Eco Expo at Paul Bunyan Mall

By Tab, The Calgary Sun

If you missed the Earth Day events on Wednesday, there is still time to take part in celebrating the earth.

The Eco Expo, organized by the Headwaters Earth Day Committee will be held Saturday 10-4 at the Paul Bunyan Mall. Guest speakers will begin at 11 AM and include Mayor Richard Lehmann, BSU Sustainability Coordiantor, Erika Bailey Johnson, Rural Renewable Energy Alliance’s Sarah Hayden, Representative John Persell, and HED Project Coordinator: Karen Kimbrough.

The press release for the event cites several city programs that are earth friendly: Project Pride, Bemidji in Bloom, Park Partners and Bemidji Green-UP. (Green-UP, a plan to plant 10,000 trees a year for 10 years is a Bemidji Leads project.) These are great programs, but at least one person thought we could do better. Former city councilmember, Onen Markeson wanted to form a sustainability committee for the city. His idea did not generate much excitement among the rest of the Council at the time and we still have not seriously considered sustainability.

It seems to make sense that we should, because the Mayor signed the U. S. Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement three (?) years ago at a clean water forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters. The agreement has specific strategies to meet or exceed Kyoto Protocol targets for reducing global warming pollution. A sustainability committee would be a step in the right direction to begin work on the strategies outlined. AND, we wouldn't have trouble answering the question I posed in this post about bike lanes.

Opportunity Knocks

To stripe or not to stripe. That is the question. Should Irvine Ave. from Third Street to 23rd Street have painted bike lanes on each side? The street is being reconstructed and the question about how to stripe the traffic lanes after it is paved has been raised.

Last year, Irvine was restriped with three lanes: a center turn lane and two driving lanes, one in each direction. Parking was also removed as part of the detour that was created for the Bemidji Ave. reconstruction. When the detour ended, the City chose to put the striping back the way it is today: two driving lanes and calendar parking on either side.

With the reconstruction project, the community has a chance to make the key route more user friendly for bicyclists and pedestrians. Should we
A.) Ban parking on Irvine and paint (5-6' wide) bike lanes on each side? or
B.) Ban parking on Irvine and paint a center turn lane and two driving lanes, one in each direction?

Some pros and cons that I thought of:
A.) Option A is the bike friendly option. Painting bike lanes has the subconscious effect of narrowing the road, which slows traffic. It also alerts drivers to the presence of bicyclists. This option works well for more confident bike riders, but not necessarily for families with children.
B.)Option B is the vehicle friendly option. Widening the road tends to speed up traffic. With a continuous turn lane, drivers don't have to slow down for cars turning left and naturally speed up. Bicyclists can ride with the traffic, but this only works for highly confident riders.

The picture at right shows a blue painted bike lane in Europe.

How we paint the road depends on our goal: slow traffic and improve bike safety with marked routes or move traffic unimpeded from 23rd Street to 3rd Street and let bicyclists ride with the traffic flow. If you care about this issue, I hope you will share your opinion about this issue, either here or by calling city hall.

You Ain't Goin' Nowhere

Yesterday I wrote about Robert Putnam's research on how mobility (moving a lot) affects civic engagement. He concluded that high mobility tends to decrease participation in community. Well, if that's true, a blurb from the New York Times in the Star Tribune today was good news for civic engagement: "Americans Stayed Put Last Year." According to the report, "fewer Americans moved in 2008 than in any year since 1962."

"It does show that the U.S. population ... seems to have been stopped dead in its tracks," said William Frey, a demographer with the Brookings Institution.

The housing crisis and recession have changed how much we move. Maybe it will also change how much we volunteer.

Social Capital -- Money in the Bank?

How to build social capital is captured in a list that I recently received in my email inbox. It is titled "150 Things You Can Do to Build Social Capital" and originated from Better Together, an initiative of the Saguaro Seminar on Civic Engagement in America at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. I thought of it today as I read in The Pioneer about Jon Staff, a junior majoring in government at Harvard University.

Staff, a 2006 graduate of Bemidji High School, is researching social capital and community engagement in Bemidji, Cass Lake, Red lake, White Earth and the surrounding areas. You are invited to participate in his survey online at www.northlandsurvey.com .

The value of social capital and what it adds to the quality of life of a community has been debated since Harvard University's Robert Putnam (and Jon Staff's professor) released his book Bowling alone: the collapse and revival of American community in 2000. In the book Putnam reveals how we have become increasingly disconnected from one another and how social structures -- whether they be PTA, church, or political parties -- have disintegrated. He cites many reasons for the decline in social capital, but generally identified four social characteristics that contributed to its decline:

• pressures of time and money
• mobility and sprawl
• television
• generational differences

As a planner, the challenges of mobility and sprawl and how they impact civic engagement interest me most. Here are some "sound bites" from Putnam's research (remember that this information comes from research that was done in the late 1990s).

1. Nearly one in five of us move each year. Residential stability is strongly associated with civic engagement. New arrivals in a community are less likely to vote, belong to civic organizations, or have a supportive network of friends and neighbors. Homeowners are substantially more likely to be involved in community affairs than are renters.
2. Place matters more than mobility. A resident of a major metro area, either central city or suburb, is significantly less likely to attend public meetings, volunteer, attend club meetings, work on community projects, visit friends.
3. Homogeneity in communities: suburbs, gated communities--the greater the social homogeneity, the lower the level of political involvement. Homogeneity reduces local conflicts that engage and draw citizenry into the public realm.

Have rural areas experienced a decrease in social capital and civic engagement? I think Bemidji and northern Minnesota in general, seem to have money in the bank when it comes to social capital.

We may have been affected by the changing social characteristics that Putnam described, but I think there has been an increase in activism and participation in community organizations in Bemidji over the last 5-7 years. Maybe we will know when Jon Staff completes his research.

It's Energy Efficient and It's Against the Law

At Monday's (4/20/09) Bemidji City Council meeting, Ryan Schwingler, Bemidji State University Student Senate Co-President read a Resolution the Student Senate had passed. It asked the Council to review the City's ban on skateboards and rollerblades in the city and especially on university property. His request got a somewhat cool response.

That could be because Chapter 24, Subsection 24-52 of the City Code was enacted in part at the university's request. The Ordinance was enacted in 1986 (I believe) in response to the damage the university was experiencing on their many concrete ledges, stairs, and benches and specifically describes the campus area that is verboten.

Skateboard means a wheeled, self-propelled device designed to transport a rider in a standing position, which device is not otherwise secured to a rider's feet or shoes.

Over the last 20 years, acceptance of "wheeled, self-propelled devices" and their users has increased. A local elementary physical education class has begun teaching skateboarding to encourage physical activity and the City is poised to construct a new skate park as part of the renovation of City Park. The local skateboarder group worked hard to convince the Council and the Park and Trail Commission to take their request for a skate park seriously by raising over $100,000 to contribute to the park.


Some communities have opted to install skateboard deterrents on public space furniture, walls and ledges to reduce liability and damage. I took these pictures in downtown Rochester last week. Note the "stop grind" metal protrusions on the granite ledges.

In spite of the increased acceptance of skateboarders and the opportunities they provide for alternative transportation and great outdoor activity, until the university decides they want to lift the ban on campus, it seems doubtful that the City Council will initiate any change.

"Fee-for-service" Government

Programs must be cut. Choices must be made. It's budget time and State and local governments, struggling to set their budgets in times of declining revenues, are turning to fees-for-service to fill the gap.

The trend to finance government with user fees has been growing as more politicians adopt an attitude of "no new taxes," preferring instead to make those that use a service it pay for it. Are user fees an untapped resource or an overused revenue source? A blog entry for an online U of M State and Local Public Finance course explains some of the advantages and disadvantages of user fees.

Recently, Minnesota has seen an increase in the use of fees and charges to finance government services. From 2003 to 2008, the revenue growth from user fees and charges increased at rates greater than both inflation and population growth.

At the local level we are increasing existing fees and adding new fees. Following the Governor's unallotment of local government aid (LGA) last December and an expectation of reduced LGA for the 2010-2011 biennium, Bemidji City Council has been exploring ways to meet their budget and avoid either layoffs or raising property taxes.


The City has considered the addition of a street light fee and earlier this month asked the Jaycees to pay for a portion of the police security coverage for the July 4th Water carnival celebration. According to The Pioneer, the Jaycees will pay $2,000 to subsidize police service for the event.

What should the City do? Pick your poison: raise property taxes, raise fees or reduce the budget through layoffs and reduced services.

Don't Say Earmark

An article in the Star Tribune today (Sunday 4/12) highlighted the new process that Congress is using to help constituents learn about "earmark" requests. Representatives are listing their requests and have a form online for "constituent inspired funding." (This is not the stimulus money, but requests for the 2010 regular budget.)

At least two Republican Congressional members, Bachman and Kline, have chosen not to request funding for "high priority projects." Others are promoting the requests. The City received emails this week from Reps. Oberstar and Peterson, and Sen. Klobuchar alerting us to the April 23 deadline for filling out the request form for the 2010 budget. Bemidji has several requests in already, including federal support for these: A bridge over TH 197 at First Street East and a feasibility study for extending utilities around Lake Bemidji.

Weekly Bits from the City Newsletter 4/10

Tyler Estates Flooding
Staff will be meeting with Beryl Wernberg, Beltrami County Emergency Management Director, on Monday to discuss a variety of issues related to the flooding in Tyler Estates. We will be looking at response coordination but also want to find out more about what part FEMA may play. We are also coordinating a meeting with the county, township, SWCD, DNR, Steve Hill, and others for later this month to discuss what the next steps are for potentially resolving some of the problems that exist.

Facility Management RFP
Work continues on getting an RFP out for a facility management firm for the Event Center. We have agreed with Conventions Sports and Leisure (CSL) on a timeline for completing the process:

• Draft RFP to the City by April 17th
• Final RFP issued on April 24th
• Proposals due by May 15th
• Interview candidates by the first week of June
• Recommend firm to Council with anticipated starting date no later than July 6th

2009 Project Meeting
City Engineer Craig Gray will be meeting with Lori Paris and members of the downtown business community on Thursday, April 16 at 7:45 a.m. to provide an update on the many construction projects that will be occurring this summer. ( Utility work and reconstruct Irvine Ave from 3rd Street to 23rd Street; West Lake Bemidji Trail from Library Park to Diamond Point Park; Resurface Parking Lot #3—east of Harmony Foods) The meeting will be held at the Public Works Facility.

Irvine Avenue Reconstruction
With the reconstruction of Irvine Avenue this summer the City will once again have the opportunity to discuss and decide on the lane striping and parking options to accommodate pedestrians and bicycle riders. A traffic engineer has been hired to provide some possible striping options.

Lake Bemidji Sewer & Water
The City recently completed and submitted an application packet for Senator Klobuchar’s office for utilities around the lake. We requested funding for a feasibility report for the project which could cost $500,000. The application was for FY 2010 Appropriations and if the project is selected we could receive up to 55% ($275,000) towards the study.

Legacy Amendment
Bills are moving through the Legislature to decide the allocation and application process for the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment funding. John Winter, Beltrami County Parks and Trails, Council member Downs and Rita Albrecht have been following the legislative process. We want to do what we can to assure that greater Minnesota is treated fairly in the funding process. You can track progress of the House bill (HF 1493) at the House of Representatives Bill Search.

BREC Energy Efficiency
Our energy modeling consultant for the event center, Dave McFarlane, is doing some additional modeling for energy efficiency for insulation in the roof and walls and heat recovery in the BREC. According to the state’s B-3 Guidelines, we must meet a 30% target for improved efficiency and we are currently meeting 35% on the building. The City has had inquiries from the BSU Sustainability Coordinator, Erika Bailey-Johnson and Rep. John Persell about the potential for a solar energy system that could be used for heating water or air, or generating electricity. Dave will contact Jason Edens of Rural Renewable Energy Alliance (RREAL) Pine River, MN, for information about their solar energy systems.

Downtown Development Authority
The DDA is planning their spring Downtown Project Pride Clean-up Night for Tuesday, May 5th from 4-7 pm. Block Captains will be contacting businesses for help with the project. For more information, call Linda Autrey at Kraus Anderson Realty: 759-3047. Other projects currently underway with the DDA include the Thursday night open late promotion, development of a new logo and website, review of the downtown plan, and kiosk poster inserts that will highlight the events planned for downtown this year.

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
Staff is researching the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act project list for MN to see if there is any stimulus money to assist cities with retro-fitting City-owned buildings with energy efficient systems. Upgraded systems could benefit both our History Museum and the Carnegie Library building to reduce energy costs.

In the Bulb There is a Flower . . .

On February 2nd I planted three Hyacinth bulbs and they have been blooming for about a week. Every time I walk past them I get a whiff of their sweet fragrance and a reminder of the springtime smells that we are beginning to enjoy.



I have crocus bulbs growing under the snow -- white, purple, and lavender -- and with any luck, I will get to see their blooms in the next few weeks, before the rabbits find them and eat them.

The rebirth of Spring always remind me of a favorite hymn by Natalie Sleeth, Hymn of Promise, which is also ironically, a favorite hymn for funerals.

Hymn of Promise
In the bulb there is a flower; in the seed, an apple tree;
In cocoons, a hidden promise: butterflies will soon be free!
In the cold and snow of winter there’s a spring that waits to be,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

There’s a song in every silence, seeking word and melody;
There’s a dawn in every darkness, bringing hope to you and me.
From the past will come the future; what it holds, a mystery,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

In our end is our beginning; in our time, infinity;
In our doubt there is believing; in our life, eternity,
In our death, a resurrection; at the last, a victory,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

I hope it is soon time for Spring to be revealed!

The Problem With Blogging

The problem with blogging is that it is relentless. One has to do it on a regular basis to expect readers to come back. Nobody wants to go to a blog and see old news. So, if you visited this week and were disappointed here is my apology (and my excuse.)

Sorry I have not posted for more than a week. I have been helping to move my (84 year old) Dad to a new apartment. It was quite a chore and took all my evenings and two weekends. I finished cleaning the old apartment tonight--I would still be there, but my husband was a BIG help!

Thanks for you patience. More blogs to come.