Two years of study, meetings and neighborhood engagement activities came down to a vote Wednesday, Oct. 25 at Northeast Park Rec Center. Just over 100 ballots decided whether the Beltrami Neighborhood Council (BNC), Logan Park Neighborhood Association (LPNA) and Northeast Park Neighborhood Association (NEPNA) would receive residents’ go-ahead to merge their operations and share expenses and staff.
Steve Gallagher, City of Minneapolis Neighborhoods and Community Relations department (NCR), said before the votes were tabulated, “These neighborhoods went into a deep dive and took a hard look at their operations. Even if the merger doesn’t happen, it’s been a worthwhile exercise.”
In the end, the residents of Beltrami and Northeast Park voted yes. Logan Park voters turned down the opportunity with a resounding “no.” It was a historic vote, “the first time in 30 years that two neighborhood associations agreed to merge,” said Mike Ferrin, executive director for BNC
First four, then three
Four neighborhoods were originally involved in exploring the merger possibilities. Reduced funding and a city mandate to develop an Equity Engagement Plan (EEP) to reach out to historically underrepresented residents and get them involved in neighborhood activities was the impetus for the coalition. The four — Beltrami, Logan Park, Northeast Park and St. Anthony East — have a long history of working together on various projects. They wrote and received an EEP grant through NCR to study their neighborhoods and their associations’ operations. Working with a consultant, they called themselves the Four Corners Collaborative.
They held community meetings to educate neighbors about the situation and a possible merger. They pointed out how traditional funding was dwindling and how their executive directors were performing duplicative duties, such as publishing a newsletter. Funding formerly came in pieces from the Park Board, Hennepin County, the City of Minneapolis and the Minneapolis libraries. A large chunk of money came from the Neighborhood Revitalization Program. As Pat Vogel of Logan Park pointed out, “The gravy train is
over. We won’t have any other source of funding except the city’s general fund as of 2025.”
Logan Park, the most populous neighborhood, with 2,190 residents, dipped into its reserve funds to hire a part-time canvasser to go door to door and talk to residents in the neighborhood.
St. Anthony East Neighborhood Association (SAENA) dropped out late this summer. Brenda Kayzar, who’s been on the SAENA board since 2020, said at an Oct. 24 meeting that SAENA had recently hired a new executive director and the association “wanted her to feel secure in her position.” New board members who hadn’t been involved in the study decided they had enough money on hand to go it alone for another five years.
After SAENA pulled out, newer members of the LPNA board clearly had second thoughts about merging at a Sept. 18 Q&A meeting at Beltrami Park. They wondered why the community vote was moved up to Oct. 25. Others on the committee told them that, in order to be up and running as a new nonprofit organization by Jan. 1, 2024, they had to register with the Minnesota attorney general and file their charter with the secretary of state, and there is a 45-day waiting period.
Gallagher pointed out that while Mayor Jacob Frey has requested a budget of $15,000 per neighborhood association for 2024, “Police decrees will have priority over any other funds.” The City Council will vote on the budget in December.
The Logan Park representatives asked if Logan Park could join the collaborative later, when it was established. “Yes, of course,” they were told. They went back to their board of directors, who decided to let the people decide if they should join the now Three Corners Collaborative.
The road ahead
The voter turnout was light. Logan Park had the most voters, some of them online. Becky Wifstrand, LPNA secretary, said she was happy with the turnout. “We’re excited to still collaborate with the other neighborhoods,” she said. “We have a lot of younger people on the board, and they’re interested in doing different things.”
Members of the Beltrami board walked across the room to celebrate with the folks from Northeast Park. “Nice work!” said Ferrin.
Cedric Weatherspoon, a member of the NEPNA board, teased the Beltrami board. “Does this mean we have access to the
bocce ball court?”
With Logan Park out of the picture, NEPNA and BNC have some details to iron out, including a new name. They’ll have to refigure their budget, decide how many hours they can afford to pay a part-time executive director and, of course, how they can continue to collaborate with SAENA and LPNA.
How they voted
Residents of the three neighborhoods were asked to vote on two questions. The first question asked if they approved the petition to merge the neighborhood associations.
Yes No
Beltrami 17 0
Logan Park 15 45
NE Park 21 3
The second question asked if the association boards of directors could elect representatives to a transitional board of directors for the new association without holding a general election.
Yes No
Beltrami 16 1
Logan Park 17 25
NE Park 21 3
Total votes cast: 101