Recently in Issues Category

First Ward Councilman Kevin Reich will be on hand to discuss the progress being made on the new Central Avenue median project that will continue through this winter. In September, the median plantings were removed and a new schedule of hearty, low-maintenance plantings will be going in this spring as well a number of features designed for pedestrians, auto traffic maintenance and safety.

Join us at the next Waite Park Community Council meeting on Wednesday, December 7 at 7:00 p.m. at the Waite Park Community Center (1810 34th Avenue NE). All Waite Park Community Council meetings are open to the public. Join us!

You may have noticed that the Central Avenue median between 27th and 37th Avenue NE was stripped bare and cleaned in late September. For the past several years the median has suffered due to harsh weather, salt and plowing, occasional accidents and overall neglect. Many of the trees and shrubs along the median died off or were severely stressed, but a new plan is in the works to restore the median to a more natural state and resolve a number of long-standing driver and pedestrian issues.

The stripping and regrading is the start of the plan by the Department of Public Works to rebuild a new, sustainable median. The first step is to resculpt the median to hold rainwater better. The previous grading design caused much of the rainwater to run off the median into the storm sewer. 

The new design will simplify the overall variety of plantings, increase sightlines for drivers and pedestrians and provide tree canopy coverage where necessary. The new plantings, along with a better design, should create a better looking median that is easier to maintain while eliminating some of the existing pedestrian and driving difficulties.

The Department of Public Works, Councilman Kevin Reich's office and the surrounding neighborhood organizations, including Waite Park, will be holding special meetings throughout the fall and winter to inform the public on the status of the project and solicit input. Look for more information in the coming issues of the Waite Park Voice and online.

The National Marrow Donor Program® (NMDP) and the Be The Match Foundation® are nonprofit organizations located here in Northeast Minneapolis, dedicated to creating an opportunity for all patients to receive the bone marrow or umbilical cord blood transplant they need, when they need it. Every year, thousands of people of all ages are diagnosed with leukemia and other life-threatening diseases. Many of them will die unless they get a bone marrow or cord blood transplant from a matching donor. Seventy percent of people do not have a donor in their family and depend on our Be The Match Registry® to find a match to save their life.
 
The registry -- called the Be The Match Registry -- has grown to 9 million donors and more than 185,000 searchable umbilical cord blood units, the largest and most racially and ethnically diverse registry of its kind in the world.
 
Be The Match Foundation's work with families, corporations and other partners like you has raised millions of dollars for patients in need. With your support, Be The Match Foundation will continue to attract, engage and motivate people who want to save a life.
 
For more information on how you can join the registry, visit the information page through Be The Match here.
 
For additional information on transplants and donations visit The National Marrow Donor Program here.

Read Mary Halet's personal story about her donation experience here:
The Mary Halet Story.pdf