December 10, 2021 | Friday

2021 Como Holiday Decoration Contest

Do you think you have what it takes to be the most festive home in Como Park? Register your home, apartment, or group by December 19 to be put on the contest map. Then, get decorating! You will be able to view and vote on the submitted homes from December 23-30 (voting ends at noon on the 30th). 

• Sign up your house or apartment by Dec. 19.
• A map of participating houses will be available by Dec. 23.
• Voting will be open for best apartment and best house Dec. 23 through Dec. 30.
• The winner will be announced Dec. 31 in the newsletter.
• The top three houses and apartments will receive fabulous prizes and bragging rights.

Have a house on your street that always goes all-out? Nominate your neighbors for the contest! Door tags are available at the D10 office for you to encourage those in your community with outstanding holiday displays. Email district10@district10comopark.org to arrange picking one up!

2021 Como Curb Clean-Up Reporting

This Fall, Como Community Council teamed up with the Como Active Citizen Network and Capitol Region Watershed District for the Como Curb Clean-up. When it rains, leaves on streets release nutrients into the water that flow into storm drains and the lake. There it becomes food for invasive algae. The collective practice of Curb-cleaning has a huge impact toward reducing this nutrient flow.

If you participated in Curb-Cleaning this year, whether you registered in advance with us or not, we want to hear from you! Tracking results helps us a lot with supporting future efforts! Once we’ve collected the data we’ll share the result in the D10 Newsletter a well on the Como Clean-Up page of our website.

Thank you to everyone who participated in 2021 curb-cleaning.

Volunteer Opportunity:

Blood Drive Check-In Table

Thursday, December 16, 10am-1pm or 1pm-4pm

All of the available donor slots have filled, but we still have a couple openings to volunteer at the check-in table. If you're interested you can email district10@district10comopark.org.

D10 Como Park is partnering with the American Red Cross and the Como Zoo & Conservatory to host a community blood drive at the Zoo Thursday, December 16. With the pandemic lingering and so many still working from home, workplace blood drives have all but vanished, affecting the Red Cross reserve levels. Community blood drives are the perfect opportunity to take a break from the home office or start a fall trip to the zoo!

Smart salt usage on driveways and sidewalks

Salt helps keeps roads, driveways and sidewalks safe during the winter. However, high levels of salt can harm the environment, including plants, soil and groundwater. Here are some tips to avoid overusing salt:

A little goes a long way.

A 12-ounce cup of salt covers about 250 square feet (23 square meters), which is about the size of a 20-foot (six-meter) driveway.

Spread it out.

There should be about three inches of space between salt granules. Hand-held spreaders (available at hardware stores) help apply a consistent amount.

Sweep up extra salt.

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.

Como Parks & Rec Programming Update

North Dale Recreation Center

1414 St. Albans St, 55117 - 651-558-2329

Upcoming December Activities:

• Zumba - 7:45pm, Wednesdays. $4/session
• Special Event: Winter Wonderland - 6-8pm, Tues, Dec 14. Free
• Holiday Ornament Making - 5:30pm, Monday, Dec. 20. $20*
• Candy Bouquet - 6:30pm, Monday, Dec 20. $15*
• Craft Ornament Making - 6:30pm, Dec. 21 & 22. $5*
• Ongoing: Tot Time, Taekwondo, Senior Gamers, Meditation & Movement, Senior Fitness, Senior Day, Pickleball, Social Needlework Time, Gardening

December 6^th is the first day of Winter/Spring 2022 registration.

• New: Ice Skating Lessons, Zumba, Teen Open Dance, Chess and Strategy Games, Musical Theatre, Teen Video Game Night, Family Roller-skating Night, Red Cross Babysitting, Men’s Ice & Advil Basketball, Cooking For Kids, Magical Pink Unicorn Art, Play Date Art.
• Ongoing: Tot Time, Gardening, Social Needlework Time, Pickleball, Taekwondo, Senior Gamers, Meditation & Movement, Senior Fitness, Senior Day.

Northwest Como Recreation Center

1550 N. Hamline Ave, 55108 - 651-298-5813

Upcoming December Activities:

• Men’s Soccer - 7pm, Thursdays. $3/weekly
• Parents Night Out - 6-9pm, Friday, Dec 17. $10*
• Holiday Ornament Making - 1pm, Wednesday, Dec 22. $30* 
• Beginning Drawing - Noon, Dec 28 & 29. $70*

December 6^th is the first day of Winter/Spring 2022 registration.

• Adults: Corn Hole, Men’s Soccer, Parents Night Out, Family Open Gym
• Youth: Video Game Play, Red Cross Babysitting Training, Dance classes, Musical Theatre, April Fools Day Art, Basic Fishing
• Regulars: Artist Workshop, Archery, Taekwondo, Tennis
• Spring Break Field Trips: Conquer Ninja, Mini Golf at MOA, Bowling at Flaherty’s, MN Zoo

*Registration Required

Holiday Reminders

• All recreation centers will be closed Dec. 24, 25, 31 and Jan. 1. Please see their Holiday Hours page for more details. 
• Como Park Zoo & Conservatory is open 365 days a year. Reservations are required. 

Read Brave 2022 Announced

The library folks has shared the book titles and theme for Read Brave 2022, Saint Paul Public Library’s citywide, intergenerational reading initiative that centers the power of books to help us think of big ideas to move Saint Paul forward. Read Brave 2022’s book selections, conversations, and events will center on the theme of community care—how we care for each other and our connected, collective well-being.  

The main book this year is Minneapolis-based author Trung Lê Nguyễn’s debut, award-winning graphic novel, The Magic Fish. 

Other Read Brave 2022 titles include: 

• Adult Nonfiction: What We Hunger For edited by 신 선 영 Sun Yung Shin and published by Minnesota Historical Society Press
• Chapter Book: Maya and the Robot by Eve L. Ewing  
• Early Reader: Planet Omar and the Accidental Trouble Magnet by Zanib Mian  
• Picture book: Thank You, Omu! by Oge Mora 

Request books. At this time, you can request free copies of the main book for Saint Paul-based groups to read and discuss together—classrooms, community groups, after school programs, book clubs, or groups of neighbors and friends.

The main book order form closes on December 12, 2021, and the books will be delivered to your nearest Saint Paul Public Library.  

Additional hardcopies of the books and unlimited e-books will be available for check-out at Saint Paul Public Library. 

Renting to Refugees and Afghan Evacuees Forum

Monday, December 13, 1-2 p.m., Online

The State of Minnesota is hosting a forum on rending to refugees and recent Afghan Evacuees"

Minnesota is preparing to welcome 1,900 refugees in the next year, as well as 800 Afghan evacuees who are now arriving. Welcoming efforts include ensuring access to safe and stable housing so that new residents can start their lives in the United States. In this session, you will learn about refugees and evacuees, the supports and services that they receive from resettlement agencies and community resources for successful and sustainable tenancy, and the opportunity you have to partner with these agencies to provide our newest arrivals with a home here in Minnesota.

Presentation topics will include:

• The refugee resettlement process
• Financial support and services available to tenants and landlords
• Cultural considerations and connections
• Client success and self-sufficiency
• Inclusive rental policies and legal considerations
• Q&A

Photo credit: Katie Koranda

2022 Park Permit Lottery

Residents and Businesses may enter online or over the phone through Dec. 20

City of Saint Paul residents and businesses can apply to enter the 2022 park permit lottery online or over the phone from now until 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 20 with permits being issued beginning on Jan. 3, 2022 to lottery entrants. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the 2022 lottery will not be held in person and will instead be conducted using an online randomized lottery system.   

Due to the high demand for certain dates and locations, the lottery system is used to give residents and businesses an equal opportunity to make reservations for in-demand picnic shelter and pavilion locations and dates. Saint Paul residents and businesses that wish to enter the lottery may submit a lottery application form by Dec. 20 by visiting stpaul.gov/parkpermits or calling the Parks Customer Support desk at 651-266-6400. All entries received by Dec. 20 will be randomly sorted, and further instructions will be provided to entrants. Only one entry per resident allowed, and lottery numbers may not be transferred to other customers.

Beginning January 4, permit applications will be accepted from all Saint Paul residents and businesses via phone at 651-266-6400 from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Beginning Feb. 1, non-residents may apply for permits. Online shelter permits will also be available starting Feb. 1. 

Keep The Heat On – Energy Assistance Program

The Energy Assistance Program helps pay for home heating and water costs and furnace repairs for income-qualified households.

The Energy Assistance Program (EAP) is a federally funded program that offers grants ranging from $300-$2,000 that are paid directly to energy and utility providers. Grants are available to renters and homeowners based on energy cost, household size, and income.

In Ramsey County, EAP is administered through Community Action Partnership of Ramsey & Washington Counties (caprw.org).

Minnesota does have a Cold Weather Rule (CWR) in effect from October 1 through April 30. This does NOT mean that your heat cannot be shut off during the winter. You must make and keep a CWR payment plans with your utility provider to receive CWR protection. If you are unable to agree on a payment amount, you can request an appeal from your provider. The MN Public Utilities Commission Consumer Affairs Office is available to assist.

More Information & Applications

Special Holiday Recycling Options

Recycle Smart.

Keep holiday lights and electrical cords out of your recycling cart.

Keep "tanglers" like cords, hoses, and string lights out of your recycling cart. Like plastic bags, these items get wrapped around equipment at recycling facilities and workers spend hours removing them from machinery.

You can recycle cords and string lights at Ramsey County’s Hazardous Waste Facility. From December 1 – January 20 you can also drop holiday lights and electrical cords at Saint Paul Libraries (Including Hamline/Midway) and a few other locations. For details, visit Saint Paul Holiday Lights Recycling.

Extra Cardboard Recycling

The Saint Paul Recycling staff have also partnered with SPPD to offer additional cardboard recycling in the visitor lot of the Western District Precinct, 389 Hamline Ave N, from November 30, 2021 – January 3, 2022. There is a surplus of used cardboard generated around the holidays. Not only is it difficult to fit the extra cardboard into recycling carts, boxes from new purchases can also draw attention to homes as a target for thieves. To recycle excess cardboard year-round, residents can also utilize the Recycling Drop-off Center at 309 Como Ave.

More Holiday Recycling Resources

Check out the A to Z Recycling & Disposal Guide for these seasonally popular items: Tissue paper, wrapping paper, holiday lights, holiday greenery, and greeting cards.