January 13, 2023 | Friday

D10 Meeting Updates

Land Use Committee Meeting - Tuesday, Jan. 17, 6pm

Hybrid on Zoom and at the Como Streetcar Station (1224 Lexington Pkwy)

The D10 Land Use Committee typically meets on the third Tuesday of the month at 6pm. All D10 meetings are open to the public and have space for community members to bring topics for discussion.

Next week we will debrief the recent Dale St Road Diet County engagement efforts, and share updates about the pedestrian improvements near Chelsea Heights Elementary.

D10 Board Meeting - Tuesday, Jan. 17, 7:15pm 

Hybrid on Zoom and at the Como Streetcar Station (1224 Lexington Pkwy)

The D10 Board meets on the third Tuesday of every month at 7:15pm. Meetings are open to the public and have space for community members to bring topics for discussion.

Next week the board will share updates on the 2023 fundraising campaign, begin selecting from the 2022 Honor Roll nominees, and discuss recruiting needs and strategies ahead of our upcoming election.

Save the Date: Como Blizzard Breakfast

Saturday, February 4th from 10am-Noon @ North Dale Rec Center

Meet your neighbors at the Como Blizzard Breakfast on Saturday, February 4th from 10-Noon at North Dale Rec Center. This partnership with St. Paul Parks and Rec (named Celebrate Spring last year) will be a perfect interruption to winter hibernation. Join us indoors for a pancake breakfast (sponsored by Bethel Lutheran), winter craft mini-sessions, Como History Project Photo Harvest, and local organization connection tables. 

Want to stay outdoors? There will be cross-country skis, snowshoes, and ice skates available along with bonfires, smores, and warm beverage stations. 

Volunteer information and weather updates at district10comopark.org/sd3event.

Como Community Blood Drives

Wednesday, March 8, 9am-3pm @ Como Zoo

D10 Como Park is partnering with the American Red Cross and the Como Zoo & Conservatory to host a community blood drive at the Zoo Wednesday, March 8, 9am-3pm. Space is limited, reservations required.

The Red Cross just opened the online reservations for the Wednesday, March 8 drive from 9am to 3pm.

Please consider giving blood, with so many still working from home, workplace blood drives have all but vanished, these community drives make a huge impact!

Last Chance: Nominate a Neighbor for the 2022 D10 Como Park Honor Roll

Know someone who makes the Como Park area a better place to live, work, or play? Nominate them for the District 10 Neighborhood Honor Roll. The Honor Roll pays tribute to everyday people who make a sustained and lasting impact in our neighborhood or Saint Paul as a whole.

Submit your nomination by emailing district10@district10comopark.org. Tell us who you are nominating and why. Make sure we receive them no later than Thursday, January 12. The Como Community Council board will then select three of the nominees to recognize for 2022.

Join the D10 Como Community Council in 2023

The D10 Annual Election is coming up in April. Any community member in District 10, age 16 or older, is eligible to run. The board is made up of volunteers like you, elected by neighbors like you.

In 2021, the board made a change to designate board seats for renters, youth (16-24), and senior (62+). That change began to roll out in 2022 with a senior and renter seat (now filled), and continues with this April’s election with 1 renter seat and 1 youth seat on the ballot. If you fit these criteria, please consider running, we’re holding a seat for you! (Renters, youth, and seniors can hold other seats as well!)

All of our board and committee meetings are open to the public and agendas are posted in advance in this newsletter. We encourage you to come to some of our meetings and get to know us! To get on the ballot, submit a board member application.

The filing deadline is Sunday April 2. The election results are announced at the April board meeting. You can view some basic information about the election here. If you have any questions or would like to know more about being a board member you can reach out to D10 Como Park at district10@district10comopark.org.

Get Involved: Volunteer with Como Block Nurse Program!

The Como Park/Falcon Heights Living and Home Block Nurse Program is looking for volunteers of all types -- friendly visitors, driving seniors to doctor appointments, chore support, grocery delivery, dog walkers, and more.

Make a difference in the lives of our neighborhood seniors! Even one hour will help greatly.

Call 651-642-1127 or email director@comobnp.org with questions or to let them know what and when you can help!

City Awarded Federal Funding for Pedestrian Improvements near Chelsea Heights Elementary

Last year the Saint Paul Public Works Department applied for funding for pedestrian improvements near Chelsea Heights Elementary on the Northwest side of Como Park. From the Application:

Walking improvements near Chelsea Heights Elementary, including a combination of curb extensions and/or median islands and ADA upgrades at Hamline Ave and Hoyt Ave, Hoyt Ave and Huron St, Hamline Ave and Nebraska Ave, Hamline Ave and Arlington Ave, Hamline Ave and Frankson Ave, Hamline Ave and Midway Pkwy.

The federal funding awarded is $1 Million, with the City putting in $440k towards design costs. With the nature of the Regional Solicitation funding process, construction is expected to be in 2026.

You can see all the Regional Solicitation awards (by category) here, and the Chelsea Heights project application here.

The D10 Land Use committee supported the application at the April 2022 meeting, you can view the presentation and discussion recording here on our website.

Save the Date: January 28 MnSEED Swap

January 28, 1-4pm @ Anderson Center at Hamline University (774 Snelling)

MnSEED is hosting this event as a part of National Seed Swap Day, which has been celebrated since 2006 in the U.S., however seeds have been integral to communities long before. This event supports MnSEED’s efforts within the Capitol Region Watershed to uplift the seed saving community of practice in the built environment

This event will be free, and no registration will be required.

MnSEED emerged during the pandemic and its emphasis on native pollinator plant seed

saving has fueled many other seed and native plant programs such as The Bee Line along Pierce

Butler Route in the Frogtown and Midway neighborhoods of St. Paul.

“Every seed has a story and in-person seed swaps allow for these stories to be exchanged.” -Dawn Lamm, coordinator of the Como Community Seed Library

Como Parks & Rec Programming

Skiing and Snowboarding

Rentals are available for $12/day at Como Park Ski Center, Battle Creek Recreation Center, Highland National Golf Course and Tamarack Nature Center. Cross-country ski, downhill ski, and snowboard lessons are available at Como Park Ski Center

North Dale Rec Center (1414 N. St. Albans)

• Dungeon Adventures ages 8-12 - Wednesdays starting Jan. 25 - $115*
• New Nailed It Art ages 5-12 - Thursdays in February - $65*
• Como Blizard Breakfast w/ D10! - Saturday, Feb. 4, 10-Noon - Free
• New Parents Night Out ages 7-12 - Friday, Feb. 10, 6-9pm - $10*
• New Musical Theatre Camp ages 10-14 - April 3-7, Noon-3pm - $170*
• Cribbage ages 18+ - Mondays thru May 22 - Free
• School Year Rec Check 1st-5th Grade - Weekdays thru June 14 - Free*

Northwest Como Rec Center (1550 N. Hamline)

• Coding Club ages 8-14 - Thursdays in February - $60*
• New Musical Theatre ages 6-10 - Fridays starting Feb. 3 - $170*
• New TBD Movie Night - Friday, Feb. 10, 6:30-8pm - Free
• Artist Workshop ages 8-12 - Tuesdays starting Feb. 21 - $60*
• Artist Workshop ages 5-8 - Wednesdays starting Feb. 22 - $60*
• New Color Me Happy ages 1.5-4 - Fridays in March - $70*
• New Munchkin Tennis ages 5-7 - Wednesdays in March - Free
• New Game On Art ages 5-12 - Tues & Weds in April - $85*
• Men's Open Soccer ages 18+ - Thursdays thru Mar. 30 - $3

*Registration Required

St. Paul Parks & Rec Fee Assistance Program

The City of Saint Paul operates a special program that helps families pay for Parks & Recreation youth classes and activities. Fee Assistance can be requested by families who meet program requirements when registering for youth activities. To be eligible for the program, youth must live in Saint Paul, be 18 years old or younger, and qualify for free and reduced lunches.

Fee Assistance can be used toward most recreational sports or activities offered by Saint Paul Parks and Recreation. To view the online catalog of all available activities offered, click here.

Neighborhood Notes

Upcoming License Renewals

• K&L Sales: The second-hand dealer’s license for this used-car lot at Como and Arona is up for renewal on March 29. Anyone with input should email the Como Community Council or contact the office of Ward 4 Council Member Mitra Jalali: ward4@ci.stpaul.mn.us.

*While license renewal dates serve as community reminders, feedback on a business license can be submitted at any time.

Opportunities to Connect with SPPD and Western District's New Commander

The Saint Paul Police Department's Western District (Como's District) Commander, Joshua Lego, was recently promoted to Deputy Chief of Operations. The new Western District Senior Commander is Stacey Murphy.

The SPPD has upcoming and ongoing opportunities for community members to connect and get helpful crime prevention tips.

January 25th @ 6 pm virtual-Crime Prevention 101.  This is workshop covers how the police department works, calling 911, how we track crime stats, and ideas for improving your communities safety. Link to register.

Patrol District Community Meetings: Each patrol district holds monthly community meetings. The meetings are open to all community members. Commanders use the meetings as an opportunity to talk about crime stats, give updates on trends or cases, have guest presenters, and listen to resident concerns. It is a way to find out what is happening and to let Commanders know what you are most concerned about.

• Western District (Como's District) - 3rd Tuesday of each month at 9:30am & 6:30pm @ West District (389 Hamline Ave N. - Near Target)
• Central District - 2nd Monday of each month at 6:30pm at 1021 Marion (Rice Rec. Center)
• East District - 3rd Tuesday of each month at 9:30am and 6:30pm At Eastern District (722 Payne Ave)

Free electronics recycling for Ramsey County residents

Ramsey County residents looking to get rid of computers, televisions, cell phones and other electronics now have a free and easy way to recycle them. Ramsey County has partnered with Repowered to refurbish or recycle unwanted electronics, keeping toxic metals like lead, mercury and cadmium out of the environment. All data from electronics dropped off at Repowered will be physically destroyed or electronically wiped.

The electronics collection site is located at:

• Repowered - 860 Vandalia Street
• Mon-Fri 8:30am-4:30pm
• 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month 9am-1pm

Learn more about Ramsey County’s electronics recycling program and check which items are accepted at ramseycounty.us/Electronics or call 651-633-EASY (3279), answered 24/7.

Want to improve recycling in your apartment building?

Let BizRecycling do the heavy lifting–and foot the bill! BizRecycling offers grants of up to $20,000 for equipment, educational materials and more! Learn more at BizRecycling.com.  

Holiday Tree Collection from January 2-15

Collection of 1 live holiday tree per property is included in the Citywide Garbage Program. You do not need to call your hauler to schedule collection during this time period. Place your tree next to your garbage cart on your regular collection day.

Artificial trees and live trees exceeding 6' and 20 pounds are not included, but may qualify for a bulky item pick-up or be collected for an additional fee.

Visit www.stpaul.gov/holidaydisposal for more information.

Recycle Smart: Keep Plastic Utensils & Straws out of your Recycling Cart

Plastic utensils and straws are too small and difficult to sort at recycling facilities and there is no market for these items to be turned into new products. Additionally, if these items are littered, they make their way to waterways where they can harm the environment, including animals and humans.

Recycle Smart and do your part to avoid plastic utensils and straws. Choose not to use them or choose reusable options instead.

For more information visit: Recycle Smart

New District Lines in Effect, Ward 5 CM Brendmoen Making Rounds

The new City Ward redistricting lines approved last year took effect on January 1. In D10 Como Park this change meant a few blocks between Como Park, Hamline, and Hoyt changed from Ward 4 to Ward 5 - and a few more blocks between Lexington and Cavalry Cemetery south of Front St. changed from Ward 1 to Ward 5.

In the coming weeks, Ward 5 Councilmember Amy Brendmoen is planning to spend some time in the new areas of the Ward to introduce herself to the new Ward 5 residents.

Smart Salting Tips from Ramsey County

Salt helps keeps roads, driveways and sidewalks safe during our snowy Minnesota winters. However, using large amounts of salt can harm the environment, including plants, soil and groundwater. Follow these tips to avoid overusing salt:

• Shovel first. Clear snow off walkways before it can turn to ice. 
• Check the temperature. Use sand for traction instead of salt when it’s below 15 degrees outside. Salt doesn’t melt ice at that temperature.
• A little goes a long way. A 12-ounce cup of salt covers about 250 square feet, which is about the size of a 20-foot driveway or enough to cover 10 sidewalk squares.
• Sweep it up. If salt is visible on dry pavement, it is no longer doing any work and will be washed away. Sweep up the salt and either reuse or throw it away.

What's Happening at the Fairgrounds?