Info: 763-533-4411

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Jim Levitt, a fishery specialist with the DNR, releases sunfish into the fishing pond at the Brooklyn Park Community Activity Center May 14. (Sun staff photo by Jonathan Young)

Sunlight flashed on the scales of 400 sunfish as they flipped and splashed into the recently completed fishing pond at the Brooklyn Park Community Activity Center May 14.

The bluegill and pumpkinseed sunfish were small, but they will grow. The pond is now deep enough for them to survive the winter – those that aren’t caught by budding anglers, that is.

The city intends the fishing pond, which is now open for use, to be primarily for youth and seniors. The Department of Natural Resources will monitor and stock it at no cost to the city.

Donations of time, equipment and material from local partners meant the city paid a small fraction of the cost for creating the amenity. The cost was mostly limited to staff time and fuel.

Last fall, street crews drained the pond’s water, cleared the muck at the bottom, deepened it and added lining material. Crews added donated clay to the pond to seal in the water this spring.

“A lot of people were pumped up for this,” said Steve Nauer, the city’s streets superintendent.

Nauer thinks of the project every time he drives by the site and expects he will always remember it fondly. He celebrated May 14 by releasing a net-full of fish into the water.

According to Parks and Recreation Director Jon Oyanagi, the city plans to put a trail around the pond using a $50,000 youth sports grant from Hennepin County. The Brooklyn Park Home Depot is working to get a grant to fund a floating, T-shaped fishing pier that will be handicapped accessible. If grant funds allow, there will also be a 40-foot fishing platform along another side of the pond, Oyanagi said.

The city is also talking to the DNR about appropriate native plantings for the banks.

Driven largely by the enthusiasm of city employees like Nauer, the project received city council approval in October after initial skepticism by some of the council members.

Brooklyn Park Police Inspector Mark Bruley played such a significant role in getting approval and creating the pond that city employees joked May 14 that it should be named Bruley Pond, pointing out it would have the initials “BP.”

Several years ago, Bruley helped start the city’s annual Cops ‘n’ Kids fishing program, in which officers go fishing with local children who likely wouldn’t have the chance to fish otherwise. It’s part of the city’s broader Youth Violence Prevention Initiative and is a way police engage youth in positive activities to keep them out of trouble.

“We know that if we keep these kids active in good, healthy activities, we can change the behavior,” Bruley said, referencing a 2007 study by the Police Executive Research Fund that revealed a lack of wholesome activities for youth in the city.

This year will mark the fifth year of the Cops ‘n’ Kids program, which was one response to the study’s findings.

Because the city didn’t have a safe, convenient fishing option, Bruley has taken the event to the Champlin Mill Pond the past few years. But that left participants with few opportunities to practice their skills.

“We gave them the equipment, we gave them the know-how, but then there’s no place to do it,” Bruley said.

This year that will change.

The city will host the Cops ‘n’ Kids program at the Brooklyn Park Community Activity Center Wednesday, June 26, as a grand opening event for the fishing pond.

Bruley expects the pond will see much more use than the once-a-year event. He said Zanewood Recreation Center is already planning summer outings, called “Fishing Fridays,” to give youth the opportunity to use the pond.

Bruley said the pond’s proximity to the police and fire stations is also an advantage.

First, he said, the children will be in a safe environment.

Second, as police drive by and see youth fishing, Bruley expects they’ll stop and talk. To illustrate his point, he pointed out two patrol officers who stopped when they saw the activity at the pond May 14.

“What a great time to build a little bit of a relationship,” he said. “That’s the exciting part, I think.”

Contact Jonathan Young at jonathan.young@ecm-inc.com

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Community

Maple Grove Junior High Choir 9 concert, 7:30 p.m. at Maple Grove Junior High, 7000 Hemlock Lane. Admission is free.

Friday, May 24

Community

Silent auction for Minnesota Operation Military Kids, 3-7:30 p.m. at Osseo American Legion, 260 4th Ave. S.E. Bidders need not be present to win. A steak dinner will be available. Options are steak, shrimp and walley ($10 each) or a combination of steak an shrimp ($12). Dinner will be served 5:30-8:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 25

Community

Brooklyn Park vehicle licensing desk closed.

Conversation circles, 10:15-11:30 a.m. at Brooklyn Park Library, 8600 Zane Ave. N. Non-native English speakers can practice English and make friends in an informal, volunteer-led setting.

Info: 612-543-5669 (English), 612-543-8845 (Hmong), 612-543-8756 (Somali) or 612-543-8510 (Spanish).

Free Family Fun Day: Wetland Birds, 1-3 p.m., at Kroening Interpretive Center, 5114 North Mississippi Drive in North Mississippi Regional Park, Minneapolis.

Learn about different types of birds that call a wetland home.  There will be mounts, books, photos and more to help you along. Walk along the river to look for herons, egrets and other wetland birds. This program is free and open to all ages.

Monday, May 27

Community

Ride for Healing stops at Palmer Lake VFW, 12:30-1:30 at 2817 Brookdale Drive, Brooklyn Park. VFW State Commander Lee Ulferts and others will stop for light refreshments and a brief ceremony. Palmer Lake is the first stop on the week-long Ride for Healing, which honors Vietnam veterans. Community members are encouraged to welcome the riders and honor veterans. The reception is free of charge.

Info: rideforhealing.com.

Free Family Fun Day: Pond Discoveries, 1-3 p.m., at Kroening Interpretive Center, 5114 North Mississippi Drive in North Mississippi Regional Park, Minneapolis. Visit the prairie pond. Use nets to catch baby insects and tadpoles. Drop in anytime. This program is free and open to all ages.

Government offices and Hennepin County libraries closed for Memorial Day.

Tuesday, May 28

Community

Brooklyn Center City Council meeting, 6:30 p.m. at Brooklyn Center City Hall, 6301 Shingle Creek Parkway, Brooklyn Center.

Brooklyn Park City Council meeting, 7 p.m. at Brooklyn Park City Hall, 5200 85th Ave. N., Brooklyn Park.

Robbinsdale Parks, Recreation and Forestry Commission meeting, 7 p.m., council chamber back room, Robbinsdale City Hall, 4100 Lakeview Ave N.

Golden Valley Board of Zoning Appeals meeting, 7 p.m., Golden Valley City Hall, 7800 Golden Valley Road.

New Hope City Council meeting, 7 p.m., New Hope City Hall, 4407 Xylon Ave. N.

Brooklyn Center School board work session, 6:30 p.m. at Brooklyn Center Community Schools, 6500 Humboldt Ave. N., Brooklyn Center.

North View Junior High Choir 7 concert, 7 p.m. at North View Junior High, 5869 69th Ave. N., Brooklyn Park. Admission is free.

Thursday, May 30

Community

Computer skills workshop, 10- 11:30 a.m. at Brookdale Library, 6125 Shingle Creek Parkway, Brooklyn Center.

Work on projects and practice skills from using the mouse and keyboarding to using email and Microsoft Office with our software instructors and volunteer assistants.

Register at hclib.org or by calling 612-543-5600.

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Diabetes affects many individuals of all ages in the United States. There are 25.8 million people who have some type of diabetes. A large number of that population is age 65 and older.

Class is free and open to all local seniors.

Info: 763-544-1090

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Golden Valley, St. Louis Park, Robbinsdale, West Metro and Minnetonka Fire Deparments responded to the call while Plymouth Fire Department covered other calls.

Upon arrival there was visible smoke and fire coming from the townhome.

Three residents were inside the unit where the fire originated. All were evacuated without injury along with the other occupants of the eight-plex.

According to Mark Kuhnly, Golden Valley fire chief, the fire took about 30 minutes to extinguish.

The fire was contained within the unit where it originated, according to Kuhnly.

The fire department was able to restore electricity to seven of the units. Occupants of those units were able to return to their homes – some of which had smoke and water damage.

The unit where the fire originated had extensive damage to the main floor as well as fire, smoke and water damage to the second floor.

Residents of the damaged unit were unable to return to their home.

According to Kuhnly, the unit will need a lot of repair and renovation.

The family was given information for Red Cross for assistance needs but it is uncertain as to where the family will temporarily reside.

No dollar loss has been determined at this time.

The cause of the fire is being investigated, which could take days to weeks to wrap up.

Contact Gina Purcell at gina.purcell@ecm-inc.com

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Two years ago, Crystal resident Curtis Skoog approached the City Council about the possibility. The program creates awareness for the purpose of connecting service members and their families with community support, training, service and resources.

Skoog, a now-retired Army Black Hawk helicopter pilot, sent a packet to the council before he was deployed.

“It’s a pretty vast program through the Army, and Beyond the Yellow Ribbon in general has always been important,” Skoog said. “I’ve been on and off deployments since 9/11, and it’s been an important thing for us and my family. Through the family readiness group and the reintegration process, I’ve appreciated what they’ve done for us and our friends and families.”

The issue sat dormant with the council while Skoog was away, but now he and the four city councils have made a lot of headway.

“I think it’s significant that we pool our resources,” Golden Valley Mayor Shep Harris said. “Each community has individual strengths, and when we get going, it only is going to make our areas that much stronger.”

Golden Valley will host the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon campaign kick off Monday, May 27. Crystal Councilmember Julie Deshler said the event will help residents understand the concept of the campaign.

“It’s about what happens when military personnel return home,” she said. “The military has three weekend retreats called Yellow Ribbon Retreats. If the service member wants, they can go to the sponsored retreats.

After those seminars are over, that’s it. The military is done. This is the community’s way to pick up the slack. That’s why it’s called the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon.”

Skoog said the outreach program that Beyond the Yellow Ribbon provides is “great and beneficial.”

“But it’s more important to the families that stay behind,” he said. “It lowers the anxiety for those guys knowing that there’s an outreach program to help take care of things from everyone from volunteers to professionals.”

By inducting Crystal, Robbinsdale, New Hope and Golden Valley as Beyond the Yellow Ribbon cities, Skoog said it would help bring reassurance to the families of deployed service members.

“Beyond the Yellow Ribbon is just a great source of information for those that are back home,” he said. “For me, that’s the most beneficial.”

Beyond the Yellow Ribbon will not only benefit service members and their families but also community members who are concerned.

“Through faith-based relationships to businesses and employment opportunities and to any of these other programs that could educate the folks that don’t have first-hand knowledge of military experience, it’s an education program for everybody,” Skoog said.

While working to get the cities campaign certified, Deshler said it was amazing to see residents become so involved with the program.

“It’s absolutely heartwarming to see how committed all four communities are to this and how helpful they are in the process,” she said. “They are really involved and it’s been an amazing journey. It isn’t all about giving money, it’s about showing your care and support.”

The kick off begins 10 a.m. Memorial Day at Golden Valley City Hall, 7800 Golden Valley Road. The morning will include performances from Robbinsdale City Band, Armstrong High School choir and rifle squads. Command Sgt. Major Cynthia Kalberg will be the keynote speaker.

“It’s going to a celebratory atmosphere,” Harris said. “You’re going to see diversity of community members coming together. There’s going to be lots of flag waving, foot stomping, American music. There will be some somber music when we have the roll call of the fallen of past members of American Legions and VFWs and a moment of silence.”

Harris said the cities are hoping for 500-1,000 people to show their support for the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon campaign on Memorial Day. The quad-city efforts will continue with a steak fry 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, July 10, at Crystal VFW, 5222 56th Ave. N.

“I would encourage any community member interested in being part of the committee to join,”  Deshler said.

Info: uuijad@aol.com

Contact Anna Woodwick at anna.woodwick@ecm-inc.com

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“It’s four weeks of fun, enrichment programs for kids,” Diane Dickmeyer, program specialist for youth enrichment at Robbinsdale Community Education said on the summer program.

A group of Summer Activities participants work to create their own video animation games. The program is hosted by Robbinsdale Community Education and runs June 17 through July 19. (Submitted photo)

Youth finishing kindergarten through eighth grade this June are invited to sign up for one or more weeks of Summer Activities. Dickmeyer said weeks’ activities range from technology, arts and crafts, food-based classes, survivor classes and physical education classes.

“We’re doing a new class this year where we work with Three Rivers Park District to do a Kids Versus Wild class,” she said. “The kids can do a sailing camp or go to Vertical Endeavors for rock climbing. There are new things every week and a lot to offer.”

The program has been around for more than 25 years, and Dickmeyer said part of its success is the high-quality classes that are offered at an affordable rate. Robbinsdale Community Education offers scholarships for families that qualify for free and reduced lunches. In addition, bus transportation is offered for participants. Classes are hosted at Robbindale Spanish Immersion School and Plymouth Middle School.

“Kids want to do something, but don’t want to spend all day doing things,” Dickmeyer said. “The kids get on the bus, and it’s early. When they come home, they are all excited, and by the time they have a snack, it’s 3 p.m. before they’re bored.”

Dickmeyer said part of the program’s popularity is due to the options it gives the kids to explore passions they may not be able to do in a normal school setting.

“It’s a hidden gem,” she said. “We take things that are fun for kids to have them forget they’re learning.”
Afton Wendorf, a Robbindsale Middle School family and consumer science teacher, has seen firsthand the excitement kids have during Summer Activities. This summer will be her 30th year with the program teaching cooking classes.

“The kids absolutely love it,” she said. “The cooking classes fill up so fast. The kids are interested in being here. It’s all kinds of hands-on activity, and they look forward to coming.”

During the four weeks of Summer Activities, Wendorf’s students will be learning how to cook everything from breads to desserts.
“Each week is something different,” she said. “In Summer Activities, they work in smaller groups and they have more opportunity for learning, they can get more involved.”

Dickmeyer said Robbinsdale Community Education likes to keep class sizes to no more than 20 students. With smaller class sizes, it allows teachers to specialize in different types of classes while focusing on each student.

“The teachers love it, because it’s different,” she said. “We collaborate with New Hope Parks and Recreation, so our sports camps run at the same time. It’s a win-win for all of us. We do our best to work with the different organizations.”

Summer Activities is offered Monday through Friday, June 17 through July 19. There will no classes the week of July 4. Classes for children kindergarten through fourth grade will be hosted 8:20 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. at Robbinsdale Spanish Immersion School, 8808 Medicine Lake Road, New Hope. Classes for children fifth through eighth grade will be hosted 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Plymouth Middle School, 10011 36th Ave. N., Plymouth.

Info: 763-504-6999 or ced.rdale.org.

Contact Anna Woodwick at anna.woodwick@ecm-inc.com

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Today, I’m proud to bring you the next version of the Sun Post. You’ll notice quite a few changes to the site. We hope you like using it more. The changes have been made in response to feedback from the community. A couple of the highlights:

• The new version takes advantage of HTML 5 to bring you the same stories in a friendly format whether you visit us from your computer browser, iPad or mobile phone. A year ago today, mobile browsing was nice. Today, it’s a necessity.
• Stories are bigger and easier to read. Whatever way you slice it, we’re not confined by the space of a sheet of paper in the online world. We made the fonts bigger, the pictures bigger, and the spacing bigger. No more eye strain.
• Full coverage on the home page. You’ll now see every new story we post on the home page rather than a selection of what we think you’ll be interested in. We cover a lot. Rather than try and decide what fits a general interest, we’re happy to bring it all to you in a quick and easy to scan format. Maybe you’ll find something you didn’t know we covered.
• No more comments. It’s not that we’re against the comments. In fact, we really like the information and perspective every reader brings to the site. Look for the ability to submit your own responses, stories, photos, and videos in the coming weeks.

Change is always hard. You’ve grown accustomed to seeing our stories arranged in a certain way. I expect it to take a day or two before you get used to the new design. But I hope you’ll find the new layout easier to use in the long run.

In the meantime, we’d love to hear your thoughts on what we’re missing. There are new features we’re planning to get to you as the months move on. In the meantime, tell us what you’d like to see (digital@ecm-inc.com). Or if you really want to let me know personally, cory.hendrickson@ecm-inc.com.

Finally, we don’t often get the chance to thank you for your readership. We love bringing you the news, and we’ll continue to work on ways to better connect each and every one of you with the community.

Cory Hendrickson
Director of New Media

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John O’Brien

North Hennepin Community College President John O’Brien has been appointed interim vice chancellor for academic and student affairs of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU). He will take a temporary leave of absence from his position at the college beginning June 1.
The appointment could last up to a year. He plans to return to his position at North Hennepin after completing his interim term as vice chancellor.
In a letter to his colleagues on campus, O’Brien said the position was one he did not anticipate or pursue, but that Rosenstone asked him to serve on a temporary basis.
“It is my hope that during this interim period, I will be able to make a difference at the system office that will, in turn, be of benefit to NHCC,” he wrote.
O’Brien has served as president at North Hennepin since 2010. Prior to that, he served as director of MnSCU’s “Students First” initiative. O’Brien has also served as MnSCU’s associate vice chancellor in instructional technology and has taught at numerous colleges and universities.
“John O’Brien is an action-oriented leader dedicated to student success and passionate about ensuring access to an extraordinary education for all Minnesotans,” MnSCU Chancellor Steven Rosenstone said in recommending O’Brien. “He is a proven innovator who will help Minnesota State Colleges and Universities effectively implement the strategic changes necessary to meet the challenges facing the future of higher education.”
O’Brien succeeds Douglas Knowlton, who has accepted an interim appointment as vice president of student academic success at Metropolitan State University, a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system.

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