Great December Meeting

The ML Active Living Coalition had a great meeting on Tuesday, December 7th. Senator Tony Lourey was able to join us, and we really appreciated is enthusiasm and feedback for the SHIP Program, and what they Coalition has accomplished.

Members of the school Wellness Committee were also in attendance and Senator Lourey received an update on their activities as well.

The Coalition will be finalizing plans for the walking route map in January, as well as pursuing some grant money for projects on their action plan. With only six months left in the two year grant, we have accomplished a lot! Check it out:

- Convened Moose Lake Active Living Coalition (no group prior to SHIP grant)

- Held a walkable community workshop

- Developed Action Plan and prioritized activities

- The city passed a Fit City Resolution, then applied for and was granted Governor’s Fit City Status

- Applied for and received mini-grant funds:

        - Four bike racks placed at; Fishing Pier, Twilight Baseball         Field, Chamber of Commerce, High School

        - Fit City promotional signage for each city         entrance/population sign

        - Funding to create a walking brochure with local routes
        - Eight trail cleanings by the DNR (with trail count evaluation)

Governor's Fit City Signs



Bike Rack at the High School

  

- Working with Minnesota Institute of Public Health to evaluate each intervention

- Partnership with the Arrowhead Regional Development Commission (ARDC) to complete a Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Community Assessment

- Sharing activities with other local groups and City Council

- Development of blog: http://mlalcoalition.blogspot.com/

- Planning for environmental change with safety equipment, and SRTS signage











Thank you to Moose Lake Fit City Day Participants!

The First Annual Moose Lake Fit City Day, on October 6th was a success thanks to the many participants and volunteers!

--International Walk to School Day went well, as many students (who might not usually) rode their bike or walked to school! More pictures can be found at Tim Caroline's (School Superintendent) blog: http://timcaroline.blogspot.com/

--Many people tried out biking or walking to work, and the what a beautiful day to be out riding and walking--a gorgeous 70 degrees!

--Thank you to the following businesses for offering promotions and incentives for people who walked or biked to their establishment on the 6th:

Art’s Cafe

Dairy Queen

First National Bank

Holiday Station

Investment Centers of America

Joe Jitters

Lake State Federal Credit Union

Lakeside Traders

Lazy Moose

Marketplace

Moose Lake Florist

North Country Yarn

Poor Gary’s Pizza

Thrifty White Drug
Star Gazette

--Walk with the Mayor: we had about 25 people who came out at 5:30 to take a walk with the Mayor from the City Park Pavilion, down Lakeside and back. It was a beautiful night for a stroll along the lake, chat with the Mayor, and a nice way to get in some exercise!

--Byron Kuster and Joe Alberio did a great job educating us on bike safety, laws, and commuting, and the parks and trail resources we have in this area. It was a nice way to relax after the walk and learn something new.

See you again next year!

 

 

Moose Lake Fit City Day--October 6, 2010

Even though the chill of fall is in the air, it is not time to put away your bike or your walking shoes just yet! The Moose Lake Active Living Coalition will be sponsoring the 1st Annual Moose Lake Fit City Day on October 6, 2010. This annual event will support the city’s designation as a “Governor’s Fit City”.
Moose Lake Fit City Day will have a host of activities in which to participate:

- International Walk to School Day: watch for more details from Moose Lake School.

- Bike or Walk to Work Day: get a workout in to replace your commute, and try biking or walking—not only more fit, but more ‘green’! If bike/walk-commuting is not for you, take a walk over your lunch hour!

- Walk with the Mayor: at 5:30pm, meet the Mayor at Moose Lake City Park Pavilion for a nice 1 mile stroll around town. This non-competitive walk invites stroller’s—roller’s (all ages!). The route traveled will be included on a walking map under development by the Active Living Coalition.

- “Brown-bag” Dinner: (pack your own picnic) Following the walk with the Mayor, at 6pm, enjoy guest speakers Byron Kuster and Joe Alberio. Byron will speak about bike safety, laws, bike commuting, and Joe will touch on parks and trails.

- During the day, receive discounts/promotions at local businesses for walking or biking to the establishment. Businesses will be identified on promotional posters around town, as well as identified by a sign on the door on October 6th. Participants will need to indicate that they walked or biked to receive the discount.

Enjoy a day of activity, and try something new! Please call Meghann Condit with any questions at 218-879-4511. See you on the 6th!

DNR Trail Cleanings

The DNR in Moose Lake has agreed to clean the local trails eight times between July and September. As part of the Active Living Coalitions spring meetings, comments arose surrounding the accessibility and ease of using the trails, especially where the Munger Trail and the ATV trail run parallel.

Members agreed that it was especially hard to bike and rollerblade where the two trails meet because of the gravel and rock “kicked up” by the ATV’s. On other trails, debris like rocks and sticks can also be an annoyance, and a hazard.

Meghann Condit, Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP) Coordinator spoke with Joe Alberio at the DNR (Trails and Parks), and he agreed that this was an issue, but that they did not have the funding to clean it more than once or twice per summer.

The Coalition decided to apply in a mini-grant for funding for the DNR to clean the trails (among other items). Members are excited about this initiative, as it makes active living easier and more appealing for residents and visitors traveling on the trails.

If you have questions, please contact Meghann at 218.879.4511.

New News!

Moose Lake Designated a "Governer's Fit City!"
Moose Lake was officially designated a "Fit City" on Tuesday, April 27th. The city earned the recognition by making a commitment to support and encourage its residents to be more physically active and to improve the overall health of the community.

Moose Lake is committed to implementing a number of strategies for promoting physical activity as required by the designation, as well as to support the action plan that the Active Living Coalition as created.

Moose Lake will also receive a plaque from Governer Pawlenty and will also have Fit City signs added to the population signs when one enters the city.

Mini-Grant received by Active Living Coalition!
The Active Living Coalition submitted an application, and received full funding for everything applied for. The city will receive:
--Four new bike racks
--Fit City Designation signs
--Funding for designing a local walking route map
--Funding for the DNR to clean local trails more often (two times/month for four months)

Watch for these exciting initiatives this summer!

Safe Routes to School Webinar
Register here: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/264447777

The Webinar will talk about three recent grant recipients of the National Center for Safe Routes to School mini-grant program (One being from MN!). It will talk about the opportunity for mini-grants, and how the mini-grants have helped these communities.

Since Moose Lake is pursuing a Safe Routes to School plan in the future, this would be a beneficial webinar for anyone interested!

DNR Parks and Trails Legacy Plan

I wanted to share that the Minnesota DNR is working on a State and Regional Parks and Trails Legacy Plan for the recently passed Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Act. The Act allowed for a 3/8 percent increase in the sales tax of which 14.25 percent of the generated revenue will provide funding for regional and state parks and trails.
This spring DNR is holding a series of public listening sessions throughout the State to get public input on what they want to see in this plan. Comments can also be submitted in writing. There are two sessions in our region that may interest you:

Grand Rapids
Thursday May 27
7:00pm-9:00pm
MN Interagency Fire Center
402 SE 11th St
Training Room (upstairs)

Duluth
Thursday June 3
7:00pm-9:00pm
The Depot
506 West Michigan St

For more Information, visit:
http://patl.intergov.mn.gov/

Meeting Today!

The Moose Lake Active Living Coalition will be meeting today (5.4.10) from 5-6:30pm in the board room at the school. Please attend if interested--anyone is welcome!

We will be discussing:
    - Details about the mini-grant recently applied for
    - Fit City Status
    - Upcoming events and ideas

See you tonight!

Safe Routes to School Action Plan Item News!

The school has been a recipient of a Safe Routes to School Assessment Grant! The school will be working with the Arrowhead Regional Development Commission (ARDC) to assess the positives and negatives for students walking and biking to class. ARDC will compete this assessment by June of this year. After the assessment, they will provide recommendations, which, at that point, the school would be ready to apply for an implementation grant allowing them to implement those recommendations.

ALSO...
There is an upcoming webinar that looks to be very interesting and potentially beneficial to the school community regarding Safe Routes to School:
Free Webinar April 27th, 12-1pm
Environmental Measures for Safe Routes to School: Understanding the Basics of Air Pollution
You can read more details and register at the following website:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/355203048

Welcome!

Hello! The Moose Lake Active Living Coalition decided to create a blog to keep anyone and everyone informed of their acitivites. As a coalition, we have completed an assessment of the city, developed an action plan, and are moving ahead with some of the action plan items.

We meet the first Tuesday of the month from 5-6:30. Location varies. Please contact Meghann Condit, Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP) Grant Coordinator at 218-878-2846, or at meghann.condit@co.carlton.mn.us for more information or with interest in joining the Coalition.

Our Goals are the following:
1) Moose Lake will have a strong, diverse, and active coalition of people that care about and are involved in active living.
2) The Moose Lake Active Living Coalition will commit to and promote opportunities for active living.
3) Moose Lake will have a safe, pedestrian-friendly environment that encourages walking and running for health by people of all ages.
4) Moose Lake will have a bike-friendly environment that encourages safe bicycling for recreation and transportation.
5) Moose Lake will have improved trail signage and trail connections to local resources.

Update:
     - The Action Plan and Fit City information has been presented to the City Council. The City Council will give their blessing to the action plan, and will vote to pass the Fit City Resolution at their April meeting.
     - Moose Lake just received the opportunity to apply for a planning grant for Safe Routes to School. We will be applying and working with the Arrowhead Regional Development Commission (ARDC) to complete the assessment over the next three months.
     - We are researching policies and events that are already in place as a base to work from. We will be applying for a mini-grant from the SHIP grant on May 1st.
     - The Coalition will be forming workgroups for specific action plan items.

Watch for more exciting updates about how the Coalition is working to improve the walkability and bikeability for Moose Lake Residents and Visitors!