Results (and Lessons) of our Ranked Choice Vote - New Name Possibilities...

On Saturday, March 28 and Monday, March 30, we held our Annual Meeting as two open houses where we started the conversation about a possible name change for the district. Many of the other 17 districts in Saint Paul have a name that identifies them as a distinct area of the city - Frogtown, North End, the West Side, Daytons Bluff, Summit Hill - but our four neighborhoods are simply known as District 1. Does that really say anything about who or where we are? What we aspire to? Could we better describe ourselves to our fellow Saint Paulites??

So we held a non-binding, ranked choice election to get people thinking about this (and to learn about ranked choice voting...). The choices listed came from input that we have collected over the years from residents. There was also space for write-in selections. Here are the names that were listed and that were written in:
City View Park --- District 1 (keeping it as some kind of choice...) --- Eastern Heights --- Gateway East --- McKnight Park --- Pigs Eye --- South East Saint Paul --- (written in were -) Battle Creek --- Highwood --- Eastview --- South East Neighborhoods --- Afton Park --- Lower East Side ---City View Heights

In the first round of voting, with a total of 32 people voting, City View Park, Afton Park, South East Neighborhoods, South East Saint Paul, McKnight Park and Eastview all had one vote, and Battle Creek had two votes. These were each dropped after the first round and ballots with these as first choice had their second (or third) choice votes reassigned to the remaining candidates (a few ballots had no viable remaining votes and were dropped from the total).

At the end of the second round of voting, it was VERY CLOSE with District 1 having 9 total votes, Gateway East with 8 total votes, and both Pigs Eye and Eastern Heights each with 7. These latter two options were dropped from the voting and their votes reassigned if District 1 or Gateway East were still among the listed choices on those ballots.

The result of this reassignment was that there were a total of 21 viable votes and Gateway East got 11 of those votes to District 1's 10... Mighty mighty close.

So what does this tell us about a neighborhood identity? Well, first of all, some people are perfectly content with us being District 1. Secondly, there is plenty of room for more discussion about this topic. With so many votes being so close, we clearly are at the very beginning of this discussion. And clearly we haven't found the name that unifies and describes us.

And what does this tell us about ranked choice voting? Well, the first thing I noticed as the tabulator of the votes was that people still do not understand how this system works and aren't thinking strategically about what they want to say with their vote.
1) several people voted the same "candidate" in each of their choices. This meant that, if they chose an unpopular name, they had no say in the final outcome; and those who did this with a more popular name as their one and only choice this time, still risk losing any input with a larger voting pool, if there is a bigger push toward some other name choice in the future... If you really only have one choice that suits you, so be it, but that shouldn't be the case in an election like this...
2) Those who wrote in choices (thank you for the new ideas for future discussion!) for all three choices also ended up not having a say in the final selection because there wasn't a concerted write-in campaign to encourage other people to think about these other choices. This can be a great way in a non-binding election like this one to throw out some new ideas, but in an election that means something, you need to do a lot of organizing before hand and work to get out other voters who will also write-in the same choices if you want a write-in to have a chance to survive the first round...
3) For your first choice, really vote your ideal dream candidate. Then for second and third choices, look at the other candidates and assess their good qualities and their bad qualities - does the balance tell you anything about what might work for you? If the other choices are just plain bad -- get involved earlier and make sure that pool of candidates is the highest quality possible!! The actual results of any election will only be as good as the candidates running.

Elections are not just about the day you cast your vote -- start early and learn about the issues, encourage high quality candidates to run, talk up the good candidates to your friends and neighbors, and then make sure those friends and neighbors come out on election day to speak their minds by casting their vote...

Your VOTE is Your VOICE!!

Thanks to the League of Women Voters for their help with our gathering! And thanks to Ramsey County Elections for all their support in our education efforts. More about the meeting will also follow (including results of the board election...).

Annual Meeting Open House Tomorrow!

A reminder that the first Annual Meeting Open House will be tomorrow!

 

Where: the District 1 Office

When: 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm

 

Second Language Voter Education Materials

If you'd like to learn more about voting and the democratic process but would learn more if you could hear it in Espanol, Hmoob or Soomali then you're in luck!!

Twin Cities Public Television - in conjunction with ECHO developed three videos on the topic - one in each language.  You can watch them here:

Espanol (click here)

Hmoob (click here)

Soomali (click here)

Enjoy!

Climate Preparedness Training Opportunity

On Friday, May 1st, Macalester College, the Saint Paul Mayor's Office, and the Science Museum of Minnesota will host a day long climate preparedness training at the Science Museum. This training will include brief presentations from climate scientists, Met Council and Department of Health staff. We will also have interactive opportunities for participants to make a climate disaster kit and learn more about community grant opportunities. 

Residents from all districts in Saint Paul are invited to attend. We have room for 50 participants. Each will receive a $50 stipend for attending. Breakfast, lunch and parking will also be provided. 

To apply to participate please fill out an application at: macalesterassessment.co1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_bJZvzo0MqSfIsLz.

Want to know more about Land Use and Zoning Decisions?

If you are curious about the process by which the city deals with issues related to how developments happen, how it is decided what kinds of activities can happen where in the city, and how businesses are licensed and inspected, here is a link to a training provided to district council board members by city staff.

This presentation can help answer questions, but may also generate more questions in your mind. If the latter happens, give our office a call and we will see if we can find explanations for you.

Compost Bin Sale - $15 discount for Ramsey County Residents

Ramsey County residents can get a compost bin for only $40! Only 130 discounted compost bins remain. Order yours today and share this email with a friend!

Pre-order online before April 24 at RecycleMinnesota.org and enter promo code ramsey. Or call 651.641.4589 and mention that you are a Ramsey County resident.

Pick up your pre-ordered bin on:
  April 17 in Roseville
  April 18 in Maplewood
  April 25 in Saint Paul

For more information, visit RecycleMinnesota.org.

East Side Job Fair 3/25

On March 25, from 10am to 2pm, Merrick will hold its 2nd Annual "East Side Collaborative Employment & Resource Fair" at the Arlington Hills Community Center.   

Over 25 employers will be present, conducting on-the-spot interviews and meeting prospective employees. If you are a business in need of recruiting, please contact contactXenia.Hernandez@ci.stpaul.mn.us. Registration is easy and free! (we kindly suggest making a $25 donation) 

Please share this with anyone looking for a job!   

Fire in the 'Hood and Fire Safety...

On March 14 at 5:54 p.m. in an apartment in our neighborhood, fire companies were called to report of a fire. Upon arrival they found and extinguished a kitchen fire. The fire originated on the stove, with substantial damage to cabinets and wall surfaces above, with light smoke damage to the rest of the apartment. The resident had turned all four burners on the electric stove top to warm the apartment and then saw flames. She attempted to smother the flames, and then evacuated and called 9-1-1.  Damage is estimated at $30,000.

·         Careless cooking is the leading cause of building fires.  We recommend installing simple Stovetop FireStops under the hood about your range, like the one that put out a similar fire shown in this photo:

·         Stovetop FireStops are available from 13 Ace hardware stores in the Twin Cities.

      For more information, go to http://www.stovetopfirestop.com/

  

      Renters who are concerned about condition of their living space can call the city to get someone out to inspect - 651-266-8989. Every rental property has to have a certificate of occupancy saying it meets city standards. Legal assistance for renters can be found through HOME Line

      The District Council office has fire prevention information in multiple languages for both renters and homeowners...

City BIke Plan Approved...

NOTE: Here is the Mayor's press release on this approval. Keep in mind that a lot of community members put in a lot of work to make this happen by working with each other and with Public Works officials. Let's hear it for COMMUNITY VOICES!! And let's make sure that it is implemented in a way that addresses the current unbalanced distribution of bike facilities - Let's hear it for putting more emphasis on the EASTSIDE and on the WEST SIDE!!

 The City Council [on March 18] adopted the Saint Paul Bicycle Plan that more than doubles bike pathways and connections throughout Saint Paul over the next several decades. In the City’s 2015 budget, Mayor Chris Coleman dedicated more than $27 million of the 8-80 Vitality Fund to road reconstruction, including the creation of bike pathways – the largest investment in bike infrastructure in Saint Paul’s history. 

“Saint Paul needs to be a city that works for everyone, whether they are age eight or age 80 – and whether they are traveling by foot, car, transit or bicycle,” Mayor Coleman said. “This long-term, comprehensive bike plan will transform our neighborhoods over time by helping to ensure a balanced and equitable approach to transportation infrastructure, improved safety and quality of life, and new economic opportunities and access for people of all ages.”

Based on the work of internationally-renowned urban designer Gil Penalosa, the 8-80 Vitality vision aims to ensure infrastructure, streets and public spaces function for residents of all ages and abilities. The newly adopted Saint Paul Bicycle Plan is the first comprehensive strategy to advance this vision since Mayor Coleman announced the 8-80 Vitality Fund as part of his 2015 budget.

The comprehensive bike plan is also the first to address policies and infrastructure for bicycles on a citywide basis. It includes a forward-looking blueprint for bike routes, prioritizing the initial completion of the Grand Round – a 27-mile, scenic parkway for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists that circles the city – as well as an innovative network of off-street paths throughout downtown. The approved plan calls for the total construction of 197 additional miles of bicycle facilities, bringing the total bicycle network to 350 miles within Saint Paul when complete.

"This plan is a key step forward to building a network of connected bikeways across St. Paul, making it easier to get around the city by bike for people of all ages and in all neighborhoods,” said Council President Russ Stark. “This is another important milestone toward making St. Paul a more livable, equitable, and sustainable city."

Additional bike routes will be incorporated into previously scheduled infrastructure investments planned as part of the Saint Paul Street Vitality Program, and as part of other routine maintenance such as street repaving projects. The plan identifies opportunities to expand and improve connectivity among and access to the city’s many regional trails, including the Samuel Morgan Regional Trail, Bruce Vento Regional Trail, Trout Brook Regional Trail and Gateway State Trail.

A public process

Since city planners first began developing the bike plan in 2011, resident feedback has been an integral part of the process and has been incorporated into the final, adopted plan. These efforts build on existing policy established by the city, as well as work completed by agency partners, including Ramsey County, the Minnesota Department of Transportation and the Metropolitan Council.

The Metropolitan Council must also review and approve the Saint Paul Bicycle Plan before it is considered an addendum to the Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan.

A balanced bicycle network downtown

 A network of off-street paths in the downtown core will connect popular attractions, spur economic development, and position Saint Paul at the forefront of bicycling in the United States.

The first phase of the downtown bike loop will be developed on Jackson Street coinciding with planned road reconstruction in 2016. Subsequent work along Jackson Street  will establish a critical connection between the Samuel Morgan Regional Trail along the Mississippi River and the Gateway State Trail, which extends northeast out of Saint Paul with connections to Stillwater and beyond.

An additional study to determine the final alignment of off-street paths throughout downtown – including considerations related to parking and other transportation needs, as well as connections to existing bikeways– will be completed in 2015. The city is in the process of establishing a Community Advisory Committee to help advise city staff throughout the planning process.

Grand Round 

Throughout 2015, city planners will study innovative ways to prioritize biking and walking along portions of the Grand Round, including Pelham Boulevard, Raymond Avenue, Como Avenue, Wheelock Parkway, and Johnson Parkway. Between 2016 and 2019, Wheelock Parkway between Lake Como and Lake Phalen are scheduled to be reconstructed, providing an opportunity to implement trails, sidewalks, or other amenities along the parkway.

Ford Site

 The city is undergoing extensive planning for the 125-acre Ford Plant site in Highland Park and has placed a high priority on encouraging walking, biking and transit as a part of future developments. Special care will be taken to identify bikeways that both serve the planned development as well as facilitate bicycle passage through the site.

The final adopted version of the Saint Paul Bicycle Plan will be available soon for download here. Information about the Mayor’s 8-80 Vitality Fund can be found here.

Notes from the Conway Community Update with Sanneh Foundation

There were 21 people who came together to talk about what the Sanneh Foundation is doing and has

planned for the Conway Rec Center. After a welcome and introduction from the Conway Community Advisory Group chair, Kris Gjerde, the program director at Conway spoke. His name is Ofir Germanic, and he comes to the Sanneh Foundation from working with the SP Parks and Rec Department, most recently at McDonough Rec Center.

The Sanneh Foundation has only started running the center on its own since Jan 1, 2015. Prior to that time, the center was jointly staffed by both the Sanneh Foundation and St. Paul Parks staff. It is generally agreed among those who witnessed the year of joint staffing, that the effort was not particularly successful. After new staff was established and the center came under the sole direction of the Sanneh Foundation (SF), that organization began discussions with local schools about how to meet students’ needs. Discussions with Eastern Heights Elementary started off this effort with SF staff meeting with school staff and with Parent Assembly. As a result of those discussions and discussions over the past year with users of the center, here is what they have established so far:

1)      Conway Kids Time is held from 4-6 weekdays similar to the old Rec Check program. But they have 30-40 kids per day attending. They get a snack, homework help, art and sports activities – the children attending are a very diverse mix of backgrounds;

2)      Basketball teams have been started that are not tied to the city’s seasonal schedule, They have 18 and under, and 14 and under teams; some of the teams they form may join the city leagues.

3)      The have two 10 and under soccer team and a 16and under soccer team – 15 girls included in these teams. They are working with Parks and Rec to join their soccer league;

4)      There is open gym every day from 2-4:30 and every weekend day;

5)      They are open daily 9a to 10p. This is a huge increase in the number of open hours for the center;

6)      Circle of Peace, in collaboration with Battle Creek Middle School, is meeting at the center to eat and talk about kids’ futures;

7)       For adults there is open gym every day from 8p-10p;

8)      They have some rentals to a local soccer club weekly;

9)      They have started a leadership group;

10)    They are recruiting for a girls group to make sure that girls and young women feel safe and welcomed at the center;

11)   They are partnering with Youth Care – Safari in the City  to do resume building, and field trips for youth;

12)   They have a program called “Breakfast Books and Balls” (based on an earlier program started by community members) from 9a to 11a on Saturdays. This program includes homework help and games;

13)   They are working with a partner that gives training and help getting ready for college – essentially extending what they have done with soccer participants to all sports

14)   They emphasize that although they are fully booked in the gym now, they are open to ideas from the community about other things needed here.

15)   During tax season, tax preparation help is available every Wednesday; Toastmaster

16)   They hold Toastmaster sessions;

17)   They partner with organizations focused on foster care, and sponsor events to celebrate those committed to fostering our children; (Including an event on March 7)

18)   The site remains a polling place during elections.

Tony Sanneh spoke about their philosophy of full body involvement – their programs are not just about soccer or even just about sports. They are also about nourishing the body – meals and nutrition – and nourishing the mind – focusing on academics and on meditation, for example. But space is limited – there is no shortage of kids and adults who want to use the facility and they are looking at needs of community and trying to serve all populations. He acknowledged that it took some time to work out how they would operate at the center and to find the right staff, but he and the Foundation now take full responsibility for what happens at the Center.

Upcoming plans include installing a computer lab, bringing Twin Cities World Soccer for adults, a Youthprise partnership that will offer free hot meal for kids daily.

The discussion from attendees began with a concern about lighting in the parking lot and potential drug deals after closure. This is actually a city and park issue, not something that the Foundation is responsible for. Luckily in attendance were Mike Whaley, Director of the all the parks in this area, and Gwen Peterson, Director of Recreation Services for the City. Park Police should be making regular rounds.

There were additional comments about wanting more landscaping around the center. District 1 was able to talk a bit about the Library’s collaboration with the Children and Nature Network and their upcoming efforts to re-naturalize the park grounds (planting and celebration will be June 13!!).

There was recognition that ethnic diversity inside Conway Center was increasing but there was some question about whether there were efforts to help foster cross generational interactions. Sanneh staff spoke about their work acting as a bridge between teachers and students their parents. SF wants parent involvement. A goal to aim for may be bridging between youth and elders who are neighbors but not family members.

There were several comments about the impressive array of activities at the center, about the welcoming of visitors and demonstrations of what was happening. There were some concerns from youth and others about staff turnover at Sanneh and concerns for consistency of the adult presence. As Tony stated, however, they acknowledge that it took some time for them to work out how things would operate and who was the best fit. They will continually assess their staff. There were suggestions to hire from the community and from among the youth who consistently appear at the center. As always, there is hope that there will be more opportunities for youth coming in to find out about jobs at the center and elsewhere.

There was a question about other activities than soccer – the big picture – noting that people play a variety of sports. SF noted that the center has more basketball time now than there was operational time before – that is there is more gym time just for basketball than there was for ALL activities at the center before they moved in. Football last fall was also a huge draw. They noted that they listen to everyone who is here – if more kids come to play something, they will add more time for those activities, recognizing that there is a limited amount of space. They have also applied to Right Track program to get more youth jobs here for the summer and will try to give the community more heads up for jobs that will be coming to get people to be prepared for the jobs.

There was a question about winter sports outside and what was happening for girls. SF stated that they are aware that girls want to make sure they feel safe and respected, that they may need more rules and a dedicated space so that girls feel comfortable. They have been able to do this with younger girls because they have the numbers. They need to bolster the number of older girls and young women by recruiting and empowering young women so they are comfortable – it takes intentional thought process to get and keep girls involved. As far as winter sports go ice rink was moved but they did take kids for hockey over at BC once a week. (NOTE: meetings coming up with Ramsey County about making Battle Creek a winter sports haven…)

Finally, one neighbor commented that he likes to see the activity going on; it is great to be able to come across and watch games in the summer, but since soccer and during the football season, he spends significant time picking up garbage after the games every day. Parks staff committed to placing more trash containers along where people are coming and going to their cars.

The Chair of the Community Advisory Group noted that all senior programs are all gone – something that the community originally wanted to avoid happening – but this change was NOT a result of any action on the part of SF. These programs were pulled out by Community Ed and were dispersed to other locations. SF notes that they are in the process of bringing in a new senior program and they hope to have open gym during the day for drop ins to walk in the gym in the winter, for example.

The question was then raised as to how they plan to get the seniors back in the building and have them interacting. SF mentioned mentoring as a possibility – looking to see if it is viable here. They are also working with county attorney around issues to prevent  violence toward women.

There was an on-going commitment by both SF and the District Council to remain in communication about things happening.

The meeting adjourned about 8p.

Many thanks to the Sanneh Foundation for hosting the event, to the Conway Community Advisory Group members for their work on behalf of the Community, and to Parks staff for their participation and input. And special thanks to the youth who showed up to comment and contribute!!

The 2015 D1 Annual Meeting is here!

That's right!  It is that time of year again for our D1 Annual Meeting!

2015's theme is about voting.  We will learn about regular voting, ranked choice voting, absentee voting.  Better yet, we will do our board election and non-binding vote for a new district council name using ranked choice voting!

This year we will be featuring a newly built Wheel of Fortune and a spoken word performance by none other than east side artist, Chilli Lor!

Hmong Writer-in-Residence at SUN RAY LIBRARY!!

Coffee House Press and the Saint Paul Public Library are excited to announce that Kao Kalia Yang, author of The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir (Coffee House Press, 2008), will be Sun Ray Library's writer-in-residence this Spring.

Kao Kalia Yang is a member of the Hmong ethnic minority. Her memoir, The Latehomecomer, was the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2009 Minnesota Book Award for Creative Nonfiction/Memoir. Her followup, The Song Poet (Metropolitan Books, 2016), is a tribute to both her father and to the Hmong tradition of storytelling.

As a speaker presenting to groups in K-12 public and private schools, universities and colleges, and various other community groups, Yang addresses the immigrant experience and helps facilitate storytelling both on and off the page. During the course of her residency, she’ll use the books, space, and community at Sun Ray to further develop her craft as a writer and storyteller.

Yang's residency is part of In The Stacks, a program developed by Coffee House Press. The two year old program has placed writers and artists in residencies at the Walker Art Center, American Craft Council, Quatrefoil Library, Poets House, American Swedish Institute, Hennepin County Library, and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. The goal of In The Stacks is to create a body of work that will inspire a broader public to engage with their local libraries in a new and meaningful way, and to encourage artists and the general public to think about libraries as creative spaces.

In The Stacks is part Books in Action, a broader initiative by Coffee House Press to publish works and develop programs that encourage and nurture literary arts beyond the page, highlighting people and organizations working to further interdisciplinary collaborations, reader engagement, and nontraditional means of accessing the reading experience.

“Each residency has generated a much different result, ranging from essays, fiction, and poetry to visual and performance art.” said Jay Peterson, the program's coordinator. “I’m looking forward to seeing how Kalia uses her time as a resident to both push forward current projects and to lay the groundwork for future creative work. We also hope to show artists on the East Side, whether young or not-so-young, that the library system can play a helpful role in their creative process.”

Peterson and staff from the Saint Paul Public Library chose the Sun Ray branch to highlight its newly renovated indoor and outdoor reading and community spaces. With an additional 2,500 square feet of indoor public space added in 2014, Sun Ray now has an outdoor reading garden, a quiet reading room, flexible study/meeting rooms, and a 900 square-foot community room with bathrooms and after-hours access.

Yang will give a public presentation on May 6th at 7pm at Sun Ray Library.