Candidate Questionnaire Responses

Cathy Abene, District 6

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?

If I’m elected, I’d like to understand the current state of water policy at the MPRB. As a community we need to decide where we stand on the pumping of subsurface water. Intercepting subsurface water and pumping it to the river, takes water that would otherwise recharge our aquifers, out of our watershed. I would be interested in developing a thoughtful, community supported policy as soon as possible. Doing so would inform future decisions at Hiawatha and elsewhere.

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?

Referring to my response in Q1, pumping subsurface water is a matter of stewardship and sustainability. The MPRB has a huge responsibility as stewards of water resources. Decisions about the future golf footprint must take this into consideration.

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 am a strong supporter of keeping golf. I am not a golfer, but I know how important it is to people in our city. I’ve heard from several golfers who recognize the compromise that is needed in this situation. I’ve heard that a 9-hole championship course (not par 3 or executive) could be desirable.

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?

No.

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?

This is significant history that I am totally in favor of honoring. Naming the clubhouse for Solomon Hughes was a great step. I think listening to Black golfers is necessary as future acknowledgements are determined and personally, I’d love to see more young people of color take up the sport throughout all the MPRB’s golf sites. Let’s grow golf for our kids!

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?

I’m a civil engineer working in water resources. I know there’s some disagreement about the best approach at the north pipe, but I am eager to develop solutions with the city. The north pipe is connected to their pipeshed. I want to fully explore what can be retrofitted into the upstream pipeshed to treat the water before it enters MPRB property and the lake. In terms of general water quality at the lake, the proposed wetland restoration from the master plan would do a lot.

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?

Tools like the MPRBs Equity Matrix exist to ensure that projects are selected using an equity lens. I’m also an advocate for using triple bottom line in planning and funding improvements.