February 18, 2022 | Friday

D10 Statement on Amir Locke

Neighbors and Friends,

Most people will only see Amir Locke in his final moments. They will not know anything else about the young man, barely out of his boyhood, who was killed by a Police Officer executing a no-knock search warrant in the middle of the night.

This touches St. Paul in two ways. First, the warrant sought came from the Saint Paul Police Department. And second, Amir Locke was our neighbor back when he was just another kid playing football for our own Como Park High School.

It’s hard to overstate the sheer exhaustion and heartbreak our Twin Cities feel, seeing another story like this and feeling hopeless, feeling like things will never change.

It hurts us because not only has a life been taken, it also strikes at the very notion that there is justice for all in our community. 

The loss of innocent Black lives cannot be waved away as part of the price we must pay for public safety. That is not a proper foundation for a system of justice, and if we accept it as such, then there will be no justice for any family like Amir’s. 

We mourn the loss of another young life, and we demand better for all of our neighbors, and especially for our Black neighbors. This cycle of violence must end.

–Your District 10 Community Council.

State Fair History Kicks Off 2022 Como Sunday Series

Is the Minnesota State Fair actually older than the state itself? That's one of the things you can discover when D10 Como Park's 2022 Sunday Series launches February 27. State Fair general manager Jerry Hammer -- a longtime District 10 resident -- will tell stories about the founding and early years of the Fair. He'll offer rare glimpses into the evolution of the Fairgrounds, including a history of buildings and attractions that no longer exist. The presentation will conclude with a Q&A. The free presentation will be 1-2:30pm on Zoom.

The 2022 Sunday Series will have one presentation every Sunday from February 27 through March 27.

D10 Meeting Updates

There are no D10 meetings next week, but we'll be back in March with our regularly scheduled Neighborhood Relations Committee meeting on Tuesday, March 1 at 7pm.

The March Land Use Committee meeting is going to be held on Monday, March 14 at 7pm because of a scheduling conflict. Check back for meeting agendas as these meetings get closer!

All D10 Como Park meetings are open to the public and have space for community members to bring topics for discussion.

Join the D10 Como Community Council Board in 2022

Here’s your chance to tackle that new year's resolution to get more involved: Eight seats on our board are up for election in April.

Board seats up for election in April:

• One representative each from the neighborhood's FOUR sub-districts (map)
• Two representatives from the neighborhood at-large
• One representative from the neighborhood at-large who is a renter
• One representative from the neighborhood at-large who is a youth (age 16-24)

To get on the ballot, submit a board member application.

The filing deadline is Sunday April 3. The election is April 19. 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.

Thank You!

Thank you to everyone who came out to show their Como Kindness last weekend at our unsheltered donation drive. We tallied about 50 cars coming through with some great items. Donations went to support the clients of Minnesota Community Care and their partner organizations. Special thanks to our hearty volunteers who braved the cold temperatures to receive your donations!

More Events in 2022!

Our members have been working hard on our 2022 events calendar. We're planning to have a community event in each of our four sub-districts in 2022, beginning on April 30 at North Dale Rec, 10:30-Noon. Stay tuned for more information and additional dates in the coming weeks!

We welcome financial donations to the Neighborhood Relations Event Fund to help with the costs of our community events!

Explore the Nature of Winter at the Como Woodland

Saturday, February 19, 3-4:30pm

Come to learn about the nature of winter at the Como Woodland Outdoor Classroom. Go on a scavenger hunt searching for animal tracks, learning to identify prairie plants and trees from clues left behind in the fall, and looking for winter birds – and then finish up with s’mores.

Start your adventure at the Kilmer Fireplace in the Como Woodland Outdoor Classroom at 1221 Wynne Ave., Saint Paul, MN in Como Park (just west of the Como Regional Park Pool).

Registration is not required, but it will help CWOC plan (and have enough snacks!) and allow them to contact you if plans change due to weather. Update will also be posted on the CWOC Facebook Page. The temperature threshold they're looking for is above 20 degrees, so keep an eye on the weather, or just register below, if you're interested in attending.

CRWD Como Lake Community Update Meeting

Thursday February 24, 6:30-7:30pm

How is Como Lake doing?

Capitol Region Watershed District (CRWD) is hosting a virtual update to learn more about recent improvements to Como Lake’s water quality.

At the virtual meeting, CRWD staff will present:

• 2019-2021 Como Lake water quality monitoring data results
• An overview of the major projects that contributed to the changes observed in the lake
• 2022-2024 plans for continued water quality improvement in Como Lake

There will be time for questions following the presentation. The presentation will be recorded and posted online following the meeting.

Como Park Observation Well Drilling - Project Update

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources' drilling contractor completed installation of two planned bedrock wells in Como Park between Como Pool and the Como Woodland Outdoor Classroom late last Friday. They have removed their equipment from the site and will return in the late spring or early summer to complete any necessary site restoration. 

There is still one more well to be installed, a much shallower well that the DNR drill crew is tentatively planning on installing sometime next week. If things go as planned they should be able to complete that work in a single day.

DNR Hydrologist Nick Evans gave details about this project and it's purpose at D10's January Environment Committee meeting, you can view the presentation here on our website.

Como Parks & Rec

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

• Taekwondo March ages 9-22 - Mondays & Wednesdays beginning March 2 - Registration Req. - $60
• Pickleball Lessons Intermediate - Tuesdays starting May 3, 1-2pm - Registration Req. - $40
• Teen Open Dance ages 13-18 - Mondays thru May 2, 6:30-8pm - Free
• Senior Gamers (ages 50+) - Tuesdays thru May 31, Noon-2pm - Free
• Social Needle Work Time ages 18+ - 2nd Thursdays thru May 12 - Free
• Teen Video Game Night ages 12-18 - Wednesdays thru May 25 - Free
• Senior Fitness ages 50+ - Tues & Thurs thru May 31, 9:30-10:30am - Free
• Senior Day ages 50+ - Thursdays thru May 26, 10am-2pm - Free

Northwest Como Rec Center (1550 N. Hamline)

• Adult Corn Hole ages 18+ - Wednesdays through February 23 - Free
• Floor Hockey ages 8-12 - Fridays March 4-April 1 (Not March 18)- Free
• Red Ballers Tennis ages 8-11 - Week of March 15, Tue-Fri, 3:45-4:45 - Free
• April Fools Day Art ages 4-10 - March 25, 1-3pm - Registration Req. - $30
• Red Cross Babysitting Training ages 11-18 - Friday, April 15, 9:30am-3:30pm - Registration Req. - $60
• Parents Night Out ages 6-11 - April 22, 6-9pm - Registration Req. - $10

Spring Break: Rec Check Extended

Registration is now open for Rec Check Extended during spring break on April 4-8. This program takes place from 8:30am-5pm at Edgcumbe, Frogtown, and Hazel Park recreation centers. Rec Check Extended is open to all Saint Paul youth in grades 1-5 for $10/day. Our free half-day Rec Check program is also available at most recreation center locations. Register at stpaul.gov/RecCheck.

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.

Note: Although adult programs are also listed in the catalog, they do not qualify for Fee Assistance credits.

Board and Committee Vacancies

St. Paul Audit Committee

The Saint Paul City Council Audit Committee is looking to fill two Community Advisors appointment vacancies and is accepting applications. Saint Paul residents are encouraged to apply and serve as key members of the community.

The mission of the Audit Committee is “to evaluate the performance of City functions, programs and processes to build public trust and ensure outstanding service delivery, transparency and accountability.” More Info or fill out an Application

MN FAIR PLAN Board

The Minnesota Commerce Department has appointing authority for a board which governs the MN FAIR PLAN, a group of insurers administering property and liability insurance for properties that cannot get insurance through the usual course. It is helpful for board members to have keen awareness of the insurance industry, such as knowledge about property and liability insurance and property underwriting. Applicants can be licensed insurance agents, but are not required to be.

Application and additional information about the board can be found here: MN FAIR PLAN Board. Please email Carrie Briggs with questions: carrie.briggs@state.mn.us.

MN Automobile Theft Prevention Advisory Board

The Minnesota Commerce Department has appointing authority for a board which advises the Commissioner of Commerce on the fair distribution of grants in an effort to combat automobile theft and improve auto theft laws in the state. The current open seat can be filled by a member of the public as well as representatives from: law enforcement, prosecuting agencies or automobile insurers.

Application and additional information about the board can be found here: Automobile Auto Theft Prevention Advisory Board. Please email Carrie Briggs with questions: carrie.briggs@state.mn.us. 

Keystone Food Distribution Event

Keystone is hosting a FREE Drive-Through Grocery Event on March 5 from 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. at the Roseville Public Works Building!

What will I receive? Every household will receive one box that includes:

• 1 bag of 5–7 varieties of fruits and vegetables
• Assorted shelf-stable grocery items

Who can participate? This event is open to anyone in need of food support. It is intended for Ramsey County residents but anyone is welcome.

Where is the event being held? The event will be held at Roseville Public Works, 2660 Civic Center Dr, Roseville, MN 55113

When is the event? The event is on Saturday, March 5 from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. There are specific time slots for people to participate.

How do I participate? This event requires pre-registration! To manage car traffic and guarantee quick service delivery, participants are required to sign up in advance. All households picking up the food packages must arrive only during your assigned pick up time slot. You may carpool with friends or family but every household must register separately to ensure we have enough food for everyone. This event will be offered in a drive-through model for everyone’s safety.

Treating and Preserving Boulevard Ash Trees

Emerald Ash Borers (EAB) have been observed throughout Minnesota and in St Paul for several years. They pose a risk to existing trees largely due to past planting practices which resulted in a monoculture of ash boulevard trees in many neighborhoods. The city is removing ash boulevard trees in public right of way, in order to limit the spread of infestation. Here is a page that outlines this effort. You can look at this map to see if and when ash trees are scheduled to be removed from your street. City Forestry will mark trees for removal with green tape, generally a week before removal, and should leave informational door-hangars. If trees are removed, homeowners can request the type of tree they would like for replacement.

If you would like to preserve a given ash tree, you can have the tree treated at private expense, and file a permit with the city to keep it from being removed. Treatment can be done by one of a number of city approved arborists. A list of arborists can be found here. An arborist should be able to file the needed permit, but you can also file yourself. The cost to treat an individual tree is $200-400, depending on the tree and the work to be done. The city might not permit a whole block of trees to be preserved, might still remove some trees due to concerns about species diversity or spacing.

Tree treatment will often be done in Spring before EAB become active. So long as a tree has not yet been infested, if a permit is filed and treatment is scheduled, it is our understanding that the city will generally allow it to be preserved.

Questions about the this process can be directed to: forestry@ci.stpaul.mn.us

Virtual Burglary Prevention Workshop

Wednesday, February 23, 6pm, on MS Teams

The St. Paul Police Department Crime Prevention Unit is hosting a virtual burglary prevention workshop on Wednesday, February 23 at 6 pm. The workshop will cover items such at Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design, lighting, landscaping, locks, window protection, fencing, cameras and security systems.

Upcoming Community Open House for St. Paul Library Renovations

Saint Paul Public Library (SPPL) is kicking off the next phase of community engagement to co-create a vision to transform library spaces in Saint Paul to meet the needs of community members now and for the next generation. They recently announced that LSE Architects is the design partner who will lead community engagement to inform schematic designs for the three libraries they're planning to transform: Hamline Midway, Hayden Heights, and Riverview.

JOIN: Community Open House Virtual Meeting #1 

• Thursday, February 24 | 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. 
• Virtual | REGISTER HERE 

Meet the design and engagement team, learn about the engagement and design process for the three library buildings, and hear about upcoming opportunities to engage and co-create libraries of the future.  

Ramsey County Seeking Participants for Food Scraps Program Trial

Ramsey and Washington counties will roll out a new at-home food scraps pick-up program in late 2022 and into 2023. The counties are seeking trial participants to help collect user experience feedback. Participation requires two virtual meetings and two weeks of collecting food scraps and taking photos and/or videos of that experience. Participants will receive a $150 Visa gift card as compensation. People from a variety of backgrounds (race, age, housing type, family size, etc.) who do or do not collect food scraps are invited to participate.

Deadline to sign up is February 20.

St. Paul 2022 Capital Improvement Budget Planning

The city uses the Capital Improvement Budget (CIB) to fund the construction of maintenance of City infrastructure - streets, bridges, libraries, parks, rec centers, and other public facilities. The budget is composed of a variety of funding sources.

CIB functions on a two-year cycle. In odd calendar years, projects are planned and proposed by city departments based on their five-year plans. In even years, like 2022, the city recruits applications from the community for consideration by the CIB Committee. Selected ideas are incorporated into the following year's budget (usually proposed in mid-August). This year's CIB project priorities are ideas that incorporate Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED).

We're currently in the project development cycle, which includes the following key dates:

• City begins accepting full applications for CIB project proposals – February 28
• Deadline for submitting full applications – March 25
• Departments provide cost estimates for submitted projects – April 11