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Participate In Our April Elections |  | |
The deadline is Sunday, April 3, to apply to be on the ballot for the D10 Como Community Council annual board elections.
Board seats up for election in April:
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One representative each from the neighborhood's FOUR sub-districts (map)
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Two representatives from the neighborhood at-large
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One renter representative from the neighborhood at-large
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One youth (age 16-24) representative from the neighborhood at-large
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.
Request a Ballot for the Election
Ballots for the April election can be requested on our election page as well (ballots won't be made available until after the candidate filing period has passed). Community members can vote from home: either online, or by returning a paper ballot through the mail.
The first step in voting is to request a ballot. To get your ballot, fill out a ballot request form. We’ll send ballots beginning Friday April 8.
Who is eligible to vote: Renters, homeowners, and other residents of District 10 who are at least 16 years old can vote. So can representatives from business, nonprofits, or other organizations with a physical presence in District 10.
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D10 Meeting Updates
Neighborhood Relations Committee Meeting - Tuesday, April 5, 7pm
The D10 Neighborhood Relations Committee typically meets on the first Tuesday of every month. All D10 meetings are open to the public and have space for community members to bring topics for discussion.
Next week we will be getting an update from the D10 Como Historical Project group that's been working with St. Kate's, and discussing plans for some upcoming community events, including Celebrate Spring on April 30, Pick up & Party on June 4, and coordinating a Como Garage Sale weekend May 12-15. Join us if you'd like to help make these things great!
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Land Use Committee Meeting - Wednesday, April 6, 7pm
The D10 Land Use Committee typically meets on the first Wednesday of the month. All D10 meetings are open to the public and have space for community members to bring topics for discussion.
Next week we will host Jimmy Shoemaker, a St. Paul Public Works Transportation Planner, who will share details about pedestrian improvement plans around Chelsea Heights Elementary at Hamline & Hoyt.
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Get Involved: Annual Regional Parks Spring Cleanup on April 23
D10 Como Park is co-hosting the Como Park portion of the city’s Regional Parks Clean-up Day.
When: Saturday, April 23, 2022 from 9am-11:30am
What: Individuals and groups of all ages come together to pick up litter that has recently become exposed due to the melting snow.
How: Participating is easy! Register online, then drop by the pavilion around 9am on April 24 to check in and pick up bags and gloves.
Where (Como Park): Look for our table near the Como Lake Pavilion to sign-in and pick-up some supplies.
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Como Stewards Program Entering Second Year
Last year the D10 Environment Committee, in partnership with St. Paul Parks & Rec, invited individuals or groups to volunteer and give back and to help keep our regional treasure welcoming for everyone with the launch of the Como Stewards Program.
With Spring approaching, we invite you to consider signing up for one of the open areas of the park for the sophomore year of the program.
As a Como Park Steward, you will participate in ongoing clean up, special clean-up events, work with the city departments to report tree and natural damage, graffiti, safety, and other concerns. We ask for a minimum commitment of one-year with visits twice monthly.
Look at all available parcels on the Como Steward Program map. After you complete your registration, you will be contacted about parcel selection.
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D10 Owl Mascot Design Competition
Last year, our community voted on the Great Horned Owl as the District 10 mascot and now we’re looking to the community to help create the mascot’s design!
We know the Como community is up for the challenge to design an owl mascot to use during events and on promotional materials (and swag?!). Submit designs below by April 17th. Community members will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite online or at any of our upcoming events. We will reveal the winning design at the Ice Cream Social on July 9th!
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Cafesjian’s Carousel Seeks Volunteers For 108th Year
The historic and treasured merry-go-round which delighted riders for 75 years at the Minnesota State Fair will open on May 1 for its 23rd season in Como Park.
Cafesjian's Carousel is gearing up to operate from May until October in Como Park. They're looking for volunteers to assist with ride operations, ticket purchasing, and gift shop sales.
Volunteer shifts are 3 hours on week days, 4 hours on weekends May 1 to Labor Day, and 3 hours on weekends after Labor Day (thru Halloween). Volunteers work two or more shifts a month. New volunteers are always welcome and are encouraged to apply individually, in pairs, or as groups. D10 Board Member Alex Zikmund requested to table a motion for the whole board to volunteer on Saturdays until after his term is up later this month.
Training is provided for all positions. Parking is free and available near the Carousel. For information about volunteer opportunities, please contact them by phone 651-489-4628 or by e-mail at ourfaircarousel@outlook.com or visit their website at www.ourfaircarousel.org.
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Como Parks & Rec
North Dale Rec Center (1414 N. St. Albans)
Northwest Como Rec Center (1550 N. Hamline)
*Registration Required
Summer Camp & Activity Registration Now Open: This summer, Saint Paul Parks and Recreation is offering full and half-day camps, including their free afternoon Summer Rec Check program. Register for camps and activities including art, dance, sports and fitness, outdoor adventures, nature exploration, games, technology and more! (North Dale, Northwest Como, and Langford Park Summer Camp Flyer - PDF)
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, they do not qualify for Fee Assistance credits.
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Neighborhood Notes
Upcoming License Renewals
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Como Golf Course & Club House: Liquor & Entertainment licenses are up for renewal April 18. 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.
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Gabe's by The Park (991 Lexington Pkwy): Liquor, Entertainment, and Gambling licenses are up for renewal May 5. 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.
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The Essence Event Center (1217 Bandana Blvd): Liquor and Entertainment licenses are up for renewal May 6. 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.
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City Announces Lead Water Line $14.5 Million Replacement Planning
Saint Paul Regional Water Services (SPRWS) recently allocated $14.5M in federal funds from the American Rescue Plan towards replacing lead service lines. You can read more about this in Pioneer Press articles [here] and [here]. This is a pilot program intended to replace lines at 600 or more homes, with the long term goal of replacing lines at 26,000 properties where pipes are either known to be lead, or are unknown materials.
Saint Paul Regional Water Services is developing a 10-year plan to replace all lead service lines in our service area at no cost to property owners. The program will begin in full in 2023. During 2022 a small pilot of this program will be offered to those in already planned water main construction project areas (map). You can look up if your home has Lead on the SPRWS Service Material Map.
To learn more, check out the SPRWS lead page or call SPRWS at 651-266-6350.
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Pothole Patrol
Potholes are turning many local streets into slalom courses. You can report potholes in the following way, depending on whether they are on a city street, county road, or state highway:
Reporting Damages from Potholes
If you believe your vehicle was damaged due to a pothole, you can submit a claim form to the City of Saint Paul at stpaul.gov/departments/city-clerk/claims.
Please note that for claims the City must have received prior notice of the pothole/street defect and then failed to correct the defect in a reasonable period of time based on the available crews.
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Keystone Food Distribution Event
Keystone is hosting a FREE Drive-Through Grocery Event on April 9 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, April 9 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 their assigned pick-up time slot. You may carpool with friends or family but every household must register separately to ensure there is enough food for everyone. This event will be offered in a drive-through model for everyone’s safety.
The original March 5 date for this event was cancelled due to severe weather. Saturday, April 9th is the new date and registration is now open.
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Cultural STAR Applications
Now Open
The Cultural STAR program provides loans and grants for arts and cultural programs and organizations within the City of Saint Paul.
Applications are now open for the first of two funding rounds for 2022. Completed Round One applications must be submitted by Friday, April 29 at 4 p.m.
To be eligible for Round One, the special project, capital project or organizational development activity must take place between August 1, 2022 – July 31, 2023.
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Special Project grants are made to groups wishing to offer quality arts activities, in any discipline, within the geographic boundaries of the City of Saint Paul. Grant requests may include costs for artists and other personnel, postage, supplies, printing, travel and other expenses necessary to carry out the project. Food and beverage are not allowable expenses and the City will not reimburse expenses related to insurance coverage.
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Capital Project loans and grants are for acquiring or upgrading physical assets such as buildings and equipment. Such activities must have the potential for significant or long-term impact and the expenditures must be depreciable.
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Organizational Development grants are for projects designed to strengthen the management, administration, or operations of the recipient organization. Such activities must advance the mission of your group, and have the potential for significant or long-term impact. The intent of the program is to challenge the organization, infuse new thinking, develop new systems, or strengthen existing systems to further the group’s growth and development.
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Recycling Smart - Don't put recycling in plastic bags.
Place your recycling loose in the recycling cart. Recyclables in plastic bags don't get properly sorted and often end up in the trash.
Plastic bags never go in recycling. Take them to a local retailer that accepts plastic bags.
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Vault Health At-Home COVID-19 Testing Phased Out
Free Testing and Vaccine Options Still Available
The Vault Health at-home COVID-19 testing program ended this week.
Beginning April 1, 2022, no-cost tests cannot be ordered through the MN At-Home Program via Vault's website. However, if you are in need of a test, free testing remains available at community sites across the metro.
You can also continue to order free at-home tests from the federal government's covid.gov website.
If you are in possession of a no-cost Vault test provided by the State of Minnesota, you can continue to use these tests and mail samples through December 31, 2022 or until the test kit expires, whichever comes first.
You can also find the latest information on COVID vaccines and boosters here on Ramsey County's website.
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What's going on at the Fairgrounds? | |
GSTA Rod & Custom Spectacular Car Show
April 2-3
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DESCRIPTION
64th Annual Rod & Custom Spectacular Car Show
LOCATION
Warner Coliseum
HOURS - April 2-3
Saturday: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Sunday: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
ADMISSION
Adults (16 and over): $16
Children (6-15): $5
Children (5 and younger): Free
Discount coupons available on GSTA website.
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Have something you'd like us to consider sharing in our newsletter? Email us at district10@district10comopark.org | |  |
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Support Community Engagement
Do you appreciate the work D10 Como Park does in the community? Consider supporting D10's work by making a tax-deductible contribution. Thank you!
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