Brooklyn Center Mayor’s Minutes: New Grocery Store and Strategic Planning
Brooklyn Center Mayor April Graves gave a recap of the recent Juneteenth celebration and also discussed a new ethnic grocery store in the city, strategic planning efforts, and a recent learning trip to Madison, Wis. in this Brooklyn Center Mayor’s Minutes.
Juneteenth
Brooklyn Center recently held their second annual Juneteenth celebration. The two-day event included a day of golf at Centerbrook Golf Course and speakers, music and other performers, and entertainment at Centennial Park. There was also a panel that included some of the founding members of the Black Panther Party. Graves said the event was very well attended.
“I wondered if our Parks Director, Cordell Wiseman, was going to be able to top last year–and he definitely had set that bar really high–but it was an excellent event,” Graves said. “Everybody had a really great time, great performances, vendors, activities for young people. It was a success.”
Juneteenth vendors, photo courtesy of Huldah Hiltsley
Value Foods Grocery Store
A grocery store that specializes in ethnic foods opened recently in a larger location with a ribbon-cutting. Graves said the store is similar to Sun Foods, though a little smaller, offering a variety of fresh ethnic foods.
“You can get access to multiple different ethnic dishes, meats, things that maybe you definitely wouldn’t find at your typical Cub Foods. So another really important resource in the community…that meets our needs and also helps to make sure that we have access to healthy affordable food in our community.”
Value Foods is in the Humboldt Square strip mall which is located north of I-694 on Humboldt Avenue, north of Brooklyn Center High School.
Shoppers inside Value Foods in Brooklyn Center
Strategic Planning
Graves said Brooklyn Center recently had a survey open to gather feedback from the community about the city’s strategic priorities. She said the council and staff are going through a strategic planning process again and wanted to “invite some community members in for the first time to be part of that process.”
The city also recently conducted a survey for staff. They are now compiling results from the surveys, and the council will discuss them as they develop a new strategic plan and budget priorities.
New Mayors Cohort
Lastly, Graves talked about a recent learning experience she was able to have as a first-time mayor. She’s participating in a cohort of new mayors with the organization, Mayors Innovation Project. The cohort brought together mayors from across the nation, but also included Brooklyn Park Mayor Hollies Winston.
The cohort recently convened for the first time in Madison, Wis., where they discussed economic development and housing. Graves said they also learned about healthy practices for mayors and how to support one another as mayors in what’s a difficult role.
“Sometimes other people don’t really understand some of the pressures that go along with it, especially being in a kind of government where you have a city manager or a weak mayor system and recognizing, how do you use your influence in a positive way to affect change in your community?” Graves explained.
Graves said it was a very positive experience. The cohort will continue to work together for the next nine months or so.
More activities in Brooklyn Center: Brooklyn Center’s Entertainment in the Park Has Concerts and Movies
New Mayors Cohort, photo from Mayors Innovation Project
