Cathy Abene (District 6)
The Hiawatha Golf Course Area Master Plan (aka Hiawatha Links) was approved by MPRB in 2022, calling for 9 holes of golf and the ecological restoration of Lake Hiawatha. As commissioner, will you support the master plan and work actively to move forward implementation of the plan?
Yes.
How will you work to ensure that the new parkland at Hiawatha honors the lake’s history as Rice Lake / Bdé Psíŋ with the Dakota people who have stewarded this land since time immemorial, and ensures safe access for Native lifeways?
As part of MPRB’s Indigenous Acknowledgement Action Plan, the MPRB has formed an Indigenous Parks Council. It’s my expectation that the council will be engaged throughout the project to provide input on natural and site design elements but also to think through and lead on safe access, belonging, and placemaking for the Dakota people, other indigenous communities, and everyone.
How will you work to ensure that the new parkland at Hiawatha honors the history of Black golfers and the course’s legacy as a social hub for Minneapolis’ Black golf community?
I support the adopted compromise plan for the Hiawatha site. The plan includes many strategies to honor the history of Black golf. Also underway is a golf-forward design that is being led by a team focused on a high-quality golf experience, while keeping the important history top of mind. Once the new course is built, my hope is that it will attract young people and others to the game of golf and make the sport accessible to all who would like to play.
A recent Star Tribune article covered the problem of stray golf balls from the course hitting houses along 43rd St. What would you do as commissioner to address that issue prior to the projected 2030 course reconstruction?
Since this is not in my district and I haven’t had too many people contact me about it, I am not totally up to speed on actions that have been taken to address the situation (if any). That said, I fully expect the redesign to correct this type of thing and prevent it in the future.
What role can the new parkland at Hiawatha play in expanding foraging opportunities for Minneapolis residents?
Foraging is currently not allowed and changing the policy would require a broader community conversation. That said, I’ve been happy to see the expansion of community gardening in MPRB parks. Community gardening provides many benefits including food production and sharing.
How should we balance coexistence with other species in urban green spaces, even when doing so might causes challenges for humans? For example, beavers are native to the area and restore degraded streams, but can inconvenience us when they cut down trees.
I take the MPRB mission seriously, including its emphasis on wildlife. As the question suggests, our human footprint is big in our urban environment. That said, there are places where habitat/wildlife can and should be prioritized and of course this is already happening throughout the system.