LCC Project Scope of Service Template
Final November 2013
Date: March 13, 2014
Approved: March 20, 2014
Contact Information
Name: Mike Schmidt, co-chair, Environment and Transportation Committee
and Carolyn Carr, co-chair of River Gorge Committee
Project Name: Share the River Gorge Event
Organization: LCC Environment and Transportation Committee and LCC River Gorge
Committee
Address:
Phone: Mike: 515-491-8385;
Carolyn: 612-721-6021
Email: michael.r.schmidt@gmail.com; carolynecarr@hotmail.com
Project Summary
Describe your project including the purpose, goals and activities to be carried out.
Environment and Transportation Committee (E&T) wants to help River Gorge
Committee (RGC) host the 9th annual Share the River Gorge event on July 29, 2014. This
annual event brings together members of the community to celebrate the Mississippi
River, the river gorge and adjoining parkland. This event is an opportunity to educate
Longfellow residents and passersby about the importance of these natural features, to
encourage them to be active stewards of the river, and to protect water quality and habitat
through their daily actions.
The year’s event activities will include free guided canoe rides, free ice cream, and tours
of the 36th St. oak savanna area that volunteers have been tending for more than a decade.
Based on past experience, we anticipate at least 250 adults and children will attend.
Each year since 2005 RGC has hosted a free summer celebration event along West River
Parkway. From 2005-2011, the event included an ice cream social and guided tours of
the natural areas. In 2012, with some of RGC’s last Neighborhood Revitalization
Program (NRP) funds, RGC renamed the event and expanded it to include free canoe
rides in partnership with the National Park Service (NPS) and Wilderness Inquiry (WI).
In 2012, 135 people attended. In 2013, the LCC Board provided RGC with funds to
further expand this event, allowing for an even larger number of canoes and
approximately 180 people attended.
In 2014, as River Gorge Committee has no remaining NRP funds, E&T will partner with
RGC to continue the tradition of this well-known event in the Longfellow community.
Outreach Plan
Describe how you will engage the community with this project. Who will be involved and
how will you market this project. How will this project involve under-represented
communities?
Who will be involved? Members of RGC and E&T are prepared to plan and coordinate
this event. The event involves partnerships with Wilderness Inquiry, the National Park
1
LCC Project Scope of Service Template
Final November 2013
Service, Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, Friends of the Mississippi River’s
Gorge Leaders, and Volunteers of America, in order to host the activities of the event. In
2013, Jim Lee at Lake St. Dairy Queen donated $100 of the $250 costs for Dilly Bars,
and we hope for his generosity again in 2014.
Over the years, this event has grown in scope and size. In 2014, RGC and E&T will
invite other interested LCC Committees or other organizations in Longfellow to
participate in the event (by tabling, for example, or with other activities) with the shared
goal of promoting the Longfellow community at the event.
Marketing strategies: Notice for this event will (at least) be distributed through: the
River Gorge Facebook page, LCC website, Longfellow Messenger, Longfellow edemocracy list, My Broadsheet; flyering at local parks, businesses and coffee shops;
invitations to elected officials, LCC board members, past event participants and others;
personal invitations by Committee members to friends and neighbors, word of mouth,
and day-of signage on West River Parkway. We are open to other suggestions for
marketing for the event as well.
Under-represented communities: The River Gorge is a community asset for all of
Longfellow and we are eager to find ways to reach out to communities that don’t make
frequent use of it. We have several outreach activities planned that we hope will engage
the under-represented communities of the neighborhood:
 In order to reach more community members in the Minnehaha Avenue Corridor,
many of whom are renters and who live farthest away from the river gorge, we
will expand our publicity efforts in this area in 2014.
 We will work with the Faith Forum to publicize Share the River Gorge with its
congregations.
 As stated above, we will ensure that flyers are displayed at area parks
(Minnehaha, Hiawatha, Longfellow, Bracket) so that users of these public and
popular facilities are notified about this event and can participate in the free
activities.
 For many years, Volunteers of America-Minnesota has operated the Residential
Reentry Center on Lake Street in Longfellow, assisting former offenders in
becoming productive members of society. For the last two years, residents from
Volunteers of America have volunteered at this event, helping committee
members set up, run, and clean up after the event. In 2014, VOA-MN has
committed to recruit volunteers again.
Participants and Roles
How will the individual or organization be involved in this project? Who will be
responsible for the completion of this project? Is there any staff time from LCC required
(please describe)
River Gorge Committee members will plan, host, and clean up after the event, with
assistance from E&T committee members. Planning includes:
 Obtaining the park permit from MPRB
2
LCC Project Scope of Service Template
Final November 2013
 Securing the canoe rental contract with Wilderness Inquiry (WI)
 Coordination of volunteers from VOA, Friends of the Mississippi River (FMR),
and National Park Service (NPS) staff volunteers (one of RGC’s committee
members is an NPS park ranger and will organize NPS volunteers).
 Event details: including tents, tables, chairs, LCC banner, event day signage, ice
cream, lemonade, water, composting, and garbage.
During the event:
 Setting up the event (as noted above).
 WI staff, NPS staff and volunteers will guide short canoe rides for the
participants.
 Gorge Stewards volunteers from FMR and River Gorge committee members will
lead tours of the 36th St. oak savanna, highlighting ecological restoration work
done at the site and volunteer opportunities for neighborhood residents.
E&T and RGC welcome any other LCC committees or organizations who would like to
be involved in this event. We see great opportunities for our two committees to promote
our other projects among participants at this event. We are also seeking assistance from
Advancement to help us promote this event, and to help collect donations for LCC from
event participants.
LCC staff support required for this project falls within typical demands of the committee
staff person, including logistical support of the event and advertising on social media.
Timeline
When will your project begin? What is the end date for your project?
The event is planned for Tuesday, July 29th 2014 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. Planning and
event preparation has begun and will be ongoing until the event.
Budget
Total Project Cost:
Total Funds Requested from LCC:
Item
Canoe rental
MPRB Permit
Dilly Bars from DQ
Popsicles
Dry Ice
Ice, Lemonade, Dixie
Amount
/# of
hours
$2000
$2000
LCC funding
$1500
$50
$300
$45
$25
$30
Other funding
Partial Donation
made in 2013;
2014 TBD
Total
$1500
$50
$300
$45
$25
$30
3
LCC Project Scope of Service Template
Final November 2013
Cups, Napkins
Printing costs (signage)
$50
Total
$50
$2000
$
$2000
NRP/LCC Strategic Plan/Committee (staff will complete this section)
Which committee will review this project (circle one)
Advancement
Community Connections
Neighborhood Development
Committee
River Gorge
Environment and
Transportation
Which NRP Phase II Strategy/Strategic Plan goals will be addressed with this project?
E&T Environmental Partnerships 12.C.1 (Land and Water Stewardship Projects)
Goal – The goal of this event is to highlight the Mississippi River and adjoining River
Gorge landscape as neighborhood amenities, to promote their protection, and to celebrate
them with the larger Longfellow community. We urge people to take action to protect
these places, and we introduce participants to several key partner organizations through
activities and information shared at the event.
(please attach any additional information needed to explain your budget)
Budget items are extrapolated from last year’s event budget, which served approximately
180 participants. We anticipate having at least 250 participants in 2014. WI is offering
an additional 10-person canoe (for a total of 4 canoes in 2014) for the same price ($1500)
as they charged in 2013.
Evaluation
Please describe the expected outcomes of this project and how you will evaluate your
success.
Expected outcomes: Our expected outcomes are to have 250 people attend this event,
participating in many free activities and enjoying the company of others in Longfellow.
In exchange for free ice cream tickets or their registration to paddle a canoe, we obtain
contact information from participants. This provides us with a list of participants who
can be re-contacted by LCC or LCC Committees.
Evaluation of success: Success will be determined by the number of participants (total
number, and number of first-time attendees), the number of volunteers involved, and the
overall sense of satisfaction of participants’ experience of the event. While we want to
increase capacity at this event, we also do not want to over-sell it. In previous years,
many families with young children have attended, and we’ve found this event is often a
4
LCC Project Scope of Service Template
Final November 2013
first canoe ride for these families. This makes this event a big draw for families, and we
want to continue to ensure that all those who show up have a good experience.
Date submitted to committee: Presented by RGC and approved by E&T on February 25.
Revised in response to E&T’s comments, for submission to LCC Board of Directors on
March 13.
Date approved by LCC Board of Directors:
Review Process for Scopes of Service
1. Once a scope of service has been developed and forwarded to the appropriate LCC
committee, the committee will review the scope and vote on whether to forward to
the Board.
2. If the scope of service is approved by the committee, the LCC committee staff person
will forward the scope to the Executive Director who will bring the scope to the
Executive Committee.
3. The Executive Committee will add the scope of service to the next Board of Directors
meeting for approval.
4 Once the Board of Directors has reviewed and approved the scope of Service the
scope may be implemented. If the Board does not approve the scope of service, it
will be sent back to the originating committee for amendments. The LCC committee
will resubmit the scope of service to the Executive Committee and it will be added to
the next meetings’ agenda.
5. Scopes of service must be voted on at committee meetings. Online votes are not
allowed to approve scopes of service.
6. Committees have the discretion to lengthen the timeline for approval of scopes of
service based on committee attendance or other factors. Committees need at least
three people in attendance to approve a scope of service.
5