February 2010 
There are 9 blog entries for February 2010.
Rain Garden Workshops
Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010 at 5:53pm. 844 Views, 0 Comments.
Registration is open for Metro Blooms’ rain garden workshops. The Minneapolis nonprofit organizes two-part rain garden workshops across the metro area.
Professional landscape designers and master gardeners teach attendees the best techniques for planting rain gardens, which are designed to capture and slow rainwater runoff. These low-maintenance gardens contribute to improving water quality in local lakes and waterways by filtering pollutants out of rainwater. Rain gardens can also reduce stream bank erosion and preserve wildlife habitat.
The 2 part workshops cost $10 each. Attendees learn about rain gardens in the first session. When they return for part B, they’re asked to bring a sketch of their property so they can receive help from the landscape…
Strange But True: The Igloo and The Ice House
Thursday, February 18th, 2010 at 8:31pm. 561 Views, 0 Comments.
The cabin fever caused by winter's snowy weather and cold temperatures seem to have inspired some creativity. An igloo in Ohio and a house encased in ice in Detroit are drawing national headlines.
First, Jimmy Grey, of Aquilla, Ohio, has been out of work for almost a year. To keep himself busy, he took advantage of the heavy snowfally to build an extreme igloo in his family's yard. The "man cave" has 4 rooms, 6-foot tall ceilings, and an entertainment rooms with a flat-screen TV, cable, and surround sound. He says when he has friends over, cold temperatures mean the beer never gets warm.
Next, two artists who have encased one of Detroit's thousands of abandoned homes in ice, hoping to draw attention to the foreclosure and housing crisis that has battered the…
Twin Cities Real Estate Market Snapshot for January 2010
Wednesday, February 17th, 2010 at 9:12pm. 585 Views, 2 Comments.
Even during the traditionally slow winter selling period, the Twin Cities housing market saw home sales prices increase slightly in January 2010 compared to last year. It is the first year-over-year increase in over 3 years. The number of houses sold remained essentially flat compared to January 2009.
"We've safely weathered the worst of the housing market decline, despite continuing worries about future home foreclosures," said George Karvel, a real estate professor at the University of St. Thomas.
The Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors reported the January median sale price to be $157,000, a 1.3% increase. That was the first time since July 2006 that the median sales price was higher than previous year, according to the Realtors association. Though…
Minneapolis and Saint Paul CityLiving Program Revived
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010 at 8:03am. 508 Views, 0 Comments.
Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman have jointly announced that $41 million in new funding has been pumped into the CityLiving Program. CityLiving assists first time homebuyers with purchasing homes in either city.
The CityLiving Program offers below-market interest rates on mortgages in addition to help with down payments and closing-costs. Hmebuyers’ household income cannot exceed $92,290 and the purchase price for a single-family home can’t be greater than $276,870 in order to quality for the funding.
“More people owning homes in Minneapolis and Saint Paul means more prosperity, more civic engagement and more vitality in our Minnesota’s core cities — and that’s good for everyone,” said Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak in a statement.…
Get to NOMI - Valentine's Day Home Tour in Minneapolis
Friday, February 12th, 2010 at 5:42pm. 906 Views, 0 Comments.
Twin Cities house hunters may not know that there is affordable housing as well as plenty of parks, new restaurants and other amenities to be found in north Minneapolis' Camden and Northeast communities. A group of residents has been working to change that perception by starting a grass-roots neighborhood campaign called Get to NOMI to attract prospective buyers by promoting the area's positive attributes. NOMI stands for North Minneapolis.
Joel Breeggemann, co-founder of Get to NOMI and a home owner in the Webber-Camden neighborhood, says "We want to show people that these neighborhoods are just as desirable as others in Minneapolis and St. Paul."
The group has organized a Valentine's Day, self-guided tour of 20 houses currently on the market in several…
Strange But True: Own a Piece of Minneapolis Skyway
Monday, February 8th, 2010 at 11:55pm. 593 Views, 1 Comments.
An 83-foot piece of the Minneapolis skyway has been taken down from the sky and put up on the market. It could be yours for just $49,500.
This section of skyway was built in the late 1970s and spanned across 5th Street. It connected J.C. Penney and Powers department stores, which closed in the mid-1980s. Powers was leveled in 1993, and instead of taking down the skyway, it just sort-of dead-ended on the other side of the street. When light rail came, the skyway segment needed to go.
Minneapolis architect Ben Awes and his City Desk Studio partners offer in a Craigslist ad an array of possibilities for the 1,380-square-foot structure, all 140 tons of it sitting behind TCF Bank Stadium: office, bridge over a creek, ice rink warming house, etc.
"The one we are…
Edina High School a Silver Medal School - Again!
Thursday, February 4th, 2010 at 11:13pm. 833 Views, 0 Comments.
U.S. News and World Report magazine recently named Edina High School a silver medalist school based on students' performance on state assessment tests and readiness for college. This is the second consecutive year Edina has been named a silver medalist school. High schools that receive a silver medal ranking are in the top 2% nationwide.
Edina High School was just out of reach of the gold medalist category, which includes schools with the top 100 scores in the nation. However, the school had a college readiness score of 58.2, the highest of any Minnesota school. Minnesota did not have any schools representing the gold category.
U.S. News and World Report considered 21,786 high schools in 48 states plus the District of Columbia. To determine it's list of…
Strange But True: Home to be Raffled Off for Charity
Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 at 5:54pm. 2349 Views, 0 Comments.
For $50, a raffle ticket, and a little bit of luck, a 7,400-square-foot, 7 bedroom mansion in Athens, Ohio, could be yours. And a new car, and utility and taxes paid for 5 years.
Sometimes referred to as "the castle house," the 80-year-old estate is being raffled off by owners, Dr. Ernest de Bourbon and his wife, Jennifer, to raise money for local nonprofit May the World Dance, which helps poor children with obesity and related health problems. The contest, billed as the "Ultimate Life Makeover," is designed to revolutionize the life of the winner, who will be announced July 4.
The winner -- to be chosen through a drawing -- will receive the title to the house, a new car valued at less than $20,000 and money to pay the income tax on the house. In addition,…
Eagan Takes a Preemptive Strike Against Emerald Ash Borer
Monday, February 1st, 2010 at 10:02pm. 575 Views, 2 Comments.
Eagan is striking a preemptive blow against the emerald ash borer. The city's weapons of choice? An $89,000 grant and some chainsaws.
Come spring time, Eagan city workers will be evaluating boulevard trees and removing any that have defects which could make them attractive to the emerald ash borer. If a tree is deemed vulnerable, the resident will get an offer for a city worker to remove it to help stave off the nasty beetle. Residents with vulnerable trees on their property, provided they're on boulevards where the city has the right-of-way, will be able to get replacement trees free. The types of trees to be offered are hackberry, honeylocust, bicolor oaks and Kentucky coffee trees.
Minneapolis, Saint Louis Park, and Eagan MN received the 3 largest of 15…
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