In This Issue
St. Anthony  Park Neighborhood News
March 17, 2015

Strategic Planning Survey Now Open


We need your help as we plan for the next several years for the Community Council. As we undergo this planning process, we need our neighborhood's feedback on what direction we should take the Community Council. How can we best reflect the needs, wants, and visions of the people who live, work, study, volunteer, and play in St. Anthony Park? wire-bound-pad.jpg

 

To find out the answers to those questions, we launched a strategic planning survey last week designed to capture your opinions! Although you can always give feedback to us on the direction you want to see for our neighborhood, we want your opinions to help us focus our programming and outreach over the next few years. 

 

Please take a moment to complete the survey. SAPCC values your feedback.
And we look forward to reporting what we learn from the survey results in the coming weeks. 


Thank you! Your input will help us to further our mission and improve our services.
 

TAKE THE SURVEY as soon as possible because the survey closes April 6th. 

Upcoming Reconstruction of Franklin Ave.

 

Jesse Farrell from the City of St. Paul Public Works Department recently came to the Transportation Committee monthly meeting to share Public Works' plans to reconstruct Franklin Ave. from Emerald to Eustis as you can see in the pictures here.  
This project, the first to implement St. Paul's city wide bike plan, will incorporate better pedestrian and bike access. Public Works plans to put in lanterns to match with other areas of the city and of Minneapolis to create a well-lighted and cohesive area. The attention and efforts to create green space in the area will make this a more pleasant area to commute through. 

Construction has been slated to begin this summer and will end sometime in the fall. The Public Works Department has committed to sharing information during the construction process so affected residents and businesses know when to expect various stages of construction. We will share that information on our website and include especially pertinent information in future newsletters.

We keep updates on developments in our neighborhood like this project and others on our website. Check back on the Land Use Committee page for information as projects unfold.
Claire's Column: Read a High School Student's Perspective

 

By: Claire Lingen-Mathews

 

There are different levels of social change and different ways to enact it. Protests and rallies can take a crucial role in getting a message across, then there is the political level, working with politicians to change the actual policies. I have experienced both sides of social justice work within a week. I was fortunate enough to go to the Capitol to lobby for the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) for Minnesota Woman Act about two weeks ago along with members of the SAPCC. Later that week I attended a march to stand with Selma on the 50th anniversary of the famous marches during the 60s, as well as a rally to support the MOA11 (the 11 people charged with "organizing" the Black Lives Matter protest at the Mall of America in December). 

 

Different Black Lives Matter (BLM) groups have been fighting against police brutality and racial bias across the country. BLM Minneapolis took a very public stand, by gathering over 3,000 people from all walks of life at the MOA on what's known as the busiest shopping days of the year. Now 11 core people of the movement face multiple charges and possible jail time. Among these is Avalon Charter School's Jie Wronski-Riley. People tend to care about things that affect them, one could say every piece of our social construct affects every group of people, because of how interwoven our society is. I joined a group of around 200 protesters along with some of my classmates on Tuesday the 10th at the Hennepin County Building in Edina, to rally against the unjust charges our classmate is facing, as well as stand with the whole BLM movement. I try to take every opportunity I can to stand up and say "I am here."

 

There was a very different feeling at all three events. But I felt powerful and engaged at all of them, because I was doing something I believe in. I personally love working for social change on any level.  When you truly believe in a cause, I encourage you to fight for it. So go out, enact change, have those conversations, this month speak out for something you believe in to honor MLK's legacy. Visit BLM Minneapolis' Facebook page to get more information on how you can get involved.

Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in Minnesota

 

Left to Right: Anna Gambucci, Suyapa Miranda, Claire Lingen-Mathews. Not Pictured: Cailin Rogers

Two weeks ago, we hiked up to Capitol Hill to the Equal Right Amendment's lobby day at the House and Senate. After decades of languishing at the federal level and without passage at a state level, gender equality advocates at the Capitol and across the state have come together to support and Equal Rights Amendment in Minnesota. The language the advocates have put forward states: "Equality of rights under the law shall not be abridges or denied on account of gender." This adds on to the 19th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States which simply pertains to voting rights. Although many people believe this protection has already been codified in federal and state laws, Minnesotan women do not have this level of legal equality. 

 

Want to learn more about the work of the ERA in Minnesota? Check out their website.

Upcoming Events

We have so many important events coming up in the next month. Check back on our website for other events and more details.

 

ADU Public Meeting 

March 16, 2015

Our Accessory Dwelling Units Task Force gave their presentation last night. If you were unable to attend, please contact us with any questions you have. We will continue to publicize the direction of the task force on our website

 

Franklin Reconstruction Meeting

6:00pm-7:30pm

Thursday March 19, 2015

South SAP Recreation Center

Jesse Farrell from the City of St. Paul will present the plans for the reconstruction of Franklin Ave. this summer.

 

Building Workshop: Evaluation Strategies

5:30pm Socializing & light meal

6:00pm Workshop begins

8:00pm Expected end time

Wednesday April 1, 2015

We have an important organizational workshop coming up. Join us and Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) through the University of Minnesota to think creatively about our long-term planning process. Help create the future of this organization! Read more about this event on our website. Please RSVP to Cailin.

 

Kasota Ponds Clean Up

Dates TBD. Friday and Saturday in Mid-April

Check our website events for more information and finalized dates in the coming days. We plan to host both a local schools clean up day (Friday) and a community clean up day (Saturday) in order to preserve and beautify the wetlands in our district. 

 

Details for these events and others can be found on our website

Job Opportunities
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Hiring two part-time Community Organizers
Deadline:  5pm March 20th
Details at  http://friendlystreetsinitiative.org/employment-opportunities/ and in the attached job application.

Call for Artists - Better Bridges on Hamline, Griggs and Lexington
Deadline:  Midnight March 22nd
They'll have an additional call for art later this spring for the other bridges in our Better Bridges project.

Get Involved

Visit or join a Community Council committee! All are open to the community and new members. 
Land Use--First Thursday of the month 7-9pm 
Board of Directors--Second Thursday of the month 7-9pm 
Energy Resilience Group--Third Thursday 7-9pm (email erg@sapcc.org for location)
Transportation--First Monday of Every Month 6:30-8pm 

Environment--Fourth Wednesday of Every Month, 7-9pm

All committee meetings of the Community Council are an easy way for you to keep informed, get to know your neighbors and shape your neighborhood for the better. Committee meetings are held at the South St. Anthony Rec Center (890 Cromwell) unless otherwise noted. Community members are encouraged to join any committee- you become a member after attending only three meetings.

 

About Us

The St. Anthony Park Community Council is a non-profit citizen's organization of residents working together to maintain and enhance the quality of life, residential character, economic vitality, and physical development of St. Anthony Park. The Board meets monthly as do our three committees: Land Use, Transportation and Environment. Any resident may join the committees. The Board is elected with five delegates and two alternates each from North St. Anthony, South St. Anthony, and Business. Current Board members from North: Gary Carlson, Steve Kranz, Seth Levin, John Seppanen, Michael Russelle, Wanjiru Mugo, Mimi Jennings. From South: Kevin Caufield, Matt Hass, Annette Hyder, JoAnne Makela, Christina Morrison, Brad Englemann. The business members are Ray Brian, Chad Commers, Linda Hodge,and Stephen Mastey.