Go "ALL IN" with New Recycling Program starting April 7

Are you ready to go all in with your recycling efforts in 2014? Exciting changes are coming that will make recycling in Saint Paul easier than ever before! Beginning April 7, 2014, residents can take advantage of single-sort recycling, begin recycling additional plastics, make plans to attend a cleanup event and drop off their source-separated organics at one of five Saint Paul locations.

Declining recycling numbers, wavering participation and changing demographics are just a few of the reasons why the City partnered with Wilder Research Foundation in 2012-13 to conduct a comprehensive assessment about  residential solid waste and recycling programs and services. The research found that Saint Paul residents wanted:

·         The ability to recycle more plastics

·         Recycling to be more convenient

·         More opportunities for composting organic materials

·         More options for handling bulky waste items

City officials listened to what residents had to say and committed to implementing new initiatives around this research. A plan is in motion to make these improvements over the next three years.

BEGINNING 2014

Single Sort Recycling
As of April 7, residents can put all recyclable materials into one bin – separating is no longer required!

More Plastics Accepted

As of April 7, residents can add #1, #2, #4, #5 and #7 plastic containers to their blue bin or collection cart. This means, in addition to plastic bottles, yogurt, butter and produce containers, transparent deli and “to go” containers can also be recycled with Saint Paul’s residential recycling program. 

Citywide Community Cleanup Events Opportunities
The City is coordinating six “Citywide Community Cleanup Events” in 2014. These events will give residents an opportunity to dispose of items such as furniture and construction materials and recycle items like mattresses, appliances, electronics and scrap metal. Plus, residents may donate usable household items for reuse. All Saint Paul residents are welcome. Date, time and location information is available at stpaul.gov/recycle. Volunteers are needed.

Organics Drop off Locations Available

As of April, source separated organics will be accepted at the four local Ramsey County Yard Waste Site locations during regular site hours. Visit stpaul.gov/recycle for details. In addition, the Macalester Groveland Community Council hosts a drop off location on Grand Ave.  To register and find more information, visit macgrove.org.

Go “all in” and reduce, recycle and compost with the City of Saint Paul in 2014! Learn more at stpaul.gov/recycle and stay tuned to learn about even more exciting changes coming in 2015!

Annual Tree Sale

Did this long, cold, Polar-Vortex-filled winter leave you singing the blues? Friends of
the Parks and Trails of St. Paul and Ramsey County has the perfect blues-buster for you

in the guise of the ‘Wonderblue’ Lilac. It is a compact grower with intensely fragrant,
single, sky-blue flowers. Its perfect for a small city lot, is drought tolerant, disease
resistant, and hardy to Zone 3. It can take anything the Polar Vortex wants to dish out.

If that’s not to your liking, fear not, there are eight trees, two more shrubs, a rose, and a
vine offered through this year’s sale. For example, there’s Black Hills Spruce, ‘Freedom’
Apple, ‘Autumn Brilliance’ Serviceberry, and Northern Red Oak, which is native to
Minnesota.

The rose is ‘Carefree Sunshine’, a fragrant, ever-bloomer with light yellow flowers. It
needs no winter protection.

Rounding out the offerings is ‘Summer Cascade’ Wisteria. Its the perfect choice for a
sturdy structure in your yard, adding shade and fragrance with it’s showy flowers that
open deep blue-lavender.

The Friends is a non-profit group that advocates for parks, trails, and open spaces. The
annual tree sale is their biggest fundraiser. Show your support for their advocacy efforts
by purchasing some great plants for your yard or donate them to a neighborhood park. If
you donate them, park staff does all the work and you get a tax deduction, all in the name
of beautifying our community.

Visit FriendsoftheParks.org for more information about the sale as well as to learn the
history of The Friends and the on-going work being done. Call 612-703-9044 with
questions.

Landscaping for Beauty, Community Health and Wildflife

My apologies for having to resend this, but the cost of this class was inadvertently left off of the original message.  The cost is $15.  Barb

A workshop called "Landscaping for Beauty, Community Health and Wildlife" will be held on:

April 2nd, 2014, 6:30-8:30 pm 
Fairview Community Center
Room 108, 1910 County Road B West
Roseville, MN 55113

 Cost:  $15
 Register 7:30 am-4 pm M-F by calling 651-604-3770
 Email KRISTINE.ROSSOW@isd623.org with questions on registration
 Refreshments provided

This class will cover topics in natural gardening, including plants that attract birds, butterflies and beneficial insects, rain gardens,  and  ways to minimize use of pesticides and herbicides.   The facilitator has volunteered in conservation and wildlife rehabilitation for over 30 years and helps with natural planting for a Roseville park.   To those veteran native plant experts, there will be some rare native flora discussed.

 • How to garden with native plants that benefit the environment and
your community
 • Plants that may help threatened or endangered species in Minnesota
 • Alternatives to invasive or non-native plants
 • Attractive beneficial shrubs and flowers
 • Recent topics in native landscaping
 • Simple rules of thumb for rain gardens
 • Share your own best practices with the group!

Share Your Vision Survey- Reprise

Just a reminder that we would love to have you take a short survey to help us think about the future of the district - how we can plan for the future...

Here is the link to get you to the survey - it will take 10 minutes max!!

Take the survey PLEASE!

Local Food Resource Hubs Info

2014 registration is now open- join the Local Food Resource Hubs and start the countdown to spring!

The Local Food Resource Hubs are neighborhood networks of gardeners. The Hubs program is intended to provide home gardeners and community gardeners the support they need to grow, preserve, cook and compost their own fresh food by offering supplies, educational opportunities, and community connections in their neighborhood. The Local Food Resource Hubs program benefits neighborhoods by building community and increasing access to healthy food.

Residents of Minneapolis and St. Paul can join the Local Food Resource Hubs and select a small, medium, or large garden package- prices vary by size and partial scholarships are available. It’s basically a bulk buying club; packages of seeds and plants are available at a fraction of their retail price. Members pick up their seeds and plants at distribution events held across Minneapolis and St. Paul, which are run by Gardening Matters, Hub members, and countless neighborhood partners and volunteers.

But it’s about more than just the seeds and the plants. The Hubs program is meant to foster community development, using gardening as the tool. Once people are connected to their neighbors through gardening, they are more willing to share resources, collaborate, and make change in their community related to food, health, and gardening. An example of this is the Growing West Side Seed Library just in its launch phase, thanks to Growing West Side and Hub members in the West Side/West 7^th areas of St. Paul. In this way, the Hubs help bring together people within and across neighborhoods who are growing food, which is the foundation to rebuilding a community-based food system.

  

This is the fourth year of the Local Food Resource Hubs program. Last year in 2013 there were 900 members in the network, and the Hubs distributed more than 18,000 packets of seeds and 25,000 seedlings, 2,500 strawberry plants, 400 raspberry plants, and 30,000 pounds of compost.

Residents should contact Gardening Matters at 612-821-2358 or visit www.gardeningmatters.org/hubs for more information about the program, including a map of the Hub areas and the sign up form. English and Spanish paper forms are available from Gardening Matters and can be downloaded from the website as well.

See below for the upcoming seed distribution events for Saint Paul. 

St. Paul:
-First Covenant Church (1280 Arcade St.) in East Side St. Paul: Saturday, March 22, 9:30am- noon 

-Hancock Recreation Center (1610 Hubbard Ave.) in St. Paul Midway: Saturday, April 5th, 9:00am- noon

-Rivers Edge Academy (188 Plato Blvd.) in West Side St. Paul: Tuesday, April 8th, 6:30- 8:00pm 

All the plant distribution events will take place Saturday, May 17^th, see website (www.gardeningmatters.org/hubs) for locations and times.

Area Road Closures 3/7 - 3/10

Warner Road from Childs Road to Sibley will be fully closed from Saturday, March 8 at 8a until Sunday, March 9 at 5p to allow crews to demolish the old bridge that they have been working around. This is a part of the on-going rebuild of Warner Road that is expected to last until fall of 2015.

Also this weekend, I35E from I94 to Hiway 36 will be fully closed from 10p Friday March 7 until 5a Monday March 10 to allow demolition of some bridges along this stretch.

Lots of work going on... between that and the pot holes and slick spots AND the coming melt - BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!!

City's EMS Academy taking Applications

Applications for the City of Saint Paul’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Academy will be available on Monday, March 3, 2014. Applications must be completed and submitted online at www.stpaul.gov/jobs no later than Friday, March 28, 2014.

What is the EMS Academy? The EMS Academy is a 10 week program designed for Saint Paul young adults ages 18-24 interested in careers in emergency medicine.  Selected candidates earn hourly wages while attending the EMS Academy.  The course includes CPR Certification, First Responder Certification, and ride-alongs with the Saint Paul Fire Department and Paramedics.  Upon successful graduation, participants earn National EMT Certification, 9 college credits, and are prepared to work in a variety of EMT positions.

What are the wages? EMS academy workers are paid $7.50 an hour.

How many hours do participants work? EMS Academy participants are expected to attend 24 hours of class per week for 10 weeks and spend a significant time outside of class studying.

When does the EMS academy start? The 2014 Summer EMS Academy runs June 16 – August 22, 2014.

To apply for the EMS Academy:

• You must be a resident of Saint Paul
• You must be age 18 - 24
• You must have a G.E.D. or high school diploma
• You must provide documented proof of residency, household income, age, family size, and claimed disability upon request.
• You must submit an application online - www.stpaul.gov/jobs

 Information Sessions: The EMS Academy will be hosting two information sessions for interested applicants at Saint Paul Fire Station 51: Freedom House. 296 7^th Street West, Saint Paul.

• Monday, March 10^th 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
• Wednesday, March 19^th 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.

Intro to-EMS Academy: the EMS Academy is partnering with the Saint Paul Hubbs Center to offer an introductory course in emergency medicine. The EMS Academy strongly recommends interested individuals attend the introductory course. The course builds reading, studying, and test taking skills using vocabulary and terminology common in the EMS field. There is no cost to participate.

• When: April 14^th – June 6^th 2014 – Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 8:30-10:30 a.m
• Where: Saint Paul Fire Station 51: Freedom House. 296 7^th Street West, Saint Paul.
• To register: Apply in person at the Hubbs Center. 1030 University Avenue, Saint Paul. Mondays or Wednesday 9:00 -11:30 a.m. or 2:00 – 6:00 p.m.

Right Track (formerly Youth Job Corps) Information: Applications for additional summer jobs for youth and young adults, ages 14-21 (that meet program criteria) are also being accepted on the City’s employment website until March 14, 2014: www.stpaul.gov/jobs

XXX

About the EMS Academy

The EMS Academy is a successful collaboration between the Department of Human Rights and Equal Economic Opportunity, Saint Paul Fire Department, Saint Paul Parks and Recreation, Inver Hills Community College, the Ronald M. Hubbs Center for Lifelong Learning, Camphor Fiscally Fit, and the Community Action Partnership of Ramsey and Washington Counties. Since the EMS academy began in January of 2009, 129 individuals have graduated from the academy.

Please visit Facebook or watch the EMS Academy video for more information.

COMING SOON - Put your Food Waste to WORK!!

Beginning in spring 2014, you can bring your food waste and non-recyclable paper to six of the Ramsey County yard waste sites (does not include the site in Arden Hills). We’ll haul it to an organics composting site, where it will become a soil amendment.

Open to: Ramsey County residents only. No organic waste from businesses.

Drop-off Locations: All Ramsey County Yard Waste sites, EXCEPT ARDEN HILLS.

How to Use:

1. Pick up FREE compostable bags at the six yard waste sites that collect organic waste (or coming soon... at the District 1 Council office (2105 1/2 Old Hudson Rd))

2. Fill the bags with food waste and other material listed below.

3. Bring your bagged organics to a Ramsey County yard waste site.

4. Put your bagged organics in the designated container.

5. If you need more compostable bags, ask a yard waste monitor.

  *Keep food waste separate from yard waste

Items Accepted

All food scraps (including meat and dairy), non-recyclable paper, and compostable plastics are accepted. See our website for a detailed list and tips for success.

For more information on our organics recycling program, go to RamseyAtoZ.com and search “organics recycling” or contact the Ramsey County Master Gardeners at 651.704.2071 (leave a message and a Master Gardener will return your call.)

Metropolitan Council Seeks Input

 The Metropolitan Council invites the public to review and comment on the draft of the region’s long-range planning document, called Thrive MSP 2040, released today following Council action.

Thrive MSP 2040 is a vision for the region’s development. It will serve as a foundation for coordinated and consistent planning between regional and local government, and promote the partnerships and efficiencies that foster prosperity, equity and livability throughout the region today and into the future. The policy document reflects two years of outreach, discussion and deliberation among Council members, local officials, the region’s residents, and business and community organizations.

Thrive MSP 2040 takes into account projections for population, jobs, and anticipated needs for transportation, wastewater infrastructure, and community development. It will provide the policy direction for the Council’s transportation, water resources, and regional parks plans, as well as the housing policy plan and water supply plan.

“Our region is healthy, but it’s also changing,” said Metropolitan Council Chair Susan Haigh. “Through planning and engagement, our region can be a stronger, thriving, more prosperous home to us all.”

The Twin Cities region is projected to add about 800,000 more residents by 2040, along with nearly 500,000 jobs. In addition, the region will grow older and more diverse by 2040 – 40% of the region’s population will be people of color in 2040. Today, people of color comprise about 24% of the region’s population.

The plan lends guidance about future development and redevelopment trends as communities throughout the region put together their local, long-range comprehensive plans. It also highlights considerations communities should weigh as they plan, including their connections and contributions to the broader region’s prosperity, and how to best leverage community assets to provide all residents with greater access to opportunity.

“Our region’s investments in transportation, jobs, community development and redevelopment, and affordable housing provide an important economic foundation, not for just a few, but for everyone,” said Haigh. “They’re the bricks and mortar that create the opportunities and help build the communities that make us all proud to call ‘home.’”

Taking a regional approach to long-range planning provides an opportunity for leaders and community members to collaborate on achieving specific desired outcomes. A key piece of feedback: make sure the plan is flexible enough so communities can provide abundant choices, accommodate residents in different stages of life, and meet local needs as they evolve over time.

Policies in the draft Thrive MSP 2040 address:

• Approaches to new development and redevelopment in the region.
• The growing need to preserve and maintain aging infrastructure, including highways, wastewater, and multifamily housing.
• Strategies for encouraging development near transit investment.
• The role that our quality of life plays in attracting and maintaining talent to the region.
• The value of housing and transportation choices.
• New planning challenges and opportunities based on anticipated needs of the Twin Cities region.
• Environmental challenges and considerations, including natural resources, water supply, water management, and climate change.
• Development and engagement practices that are equitable and empower communities to intentionally support prosperity for all residents.

“Our region’s highways, transit system, parks and trails, and other community amenities that contribute to our high quality of life are no accident,” Haigh said. “They were planned. They’re here today for us to enjoy and appreciate. They’re intended to last a long time, and the Thrive plan will help support that quality of life for future generations.”

The Thrive MSP 2040 document is grounded in principles that led to the creation of the Council nearly 50 years ago. It helps address issues that:

• Are bigger than any one community can address alone,
• Cross community boundaries to affect multiple communities,
• Could benefit from  opportunities to share best practices, and
• Require resources that are most efficient and cost effective at a regional scale.

The Council has scheduled two public hearings for feedback on the Thrive MSP 2040 plan, in addition to a number of other methods the public can use to weigh in on the plan: 

Thursday, April 10, 5 p.m.
F.T. Heywood Office Building, Chambers
560 Sixth Avenue North, Minneapolis

Wednesday, April 16, 5 p.m.Metropolitan Council Chambers
390 Robert Street North, St. Paul

Public comment will be received through Monday, April 28 by the following means:

• Written comments: Metropolitan Council, 390 N. Robert St., St. Paul, 55101
• Fax comments to: 651-602-1464
• Send TTY comments to: 651-291-0904
• Email: public.info@metc.state.mn.us
• Record comments on Council’s Public Comment Line at 651-602-1500
• Submit comments through the Council’s online Your Ideas site, at http://yourideas.metrocouncil.org/. 

For more information, visit www.thrivemsp.org or the Council’s website at www.metrocouncil.org.

The Metropolitan Council is the regional planning organization in the seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area. The Council runs the regional bus and light-rail system and Northstar commuter rail, collects and treats wastewater, coordinates regional water resources, plans regional parks, and administers funds that provide housing opportunities for low- and moderate-income families. The Council board is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the Governor.

Senator Foung Hawj to hold Town Hall 3/14/14

State Senator Foung Hawj, representing our area, will be hosting a town hall meeting on Friday, March 14 to discuss issues being addressed this legislative session. The meeting will be held from 6:00 to 7:30 pm at the Conway Community Rec. Center (2090 Conway Street, St. Paul).

Senator Hawj will be joined by Rep. Sheldon Johnson (from our area) and Rep. Tim Mahoney (also from the eastside) as well as several other elected officials.  Town hall meetings give constituents an opportunity to meet their local legislators and discuss important state issues being addressed at the Capitol.  Everyone is invited to attend and join the conversation.

For those who are interested in legislative activities but are unable to attend the town hall meeting, please contact Senator Hawj via email atsen.foung.hawj@senate.mn, or by calling his office at (651) 296-5285.