Minutes from October 27 Board Meeting

First quarter financial reports were presented but could not be approved because we did not have a quorum.

Presentation: Children and Nature Network (C&NN) Program Manager Lee Baker presented information about the project the C&NN is undertaking with the SunRay branch Library.  C&NN was founded by Robert Louv, author of The Last Child in the Woods – about the effects of depriving children access to the natural world. The organization has a series of programs that bring children and nature together in efforts to build leadership, healthy activity, and literacy. The project at our library will involve bringing literacy-promotion activities into the parklands around the library and Conway Rec Center. There will be a series of focus groups with identified communities in the area to help define cultural relationships with nature and to develop a curriculum around wanted and needed activities. Then in May of 2015 there will be a celebration of the roll-out of the curriculum that will include the planting of 50-60 trees in the park. Both the Mayor and Robert Louv are expected to attend the May celebration. The redesign of the library incorporates various themes about nature with an outdoor children’s reading/play area. The SunRay branch of the library is being used as a model of a “Nature Library” that will be evaluated and applied in other cities in the future. C&NN is in partnership with both 3M and Wells Fargo, in addition to the community here, as it develops the curriculum and defines activities.

Attendees were reminded that the grand re-opening of SunRay Library will be Saturday, November 15 from 1-5p. There will be an opportunity there for residents to weigh in on the types of activities they would like to see at the Library and in the park.

Residents Tharbs and Harper introduced themselves. They, along with Ali (not in attendance) are seeking to fill vacancies on our board created by the departures of Xiong, McDonough, and Nixon. Because we did not have a quorum, we could not take action on this request.

Sawyer discussed the departure of staff member Young and the process underway to hire a new Youth Organizer. The award of our grant from McNeely Foundation enables us to increase hours for the Organizer, and to shift funds so that the Exec Director/Organizer can also have increased hours. This reforming of the staffing plan will allow us to increase the overall weekly coverage by two full days per week.

Leach presented the draft budget and workplan for first discussion. A final draft of each will be brought back at the November meeting for final approval.

The November Board Meeting will be November 24 at 6:30 at a location to be determined.

Meeting adjourned at 7:43p

Job Opening at District 1

JOB OPENING for Community Organizer (Youth Focus)

The District 1 Community Council is the officially recognized neighborhood planning organization for the Eastview, Conway, Battle Creek and Highwood Hills neighborhoods of southeast Saint Paul. Our mission is to build a more vibrant and welcoming community by working with those who live and work in our four neighborhoods, and to do so in partnership with government and other nonprofit organizations.

Location and Setting: Our office is in the Sun Ray Shopping Center in planning district #1 for the City of Saint Paul. We are located at 2105 ½ Old Hudson Road, Saint Paul, MN 55119. We share space with the Saint Paul Police Storefront at the shopping center. The district is undergoing rapid demographic change with increasing populations of African American, African immigrant, Hmong and Latino residents, and a white population that is 45% of the total (and declining). We have proportionately greater numbers of youth and elders than the city as a whole. We have a geographically restricted business community dominated by franchises, and we have many large parks.

Description: This job is a part-time position at 35 hours/week for one year, with potential for extension. The work week runs Tuesday through Saturday with evening hours on Wednesday and Thursday, and morning/afternoon hours on Saturday. Our staff consists of two people, both working part-time. The job involves community building through work with youth and their families, and includes organizing an annual community-wide event. The position also involves work with the Youth Task Force of the District 1 Board, the Young Mentors’ Group and with the Youth Council, as well as with partner organizations and community groups. This is an organizing, not an advocacy position. General office coverage and shared office tasks are also involved. The job provides holidays, paid time off, and FICA but no overtime, health or retirement benefits. The rate of pay is $15.00/hour.

Required Job Skills:

At least one year experience with community organizing (in a paid or volunteer position), preferably with youth

Ability to work both independently and on collaborative teams

Ability to work with youth and families from a variety of cultures and backgrounds

Strong communication skills, both written and oral

Strong time management skills

Attention to detail

Strong problem-solving skills

Ability to think creatively and make adjustments to work “on the fly”

Willingness to coordinate large events

Understanding of the non-profit setting

Strong sense of ethics

Commitment to principles of equity, openness and collaboration

Willingness to pitch in where help is needed.

Desired but not required Job Skills:

Some college background

Fluency in more than one language

Experience working with and managing volunteers

Experience with event planning

Application Process:

Send a letter of interest highlighting how you meet the job requirements, along with a resume and two references, to:

            Personnel Committee

            District 1 Community Council

            2105 ½ Old Hudson Rd.

            Saint Paul, MN 55119

Deadline for Applications: November 21, 2014

Expected Start Date: January 2, 2015

Applications will be reviewed by the Personnel Committee followed by interviews in mid- December.

For more information or questions about the process contact Betsy Leach, Executive Director, at 651-578-7600

Check out the current version of the Saint Paul Bike Plan

An updated draft of the Saint Paul Bicycle Plan is available on the project website. The updated draft includes some important revisions from the first draft presented in January 2014 in response to public comments received on the draft. Notable revisions include the following:

• An expanded scope to include topics such as bicycle parking, traffic signals, bicycle counting, and other topics.
• A revised title ("Saint Paul Bicycle Plan") that better reflects the expanded scope of the plan.
• An updated format to enhance the readability of the plan.
• Action Items to guide future work.
• Revised and expanded maps to reflect many of the comments received throughout the public comment period for the draft plan.
• Prioritization guidance and implementation recommendations.

You can view and download the plan materials at the project website.

The plan adoption process is anticipated to take several months and will include additional opportunities for public involvement and comment. Dates and times of these opportunities will be presented on the project website as they become available. The plan must be approved by the Transportation Committee and the Planning Commission before receiving final approval from the City Council and the Mayor. It is anticipated that the plan will be presented to the City Council in February 2015.

Conway Trophies??

The City is getting ready to do some recycling at Conway Rec Center. Before that happens, though, they want to give people a chance to claim any of many sports trophies that have collected over the years. If you have a personal or family interest in sports trophies from the years when Conway Rec was a powerhouse for city sports leagues, come to the Rec Center on Saturday, October 11 from noon to 2p to take home some of the trophies for posterity.

Several key trophies will be saved for display. Other trophies not claimed will be recycled.

County Meets with Community About Boys Totem Town

On Tuesday, September 30 about 50 neighbors and concerned county residents came together with County Commissioner Jim McDonough and staff of Ramsey County Corrections to talk about Boys Totem Town and juvenile corrections. Although there were some questions about what happens to the site should Boys Totem Town merge with Hennepin County’s residential facility and move to a different location, most of the questions centered on how a potential merger would affect youth and the community.

Commissioner McDonough began the evening with an explanation of what has happened so far in the reevaluation of Boys Totem Town and its current site. In August, there was a joint meeting of both Hennepin and Ramsey County commissioners where all fully agreed that they should continue to look into whether a merger between their facilities would be feasible. It may take one to two years to figure out whether a merger could actually work. In general, correction professionals say it would be a good idea since the two counties have similar approaches to youth corrections, there are similar aged youth in both programs, and the risk levels of each of the groups held in the two residential facilities are similar. However, actually it will be a decision made by the elected commissioners. First they need to examine whether the bureaucratic structures of the two corrections systems can be made compatible.

Questions asked by the attendees included:

Doesn’t a merger of the two facilities at either of the existing sites impose a burden on families from the other county whose children will be housed there? Isn’t the point of the facilities to keep children close to their families? – response: These children are pretty mobile but the county would be looking for a place that is easily accessible and on transit. Ramsey County currently already sends some of its youth to Hennepin County.

What about differences that youth from different cities have with each other, including potential conflicts between gangs from the two cities? – response: The staff at these facilities know how to deal with different gangs. Their purpose is to teach the youth how to get along. They also work with various community groups to help deal with these issues.

How is Ramsey County working to keep children out of the system in the first place? – response: The decline in numbers of youth in both Ramsey and Hennepin County residential facilities demonstrate that what is happening now is doing just that. They work with such organizations as St. Paul Youth Services, 180 Degrees, curfew officers on this. But once kids get into the system, there needs to be a place for those who need to be removed from their homes, or who have a repeated history of violations. A follow-up comment from the audience – The county should be looking at how to integrate smaller organizations into this effort as well as the larger nonprofits.

Is this plan being explored just to fill the beds at facilities? – response: They are trying to “right size” the facilities to the current and projected need, which is less than what it was before.

Is there a pre-design for the site if there is a merger and the facility is here at Totem Town, or if Totem Town leaves this site? There is a concern that the community should be in on the conversation now. – response: There is no ulterior motive for this work. What happens at the site should not take precedence over what is good for the kids.

Questions about the process – What is the $30 million for? Who is the consultant? How long until a decision is made and who makes that decision? – response: The $30 million is to do the work that will eventually produce a plan. At the moment the only outcome being explored is whether it is feasible to merge with Hennepin County. If that is not feasible, other options already outlined will be explored. Hennepin County is paying for the same consultant to do this current exploration that Ramsey County used in defining its multiple options. This allows for some efficiencies in process and some continuity. The ultimate decision will be elected County Commissioners and both sets of county judges who work with the youth.

What gets kids into Boys Totem Town vs other parts of the juvenile corrections system? – response: 80% of the youth at BTT have mental health issues. Many have chemical dependency issues. Many have had many failures in the community, but they are not considered a risk to themselves or to others. Those who end up in Red Wing tend to be gang members and considered a risk to the safety of themselves or others. There would be no change to this framework after any merger. Currently 75-80% of BTT parents are involved in classes and therapy along with the youth.

Questions related to what happens at the site should BTT leave:

A statement was made that the determination of use is already set in stone through a 1990 localized land use plan stating that it should become parkland. - Response: The District 1 Community Council is updating its community plan and this one statement will be reevaluated given that we have an entirely different community and circumstances in 2014 than we had in 1990. A draft of the plan will be rolled out later this year for community response and refinement.

A community member stated that she did not want and there was no need for more low income housing. – response: There is no point in making plans for what should or should not be at the site since no determination has been made to leave.

Another community member stated that he felt BTT was a community asset and didn’t want to see it leave.

The County has committed to coming back with updates twice a year until this is all decided.