Free Raingarden Workshop

This workshop is for homeowners, renters, landlords and businesses on the eastside. The workshop is free but requires pre-registration.

You will design a garden, choose plants and apply for funds to help with the cost.

The first workshop is Thursday, March 3 at 6:30p. It will be held at 925 Payne Avenue on the second floor. Contact Becky Meyer by Feb 28 to register at rebeccameyer@esndc.org or 651.288.8750.

The second workshop is Thursday, March 10 at 6:30p. It will be held at 798 E. 7th St. Contact Karin DuPaul to register at karin@daytonsbluff.org or 651.772.2075

Flint Hills Resources Project on Riverfront

The Flint Hills Resource Terminal at 2209 Childs Road, along the river has submitted a proposal for site plan review to the City about raising the flood berm they currently have, and adding a steel sheet barrier where a berm isn't possible.

The photo at left shows where the steel piles will be. If you look at the termination of the pipes to the left of the photo, you can see that there is currently a 6 foot high chain link fence at this location. This fence would be replaced by a 4 foot high steel pile structure. The proposed structure will be similar to the piling at Holman Field, but less than half the height.

They have submitted plans to show how they will control erosion and runoff during the construction of the elevated berm. They will be bringing in material to raise the elevation.

They will be meeting with City staff for the review on March 1.

Tree Sale for Parks!

If you are interested in helping out the Parks or the environment, please consider buying a tree from the Friends of the Parks and Trails of Saint Paul and Ramsey County. You can purchase trees or shrubs for your own yard or donate them to a park of your choice in the City or our County.

Sales of these trees also goes toward a fundraising effort for the Friends, an organization that seeks to promote the parks and open space, to educate the public on park development, to protect environmentally sensitive areas, to promote quality parks, trails and bikeways, and to provide a vehicle for residents to have input on public policy related to these spaces.

You can order trees until April 22 and, if you are getting the trees for yourself, can pick them up on May 7 between 9a and 1p at Ramsey County Parks Garage, 2015 N. Van Dyke in Maplewood, or in Highland Park, 1270 Montreal. We have order forms in our office or you can go online to download a form (or donate a tree there, too!).

By donating trees to the parks, we can help replace the trees we will lose to the emerald ash borer or to oak wilt.

Spring Activities at Conway Park

It is time to register your child for activities at Conway Rec Center, 2090 Conway St., for this spring. You will need to contact the staff at the rec center for times on these activities.

Judo is being offered as an on-going class on Thursdays for a cost of $12/ month.

Tumbling for ages 2 1/2 to 5 years will run for 8 consecutive Mondays starting on March 21. This activity requires registration by March 14 at a cost of $30 per child.

10 and under Spring League Basketball will run for 8 consecutive Tuesdays starting March 22. This activity requires registration by March 1 at a cost of $30 per child.

Again, call 651.501.6343 to find out more, hear about times, and to register.

February 28 Board Meeting to Discuss Suburban Avenue Development

Please join us on Monday, February 28 at 6:30p to discuss the proposal for complete development of the used car lot on Suburban Avenue. We will meet at La Quinta Inn, 1870 Old Hudson Rd., and the developers will be present to discuss their proposal and answer questions.

This proposal is described in an earlier post on this blog, but will include restaurants, retail, and a Max-It Pawn outlet.

Invitations have been sent to residences (for which we have contacts) between Upper Afton and I-94, and between White Bear Avenue and McKnight south of Minnehaha. But everyone is welcome to attend.

Office Hours May Still be Limited

Due to health concerns of staff, our office hours will likely remain limited for a few more weeks. We will, however, be monitoring email and phone messages.  Thanks for your patience.

Gateway Corridor Meetings for District 1

The Gateway Corridor Study has listed an option (Option 6 at the this link) that would bring Light Rail Transit (LRT) through District 1 on either 3rd Street or Minnehaha. A summary of Option 6 is as follows:

The sixth option would also operate LRT from St. Paul to Hudson along a route that veers north of I-94 into St. Paul’s Dayton’s Bluff and Battle Creek Park neighborhoods. Two possible alignments for this option are a St. Paul to Oakdale to Woodbury alignment and a St. Paul to Woodbury alignment. Similar to Option 4, the route would start at the Union Depot in downtown St. Paul, and continue from Seventh Street onto either Minnehaha Avenue or Third Street connecting to Hudson Road near Radio Drive. The route would follow Hudson Road and connect to I-94, then continue to Hudson. Express buses would connect Hudson to Eau Claire.

View a map of the proposed route at this link.

Open houses will be held at the following places and times:

February 23rd, Union Depot, 5-7 pm.

February 24th, Woodbury City Hall, 5-7 pm.

For directions and more information, click here.

Tax Prep Help at Conway and SunRay Library

AARP is offering tax help in the neighborhood again this year starting February 7 through April 15.

At Conway Rec Center, the help is available on a walk-in basis on Wednesday evenings. Call 651.501.6343 for more information.

At the Library, the help is available by appointment only on Mondays from 11a to 2p and on Fridays from 11:30a to 4p. Tax forms are prepared electronically. Call 651.501.6300 for an appointment.

the library in warmer days...

This is a free service, but in order to receive it you must provide:

• valid and current photo ID - MN state drivers license or state ID or current passport
• social security card or ITIN card for yourself and all dependents that you are claiming
• date of birth for self, spouse, children and all dependents you are claiming.

If applicable, do not forget to bring:

• list of all assistance and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments
• W-2 forms
• last year's tax return (if you have one)
• Certificate of Rent Paid (CRP) form
• form 1098 (mortgage interest statement)
• all documentation on home improvement loans, school loans, medical and school expenses, and charity donations.

Submitted by St. Paul Public Library and Conway Rec Center

Winter Walk Off

Saint Paul SMART TRIPS is promoting the Winter Walk Off this month. Get up and get moving for this first annual walking event - whether it is around your house, office, or block!

Twin Cities Bike Walk Week is sponsoring this event to encourage folks to walk, at least once a day, for the entire month. By registering for the Winter Walk Off you're pledging to not only walk once a day, but to share your winter walking stories with others on Twitter by using the Winter Walk Off hash tag (#winterwalkoff).

Those without Twitter or Facebook can share the old way - invite a friend to walk with you! Registered winter walkers will receive great discounts from local businesses who support winter walking in the Twin Cities.

our parks are good walking sites - IF the trails are clear!!

Get moving! Sign up for the Winter Walk Off

Submitted by Saint Paul Smart-trips

Honor Roll Video

The Neighborhood Honor Roll event held on January 21 was videotaped by the city. You can see what all the fuss was about at the city's website. A shorter version should be out in a few days.

Announcements from Conway Rec + Request

There are some interesting offerings coming up for kids at Conway Rec Center...

First, starting March 21, there will be tumbling for kids aged 2 1/2 to 3 years, and for kids 3 to 5 years old. For more information about this fun opportunity, contact Randy at 651.501.6343, or Randy.Graff@ci.stpaul.mn.us.

There will also be a spring basketball league for older kids.

But listen to this!! Come summer, there will be group GUITAR LESSONS at Conway for an 8 week session of 1 hour/week class. The Rec Center is trying to raise money to buy guitars for the participants, but if you have a guitar you would like to DONATE, contact Randy at Conway (see his info above...).

And finally, we are beginning the process of planning for a new Totlot at Conway. There will be community meetings, but there is also a task force forming that will work with city staff to design the new totlot. If you are interested in participating, if you are a daycare provider that uses or would like to use the new lot, please contact Anne at Anne.Gardner@ci.stpaul.mn.us or 651.266.6421.

This redesign will also include an improved Pederson pedestrian path that should solve some of the flooding problems in the spring and summer. These projects were funded through a competitive process a couple of years ago - already funded...