Minneapolis NRP allocated $713,000 to the Bryn Mawr neighborhood for the various strategies outlined in the NRP Phase 1 Action Plan.  The Phase 1 Action Plan grew out of the Bryn Mawr Comprehensive Plan, which many neighbors contributed to writing over a period of years.  Implementation of the NRP Phase 1 Action Plan began in early 1998.

The Bryn Mawr NRP Phase 1  Plan detailed expenditures for overall categories of housing (44%), schools (5%), parks (18%), community building/staff (14%), transportation (5%), crime/safety (0.35%), and retail setting or "downtown" Bryn Mawr (14%).

Summary of Phase 1 Success

The BMNA rolled out the NRP funded Home Improvement Program in three phases over three years (1998, 1999 and 2000).  The Center for Energy and Environment (CEE) administered the program, and approximately 35 income-qualified households in Bryn Mawr were awarded funds to repair or upgrade their homes.  The repairs and upgrades included: new roofs, electrical, furnaces, windows, siding, doors, fences, and paint, as well as sidewalks and driveways. At the same time, neighbors benefited by an increase in safety and improved home values.

Park & Recreation Committee

Bryn Mawr is surrounded by park land, so a great effort was put into removing invasive species of plants (e.g., buckthorn, mustard) and replacing them with native plantings (e.g., dogwood, oak, numerous perennials, etc.). Bassetts Creek Park was a particular area of concern in Phase 1, as several rounds of buckthorn busting and native species plantings occurred.

Environment Committee

Through a partnership with the Minnesota Department of Transportation, City of Minneapolis, Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board, concrete planters were installed in medians on Penn Ave on both the north and south sides of the I-394 bridge.  Neighborhood volunteers maintain perennials in the concrete planters, which were installed to create a more human-friendly design, reminding drivers that pedestrians and bikers share this space, and to generally help calm traffic around the Penn Ave/I-394 bridge.

Additionally, volunteers planted a hedge on the hill on the west side of Penn Ave (north of the I-394 interchange) that spells out the neighborhood name: B-R-Y-N   M-A-W-R, and surrounded it with perennials. The hedges help to establish neighborhood identity, provide varied green space, and communicate to visitors that they are entering a calm neighborhood environment.

Traffic & Transportation Committee

To enhance the vibrancy of the Penn and South Cedar Lake Rd intersection and maintain a pedestrian-friendly environment, the BMNA and Bryn Mawr Downtown Committee volunteers leveraged NRP funds to plant trees, perennials, and shrubs in the boulevard, and install pavers and planters filled with annual flowers. 

Executing on NRP Phase 1 Action Plan strategies, grants were provided to businesses at this intersection and other business nodes in Bryn Mawr, to enhance their signage and improve their storefront facades.