Public Boat Launch Opens at Lake Harriet

Aquatic Invasive Species inspectors will be on duty from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day.

Lake Harriet's public boat launch opened for the season Tuesday. The boat launch was damaged by ice over the winter and was closed until repairs the were finished early this week. The launches at Lake Calhoun and Lake Nokomis opened Sunday. In addition, all three lakes are staffed with Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) inspectors from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Following a resolution passed by the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board of Commissioners, all watercraft or water-related equipment entering the water at the public boat launches on the lakes are required to be inspected for aquatic invasive species. Things to Know About AIS Inspections Boaters encouraged to launch watercraft before 9 p.m. To improve compliance with the AIS …

• Photos (1)

Reports: Beer, Wine at Bread & Pickle Gets Council Panel's OK

The Lake Harriet bandshell concessionaire could start serving alcohol within weeks, according to the Star Tribune and the Southwest Journal.

The Minneapolis City Council's Regulatory Energy and Environment Committee approved plans Monday for concessionaire Bread and Pickle to serve alcohol at Lake Harriet, according to local news outlets The Southwest Journal reported that it has been a long journey Owner Kim Bartmann has been working with city and Minneapolis Park Board staff for over a year, she said, and hopes to soon offer a half-dozen tap beers and a few wine options. The city’s vote came after the Minneapolis Park Board had debated Bartmann’s plan during two meetings in April. Bartmann plans to have seating for 133 patrons and, with the city’s urging, will set up a perimeter with planters. Read the full article at swjournal.com. The Star Tribune reported some opposition …

• Photos (1)

Public Boat Launches to Open at Lake Calhoun, Nokomis Sunday

Despite possibly the latest ice-out record for some Minnesota lakes, public boat launches at two lakes will open Sunday.

Editor's Note: The following is a Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board press release. After a nearly two-week cold weather delay, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) will open its public boat launches at Lake Nokomis and Lake Calhoun on Sunday, April 28. The Lake Harriet public boat launch was damaged by ice over the winter and will remain closed until repairs are completed. Following a resolution passed by the MPRB Board of Commissioners, all watercraft or water-related equipment entering the water at the public boat launches on Lake Calhoun, Lake Harriet and Lake Nokomis are required to be inspected for aquatic invasive species. AIS inspectors will be on duty daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. with boaters encouraged to launch …

• Photos (1)

Minneapolis Park Board OKs Beer and Wine Sales at Lake Harriet

Proposal moves next to city council, media sources reported.

Lake Harriet is already wet, but food service options may soon get a little less dry, WCCO-TV reported Sunday: After a recent decision, beer and wine sales at Lake Harriet look more and more possible. In a 5-4 vote Wednesday, the Minneapolis Park Board approved [its] support [of] the liquor license application for Bread and Pickle off of Lake Harriet. The plan still needs to get city council approval—and has its detractors, the Star Tribune MPLS. blog reported: Arlene Fried, a co-founder of Park Watch, spoke at Wednesday night's Board meeting against the original delineations for where drinking would be allowed. She said that planters and tables will create "barriers and congestion" for people walking through. "Allowing one use to dominate…

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

Airplane Noise Will Cause Home Values to Drop: SW Residents

MSP airport expansion debated at Monday open house.

Lake Harriet-area homeowners and the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport are on a collision course. Monday night, the Metropolitan Airports Commission held its latest open house to discuss expansion plans aimed at making room for what the commission expects will be an 89,000-passenger increase in traffic by 2025. In 2010, the airport drew around 437,000 passengers. According to the Star-Tribune, though, Southwest Minneapolis residents at the event trashed the commission's proposal. Officials' claim that only 1,131 homes would need new sound-proofing was no comfort to Tom Knickelbine. "Every single person walking around Lake Harriet is going to feel this," said Knickelbine, who lives near the lake, where more noise and sound-proofing…

•  2 Comments
• Photos (1)

James Sanna

5:35 pm on Tuesday, October 2, 2012

I'd be game for a switch to solar-powered or bicycle-powered planes. Would be a welcome change from that cramped steerage-class seating. http://youtu.be/eRyyKQQtYqg   more ›

Major SW Minneapolis Road Closures This Weekend

Sunday, bicyclists will be touring the city.

Watch out where you plan to drive on Sunday. Major road closures are expected across the city as the annual Minneapolis Bike Tour winds its way around the Grand Rounds. All parkways in Minneapolis will be closed from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., the City of Minneapolis said in a statement emailed to reporters and city residents. In Southwest Minneapolis, that means the roads around both Lake Calhoun and Lake Harriet will be off-limits to cars, along with William Berry Parkway, which connects the two. Minnehaha Parkway will also be closed from its start on the southern end of Lake Harriet all the way through its endpoint at Minnehaha Park. At most points where the bicycle route crosses streets, ushers and crossing guards will be posted to help …

• Photos (1)

Southwest Sights

Lake Harriet's Aspiring Submariner

Strong winds this week swamped at least one boat.

Maybe someone left the porthole open? One of the earliest submarine designs was, believe it or not, partially sail-powered. Designed by American inventor Robert Fulton in the late 1790's and called the Nautilus, the craft could submerge up to 25 feet, and was designed to drag boxes of explosives alongside enemy ships in order to sink them. Fulton tried to interest Napoleon and other French revolutionary leaders in the design, but his proposals were rejected. Fulton soon moved back to America to found the first passenger steamship line on the Hudson River.

•  2 Comments
• Photos (1)

James Sanna

3:01 pm on Friday, September 14, 2012

Thanks! I was walking around while waiting for the 9/11 concert to start, and noticed it. I'm a big ol' nerd, so the Nautilus was the second thing that crossed my mind on seeing that boat. Plus, the sailboats moored by the bandshell always seem to have bad luck. Last year, I remember seeing a 12- or 15-foot one that had capsized and stuck its mast in the mud, and it sat there for months on end.   more ›

Want A Tour of $4.6 Million Lake Harriet House?

What does expensive house on the market in SW Minneapolis look like inside?

Ever wondered how much the châteaux on the shores of Lake Harriet cost?  Ever wondered what they look like inside? This little cottage was built in 1932, and rings in at five bedrooms, three full baths, four half baths, 8,655 square feet, and $4.6 million. 4807 Sheridan Avenue South boasts a slew of luxurious features to go along with its great views of the lake. The house has a tudor-esque wood-paneled library, grand staircases, an old-fashioned elevator, and even a fireplace in the kitchen—presumably to give you the option of spit-roasting your dinner. One guest bedroom even appears to have its bed suspended from the ceiling like a mahogany hammock, with French doors that open onto the pool. For more information—or to schedule a showing—…

•  4 Comments
• Photos (12)

James Sanna

8:51 am on Friday, September 14, 2012

Oh, cool! I love how that gives a sense of what it's like to live in that house. Also, that's an impressive price jump from $2.1 to $4.6 million. Pretty good job on the renovation!   more ›

Are 9/11 Memorials Still Worth It, 11 Years On?

Memorial concert is in its eleventh year.

Over a decade after the 9/11 terror attacks, how long should this country continue mourning the victims? The crowd at Tuesday's 9/11 Tribute Concert at the Lake Harriet Bandshell in Southwest Minneapolis' Linden Hills neighborhood was around half the size of last year's 10th anniversary memorial concert. But for the hundreds that did show up to perform, to organize the event, and to watch, this anniversary was still worth commemorating. To some, the live television images of jet liners crashing into skyscrapers were still fresh in their minds. "As I was helping hang the scrolls (showing the names of the 9/11 dead) on the side of the Bandshell, a jet flew over, and the sound just made me cringe," said Minnetonka resident Mary Helmbrecht, …

•  39 Comments
• Photos (6)