PROSPECT PARK nrp phase II PARTICIPATION AGREEMENT

The boundaries of the Prospect Park and East River Road Improvement Association are listed clockwise beginning with the eastern boundary: the St. Paul City Limits, the Mississippi River, Oak St. and the Burlington Northern main line. The neighborhood is a mixture of residential, commercial and industrial properties. University Avenue, a commercial corridor, runs from the eastern to western side of the neighborhood, and is lined with commercial properties including gas stations, convenience stores, office buildings, banks, small businesses, student housing, restaurants, a hotel, etc.

Information on the residential component of the neighborhood is taken from the Prospect Park neighborhood demographics data of the 2000 census. The population of the neighborhood at that time was as follows: European American (4,839), Asian American (639), African American (481), American Indian (70) and other (639). The largest population shifts between the 1990 and 2000 census showed the European American population increasing by 19%, the Black or African American population increasing by 82.2%, and the Asian American population increased 3%, and the Native American or Alaskan Native decreasing by 16.7%.

Of the 2,441 total occupied housing units, approximately 27% were owner occupied, and approximately 71% were rental units. The proximity of the neighborhood to the University of Minnesota accounts for this above average rental property rate, with construction since 1990 of 792 private student apartment units.

The neighborhood organization sponsoring the NRP process for this area is the Prospect Park and East River Road Improvement Association, Inc. (PPERRIA).

The current members of the PPERRIA executive committee are as follows:

President: Joe Ring
Secretary: Dan Patenaude
Treasurer: Lois Willand
Past President: Steve Banks
Vice Presidents: Tom Kilton, Bill Seeley, Florence Littman, Betts Zerby, Phil Anderson, and Cheryl Vollhaber & Andy Mickel (shared)

We will strive to include in the NRP 2 planning and implementation process all groups of people and interests in the neighborhood.

The initial organizing meeting, at which the NRP Steering Committee will be elected, will be publicized with flyers at neighborhood stores, organization and institutions, notices and/or an article will appear in our community newspaper, The Southeast Angle, which is distributed to every building in the neighborhood, with multiple copies to multiple dwellings.

Special efforts will be made to recruit representation and participation from minority communities. Flyers will be distributed in the Glendale neighborhood, which is largely occupied by minority residents. The Flyers will be in English and Somali, because a large number of the residents of Glendale are Somali. A targeted mailing will extend a special invitation to local businesses and dorm students to participate. Childcare will be provided during the organizing meeting for families with young children.

A neighborhood meeting will be held in the fall of 2004. This meeting will include a review of the Plan I activities, and the Plan I Report to NRP, and this Participation Agreement, along with selection of the NRP 2 Steering Committee. An official notice of the meeting will be published in The Southeast Angle newspaper. Additionally, various neighborhood organizations will be encouraged to include a note about the meeting in existing newsletters, church bulletins, etc. Flyers will be posted throughout the neighborhood.

To assure representation from a wide group of neighborhood interests on the NRP Steering Committee, the neighborhood will be divided into eight geographic areas. Each of the following areas of the neighborhood will “caucus” to elect members to the Steering Committee. A motion will be made (and is open to amendment) to set the total number of members at 25 with the number elected by each area “caucus” being the areas pro rata share of the total number of people attending the meeting. However, each area gets at least one member. The 25th member will go to the caucus with the highest remaining fraction. The neighborhood areas are:

Motley
Tower Hill South of Franklin
Glendale
River Road/Terrace/Bridal Veil Falls
4th Street
University Avenue & University Residences
Tower Hill North of Franklin
Industrial Area

All attendees at the neighborhood meeting will ?caucus? within the area in which they live or have a business or institutional interest. Each ?caucus? will elect representatives from their area. An interpreter will be available to assist the residents who live primarily in the Glendale area.

In addition to election of the NRP Steering Committee, attendees at the initial meeting will vote on projects (if any) proposed for early access to NRP funds. These projects must be highly visible projects which are priorities for implementation before completion of the entire Phase 2 Action Plan by the Steering Committee. Their costs may not exceed $250,000 in total. A second neighborhood meeting will be held within two months of the initial meeting to make finally approve early release projects.

The NRP Steering Committee co-chairs will be selected by its members. All meetings of the NRP Steering Committee will be held at Luxton Park. The NRP Steering Committee will operate as a standing committee of PPERRIA. Specifically, the PPERRIA executive committee is responsible for oversight of the committee. The NRP Steering Committee will keep minutes that will be mailed to the PPERRIA Board of Directors and provide updates at the PPERRIA monthly meetings. All funds for the committee will be managed by the PPERRIA treasurer. In the event that the NRP Steering Committee needs to be dissolved, that dissolution would be put to a vote of the PPERRIA Board of Directors. The first NRP Steering Committee meeting will be convened by the PPERRIA President, who will preside until the committee has elected their co-chairs. Notice of all Steering Committee meetings will be publicized in the PPERRIA Newsletter, in The Southeast Angle, the PPERRIA website and the neighborhood e-list. Decisions of the Steering Committee will be reported in the same manner.

A proposed Action Plan will be written by the NRP Steering Committee members with input from subcommittees. The draft plan or a summary will be presented to the neighborhood through meetings and publication in the Southeast Angle newspaper. Comments and suggestions will be noted and considered prior to submission of a final plan. NRP Steering Committee members will work with NRP staff and agency representatives to review the proposed plan. Participation of all interested parties in providing comments or voicing concerns about the proposed action plan will be welcomed and sought in Committee Meeting Notices.

The Steering Committee will seek technical assistance from the NRP Staff and City of Minneapolis departmental staff, City Park Board staff as appropriate in developing its plan.

Approval of the final Action Plan will be sought from residents at another neighborhood-wide meeting. Final approval of the plan will rest with PPERRIA, as the sponsoring organization. Upon final approval of the Action Plan, the Steering Committee is terminated.

New participants in the NRP process will be welcome to participate in NRP sub-committees as activities proceed.

Actions of the NRP Steering Committee, the sponsoring organization as a whole, or of committees or subcommittees may be grieved in the following manner:

A written grievance signed by no less than three residents will be forwarded to the PPERRIA Executive Committee.

1. A meeting between a Grievance Committee of at least 5 PPERRIA members or other residents of the community appointed by the Executive Committee, but who are not members of the Executive Committee will meet with the grievants to review the grievance and make recommendations to the Executive Committee.
2. At a regularly scheduled meeting of the Executive Committee it will be determined what, if any, action should be taken on the recommendations of the Grievance Committee.
3. If the grievants remain unsatisfied with the action of the Executive Committee, the grievance will be forwarded to the NRP for resolution.

Neighborhood residents will be informed of the procedure. This grievance procedure relates solely to the creation of the Action Plan. It is separate from the PPERRIA Executive Committee Grievance Procedure as amended at June 28, 1999 meeting.

Prospect Park/East River Road Improvement Association	Neighborhood Revitalization Program
By_______________________	By_______________________
Joe Ring Its President	_______________ Its _______________