Francisco Valdez installs roofing on a home addition in the 1500 block of Alameda.
D10 Holds Special Election Oct. 18
The District 10 Como Community Council meets this Tuesday, Oct. 18, at 7 p.m. at the Como Park Streetcar Station, which is at the northeast corner of Lexington and Horton. The agenda includes:
  • Special elections to fill board vacancies in Sub-District 2 and Sub-District 4.
  • A presentation by MnDOT's Mark Lindeberg on proposals to improve pedestrian and bicycle access on the Snelling Ave. bridges between Midway Parkway and Hamline University.
In the special elections, two candidates have filed for Sub-District 4, which is South Como: Andrew Johnson and Darius DeBoer Massoudi. Brief biographies of both candidates, election procedures, and other voting information is on District 10's website.

Want to join the board? As of publication time, no candidates have filed in Sub-District 2, which is the part of the neighborhood between Hamline on the west, Larpenteur on the north, Victoria on the east, and the BNSF tracks on the south.
Nominations will be taken from the floor for both elections. Only seated board members and community members in the affected sub-districts are eligible to vote.
Celebrate Your Roots (and Vines and ...)
Regardless of how successful your gardening season has been, it's time to celebrate with another get-together of the Como Community Seed Library. The volunteer group is holding a free harvest open house this Sunday, Oct. 16, from 1-3 p.m. at the Como Park Streetcar Station. At this "skill share and harvest exchange, " you can:
  • Join an exchange of seeds, recipes, and canned and fresh harvest
  • Make connections with neighborhood gardeners and gardening groups
  • Swap stories
  • Learn the perfect crops and tools to extend your growing season
  • Get answers from a Master Gardener
  • Find out how and why to add biodiversity to your garden
  • Create seed-inspired art
  • Special guests include Judi Petkau of Wild Ones and Koby Jeschkeit-Hagen of Seed Sages. For more information, contact Dawn Lamm by email or follow Como Community Seed Library on Facebook.
Join Us for Pancakes Oct. 29
Homemade food, great company, and kids in Halloween costumes. It 's all guaranteed at District 10 's annual Pancake Breakfast Oct. 29. The family feast features pancakes, eggs, bacon, turkey sausage, and breakfast beverages. Plus, children get to field-test their Halloween disguises during a costume parade at 10 a.m.

Breakfast runs from 8:30-11:30 a.m. in the cafeteria of the Humphrey Job Corps Center, which is on Arlington Ave. between Snelling and Arona. All are welcome.
Tickets are $7 for teens and adults; $4 for children ages 5-12; and free for youngsters 4 and under. You can purchase tickets from a D10 board member or at the door.
Good Meatloaf for a Good Cause     
Como Park Lutheran Church is hosting a Meatloaf Dinner to benefit the Como Park Falcon Heights Living at Home Block Nurse Program. The dinner is this Saturday, Oct. 15, from 4:30-7 p.m. at the church, 1376 W. Hoyt. Tickets are $9 for adults and teens, $5 for children 11 or younger. And bring your checkbook so you can outbid someone in the silent auction.   
Getting Down to Business
  • The Massage School is now open at 801 Front. The first class of students in the new Saint Paul location started this past week. It will be a couple of months before the students get up to speed and the school opens weekly massage clinics for the general public.
  • Graham Construction has set up an office in the old Sholom Home property on Midway Parkway. David Grzan, one of the building's current owners, says Graham is doing "extensive pre-construction due diligence" while the ownership team continues to seek financing to convert the building into an assisted living and memory care facility.
So Much for Taking the Back Roads    
A bunch of our easiest access routes into downtown Saint Paul are closed for mill-and-overlay work all day Friday until sometime this Saturday afternoon, Oct. 15. The closed stretches include Concordia from Western to Kellogg; John Ireland Blvd. from 12th to Marshall; Kellogg from I-94 to the I-35E entrance ramp; and the westbound I-94 exit ramp from Kellogg onto St. Anthony.

See our website for a much longer recap of street, bridge, and highway projects still in progress in and around Como.  
Fire Stations Open Their Doors      
The Saint Paul Fire Department is holding open houses at three fire stations this Saturday as part of National Fire Prevention Week. The open houses are Oct. 15 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Activities include tours of the fire houses and fire trucks, one-on-ones with firefighters, and fire safety demonstrations and advice. The stations:
  • Station 5, 860 Ashland Ave.
  • Station 17, 1226 Payne Ave.
  • Station 18, 681 University Ave.
Capoeira illustration: Daniela Knebel
Don't Waste a Day During MEA    
Next weekend is MEA Weekend. Nobody knows what it stands for anymore -- but public schools are closed and lots of people head out of town. For those who stick around, plenty of places offer special kid- and family-friendly activities. Among them:
  • Newberry animation workshop, this Thursday, Oct. 20, 9 a.m.-noon, at SPNN Media Arts and Tech Center, 550 Vandalia, Suite 170. For ages 5 and up (all children must be accompanied by an adult). Free
  • Saint Paul Public Library. Different library branches offer special "Stay. Play. MEA" activities Oct. 20-22. Activities are free, but space is limited, so registration is recommended. Activities include an "Introduction to Capoeira" at Rice Street; "Drumbeats" fitness classes for ages 8 and up at Arlington Hills and Hayden Heights; "Blues for Kids" at Hamline Midway and St. Anthony Park; and "Young Dance" at Rondo, Riverview and Merriam Park.
  • "Girls are Powerful" workshop, next Friday, Oct. 21, from 1:30-3:30 p.m. at Northwest Como Recreation Center, 1550 N. Hamline. For ages 7-14. Fee: $25. To register, call 651-298-5813.
That's Quite a Junk Pile
An estimated 635 people took advantage of the Citywide Drop-off Event that District 10 hosted last Saturday at the Fairgrounds. That ' s an 11 percent increase from 2015. Thanks to the more than 50 volunteers, plus city staff and vendors, who helped make it happen. Here's a photo album of some of the day's action.  
On Their Own Two Feet    
Our own Chelsea Heights Elementary School is one of only three Saint Paul schools selected to develop a Safe Routes to School plan. The goal: come up with ways that help pupils walk or bike to school more easily, more often, and more safely. The program, funded by the Minnesota Department of Transportation, will also look at ways to spread the word about getting to school under your own power, then actually doing it. 

How you can get involved: Take a look at the Wikimap that's part of the project. That's where you can weigh in with ideas on how to improve the infrastructure side of that equation -- routes, streets, sidewalks, physical barriers, etc. You can also attend an open house to learn in more detail what this all means. The open house is Wednesday Oct. 26 from 3-4:30 p.m. at the school, 1557 Huron.
Let Your Storm Sewers Breathe      
Now that you 're hauling out your rakes, why stop with your lawn? Step into the street and rake leaves from your curb and gutter, too. That 's especially necessary if you live near a storm drain. Raking leaves out of the gutter not only looks nicer, it prevents all kinds of nasty things. When water and leaves mix, the water either washes the leaves into the drain, or leaches things like phosphorus and nitrogen from the leaves. In either case, they flow into Como Lake or the Mississippi River, which is not good -- because that helps cause algae blooms and degrade water quality in other ways. And given all the rain we 've had this year, you know we 're not making this up.   

You can learn more from the Como Curb Cleanup initiative. While we 're preaching, we'll repeat: It is illegal -- ILLEGAL -- to rake leaves into the street in Saint Paul.
What to Do with All Those Leaves...  
Once you get your leaves out of the gutter and off your lawn, now what? After all, yard waste such as grass clippings, leaves, and tree branches are banned from trash. But you can:
  • Compost them in your backyard (they'll make a great soil supplement next spring). Or, if you don't have that many leaves, simply mulch them into your lawn when you mow.
  • Bring them to a Ramsey County yard waste site -- for free. Check for hours and locations
  • Contact your trash hauler; some haulers pick up yard waste for an additional charge.
Giving You a Heads Up
  • This Sunday, Oct. 16: Deadline to submit applications to SPNN -- the Saint Paul Neighborhood Network -- for Set It Up, a media and after-school initiative for high school students.
  • This Monday, Oct. 17: Deadline to nominate groups, individuals, or projects for the Capitol Region Watershed District's Watershed Steward Awards.
  • This Monday, Oct. 17: District 66 Candidate Forum. 7-8:30 p.m., Falcon Heights City Council Chambers, 2077 W. Larpenteur. Sponsored by Roseville League of Women Voters.
  • This Thursday, Oct. 20: Public hearing before the Zoning Committee of the Saint Paul Planning Commission, 3:30 p.m., City Council Chambers, third floor, 15 Kellogg Blvd. Appeal by property owner to the Zoning Board 's rejection of his proposal to split the lot at 661 Orange.
  • Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 22-23 and 29-30: Como Friends Zoo Boo, 4:30-7:30 p.m. each day, Visitors Center. Admission: $6-$7. Tickets available online or at the Zoo and Conservatory.
  • Monday Oct. 24: Public hearing before the Board of Zoning Appeals, 3 p.m., City Hall Room 330, 15 Kellogg Blvd. Property owner at 1514 Chelsea is seeking a setback variance in order to demolish the current house and build a new single-family residence. Comments can be submitted to Sean Westenhofer by phone at 651-755-0167 or by email.
  • Friday Oct. 28: Public hearing before Saint Paul Planning Commission on proposed ordinance expanding the ability of brick-and-mortar businesses to do business outside their stores. 8:30 a.m., City Hall Room 40, 15 W. Kellogg Blvd.
  • Friday Oct. 28: Deadline to submit entries to join the City of Saint Paul's referral list for qualified artists to be included in public art projects. 
  • Monday Oct. 31: Deadline to submit preliminary applications for the Capitol Region Watershed District's Partner Grants, which provide from $2,000-$20,000 for water-themed education or outreach projects within the watershed district.
  • Wednesday Nov. 2: Public hearing on the assessment for St. Paul's 2017 Right-of-Way Maintenance Program and the 2017 Above-Standard Lighting Operation and Maintenance Program. 5:30 p.m., City Council Chambers, third floor of City Hall, 15 Kellogg Blvd. W.
The Last Jackson perform Friday.
Good Music is Never Out of Season
Whether there is frost on the pumpkins or not, Como Dockside continues to provide free outdoor music every weekend. The concerts are Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 5 p.m.; see Dockside's calendar for the full schedule. This weekend 's concerts:
  • Tonight, Friday Oct. 14: The Last Jackson
  • Saturday, Oct. 15: Lowland Lakers
  • Sunday, Oct. 16: Ben Cook-Feltz
Meanwhile, the  Como Park Pumpkin Patch is open outside of Dockside on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m.-sunset through October. It features not just pumpkins, but games, inflatables, a hay ride and more. Admission is $5-$9, depending on age.

Also Going On in Como Park
  • Brain Tumor 5K: This Saturday, Oct. 15, 9 a.m. Main Picnic Pavilion, lake path, and open fields. Registration: $15-$35, depending on age. Shuttle available from State Fair parking lot south of Como Ave.
  • Minnesota Orienteering Club's Autumn Adventure run series. This Thursday, Oct. 20, 7 p.m., beginning at the main Picnic Pavilion. Registration: $8.
Vote
Believe It or Not, You Can Vote Now   
Absentee voting is open in Minnesota. In Ramsey County, you can vote absentee by mail. Or, vote in person at the elections office, 90 W. Plato Blvd. Hours are 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. weekdays; there will be extended hours closer to the Nov. 8 Election Day. Get details online.
This Week's Crime Prevention Tip
The Western District of the Saint Paul Police Department holds its monthly community meeting this Tuesday, Oct. 18. Meetings take place at 9:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. at Western District headquarters, 389 N. Hamline. All community members are invited.

The Latest Crime Report for Our Neighborhood:   Things are quieting down (a little).  
Happening at the Fairgrounds
  • FairWear and Sport Merchandise Liquidation Sale: Today and Saturday, Oct. 14-15, Visitors Plaza. Hours: Noon-6 p.m. today, Friday Oct. 14; 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday.
  • Pumpkin Nights: Opens tonight, Friday Oct. 14, DNR Building. More than 3,000 pumpkins creatively carved, illuminated and displayed on a half-mile path. Runs every night through Halloween: 6:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays; 6:30 p.m.-midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Admission: $16-$23, depending on age.
  • Twin Cities Book Festival: This Saturday , Oct. 15, Progress Center and Fine Arts Center. Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
  • Roadsters Swap Meet: This Sunday, Oct. 16, parking lots north of Hoyt. Hours: 6 a.m.-4 p.m.
  • Minnesota Beef Expo: This Thursday, Oct. 20, through next Sunday, Oct. 23, Warner Coliseum.
Just So You're Aware
The annual Zombie Pub Crawl hits Minneapolis ' Warehouse District this Saturday, Oct. 15. So, if you see more people than usual looking less than alive on the buses and streets, that ' s one explanation. Possibly.
Spread the Word
District 10 is one of Saint Paul's 17 citizen participation districts. The District 10 Como Community Council is a nonprofit organization, governed by a Board of Directors who are elected by members of the community. The Council's mission is to inform, educate, and connect the neighborhood to increase community pride and confidence. 

You are receiving this email because you expressed interest in District 10 activities.