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Friends,
What happened at Central Station Monday evening is tragic, and we must improve safety on this chronically challenged block. This week I reached out directly to the public entities who have ownership over this location and called for immediate action on behalf of downtown’s residents, workers and visitors. We are eager to see change in the short-term and will continue to press for long-term solutions.
We know that positive progress on the Central Station block is one of several critical steps toward achieving our collective vision of downtown, but it is not the only one. Next week the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners will vote on, and are likely to pass, a commitment of $26 million toward the RiversEdge project that will connect the bluff down to the banks of the river. This is great news for downtown and puts the project that much closer to becoming a reality. You can read more about that below.
This week several City Councilmembers announced that they will not be seeking re-election next year. Council President Brendmoen and Councilmembers Prince, Balenger and Tolbert - we look forward to continuing our work together in the next year and thank you all for your friendship and service to the City of Saint Paul.
Finally, between today's snow and this weekend's forecast downtown will likely be in snow globe mode for the next couple days. The fresh snow definitely adds to the festive feeling downtown and there are still plenty of holiday events to get out and enjoy. Please do be aware, all downtown streets are night plow snow emergency streets - no on-street parking is allowed between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. if a snow emergency has been declared.
Stay warm,
-Joe
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