Art Walk Letter of Support Template

(Please feel free to adapt this template to suit your purposes. Thanks for getting involved!)

Right now we need MNDoT to grant us the space in their designs to make the Art Walk possible. We need lots of people to show support for this project so that MNDoT (and Minneapolis) understand how important this is for our city.

Click here to automatically create a draft of the email below

To the Minnesota Department of Transportation:
ricardo.lopez@state.mn.us
info@CentralAveImprovements.com
nick.carpenter@state.mn.us
christina.perfetti@state.mn.us

CC Northeast Minneapolis City Council Member Elliott Payne
elliott.payne@minneapolismn.gov

CC Northeast Minneapolis City Council Member Michael Rainville
ward3@minneapolismn.gov

CC District 60 (NE Mpls) Senator Doron Clark
sen.doron.clark@mnsenate.gov

CC District 60A (NE Mpls) Representative Sydney Jordan
rep.sydney.jordan@house.mn.gov

CC Recovery Bike Shop’s Seth Stattmiller
cutter@re-cycle.com

CLICK HERE for the rest of Minneapolis' City Council

I am [NAME]. I am writing to express my support for the creation of the Central Avenue Art Walk between Broadway St NE and 27th Ave NE during MNDoT's Central Ave reconstruction. This stretch of Central is the “front door” of the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District. An Art Walk will give the Minneapolis arts community a visual presence unlike anything else in the country, create a draw for our city and state, and support local artists and businesses. The Art Walk will also serve to calm traffic on one of our city’s busiest streets by creating edge friction and visual stimulation and activity yielding more engaged drivers and a safer corridor.

It will also create a more comfortable "eyes on the street" environment during a critical time of increasing street activity and crime for our city. The Art Walk will do all of this without sacrificing any part of MNDoT's plan and without costing the city or the state a dime.

The Northeast community has been formally calling for the creation of the Central Ave Art Walk since the 2008 Central Ave Small Area Plan and the Central Ave reconstruction project represents the only chance many of us will see to bring this project to life.

We are requesting that MNDoT increase the west side pedestrian area to accommodate a 11' "boulevard" area for permanent large scale art pieces and weekly 10' street market stalls. We also request that MNDoT set aside space for four (4) large art pads (15 x 15’) adjacent to the Central and Lowry intersection and four (4) large art pads adjacent to the Central and Broadway intersection (one on each corner). These two intersections are the gateways to the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District and will be reserved for something especially grand.

Please visit www.recovery.bike/artwalk to continue the conversation.

We look forward to seeing this project grow and the community expects to enjoy and support the art walk for generations to come.

Sincerely,
[NAME]
[TITLE]
[CONTACT INFO]

You can do more by individually emailing your letter to the rest of the Minneapolis City Council and Mayor Jacob Frey. CLICK HERE.