Local view: Help Guide Duluth’s Growth Published February 09 2010
By: Pam Kramer, Duluth News Tribune
As executive director of Duluth’s Local Initiatives Support Corporation, or LISC, I have the good fortune of having a direct hand in community development projects and programs that create jobs, housing and services and that promote community sustainability. We have seen exciting changes in Duluth and are very hopeful for the future of our community as a place of choice and opportunity for residents and businesses.
As a citizen and community member, I have been directly involved in the city’s 2006 Comprehensive Land Use Plan process. I sit as a member of the zoning advisory committee and have benefited greatly from participating in various community meetings. I see the zoning regulation changes being proposed as foundational steps to promoting community investment and sustainability for the future of Duluth.
Duluth’s new Unified Development Chapter will help to accomplish the goals established in LISC’s 2005 East Downtown, Waterfront, Hillside, Knight Community Building Charrette and the “At Home in Duluth” Collaborative revitalization plans. The chapter also will help build on the principles of the city’s Comprehensive Plan, including strengthening neighborhoods; creating and maintaining connectivity; encouraging a mix of activities, uses, and densities; and taking sustainable actions.
The city’s efforts are much aligned with the efforts of Duluth LISC and our “At Home in Duluth” initiative, as we reach for the common goal of creating walk-able, livable and sustainable neighborhoods. I encourage everyone in the community to share in this vision and to participate by attending the public meeting tonight at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center. The meeting is at 6 p.m. in the St. Louis River Room.
COMMUNITY ACTION DULUTH ANNOUNCES FREE TAX SITE SCHEDULE
Last year, Community Action Duluth assisted over 1300 people to claim over $2.5 million dollars in refunds. Over eighty volunteers have been recruited for 2010 and we are expecting to serve over 1500 people in 2010. Households with 2009 income of $49,000 and under are eligible for free tax preparation and e-filing at Community Action Duluth.
People who work but don’t earn a lot of money may be eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit. IRS estimates that 20 to 25 percent of eligible taxpayers fail to claim the credit which could put as much as $5,657 into the pockets of a family with three or more children, or send as much as $3,043 to a family with one child, or up to $457 for a worker with no children. The Earned Income Tax Credit is the federal government’s largest program benefiting lower earning workers.42% of our tax site customers in 2009, did receive the Earned Income Tax Credit.
“The extra dollars eligible taxpayers can get through EITC can make their lives a little easier,” said Eric Blomstrom the Community Action Duluth Tax Site coordinator, “but they must file tax returns, even if they aren’t required to file, and claim the credit, to receive it.”
Blomstrom said some individuals and families may qualify for the credit for the first time, because of unemployment or other changes in their financial, marital or parental status during the past year.
Times and Dates:
Community Action Duluth – Walk-ins only Opens: January 30th
19 North 21st Avenue West Tuesday's; doors open at 4:30 p.m. Saturday's; doors open at 8:45 a.m.
Memorial Park - For People with dependents
Appointments available – walk in’s welcome Opens: February 1
5315 Grand Avenue Monday's and Wednesday's; doors open at 4:30 p.m. Childcare provided
Additional times available by appointment
Services in addition to free tax prep include: Credit reports and Credit Counseling through Lutheran Social Services at the Memorial Park site, the opening of savings accounts and low-cost Express Refund Loans through a partnership with Northern Communities Credit Union, benefits screening through tools offered by the Children’s Defense Fund and the purchase of U.S. savings bonds.
For more information contact: Eric Blomstrom @ 726-1665
CSS students bring the Web to nonprofits Duluth News Tribune (MN) - Saturday, December 26, 2009
Author: Peter Passi, Duluth News Tribune
Sue Rich, superintendent of the Park Hill Cemetery Association, dreamt of putting together a computer Web page that would tell people about the rich history of the Duluth cemetery she oversees and the services it offers.
But she couldn’t fathom where she’d find the $2,000 or so that a Web design probably would cost. “A couple thousand dollars is significant money for a small nonprofit like us,” Rich said.
Enter Rob Rodgers and Jini Kar, two information technology students at the College of St. Scholastica. The pair started working with Park Hill in October in hopes of putting together a Web site that would serve its needs. Recently, the students unveiled the finished product.
The cost? Absolutely nothing.“It gave us the experience of taking a client’s requirements and vision into account in designing a site,” said Rodgers, a senior from Salmon Arm, British Columbia. He said Park Hill approached the project with few preconceived ideas of what the site should look like or how it should operate, leaving room for creativity but also making it difficult to pick a specific direction at first.
The actual work of putting together a site that worked on multiple platforms was somewhat tedious, according to Rodgers.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Pam Kramer
January 19, 2010 218-727-7761
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Building Healthy Communities Award Winners
Duluth LISC held its annual awards luncheon on Tuesday, January 12, 2010. Over 180 attendees from local business leaders, city and elected officials to nonprofit and philanthropic groups including the At Home in Duluth collaborative members came together to celebrate recent achievements.
Mayor Don Ness joined Pam Kramer, Duluth LISC executive director to present a Building Healthy Communities Award to an outstanding project--the Redevelopment of Clyde Iron Works in the Lincoln Park neighborhood with the award to Alessandro Giuliani, Clyde Park, the Duluth Heritage Sports Center and the Boys & Girls Club-Dave Goldberg Family Branch. Alessandro Giuliani from Clyde Park, Dick Loraas from the Heritage Sports Center and Todd Johnson from the Boys and Girls Club accepted the award.
A Building Healthy Communities Award was also given to Bob Odman, Duluth Local Advisory Board Member for 12 years and chair of its Board’s Strengthening CDCs Committee. He has contributed more than 33 years to the Minnesota housing and community development arena, developing ideas and models that have made our state nationally recognized for innovative and effective housing programs.
“Congratulations to the Redevelopment of Clyde Iron Works and Bob Odman,” says Duluth LISC Executive Director Pam Kramer. “These two award winners exemplify what drives revitalization in our city. We believe in getting the right people together to problem-solve issues facing our neighborhoods like jobs, housing, crime, transportation initiatives and reducing poverty. We at LISC are proud to be seeking sustainable, long-term solutions together.”
About Building Healthy Communities Award Recipients...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Pam Kramer
