Justin Cermak (District 5)
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?
I’m a naturalist. I would like to change a lot of the 1950’s design aspects of the Minneapolis Park system. More natural space for us and for the environment. But, I 100% DO NOT support the “Master Plan” that the current Minneapolis Park Board has developed for the Hiawatha Golf Course property. It is a terrible plan that does nothing to improve water quality in Lake Hiawatha. The plan calls for flooding the golf course with untreated street runoff. There isn’t a wetland on Earth that can filter the pollution coming out of a major metropolitan streets. Between the road salt, fertilizers, pesticides, car chemicals (oil, gas, refrigerants), yard waste and various fecal matter, the swamp that will be at the end of the golf course will be an anaerobic cess pool with very little indigenous animal life. That’s why the National Audubon Society has pulled their support from the project. I believe I have a better, “hard architecture” solution that will make Lake Hiawatha the CLEANEST lake in Minneapolis. Clean water for all!
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?
This question seems pointless after my critique of question #1. I challenge all to a wild rice eating contest. I will watch as you enjoy your dish sourced out of that most dubious retention pond.
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 will honor the history of Hiawatha Golf Course by KEEPING it an 18 hole championship course. Once the “Master Plan” is gone, the course will be revitalized with private funds whilst keeping it a public course.
The golf course makes money and the tee times are in short supply because the course, actually, looks amazing. Big props to the grounds crew. Real heroes!
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?
Netting. Next question.
What role can the new parkland at Hiawatha play in expanding foraging opportunities for Minneapolis residents?
With expanded woodland and natural areas, urban foraging will expand, but I don’t believe the local ecosystem can support a foraging population of 500,000 people.
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 like this question. Living in proximity to wild animals is a tricky business, but I feel we should help animal species because we are at a crossroads. Natural areas are shrinking, droughts and pesticides are taking their toll. I think we should allow more animals near us by expanding natural spaces. I’ve played softball next to a coyote den. I’ve seen raccoons disappear down sewers and owls brooding on my block. When I lived in Duluth, I watched kits play on a dirt mound. Those are the magical moments. Then there’s the random animal attack or missing pet “scandalous” headline. I think without sensationalism, we can coexist in a meaningful way with our animal family.
In the specific species of beavers, their acquisition target of Minnehaha Creek seems problematic. The local flooding of homes would be an unacceptable outcome.