St. Paul and National Night Out

Once again, the City of St. Paul has come in first in the nation for cities its size! It is a winner in terms of the number and quality of the National Night Out celebrations. These events are held the first Tuesday in August every year and are a way to get to know your neighbors, have fun, and reduce the amount of crime in an area.

This year, District 1 had 11 block parties, including a community-wide event (see this blog for last August!).

Congratulations to all the neighbors who contributed to this award AND to making our communities safer!

Looking for Flu Shots?

If you are trying to find out where flu shots are available, check out the Ramsey County public health web page. This site has important updates on several issues, including availability of the vaccine.

Community Meeting on Highwood Permit Request

On Tuesday December 8 at 5:30p, the District Council's Land Use committee will be meeting at the Conway Rec Center to discuss a proposal of a Nonconforming Use Permit to be issued for 770 Brookline St. in the Highwood neighborhood and the River Corridor.

This business is a excavation business that has multiple large machines stored on the property, just south of the Highwood Preserve and off of Springside Avenue. The permit is required because this type of business is not legally permitted in a residential area along the bluffs in the River Corridor.

The Committee will be taking comments at the meeting and then presenting its opinion at a meeting on Thursday, December 10 at 3:30p in City Hall Chambers before the city's zoning committee.

Residents are welcome to come to our committee meeting to give comments and also to attend or send their comments to the Zoning Committee. If you cannot attend either meeting, send comments to us at district1council@aol.com or to Sarah.Zorn@ci.stpaul.mn.us.

As the District Council Prepares to Move...

As our organization prepares to move to our new location within SunRay Shopping Center, we are changing the way we will hold our public meetings.

Starting in January 2010, we will be holding our regular board meetings at different locations around the district. In addition, we will spend the first 15-20 minutes of each meeting asking residents of the neighborhoods around the meeting-place to talk about their interests, their concerns, and their dreams for their community. We will also try to focus the main topic of our meeting on matters relevant to the hosting neighborhood.

On January 25, we will be meeting at Merrick Community Center (1526 E. 6th St.) and will discuss neighbors visions for Eastview Park (Park staff will be present).

On February 22, we will be meeting at La Quinta Hotel (1870 Old Hudson Rd.) - topic to be determined...

And during the week of March 22, we will hold our Annual Meeting and an Open House at our new office, 2105 1/2 Old Hudson Rd, in SunRay Shopping Center - details to follow...

We are excited about the changes coming to our organization, and hope you will join us as we visit different neighborhoods in our district to talk about what is on everyone's mind!

We are also looking for people willing to serve on our board, especially people living in the Eastview neighborhood (north of I-94, south of Minnehaha, and west of White Bear Avenue to Birmingham...). So let us know if you want to join us in guiding the council into the next decade.

New School Superintendent Named

Valeria Silva, the current chief academic officer of the St. Paul Public Schools, has been named as the new Superintendent of the public school system. She has been the Director of English Language Learner Programs, and principal at both Adams Spanish Immersion School and Dayton's Bluff Elementary. She began her career as a teacher in St. Paul's public schools.

Her start date as superintendent is still to be negotiated, but it should happen relatively quickly.

Submitted by Office of Community Relations for SPPS

3M Chemicals in the News Again

The Star Tribune has published an article about new research that indicates a correlation between the chemicals that were found in Oakdale's municipal wells and high cholesterol levels in people drinking the tainted water.

The link to the article is here.

A reminder that the suit brought against 3M about the contamination ended with the decision that the chemicals were not harmful. 3M paid for residents of surrounding communities to have carbon filters put on their faucets. They also paid for Oakdale to make arrangements to get clean water from the municipal sources.

Arrangements were not made for Highwood residents with private wells because, although the contamination was headed in our direction, the estimates are that it will affect aquifers not tapped by private wells. If residents are concerned about their private water sources, the recommendation is that you use carbon filters on your faucets.

But we will keep an eye on this situation.

Too many phonebooks??

You do not have to continue receiving all those different phone directories... Here's how to opt out of them:

• Dex - www.dexknows.com, click on "select your Dex", enter your zipcode and click on "Proceed to select your Dex", enter your address and put a zero in the number of books to receive; or call 1-877-243-8339;
• Yellowbook - call 1-800-929-3556;
• Verizon Yellow Pages - 1-800-888-8448.

All these books can be recycled, too, so put your old phone books in your blue recycling bin with your paper and cardboard.

Info from the Star Tribune "Fixit" column...

Proposed Cell Tower at Eastview

The City of St. Paul is proposing to install a 100 ft cell tower at Eastview Park. This new installation will also involve improvements to the floodlights. The project will generate a bit of money for the city, too.

The District Council is holding a meeting on Monday, November 23 at 6:30p at the Conway Rec Center (2090 Conway) to hear from the city about the project and to take comments from neighbors.

Please join us if you can, or send your comments to district1council@aol.com.

St Paul Schools Superintendent Search

First a note, in case you didn't hear... Tom Goldstein retired early from the school board to allow newly elected Jean O'Connell to participate in the selection of the new superintendent... a class act all the way around!!

Then, the finalists have been chosen and interviews with the candidates are open to the public, although the public will not actually be participating. For more information about the interview process, which takes place starting next week - November 16-19, check out the St Paul Public School website.

The Problem of Hunger

There is an article in the 11/12/09 Minneapolis Star Tribune about hunger in Minnesota and how Second Harvest Heartland is dealing with the situation. Check it out at Star Tribune.

The thing to keep in mind about this article is that 1 in 10 people in Minnesota suffers from hunger - that is, skips meals because of lack of food, worries about where their next meal is coming from, has their health endangered because of lack of proper nutrition. This is something that should not be tolerated in a country that produces so much food...

This problem is also why the district council is interested in starting another community garden in our area - specifically north of I-94. The meeting on November 18 is a starting place to plan for this garden (see this blog for specific information about the meeting), but another meeting will be planned for early in December. All around the city, neighborhoods are setting up community gardens, and looking for other ways to assure that their residents have healthy foods available. And every community garden makes donations of excess produce to local food shelves - our own Totem Town Community Garden donated almost 500 lbs of produce this year alone.

If you are able, consider making donations to local food shelves - what they most need is cash to purchase items that are not donated seasonally and to make sure that healthy foods are available. You can contact Merrick Community Services to donate to the two eastside food shelves they run - call 651.771.8821 to find out how.

Water Quality of the Mississippi

A lot of times people ask the district council why we are so concerned about what happens to the land above the Mississippi River - the Highwood Hills area with its bluffs and tree cover.

Well, perhaps you didn't know, but the Mississippi River is a major source of drinking water for several cities along its banks, including St. Paul. In addition, we have residents in Highwood who have private wells, some of them quite shallow. In order to assure that ALL of us have safe drinking water, we need to make sure that the water in the river and below the surface is as clean as possible. (Remember the water cycle from grade school??)

The Friends of the Mississippi River have a short article with links that explains how the river provides drinking water - and an upcoming event. Check this out at this link - Drink the River.

Visit the On-line Auction!

District 1 Community Council has an on-line auction underway with some very interesting items.

The auction is a new effort to raise money to support our work in the community.

You can visit the auction at this link - D1 Auction.

New Community Garden Meeting

On Wednesday, November 18th, there will be a meeting about a potential community garden in the Conway/Eastview area of the district (north of I-94). The purpose of the meeting is to brainstorm possible locations, how to access water and tools at these locations, what types of gardening will be preferred, what kinds of educational programs could be offered, and any other ideas generated by the community. I encourage anyone to attend, especially those who would like to be instrumental in establishing this wonderful community space, whether it be by organizing, educating or volunteering.

When: November 18 at 7p

Where: Conway Rec Center, 2090 Conway (in meeting room)

Contact: Michael Higgins -- higgins.michael2@gmail.com

District 1 Council -- 651.501.6345

Submitted by Michael Higgins, HECUA Environmental Sustainability Intern

Public School Annual Report

The St. Paul Public School system has posted their Annual Report (including information about the superintendent search) on its website.

You can access the report by clicking on this link - public school report.

Electronic Recycling at Best Buy

Best Buy's current recycling policy:

They take just about anything electronic, including TVs, DVD players, computer monitors, cell phones and more. You can bring in up to two items a day, per household, and most things are free to recycle. However, there is a $10 charge for TVs 32" and under, CRTs, monitors, and laptops. But in exchange for that $10 charge, they will give you a $10 Best Buy gift card to offset the cost. They call it a little e-incarnation appreciation.

They do not take TVs with wood cabinets, so if you are unsure about what they will accept, call the store before you haul the stuff in.

Submitted by resident Jim Hartmann (thanks Jim!!)

Volunteer Gardening Program in the Parks

The St. Paul Department of Parks and Recreation has a volunteer gardening program to help maintain the gardens and planted areas throughout the city. In our area, this includes the Suburban Avenue planters and gardens at Eastview, Conway, Battle Creek and Highwood Hills Rec Centers. Individuals and groups can sign up to be Garden Stewards at these locations.

There are also opportunities to be Park Stewards. These individuals help to keep our local parks clean. We have had a hugely successful stewardship program going at Battle Creek Park for a long time, headed currently by resident, Sue Moyer. But our other parks could also use a helping hand.

Finally, there are opportunities to be Eco Stewards of our natural areas, such as the Highwood Preserve.

Any of these would be great activities for youth groups, seniors groups, or groups of local neighbors. To become a steward, go to www.stpaul.gov and type "garden steward" in the search box. Click on the link that comes up to get the registration form.

Submitted by Mark Granlund, St. Paul Parks and Rec.

Public Hearing on County Commissioner Salaries

There will be a public hearing on Monday, November 2, at 6:30p in the third floor Council Chambers of City Hall/County Courthouse regarding a proposal to raise County Commissioners' salaries. The address of the Courthouse is 15 W. Kellogg, downtown St. Paul.

If you would like to comment but cannot make the public hearing, you can submit comments via email to charteramendment@co.ramsey.mn.us or by calling Bonnie at 651.266.8014.

An earlier public hearing - October 30 at the same time and location - will cover the proposed county budget.

Submitted by Ramsey County

Changes to Off-Street Parking...

St. Paul is revising its off-street parking requirements to better reflect the needs of different kinds of transportation, environmental concerns, and to support vibrant development. The last time these requirements were changed was in 1992. The proposal applies only to new development and significantly modified existing off-street parking.

There will be a public meeting to gather responses from the community about the proposed changes on November 10, 6:30-8p at the Dayton's Bluff Rec Center, 800 Conway St.

Information about the proposed changes can be found at this city website location. You can also contact city staff at 651.266.6547 or 651.266.6562 for more information.

Submitted by the City of St. Paul

Mississippi River As a National Park

On line there is an article about how the Mississippi River in our area is a part of the National Park System. This is an unusual thing - to have a major river running through an urban area that is actually a national park.

This article can help people understand why it is important to have protections on the lands of the bluffs, even though those lands may be private property. There is a recognition that the river is a system and not just a strip of water.

Besides being a park, the Mississippi River is the source of drinking water for many people in this metropolitan area and down stream of us. Keeping the water clean, keeps it safe, and keeps us healthy...

Here's the link - Minnesota Public Radio

Raking Leaves to Clean the River

Remember, now that the leaves are falling, do NOT rake your leaves into the street. When leaves are raked into the street, they end up going down the gutters into the storm sewers that empty directly into the Mississippi River. This type of organic matter is a major source of phosphorus pollution in our waters that can kill off the critters living there and degrade the drinking water that we use.

A second effect that raking has is that it increases the costs to the city of sweeping the streets. And you know who will end up paying those costs!! -- we do, in higher street assessments.

Rake your leaves and either start your own compost pile at home (leaves make great mulch for those tender plants - but wait to apply it until the ground freezes), or take them to the Ramsey County Composting sites. There is one composting site at Londin Lane and Winthrop, near Afton View Apartments, and one at Frank and Sims (which also accepts woody material).

Here is a link to information about backyard composting. And here is the link to information on county composting sites.

Police Storefront is Moving!

At the end of this week, the Battle Creek Police Storefront will be moving two doors down to 2105 1/2 Old Hudson Rd. This storefront is a joint project of the St. Paul Police Department and the District 1 Community Council. It will be changing its name to (simply) "Police Storefront" AND, by the end of the year, the District 1 Community Council office will be co-locating with it.

The new space is still in the breezeway of the SunRay Shopping Center, but is directly across from Great Clips, overlooking the Metro Transit hub on Pederson Ave. We hope that this new location will give both the Storefront and the Council greater visibility, and will allow us to work more closely on issues to benefit our neighborhoods.

Once both moves are over, we will hold an open house and invite residents and businesses to come check us out.

Volunteers Brave the Cold/Snow and Clean-Up D1!

You certainly can't tell it from these pictures, but the October 10 Community Clean-Up at Harding High School was cold and snowy. Our fabulous volunteers still managed to safely unload 138 carloads of stuff for their neighbors.

Our crews working on helping out elders in the area brought in materials from another 32 households. We had multiple crews this year so the work was done quickly and efficiently.

The photo on the left is of our reuse area. You can see that there were many items that could be reused by new owners and we did incredibly well getting things into the hands of people and organizations that could use them. The photo on the left is of our father and son team who kept tabs on the metals being brought in that will be recycled - no contamination with non-metals! And you can see behind them that we also collected a number of bicycles that were given to Sibley Bike Shop for refurbishing and donation to people needing this kind of transportation.

Although our numbers were down from last year, we really had great success with meeting our objective of trying to keep as much stuff out of landfills as we possibly can. So thanks again to our volunteers, to neighbors who brought stuff in, to Bridging and Sibley Bike Shop, to the Totem Town crew, to Totem Town Community Garden, to Harding High School, to Eureka, to Lightning Disposal, to JR Appliances, and to Little Oven - which supplied our hungry crew with lunch.

A cold success for us all! Thanks!

Do you want to represent our neighborhoods??

Several opportunities have come up for residents of our area to serve the community on a task force. Contact the District 1 office if you are interested in serving on any of the following groups by calling 651.501.6345 or by emailing district1council@aol.com:

1. The Downtown Airport Noise Commission - this group meets at least quarterly and is looking for someone to serve for two years. John Miersch has been our representative for the last two years but has stepped down. The group looks at issues related to noise from Holman Field.
2. Capital Improvement Program Citizens Advisory Committee for Ramsey County - helps plan for capital improvements and advise the County Board about setting priorites.
3. Food and Nutrition Commission (Joint City and County) - this is a forum for assessing how local food systems are serving residents and planning for increased access to safe, affordable and nutritious foods. The Commission is set to lay out a comprehensive vision for healthy food access in the county. The commission is looking for farmers, people associated with food banks and food shelves, community gardeners, grocers. restaurant owners, and consumers from areas lacking adequate food access, health professionals and so on. Seven positions are available.
4. Small Business Enterprise Advisory Committee - committee advises the county board on inclusiveness in contracting. Nine positions are available.
5. Community Corrections Advisory Board - this group helps formulate a comprehensive plan for the correctional programs in the county. Minorities and individuals with education backgrounds in corrections are encouraged to apply.

Submitted by Ramsey County

Environmental Restoration at Battle Creek Park

Ramsey County Parks is starting a major prairie, savannah, and oak woodland restoration in Battle Creek Regional Park. The project will total 200 acres in three project areas and is the largest restoration project in Ramsey County.

The work starts this fall with removal of invasive species. Next spring there will be a prescribed burn and seeding the prairies will be done in early summer, with the other zones in the fall. The project will continue in 2011 with weed control, selective mowing and additional burns.

The restored areas will provide a more diverse mixture of prairie and woodland grasses and wildflowers. The area will also provide increased habitat for wildlife, especially with birds. The restored habitat will tie into other restorations and natural habitats within the Mississippi corridor. Nancy Duncan, of the National Park Service Mississippi National River Recreation Area, stated, "The Battle Creek restoration is a crucial piece of the Mississippi habitat corridor."

Funding for this project comes from a grant from the Parks and Trails Fund of the Legacy Amendment.

Submitted by John Moriarty, Ramsey County Parks

Free Breakfast at local Schools

The St. Paul Public Schools, through the National School Lunch/Breakfast Program, is providing breakfast at no charge to students at many of its schools.

Included in this program are Sheridan Elementary, Eastern Heights Elementary, Highwood Hills Elementary, Battle Creek Environmental Magnet, Battle Creek Middle School, and Harding High School.

Submitted by St. Paul Public Schools

Stay Fire Smart

By following simple safety rules, you can "Stay Fire Smart! Don't Get Burned!"

• keep hot foods and liquids away from tables and counter edges so they cannot be pulled or knocked over.
• have a 3 foot "kid-free" zone around the stove.
• never hold a child in your arms while preparing hot food or drinking a hot beverage.
• be careful when using things that get hot such as curling irons, oven, irons, lamps, heaters.
• install tamper-resistant receptacles to prevent a child from sticking an object in an electrical outlet.
• never leave a child alone in a room with a lit candle, portable heater, lit fireplace or stove, or where a hot appliance is in use.
• wear short or close-fitting sleeves when cooking.
• set your hot water temperature no higher than 120 degrees (this saves on electrical or gas bills, too!)
• install anti-scald valves on shower heads and faucets.

The St. Paul Fire Department has developed a brand new program to help people be fire-safe in their homes. The program is called "Project Safe Haven." Firefighters will help you make your home a safe haven from fire. It's completely free and includes a smoke detector and a carbon monoxide detector. First you survey your home using a handy checklist. Once you have corrected any hazards on the checklist, firefighters come to your home to help you with a fire escape plan and install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors if needed. For more information on this project, contact Paula Peterson at paula.peterson@ci.stpaul.mn.us or by calling 651.228.6203.

Submitted by St. Paul Fire Marshal and the Fire Department

10 Things to Do For the River

1. Become a River Citizen in your community by spreading the word to friends, neighbors and elected officials that the Mississippi River is important to you.
2. Encourage your local community to take actions to protect the river (such as supporting wetlands protection, cleaning up old hazardous waste sites, restoring habitat).
3. Volunteer at a River Clean Up or with local conservation committees.
4. Reduce yard chemicals to reduce chemical pollution and protect habitat.
5. Buying organic produce to support sustainable farming practices.
6. Respect the Storm Sewers making sure only rain goes down the storm drains (not grass clippings or leaves).
7. Landscape with native plants and trees to support wildlife and natural systems of flood control.
8. Support river access such as river trails, boat launches, and parks.
9. Support sound land management to prevent erosion (and increase water infiltration - support the Highwood Development Plan and the River Corridor Standards).
10. Get to know your river.

Visit this site to become a River Citizen today.

Submitted by the St. Paul Riverfront Corporation.

A District 1 Success!!

During the Capital Improvement Budget process, when we were advocating for new playground equipment at Taylor Park, we made connections with folks in Dayton's Bluff. We didn't get money to finance improvements, but those connections paid off.

The photos here show before and after shots of the equipment that used to be there and what is there now. The other thing that is there now is A LOT MORE KIDS PLAYING!!

We want to thank the residents who advocated for the park, our friends in Dayton's Bluff, and the St. Paul Parks and Rec folks for making this improvement happen!

Highwood Hills makes the NY Times!

There is an interesting article about a couple who bought a foreclosed house in Highwood Hills in the NY Times. I love how it calls out the unique history of the neighborhood and the slide show really gives you a sense of the amazing possibilities of renovation. Who knew the New York Times was paying attention to the East Side of St. Paul??(Here is the NYTimes link)

As a part of the work of LiveMSP we have been soliciting written testimonials from residents who share in 50 words or less what they love about their neighborhoods. Something we would love to see are video versions of this, where residents show us their neighborhoods and talk about what makes it a special place to live.

We feel the East side is totally unknown to people who don't live there and it would be an exciting thing to showcase its assets, the amazing diversity of people and topography and what it's like to be an Eastsider. LiveMSP would be happy to partner and assist!!

Submitted by Mary Kay Bailey, LiveMSP.org

Rail Noise Listserv is Available

If you would like to be added to the listserv that will be used to keep neighbors informed about the noise situation at the CP Rail yard, contact Betsy at district1council@aol.com.

This listserv will allow its members to discuss what's happening as well as to share information from the railroad and our elected officials.

District 1 Now on Facebook

So we realize that a lot of people are on Facebook these days and on Facebook often. So we have finally joined the club! We have been on Ning, but thought it might be easier for everyone if we were where most people doing this social networking actually spend time.

We hope that people will join us there and start talking about things that concern you. You can talk to us and talk to each other that way.

The more connected we are, the better off we will all be! Here's where we are - District1 Facebook

Rail Noise Meeting Held

On Tuesday, September 22 thirty-five District 1 residents met with a representative of Canadian Pacific Rail to talk about the increase in noise from the trains in the past two years. Everyone got a chance to tell about their experience and CP Rail got information to help figure out what is going on.

But more information is needed...

So we have a series of next steps including:

1. CP Rail will talk to local managers and make sure that brakes are being properly released and that computer programs are not being bypassed in the "humping" process;
2. We have also asked if they can check whether the manufacturer of the "Hard Quiet" brakes has changed, or if the software controlling the process has changed in the past two years;
3. Kathy Lantry's office will look to see if city decibel meters can be loaned out to the community (we have residents who have volunteered to be sites for the meters) so we can document the noise levels - this will define whether the RR is in compliance with restrictions;
4. CP Rail will investigate other types of braking systems;
5. And residents will call the CP Rail Complaint Line with documentation of incidents of high noise levels. This number is 1-800-766-7912.

When calling in incidents, be as specific as possible - date/time, type of noise, where it is happening, what kind of railcar (if possible), and length of time the noise continued. You can also email the information to Community_Connect@cpr.ca

Help us get this problem solved!! We will meet again in January 2010 to see if the problem has improved. And check back here for updates...

New Fundraising Effort - Online Auction

The District 1 Community Council is collaborating with a local resident to run an online auction to raise money for the organization. We are seeking items you may be willing to donate that are worth at least $20 - items that you don't need anymore but that have some value to someone else, but are not items that you might donate to Goodwill or a Thrift store. (see your copy of the District 1 News for the types of items we are talking about...)

We are asking that people drop these items off on Saturday, October 17 between 9a and 4p at the Faith Alliance Church parking lot - 520 N. Howard. We will then auction them off online and send you a receipt of donation for the value at which the item sold.

We hope that this will provide us additional funding to support our efforts to keep the neighborhood informed, gather information from neighbors, and work toward making our community even better than it already is.

Please consider donating items on October 17!! For more information, contact us at 651.501.6345 or by email at district1council@aol.com.

Thanks!!

Fall Festival at Conway

On Saturday, September 26 from 10a - 2p there will be an East Side Pride Fall Festival at Conway Recreation Center.

There will be an afternoon of football, carnival games and food. Meal deals will be sold for $2 and include hot dogs, chips and soda.

Come join the fun!!

Submitted by the St. Paul Parks and Rec Dept.

Site Plan available

The proposed site plan for the Comforts of Home assisted living and memory care unit, to be built at 1880 Old Hudson Rd, is now available.

This new development will replace the long-vacant eastern section of the Ramada Inn site. It will be next door to La Quinta Hotel and will include new landscaping along with their standard design.

If you are interested in seeing the plans and commenting, call the District Council to arrange a time to view them (651.501.6345).

Mayor Has Citizen Committee Openings

The Mayor is seeking residents willing to sit on the following committees:

Advisory Committee on Aging, the Planning Commission, Homeless Advisory Board, RiverCentre Convention and Visitors Authority, Bicycle Advisory Board, and the Downtown Airport Advisory Commission.

For more information and the application form, go to this site.

Get Ready to Clean Up the Neighborhood!

The Community-wide Clean-Up is coming Saturday, October 10 from 9a to 1p at Harding High School. This year we are going to see if we can beat our record for numbers of people participating, and amount of stuff that gets recycled (instead of being trashed!!). So get ready to clean out your basement, attic, garage, yard... well the whole place, actually!

If you have clean, jute-backed carpeting, we can recycle that, too. It needs to be rolled in sections no more than about 4 feet wide, but you usually have to cut it up to get it out of your rooms, anyway. If it is stained, or if it has foam backing, we can take it and put it in the trash, but the clean, jute-backed stuff is actually recycled to other purposes.

Remember, we don't take cans, bottles, and paper that can be recycled at the curbside. Nor do we take household hazardous waste that needs to be taken to the hazardous waste recycling place off of Pennsylvania Ave (between Rice and Jackson). And the compostable stuff is taken either to the Londin Lane Compost site or the Frank and Sims site (woody material).

But construction debris? Bring it over. Reusable furniture and kitchen stuff? Bring it over. Appliances and tires? Bring it over. And of course, fluorescent lights and electronics - we always take those.

Look for the District 1 News coming soon with details, and a flyer from us and Eureka Recycling.

See you at the Clean-Up!

Meeting on Rail Noise

There will be a community meeting on Tuesday, September 22 at 6:30p with elected officials and representatives of Canadian Pacific Railroad to discuss neighborhood complaints about noise from squealing brakes at the hump yard along Highway 61.

The meeting will be at Battle Creek Rec Center.

Please come ready to discuss your experiences with the noise, and, if you have the information, specific instances of especially bad noise from the braking.

You can also call the CP Rail complaint line at 1-800-766-7912.

See you there!!

Leadership Training Opportunities - Teens and Adults

The Wilder Foundation is running two programs this fall, one for adults and one for teens, that are focused on building neighborhood leaders. The teen program is for kids 14-18 years old and is FREE. The teens design a community action project while working with other teens from across the city to understand themselves and community work. Deadline for applications is Thursday September 24.

The program for adults is a 6 month commitment to leadership development. It involves two sessions a month and an overnight retreat. There will be up to 30 participants, and the cost is $100 (actual value is $3500). Some scholarships are available. Childcare and food is provided at each of the sessions. Deadline for applications is Monday September 28.

If you are interested in either of these programs, contact Patty Jo Verdeja at 651.280.2457.

Submitted by the Wilder Foundation.

Billboards in the City

Ellen Biales, Council Member Lantry's aide, is asking for our help with a billboard project. When the City Council passed its updated billboard ordinance, the ordinance anticipated a follow-up resolution to identify high priority billboards across the city that should be removed if the billboard companies want to exchange them for dynamic display signs. The Council would like to pass a resolution that includes high priority locations from which billboards should be removed. They would like us to identify 2-3 billboards that we would like to see removed.

If you need some reminders of potential locations, Scenic Saint Paul has a slide show by ward of all the billboards in the city (we are in Ward 7). You can access the slide show at this website.

Please let Betsy know at the district council office (651.501.6345, or district1council@aol.com) about your priorities. Deadline is October 29.

Submitted by the St. Paul District Council Coordinator and Kathy Lantry's Office

Local Girl Scouts honored for award from Lt. Governor Molnau

On August 10th, Melissa Duchene and Gabrielle Vanderberg were honored by Lt. Governor Molnau at the State Capitol for earning the Girl Scout Bronze Award. Melissa and Gabrielle worked together to educate the public about displaced children and also worked to help seniors in the community.

At Girl Scout Cookie booths in February and March, the girls collected more than 50 cookie packages to donate to a local women and children's shelter, and they used part of their earned cookie dollars to purchase materials needed to make fleece blankets for local seniors.

As Lt. Governor Molnau said at the honoring celebration, "you should never let others cap your potential." The girls have taken these words to heart and are planning their next project to help them earn their Silver Award - doing graffiti clean-up in the community. They will be forming a painting team that will improve one house, fence, garage and business at a time.

Congratulations girls!!

Submitted by Christy Vanderberg

Elders needing help with Community Clean-Up

If you, or someone you know, needs help to get things to the Community Clean-Up, October 10, call our office - 651.501.6345. We will arrange for some of our volunteers to come to your/their home and collect the stuff and haul it away. We need to know what you/they have so we can calculate the fee for disposal, and we need to know where the stuff is. But there is no charge to haul the stuff away, only the usual disposal fees. (The fee schedule will be coming soon in the next issue of the District 1 News, and in a flyer from Eureka.)

Help us help our elders clean out their unwanted junk... we consider elders anyone 65 years or older, but if you have a disability that prevents you from moving the stuff, we can still help out.

Just give us a call!! 651.501.6345 - if you get the answering machine, leave your name, and a phone number and let us know you are looking for help...

Burns Overlook Rehab Update

The overlook is now closed until late December while it is being restored. The stone walls, stone pavers, picnic tables and trash receptacles, and landscaping will all be updated.

During this restoration, the public is cautioned to stay out of the overlook due to safety concerns.

Submitted by MNDOT.

Update on Holman Field Rezoning

For an informational update on constituents' responses to the proposed rezoning around Holman Field, check out the website of Friends of the Mississippi River.

The main effect on our area is related to the Pigs Eye natural area...

Tutors needed at Battle Creek Middle School

Battle Creek Middle School has an Americorps VISTA representative who is working this year to create and implement a tutoring program at the school. The program is aimed at assisting students meet their grade-level proficiency in reading and math.

If you are a caring and compassionate person willing to help a young person reach his or her full potential, please contact Robb Nelson at 651.293.8960 ext.1991, or email at robb.nelson@spps.org

Submitted by Robb Nelson, Americorps VISTA

Fall Colors Train RIde at Osceola, WI

The St. Paul Parks and Rec Senior Program is sponsoring a train ride in Wisconsin to see the fall colors. The date is September 26 and the time is from 8:15a to 4p. The deadline for reservation is September 15 (contact Trenton at 651.266.6363 to register). Cost is $50 and includes bus transportation to the site, a chaperone, the train ride and lunch.

Follow the St. Croix River Valley along the Osceola Railway to a lunch in Dresser, WI. Meal choices at the Village Pizzeria include: Reuben or Chicken sandwich, California burger, or chicken caesar salad. Registration is limited to 45, but a minimum of 26 people is required.

Transportation is available from Conway Rec Center (2090 Conway St.) at 8:45a.

Submitted by St. Paul Parks and Rec.

Mayor's Proposes Capital Improvements

The Capital Improvement Budget process for the city happens every two years. Residents from our area represented our district in the process in March and April. Now the Mayor has made his proposals, taking into consideration his own priorities, as well as the recommendations of the task forces that worked on this.

We are looking at street lights going in on Burns Avenue between Ruth and Suburban, bike lanes going in on Ruth Street, and improvements to both Burns Park (in 2011) and Conway Park (in 2010).

To see the full set of proposals and the Mayor's recommendations, click here

District 1 News

The District 1 News, our local neighborhood paper, will be sending out its next issue in mid September. We will have information about the community clean-up and other environmental topics.

If you are interested in submitting an article, letter to the editor, or fall announcement, please email us with the document by August 31. (district1council@aol.com)

If you would like to advertise your business, we have super affordable rates ($40 for a business card sized ad, $75 for a 1/16 page ad, $140 for 1/8 page - larger sizes are also available at low rates). This paper is delivered to 11,000 households in our district.

Again, send to district1council@aol.com with ad copy, articles, and your contact information.

Emerald Ash Borer Update

If you, or anyone you know, will be taking down an ash tree that shows symptoms of emerald ash borer (EAB) infestation in the metro area, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) would like to come out and inspect your tree for EAB. This inspection would be done at no cost and would greatly help our efforts at controlling the pest's spread.

If you are interested in participating, please contact the Arrest the Pest hotline by calling 651-201-6684 or by emailing arrest.the.pest@state.mn.us and ask to be put in touch with EAB survey staff.

The survey recently located more borers in the middle of the Univ. of MN St. Paul campus.

Submitted by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture

Resident Sue Moyer Wins Award

Our own Sue Moyer was honored by the Friends of the Parks and Trails of St. Paul and Ramsey County as this year's Park Citizen. This award is given to one resident of the city and/or county for their work to support our parks.

Sue has been the coordinator of the Battle Creek Clean Up for eight years now (see our April blogs for a posting!) and each year the event gets better and more effective. The Friends note that since Sue has been coordinator, 20 tons of refuse have been removed from Battle Creek Park.

Now, if we could just get people to stop dumping trash there!!

Congratulations Sue!

Lift Station Construction and Local Wells

I had a conversation today with the man from the Met Council who is managing the project on Point Douglas and Highway 61 where they are putting in the new lift station "plumbing". It turns out that a few wells in that area have gone dry, and the Met Council is making sure that city water is available to those residents.

As a result of this problem, which we thought might happen when they were planning the project two years ago, the Met Council is contracting with Braun Intertek to do a study that will monitor the wells in that area. They have put in some monitoring wells to help with this assessment and hope to have the report done by the end of August.

It turns out that there isn't real good information on what wells there are in the area, how deep they are, and so on. Some of these wells are quite shallow, which makes it even more important that we monitor run-off in the Highwood area, and that people there with septic systems make sure those systems are operating properly.

Anyway, as soon as we hear about the study results, we'll let people know.

National Night Out a BIG Success!

What a beautiful evening we had for block parties, August 4!!

There were about 12 official block parties in our district, many at apartment complexes, and maybe many more that were "unofficial". We hope that everyone had a chance to get out and meet their neighbors, talk about anything and everything, and share some good food and good times.

At the community-wide event sponsored by Faith Alliance Church and the Conway/McKnight area block club, there were about 200 people, good food and good music. Chief Harrington and County Attorney Susan Gaertner talked it up with neighborhood kids, Culver's handed out free frozen custard and coupons (Pastor Andy seems to appreciate our local Culvers!!), the fire department gave tours of an engine, and kids were busy with the jumper room.

Thanks to everyone who worked to put this together. It's not too early for everyone to think about next year's celebration of neighborhood and community!! Give us a call - 651.702.6770.

Changes to City Services and Taxes??

Join us on Monday August 24 at 6:30p to hear from representatives of the Mayor's Office and from Council President Kathy Lantry about how the Mayor's Budget will affect parks, libraries, public safety, and property taxes. Come to listen and to ask questions.

State funding to cities is reduced as a result of the Governor's unallotment... Let's hear how this will affect where we live. And let's tell city officials what impact this has on us.

The meeting will be at the Conway Rec Center, 2090 Conway St. - Monday, August 24 at 6:30p.

Love Your Neighborhood??

If you usually wear your neighborhood pride on your sleeve (or even if you don't!), LiveMSP is looking for your words about what makes your neighborhood so special. Please submit your neighborhood testimonial of about 50 words to LiveMSP. This website promotes twin cities neighborhoods to potential residents and businesses, and is a good way to showcase what is so special about St. Paul.

Share your love of your community so that LiveMSP can share it with others. Many thanks!

Submitted by Mary Kay Bailey of LiveMSP

Youth Garden Market

The Community Design Center's Garden Corps youth interns will sell their local, sustainably raised herbs, vegetables and flowers at their market stand every Saturday morning from 9a to noon through August 22. The stand is located at the corner of East 7th St. and Bates Avenue in the Dayton's Bluff neighborhood, adjacent to the Design Center's office at 731 E. 7th St.

Submitted by the Community Design Center

How Much Is It Costing to Use My Credit Card?

The Federal Reserve has created an online calculator to help consumers "identify the true cost of credit cards." This service helps us understand how much it costs in interest and principal to carry a balance on our credit cards.

You enter your credit card balance and the interest rate on your cards, and the calculator determines the total amount of interest you pay and how long it takes to pay off IF YOU ONLY PAY THE MINIMUM the credit card company requires.

The calculator is available by following this link. The same service is available in English and Spanish via touchtone telephone (toll-free) at 888.445.4801.

from the Community Affairs Dept. of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minnesota

Good Neighbors - Pete and Jay

Pete Emeott (right) and Jay Sliwinski (left) have received this year's "Good Neighbor Award" from the District 1 Community Council. These fabulous volunteers have been running our pick-up service for seniors at our fall Community Clean-Up for years. They have assisted hundreds of seniors with clearing out unwanted stuff, and have made sure that the seniors are happy, feel connected to the neighborhood, and that the materials are recycled. It is a win-win-win situation! I can't tell you how many people have commented on the relief they feel at getting the clutter out of their homes, for a reasonable price, and with the help of such friendly folks.

Pete and Jay, the seniors thank you, the neighborhood thanks you, and the District Council thanks you for your great work and dedication.

And while I'm at it, let me remind everyone that the Clean-Up will be Saturday, October 10 this year, at Harding High School. We could use another couple of crews to help seniors this year, so if you have a truck or just want to help out, give the office a call at 651.501.6345.

School Supplies Donation Site

In collaboration with District 2 Community Council, District 1 Community Council is acting as a drop-off site for donations of school supplies for eastside school children. You can bring donations of notebooks, pencils, crayons, rulers, backpacks - you know, the usual stuff kids need for school - to our office and we will get the stuff to those doing the distribution. BUT CALL FIRST to make sure we will be around when you drop off things! We have limited hours, so I don't want people to make an unnecessary trip. If our office hours don't work for you, leave your contact information and we will figure out a way to pick up the donation.

Let's make sure every eastside child has the supplies he or she needs to be successful in school!

Thanks in advance for your donations. Our office is at the Conway Rec Center, 2090 Conway St. and our phone number is 651.501.6345

Community Meeting on Highwood Variance Requests

Please join members of the District 1 Community Council Land Use Committee on Wednesday August 5 at 6p at the Conway Rec Center (2090 Conway St.) to discuss two variance requests affecting properties at 2200 Hadley and 812 S. Winthrop. The first of these properties is requesting a variance for relocating a driveway to a newly built house (slopes involved...). The second is requesting a variance for property in the River Corridor, putting in a retaining wall in a steep slope.

Upcoming Hearings on Highwood Properties

There are two properties in Highwood asking for variances. One is asking for a variance for construction into a steep slope that is already underway and is in the River Corridor. The other is for extension of a driveway up a slope to a new construction on the former home site to make the new home more accessible.

We need to hear from neighbors about these proposals. There is a short timeline. The hearings are August 10 at 3p in the City Council Chambers, third floor of City Hall.

Contact Betsy for more information (district1council@aol.com or 651.501.6345). And if you want early notification of such zoning requests, follow this link to get signed up. Our district is DISTRICT 1 - signing up will keep you informed.

National Night Out is Just Around the Corner!

Remember August 4!! That's National Night Out this year and we are encouraging every neighborhood to celebrate. Every household should turn on its porch light for the night (not a bad idea for EVERY night!), and see if your neighbors want to get together for a potluck, a dessert and maybe games or a discussion. Contact Pam McCreary at 651.702.6770 and let her know what you're planning.

And there will be a community gathering at Faith Alliance Church, 520 N. Howard again this year. Announcement will be coming in the District 1 News - due at your doorstep next week (July 27 or so...).

The most effective way to keep our neighborhoods safe is to know your neighbors and spend time outside, watching the traffic, walking the block, playing in the front yard. AND its healthy for you, too!!

Public School Superintendent Search

The St. Paul Board of education is using consultants to guide their search for a new permanent superintendent. There will be an opportunity for community engagement in this search by 

1. providing input for the candidate profile (what would we be looking for?)
2. giving impressions of the finalists when they have been picked.

The Board is hoping to hire someone before the end of 2009, but at least by then. There is more information and updates about the search at the School Board's website.

Keep in mind that, although Sheridan School remains open for the 2009-2010 school year, the School Board will still need to close a school in the following year. If you have concerns, you better be ready with input!!

Why Everyone Should be an Environmentalist

Maybe you saw in the Star Tribune newspaper today the article about the link that researchers have found between air pollution and brain development of children... They looked at inner-city mothers-to-be and monitored their exposure to air pollution while they were pregnant. Then they tested the children's IQ at age 5 or 6 and found that kids who were exposed to higher air pollution levels in utero had significantly lower IQs than those exposed to less pollution. It was as if the kids had gotten lead poisoning - the effects were similar.

In addition, scientists are finding increasing evidence that when prescription drugs get flushed down the toilets, they are getting into the river water - which is often a source of drinking water in cities. These levels of drugs have a disruptive effect on hormones of living beings, including people... (Here is a link to how to properly dispose of these drugs.)

The way we live, design our communities, get to our jobs has an effect on ourselves, on our children, and on our children's children. There are things we can do about this - choices we can make. Getting involved in your community is one of those things.

Help for Food Shelves

"Fruits of the City" is a new project by the Minnesota Project that is looking to glean unused fresh fruit from trees in the city for donation to local food shelves. They are asking that if residents have apple, pear or plum trees on their home lots, which have excess fruit that tends to go to waste, those residents register the trees with this project. Then they will send out volunteers to pick the excess fruit. They are also looking for volunteer gleaners to help pick the fruit.

For more information, to register a tree, or to volunteer, call 651.789.3320 or email fruits@mnproject.org. Here is a link to their website .

Sheridan School to Remain Open...

At least for the coming year... The school board voted last night not to close Sheridan Elementary or to "repurpose" it. This affects the school district budget in a negative way so the school board will need to look at additional closings for the 2010-2011 school year. But for now, the neighborhood school is safe.

Receive Alerts Electronically

The St. Paul Police Department has launched a new Community Information Service designed to deliver important, relevant and timely information to residents using the latest technology.

This service, Nixle, delivers important neighborhood-level public safety and community event notifications that are instantly sent to you by cell phone text message, email and the web. There is NO advertising or Spam.

Nixle is free (although standard cell phone provider text message rates apply for those who chose to receive text alerts).

The service is simple to use, reliable, and the information Nixle delvers comes directly from the St. Paul Police Department.

We encourage you to register now and learn more by clicking HERE. After you've registered, invite your neighbors, co-workers, and friends to join us so they too can get important and timely information about issues that matter to them.

We are excited to have you join us in "Making Saint Paul the Most Liveable City in America."

For additional information about all the great events and services available in St. Paul, visit us at the city website.

Submitted by the SP Police Department Crime Prevention personnel

First-Time Home Buyers' Money Available

Within District 1, there are many homes waiting for a new owner. Prospective home buyers, especially in the 55106 zip code, should check out these resources...

St. Paul Home Buying Incentives

Assistance for the 55106 area only

Those of us who live and work here already, know what a great place this is!!

Disposing of Ash Wood

Here are the locations of our closest disposal sites for wood from ash trees that may be infested with Emerald Ash Borers...

• Metro Wood Recycling Inc - 555 Barge Channel Road (309-314-3050) - takes wood from commercial and residential locations
  
• Ramsey County Compost site - Frank and Sims location - from Ramsey County residents only
• Environmental Wood Supply - 2165 Pigs Eye Lake Road (651-772-4490) - takes wood from commercial locations only

Remember, it is illegal to transport ash wood outside the quarantined area (see blog from July 8).

Free Art Classes for Kids

On Tuesday July 14 and 21 at Conway Rec Center, and Tuesday July 28, August 4, 11, and 18 at Battle Creek Rec Center, the East Side Art's Council's Art Mobile is offering FREE ART CLASSES for kids. The projects are designed with ages 6-12 years in mind, but everyone is welcome. Classes run from 1-3p rain or shine. No sign up is needed.

Reminder - Community Meeting

There will be a community meeting on Tuesday July 21 at 6:30p at the Conway Rec Center about Vacant Housing and Crime Prevention. Please join us for this discussion.

Want to Assess the Neighborhood??

If you are interested in a summer project you can do with the kids, with elders or on your own, here are some resources for you. These links will take you to sites that have checklists for assessing how walkable and bike-able our area is.

Walking assessment for adults

Walking assessment for kids

Biking assessment

Why is this important?? Having a neighborhood that is built with walking and biking in mind helps to insure healthy and safe residents. With more people out and about, there is less crime, there is less pollution, and people just naturally get more exercise - reducing health problems and stress.

If you do any of these assessments, send a copy on to us. We'll use the information to convince city and county officials that we need public improvements... email us at district1council@aol.com or call - 651.501.6345.

Emerald Ash Borer Update

Here is the area that the state is monitoring for the emerald ash borer...

How to Get Neighborhood News

The District 1 Community Council has published the District 1 News since 1978, but like other newspapers, we have had to cut WAY back for financial reasons. Since we only publish 3 times a year now, it is hard to keep people updated. So we are using this blog, our events calendar on our website (www.district1council.org), and our social networking site (a link is on the home page of our website) to try to connect with neighbors.

But we also have a listserv that we use to send out 2 to 3 email newsletters per month. We try to give you a heads up on things that might interest neighbors within the next two weeks or so.

If you are interested in being added to this listserv, just email us at district1council@aol.com with "Email listserv" in the subject line, and we'll get you connected to timely news.

And if you have neighbors who are not connected to the internet, let them know that they can always call our office with questions and concerns -- 651.501.6345.

Kids Learn Tennis at the Parks!

Kids in our area are having a chance to learn how to play tennis at our local parks (see blog entry for May 13 for details of the program). Every morning kids are gathering at Conway Rec Center, for example, in groups of the same ages to learn from dedicated teachers.

What a great opportunity this is for our young people!! Keep this in mind for the kids you know for next year...

Backyard Campfire Tips

Although "recreational fires" are allowed in our backyards - the backyard campfire - there are still restrictions on those fires because any fire is dangerous...

1. Maximum fuel area of the fire is 3 feet across and 2 feet high.
2. No burning of rubbish, paper products or construction material is allowed! Burning trash in your yard is NOT allowed.
3. Fires not contained in an approved burning appliance must be at least 25 feet from a building or combustible material.
4. Fires contained in an approved burning appliance must be no closer than 15 feet from a building or combustible material.
5. Any conditions that could cause a fire to spread to within 25 feet of a building must be eliminated prior to starting the fire.
6. You must have the means to put out the fire at hand - buckets and shovels, garden hoses, or a minimum 4-A fire extinguisher.
7. Fires must be constantly attended by someone who knows how to use the equipment to put it out.
8. Fires must not be started if the wind is blowing 10mph or more.
9. The Fire Department can order the fire to be put out if they think it is hazardous or produces obnoxious smoke or odors.

If you are a neighbor who is concerned about someone else's backyard fire, call 911 and the department will come out without siren and lights to investigate and extinguish the fire if necessary.

For questions, call 651.266.8989.

Submitted by the St. Paul Fire Marshal

Check out the Traffic Calming Signs!

On Wednesday, June 24 new traffic signs went in along Third Street between Birmingham and White Bear Avenues. These unusual signs are designed to create an environment that makes people wonder what is going on and therefore SLOW DOWN as they are driving down the street. The signs don't stay up for too long (2 months) because people get used to them being there and their effect wears off. So the city then reuses the signs and moves them to another location. Their goal is improved safety through slower traffic speeds and they have been proven extremely effective.

These signs were funded by Public Art St. Paul, a nonprofit organization that focuses on bringing art to the urban environment. They were DONATED to the city for use and reuse. We are the first neighborhood on the eastside to benefit from this project. And it will tie into another traffic calming project called "Paint the Pavement" that will go in later this year off of Third Street on Margaret. The Paint the Pavement project is funded by a small grant from Public Art St. Paul and by the neighbors who will actually put in the art work.

These approaches have been proven to be a more effective way to slow traffic than stop signs and other engineered methods. Check out David Engwicht's site for more information on these methods.

Vacant Homes Forum

Please join the District 1 Community Council Safety Task Force for a forum on the effect vacant homes have on neighborhoods. The forum will be Tuesday July 21, 6:30p at the Conway Rec Center (2090 Conway St. - Community Meeting Room). Officials from the St. Paul Departments of Safety and Inspection, and the Police Force will be present to discuss this important issue and answer your questions.

Contact Pam McCreary for more information - 651.702.6770 or 651.266.5455.

Aid Available for Weatherizing Homes

Families earning no more than 50% of the state median income  (less than $40,738 for a family of four) may be eligible to receive free home weatherization between now and September 2010 as a part of the economic stimulus package. Priority is given to households with at least one elderly or disabled member and to homes with high heating bills.

Applications are being taken at 28 community action agencies around the state. You can click on this link and then go to "Finding Financial Assistance" followed by the "Weatherization" links.

Submitted by the Minnesota Department of Commerce

Warner Road Update

Residents of Districts 1 and 4, officials from City Public Works and Parks Departments, and from Ramsey County met to discuss the proposed redesign of Warner Road between Childs Road and Highway 61 (a bridge replacement is necessary). They also discussed ways to realign the roads in this area in order to create a comparable design with parkland and connections to the river as Warner Road has closer to downtown.

St. Paul has been working hard for many years to move the road back from the river. St. Paul recently approved designation of this road as part of the Grand Rounds Parkway - an original idea for the city that included an encircling set of parkways (Johnson, Wheelock, Midway parkways, Mississippi River Blvd, Highland Parkway and then along the River...). The Comprehensive Plan calls for building a complete parkway and "greening" it to create a scenic recreational experience and identity.

At the meeting, city staff suggested that money that would have been used to shift the bridge alignment to make way for parkland along the riverside of the road be used to buy parkland to the south and east. Then the shift of the park site along with a new Childs Road bridge and a T-intersection north of the railroad tracks would allow a significant opportunity for public access to the riverfront in this area. The County could proceed with the bridge-work while funding for the park and the other road and trail work is secured.

St. Paul Parks and the Public Works Departments have agreed to work on a preliminary proposal of what this alternative would look like and bring it back to the group for consideration. Ramsey County has also agreed to work with the City on this.

There are 11 design elements from the City's Comprehensive Plan that should be included, but the city has adopted a 25'6" curb to curb paving for the road. This will allow for additional green and trail space, and will help calm traffic.

This effort has been a great example of collaborative work among residents and officials!

Submitted by Tom Dimond, D1 Resident

Emerald Ash Borer

As you may know, they have discovered the Emerald Ash Borer, an extremely destructive invasive pest (looks like a tiny, bright green grasshopper), has been found in the Saint Anthony Park neighborhood of our fair city. The City and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture are putting out traps in other parts of town to see if the infestation is wider-spread (it almost certainly is!!). But those traps don't go any farther east than Rice Street, so we need to keep an eye out for infested trees ourselves.

Here's some resources to help with identification of ash trees, the pest, and potential infestation.

Go to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture website for more info and identification aids.

Call St. Paul Forestry if you are concerned about trees on PUBLIC PROPERTY - 651.632.5129.

Call MDA Arrest the Pest Hotline for trees on PRIVATE PROPERTY - 651.201.6684.

DO NOT transport firewood out of Ramsey County!! We are under quarantine.

St. Paul has a very large number of ash trees as boulevard trees, and there are lots of these trees in our parks and around our homes. The City has a plan to replace them, but the costs are enormous. Let's do what we can to keep our trees pest free!!

Planters on Suburban are Planted!

Thanks to the Community Design Center and its participating young people for planting the Suburban Avenue planters on Friday June 19! Council President Kathy Lantry was able to find some funds to award to the CDC so that plants could be bought, planted, weeded, and watered this summer. This is a great project for young people and a huge benefit to our business district.

HOWEVER, money for upcoming years is not guaranteed or even likely. So what we need is for all our residents who value this project, when you visit the local Suburban Avenue businesses, ask to speak to the manager. Then tell the manager that you live in the neighborhood and you hope that they will contribute $100/year to pay for the planters to remain.

If we don't let them know this "amenity" makes a difference, they won't chip in their fair share. The businesses benefit from having an attractive streetscape, they should pay to keep that streetscape looking sharp!

So thanks again to the Community Design Center and to Councilwoman Lantry's office!