Sahan Journal: Roof Depot organizers call on local leaders to fill budget gap as September deadline looms
Kieran Morris (center), the outdoor farm manager for the East Phillips Neighborhood Institute, talks about urban farming initiatives during a press conference on August 6, 2024. Credit: Aaron Nesheim | Sahan Journal
via Sahan Journal, August 6, 2024 by Andrew Hazzard
The state legislature left a $5.7 million funding gap for the Roof Depot when it failed to pass a bonding bill. Now organizers are asking for help from local governments to get the project over the finish line.
The team behind the Roof Depot project in south Minneapolis is asking for local governments to fill the $5.7 million funding gap created when state lawmakers failed to pass a bonding bill to help purchase the property.
The East Phillips Neighborhood Institute, a nonprofit organization aiming to convert an old Sears warehouse into an urban farm, housing and community hub, is counting on support from Minneapolis and Hennepin County leaders to help fill the funding gap needed to complete the purchase agreement by September 13.
“We’re going to make sure we get this project done,” said City Council Member Jason Chavez, who grew up in East Phillips and represents the area.