December 24, 2021 | Friday

Seeking 2021 D10 Como Park Neighborhood Honor Roll Nominees

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 13. The Como Community Council board will then select three of the nominees to recognize for 2021.

Como Parks & Rec Programming Update

I Spy Evergreens: A Scavenger Hunt

Little wooden Evergreen Trees have been hidden in the parks. Adventure through Saint Paul parks (including Como) to find the hidden evergreen trees! When you find an evergreen, share a selfie using #stpevergreenhunt - without giving away the location! Enjoy the outdoors and explore Saint Paul parks with this family-friendly, socially-distant, self-led activity: I Spy Evergreens: A Scavenger Hunt. 

Parks & Rec 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. 

Ramsey County Board approves 2022 - 2023 budget

On Tuesday, the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a biennial budget of $774,095,817 in 2022 and $783,166,239 in 2023. This represents an increase of $25,257,019 (3.4 percent) over 2021 and an increase of $9,070,422 (1.2 percent) from 2022 to 2023.

Links to all 2022-2023 budget materials are available through ramseycounty.us/budget.

Winter Weather Tips & Information

Parking:

• Beginning at 9 p.m. the day a Snow Emergency has been declared, parking is not allowed on streets marked with signs that say "NIGHT PLOW ROUTE" or "NIGHT PLOW ROUTE THIS SIDE OF STREET."
• Remember: See the sign, move it by 9 p.m.
• Starting at 8 a.m. the day after a Snow Emergency has been declared, parking is not allowed on Day Plow Routes (streets or sides of streets with NO Night Plow Route signs) until the street is plowed to the curb.
• Click here for more information!  

Winter Collection Delays:

• During the winter months, bad weather, such as icy or heavy snow conditions, may occasionally present problems for your regularly scheduled garbage and recycling collection
• The City does not plow alleys. Please work with your neighbors to keep your alley accessible.
• If the garbage or recycling truck is not able to access your cart(s) on an alley or street due to icy or heavy snow conditions, they may return within 24 hours to make a second attempt to collect. Please leave your cart(s) out and accessible at your collection location.
• Click here for more information and for winter collection tips!

Additional Resources:

• Snow Emergency Parking Map
• Snow FAQs
• Winter Weather Tips
• Ticketing and Towing

Disposal of Holiday Greenery

Holiday greenery refers to evergreen décor, like wreaths, swags, boughs and garland.

Unlike holiday trees, holiday greenery is not accepted at Ramsey County yard waste collection sites because of the likelihood of contamination from metal wires and decorations. Please place holiday greenery in the trash.

To limit the spread of potential invasive pests like elongate hemlock scale (EHS) and Lymantria dispar (formerly known as gypsy moth), you should dispose of holiday greenery in a timely manner and follow these instructions:

• Put holiday greenery in a plastic bag and place it in your trash. Do not burn holiday greenery.
• Do not leave holiday greenery out in your yard or backyard compost pile all winter. This increases the risk of the greenery either getting or spreading an invasive pest.
• Holiday/Christmas trees and greenery grown in Minnesota have not been found infested with EHS. However, EHS and Lymantria dispar have been found on trees imported to Minnesota.

To learn more, visit the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s website.

Ramsey County yard waste sites still accept evergreen (holiday/Christmas) trees. They are mulched and later used as fuel to generate electricity. To find a yard waste site near you, visit RamseyRecycles.com/YardWaste.

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 (including Como Zoo!). 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.