EINA Association Update by Quinton Courts, Secretary.
This summer, our neighborhood welcomed the sight of community members out and about – catching up, walking, and biking through our streets and parks. The newly elected 2022-2023 EINA board was also busy rolling up our sleeves and getting to work. At our May meeting, the cohort elected Mike Erlandson President, Shanti Mittra Vice President, Quinton Courts Secretary, and Brian Milavitz Treasurer. Our new committee chairs include Jason Spaeth for the Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP) committee, Ellen van Iwaarden for the Green Team committee, Mark Green for the Built Environment and Transportation (BET) committee, Julia Edelman for the Outreach and Engagement committee, and Richard Stadtherr and Sandy Nelson for the Finance and Communications Chairs, respectively. Our next board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 13, from 7PM to 9PM at Grace Trinity Community Church. Meetings are open to all, and we appreciate the contributions of our neighbors.
For our May and June meetings, Ward 7 Council Member Lisa Goodman attended and spoke about city initiatives that directly impact our neighborhood, including incentives for zero carbon emission lawn equipment and her work in partnering with the Uptown Association to support our East Isles business community. Lisa also graciously addressed candid questions and concerns from board members and residents about public safety in our neighborhood and the city as a whole. In June, District 4 Park & Recreation Board Commissioner Elizabeth Shaffer detailed updates on the MPRB’s ongoing work with the Southwest LRT construction and the Cedar Lake-Lake of the Isles Master Plan. Elizabeth fielded questions about efforts to improve the water quality of Lake of the Isles and offered her support in the EINA board’s endeavors in creating a shade structure for Joanne R. Levin (Triangle) Park in the heart of East Isles. We thank Lisa and Elizabeth for attending our meetings and for their contributions to our neighborhood. In July, we hosted Jennifer Waisanenn, Fifth Precinct Crime Prevention Specialist for the city of Minneapolis, who discussed crime prevention tactics that we can share with our neighbors to reduce opportunities for crime in our neighborhood.
Board member Debra Altschuler is spearheading this year’s rebranded EINA Summer Social, formally EINA Ice Cream Social, featuring traditional favorites and the addition of the Tin Fish food truck and more live music! The annual event will be held the evening of August 17 at Joanne R. Levin Park with a rain date of August 18. We invite East Isles residents and local business owners and their staff to this awesome annual tradition!
The EINA Farmers Market is also going strong, and we invite you to this neighborhood summertime favorite. The Market takes place every Thursday evening from 4PM to 8PM on The Mall between James and Irving Avenues S. This year’s season runs until September 29, with the exception of August 4. Bring your reusable bags and come support local purveyors while meeting your neighbors!
If you would like to take part in supporting our neighborhood in any of the aforementioned or future neighborhood activities, we welcome and appreciate the extra hands and expertise.
The EINA board extends a big thank you to our coordinator, Jenna Egan, who has supported our neighborhood for the past few years. The EINA board is partnering with the East Bde Mka Ska Neighborhood Association (formerly ECCO) to hire one person to serve as coordinator for both neighborhoods.
Many East Isles streets were blocked off on August 2 for a very warm evening to celebrate National Night Out. Despite the heat, it was wonderful to see so many neighbors connecting! Also, this year’s Uptown Art Fair was a huge success after a two-year hiatus. A projected 350,000 visitors came to The Mall in East Isles and our businesses on Hennepin Avenue and Lake Street from August 5 to 7 to support local artists and those who traveled to Uptown Minneapolis from afar. We are so thankful to see this event once again and we’re counting down until next year! We hope all of our neighbors are enjoying the summer months and we look forward to seeing you at upcoming events!
At the time of publishing the minutes for the following neighborhood associations were not available. Please visit the association’s website to see their July 2022 meeting minutes.
