Citizens for Arbor Park

Objectively, the idea of further residential development in downtown Grand Forks serves both existing downtown dwellers and downtown businesses very poorly. Many – many! – have weighed in to support the aesthetic value of Arbor Park and they are right. Sadly, the people who sit on this committee are seemingly not interested in this – they appear to see it as a frivolous argument.

I could stick with “practicality” and assert the paucity of day-to-day services for downtown residents; I could point to the shortage of parking for those who try to do business downtown and for those who already live there. Those are vital issues.

But aesthetics also have a “practical” function. Otherwise this community would have no excuse to obsess over weeds, tall grass, what people may have in their yards, the little doggy bag stations here and there to keep things pleasant. If these are “important” to our quality of life, so, then, are the trees that shade us and filter our air of dust and pollen and noise, and, of course, the little vistas of loveliness that bring us peace and relief of our daily stresses, that give pleasure to the eye. These values are very real. They figure into nationally credited studies on what makes a city attractive to the creative people we want to feel invited to the community and to keep them here.

Unfortunately Grand Forks has never had – nor earned – a reputation for beauty, although the potential has always been here. When we lost properties of long standing in the flood, some visionaries seized the moment and found something good to salvage – we now have a few small spots of tree-shaded gardens in which shoppers can stop and enjoy the flowers, where workers can take a lunch break and get away from traffic, from the computer screen and the office. These have graced weddings and beautiful moments of solitude as well. Why does this committee not see this value? We need to focus on the benefits to all of the people, not just some – who want to make a buck developing spaces which should not be developed in this way. It would almost seem impossible that these committee members are unaware of this. When a committee of public servants ignores both public sentiment and common sense then we must look for another influence, far less healthy. When we see a perverse disregard for the people who are most directly affected by these projects, then we need to look for the factors which are driving it against all sense. It doesn’t have a pleasant odor.

Please reconsider the wisdom of refusing to allow the Park District to take charge of these parks. Take a stand for the people, and for something of beauty that we already have. Here we have a literal flowering on top of the ruins of a tragic natural disaster. We have already paid for this. Let us keep the rainbow after the storm.

by Maggie Fox

Go ahead, plant a tree. It might help you live longer.

A new study shows that living in or near green spaces can be a boon for longevity, and seeing more greenery may also boost mental health, according to a team at the Harvard School of Public Health.

A new study finds living in green spaces may help people live longer

A new study finds living in green spaces may help people live longer Maggie Fox/NBC News / NBC News

Women living in the greenest areas, as measured by satellite, were 34 percent less likely to die from a respiratory illness than women living in the most paved-over areas. And women living amidst greenery were 13 percent less likely to die of cancer.

"We were surprised to observe such strong associations between increased exposure to greenness and lower mortality rates," said Peter James, a research associate who worked on the study.

"We were even more surprised to find evidence that a large proportion of the apparent benefit from high levels of vegetation seems to be connected with improved mental health."

""Policies to increase vegetation may provide opportunities for physical activity.""

The researchers looked at data, so they cannot tell the stories of those they studied. But they have a lot of numbers to back up their findings.

They used the giant, 121,000-woman Nurses' Health Study, a gold mine of information about how women live and die across the U.S. The volunteers in the study fill out regular, detailed questionnaires about what they eat, when they exercise, how they live and what they do in their spare time

"We assessed death occurring between the return of the 2000 questionnaire and June 1, 2008. Deaths were usually reported by families," the team wrote in their report, published online in Environmental Health Perspectives.

"We followed 108,630 women and observed 8,604 deaths between 2000-2008."

Image: A street performer jumps in the air

A street performer jumps in the air inside Central Park as the colors of autumn become more prevalent in New York, October 29, 2015. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson LUCAS JACKSON / Reuters

They used satellite data to see how green each woman's surroundings were. They divided them into five groups, called quintiles, based on how green their surroundings were.

"Women living in the highest quintile of cumulative average greenness (accounting for changes in residence during follow-up) in the 250 meter (yard) area around their home had a 12 percent lower rate of all-cause non-accidental mortality compared to those in the lowest quintile," the team wrote.

"These associations were strongest for respiratory and cancer mortality."

That's not entirely surprising. Several studies show trees and other greenery can help absorb harmful air pollution and disturbing noise. Having parks or gardens nearby can encourage exercise.

And having outdoor spaces can help people socialize, too, and that can improve mental health, the researchers said.

""Studies have demonstrated that views of nature may have a direct psychological benefit.""

This doesn't mean people have to move to the country if they aim to live to a ripe old age—"84 percent of our sample lived in urban areas," the researchers wrote.

So even a little park can help.

"Policies to increase vegetation may provide opportunities for physical activity, reduce harmful exposures, increase social engagement, and improve mental health," the team concluded.

"While planting vegetation may mitigate effects of climate change, evidence of an association between vegetation and lower mortality rates suggests it also might be used to improve health."

There are limits, of course. This was a nurses' study and only recruited female nurses. The volunteers tended to be white.

"Those living in areas with higher levels of greenness were slightly younger, more likely to be White non-Hispanic, had husbands with higher levels of education, and lived in neighborhoods with higher socioeconomic status. Areas with higher greenness had lower levels of air pollution," the researchers said.

But even when these factors were accounted for, the association between green space and good health stayed.

"Higher exposure to greenness has been consistently linked to lower levels of depression, anxiety, and stress," the team wrote.

"Studies have demonstrated that views of nature may have a direct psychological benefit."

Thank you for your letters of support.

My point to the city is this: On the one hand, you are trying to be a city that celebrates creativity in all

arenas, and yet we are about to destroy a work of art that many people from the community have

contributed to.

I never expected to win at committee level, but we did score better than I thought we would. In part, we

did better because of questions asked by Crystal Schneider and Bret Weber. There wasn't enough time to

delve into some serious issues surrounding the possible destruction of this park/sculpture garden.

There are some social issues that people have tried to incorporate, but on the whole, we don't solve

social issues by building houses for people who already have one.

Some of the technical issues that have not been discussed in public are to do with the alley. Parking

spaces, snow removal, garbage and delivery traffic all will be adversely affected by a cafe facing or

using the alley as a street. Where would the underground parking entrance be? And I'm pretty certain

that somebody living on a fifth or sixth floor condo is not going to want to look at a bunch of electrical

transformers. Who is going to pay for their removal?

From an artistic point of view, the JLG proposal shows no new sculpture. From a more cynical point of

view, what has been holding the developers back from installing public sculptures in front of all the

buildings they have built?

At the proposal review committee meeting, I managed to get everyone to contribute to a sculpture

installation in less than 5 minutes. It's not that difficult; you just have to want to pay for it. My School

of Fish now has more than 300 people who have contributed to it. After the last proposal review

committee meeting, it now has contributions from city council members, review commitee members,

planning department staff, the mayor, a special needs adult, new young Americans, some older

Americans, children from Spirit Lake Reservation, inhabitants of Valley Eldercare, the Widdington

Coffee and Tea Morning Group, and my brother Matthew, my nephew David, my niece Bella, and sister-

in-law Amy. Thank you all for your contributions.

This global artist collective urges you to encourage other people to call, email, or write, and more

importantly, I thank you for your support.

My investment in the park is very simple: It's about celebrating the good and creative people we have

here.

The next meetings for discussing the fate of the park are Monday, Sept. 26 at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall, and

Monday, October 3, 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.

Yours,

A. Kemp

DannyWeigel, Ward 1 Council Member 701) 330-0317 [email protected]

Crystal Schneider, Ward 2 Council Member (701) 306-7944 [email protected]

Bret Weber, Ward 3 Council Member (701) 212-5407 [email protected]

Jeannie Mock, Ward 4 Council Member (701) 757-0168 [email protected]

Sandi Marshall, Ward 5 Council Member (701) 740-1916 [email protected]

DanaSande, Ward 6 Council Member (701) 330-9284 [email protected]

KenVein, Ward 7 Council Member (701) 772-3673 [email protected]

Mike Brown, Mayor, 746-2607 [email protected]

If you prefer to write letters instead, the address is:

Grand Forks City Hall

255 N. 4th St.

Grand Forks, ND 58203