believe that for future residents considering whether to move to Jones-Harrison, having the pool available would be considered quite an asset.
Thank you for your consideration,
– Kathryn Moe and Jim Kubieck
