Public Invited to Celebration of Northeast Minneapolis Islamic Center’s Green Makeover

Ceremonial ‘Watering of the Rain gardens’ to be Held at Islamic Cultural Community Center (Masjid Al-Huda) on October 11, 2019, at 4:30 p.m.

OCTOBER 1, 2019 | FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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MINNEAPOLIS — Residents and community members are invited to a special event at the Islamic Cultural Community Center (ICCC) in Northeast Minneapolis on Friday, October 11, 2019. Local leaders will celebrate the completion of a green infrastructure project at the center (also known as Masjid Al-Huda) starting at 4:30 p.m.

Project partners and supporters will join Kevin Reich, Ward 1 City Council Member and Mississippi Watershed Management Organization (MWMO) Board Chair, for a ceremonial “watering of the rain gardens” to mark the successful green transformation of the Islamic center’s landscape, which is designed to help keep polluted stormwater runoff out of the Mississippi River.

“This fruitful partnership between Masjid Al-Huda, Metro Blooms and the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization is a stellar example of opportunities for improvements to stormwater management and sustainability that exist within all aspects of the urban environment,” Reich said. “This project delivers significant environmental, education and livability benefits to Northeast’s largest commercial corridor, and serves as a harbinger for more improvements to come.”

The ICCC partnered with the MWMO and Metro Blooms to redesign their parking lot and existing gardens with a series of landscape features that will capture and treat polluted runoff. These stormwater best management practices (BMPs) include four rain gardens, a native planting area, permeable pavers, and a combination rock/vegetated swale.

“ICCC’s partnership with MWMO and Metro Blooms yielded great benefits to the center and adjacent areas. In addition to the stormwater management improvements, it also contributed to the beautification of the Central Avenue corridor and disseminated valuable water management information to the community and neighborhood,” said ICCC Board Chair Abdulwahab Asamarai.

The MWMO provided a Stewardship Fund Grant for the project. Additional financial support came from Hennepin County and the Minnesota Clean Water Fund via the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR). The ICCC also contributed their own funding.

When: Friday, October 11, 2019, from 4:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Where: Islamic Cultural Community Center, 2534 Central Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN 55418 (directions)
Who:

• Kevin Reich, Minneapolis Ward 1 City Council Member and MWMO Board Chair
• Abdulwahab Asamarai, Islamic Cultural Community Center Board Chair (he will be joined by other ICCC Board Members)
• Doug Snyder, MWMO Executive Director
• Rich Harrison, Metro Blooms Director of Landscape Design

The ICCC project is part of the larger Northeast Business Corridor initiative, in which the MWMO and Metro Blooms are installing stormwater BMPs at highly impervious urban commercial properties in Northeast Minneapolis. Other project sites already completed or in the works include Fair State Brewing, Recovery Bike Shop, Water Bar and Public Studio, Phygen Coatings, and TE Studio. Hennepin County provided a $50,000 Natural Resources Grant for the initiative, and BWSR provided an additional $150,000 via a Community Partners Grant from the Clean Water Legacy Fund.

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Media Contact

Nick Busse, Communications Principal
Mississippi Watershed Management Organization
Direct: 612-746-4974
nbusse@mwmo.org

About the Minnesota Clean Water Fund

Minnesota voters approved the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment in 2008 to:

• protect, enhance, and restore wetlands, prairies, forests, and fish, game, and wildlife habitat;
• preserve arts and cultural heritage;
• support parks and trails; and
• protect, enhance, and restore lakes, rivers, streams, and groundwater.

The Clean Water Fund receives 33 percent of the sales tax revenue generated by the Legacy Amendment. More information about the Clean Water Fund is available here.