NENA Food Truck Rally set for April 23

Join us on Saturday, April 23, from 4 -7 p.m. for the spring Food Truck Rally! Gather with our neighbors for great food, live music, lots of mingling, and raising funds for NENA’s community programming. Meet us in the parking lot of NENA’s Office at 5005 34th Avenue. More info at www.facebook.com/events/902734037017979

Annual Meeting & Community Meal
NENA's popular event returns in person, and we will be serving one of our community's favorite hot spots - Dominquez Family Restaurant! Join us on April 28 at Crosstown Covenant Church (5540 30th Ave. S.) from 5:30-7:30 p.m. for our community meal, vote for board candidates, hear about the new strategic plan, and get involved in your community! Learn more online at www.nokomiseast.org/planning

Run for a Seat on NENA’s Board
You can run for a seat on the NENA Board. Apply by April 11. Serving on the board is a great volunteering opportunity to connect to your community and build leadership skills. Board candidate information and the online application are now available at nokomiseast.org/run-for-a-board-seat/. Online and telephone voting opens on April 12 for Nokomis East to elect its NENA leaders. In-person voting will be available at the NENA Annual Meeting on April 28.

Strategic Plan and NRP Plan Modification
The NENA Board will present our 2022-2024 Strategic Plan, including a multi-year strategy for funding housing, commercial, streetscape, environmental, diversity, safety and livability, and community engagement projects initiated by the neighborhood.
To implement the next strategy plan, NENA's Board also recommends an NRP Plan Modification to reposition city funding allocated to Nokomis East. The board will share details with our community about the updated community priorities and funding strategies and ask for a vote of approval from the community at the annual meeting on April 28. More information is available on NENA’s website.
The board proposes to move $190,000 to community outreach programming, $102,000 to housing programming, $97,000 to environmental programming, $12,000 for business promotion programming, and $245,000 for administration and operations. These funds will be reallocated from overfunded program areas, including housing initiatives and undeveloped programs like Children First Grant Program. This reallocation of close to $650,000 will be added to existing NENA funds and strategies to be implemented over the next five to six years. Finally, the plan modification requires minor language changes to allow for expanded programmatic use of NRP funds.

Start Planning Your Spring Projects
Check out the housing resources available through NENA for homeowners, renters, and residential property owners in the four Nokomis East neighborhoods of Keewaydin, Minnehaha, Morris Park, and Wenonah.
We offer small matching grants for Curb Appeal and Home Security projects. NENA offers up to $7,500 through our Staying in Place grant program. And we also have a home improvement loan program with competitive rates and the home emergency repair forgivable home loans for income-qualified residents. Visit www.nokomiseast.org for more information.