Effect of Sequestration on Saint Paul

Today, an analysis by the City of Saint Paul’s Office of Financial Services shows that the effects of sequestration on the City of Saint Paul could include potential cuts in public safety, a reduction in neighborhood programs, and could negatively impact the city’s investment and debt portfolio.

“Only Congress has the power to pass legislation that prevents these severe cuts to public safety, economic development and the city’s investment and debt portfolio,” said Saint Paul Mayor Chris Coleman.  “Communities across the country are just emerging from the worst recession in the history of the United States and are looking to Congress for a smart, thoughtful solution that doesn’t penalize local communities. Sequestration could have dire effects on communities across the country and I urge Congress to find a better way forward.”

Potential cuts to Saint Paul may include:

Approximately $1.5 million in funding for public safety, including:

• $250,000 to prevent human trafficking
• Up to $500,000 per year for equipment for Saint Paul firefighters
• More than $500,000 to help fund our Emergency Management and Police Department Information Centers

An 8.5 percent reduction in CDBG funds, HOME funds, and Emergency Shelter Grants that would:

• Limit the city’s ability to fund district councils
•  Hinder economic development programs when they are needed most
•  Prevent further investment into Saint Paul’s neighborhoods and communities

The City of Saint Paul is both an issuer and an investor in Build America Bonds. Sequestration could impact the cost of Saint Paul’s payments to its investors while potentially preventing Saint Paul from selling these bonds in the future.  With permanent sequestration, the city estimates that impacts to the investment and debt portfolio could potentially add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars cut from the city’s general fund over time.

Impacts on citizens from cuts to programs at the state and county level could also be devastating. $85 billion of sequester cuts are scheduled to take effect beginning March 1. 

Submitted by the Mayor's Office...

Tamarack Center Summer Day Camps

Pirates of Tamarack; Road and Water Rally; Eye of Salamander, Toe of Newt; and Prehistoric Play are just a handful of the adventures that await this summer at Tamarack Nature Center's day camps.

Registration for the 2013 Summer Day Camp Adventures will open Tuesday, March 5 at 9a. Four-day camp weeks run June 17 - August 8; a shortened three-day camp will be offered July 1-3 at a reduced rate to accommodate Independence Day.

Camps are available for ages 3 - entering 8th grade and are led by Tamarack Nature Center naturalists. Activities this summer will include orienteering, animal care, bugs, theater, gardening, music, treasure hunts and more. A select number of extended ages sessions are available again this year, as well as the popular EcoArt Friday mini-camps. Tamarack Nature Center will also offer optional before and after care in the Discovery Hollow Nature Play area for an additional fee.

Early registration is encouraged, as camps typically fill quickly. Registration can be either on-line or in person at the Center. 5287 Otter Lake Rd. White Bear Township, MN

February 21 Conway Task Force Update

In attendance: Kris Gjerde, chair; Chris Dollar-Simmons, Clara Ware, Erika Martin, Sandy Rosbacka, Kate Staples, Ebony Young, Kathy Korum, Gwen Peterson, Mike Devilliers, Kathy Lantry,  Betsy Leach (scribe)

Updates on Outreach

         Parks library representatives attended a meeting at Bradley House apartments but no one showed up despite door-to-door outreach on Apartment staff’s part. Kate is planning a storytime on Sunday, Feb 24 instead, with snacks, where she will be distributing info from both the rec center and the library. In addition, Kate and Betsy will work to set up a meeting with the apartment managers of surrounding complexes to see what additional outreach we can do at these locations.

        Parks has also met with young people using the library’s homework center. For the most part, the youth using the library are not using or are unaware of opportunities at Conway. A meeting is also scheduled with one of the local scout troops to talk about what youth want to see at the local rec centers. And meetings are being set up with youth groups already at Conway.

        District 1 is setting up an additional meeting with the elders group for the coming weeks. (Please note that on Monday, February 25 at 6:30p, there will be a community meeting at Conway to update neighbors and get more feedback – everyone is welcome to attend.).

the old totlot - things are improving!

RFP (Request for Proposals) Draft

In general, the task force was quite pleased with the current draft of the Request for Proposals. The tone of the RFP is positive and presents the potential partnership as an opportunity. Some minor changes were suggested by community members, and the draft will remain open for revisions for a few more days, if other suggestions come up. The task force feels that the RFP has come a long way from the first draft to express the desires of the community. Parks restated that this RFP will become a template for future partnership requests.

Next Steps – The Process for Determining a Partner

        The discussion then focused on what happens once the task force says the RFP is ready to be opened to the public. A department of the City (Contract and Analysis Sevices and a legal team) will review the draft to make sure that it meets the legal requirements the City has. The request will then be posted on the City’s website and distributed to a standard list of contacts (media and potential partners…) for announcement. In addition, anyone (task force member or community member) can send a link to the request to any potential partner he or she thinks might be interested and a good fit. The request will initially remain open for 60 days.

During that 60 day period, potential partners may be submitting proposals and/or seeking clarification on the request. The clarification requests will be fielded by Parks. In addition, if a potential partner wants to tour the Conway site, they can contact Mike Devilliers at Conway to set up a time to do so.

       The task force will receive updates on the number of proposals that have been submitted as we move through the 60 day period, but we will not know who has submitted a proposal until the 60 days are up. At the end of the 60 day period, a next-meeting-date of the task force will be set and the proposals will be distributed to the task force members in preparation for that meeting.

       At the meeting, the proposals will be ranked according to the set criteria in the RFP, and a short list of potential partners will be selected for interview. The interviews will involve all members of the task force. When the interviews are completed, all the task force members will also be involved in final selection.

       The important thing for the community to know is that community members have been, and will be, involved in this selection process from beginning to end. This has been a unique process for the City of St. Paul, and we look forward to such collaboration in the future, starting early in the process of any decision affecting our neighborhoods.

Please note that the specifics of the RFP cannot be released to the neighborhood until it is ready to be released to potential partners. This is a legal requirement of the City’s RFP process. The community should be assured that the CAG members and District 1 continue to gather input from residents (and businesses) about what programming should look like at Conway and in the neighborhoods generally.

Again, please join us Monday, February 25 at 6:30p at Conway Rec Center to hear a complete update and to give input. You can also contact the district council to give comments or suggest potential partners – district1council@aol.com or 651.578.7600.

February 11 update on Conway Advisory Group

the new Conway totlot...

February 11, 2013 at Conway Rec Center - Meeting of the Conway Community Advisory Group

In attendance: Kris Gjerde, chair, Clara Ware, Erika Martin, Ebony Young, Kate Staples, Gwen Peterson, Mike Hahm (Director of Parks), Kathy Lantry, Betsy Leach (scribe)

Updates on Outreach

        Parks representatives continue trying to schedule outreach to youth in the area. They are planning a meeting at Bradley House apartments on Tuesday, February 12, 2013 at 6:30p, along with Library staff. They have already been meeting with a few youth at the library in the homework center. The Parks staff and Bradley House management were asked by advisory group members to find out why kids are not coming to structured programs, if they are coming to unstructured programs, if there are cultural impediments, if parents have issues with attendance? D1 has suggested that we set up a meeting with the local apartment managers’ group to also discuss these issues.

         There is concern among the advisory group membership that we are missing youth voices at this critical time. Kathy Lantry suggested that a Youth Commissioner from the City’s Youth Commission be asked to participate in the review process, especially a commissioner who attends Harding High School.

District 1 has been meeting with a variety of people concerned about the rec center and has mailed postcards to over 800 people in the Battle Creek area to invite them to the February 25 meeting at Conway where updates will be given and more input taken. This community meeting will run from 6:30p to 8p,

          District 1 met with Parks officials and neighbors of the Eastview Rec Center to talk about how that privatized center can see an increase in activities over the coming summer months. How Eastview programming can fit into the issues of acting as stewards of the Conway programming remains to be discussed.

          The group was reminded that the Parks Commission is meeting on Wednesday, February 13 at 6:30p at Conway. There are a variety of topics on the agenda, much of which is procedural. One item of interest is Community Outreach process.

Discussion of the Re-Drafted RFP (Request for Proposals)

         Once again, the advisory group went through the RFP page by page and paragraph by paragraph. The general consensus of the community members was that the spirit of our suggested changes from the last meeting was incorporated. There were additional substantive changes we suggested, but most of them were minor editorial changes for clarity and emphasis. We continue to want the emphasis to be on how this rec center functions in and for the community as a whole.

        We discussed the timeline for completing the RFP. We hope to have a nearly final draft by early next week, with a finished draft prior to our next meeting (February 21 at 6p). The next meeting will focus on the RFP timeline once it is ready for release, what the next steps will be, and what will be required of Advisory Group members in the review process. Understanding the review process will be critical to the success of finding an appropriate partner.

         In the meantime, group members (and community members) are asked for suggestions on who to market the RFP to and how to get the word out. There can be no discussion of the nuances of the RFP between any Advisory Group members and potential partners, especially those Advisory Group members who will be reviewing proposals. Strict guidelines must be followed to assure a legal process. This process will be outlined at the next meeting.

         Also note that there will be another community meeting where updates will be provided and input gathered. That meeting will be Monday, February 25 at 6:30p at Conway Rec Center. You can also contact the district council to give comments – district1council@aol.com or 651.578.7600.

         In addition, the District 1 Community Council’s Annual Meeting this year will be a series of Open Houses during which members of the community can be updated about this process and can discuss the importance of this rec center, any other, and all of our parks. Those Open Houses will be Saturday, March 23 from 1-3p, and Monday and Tuesday, March 25 and 26 from 6-8p at the District Council offices.

Honor Roll Recipients - Who is doing good things?

Chris Dollar-Simmons, Andy Berreth and Elias Anthan

Every year neighborhoods across the city honor the people in their areas who have been doing volunteer work that supports the community. This year District 1 honored Elias Anthan, Pastor Andy Berreth, and the Conway Booster Club. Elias has been cleaning up the Eastview neighborhood, trying to set a good example as someone who cares enough to pick up after others. He picks up litter every day as he walks his dog and is a member of the City's "Come Clean" program. Pastor Andy Berreth is the former pastor of Faith Alliance Church. He served on the D1 board for 4 years and was instrumental in organizing the community-wide National Night Out celebrations, including last year's lollapolooza at Conway. The Conway Booster Club has been developing the sports programs at Conway and has supported the second largest football program in the City. They are also working with us on planning for Conway's future.

Here are links to a short and long version of what the celebration was like.

short version:    http://youtu.be/m90OE_Gwz8U  

long version: http://youtu.be/Bdw1LumMHoA

Kathy Lantry delivers the award, and we heard from the Mayor and from district council representatives. There was a delightful buffet put on by St. Thomas University -- this event is always a great place to hear what is happening in the city by all the residents who are working to make a difference.

If you know someone who is doing great work, but may be operating under the radar, let us know. We always want to thank people for their efforts!!

More Snow Plowing (Yeah!!)

Saint Paul Public Works announced today that it will plow residential streets on Wednesday, February 6^th, and Thursday, February 7^th. On Wednesday, all east-west residential streets will be plowed beginning at 8:00 a.m. and continuing until 5:00 p.m. On Thursday, all north-south residential streets will be plowed beginning at 8:00 a.m. and continuing until 5:00 p.m.

Residents are asked to move their cars during these two days to allow city crews to address a number of nuisance snowfalls that have occurred in recent days and that have left the residential streets with an accumulation of snow on the medians and the parking lanes. Milder temperatures are forecasted for these two days, and the lower temperatures will aid the plowing effort.

While this is not a snow emergency and normal parking rules apply during these two days, the city is asking for residents to cooperate and move their cars from residential streets during this period in accordance with the two day schedule. Residents are reminded that once a street has been plowed from curb to curb, cars can be parked again on those streets

Summary of the ConwayCAG Meeting 1/31/13

January 31, 2013 at Conway Rec Center

In attendance: Kris Gjerde, chair; Chris Dollar-Simmons, Clara Ware, Erika Martin, Sandy Rosbacka, Kate Staples, Chris Melendez, Melvin Baker, Kathy Korum, Gwen Peterson, Mike Devilliers, Kathy Lantry,  Ellen Biales, Betsy Leach (scribe)

Updates on Outreach

         Parks representatives have been trying to schedule outreach to youth in the area and to the apartment complexes that are immediate neighbors of Conway Rec Center.

         District 1 held a community meeting to take input and also has met with elders participating in the senior programming at Conway and individuals. A couple of concerns were uniform among these neighbors. First, too many of them had not understood that the privatization will proceed once we have found a service partner. D1 is trying to get the word out of what is actually happening with this process via the web and our upcoming newspaper. Second, people want to make sure that Conway expands its role as a community gathering place. Third, people are concerned with how the partner will communicate with neighbors, making people aware of what is offered and how they will be welcomed into the facility. Finally, people want to make sure that there are year-round activities both inside and outside the building, and suggest that shared meals at the facility might be a way to continue building community here.

         The elders were concerned with how their program through Community Ed will interact with the new partner and how they are being kept informed about this process (Kathy Korum is Parks liaison with Community Ed administration).  Both the elders and the current sports programs have questions about how equipment will be stored, maintained and made available to people using the facility.

Demographic  Information about the Area

         District 1 shared information from the 2010 census about who lives in the district. They are working with researchers to break this district-wide information down to the area immediately around the rec center. A summary of district data with comparisons to the city at large can be found at this site by clicking on the map for the District 1 neighborhood. Staff also shared a summary file that compares the percentage of households in each of the district councils of that have children under the age of 18 and seniors over the age of 65. This chart shows that District 1, all the other eastside councils, the westside, North end and  Frogtown (councils 1-7) have much higher percentages of households with young children than districts on the western side of town (councils 8-17). These data should be shared with potential partners.

Discussion of the Draft RFP (Request for Proposals)

           The rest of the meeting was spent going through the draft RFP and discussing the process by which it would be released, proposals gathered, and then reviewed. The members agreed that emphasis should be on selling the facility and the neighborhood as a great opportunity to potential partners. We need to highlight the assets that we have and the particular asset that this facility represents. We went through the draft page by page and discussed how it can be written to convey the desires of the community for programming and opportunities at this location. Discussion centered on how specific we can or should be and what the priorities for programming should be. Given our goals, we want to assure leadership and personal development among participants who should be of all ages and backgrounds. We also want to assure that the partner is a good neighbor to the community at large.

          Specifics of the discussion included what kind of access there will be, how communication/marketing happens between the partner and the community, whether the emphasis in programming should be on sports or education, and the range of partners we might want.  We reemphasized that we will find local places for all current activities that may not be able to remain at Conway. We also discussed what Parks needs from the partner, the money involved, and what should be in the RFP vs.  in the contract.

       Parks will take all the comments and redraft the RFP for review at the next meeting (Feb 11).

Please note that the specifics of the RFP cannot be released to the neighborhood until it is ready to be released to potential partners. This is a legal requirement of the City’s RFP process. The community should be assured that the CAG members and District 1 continue to gather input from residents (and businesses) about what programming should look like at Conway.

Also note that there will be another community meeting where updates will be provided and input gathered. That meeting will be Monday, February 25 at 6:30p at Conway Rec Center. You can also contact the district council to give comments – district1council@aol.com or 651.578.7600.