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Human Rights and Diversity - 06/09/2011 APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION THURSDAY,JUNE 9, 2011 7:00 P.M., 125 EDEN PRAIRIE CENTER Office of Housing and Human Services COMMISSION MEMBERS: Pam Spera(Chair), Peter Huck (Vice Chair), Linda Crawford, Gayle Sanders, Robert Rozanski, PG Narayanan, and Zina Nourkadi STAFF: Molly Koivumaki, Manager- Housing and Community Services; Heidi Wojahn, Recorder STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES: Alex Borsch, Clayton Carlson, He Li GUESTS: Laura Gilbertson, Eden Prairie Resident and Adjunct Instructor- Biblical & Theological Studies; Kristy Kunes, Social Work Student I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL The meeting began at 7:05 p.m. Commissioners Crawford and Rozanski and Student Representatives Alex Borsch, Clayton Carlson, and He Li were absent. Introductions were made. Gilbertson and Kunes were in attendance representing Bethel University. Gilbertson explained they are interested in the role of the Christian Church in reconciliation and want to learn more about tensions in the Eden Prairie community. Eventually they would like to provide networking and resources and encourage faith community involvement in resolving issues facing residents. II. BUS TOUR- Koivumaki With Huck serving as driver, the commissioners took an impromptu bus tour of three areas Koivumaki's office has received complaints about in Eden Prairie: A. BRIAR HILL/EDENVALE PARK Briar Hill is a 126-unit townhome complex consisting of primarily Somali residents surrounded by single family homes. There have been complaints of litter at the park and on the neighborhood sidewalks as well as basketball players at nearby Edenvale Park swearing making it an unsafe place for young children to play. As a result of this and the redrawing of the school boundaries, it has been reported homes in the area are being listed for sale. Nesbitt Park/Prairie Meadows was plagued by similar issues a couple of years ago. There were several boys playing basketball at the park at the time of the tour and a small amount of trash was noticed at the park. There was little to no trash on the HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES June 9, 2011 Page 2 neighborhood sidewalks or in the area of the complex. Narayanan observed there were not any trash cans located near the basketball court. Throwing trash away requires crossing the parking lot and depositing it in the can adjacent the picnic shelter. The kids just need a warning about the swearing issue. Nourkadi commented there used to be a basketball hoop in the complex; however, it was removed to accommodate parking needs. A sign to keep the park clean would suffice. Koivumaki reported participation in Parks and Recreation programming at Edenvale has decreased significantly. Re-educating residents about summer offerings and scholarship availability may increase numbers. There is a Somali staff person onsite at Briar Hill who could be of help in starting a dialogue between neighbors. HRDC could provide support or serve as a resource connecting residents. Proceeding with caution is important because people have, on occasion, represented themselves as community or cultural leaders when in fact, they have not been. Nourkadi explained there are many tribal or clan leaders within the Somali community, so one way to spread the word is through them. Spera expressed concern about making this an issue of race singling out any one particular culture and agreed a sign posting park rules might be the best first step. B. TARN CIRCLE Tarn Circle is part of The Preserve Association and is made up of half rental, half long-time owner residences. The concerns in this area are lawn maintenance, unsightly trash cans, and unsupervised children in the street. Part of the problem is the owners of the rental units do not live there. The City will cut the grass if it reaches ten inches and subsequently bill for services rendered. One solution is to teach Somali kids how to mow lawns. The problem would improve and the kids would earn summer income. C. CARDIFF LANE All of the homes in this formerly unintegrated area went into foreclosure and are now rentals. There have been complaints about unsupervised children in this isolated location off of Medcom Boulevard, particularly of children throwing rocks at buses. Koivumaki sees all of the complaints in these three areas as fixable problems. The commissioners were encouraged to think of ideas of how neighbors can work together to resolve these issues. VIII. FUTURE MEETINGS/EVENTS A meeting will be held at a date to be determined to plan for the August 16 City Council workshop presentation. IX. ADJOURNMENT The meeting ended at 8:12 p.m.