In the dawn's early light: A line of voters at times stretched to more than 60 people -- and that was just outside -- at the Como Park Streetcar Station. By the end of Election Day, 1,500 voters cast ballots in the precinct.
6 Running for D10 Board Vacancies
The District 10 Como Community Council holds
special elections this Tuesday, Nov. 15, to fill two board vacancies: one in Sub-District 2, one an At-Large seat. The elections begin at 7 p .m., before the regular monthly community council meeting. Both take place at the Como Park Streetcar Station, which is at the northeast corner of Lexington and Horton.
Any District 10 resident at least 18 years of age is eligible to vote in the At-Large election; so are representatives from businesses or institutions in the neighborhood. District 10 is the portion of Saint Paul bounded roughly by Snelling on the west, Larpenteur on the north, Dale on the east, and the railroad tracks between Pierce Butler and Energy Park Drive/Front Ave. on the south. To vote in the Sub-District 2 election, you must live in the area between Hamline on the west, Larpenteur on the north, Victoria on the east, and the BNSF tracks north of Front on the south. On the ballot in the special elections (in alphabetical order):
Sub-District 2: Charley Bruce, David Rhees, Maggie Zimmerman
At-Large: Wesley Farrow, Sarah Wein, Adina Florea Weseman
To
learn more about the candidates and the voting procedures that night, see the article on District 10's website. The terms for both seats expire in April 2017.
Giving to the Max is Even Easier
Officially, Give to the Max Day is not until this Thursday, Nov. 17. But why wait until the last minute? Why risk that everbody's rush of generosity will crash the Internet? You can
make a financial donation to District 10 today and every penny still counts toward Minnesota
's largest philanthropy day.
Your tax-deductible donation helps District 10 keep doing the work you count on -- informing you about what
's going on in our neighborhood, successfully organizing neighbors to solve problems and take on issues together, and generally improving the quality of life where we live. So
please help out if you can. Even if you give less than the max, we absolutely thank you for your support!
Worried about Lead in Your Water?
Learn about lead and overall quality of drinking water in Saint Paul during a free presentation this Wednesday by Saint Paul Regional Water Services. As many as 28,000 area residences have lead service lines that carry water from the water main into their homes. It is possible that these service lines increase the amount of lead that comes out of your faucet at home. The water service will explain what it does to reduce the chances of lead leaching into drinking water, and what individuals can do to reduce the risk on their end.
The presentation is Nov. 15 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at the Merriam Park Library, 1831 Marshall Ave. (at the intersection at Fairview).
A rendering of Sacajawea
How Much Herstory Do You Know?
A series of
women's history presentations begins this Tuesday, Nov. 15, at the Merriam Park Library. Historian Jill Zahniser starts with
"Sacajawea of the Shoshone: The Myths and the Reality.
" Future lectures are
"Ida B. Wells and Her Campaign Against Lynching: The First Black Lives Matter Movement
" on Nov. 22, and
"The First Female President?: The Presidential Campaigns of Victoria Woodhull, Shirley Chisholm, and More
" on Nov. 29.
Each presentation is free and begins at 7 p.m. The library is at 1831 Marshall Ave. (at the intersection at Fairview).
Help is in the Palm of Your Hand
What does your old cell phone have to do with orangutans? For Como Zoo, a lot. The Zoo recycles cell phones and other small electronic devices, then donates the proceeds to help preserve habitat for orangutans, which are one of the world
's most endangered species.
You can learn this, and a lot more, during the Zoo
's
Great Ape Awareness Weekend. Special events run today through Sunday, Nov. 11-13, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. each day. You can take in talks -- including by internationally renowned zookeeper Megan Elder -- a book signing by author Nancy Shaw and illustrator DC Ice, crafts and games for children, and public enrichment activities featuring the Zoo
's eight gorillas and five orangutans.
What you can recycle: This weekend and beyond, you can recycle these electronics to help preserve orangutan habitat, which is disappearing at the hands of palm oil plantations, mining, farming, and illegal logging.
Cell phones and accessories
iPods and other MP3 players
Handheld game systems and GPS units
E-readers
Laptops
Portable hard drives
Ink-jet cartridges
Shelter Seeks Neighborhood Board Member
The Salvation Army
's
Booth Brown House is seeking a resident from Como to serve on its board of directors. The Booth Brown House, at 1471 Como Ave., operates three programs for homeless youth between the ages of 16-24: an overnight emergency shelter, a transitional housing program, and permanent supportive housing. To find out more, contact director Ingrid Holt
by email or by phone at 651-646-2601 x118.
Someplace to Start the Conversation
Falcon Heights United Church of Christ hosts a panel discussion and community conversation on "Implicit Bias and Social Justice." Presenters Nadarajan (Raj) Sethuraju, Nancy A. Heitzeg, Ryan Jerome LeCount, and Daniel Williams will discuss, among other things,
the difference between bias and racism, and how to recognize traits in ourselves and our society. The free event is this Thursday, Nov. 17, at 7 p.m. at the church, 1795 Holton St. (near the intersection of Pascal and Garden).
This is from the Heart
Poet performers Zoë Bird, David Mura, and Naomi Cohn examine what it means to know something by heart. Their free presentations and conversation are this Wednesday, Nov. 16, at 7 p.m. at the Saint Anthony Park Library, 2245 Como Ave.
Learn more about the presenters and program online.
Not Your Normal Bus Bench
The Triangle Gardens that neighbors created at the intersection of Churchill, Van Slyke and Horton will gain another feature this week -- a sculpted bench known as the
Paisley Perch. The bench makes it easier to linger -- and serves riders waiting for the eastbound #3 bus, too.
Artist Peter Morales sculpted the Paisley Perch during an international stone-carving symposium at St. Paul College 10 years ago. The bench has been in the McMurray Field area of Como Park, but is being orphaned by reconstruction of the softball diamonds. Public Art Saint Paul, which owns the sculpture, and Councilmember Amy Brendmoen partnered with District 10 to obtain a Neighborhood STAR grant to move the bench. It is scheduled to be re-installed at its new location this Tuesday, Nov. 15.
Photo: James Nash
Conserve Your Energy for This
"Wild Weather, Snug Homes, Quiet Streets
" brings you up to speed on local climate change and energy efficiency -- all in half a Saturday morning. The
free forum takes place this Saturday, Nov. 12, from 9 a.m.-noon at Luther Seminary
's Northwestern Hall, 1501 Fulham St., in the Saint Anthony Park neighborhood.
Refreshments and child care will be available.
The event, organized by Transition Town All St. Anthony Park, features three half-hour presentations. Those are bookended by hands-on displays of electric vehicles and home-energy retrofits. Speakers are:
9:30 a.m.: University of Minnesota climatologist and MPR regular Mark Seeley, on "Changing Minnesota Weather: Not Whether, but By How Much."
10:05 a.m.: University of Minnesota cold-climate housing coordinator Pat Huelman on "Retrofitting Minnesota Homes."
10:40 a.m.: PlugInConnect founder Jukka Kukkonen on "The Quiet Revolution," the latest in electric vehicles.
"Spaceballs" stars Mel Brooks, John Candy, and Rick Moranis.
May the Farce Be with You
Como Dockside's Thursday night movie series continues Nov. 17 with the sci-fi adventure parody "Spaceballs" (rated PG). The free screening begins at 6 p.m. in the third-level banquet hall. No word on whether Dockside will serve Perrier during the show.
See Dockside's online calendar for the full season schedule, which promises
"almost all the greatest movies of 1986 and 1987" -- plus a few that aren't.
Construction Really is Wrapping Up
Except for minor details, the final phase of the Como-Chatsworth street construction project is finally over: The last layer of asphalt is down on the north loop of Churchill/West Como Lake Blvd. (and those strange missing gaps elsewhere in the project).
Except for new signs, crews also have finished the reconfiguration of the crosswalk where the Lexington Parkway bicycle path crosses Energy Park Drive. The new design is intended to give drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians better sightlines across the roadway's the right-turn lane.
Also, the McMurray Field area of Como Park should be completely accessible any day now: The final layer of asphalt is down on Wynne and the new parking lots; signs, striping, and clean-up are all that remain.
That said, there are still new projects. The
Robert Street Bridge in downtown St. Paul and the Highway 55
Mendota Bridge will be limited to one lane in each direction between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. beginning this Monday, Nov. 14. Work is expected wrap up by Thanksgiving.
See our website for
a much longer list of other street, bridge, and highway projects still in progress in and around Como.
Don't Miss Out
This Sunday, Nov. 13: Second Sunday Concert, featuring singer Paula Lammers from the MacPhail Center for Music, 2 p.m., Lyngblomsten's Newman Benson Chapel, 1415 Almond. Free -- and the entire community is invited.
Tuesday Nov. 22: Public hearing on the order to repair or remove the building at 1062 Front Ave., 9 a.m., Room 330, Saint Paul City Hall, 15 Kellogg Blvd. W. You can direct questions or comments to building code enforcement officer Steve Magner at 651-266-1928.
Thursday Dec. 1: Permit lottery for Saint Paul residents who want to reserve the Wigington Pavilion on Harriet Island in 2017. Lottery numbers will be issued from 6-6:59 a.m. at park district offices at 1100 N. Hamline Ave.
Wednesday Dec. 7: Truth in Taxation Hearing, 6:30 p.m., Saint Paul City Council Chambers, 3rd Floor, 15 Kellogg Blvd. W
This Week's Police Report
Saint Paul Police are continuing their
food drive to restock supplies at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center in Rondo.
Please make your donations by this Tuesday, Nov. 15. You can drop off non-perishable human food or pet food at:
Apparently retailers aren't alone in blurring the seasons. We haven't even run our Turkey Trot yet, but this Saturday, Nov. 12, it's the Jingle Bell 5K run and walk, a fund-raiser for the Arthritis Foundation. A kids' fun run -- the Snowman Scramble -- begins at 9:30 a.m.; the main event starts at 10 a.m. at the History & Heritage Center at the west end of the Fairgrounds. Race-day registration is $40 for teens and adults, $20 for children 6-12, $5 for wee ones. You might be able to save yourself $5 if you register online today.
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.
Know someone else who is interested in what's going on in our neighborhood?
Don't Miss Out
