Just a caring and sensitive guy
From time to time I take a peek at Minn Post, another understaffed, underfunded, online journal just to see what those louts have lifted from this blog or our newsletter. There was a very nice overview of the 2010 Partners effort to encourage collaboration among the many stakeholders developing in the ballpark/transit neighborhood on the west side of downtown Minneapolis. The piece written by the always thoughtful Steve Berg can be viewed by following the link at the bottom of this post. Anyway I was “feeling it” as we big time bloggers say so I thought I would follow up with what I thought was a nice comment by some thoughtful Minn Post reader. Darned if she didn’t go “Google” on my ass and decide that she needed to let the vast reading public know that I am, God forbid, a lobbyist who has been an advocate for a new ballpark, even worse! That’s fine but then gentle commenter decides to take a whack at my pal Leer who has done nothing but push the mighty concept of collaboration for two years as an admittedly enlightened by self interest volunteer. Little does she know that we buy e-ink by the barrel around here so for your amusement is my follow up to “being outed”.
“Meet?” I would have to classify that as quite the speed date. If the inference was a lack of disclosure some how diminished the credibility of my post, let me disclose away. I have been directly involved as an advocate for a compact transit oriented ballpark since the mid 1990’s. This stems in part from my love of baseball, the belief that a major league baseball team is an asset to the entire region and that building a better place to see and play the game (as well as operate the team) would benefit fans and the community for generations. Note, neither my firm, Neerland & Oyaas, Inc., nor the non profit advocacy organization, New Ballpark Inc. (NBI) that my partner and I founded with several real live civic leaders have ever received a dime from the Twins or the team’s owners. I publish an almost bi-weekly newsletter, Neerland & Oyaas Online which has called to task public and private leaders who haven’t done what we perceive to be in the public’s best interest as this project has rolled out.
Through NBI I have played a role in forming two important citizen involvement committees. The first C-17 was charged by the City in 2000 to look at the economic social benefits of an urban ballpark. The Design Advisory Group (DAG 360) was convened, in part thanks to my advocacy, to stake out design principals to guide area developers, including the Ballpark Authority and the team around a standard that this was to be “more than a ballpark”. Since DAG 360 issued its report at the end of 2005 I have been working with colleagues including my friend Chuck Leer (who chaired the DAG 360 as a volunteer) to promote the concept of all of the area stakeholders working under a common umbrella to implement the driving principles behind the DAG 360 report. For more than a year I have funded without reimbursement the various communications and meeting materials to keep stakeholders interested during the protracted land fight which threatened to derail any such cooperation.
As a sometimes paid, always passionate, promoter of the ballpark I am driven by the belief that great cities are in significant ways defined by their gathering places. We promised a better ballpark that would keep our team here. The Twins, Ballpark Authority and the design team are delivering in spades. I will not waver from pursuing the second half of that promise that this project would result in a vibrant neighborhood; a place that will attract and retain residents, workers and visitors for years to come.
Beyond that I am a lifelong Minneapolis resident as is my lovely and talented wife. Our darling boys have followed my journey through the Minneapolis Public Schools. I still consider myself Catholic although not always getting the vibe directly from Rome. I am a Libra with eclectic musical tastes who enjoys sunny fall days. Whew, now maybe we can say “we’ve met”.
Link to Berg’s commentary: http://www.minnpost.com/steveberg/2008/04/22/1587/ballpark_wont_succeed_as_an_isolated_gem
Submitted with a bit of “take that” in my voice
MJO
