Candidate Questionnaire Responses

Becky Alper, District 3

After the Hiawatha Golf Course flooded in 2014 and unpermitted pumping issues were discovered, MPRB Commissioners directed a citizen advisory committee (CAC) to work with park staff to develop a new master plan to guide the future of the site. The master plan was presented in 2020 and the MPRB Commissioners voted on it twice in 2021, failing to pass the plan each time. As of now, no master plan exists for the Hiawatha Golf Course Area, and the pumping issues and flood risk remain unaddressed.

1. What are the next steps MPRB should take with regards to planning for the future of the Hiawatha Golf Course Area?

We need the next set of commissioners to come together and move forward on a master plan for the Hiawatha Golf Course area. I was in support of the most recent master plan that failed to pass in 2021 because it both honored the history of Black golf and recognized the realities of climate change and water issues facing the site.

2. According to the master plan document, “Water management alternatives that address fully the range of issues faced by a property situated below the elevation of an adjacent lake render the opportunity to create an 18-hole golf course impracticable, if not impossible.” Would you support a plan for the site that retains 18 holes of golf and does not address pumping levels or flood risk?

No, I do not support retaining 18 holes of golf. The 9 hole plan mitigates flood risk and recognizes that many portions of the current golf course are below the level of Hiawatha Lake.

3. Would you support a plan for the site similar to the master plan developed in 2018-2019 that provides a 9-hole golf course and integrates other land uses (such as walking, cycling, paddling, and picnicking) when possible?

Yes, I would. As the new set of commissioners takes on the task of passing a master plan for this area, I would also be open to keeping more of the land as natural with fewer built or mowed spaces.

4. Would you support a plan that removes golf entirely from the site and replaces it with other land uses, such as walking, cycling, paddling, picnicking, and natural space?

I’d be interested to learn more about the pros/cons of moving ahead with such a plan. While I’m not a golfer, I know a plan with zero golf would have a lot of pushback, and I’m pro moving forward on a compromise plan versus one which removes golf. Also, what happens to cross country skiing in this situation?

5. Hiawatha was a historically important course for black golfers in Minneapolis in an era when they faced widespread discrimination. How should plans for the site honor this legacy and serve current communities of color?

I think the biggest way that we can honor black golfers and communities of color in general, is to make meaningful action on racial equity goals within MPRB. To me, that means making sure that MPRB is achieving the outcomes set forth in the Racial Equity Action Plan. https://www.minneapolisparks.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/MPRB-2021-Racial-Equity-Action-Plan-March.April-2021.pdf

6. What should be done about trash entering Lake Hiawatha from the “north pipe”? More generally, how should MPRB address water quality concerns in Lake Hiawatha?

The North Pipe has a 920 acre pipeshed from across numerous neighborhoods in South Minneapolis, many of them in District 3. It’s high time to upgrade the stormwater treatment infrastructure at that entrance point to Lake Hiawatha. Something else that I see as important is engaging people who live in those pipeshed neighborhoods to see their connection to Lake Hiawatha. I’d like to see more MPRB programming around stormwater issues, particularly with young people, so they can feel empowered to make a positive impact on their communities. I’m also worried about the water quality issues that you can’t see, like phosphorus. I’d like to see more water quality monitoring by MPRB - we need the data if we’re going to successfully push for changes!

7. Two major issues MPRB is facing at this site and citywide are correcting historic inequities and planning for a more variable future climate. How would you balance the needs of MPRB properties to be sustainably designed and managed with the need to equitably serve all Minneapolis communities?

We know that communities that have faced historic inequities are also the same communities that are most likely to feel the negative impacts of climate change. For example, poor neighborhoods with more BIPOC residents are the same neighborhoods that lack adequate tree cover due to underinvestment, expansive asphalt, etc., and as a result have higher surface temperatures than wealthier neighborhoods. So I believe that we can (and should) design sustainably for environmental justice reasons.