“I know change is always hard, but this is a change that is necessary, because the course has severe flooding problems and Lake Hiawatha is filled with trash. The only way to solve these problems is to provide space for stormwater treatment, and this plan does that.”
“The multiple concerns around Lake Hiawatha and the golf course have been topics of community discussion for a number of years now. I believe that the Master Plan is a balanced approach developed by the community and that it is time to move forward. I urge your support for it.”
“I believe in a vision of environmental justice in which we focus on what we gain by making these changes. By moving forward with this plan we will gain a safer and healthier community where water is protected, and communities of color can continue to enjoy use of the space for public recreation.”
“I encourage the body to advance a plan that meaningfully supports both the importance of this historic golf course and vitality of the patronage that also responds to the health of our soil, our water and the surrounding natural environment.”
“Our number one concern is the health and well-being of ALL our relatives. AIM is in support of the 9 hole compromise that has been worked on for years by many in the community. Otherwise we’d support closing the course altogether.”
Mike Forcia, American Indian Movement
“The Master Plan is a reasonable compromise to a long and challenging process to determine the sustainable and equitable future of this treasured green space in south Minneapolis.”
“It is vitally important to protect our waters, so near to Dakota sacred sites at the convergence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers and indeed connected to them. A plan that protects the waters of Lake Hiawatha and the Lake Hiawatha Delta Habitat aligns with our Tribal community’s dedication.”
“We endorse the Master Plan because it meets the MPRB’s own criteria as adopted in its Comprehensive Plan: ‘Make golf courses and golf course buildings welcoming multi-use recreational and ecological facilities.’”
“Lake Hiawatha is the nearest lake to our primarily BIPOC neighborhood. It is a place where we can enjoy everything a lake has to offer on a hot summer day. However, the pollution that inflicts Lake Hiawatha makes it unsafe to visit far too many days per summer.”
“As a neighborhood bordering Minnehaha Creek downstream of the lake, we are one of the first of many communities to be impacted by the water management decisions made at Lake Hiawatha.”
Longfellow Community Council Environment & River Gorge Committee
