Dave Thune Ward 2

Summit Hill Association Newsletter Addresses Cupcake on Grand

2012-02-20T12:14:00.000-06:00

SHA's Role and the Issues in the Cupcake Zoning Appeal:

Since the Pioneer Press newspaper article provided only one side of the parking variance issue, I thought it important to hear the other side here. The following is taken directly from the February 17th issue of Summit Hill Association's Electronic News Bulletin and explains their deliberations well:

We greatly appreciate your interest in the Summit Hill Association (SHA) and understand that there are a number of questions about Cupcake’s decision not to open a location on Grand Avenue. As is often the case with complex issues, the recent associated media coverage lacked the completeness and precision necessary to understand SHA’s role in this process.

The issue of Cupcake and its request for a parking variance is a decision based on City of St. Paul zoning law; and not whether SHA approves of any particular business. In fact, SHA provides only its recommendation in matters such as this, with the ultimate decision being made by the City Council. Since October 2011 when Cupcake first came to the Summit Hill Association, SHA enthusiastically encouraged the business to come to Grand Avenue and resolve its off-street parking needs - necessitated under City code because of Cupcake's desire to serve alcohol.

In October 2011, a City's Board of Zoning Appeals' Staff Report recommended that the requested 7-parking space variance application be denied. Based on this report and public testimony that such a large variance would put undue pressure on adjacent businesses and on the surrounding residential neighborhood, SHA’s Zoning & Land Use Committee also recommended that the proposed Cupcake parking variance be denied.

On December 27, 2011, the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) voted to approve the 7-parking space variance for Cupcake. The BZA’s meeting minutes revealed that they misinterpreted testimony from that meeting and incorrectly believed that SHA was in support of the variance. Based upon these irregularities, on January 17, 2012 SHA asked the City Council to review the decision of the BZA and make a final decision on the issue. A neighboring business of the proposed Cupcake location also decided to independently appeal the decision to the City Council.

On February 15, 2012, the St. Paul City Council reviewed the decision of the BZA and voted 5 - 2 against Cupcake’s requested zoning variance. The Feb. 15th hearing clarified that the Summit Hill Association was supportive of Cupcake moving to 949 Grand Avenue, but that the requested parking variance needed to serve wine and beer was problematic under the current zoning code; and set a negative precedent going forward given the historic parking deficit found on Grand Avenue. After the decision was made, Councilmember Dave Thune volunteered to help the owner of Cupcake find the sufficient number of legal & guaranteed off-street parking spaces to serve wine and beer without the need for a variance.

SHA has always supported and promoted a healthy Grand Avenue commercial district and encourages residents to shop locally. As the city-recognized neighborhood association for the Summit Hill neighborhood, it is our responsibility to represent the interests of all community members – residents and businesses alike.

Fox 9 Reports on Fire Danger in New Homes

2012-02-17T16:17:00.001-06:00

Thune has been a strong historic preservationist ever since he purchased his own pre-Civil War house in Saint Paul. This news report gives even more reason to preserve Saint Paul's treasury of historic homes. It turns out they are built better than new homes -- something we have always believed.

Investigators: Sounding the Alarm: MyFoxTWINCITIES.com

Cupcake Parking Variance

2012-02-16T12:14:00.004-06:00

The City Council last night voted 5-2 to uphold the appeal of the Summit Hill Association and McClay-Alton Law Firm to a Board of Zoning Appeals ruling on Cupcake Restaurant and Wine Bar's parking variances.

Following is video of the actual public hearing and vote:

The factors the City Council considers are often broader than the issue in front of us. In this case, the consideration was the 1,000 parking space deficit currently documented on Grand Avenue. This is the reason for all the permit parking on residential streets near Grand.

We use a formula for parking because legally we need to treat every business the same - whether it's a national chain or a local small business - whether it's a street bar on West 7th Street or a wine bar on Grand. As public testimony at the hearing proved, Cupcake did not meet the bare minimum we require. The parking stalls at the dry cleaning lot were short term and two were subject to removal at any time.

At the end of the public hearing, Councilmember Thune offered to work with Cupcake to (a) get a shared parking agreement, and (b) locate the missing 3 parking spaces. We would all like to see Cupcake open for business. They could open tomorrow as a cupcake and coffee place. They could even throw in their 32-seat full-service restaurant. But if they want to also be a wine bar, they need 10 parking spaces they don't now have. Because the issue had been appealed, Thune was not legally allowed to intervene on Cupcake's behalf before. Now he can.

Little Bohemia Residents Weigh in on Zoning Changes

2012-01-24T19:17:00.002-06:00

Thune attended the Little Bohemia block club meeting at which the proposed residential rezoning to single family was discussed. The objective is to increase the number of single family homes and reduce the number of chopped up converted duplexes in very small single-family houses.

The City Council heard and unanimously passed major changes in District 9 (Fort Road) zoning classifications for two commercial and one residential district on September 7th. The first clip is testimony on the commercial rezonings from Paulette Myers-Rich, Michael Padgett, Anna Yust, and Marit Brock (with silent witness from Nance Derby-Davidson, Dan Kueny, Deborah Padgett, and Becky Yust):

The second clip is testimony on the residential rezoning from David Wickre and Naomi Austin:

Thanks much to the hard work of the Fort Road Federation and many, many local residents who gave generously of their time on an arcane, but so critically important, topic. A special thanks to the Little Bohemia and Uppertown residents who took time out of their busy lives to come to the City Council and testify.

Inauguration 2012

2012-01-18T14:21:00.002-06:00

On January 4, 2012 Chief Judge Kathleen Guerin administered the oath of office to all seven City Councilmembers at a lovely ceremony at the Ordway.

Dave's Mom Fran and wife Sue were joined by Ward 2 constituents Hokan Miller, Claire Henn, and Pat Tupper at the ceremony.

The Councilmembers gathered off stage as the ceremonies got underway. They were addressed first by Mayor Coleman and then by Council President Kathy Lantry, who gave a moving summation of the individual strengths each of her colleagues brings to the role of councilmember.

Thune swore to uphold the constitutions, laws, and ordinances, and perform "all other duties devolving to him to the best of his abilities," while his mother Fran held the family bible. Thank you to everyone.

October - November Update

2012-01-04T15:33:00.006-06:00

Plaza de Honor for Veterans

Dave Thune participated in the ceremonial groundbreaking for the new American Veterans Plaza de Honor at Harriet Island with Michael Medina, driving force and president of AmVets Mexican American Post #5. The Plaza itself will be constructed in the Spring.

Utility Pole in Little Bohemia
Thune’s office worked successfully with Xcel Energy and Comcast to replace a utility pole leaning precariously on a garage in the Little Bohemia neighborhood.

Mazatlan's Liquor License Revoked - Then Stayed
At the October 5 City Council hearing, Mazatlan’s liquor license was revoked as indicated on the DSI penalty matrix. This revocation was later stayed to await the outcome of a lawsuit filed by Mazatlan against the City.

Northern Warehouse Re-Financing Approved
At the same October 5 hearing, $7.1 million in conduit bonds were approved to help ArtSpace outright purchase and renovate the Northern Warehouse artists’ lofts in Lowertown, thus ensuring that they will be kept as affordable artist housing.

Pedal-Pub Ordinance
Dave continued working with DSI on a pedal pub ordinance after receiving numerous complaints from Summit Hill residents about noise and traffic interruption.

Lowertown Master Plan to CapitolRiver Council
Thune attended the CapitolRiver Council meeting at which the Lowertown Master Plan was reviewed on October 19th. He also met with HPC staff regarding the plan. On to the Planning Commission.

Ward 2 Dog Parks in the News
Pat took Pioneer Press reporter Fred Melo for a walk around downtown to see all the real and informal dog parks. Fred wrote a front-page article about downtown dog parks and dog walking areas.

Summit Hill Association Annual Meeting
Thune attended the Summit Hill Association annual meeting – and dessert buffet.

Mayor's Council on Disabilities

Councilmember Thune presented a plaque to the Mayor’s Council on Disabilities on October 19 for their hard work advocating for wider sidewalk clearances for wheelchair-bound residents and visitors to Saint Paul around sidewalk cafes. The Council reminded us all that the primary function of a sidewalk is pedestrian movement, and we can all enjoy sidewalk cafés during Minnesota’s too-short summers while still allowing our fellow citizens in wheelchairs the ability to use the sidewalk. They strongly supported Thune’s sidewalk café ordinance requiring a 48 inch clearance.

West 7th Community Center
Dave and Sue Thune attended the annual West 7th Community Center spaghetti dinner at which Dave served spaghetti.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Municipal Issues
Thune met with Don and Debbie Luna and the Departments of Public Works and Safety & Inspections (DSI) about progress on municipal issues around Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. Xcel Energy has already fixed the alley light at the back of the church. Public Works brought engineering drawings showing how they plan to add a left turn lane into the church parking lot this coming summer. DSI reported on conversations they have had with CNW Railroad about cleaning up their land on the corner of Guadalupe’s property. They did send out some crews to clean up the woods. CNW is also open to leasing the land to the church.

Schmidt Brewery Pre-Leasing Celebration

Thune attended an event with about a thousand local residents to kick off the start of the leasing list for Schmidt Brewery artists lofts by Dominium Properties. The event was held in the Rathskeller. There were so many people in attendance that speakers had to get up on a ladder to be seen, and they ran out of food. It was a smashing success.

State Farm Donates a Burglary "Bait Car"
The City Council accepted a gift of a “bait car” from State Farm Insurance. “Bait cars” are outfitted with cameras and placed in high theft areas hoping to catch a thief at work. This past summer has seen a spike in smash and grab thefts from cars on West 7th Street and Grand Avenue.

Window Sign Ordinance Moves Forward
Thune and his office continued working with window sign proponents, opponents, and the City Attorney’s office on compromise language following our summer meeting at which proponents agreed to compromise on four major issues at the request of opponents. Thune’s office also met with staff in other Council offices and the Chamber of Commerce to update them on progress. In the process, we discovered that our new council tracking system does not lend itself well to sharing with those not connected to the internal system.

Skyway Link at 5th & Cedar Restored

Dave woke up at the crack of dawn to participate in a ribbon cutting ceremony for the re-opened skyway link at 5th & Cedar. The demolition of this skyway link has been hard on all of downtown this year, so big smiles all around.

Baker Pool
In response to West Siders concerns about closure of Baker Pool, Dave opened discussions with Parks, St. Paul Schools and the West Side YMCA. Thune met with Parks staff about progress within the City and between the City and School District on disposition of Baker Pool. We did discover that, while the City owns Baker Recreation Center, the school district actually owns the land beneath it. This is good news for future disposition of the site because it will not be a net loss of park land.

Cultural STAR Monies Allocated
The City Council approved allocation of cultural STAR dollars for 2011 on November 16th. History Theatre was awarded $30,000 for their planned move; Park Square Theatre was awarded $25,000 for their expansion; SPNN was awarded $15,000; and TPT (public television) was awarded $85,000 for their planned expansion.

West Side Block Club
Pat attended the MOPster block club meeting on the West Side, which was also attended by an officer with the gang unit. He did a fantastic job.

Pedro Park Design Task Force
Dave Thune attended the second Pedro Park Design Task Force meeting, which was held at Key’s Café. That plan is in the beginning stages of coming together, with a community survey of desired features being planned.

686 Bradley in Railroad Island to Be Renovated

Thune’s office attended the November Railroad Island Task Force meeting. PED staff located a buyer and developer for the historic, turreted, red brick Queen Anne at 686 Bradley. BB Housing is going to renovate it into a rental duplex. Task force members agreed to walk-by assessment of the properties on their vacant building list from 2007 to 2010 and make recommendations.

Schmidt Brewery Construction Moves Forward

2011-12-29T11:53:00.007-06:00

At the December 22nd special HRA hearing, Saint Paul's Planning and Economic Development Department (PED) was authorized to enter into a development agreement with Dominium Development LLC to develop 248 units of affordable artist housing at the former Jacob Schmidt Brewery in the West 7th Street neighborhood. The Gary Vogel, architect; and Owen Metz of Dominium presented their proposal to the HRA.

The HRA resolution also allocated $1.5 million in a CDBG (community development block grant) loan and $3.967 million in Met Council, Ramsey County and DEED clean-up grants to the project. The Brew House (also affectionately called the Castle) will be turned into 148 units of affordable artist housing. Below is a drawing of what the Brew House looked like when it was first constructed.

The Brew House will also contain a clay studio, paint studio, sound studios, media studio, dance studio, performance studio, art gallery, and a community room. At one point Dominium had said that these studio spaces would also be available to local West End artists for an annual membership fee.

The Bottle House will be converted into 100 units of affordable artist housing that will be available to persons earning less than 60% of area median income. In addition, throughout the complex there will be 27 units available to those earning less than 50% of area median income. Below is a 1917 photo of the Bottle House.

The bulk of this project will be funded with mortgage loans, a TIF district, and federal and state historic tax credits. This will be the most exciting and transformative project to happen in West 7th Street in many decades. The credit for bringing Dominium into the project several years ago rests with Councilmember Dave Thune.

For the avid City Council geek or West Ender who has poured their heart and soul into reviving this beautiful building, below is the actual HRA hearing and vote that officially launched the Schmidt Brewery project:

And Owen and Gary's presentation:

HRA Votes to Approve Financing of Penfield Project

2011-12-23T14:38:00.007-06:00

Last evening, December 22, 2011, the Saint Paul HRA voted to approve the financing plan to construct the Penfield apartments and grocery store. Video from the public hearing is below in three steps.

First, public testimony from those who attended at 3:30 and could not stay until 4:30 for the vote:

Second, public testimony on the Penfield at 4:30:

Last, the vote on several items related to approving financing of the Penfield, including a HUD-insured loan, savings from a refunding bond, and transfer of excess TIF:

The HRA voted 4-3 to approve financing the Penfield Project. Construction can begin as early as June of 2012.

Yes, Virginia, the Penfield will be market-rate

2011-12-22T13:37:00.006-06:00

This note was sent out in response to a constituent who wrote to ask why there are no affordable housing units in the proposed "luxury" Penfield apartment development.

Dear Virginia,

Thanks much for your e-mail. And thank you for your kind words. First, I think it's not entirely accurate to call it luxury housing. It is market-rate housing that is pretty much at the average for new apartment units in the seven-county metro area. We do want the apartments to be nice, but "luxury" might be stretching it a bit. Of the 253 apartments in the Penfield, 62 of them will have rental rates that will be affordable to people earning 65% to 80% of area median income; 95 will be affordable to people earning 80% to 100% of area median income (teachers, police officers, and registered nurses fall into this category); 77 will be affordable to people earning up to 120% of area median income; and the remaining 19 units will require higher income levels.

In the past 10 years, downtown has stepped up and supported the renovation of almost 900 units of housing for people with incomes between 30% and 60% of area median income when other neighborhoods were not sure they wanted such units built in their back yard. Currently downtown has deeply discounted rental units for just the persons you are concerned about in the Crane-Ordway, Commerce Building, Minnesota Building, RenBox, Sibley Court Apartments, and Lowry Hotel (which isn't really a hotel but needs to be differentiated from another building also called the Lowry). All of these projects were fully supported by Councilmember Thune. Four of those buildings each have units set aside for the long-term homeless.

In addition, Dave was a champion for getting HRA funds to help refinance affordable artist housing at Lowertown Lofts, Northern Warehouse, and Tilsner for low-income artists. This adds up to over 80% of all rental housing built over the past 10 years in downtown being affordable for those earning between 30% and 60% of area median income. I don't think any other neighborhood nor any other Councilmember can claim as much affordable rental housing development as Dave Thune.

Downtown has stepped up with almost 2,000 units of affordable housing - over 50% of all downtown rentals

In the immediate area right around where the Penfield will be built, 47% of all the housing units (which includes condominiums) are occupied by persons needing affordable units. That area also houses a day center for homeless families that Councilmember Thune has provided funding for every year for the past 5 years. One of the biggest problems local residents are now having is attracting retail shops. Most business people look at the economic demographics and decide that there is an insufficient amount of disposable income in the downtown population to justify their investment in opening a store there. And downtown, more than anything, needs a full-service grocery store.

We have had conversations with many, many grocery store chains and until now none of them wanted to take a risk on investing a little more than $1 million in outfitting a full-service grocery store in a neighborhood where only half of a fairly small population can afford to make those higher-priced impulse purchases that bring grocers their profit margin. Most grocery stores operate on a profit margins of well under 5% - they cannot survive long without impulse purchases.

Lunds has stepped up to the plate and has signed a lease agreement to rent the ground floor of the Penfield for a full-service grocery store whose union workers earn livable wages. They dug deeper into the economic figures and, quite frankly, were also excited about the opportunity to have 253 housing units (and probably about 325 people) living right up above their store. It should be noted that having good quality, fresh food available within walking distance will be a big benefit to EVERYONE in downtown, regardless of income level.

Finally, since the City is the developer and the owner, the money we are putting in is not a subsidy, it's really an equity investment. Our HRA staff predict that between Years 10 and 20, after we have paid off some of the initial small loans, apartment rents will return a little over $1 million per year to our development fund that can be used for other projects that need a subsidy - subsidies that will never come back to us like the Penfield's investment will.

Again, thanks for your note and for calling Dave a champion for justice - that was really nice. I hope that you will give us the benefit of the doubt that we really do want a mixed-use and mixed-income community downtown. That means some housing for those less fortunate, but it also means housing for those who can pay their own way and who will bring vitality and disposable income that will also lead to better lives for everyone.

HRA Funding of Penfield Development

2011-12-13T18:35:00.015-06:00

The Housing & Redevelopment Authority of Saint Paul is holding a public hearing on Thursday, December 22 at 3:30 pm in Room 300 City Hall. The HRA will vote on a plan to finance the Penfield development on 11th and Robert Street in Saint Paul. The plan calls for an underground parking ramp, a full-service grocery store on the main floor, with a multi-story housing development above containing 253 housing units.

The HRA is considering investing $15+ million in the $58+ million project that will provide 253 rental housing units and a full-service grocery store on the Central Corridor light rail line. The Penfield is one block away from the LRT station on 12th and Robert. The $15 million will come from a variety of sources: re-allocation of excess TIF monies, savings on refunding bonds, and an internal loan from the parking ramp fund. None of the money will come from the City's general property tax fund. The HRA will be the owner of the project, so the financing is more of an equity investment than gap financing. What that means to the taxpayers is that the project has the potential to pay dividends to the HRA after the construction debt is paid off, which will help provide funding for future development projects.

Window Sign Ordinance Public Hearing

2011-12-08T13:29:00.006-06:00

On December 7th, a group of about 30 youth and members of Scenic Saint Paul presented testimony to the City Council in support of an ordinance to regulate the amount of coverage signs may take up in commercial windows. The group testifying did a fantastic job and took time after their testimony to pose for this photo:

The video below depicts their full and complete testimony to the City Council. The opponents spoke first for the first 9 minutes of the video and then the proponents, including a few of the young people in the photo above, spoke. We apparently have no need to worry about our youth here in the City of Saint Paul:

If you fast-forward thru the video, please be aware that there is a glitch in the video that gives a few minutes of the "Truth in Taxation" hearing, but be assured the window sign video is really still there.

December 21 Update: The Mayor just returned the ordinance to the City Clerk unsigned. This means that he did not veto it, so it will become law without his signature. Congratulations to everyone who worked so hard on getting this law passed.

July, August, and September Update

2011-11-22T18:37:00.004-06:00

Busking Legal Downtown
Thune went out busking with Ed Coleman and musicians from McNally-Smith on 4th of July to publicize the fact that busking is indeed legal in Saint Paul – according to the City Attorney.

Brewery Taprooms
The City Council passed an ordinance allowing brewery taprooms on July 6th. This is known as the “Surly law” after the Brooklyn Park brewer. Summit Brewing Company was one of the first breweries in Saint Paul to apply for and receive the new brewery taproom license. It was approved by the City Council on August 24th.

City Sales Taxes for Vikings Stadium Opposed
Thune was one of the co-sponsors of a resolution passed by the City Council on July 6th opposing the use of Saint Paul city sales taxes to fund a Vikings Stadium in Arden Hills. Several Ward 2 constituents, including Rod Halvorson, took an active lead in opposition to the use of sales taxes for that purpose.

Urban Agriculture in West Side Master Plan
The Ward 2 office met with Elena Gaarder, Samantha Henningson, and some West Side gardeners and urban farmers to talk about the City’s healthy food and community garden policies. WSCO plans to be the first district to include an urban agriculture section in their small area plan – which Dave Thune fully supports.

Pedi-Cab Regulation
Thune continued working on a pedi-cab ordinance with pedi-cab companies, DSI, Public Works, and the police. At a meeting in July, they asked for more time to complete work on amendments to the Minneapolis ordinance. Dave laid over the public hearing on the ordinance until January.

Friends of Lilydale Park
At the July 20 City Council hearing, Thune amended funding plans for the Great River Passage grant to require that Friends of Lilydale Park be part of the design committee working on major trail enhancements and improvements within the park.

West Side Boys and Girls Club
Thune attended an event at West Side Boys and Girls Club at which Morrissey Hospitality presented a large donation check from their golf tournament.

Schmidt Brewery Admin Building Gets a New Roof
Fort Road Federation applied for a building permit to replace the roof on the Schmidt Brewery Rathskeller on July 21.

Lowertown Master Plan Gets Grant
Thune supported the CapitolRiver Council with a grant to complete work on their Lowertown Master Plan.

Little Bohemia Neighbors Weigh in on Zoning Changes
Thune attended the Little Bohemia block club meeting at which the proposed residential rezoning to single family was discussed. The objective is to increase the number of single family homes and reduce the number of chopped up converted duplexes in very small single-family houses.

The City Council heard and unanimously passed major changes in District 9 (Fort Road) zoning classifications for two commercial and one residential district on September 7th. Thanks much to the hard work of the Fort Road Federation and many, many local residents who gave generously of their time on an arcane, but so critically important, topic. A special thanks to the Little Bohemia and Uppertown residents who took time out of their busy lives to come to the City Council and testify.

Dusty Trucks on Wrong Route
A West 7th Street neighbor was persistent in calling to complain about large trucks illegally driving down Victoria Street (which is not a truck route). It took many months, but it was finally discovered that the trucks were bringing dirt from LRT construction to the former tank farm at Victoria Park to replace polluted land that had been trucked out years earlier. This issue ended up on evening television news. Many thanks to the police officer who staked out the route and stopped a couple of off-route trucks. This led to the City imposing sanctions in our contract with the gravel trucks hauling off LRT construction clean fill, and to a requirement that they spray and clean the streets daily.

National Night Out
Dave made it around to about twelve National Night Out celebrations, including playing a gig with Ed Coleman’s band at the Wacouta Commons NNO event. Thanks to Mark and Nancy Karason for organizing the Wacouta event.
Now we need to get to work on that rain garden.

Window Sign Regulations
The Ward 2 office organized a meeting between opponents and proponents of window sign regulations, DSI and someone from the Mayor’s office to develop a list of issues to work on in relation to the window sign ordinance. Areas where there might be some opportunity to find common ground are:
1. see-through-signs OR lettering with no backing that allows one to see into and out of a store through the letters
2. clear story art work that is pictures or photos, but not advertising
3. display cases and theatre marquees
4. skyway advertising
The group agreed to work on some language suggestions and get back together in a few months.

Traffic Calming on Smith Avenue
The Ward 2 office followed up on plans to install traffic calming measures on Smith Avenue on the West 7th Street side of the High Bridge after an August 24th meeting at the Fort Road Federation. Public Works has applied for funding for some really creative traffic-calming concepts close to the bridge. Local neighbors also have an interest in some smaller traffic-calming improvements closer to West 7th Street, namely a solid white striped line between the center traffic lane and the outer parking lane, and abandoning and closing off McBoal for one block alongside the triangle park. What do you think of traffic calming?

Local Historic Designation for South Summit
Summit Hill resident Rick Hauser is spearheading an effort to get local historic district designation for the area south of Grand Avenue and north of Saint Clair. He invited Dave Thune to appear at the Summit Hill Association’s September meeting to advocate for this proposal and give a two-minute presentation on how historic preservation fits into the City’s comprehensive plans and goals. Rick’s group made an excellent presentation to SHA; it is hoped their efforts continue.

Pedro Park Site Work
City Council approved a transfer of $162,300 from capital maintenance at the Public Safety Annex to Pedro Park for site work on the park.

Lowry Condo Issues
Thune attended meeting with Lowry condo association about issues relating to a dog run at Landmark Park, and some other building problems. A new doggie bag dispenser is now installed in Landmark Park.

Children's Playspace Renovations
Thune attended a CapitolRiver Council board meeting to update them on progress on the Children’s Playspace renovation project next spring.

Friends of Baker - FAB!
Thune had a meeting with the West Saint Paul YMCA, Karthy Korum, Jon Kerr from Friends of Baker!, and the nonprofit that currently runs Baker about the YMCA purchasing the building and operating it as a recreation center and pool. The YMCA is particularly interested since they need to expand and discovered that most of their clientele are from the 55107 zip code, AKA the West Side.

HRA Funding for Cossetta's Italian Market Expansion in West 7th Street

2011-11-21T17:25:00.002-06:00

The last week of October, Councilmembers Pat Harris and Dave Thune participated in the groundbreaking for Cossetta's expansion. It was a beautiful day. Photos of the floor plans are included elsewhere on this blog. But I wanted to share the video to give my readers a sense of the strong sense of family, of history, of place that motivate Dave Cossetta to grow his business here in this place on Saint Paul's West 7th Street.

Construction has begun and the exterior should be up and enclosed by Christmas. The store and grocery will still be open for all your traditional Italian dinner ingredients all through out construction.

New Vertical Wind Turbines in Saint Paul

2011-11-18T10:55:00.003-06:00

Minnesota Wind Technology has started marketing vertical wind turbines in Saint Paul. They do not require the same large footprint as the familiar "windmill" type of wind turbines and can be more easily installed on top of roofs - as the photo and video demonstrate.

The wind turbines come in three sizes, 3,000 Watts, 1,500 Watts, and 450 Watts - all three of which can be seen in the video. For further information contact Dann Dobson at dann.dobson@gmail.com.

Saint Paul is making a name for itself with wind energy. North American Windpower (NAW), a publication geared toward professionals in the windpower industry, recently reported on a new wind energy research station at the U of M in Rosemount. The station will host active consortium research as well as education and training of wind industry workers. The facility is equipped with instruments and sensors designed to measure factors like wind-capturing ability.

Skyway Connection Ribbon Cutting November 2, 2011

2011-11-06T12:54:00.003-06:00

Dave Thune inserted a condition in the City of Saint Paul's memorandum of agreement with the Met Council allowing them to construct LRT here that required the skyway connection lost when the Bremer Building was demolished must be replaced by November 1, 2011.

The LRT construction contractor delivered a new skyway connection on time and on budget. An unusually large crowd gathered at 7:30 in the morning to witness the ribbon cutting and walk across the replaced skyway connection. It helped that coffee

was served. Dave Thune spoke briefly before the ribbon was cut stressing how important this replaced link is in the skyway system of second story, indoor "sidewalks."

Other photos from the ribbon cutting ceremony:

Shawn Wiski, property manager for Alliance Bank, showed Dave Thune her very large scissors for the ribbon cutting ceremony.

And snapshots of progress on the construction project which included some night-time construction to meet the November 1st deadline:

Now visitors to Saint Paul, downtown residents and office workers can get to the Victory Parking Ramp, Lowry Building, City Hall, Saint Paul Hotel, and RiverCentre without having to detour by going outside.

First Day in Pedro Park, October 30, 2011

2011-11-02T10:12:00.005-05:00

Councilmember Dave Thune invited downtown residents to come out to enjoy the first day of park-type activities in Saint Paul's newest city park - Pedro Park - on Sunday, October 31, 2011.

The reference to the "suitcase park" is a play on "pocket park" since the currently available park is less than a quarter of the planned park in Saint Paul's comprehensive plan, and it also reprises the Pedro Luggage Company that used to occupy the space, and whose owners donated the land to the City for use as a public park.

About 50 people braved the gray October weather to play bocce ball, eat ice cream from the Leprechaun dreamcycle vendor, eat chili from Key's Cafe, watch Dave Thune and Parks & Rec Director Mike Hahm unveil the new Pedro Park sign, and end the day by roasting marshmallows over a fire pit.

Rita Adams and Bob Clough proved to be bocce ball ringers with their deadly aim. Thanks much to Marit and Tom Brock and their children for helping out and for getting the bocce games going. Thanks to Jon Kerr and Tait Danielson Castillo for getting the campfire going. The dreamcycle's ice and the roasted marshmallows turned out to be the biggest hits of the day. And Saint Paul's newest park was used as a real park for the first time!

Cossettas Construction Starts

2011-10-29T22:43:00.002-05:00

Dave Cossetta started construction of his new Alimentary on October 26 with a groundbreaking ceremony that included the participants and his new Italian baker breaking bread together.

These are the architectural drawings posted up at the groundbreaking ceremony:

I drove by the site three days later and noticed that construction is well under way. One of the requirements of the funding source was that construction had to be underway by December 2011.

Thune at Lilydale Park Groundbreaking for New Entrace Sign

2011-10-28T12:52:00.009-05:00

After years of planning, the Lilydale Park master plan is finally completed and the first element of that plan will be realized thanks to the hard work and generosity of the St. Paul Parks Conservancy. The Conservancy raised almost $500,000 to construct the new gateway sign on Water Street beneath the High Bridge. On October 21, Dave Thune participated in a groundbreaking ceremony to kick off that construction project.

The recently completed master plan also includes: environmental clean-up, road re-design, a picnic shelter, and a future off-leash dog park. The gateway sign is the cornerstone that will herald the coming improvements to this most wild and scenic park in the Saint Paul system.

Thune Participates in Solar Panel Event at RiverCentre Parking Ramp

2011-10-25T13:48:00.000-05:00

The Star Tribune reported on October 17, 2011:

St. Paul Plugs into Solar Energy

Photo by Richard Sennott, Star Tribune

Workers installed solar panels on the St. Paul RiverCentre parking ramp on Monday afternoon. Mayor Chris Coleman joined U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum, City Council Member Dave Thune and Laura McCarten, Xcel Energy regional vice president, to unveil the project, which will power lighting in the ramp and includes charging stations for electric vehicles .

Thune Sponsors Resolution Honoring Mayor's Council on Disabilities

2011-10-24T14:51:00.005-05:00

At the October 26th City Council hearing, Councilmember Dave Thune sponsored a resolution honoring the Mayor's Council on Disabilities for their work on the new ADA sidewalk cafe ordinance.

l-r: Alyssa Wetzel-Moore, Barritt Lovelace, Scott Coleman, Jim Thayer, Kerry Sheldon, CM Dave Thune, and Mark Hughes

Resolution No. 11-2079 reads:
WHEREAS, Councilmember Dave Thune started righting the injustice of sidwalk cafes that would not permit a person in a wheelchair, or a mother pushing a baby stroller, to navigate past on the sidewalk back in early 2008; and

WHEREAS, his cavalry arrived when Mike Samuelson enlisted the Mayor's Council on Disabilities in the effort, inviting Ward 2 representatives to their January 2010 meeting at which they voted to support an ordinance change from a 36-inch right-of-way to the 48-inch right-of-way recommended by the U.S. Departments of Justice and Transportation; and

WHEREAS, Mark Hughes joined Mike Samuelson's cavalry in June 2010, promising to "attend any and all City Council hearings" on the topic of ADA-compliant passage around sidewalk cafes (a promise he faithfully kept); and

WHEREAS, our cavalry of Mark Hughes and Mike Samuelson, as representatives of the Mayor's Council on Disabilities, met consistently with Public Works, the Department of Safety & Inspections, the Business Review Council, and CapitolRiver Council over the summer and fall to work on details of the sidewalk cafe ordinance, holding the live of advance for the ordinance author; and

WHEREAS, this same cavalry kept in weekly contact with Councilmember Thune, pushing him to get an ordinance drafted by October, 2010; and

WHEREAS, the first reading of the ordinance was on November 3, 2010; public hearing on November 17, with Mark Hughes attending both Council meetings; and

WHEREAS, the Mayor's Council on Disabilities organized a group of six ADA advocates, many in wheelchairs, to testify at the second December 15, 2020 public hearing, at which they share personal stories of the dangers they face in having to move into a busy street when there is not enough room to navigate around sidewalk obstructions; and

WHEREAS, Mark Hughes and Rick Cardenas met with City staff to iron out differences in the sidewalk cafe ordinance in January 2011, helping to arrive at consensus; and

WHEREAS, the Mayor's Council on Disabilities worked diligently to get the ADA guidelines adopted, with the City Council finally adopting the ordinance on April 21, 2011; and

WHEREAS, none of this would have been possible without the mutual aide and assistance provided by the cavalry at the Mayor's Council on Disabilities who rode into the Council to petition their government for a redress of their wrongs; now therefore

BE IT RESOLVED, that Wednesday, October 19, 2011 is declared Full Mobility Day in the City of Saint Paul as we strive to reach that goal.

2012 Proposed Saint Paul City Budget

2011-10-19T14:46:00.001-05:00

Here is a very simplified pie chart giving the breakdown of the budget the Mayor forwarded to the City Council showing relative proportions of the major activities of Saint Paul city government:

If you were on the City Council, how would you apportion the dollars to run the city?

American veterans Plaza de Honor at Harriet Island

2011-10-09T13:46:00.007-05:00

The Mexican-American community on Saint Paul's West Side has sent more of its sons and daughters to all U.S. wars than any other neighborhood in the City of Saint Paul. They are very proud of this record and wanted to celebrate it. AmVets Post #5 approached Dave Thune and asked for his help. He has championed their request for a Plaza de Honor on Harriet Island to honor all Saint Paul veterans of foreign wars.

This past Thursday, October 6th was a very proud moment when AmVets Post #5 was able to have an honor guard ceremony to replace the traditional ground breaking. Mayor Coleman, Councilmember Dave Thune, and post President Michael Medina spoke at the ceremony.

The Post color guard participated in the ceremonies. Michael

Medina, Chair of the American Veterans Memorial Committee that raised funds for this memorial (including some from Councilmember Dave Thune and US Bank), said, "We have worked toward this day for several years, and the veterans of Post #5 and throughout all of Saint Paul will

finally have a memorial to make them proud." The Plaza de Honor, when completed, will provide a large gathering space along the river walk surrounded by flagpoles.

An enthusiastic and jubilant coterie of supporters gathered on Harriet Island's great lawn to mark this long-awaited moment:

Letter Announcing Merger of NeDA and REDA on West Side

2011-09-13T13:43:00.002-05:00

We received the following letter today from Jim Gilbert, President of the REDA Board of Directors and Karen Thompson, President of the NeDA Board of Directors:

Dear Friends and Supporters,

We are writing today with some very exciting news. REDA and NeDA are merging! This will consolidate administrative functions and reduce operating costs while providing more funds for programming. The merged organization will continue to be a strong community development corporation.

REDA will be merging into NeDA and will operate under its current name as a program of the Neighborhood Development Alliance. For the past five months, NeDA and REDA board members have been meeting to explore the feasibility of merging and how it would benefit the West Side. During this exploration it became very clear that both organizations share similar vision, values and mission. We have now completed our due diligence and both Boards have voted to move forward to merger.

The REDA program will continue to nurture a strong business association and facilitate developments on West Side commercial districts with strong street level business opportunities. The new REDA program will also manage the loan program, offer micro-entrepreneur training, provide technical assistance to business owners, as well as redeveloping vacant or underutilized property. In the late Fall, we will hire professional staff to manage the REDA program.

We expect the legal merger to be completed by the end of the year. Thank you for your support.

Thune Op-Ed Piece in St. Paul Pioneer Press

2011-09-07T19:38:00.001-05:00

The Twin Cities Pioneer Press published Dave's Op-Ed on Tuesday, September 6, 2011:

Skyway Connection to LRT at 5th & Cedar

2011-08-26T12:56:00.005-05:00

The CapitolRiver Council held a meeting this past Wednesday to present a preliminary design concept from TKDA Engineers of what an accessible skyway elevator connection between the skyway and the 4th & Cedar LRT station might look like. The "tower" would be located on the site of the former Bremer Bank building that was demolished this summer.

The Met Council is obligated to construct a skyway bridge extension to re-connect Alliance Bank and the Athletic Club. At present, there is a skyway bridge to nowhere over 5th Street. The extension will restore skyway access to RiverCentre and the Xcel hockey arena, which is presently cut off completely from access to the vast majority of the skyway system.

TKDA and the City's Planning and Economic Development (PED) Department estimate total cost of the vertical connection to be $1 million. There is at present no confirmed source of funding for this accessible elevator connection, but Councilmember Thune is confident that funding will be available.

St. Paul Police Department Launches New Messaging System

2011-08-02T16:31:00.011-05:00

The St. Paul Police Department has recently launched a new messaging system that will allow us to stay better connected with those we serve by sending out relevant and timely information to residents using the latest technology.

As we will soon be using the new system to send out all messages, we encourage you to take a brief moment to sign up by visiting the St. Paul Police Department website and clicking on the STAY INFORMED banner, or by visiting the following link to register:

https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/STPAUL/subscriber/new

About the new system:

It offers important neighborhood-level public safety and community event notifications

Messages are instantly sent to you by cell phone text message, and email.
It is free (standard cell provider text message rates apply for those who choose to receive notifications via text message).
Simple to use, reliable and the information comes directly from the Saint Paul Police Department.
No advertising or spam.

Summit Hill crime stats

2011-07-29T15:07:00.001-05:00

Western District Police Commander Todd Axtell sent over some interesting crime statistics comparing crime in Summit Hill in 2010 to that in 2009. In all categories but one, crime went down from 2009 to 2010.

Motor vehicle theft decreased by 32%. Robberies went down by 33%, thefts decreased by 28%, and burglaries went down by 1. The only category where crime increased in 2010 was in domestic assaults, which increased from 1 in 2009 to six in 2010.

While it is always a good idea to be vigilant, these are heartening statistics about the quality of life in one of Saint Paul's premier neighborhoods.

Thune Out Busking on 4th of July

2011-07-18T09:48:00.001-05:00

Councilmember Dave Thune joined Ed Coleman and students from McNally-Smith in busking on the 4th of July. Ed Coleman, owner of the Spectacle Shoppe; Andrew Schlack, chair of CapitolRiver Council; and Chris Osgood, foundation director at McNally-Smith College visited Thune to see if he would write a new ordinance allowing musicians to busk in downtown Saint Paul. A quick check with the City Attorney's office disclosed that musicians are specifically exempted from the panhandling laws.

So a special 4th of July busking event was planned. Everyone involved had a great time - especially Dave Thune.

May and June 2011 Update

2011-07-08T15:32:00.000-05:00

Skyway Detour during LRT Construction
Thune met with Bill Thurmes and the CapitolRiver Council’s Skyway Governance Committee about inadequate alternative routes and inadequate signage caused by closure of the skyway bridge over 5th Street near Cedar for LRT construction. Thune worked with DSI, PED, and Public Works to get the sidewalk on 5th Street in front of the Lawson parking ramp jacked up to original position on the sidewalk, thus making the Lawson ramp an ADA accessible alternate route during construction. The Met Council put up new detour maps and "Skyway Entrance" signs.

Safe and Secure Summer on West Side
Gilbert De la O organized meetings with housing management, an assistant City Attorney, the police, and neighbors to discuss shootings, loitering, bad language, and possible drug dealing on Clinton Avenue and Robert Street near Neighborhood House. Several clear action steps for the summer months came out of the meeting, thanks to Gilbert.

Cinco de Mayo Parade

Dave Thune and his friends (Marit & Tom Brock & kids, Kris Rafferty, Grit Youngquist, Ellen McPartlan, Carol Neumann, Kim & Dean Hyers and son, Shirlene Perrin, Chuck Repke, Gloria Bogen, Darren Tobolt – who did I forget?) and wife Sue in the Cinco de Mayo parade with his son Dusty Thune driving his vintage fire truck.

Saving a Queen Anne in Railroad Island
Thune’s office worked with the Housing Preservation Project and Dayton’s Bluff Neighborhood Housing Services to get Chase Bank to donate the beautiful red brick Queen Anne at 686 Bradley in Railroad Island to the HRA. Goal accomplished.

Smart Parking Meters Downtown
Pat continued working with Public Works, Capitol River Council, Visit Saint Paul, and the Chamber of Commerce on smart parking meters and other parking improvements downtown. Thune attended a public meeting sponsored by CRC on May 24th. We are anticipating a switch-over of most parking meters downtown by mid-2012.

Window Sign Regulation
Dave continued working with Scenic Saint Paul, Andrew Hine, John Mannillo, and Jeanne Weigum on a window sign ordinance. He drafted an ordinance change that received a public hearing on May 18th. The hearing brought to light that all but 2 of the surrounding communities currently regulate window signs. Some legitimate issues with unintended consequences were raised, and a task force will be created to work on some of these minor concerns over the next 6 months.

Housing & Redevelopment Authority Activity
At the May 25th HRA meeting, Nova Academy was named tentative developer for several plots of land in Victoria Park, and NeDA was named tentative developer for renovation of the historic yellow brick house at 639 Humboldt. They are working with a Youth Build program at Humboldt High. At the June 7th HRA meeting, West Side Falts was allocated an additional $1 million in financing.

Greater Lowertown Master Plan
Pat continued meeting weekly on the Greater Lowertown Master Plan including one 4-hour meeting on a Saturday, and one meeting with Summit Hill resident Eric Lampland who provided insights into designing live/work condos that would attract high-tech creative professionals. The mostly complete plan is available at The task force’s vision now goes to the CapitolRiver Council in July.

Demolition and Renovation in Little Bohemia
Little Bohemia Task Force and block club is excited to see planned demolitions and planned renovations of former slumlord properties in the Smith-Douglas ISP area started. Thanks to Marit Brock and Sarah Gleason for the photos.

Thune Remains Adamant: No Increased Speeds on I-35E
Dave assured Summit Hill residents, including Louise Klas who was instrumental in the original I-35E lawsuit, that he still strongly opposes a plan by Republicans in the Minnesota Legislature to raise the speed limit on I-35E.

North Smith Avenue Speeds and Accidents
Pat attended a great meeting with Will Wilson, Paulette Myers-Rich, Betty Moran and two traffic engineers from Saint Paul Public Works to talk about accidents on Smith Avenue and possible traffic calming techniques that could be employed to slow down traffic. Public Works presented some interesting and creative ideas they plan to implement on Smith. Monica Beeman is our new favorite Public Works engineer.

Beans in the Boulevard
Thune worked with Maureen Hark and several other WSCO gardeners on a “beans on the boulevard” project to bring local, healthy foods to the West Side. Dave was able to work out a compromise with Public Works who have issued a special use permit to WSCO who can manage properties wanting to participate in Beans in the Boulevard this summer. WSCO continues to work on the city’s healthy foods initiative.

Robert Street Parking and LRT Construction Headaches
Thune met with a group of business owners on Robert Street about parking problems caused by re-routing buses off Cedar during LRT construction. The group agreed to work together with the City to market available parking alternatives, and Thune agreed to provide some matching funds for the marketing effort.

Friends of Baker (FAB!
Grit Youngquist and Jon Kerr invited Dave and Sue Thune, along with West Sider Gloria Bogen, to be the guest grillers at the Friends of Baker Rec Center (FAB!) Monday night potluck on June 20th. A good time was had by all.

Pioneer and Endicott Buildings Restored to Grandeur
Rich Pakonen invited Thune on a tour of his construction and preservation work on the historic Pioneer and Endicott Buildings downtown. Pakonen is financing the housing portion privately, but is interested working with Thune to establish a TIF district to add a night club that would feature the historic stained glass ceiling on the ground floor. Dave reports that the preservation work on this grand Richardsonian is excellent and the result will be “stunning.”

Public Improvements Around Guadalupe
Thune’s office set up a meeting with Debbie Luna, Father Schaefer from Our Lady of Guadelupe Church, Ricardo Cervantes with DSI, and several engineers from Public Works to discuss some issues around the church. Everyone left with assignments and we hope to have progress yet this summer.

GAP School's Youth Build Program
GAP School had some issues this year with a Concord Street property their Youth Build program planned to work on this summer. Thune’s office worked with them on getting permission and extra time to complete a “green” demolition of the existing house. And Thune advocated for the variances they needed on the design of the replacement house they plan to build on a very tiny and challenging lot at the June 15th City Council public hearing. Dave plans to pick up a sledge hammer and help the kids demolish the house this summer.

Busking Musicians
Thune was approached by Andrew Schlack, Chair of the Capitol River Council; Ed Coleman, owner of the Spectacle Shoppe and part-time musician;

and Chris Osgood from McNally-Smith College of Music about sponsoring an ordinance to allow busking (the practice of a musician playing on the street with his music case open for donations). Thune sent an official inquiry to the City Attorney and discovered that busking is NOT illegal in Saint Paul. Fun, fun, fun plans are in the works.

Intern Patrick Meacham Completes Report
Our cracker jack Ward 2 intern Patrick Meacham has completed his report showing how many ways Saint Paul shines as a mecca for higher education in both the Midwest and in the nation. Patrick and West Ender Kathleen Corley presented the findings of their joint activities to a focus group of higher education managers and a great discussion on ways to move forward collaboratively in capitalizing on this wealth ensued. Councilmember Thune expects great things in the near future.

Sidewalk Cafes Comply with ADA
Dave Thune and Mark Hughes from the Mayor’s Council on Disabilities made a video with the owner of the Finnish Bistro Café in Saint Anthony Park demystifying Thune’s major initiative to change our sidewalk café ordinances to meet ADA requirements by ensuring a 48 inch unobstructed pedestrian walkway. And while we were at it, to allow curbside sidewalk cafes for the first time in Saint Paul history. Check out the video at

City Council Opposes City Sales Tax for Vikings Stadium

2011-07-07T09:35:00.000-05:00

The Saint Paul City Council voted 7-0 on July 6, 2011 to oppose the imposition of a 1/2 cent sales tax for construction of a Vikings Stadium in Arden Hills. The text of the resolution is below:

WHEREAS, the Saint Paul City Council recognizes the social and economic value of the Minnesota Vikings Football Team to the State of Minnesota; and,

WHEREAS, to preserve the Minnesota Vikings as a valuable State amenity, the Saint Paul City Council understands the desire to find a solution to the Vikings' stated interest in developing a new stadium; and,

WHEREAS, a proposal has been put forth by the Minnesota Vikings and the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners to construct a new stadium in Arden Hills on the site of the former Twin Cities Army Ammunitions Plant (TCAAP); and,

WHEREAS, to finance the construction of this facility, the Ramsey County Board has proposed the imposition of a ½ cent sales tax collected in Ramsey County in an amount sufficient to generate $350 million; and,

WHEREAS, according to the Minnesota Department of Revenue, of the County's 12,000 taxable businesses, 52% are in the City of Saint Paul and 47% of the County's taxable sales come from Saint Paul businesses; and,

WHEREAS, the city’s portion of this $350 million ($165 million) contribution in sales tax would be akin to raising the city’s current property tax levy by 173% approximately 17%, an amount the city would never consider imposing to pay for our basic services; and,

WHEREAS, at a time when the city is facing significant cuts to essential services due to proposed reductions in Local Government Aid (LGA), the City Council asserts that our number one policy priority is the funding of basic municipal functions including police, fire, parks, library services and public works which should be provided at a reasonable cost to all taxpayers; and,

WHEREAS, it is unfair and inequitable for the residents and businesses of Saint Paul to be asked to bear a disproportionate financial burden for the construction of a State and regional amenity, particularly when the benefit to Saint Paul taxpayers is tangential at best;

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Saint Paul City Council opposes the imposition of a ½ cent sales tax in Ramsey County to support the construction of a Vikings stadium in Arden Hills; and,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Saint Paul City Council encourages the Governor, the Legislature, the Ramsey County Board, the Minnesota Vikings and other interested parties to consider options for constructing a stadium that minimize risk to the taxpayers, limit the level of public subsidy (particularly for the host community), and promote a fair, multi-jurisdictional participation for a State-wide amenity.

March and April Update

2011-05-27T17:44:00.000-05:00

Pedro Luggage Building Makes Way for Pedro Park
Thune’s office worked with Bob Spaulding, Carol Hunn Gregory at Key’s Café, Andrew Schlack from Capitol River Council, and Mike Hahm and staff from Parks on a kick-off event to witness the beginnings of Pedro Park rise up out of the dust of demolition. Little Tate Spaulding enjoyed the first grass patch at Pedro Park. The event was a sprouting success!

West End Residents Petition City Hall
Thanks to the community activism of some West End residents, the City Council turned down an application from Superamerica on West 7th Street for a beer license on March 16th.

Saving a Beautiful Queen Anne in Railroad Island
Pat worked with Jane Bowman from the Housing Preservation Project and Carol Carey from Historic Saint Paul to get a beautiful, turreted, red brick Queen Anne in Railroad Island donated to the HRA by the bank in advance of the bulldozers. The “Bostrom” ordinance is coming in handy. Great news. Chase Bank agreed to donate the house to the HRA.

Help the Covington Inn Recover from the Flood
The Covington Inn had to be relocated to Pigs Eye Lake during the long, long, long flood. Lee J. from Upper River Services took good care of her boat. But, the owner Liz Miller still lost her business, her home, and her electrical wiring during that flood month. Her friends are throwing a fundraiser for her at CSPS Hall on June 3rd.

Schmidt Brewery Moves from Dream to Almost Reality
Financing plans for the Fort Road Federation to purchase and renovate two buildings at the Schmidt Brewery site were approved by the HRA on March 23rd. Closings on those buildings was scheduled for April 28th. The Schmidt Brewery was officially designated as a historic site at the May 25th City Council hearing. And there are rumors a local small craft brewer might be interested in locating in the brewery. Good news all the way around.

Thune Met with Senator Klobuchar at NCL Meeting in Washington, D.C.
Thune attended the National League of Cities meeting in Washington, D.C. He attended the International Town and Gown committee meeting as well. As part of the week’s events, Thune spent a day on Capitol Hill lobbying Congress to restore CDBG (community development block grant) funding – which supplies, among other important municipal activities, district council funding.

Signs, Signs, Everywhere a Sign, Can't We See in the Window?
Dave continued working on regulating window signs with Scenic Saint Paul and the anti-tobacco coalition. An ally has been found in the U.S. Department of Justice’s CPTED (crime prevention thru environmental design) guidelines. They recommend a “clear zone” so that pedestrians can see into the store and the clerks and cashiers can see out of the store as a means of reducing crimes against store clerks and innocent bystanders.

LRT Train Shed Under Construction in Lowertown
PCL Construction took out a $22.9 million building permit for construction work on the LRT’s operations and maintenance facility in the old Diamond Products building.

Andrew Schlack Pushes to Set the Buskers Free in Saint Paul
Thune met with Andrew Schlack, Chair of the Capitol River Council, who wants to change the ordinance that prohibits busking (playing music on the sidewalk for spare change). Dave discovered, thru the City Attorney’s office, that busking is specifically exempted from Saint Paul’s panhandling ordinance. Thune, Schlack, Chris Osgood from McNally-Smith and hopefully the Mayor are planning a “direct busking action” later this summer.

A Lowertown Arts District???
Thune and Lindgren attended a really fun meeting with Lowertown artists at Heartland at which we were asked how to make Lowertown look and feel more like the artists’ community that it is. One of the participants asked, “What would happen if we started calling it the Lowertown Arts District?” How would you answer that question?

Lilydale Park Design Taking Shape
Thune and Lindgren participated in a Lilydale Park design committee public meeting at Neighborhood House at which three potential park designs were presented and feedback encouraged. See the presentation at

Whatever Debbie Wants, Debbie Gets
Debbie Luna called for help with a series of infrastructure problems around her church, Our Lady of Gualadupe, from street construction problems, to lighting, to poor maintenance on some railroad land. Ward 2 is organizing meetings with city departments.

We Are One March to Support Public Employees
Dave, Pat and Andrew Hine marched in the AFL-CIO’s “We Are One” march to support public employees in the wake of the bashing they received from Gov. Walker in Wisconsin. They marched from the Cathedral to the State Capitol on April 4th, where they were joined by proud member of the Minnesota Nurses’ Union, Sue Thune. Photo by Andrew Hine.

Fort Road Federation Annual Meeting and Brewery Town History
Thune and Lindgren attended the Fort Road Federation’s annual meeting at Summit Brewing. Gary Bruggemann gave a spellbinding talk about all the historical breweries that used to operate in West 7th Street – at least four major ones. This neighborhood truly is Brewerytown. Tonya Nicholie was elected Chair of the Board.

Smart Parking Meter Kiosks Coming to Downtown
Pat worked with the St. Paul Chamber of Commerce, Visit St. Paul, Capitol River Council and BOMA to explore purchasing new smart parking meters for the entire city (all 1800). Costs and potential parking meter revenue sources were shared, and a public meeting schedule for April 19th and May 24th to gather feedback from downtown residents and businesses. Thune mailed out 350 letters and CRC sent out 1,400 e-mails inviting downtown residents to attend.

Thune Sponsors Single Payer Health Care Plan
Thune, Stark, and Carter sponsored a resolution supporting the Minnesota Health Plan, a universal, single-payer health care plan for the State. They worked with Dr. Lisa Nilles, acting director of the Minnesota Universal Health Care Coalition.

Cossetta's Italian Market Funding Approved
The Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) approved $2 million in city financing for an expansion of Cosetta’s Italian Market on April 13th. Thune was interviewed by MPR. See Thune's statement in an earlier blog post.

Downtown Facade Improvement Program II
On April 20th, the City Council approved funding three projects under the Downtown Façade Improvement Program: Seestedt’s Carpets will receive $168,700; Lowry Hotel will receive $350,000 assuming they sign a required exterior easement; and Great Northern condos will receive $458,800. The funding is a voluntary special assessment on their property taxes.

Couple of Sidewalk Cafe Votes
Also on April 20th, the City Council finalized its vote to deny the Wild Onion’s application to serve liquor on their outdoor patio. They also approved a curbside sidewalk café for the Finnish Bistro in Saint Anthony Park – an approval made possible by a Thune amendment last year allowing curbside outdoor dining in St. Paul.

Summit Hill Residents Work on Wilder Property
Thune and Pat met with Wilder property neighbors to hear from the agent representing Emily Program and to talk about other issues relating to zoning and details of a conditional use permit for the former Wilder property.

Ward 2 Intern Shines
Patrick Meacham, Dave’s public policy intern in the Ward 2 office, gave a brilliant presentation of his research work on higher education’s economic impact in St. Paul. He will present his findings to a group of higher education leaders in June.

Greater Lowertown Master Plan
Pat continues her work as part the Lowertown Master Plan task force. So far they have saved the Farmers Market and the Children’s Playspace, and are working on enticing high-tech creative geniuses to move into Lowertown.

Saint Paul surrenders title as "Billboard Capitol" of Minnesota

2011-05-19T13:55:00.000-05:00

According to the Friends of the St. Paul and Ramsey County Parks and Trails last newsletter, St. Paul no longer has more billboards than any other city in the state. "With the recent condemnation and removal of eight (8) billboard faces along the river" due to upcoming demolition and reconstruction of the Lafayette Bridge, "the total number of billboards in Saint Paul has slipped below 500 for the first time in many decades."

"Saint Paul has finally surrendered its title of Billboard Capitol of Minnesota -- with Minneapolis now in the lead with 510 billboards. Ward 4 on the western side of the city has the most billboards at 125; with Ward 2, which includes the Mississippi River and downtown, following with 117. By comparison Bloomington has eight (8)."

"Saint Paul has reduced the number of billboards from 561 in January 2009 to its current 498." According to ordinance, no new billboards can be built in the city. For more information about billboards in Minnesota, visit www.scenicminnesota.org

HRA Funding for Cossetta's Italian Market Expansion in West 7th Street

2011-05-06T15:45:00.002-05:00

Thought you would like some reflections on the April 13th HRA vote on Cossetta’s expansion.

Cossettas, a restaurant operating at Upper Landing and West 7th Street for 100 years, will more than double in size with the help of city financing. This project is valuable for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that currently over 70% of Cossetta’s employees live in St. Paul and West St. Paul and are part of our community. Cossetta’s exceeds most common industry standards in its rate of pay and benefits (providing health care benefits, vacation and 401(k) contributions). The HRA vote did not exempt them completely from the living wage ordinance. It provided a waiver based on Dave Cossetta’s testimony and commitment to pay living wages to 75% of his full-time workforce.

Dave Cossetta made a commitment at the Council hearing to continue all benefits and increase all his workers' salaries by 3%. Now, 81% of full-time jobs will earn a living wage. Once construction is completed, 65-75 new employees will be hired - 75% of them at livable wages.

Some have contended that the waivers are a loophole that “one could drive a truck through.” However, there have only been three waivers granted in 14 years. We have successfully avoided funding mini-malls and fast food restaurants that pay minimum wage. As the author of the living wage ordinance, I am quite familiar with its provisions. We always anticipated that the hospitality industry might need waivers, so this process was included from the very beginning. Even without waivers, not every compliant business pays 100% of its employees a living wage. That is because the ordinance says that all recipients of city financing must pay their employees a living wage OR be unionized. There are part-time employees in both union groceries and union restaurants who do not earn living wages; but their employers would meet the requirements of the living wage law simply by virtue of being unionized.

The City’s financing for Cossetta’s is $2 million of a total $12.5 million project, so the City's investment will be more than quintupled by a private investment of $10.5 million;
• $1.17 million is a grant that is called a forgivable loan made possible by the state legislature consolidating money left over from other TIF districts around the city.
• $437,000 is a market rate loan that must be repaid, at whatever our standard lending rate is, but with a three year delay. The three-year delay is very common to allow for completion of construction and time to get a new venture running at full tilt.
• $388,000 will be issued as a new TIF district, which must be paid back through real estate taxes.

This project will triple Cossetta’s Italian market, add an Italian pastry shop, double the restaurant seating area, add rooftop dining, and improve parking. It will be a regional destination, which will be a benefit to the City by attracting “new” money into the City. Visit St. Paul, our convention and visitors bureau, cites Cossetta’s as a regional draw with the expansion already touted as an enticement for convention planners. From an economic viewpoint, new money is always better than a project that simply circulates existing money through the economy.

We also considered our funding source. The 2010 State Legislature passed an economic stimulus package intended to invest in shovel-ready projects to create construction jobs by July 2011. During construction, 200-250 union construction workers will receive pay checks. McGough, the union construction contractor hired for this job, estimates the contract will require 50,000 worker hours of labor (25 full-time equivalent jobs) at far above living wage.

The expansion is a complex project that will cost $12.5 million. Once completed, the increase in property value is anticipated to be $4.3 million. This shows the uncertainty in today’s real estate market caused by the foreclosure crisis. It is also the reason it was difficult, if not impossible, to get private financing. For a bank, which does not have taxing powers, it would be impossible to insure the full value of their risk.

Lastly, I feel strongly that in addition to highly paid employees in high tech industries, St. Paul residents need well-paid blue collar job opportunities as well. When the living wage ordinance was first adopted, we had numerous competing real estate deals. Now we are in a deep recession and jobless recovery. We have very few development projects coming forward and our residents are experiencing high unemployment. Our blue and pink collar residents hurt even more during hard economic times and need job opportunities.

I am a strong union supporter. I would support a union in any St. Paul restaurant. However, I also know that Cossetta’s current wages compare very favorably to union shop wages. The pay and benefit structure rivals that of any restaurant in the Twin Cities. It would be difficult to find a restaurant that has more good will among its neighbors.

Cossetta’s expansion will be a regional draw bringing precious new dollars into St. Paul, will be a beautiful amenity for West 7th Street residents, will leverage five times its value in private investment, and will provide 75 new jobs to West Enders who have been unemployed for far too long in our jobless recovery. It’s all good for Ward 2.

Update: On May 18th, the Saint Paul City Council voted to further define the living wage waiver to mean that Cossetta's must meet a requirement that 75% of his existing and new full-time workers be paid a living wage. This amendment, offered by Councilmember Carter, and moved by Councilmember Thune, was approved by a vote of 6-1 by the City Council. Cossetta's now must pay 75% of all its full-time workers a living wage or above in order to access any funding for their construction project.

2011 Redistricting Proposals

2011-05-02T21:22:00.000-05:00

Every ten years after the census the City’s Wards are redrawn to insure equal representation. The Saint Paul Charter Commission has announced that they intend to have the final City ward maps announced on May 23rd.

This year Ward 1 needs to increase about 3,000 people. To do this there are three possible maps being considered. In one of the maps there are no changes proposed to Ward 2. In the other two maps Ward 2 – Precinct 10 (Railroad Island - is taken from Ward 2 and given to Ward 5. And parts of Ward 3 – Precinct 12 (Kips Glen, Montreal High-rise) - are added to Ward 2.

The final public hearing and vote by the Charter Commission will be May 23, 2011 at 4:30 PM at the Ramsey County Board Conference room 2nd floor City Hall/County Court house. The public is always invited to speak at a public hearing.

Saint Paul hotel taxes show no effect from smoking ban

2011-04-26T11:27:00.000-05:00

The Office of Financial Services released data on actual hotel taxes collected in Saint Paul in the past five years, which shows no decline after the smoking ban. It does, however, show a 13.5% drop in 2009 due to the recession that started in October of 2008.

2006 Actual Taxes Collected = $2,964,945 (1.53% increase over previous year)

2007 Actual Taxes Collected = $3,059,498 (3.19% increase)

2008 Actual Taxes Collected = $3,180,782 (3.96% increase)

2009 Actual Taxes Collected = $2,751,326 (13.5% decrease)

2010 Actual Taxes Collected = $2,840,393 (3.23% increase)

Just a few tenths of a percent less than 59% of all these taxes go to pay off the debt and support services of the Saint Paul Convention Bureau (Visit Saint Paul). And about 1% goes to the economic development work of the Capital City Partnership. The City of Saint Paul's general fund receives a little over 36% of these taxes.

One other interesting tidbit is that we saw only a 17% increase in hotel taxes collected during September 2008, when the RNC was in town, compared to September 2007. The highest taxes collected in any one month during the past five years were in July 2007; second highest in July 2006. Best month in 2010 was March. Wonder what happens in March in Saint Paul?

Thune sponsors Minnesota Health Plan single-payer health care resolution

2011-04-26T11:25:00.000-05:00

The following resolution, sponsored by Councilmember Dave Thune, was passed unanimously by the Saint Paul City Council on April 20, 2011:

WHEREAS, it is estimated that some point in 2009 approximately 14% of Saint Paul residents were without health care insurance; and

WHEREAS, approximately 71% of those who are without health insurance statewide are employed; and

WHEREAS, the Minnesota health plan would lower the cost of health care through a single payer system for all Minnesota residents; and

WHEREAS, the Minnesota health plan would lower the cost to Saint Paul businesses that provide health insurance to their employees; and

WHEREAS, lower premiums as a result of the Minnesota health plan would have a positive effect on the City's budget; and

WHEREAS, the Minnesota health plan would reduce the need for unnecessary emergency room visits, thus reducing costs and relieving area hospitals of a burden that threatens their solvency; and

WHEREAS, HF51 and SF8, described as creating and funding a health plan to make "health care guaranteed available and affordable for every Minnesotan," was introduced into the 87th Session (2011-2012) of the Minnesota legislature; now therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED, that the Saint Paul City Council hereby endorses the Minnesota health plan; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Council hereby directs the council president to inform area legislators of the Council's support for universal health care coverage and urges them to vote in the affirmative for the Minnesota health plan.

January & February Update

2011-03-22T18:45:00.000-05:00

Sidewalk café ADA ordinance was finally passed.
Thune and Mark Hughes from the Council on Disabilities, Rick Cardenas from ACT, and Tim Benjamin from Access Press met with Joe Spencer from the Mayor’s office, and an assistant city attorney to work out differences in the proposed ADA ordinance relating to sidewalk cafes. Agreement was reached. Thune’s ordinance to increase the ADA clear travel zone around sidewalk cafes to 48 inches had a third public hearing on January 5th, and final passage on January 12th. It will be in force this summer. Just a reminder that the federal law also requires that one outdoor cafe table must be accessible.

Former Wilder property
A development proposal by local Summit Hill residents Ellen Brown and Dick Zehring to create “aging in place” housing on the closed Wilder property was withdrawn by Brown and Zehring due to concerns about financial feasibility and vocal objections by neighbors.

District 9 zoning & deconversion of nonconforming duplexes
The residential rezoning study in West 7th Street was started in January, with Betty Moran from Fort Road Federation and Jess Rosenfeld from PED taking the lead. They anticipate having the study complete by the end of March.

West 7th Street historic facade improvement
The Ward 2 office has received a number of calls from business owners and business associations who are interested in a “Main Street” historic façade improvement program for businesses on West 7th Street, very much like the successful one for Cesar Chavez that REDA has been overseeing for years. Dave remembered the mid-1970s study by the architect Stanley Fishman looking at ways to preserve the Avenue’s unique historic building features, while honoring the cultural heritage of the area’s Czech, German and Italian pioneers. Call if you have a similar interest in a Fort Road “Main Street” historic façade program.

Smith Avenue Revitalization
Dave attended the Smith Avenue Revitalization committee meeting at which the avenue theme of “Stubbornly Local” was discussed. Two West Siders ponder their dots.

Saving a turreted Queen Anne in Railroad Island
Thune is working with (HPC) Heritage Preservation Commission, Historic Saint Paul, Housing Preservation Project, and Railroad Island Task Force to save a beautiful, turreted, red brick Queen Anne on Bradley Street in Railroad Island.

Lilydale Park development plans
Pat met with the Lilydale Regional Park design task force that is going over architectural plans to develop the park with trails, fishing piers, a dog park, and picnic shelter. There will be an Open House at Neighborhood House on April 5th to listen to how West Siders feel about proposals for park development.

Non-chemical dry cleaner to open on West 7th St
Dave Thune met with two businessmen who are interested in opening a “green” dry cleaning business that does not use harsh chemicals in the cleaning process. Dave is working on clearing up a city easement they need to cross to get from the street into their parking lot.

GAP to teach Youth Build students how to do "green" demolition
Guadalupe Area Project school has a unique Youth Build program, in which students work with a construction professional to learn building trades. They had acquired a house at 472 Concord that proved to be a little more than anticipated. A decision was made to demolish the house and build new. The City was pushing them to demolish the house within 15 days, but GAP wanted to teach the students how to do a “green” demolition which involves deconstructing and recycling the materials. WSCO voted to support GAP. Thune also supports them and made a motion that his fellow City Councilmembers approved allowing them adequate time to complete the “green” demo.

Dynamic display and window sign regulations
Thune is still working with Scenic Saint Paul and District Councils 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 17 (and District 6 land use committee) on a proposal to regulate dynamic display signs (the TV-type signs you see on freeways) in store windows, as well as on some paper window sign regulations. They would like to work on Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) recommendations that limit the percent of windows that can be covered with signs and encourage an eye-level clearance so pedestrians can see in and store personnel can see out to prevent crime inside the store. The proposal is still working its way thru the Planning Commission. We anticipate a May or June date to bring it forward to the City Council.

Movie theatre downtown???
Thune met with the leasing agent for Alliance Bank about the possibility of installing a movie theater downtown. It was a promising meeting.

Baker Rec Center Free Monday
Dave attended the Baker Free Monday event on the West Side at the invitation of Jon Kerr and Grit Youngquist to talk about the importance of keeping Baker and the swimming pool open.

No all-night-long street construction work downtown this Spring
Thune declined to introduce a noise variance for all-night (until 4:00 am) utility work next to three residential buildings downtown, and worked with Andrew Schlack, Capitol River Council and Public Works to rethink logistics of Xcel Energy LRT-related utility relocation work under 5th Street this Spring.

Meet Patrick Meacham, Intern
Patrick Meacham, Summit Hill resident and UMD master’s degree student, started work as an intern in the Ward 2 City Council office. He is working on Dave’s proposal to market Saint Paul as a Higher Education mecca. Thune just returned from meeting with 12 other cities that belong to the National League of Cities’ University Communities Committee.

Schmidt Brewery going for historic designation
HPC and Fort Road Federation held a joint neighborhood public meeting regarding Dominium’s application for historic designation of the Schmidt Brewery. HPC is also interested in designating some interior parts of the Rathskeller as historic.

Lowertown Master Plan
Lowertown Master Plan task force meetings continue and comments are always being taken on the wiki set up to hear from you at www.visionlowertown.com

Stryker Market on West Side fined
At the February 16th City Council hearing, the Council approved DSI’s recommendation to fine Stryker Market $250 for food safety violations.

State Economic Development grants for Saint Paul
At the same February 16th hearing, the City Council accepted four DEED grants for environmental clean-up at: Hazelden ($500,000), Schmidt Brewery ($820,000), West Side Flats ($500,000), and the Pioneer and Endicott buildings downtown ($660,000).

Block clubs may be snow-bound but still active
Pat attended meetings with both the West 7th—Smith Avenue and the West 7th—St. Clair Avenue block clubs.

Minnesota Building - an Art Deco gem - grand re-opening
Dave Thune spoke as Chair of the Saint Paul Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) at the Grand Opening ceremony of the newly remodeled Minnesota Building – one of Saint Paul’s beautiful Art Deco buildings. The former office building was converted into affordable housing. He was impressed with the quality of the restoration – calling it “magnificent!”

Nova Academy considers move to Victoria Park
Dave attended several meetings with Nova Academy about their plan to purchase land from Brighton in Victoria Park to build a unified K-12 school campus in West 7th Street.

Design charrette for Upper River Services
Pat participated in Riverfront Corporation’s Design Center charrette to redesign Upper River Service’s slip at Barge Terminal #2 on the Mississippi River. Most of the discussion focused on trail access to the river, and a viewing platform for children to be able to watch the “cool stuff” Upper River Services does with barges and tugboats at the terminal.

Town Hall Meeting about Schmidt Brewery Historic Designation

2011-02-11T13:50:00.000-06:00

Dear Fort Road Neighborhood Resident

You are invited to an informational presentation regarding a potential Jacob Schmidt Brewing Company Historic District.

The Saint Paul Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC) recently received a $7,000 Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage grant from the Minnesota Historical Society (MHS). The grant supports completion of the local designation form for Jacob Schmidt Brewing Company Historic District, related design guidelines, and certification of the district by the National Park Service.

This presentation and town hall meeting will take place on:
Monday, February 14
7:00 pm
Fort Road Federation Office, 974 West 7th Street

Representatives from HPC will discuss the process of designating a historic district and be available to asnwer questions regarding historic designation. Staff from Dominium Development will also be present to discuss their plans for rehabilitating the Bottling House and Castle, as well as Fort Road Federation representatives who will be able to answer questions regarding their rehabilitation plans for the Rathskeller and Keg House.

If you are interested in historic designation for Schmidt Brewery, please plan to attend.

State DEED Clean-Up Grants for Ward 2

2011-02-08T16:46:00.000-06:00

At the February 9th City Council meeting, the Council accepted grants to perform environmental clean-up activities at three important Ward 2 development projects:

1. Hazelden's expansion onto a former roofing company site in West 7th Street received a $535,000 grant

2. Schmidt Brewery's multi-faceted, multi-partner development received a $820,000 clean-up grant. Closing on the real estate agreements is slated for April.

3. The Pioneer and Endicott Buildings downtown received a $660,000 clean-up grant. If you have a chance to take a tour of this building when it is renovated, please take it. These are two of the most spectacular buildings in downtown Saint Paul.

St. Paul Capital Maintenance Budget, 2011

2011-01-14T17:39:00.000-06:00

The Capital maintenance budget for 2011 was recently released. There are only two items in Ward 2 on the list:

1) Door replacements at Baker Recreation Center, 670 Waseca Street for $7,000. Baker is currently being managed by the Jane Adams School for Democracy.

2) Connecting the Automation Center to the emergency generator at Central Library downtown, 90 West 4th Street for $38,000.

November, December Ward 2 Update

2010-12-29T20:05:00.000-06:00

Elm tree sculpture on Summit Avenue
Pat met with representatives from SARPA, Ramsey Hill Association, Cathedral of Saint Paul, Director of Parks & Recreation Mike Hahm, and Forecast Public Art about an idea from Bill Hosko to create a chain saw sculpture from the dead Chinese elm tree in the city park directly across the street from the Cathedral. Forecast Public Art is studying feasibility.

"Bank On Saint Paul"
The number of local advocates for creating a “Bank On Saint Paul” initiative grows with the recent addition of West Sider Deb Schlick. Already advocating for banking assistance for the unbanked are CAPRW, SMRLS, and Councilmember Thune.

Ramsey Hill condo water damage
Historic Saint Paul and homeowners from Ramsey Hill condos met with representatives from the City’s contract compliance office in Thune’s office to find out about contracting and minority outreach requirements of the City.

Accessibility standards for sidewalk cafes
Thune continued working with ADA advocates on accessibility standards for sidewalk cafes. An ordinance was introduced on November 3rd, with public hearing on November 17th. A large number of restaurant owners testified and several amendments were suggested. An amended ordinance was introduced, with public hearing on December 15th. Six ADA advocates appeared to testify about their difficulties and dangers when sidewalk obstructions force them out into the street. A final public hearing is scheduled for January 5th.

Black Dog Cafe makes rare archeology find in LRT trench
Thune and Pat attended an unveiling of a rare archeological find in the deep trench opened in the street outside the Black Dog Café as part of the summer-long LRT construction. A noted archeologist found some mysterious bones. Who could they be? All was revealed – it was an ancient King Boreas Rex from a long-forgotten Winter Carnival.

Hazelden Foundation environmental clean-up grant
Summit Hill resident Tony Vavoulis requested a support letter from Thune for Hazelden Foundation’s environmental clean-up grant application to DEED. Thune’s letter was sent. Hazelden received a $535,000 DEED grant to clean up contamination left behind by Finn Roofing Company when they moved.

HRA updates by-laws to sync up with electronic tracking legislative system
The HRA Commissioners worked on cleaning up their by-laws in light of the Council’s new resolution and ordinance tracker system called Legistar. The by-laws were loose about whether or not a Commissioner’s approval was necessary to place on item on the HRA agenda. The new electronic system doesn’t allow loose interpretations.

Window sign regulations
Ward 2 continued working with Jeannie Wiegum, Gerry Mische, Andrew Hine, John Mannillo, and Rossie Anderson-Howze on regulating window signs and dynamic display signs in windows. They have attended district council meetings to inform them of the proposal. The Planning Commission’s Neighborhood Committee voted to regulate dynamic display signs in windows at their December 29th meeting.

Wilder residential facility redevelopment
Thune’s office has received a number of calls from Summit Hill residents concerned about proposed development at the former Wilder residential facility on Fairmount. Thune is planning to invite neighbors to a community meeting to learn more from the developers, and to have input on the plans.

Victoria Park potential developer
A new developer is potentially interested in building market rate rental housing at Victoria Park. His architect has developed a plan that tries to follow the original Victoria Park plan design within the limits of affordability without additional city financing.

West Side surveillance cameras
REDA and several West Side block clubs are working with the Saint Paul police department and Ramsey County sheriff's office to explore the idea of a surveillance camera system on commercial corridors on the West Side.

FORCE unit organizational changes
Thune and his staff met with the Commander of the FORCE unit to learn about the changes made in FORCE and the easier access neighbors will have to suggesting a problem property for a FORCE file investigation. Please call the Ward 2 office to learn more.

City Public Works Employee Brings Home the Technology

2010-11-11T17:38:00.000-06:00

Bob Hamilton, an engineer in Traffic and Lighting, submitted a successful grant application to the federal government to "optimize" the timing of traffic signals on busy streets in St. Paul. The City was awarded $1.3 million in federal funds and another $400,000 in state aid funds, with a required city match of just $335,000 to replace aging copper wire with fiber optic cable.

This upgrade will reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality, and will save time by allowing a technician to make adjustments to a traffic signal from a central Public Works office. Signal optimization has been part of the city's traffic plan for 20 years. This grant has finally made it possible.

One of the five corridors that will see the fiber optic upgrade to fiber optic is the entire length of West 7th Street from Davern all the way to White Bear Avenue.

Thank you and congratulations, Bob. You have made us all proud.

September--October Ward 2 Update

2010-11-09T12:58:00.000-06:00

New Xcel Energy Park
Dave Thune and Councilmember Pat Harris met with representatives from Xcel Energy, the Police Department, Police Foundation, Parks & Recreation, and Highland Friendship Club to discuss ways to move forward with plans for the new park Xcel Energy is providing to the City on a management contract. The Police Foundation has offered to take the lead in raising private funds to construct major features of a fully accessible park, namely a horse stable and paddock for the police horses, a senior walking and exercise trail, a dog park, and a fully adaptive and accessible tot lot play area.

HRA(Housing and Redevelopment Authority)
The HRA, chaired by Dave Thune, applied for environmental clean-up grants from DEED for: (a) Schmidt Brewery, (b) West Side Flats, and (c) the historic Pioneer and Endicott buildings. The HRA also approved final funding plans, including excellent risk protections, for the Penfield and Farmers Market Flats projects as part of the Mayor's Jobs Bill.

Fire Station #1 Grand Opening
Dave proudly drove his son Dusty's antique fire truck in the fire muster as part of the Grand Opening ceremonies for Fire Station #1 at the corner of Randolph and West 7th Street. He is shown here in front of the Thune fire engine with West End Firefighter Wosicka. It was a very proud day for West 7th Street.
Lessons Learned in Central Corridor LRT Construction
Thune participated in a UABA conference on Lessons Learned during Central Corridor LRT Construction. He reports that really good ideas were floated and discussed. He continues meeting with Lowertown businesses adversely affected by LRT construction to discuss creation of a bridge loan fund, to work on tree placement, and to get emergency lighting.

West Side Flats development
Thune attended a meeting between developer George Sherman and WSCO to discuss changes in palns for the West Side Flats development on Wabasha. They recently received a DEED grant.

Seasonal sidewalk extensions for sidewalk cafes
Thune spoke at a press conference set up to unveil a demonstration of the seasonal sidewalk option at Bin Wine Bar on September 22nd. The seasonal option is less than one-third of the cost of the permanent sidewalk extension and will allow parking in the winter. Thune's new sidewalk cafe ordinance also addresses seasonal sidewalks.

Ramsey Terrace hit by mini-flood
Thune worked with Ramsey Terrace townhome association to find some financing for a water run-off problem on the bluff. He has brought Historic Saint Paul in to provide assistance.

Smart Parking Meter Test
Pat met with the Chamber of Commerce to follow up on the downtown parking issues raised at this summer's press conference. Public Works put out 45 new silver-topped smart parking meters downtown that take credit and debit cards. Call to me them know what you think of this test.

Responsible Bidder Contracting
Brian Wenkler (IBEW) and Jason George (49ers - Operating Engineers) talked to Thune about sponsoring an ordinance on "responsible bidder" contracting.

Senor Wong's Dragon Sculpture Sign
Pat and former District 17 Chair Kim Hyers attended the unveiling of Senor Wong's new dragon sculpture sign on Kellogg Blvd - funded partly with a small STAR grant. Great sign!

Railroad Island Crystal Light Center for Youth
Pat attended a Railroad Island Task Force meeting at which New Hope Baptist Church presented its plan to acquire 719 Burr Street to build a "Crystal Light Center." The Task Force pointed out that their master plan is to attach that property to a large, historic 1908 house on Minnehaha that currently sits on a small lot with no room for a garage, or even much of a yard. All parties had a respectful and productive conversation about the possibility of exploring the purchase or lease of Merrick Center. The Pastor and Deacon were both open to the idea and District 5 organizer Leslie McMurray was tasked with setting up a meeting with the Merrick Center Board.

Currency Exchange Zoning Regulation
Thune introduced and passed an ordinance bringing currency exchanges, and other alternative financial institutions, into the zoning code with the same requirements as check cashing and pawn shops now follow.

Window Sign Proposed Ordinance
Thune is working with Scenic Saint Paul and the Capitol River Council on a window sign ordinance proposal. The proposal is to regulate window signs oriented toward the street so they meet similar requirements as signs on the outside of a building. The ordinance would address dynamic display signs, temporary paper signs, lighted signs, and banners. Scenic Minnesota is making the rounds of all the District Councils to discuss the issue. Call them to set a date.

Lilydale Park Environmental Clean-up
The environmental clean-up of the old Village of Lilydale in Lilydale Park started the last week of October with funding from the state Legacy Amendment.

TPT Television Crew Union Strike
Thune participated in a NABET union strike action against TPT in Mears Park. The television station crew has been working 18 months with a contract. Issues are outsourcing and health benefits.

Canto al Pueblo Mural Goes Mosaic

Thune participated in a blessing ceremony for Pablo Basques' renovated rose mural project on the REDA office building on the West Side. The previously painted mural was redone as a glass mosaic with help from artist Kris Rafferty and a cultural STAR grant.

Public Art in West 7th--Smith Blocks Park
Thune proudly participated in the unveiling ceremony for the new public art exercise stations at newly named Pleasant Park on the corner of Harrison and Garfield in the West End. The public art was coordinated by West Ender John Yust and his merry band of Marty Hicks, Fred Livesay, and Myron Hanson. Much thanks goes to the West 7th--Smith block club - a real bunch of go-getters! When Dave Thune insisted on local control of the "1% for the arts" project, the block club stepped up and did a wonderful job.

Saint Paul Water Services replacing all water meters

2010-10-15T16:08:00.000-05:00

All residential and commercial water meters will be replaced over the next 3 years. According to the City's general manager of water services Steve Schneider, "The new meters will ensure everyone is paying only for water actually used." Water meters have a life expectancy of 25 years, and our meters are over 25 years old now. There is no up-front cost to the customer for installing the new, smart meters. It is expected that all installation work with be done throughout the entire city by 2013.

Saint Paul Regional Water Services (SPRWS) has contracted with Northern Works Supply to install the meters in your home or business. All installers will have an ID, wear uniforms, travel in marked vehicles, and pass a background check. Be sure to check their IDs and if you have questions, call 1-888-497-4171. Water customers can make appointments for evening or weekends if that is more convenient. An adult does need to be present at the time of installation and allow access to the meter.

SPRWS has produced a video showing how this installation process works.

Replacement work will start in District Council areas 6 and 10 in the last quarter of 2010, and then in District Council areas 7, 11 and 12 in the first quarter of 2011. Residents will receive notification letters before work begins. It gets more difficult to predict schedules further out, but as of now it is anticipated that work in almost all of Ward 2 will take place the third quarter of 2012.

July, August Update

2010-09-26T19:51:00.000-05:00

1). Downtown Off-Sale Liquor Stores -- one per block?
Ward 2 office met with off-sale liquor store owners downtown and BOMA to provide copies of an ordinance Councilmember Thune is planning to introduce that would increase the distance between off-sale liquor stores downtown to 600 feet. Currently, in every other neighborhood in the city, off-sale liquor stores must be 2,560 feet apart, but downtown there can be a liquor store on every block. Copies of maps showing that no existing liquor store would be affected were also provided.

2). Lilydale Park Receives $900,000 Grant
Lilydale Park received a $900,000 grant for two construction projects. Thune worked with the Friends of Lilydale Park to amend the resolution to name the Lilydale Park Master Plan Task Force as the design committee for both projects.

3). Highland Nursery Taxes
Thune continued working with Highland Nursery to get them a “Green Acres” tax deferral from Ramsey County. The legislature passed the “Green Acres” law to protect agricultural uses such as greenhouses and nurseries in urban areas from development pressures.

4). Water for Cliff Street Gardeners
Thune worked with Lori Harris, Laurel Severson, Betty Moran, and the Water Department to successfully get a garden club watering attachment on a fire hydrant on Cliff Street to help that great group of urban gardeners in their tending of the street right-of-way.

5). LED Street Lights Downtown
Public Works received a $120,000 state grant and a $300,000 federal grant to convert downtown street lights to LED, which will save energy costs.

6). Abandoned Michelin Sign Demolished
Much thanks to a dedicated group of Upper Town residents, the giant Michelin sign was demolished. In St. Paul abandoned business signs must be removed after the business has closed at that location.

7). Pedi-Cabs in Saint Paul
Thune was visited by an entrepreneur who is bringing Asian-style pedi-cabs (taxis powered by bicycle power) to St. Paul. He is petitioning for regulations to bring them into parity with regular taxi cabs.

8). Major Developments on the Schmidt Brewery Development
Dave Thune brought four parties together multiple times to jointly produce a development plan for the Schmidt Brewery site. Dominium, Bruce Hendry, Welsh Companies, and the Fort Road Federation agreed on a complicated four-part proposal and signed a memorandum of agreement prior to the Mayor’s 8/18 announcement of allocation of the $7.6 million provided in the Minnesota Legislature’s version of a Jobs Bill.

9). Permit Parking on Upper Landing
Upper Landing residents have been meeting among themselves and with Councilmember Thune for several years, and came forward on 8/18 to present their petition for a permit parking area at Upper Landing to the City Council. Dan Patsy addressed the Council on behalf of the four homeowners’ associations, and a crowd of at least 40 residents attended the hearing. It passed 7-0.

10). Create a Parking Spot for Business
Ward 2 office continued working with the Chamber of Commerce and Public Works on increasing downtown meter parking. Public Works is conducting an October demonstration of new parking meters that accept credit and debit cards. While the existing meters are in the shop, they will be re-calibrated to have a maximum 90 minute time limit, rather than the current one hour limit. This was the first priority of the Chamber and Capitol River Council who are both participating in the “Create a Spot for Business” campaign.

11). Thune Met with Neighborhood Groups
Thune met with the Douglas Park Neighbors, and with Dousman Park neighbors, both regarding problem properties in their neighborhood.

12). Municipal I.D. Cards -- give us your thoughts
Thune met with a group of West Siders and some advocates for Municipal Identification Cards. It was a first introduction to the idea and there was some interest and some hesitation. Let us know what you think.

13). Curbside Sidewalk Cafes Allowed
Thune worked with Councilmember Russ Stark and several local restaurants on an ordinance change to allow restaurants and bars to place their sidewalk cafes on the “curb” side of the sidewalk. Minneapolis and several suburbs allow “curbside cafes” but Saint Paul has always banned them. On 8/25 the City Council voted unanimously to amend Chapter 409 to allow “curbside cafes.”

14). Xcel Energy Highbridge Park Plans Coming Together
Dave Thune met with Excel Energy executives, St. Paul Police mounted patrol officers, and the Police Foundation to discuss plans for the Xcel Energy Park at Upper Landing. They went over plans for a dog park, walking/exercise path for seniors, adaptive tot lot for handicapped children, and a horse stable for the mounted patrol. The Police Foundation offered to work at raising funds for the park, and work was divided up among the participants.

15). Ash Borer and Ash Tree Removals in Ward 2
Parks & Recreation enlisted the Fort Road Federation to help them hold a community meeting regarding plans to remove ash trees on three streets in the West End (Eleanor, View and Daly). In addition, ash trees were removed on King Street on the West Side. All four streets will get the stumps removed immediately, and will receive new trees either this fall or next spring (depending on species of tree to be planted). This is all because we are anticipating that the ash borer, presently in Saint Anthony Park, will devastate our ash trees the way they have decimated ash tree populations in Michigan and Wisconsin.

16). Billboards Coming Down Permanently -- do we really need 505?
As a result of an agreement with Clear Channel to “swap” a certain number of existing billboards in exchange for permission to put up a digital billboard on the freeway, several billboards around town were demolished during August, including:
(a) 441 South Wabasha, (b) 83 Morton, (c) 644 Randolph, and (d) 468 Toronto

17). Hot Iron Pour
Thune worked with Fort Road Federation to obtain a city grant for the 3rd Annual Hot Iron Pour, which has become a fall favorite among Twin Cities’ artists.

18). Sidewalk Cafes and Federal ADA Regulations
Ward 2 office continued working with the Mayor’s Council on Disability (particularly Mike Samuelson and Mark Hughes who have become champions), Public Works, Safety and Inspections, and the City Attorney’s Office on amending St. Paul’s sidewalk café regulations to bring them into line with the new federal ADA guidelines (called ROWAG). A draft of policies and guidelines has been created, and a first draft of a revised ordinance has been floated. We are planning an October 6th introduction of this ordinance.

Check Cashing & Currency Exchange Zoning Amendments

2010-09-20T18:07:00.000-05:00

Notice of Public Hearing

Currency Exchange Zoning Amendments

The St. Paul Planning Commission announced that it has sent proposed zoning amendments to the City Council, and the City Council will hold a public hearing on "an ordinance amending the Saint Paul Legislative Code in regard to the regulation of currency exchanges and other alternative financial establishments, with amendments to Chapters 65 and 66 of the Zoning Code." Information on the proposed amendments can be obtained by contacting Planning Intern Ryan Kelley at
651-266-6562 or Principal City Planner Patricia James at 651-266-6639.

The hearing will be held before the City Council on:
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
5:30 pm
City Council Chambers, Room 300
Courthouse
15 West Kellogg Blvd, Saint Paul

At present, the City's zoning code regulates check cashing and pay-day loan businesses by allowing them by right in specific zoning districts (and therefore by default not allowing them in the zoning districts not named). At present, currency exchanges are not subject to the same zoning codes. The Planning Commission is forwarding a recommendation to: (a) regulate the location of currency exchanges by zoning district, (b) distance requirements from residential districts and dwellings, and (c) distance requirements between exchange, cashing or loan businesses (this last in accordance with State law).

The effect will be to: (a) expand the zoning code definition of alternative financial establishments to put them all on equal footing, (b) apply uniform regulations on all alternative financial establishments, (c) creating a more equal application of the zoning code, (d) ensuring that the businesses comply with both St. Paul Municipal Code and Minnesota Statutes, and (e) provide consistency of regulations between alternative financial establishments, pay-day lenders, and pawn shops.

Historic Saint Paul to conduct surveys

2010-08-27T16:23:00.001-05:00

Amy Spong, HPC staff, briefed the Planning Commission at their August 13th meeting on a $100,000 Legacy Grant recently received by Historic Saint Paul to survey three potential historic districts - Frogtown, Upper Town, and Payne Phalen. Historic Saint Paul (a nonprofit organization) will partner with the HPC, Ramsey County Historical Society and PED (the City's Planning & Economic Development department). PED has awarded the project $20,000 in required matching funds.

The survey will cover three Invest Saint Paul neighborhoods and will study "vernacular houses" or "worker cottages," as well as mansions. It will also catalog the houses important in the lives of early immigrant ethnic and/or social groups. The last comprehensive historic survey in Saint Paul was completed in 1983. The grant was given by the State of Minnesota to accomplish three main tasks.

1. A recognizance level survey
A door-to-door basic research survey with the objective of locating collections of buildings that have retained their architectural integrity, locating buildings with historic significance, and locating cultural sites.

2. Context study for "Neighborhoods at the Edge of the Walking City"
Several consultants have indicated that there is missing historic information about neighborhoods in the first ring around the downtown core. These communities were not developed as a response to transportation or speculative development. A context study establishes the relative significance of individual properties or intact collections of a large number of houses or commercial buildings from a particular era, or a particular style. The survey will identify pockets or groups of buildings that still have integrity or some potential to be restored.

3. Technology updates, including GIS
The City partners are interested in designing a template for how survey and other historic inventory data can be made available to the public, along the line of what Minneapolis has been accomplishing with their historic data.

All of the activities being undertaken by Historic Saint Paul and their partners with this Legacy Grant are called out as long term goals in the Preservation chapter of the City of Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan. Congratulations to Carol Carey, Executive Director, and West Ender Becca Hine, Program Coordinator, of Historic Saint Paul. When they come to your door, welcome them in.

Ash Tree Removal in Ward 2

2010-08-20T14:58:00.001-05:00

Parks is proactively removing ash trees on a set schedule in response to the discovery of emerald ash borers in two neighborhoods in Saint Paul last year. During 2010, ash trees will be removed from four streets in Ward 2 (see map):

1. Eleanor Avenue from Chatworth Street to West 7th Street
2. View Street from Randolph Avenue to just north of Jefferson Avenue
3. Daly Street from Palace Avenue to Jefferson Avenue
4. King Street from Humboldt Avenue to Robert Street

Removals will start in September. For those of us who are a little light on our dendrology, this is what an ash tree looks like. We are talking about Pat here since Dave was a Boy Scout and knows his trees.

Incredible volunteer opportunity at Lilydale Park

2010-06-14T11:01:00.000-05:00

From Grit Youngquist with Friends of Lilydale Park

Announcing an incredible, exciting opportunity I hope will be of interest & a fit for you or someone you know who also loves Lilydale Park.

Saint Paul Parks & Rec is developing a new interpretive program for the City's Regional Parks & they chose Lilydale Park as the place to start - to develop & roll-out the new program! We are thrilled.

The interpretive program will utilize volunteers who will be selected through an application process. Volunteer interpreters will be trained by Parks & Rec's new staff, Kelley Dinsmore (Education Coordinator) & Beth Albrecht (Volunteer Coordinator) - both of whom come to their jobs w/ excellent backgrounds in education, natural resources work & volunteer management. Friends of Lilydale Park is partnering w/ Kelley & Beth (Parks & Rec) to recruit, train & support the Lilydale Park Interpreters.

We are hoping the cadre of Lilydale Park interpreters will be made up of people who already have some deep connection & passion about the park. Could that be you??? Have you secretly (or not-so-secretly) ever wished to become a park ranger / interpreter, a naturalist or environmental educator? This opportunity could be a solid step in that direction for you. Volunteers will receive terrific training, support & experience. (Excellent for resume building, among other things.)

Once a volunteer, the commitment one makes can be small or large. That's up to you. You can do interpretive work as little as a couple hrs / month - or more.

Interested? Please reply & let Grit Youngquist know by June 30 (e-mail or phone: grit@oldmanriver.com or 651-402-4955). If you are interested, please provide:
* Your 1st & last name
* E-mail address
* Phone #
Your name & contact info will be passed onto Beth Albrecht who will get you the formal application form, information about the minimum criteria & will arrange an interview w/ you.

Beth & Kelley hope to have received all applications by July 9, so please act as quickly as possible.

Please share this information w/ others who you think may have interest. Thank you!

Grit Youngquist
On behalf of the Friends of Lilydale Park

Dave & Sue Thune given David L. Sons Award

2010-06-04T15:40:00.000-05:00

West 7th Community Center honored Dave & Sue Thune in 2010

The West 7th Community Center Board selected the husband and wife team of Dave and Sue Thune as winners of the 2010 David L. Sons Community Service Award in recognition of their work over many years in helping the West 7th area become a safer, more livable neighborhood.

Dave and Sue first met in high school; they married; Sue pursued a nursing degree while Dave student architecture. They moved to Saint Paul after they were marrie and became West Enders and full-blown urban pioneers with the purchase of the Knox House in 1975. Working to turn the American Gothic house back into a single family home and restore its historic character has been a labor of love.

Sue has been a parent volunteer at Monroe School and a troop leader for both the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. She also works on the March of Dimes campaign every year.

Dave's role as a leader in the West 7th neighborhood began with his presidency of the Fort Road Federation. He was first elected to the Saint Paul City Council for Ward 2 in 1990 and served until 1997. He again ran for the seat in 2004 and holds the seat today. Over the years he has been a friend of the West 7th Community Center.

Both Dave and Sue over the years have been a force for good in our neighborhood, and the Board of Directors of the Community Center are pleased to honor them both with the award.

Speaking at the Awards Ceremony were:

Greg Wandersee, Executive Director of West 7th Community Center
Chuck Repke, Former boss and employee of Dave Thune
Christy De la Cruz, Chair of the West 7th Community Center Board
Dusty Thune, son
Erin Thune, daughter
Diane Gerth, West 7th Community Center Board
Richard Miller, long-time neighborhood and fellow activist
Dan Bostrom, fellow City Councilmember
Joe Landsberger, Board of SOKOL and the Czech Slovak Preservation Society
Hope I didn't forget anyone.

Parks construction in Ward 2 this summer

2010-05-12T15:31:00.000-05:00

Parks and Recreation announced their 2010 summer construction projects. Projects located in Ward 2 include:

Harriet Island natural play area

Lilydale Regional Park - old Lilydale village debris removal and grading

Sam Morgan trail - I35E to Hwy 5

Mississippi River rip rap project - Eagle Street to the High Bridge

Raspberry Island fountain and sculpture

Irvine Park gazebo renovation and roof replacement

Baker play area

St. Clair play area - construction to start May 17

All projects listed are full construction projects scheduled for 2010. There are other Parks projects that are in design or scheduled for 2011 or later. Please don't panic if your 2011 park project is not on this list; it will be next year.

In addition to these Parks and Rec projects, the Friends of Lilydale Park has also received a grant from Ramsey County recycling and Active Living programs to locate 10 benches in the park, along with two benches at Dunedin High Rise. The Friends matched this grant with private fundraising from among their top-notch ranks.

Origins of McBoal Street Name

2010-05-04T11:15:00.000-05:00

Street Trivia from Public Works newsletter Intersections

McBoal Street

Described by an early resident as "one of the laziest mortals that ever lived," James McBoal (1805? - 1862) came to Fort Snelling as a drummer boy under Colonel Leavenworth. He settled in Saint Paul in 1846, where he worked as an artist and sign and house painter, was subsequently appointed adjutant general of Minnesota, and served in the state legislature. This West End name, originating in Leach's Addition in 1849, was Boal's nickname.

Met Council announces LED lights to be used on Central Corridor

2010-04-30T15:10:00.000-05:00

LED lights to be used on Central Corridor light rail stations:

In an announcement from the Central Corridor Project Office in March, LED lighting will be used throughout the 18 new light rail stations in Saint Paul. LED stands for light-emitting diode. LEDs are small light sources that become illuminated by the movement of electrons through a semiconductor material. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates the rapid adoption of LED lighting in the United States over the next 20 years can deliver savings of about $265 billion, avoid the need for 40 new power plants and reduce lighting electricity demand by 33 percent in 2027.

Jan, Feb, March 2010 Update

2010-04-28T10:42:00.000-05:00

ADA sidewalk clearances:
The Ward 2 office has been working with Mike Samuelson, Capitol River Council, Public Works, and Mayor's Council on Disabilities to craft St. Paul's response to new federal ADA regulations. Particularly, the new standards will require 48 inches of clear sidewalk right-of-way for both snow shoveling and for sidewalk cafes. The Business Review Council endorsed the plan after a lively debate. And on April 21 the City Council adopted Public Works ADA Transition Plan that includes these items, among others such as sound attenuated walk signals on semaphores. Next step will be revisions to the sidewalk cafe ordinances that currently allow only 36" of clear sidewalk.

Jefferson Avenue bike boulevard:
This bike boulevard proposal that would bring a narrower street, lower speed limits, parking bump-outs, and sidewalks to the Fort Road neighborhood portion of Jefferson Avenue kept us on an emotional merry-go-rounds the last few months. It was killed. It was resurrected. It was threatened. Then in one of those beautiful triumphs of letting local neighborhoods determine their own fate, the Mac-Groveland Transportation Committee first and then the full District Council next approved the bike boulevard plan. This, however, was after some heavy lifting work between Thune and Ward 3 Councilmember Pat Harris to redesign the plan west of Snelling. Public Works held a large meeting at Macalester College at which Fort Road neighbors Dave Wickiser, Jim Vanelli, Chris Tierney, Mike Weber and Quincy Young all appeared. Final approval of the Jefferson Avenue bike boulevard is on the May 5th City Council agenda.

School buses parking on residential streets:
Thune and Lindgren worked with School Board member John Brodrick on a school district proposal to allow school bus drivers (who are now employees of outsourced businesses who don't pay them for a full day), to park their buses in front of their own homes during the middle of the day when they are not driving. Thune insisted on protections for neighbors, so the locations and hours are limited, and neighbors can call the school district Transportation Office to lodge complaints about abuse of their ordinance by drivers.

Michelin sign removal still in play:
414 West 7th Street has been a vacant property with a freeway-sized sign for the past three years. The bank was sent a letter informing them that all signs must be removed if a commercial building is vacant for more than one year. The bank appealed to the Board of Zoning Appeals, which denied their appeal. West 7th neighbors led by Paulette Myers-Rich and Becky Yust testified at the BZA. The bank is now appealing to the City Council.

Unkempt newspaper boxes on the West Side:
Two West Side constituents complained. The City Attorney's Office informed us that current law requires newspaper companies to keep their vending boxes cleaned up. Call DSI at 266-8989 to lodge a formal complaint about a particular box or boxes.

Spending $608,000 to repair a building planned for demolition?
Thune, and many downtown residents who worked hard on the Pedro Park precinct plan, have been working with the Mayor's office to relocate three remaining police functions in the Public Safety Annex so that the planned demolition can take place. The Pedro family donated their building and three parcels of land in order to create a new Pedro Park at Robert and 10th Streets. The donation is contingent upon the City demolishing the buildings and creating the park within 5 years. There was a proposal to spend $608,000 renovating the Public Safety Annex in a budget amendment before the City Council. Thune pulled that from the budget.

Gazebo in Irvine Park to get a new roof:
Thune requested help from Parks with repairs to the gazebo and was told that Parks had already scheduled a roof replacement due to age and condition. Thanks Radar!

Too many off-sale liquor stores downtown?
Lindgren and Christine Rozek from DSI met with CRC's Downtown Life Committee to talk in general terms about liquor license regulations downtown. The ordinance specifically exempts DSI from having to inform only District 17 if a new business has applied for an off-sale liquor license within their boundaries. And every other neighborhood in St. Paul has a 1/2 mile distance between liquor stores (2,640 feet); downtown has a 300 foot distance (about one block). CRC is contemplating requesting changes to the ordinance.

Children's Play Space (AKA Train Park):
Lindgren and Jody Martinez met with CRC's Environment, Public Realm and Movement Committee about capital improvements to this tiny tot lot downtown. The much-needed Phase 1 renovation of the rubber mat will cost about $160,000. Bob Spaulding and Larry Englund volunteered to chair a movement to apply for matching grant monies.

The long-running saga of the Lilydale Park benches:
subtitled: The Comedy of Errors. The Ward 2 office has been on a three-year quest to get 12 benches from the Ramsey County Active Living Program installed at Lilydale Park and Dunedin High Rise. The funding was secured in spring of 2008. We have spent the next two years in a bureacratic nightmare. Keep your fingers crossed.

A park at Victoria Park:
Thune has been meeting with a Fort Road Federation task force chaired by Tonya Nicolai to work with Parks on the design of a new park in the Victoria Park development. If you remember, Exxon Mobile sold the land to us for $1 provided we create a park (and only a park) on a certain portion of the property.

Railroad Island takes Zoning 101 class:
Lindgren worked with constituents from Railroad Island to explain how the City's zoning process works, and how to locate resources to understand a very complicated system.

Met Council approved the curvilinear design of OMF:
The Met Council finally approved the Lowertown OMF Task Force's curvilinear design for the light rail train shed coming to Broadway and Prince Streets. Thune attended several neighborhood meetings called by task force co-chair Kim Hyers and pushed the Met Council to accept the group's recommendations. SHPO opposed the plan based on the idea that , while the OMF is not in an historic district, you can see the OMF from an historic district. Whle that sounds like the punch line from a joke, it is definitely not!

Planning Commission Creates New Transportation Committee, Seeks Applicants

2010-03-29T11:17:00.000-05:00

The new Transportation Committee will contain four Planning Commission members and up to eight non-Planning Commission members. The Transportation Committee will advise the Planning Commission on transportation-related plans, policies and projects. They will meet once per month; tentatively on Tuesday at 4:00 pm in the City Hall Annex downtown.

Applicants are currently being sought for the public members. There is particular interest in St. Paul citizens who represent the following areas of interest:
Transit, both bus and LRT
Pedestrian, walkability issues
Bicylists
Accessibility representatives or persons with disabilities
Small business owners on commercial corridors
Downtown business representatives

Anyone interested in seeking an appointment should apply to the Planning Commission before April 30.

Bilboard Removals in Ward 2

2010-03-01T10:55:00.000-06:00

On February 17th the City Council formally voted on a resolution to remove over 50 advertising billboards as part of an agreement with Clear Channel to install digital billboards in certain locations along freeways through Saint Paul. Following is the list of billboards eligible for removal in Ward 2:

1. 441 Wabasha Street South (2)
2. 512 Robert Street North (2)
3. 544 St. Peter Street
4. 586 West 7th Street
5. 771 West 7th Street
6. Eagle Parkway at the corner of Shepard Rd and Chestnut Street (2)
7. 176 Concord Street (Concord and State)
8. 1209 St. Clair Avenue (2)

Much thanks go out to Council President Kathy Lantry who spent months negotiating with Clear Channel, and to Scenic Saint Paul who has been our conscience on this issue. Saint Paul as a city has the dubious distinction of having the most billboards in Minnesota. As a contrast, business-friendly Bloomington has the least billboards.

Parking Meter Debit Cards

2010-02-19T17:44:00.000-06:00

Smart Trips says that meter cards are a convenient alternative to a pocket full of quarters for the downtown Saint Paul parking meters. Cards can be purchased at the following three locations:

1. City Hall Annex, 25 West 4th Street (in the foyer)
2. from a vending machine located in the skyway between the RiverCentre parking ramp and the Xcel Energy Center
3. Public Works garage at 899 North Dale Street

The initial purchase of a card is $5. You may load up to $100 on the card. All Saint Paul meters are equipped to receive payment from the debit card. And we are told that a debit will not go through if the meter is malfunctioning.

November, December 2009 Update

2010-02-04T16:51:00.000-06:00

1). Health East clinic on Grand Avenue held its ribbon cutting with Councilmember Thune doing his part to cut the ribbon. No word if he was running with scissors.

2). The Farmers Market Flats lawsuit was settled out of court and the HRA formally approved the terms of the settlement in November. It is expected that construction will restart sometime in mid-2010.

3). On November 3, the director of PED sent Jerry Trooien a letter terminating JLT West Side LLC’s tentative developer rights under the terms of the Master Developer Agreement between the HRA and JLT for the west side flats development area.

4). Councilmember Thune and Mayor Coleman participated in Veterans’ Day activities at AmVets Mexican American Post #5. At the celebration, they announced approval of funding to construct the Plaza de Honor at Harriet Island to honor all Saint Paul veterans. Mike Medina, Ray Rangel, and the rest of Post #5 put in a lot of work on this veterans’ memorial and deserve our thanks for their perseverance.

5). At the November 18th City Council meeting, Councilmember Dave Thune formally moved to accept the Pedro Family’s donation of three parcels of land at 10th and Robert Streets to construct Saint Paul’s newest park – Pedro Park. A reception was held in the great hall outside City Council chambers and cake depicting the new park was provided by Carol Hunn Gregory of Key’s Café on Robert Street.

Bob Spaulding was the happiest man in Saint Paul that day, and he deserves a lot of credit.

6). West Side Safe Neighborhoods has been keeping on eye on 639 Humboldt Avenue as part of their “Vacant No More” program that includes a social networking component to find homeowners to purchase the properties. NeDA has just made an agreement with HRA to be the developer on the property.

7). Mike Samuelson and Rick Cardenas are working with the Mayor’s Council on Disabilities, the Capitol River Council and Thune’s office to bring our sidewalk café space requirements up to ADA standards. Mike’s efforts have resulted in the City appointing an ADA coordinator.

8). Parks & Recreation artfully placed large boulders between the private alley and the small High Bridge pocket park behind Goodrich Avenue to prevent cars from driving into the park at night. This was a request from the block club.

9). The City Council passed a new dynamic display sign ordinance on December 2 after Thune worked with PED. DSI and Scenic Saint Paul to tighten up requirements in B2 zones like West 7th Street and also to require dynamic signs within 100 feet of a residence to be turned off at 11:00 pm, which will help not only West 7th Street but downtown as well. Thune also requested the Planning Commission to look at window signs (dynamic and regular).

10). Dave Thune tried to save the Green Stairs funding by working thru Congresswoman Betty McCollum’s office (special thanks to Fred Gates). We lost this round, but McCollum is not giving up and we are hopeful that Saint Paul can receive funding in a later round.

11). Skyway directional sign ordinance was passed by the City Council on December 9th after a year of meetings and successive drafts. Dave Thune appeared at the Skyway Governance Advisory Committee meeting in July, and Lindgren appeared at the October meeting to discuss concerns about minor details of the ordinance.

12). Public Works is working with the West 7th – Smith block club on traffic calming ideas, like a “No Parking” zone along Smith Avenue from West 7th to Grand Avenue, and bump-outs on Harrison as part of the planned 2010 street paving (RSVP) project. The block club is leading this effort.

13). The HRA signed a settlement of its lawsuit with Exxon-Mobile over its land in Fort Road’s Victoria Park development. Exxon-Mobile agreed to sell the land for $1 provided the City increase the size of the planned park and build fewer residences on the site. Exxon further agreed to give the HRA $5 million to clean up the site. The City agreed, further agreed to indemnify Exxon, and accepted the settlement.

14). Angry constituent Dave Thune called in to complain about the Michelin sign at West 7th Street and Forbes. The business has been gone for 3 years.

15). Downtown Children’s Playspace advocates Jim Miller, Andy Schlack, Kim Hyers, and Bob Spaulding were successful in getting the Downtown Station Area Plan amended to include capital improvements in the tiny park in the comprehensive plan. That will put the park in a better position to get CIB funding in 2012.

16). Thune laced up his skates and took to the new sheet of ice at Palace Recreation Center for the grand opening of the city’s third outdoor ice rink. Film right here, right now on Ward 2 videos: http://www.stpaul.gov/index.aspx?NID=3521

17). Saint Paul started the search for a new police chief on December 16th. Ward 2 residents named to the search committee include: Gil De la O (West Side), Rosemarie Reger-Rumsey (Summit Hill), Dave Titus (Police Federation and West Side), Francisco Estrada (Hispanic Law Enforcement Officers and West Side), and Betty Moran (West 7th Street).

18). Also on December 16th, the City Council passed a diluted version of housing design standards, making passage of an ordinance allowing neighbors to create Historic Conservation Districts even more important. Gone are all references to design aesthetics that take into consideration similar size, scale, materials, etc of existing neighboring houses. Also gone is the provision requiring a front door on the principal street (the front door can now be anywhere in the front 30% of the house on any one of 3 sides). Also gone is a provision that garages have to be set back at least 5 feet from the front line of the house footprint.

19). Dave Thune worked under time pressures to find parking spaces for the customers of Innuendo and Station 4. Both businesses will have LRT construction start on the street in front of their businesses in the next couple of weeks with no alternatives provided for customer parking during months of construction.

September, October Update

2010-01-11T14:11:00.000-06:00

1). Thune's office compromised with Planning Commission and HPC on language in order to pass an Historic Conservation District study resolution. The language requires district councils and other community historic groups to be involved in the final study due out in March 2010.

2). Xcel Energy continues working with West 7th Street neighbors on plans for a park at the High Bridge power plant site.

3). Yarusso's Restaurant received a STAR grant to pave their parking lot, add decorative fencing and establish a prairie garden at their newly remodeled restauarant, which is again open after a fire last January.

4). Thune worked with Public Works, the Lowertown Entertainment District, and downtown bars to change the downtown street sweeping parking ban from 2:00 am to 3:00am along certain streets. When the state legislature extended bar closing times from 1:00 am to 2:00 am, the City's parking ban at 2:00 am did not allow bar patrons or employees the extra 20 minutes they needed to close up and get to their cars. Thune's office had discovered, in working with the police department, that 79.9% of all street sweeping ban parking tickets were issued between 2:00 am and 3:00 am. This small change will make Saint Paul a more attractive destination spot to have a drink after a Wild game or an evening at the theatre or a concert.

5). Thune's office got a barricade closing off the abandoned portion of the Douglas Street alley from the active portion of the alley, cutting off a short-cut from Grand Avenue thru their alley. The neighbors sent thank you notes.

6). Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) also adopted Early Notification System (ENS) to alert district councils of land for sale, awarding tentative developer rights, and disposition of HRA-owned property.

7). West End Arts sponsored their second annual Hot Iron Pour on October 9th and 10th with financial assistance located by Dave Thune. The Back Seat Boogie Band supplied accompaniment to the very photogenic red-hot iron pour.

8). City Council passed a resolution on October 28 accepting a final settlement of the Exxon-Mobile lawsuit over land acquisition in Fort Road's Victoria Park development.

9). Thune, as HRA Chair, worked with Artspace and the residents of Northern Warehouse on a buy-out of their original investor and on some overdue capital rehabilitation projects.

10). Lilydale Park master plan was approved by the City Council on October 21. Thune worked with the Friends of Lilydale Park (special credit goes to Grit Youngquist and Jon Kerr) to reduce the built environment in the master plan and stick with a more wild and scenic vision.

Jerry Trooien developer rights to West Side flats terminated

2010-01-08T14:45:00.000-06:00

On November 3, 2009, the City of Saint Paul, through its Planning and Economic Development Department (PED) sent Jerry Trooien a letter terminating JLT's development rights under the Master Development Agreement between the HRA and JLT West Side LLC with respect to development of the West Side flats development area, which incuded the area bounded by Fillmore, Wabasha, Plat, and Robert Streets, and the HRA-owned properties north of Fillmore and south of the Mississippi River. This was done in accordance with the contractual timelines included in the original signed tentative developer agreement.

Homer Thune passed away December 14, 2009

2009-12-15T14:19:00.000-06:00

Dave's father Homer Thune passed quietly away on December 14, 2009 surrounded by his family. He packed a lot into his 88 years and left Dave with many good memories:

It's funny how you can see yourself in your parents. As I think about the death of my father today, I find myself grateful for the role model he was, for what I learned, and for what I am still learning from him.

At an early age I learned that it was okay for boys to cry when their dog was run over because my Dad did too.

I learned that it was good to work with your hands to build a garage, remodel a house, or fix something broken by adding a screw or bending some aluminum bar to make it sturdy again.

I learned that it was actually cool to stay in Boy Scouts and get my Eagle Scout Award. He did it before me. I learned to perservere.

I learned that it is good to do unexpected things for your kids when they need help -- like when he drove higher-schoolers Sue and me all the way from Moorhead to Williams Arena in Minneapolis to see the Spuds play in the State Championships; then drove home the same night so Sue and I could ride back on the bus with our friends.

I learned to love music by watching him build our first Hi-Fi record player. And then listened until I fell asleep to his favorites -- the Dukes of Dixieland, Peer Gynt Suite, and Louie Armstrong.

I learned to love the out-of-doors and the smell of an old tackle box with an extra salted nut roll inside.

I learned to eat spaghetti in Dilworth when I was one year old.

He told me to support bringing pro hockey to downtown St. Paul when I was Council President and I was generally contrary to anything the Mayor proposed.

He gave me courage to introduce a smoking ban in 2004 as I watched him struggle with emphysema.

I learned from my parents that discrimination was wrong, that art was good, and that it was expected that we should volunteer.

Finally, today I learned that in death there can be dignity, joy in the friends and family who surround you, and peace when you've completed a good life and taught your final lesson.

Rest in peace, Dad.
Your loving son, Dave

Pedro Family Donates Land for Pedro Park in Downtown

2009-11-19T15:21:00.000-06:00

Carl Pedro Jr.
Josephine Pedro
Marilyn Pitera
Eugene Pedro
Carl S. Pedro

Dear Pedro Family,

Only once or twice in a century does someone come along with the vision to leave a legacy of green, open space in an urban area for future generations. I want to personally thank each of you individually and all of you together as a family for your far-reaching vision and for your generous legacy gift of land for the future Pedro Park.

Countless future generations of playing children and their watchful mothers, urban gardeners, office workers seeking a respite with nature during lunch, neighbors enjoying movies, music or a picnic in the park, lovers looking for just the perfect atmosphere, tourists viewing holiday light displays, and isolated seniors seeking a commune with nature and maybe a chance conversation with a fellow park lover will benefit from your legacy. Parks nourish our bodies and our souls. This is your gift. On behalf of all those future park users, I thank you.

I am also so happy that the park will be named after an Italian immigrant who came looking for a better life for his family, who built a wonderful business, who employed hundreds (maybe even thousands) of men and women who were able to provide a good life for their families with their wages for over a century, and whose business anchored this corner for over half a century. The first Carl Pedro lived a life representative of so many of our forebears and in his quiet, principled way built this city. We should name parks after quiet heroes like him.

I can truly say this is one of the biggest impacts left on Ward 2 during my tenure. I am so grateful for your gift, and so grateful that I am around to witness it. Thanks to all of you for allowing me to officially accept this amazing gift to the citizens of Saint Paul.

Warm regards,

Dave Thune

Ward 2 City Councilmember

City and Flannery Settle and Bring Farmers' Market Flats Back to Life

2009-11-13T10:59:00.000-06:00

Press Release:
Plans for the Farmers' Market Flats development in the heart of Lowertown are moving forward once again. After almost two years since developers broke ground, the City and Flannery Construction, Inc. are pleased to announce plans to work together to successfully complete the long-anticipated project. The estimated $13.5 million mixed-use development will feature a 15,000-square-foot first floor commercial space and 48 market rate rental housing units above.

The project will move forward with the City acting as the developer and Flannery Construction continuing to act as the general contractor.

"It’s great that we’ll be working with Flannery to finally finish this project. It is time we fill the hole in the middle of Lowertown. Residents and businesses have shown confidence in Lowertown with their investments, and completion of this project will match their commitment to its growth," Councilmember Dave Thune said. "Flannery Construction has been a quality contractor on many projects in Saint Paul, and I am pleased to have them working on this one."

Construction on Farmers' Market Flats began in spring 2008 but ended after a dispute between the developer and Flannery. The timing, though, could work in the project’s favor, as the economy has made construction costs more favorable. The City and Flannery plan to rebid the project over the winter months.

"We are happy to be working once again with the City on this exciting project. As a hometown contractor, we are proud to partner with the City and look forward to filling the vacant site with a high-quality building," said Gerry Flannery of Flannery Construction.

Lowertown has held its value in the economic downturn and even seen a flurry of economic revitalization. It is hoped this project will build on that record of success.

What Could We Do with Recovery Zone Development Bonds?

2009-10-19T15:55:00.001-05:00

The Obama administration has created a new category of municipal bonds called Recovery Zone Economic Development Bonds that would, in the short version, allow us to bond for more capital projects with less bond payments in the future. So, if Saint Paul decides to go this route, what would Ward 2 be able to get in the CIB budget (remember this is all just guesswork at this point)?

Playground equipment at Eileen Woida Park in Railroad Island as part of a city wide "Play Area Improvement" appropriation of $250,000.

Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary Site Acquisition - $425,000. This may be in Ward 7, but is sandwiched between two Ward 2 neighborhoods, so we may claim it as our own.

Palace Recreation Center - $150,000 in 2010 and $215,000 in 2011. This will get Palace well on the way to getting the $1.75 million they will need in 2013 to do the actual construction.

Fitzgerald (or Pedro) Park downtown - $100,000 in master plan and design money. Of course, the City only owns about one-quarter of the site now, but there may be big announcements coming soon.

Cherokee Regional Park Trail - $385,000 to match a federal Transportation funding T21 grant.

Lilydale Park and Harriet Island Park - acquisitions and maintenance facility - $270,000

Lafayette Bridge Replacement - $1 million, with an additional $1 million in 2011. This is a dubious distinction because the money will be used to build a Rube Goldberg entrance into downtown from Highway 52.

Wabasha Street Green Stair Tower reconstruction - $400,000 - to match federal economic stimulus funding of $2 million. The much-beloved Green Stairs were taken down when a several-ton boulder fell off the cliff onto a support leg, separating one leg of the tower from the base, and a wind storm a week later ripped another suppport leg loose. These stairs have a higher daily traffic count of walkers and runners than most city street have of cars.

Jefferson Avenue bike lanes - $73,000 added to the CIB committee's recommendation of $142,000. Bike lanes is only partially an accurate description; most of the money will go to adding sidewalks to the south side of Jefferson and adding some traffic calming improvements.

Morton Street Stairs reconstruction - $113,000 in 2011. Ward 2 has a plethora of historic stairs connecting parts of the neighborhood that would be separated from each other by large grade changes were it not for the pedestrian stairs.

Metro CERT offers Seed Grants for Community Energy Projects

2009-09-10T16:42:00.000-05:00

Press release from Metro CERT:

The Metro Clean Energy Resource Team will for the first time be offering limited financial assistance for energy efficiency or renewable energy projects. The funding will support technical assistance services (labor costs only, such as for a consultant, design professional, installer or intern stipend) for clean energy projects in the areas of: energy efficiency (building efficiency, lighting, low-cost no-cost), renewable energy (wind, solar PV, solar thermal), community education, school education or research.

This is the first time that funding is available through CERTs in the Metro region. For the past year the Metro CERT has connected communities with resources to plan and implement local energy projects through workshops, organizing support, case studies and project planning. The Metro Team is excited to offer seed funding to get some projects off the ground. The primary objectives of these grants are to encourage implementation of community-based clean energy projects and to provide a forum for education about energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies and their economic, ecological and community benefits. Each region has a $40,000 pool of funding, and grants will likely be awarded in the $5000 range.

To see examples of previous projects funded through CERTs visit: www.CleanEnergyResourceTeams.org/community-projects/CERTs-supported ( http://greeninstitute.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5572e155cc0a3cffa67350d20&id=8c5505ebdb&e=Ncf4o7aW6y )

Funding for these projects is provided through the Minnesota Department of Commerce, Office of Energy Security. Proposals must be submitted no later than November 2, 2009 at 4:30 pm. For more information and to view the Request for Proposals and project planning resources, please visit: http://www.CleanEnergyResourceTeams.org/community-projects/request-for-proposals
( http://greeninstitute.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5572e155cc0a3cffa67350d20&id=21d4dd0e0b&e=Ncf4o7aW6y )

We have also added another staff person to the Metro CERT team! Carl Samuelson joins us after completing a year with Green Corps. He'll be the second Metro CERT Organizer, coordinating the Neighborhood Energy Services project in St. Paul, supporting our St. Paul affiliates and helping to grow our network. Feel free to contact him (especially if you live in St. Paul) at csamuelson@greeninstitute.org or 612-278-7123.

June, July, August Update

2009-09-08T12:22:00.000-05:00

A listing of the wonderful things accomplished in the Ward 2 City Council office of Dave Thune:

1). Early Notification System:
Thune sponsored and passed revisions to the City's "early notification system" (ENS) that requires advance notice to district councils of impending city action on issues that affect their neighborhoods. Thune's revisions centralized the list of people who receive notification (about 20 different offices were keeping 20 different outdated lists), and made notification electronic. The previous rules require mail notification, which was too slow for timely response.

Since ENS was last changed 20 years ago, some updating was necessary, and some new departments (Parks and Police) added. The City Council passed ENS rule revisions (Chapter A-1 of the City's Administrative Code) on June 3rd and the HRA will pass ENS rule revisions on September 9th. Changes will make it much easier for everyone to send and receive information on planned city actions and policy changes.

2. Deconversion of Duplexes in Vacant Houses:
Much thanks to Zoning Administrator Wendy Lane, the Zoning Division of DSI formalized the policy included in a separate post on this blog.

3. Administrative Fines for Skyway Rule Violations:
After several years of discussions about administrative fines for violations of skyway access ordinances, the City Attorney's office has agreed to offer violators a fine in lieu of the civil action law suit allowed to compel compliance in the ordinance. The City Attorney's office is now empowered to offer a violator the option of agreeing not to violate the law any more and paying a fine in exchange for the City dropping its civil action against the building owner/manager. Prior to this, violations were criminal violations, which was not popular with building owners.

4. Cirque de Soleil Noise:
Dave met with Lowertown neighbors, city DSI staff, and representatives from Cirque de Soleil the end of June to work out some compromises on Cirque's request for a 24/7 noise variance for 6 weeks for their truck-sized electric generators. Cirque management was very accommodating.

5. Saving Historic Homes from Demolition:
Thune's office has been working with Carol Carey and Becca Hine to add Community Development Corporation (CDC) to Historic Saint Paul's list of activities. The original Board did contemplate taking this action at some point in the organization's future.

6. Downtown Facade Improvement Program:
Pat Lindgren, Dave's aide, continued working with Margot Fehrenbacher at PED on a Phase 2 of the Downtown Facade Improvement Program, which was successfully funded for a second year.

7. Lowertown Small Area Plan:
Thune has been working with a group of Lowertown leaders, including Ellen McPartlan, Katie Lindblad, and Wei ming Lu, and PED on a new expanded Lowertown Master Plan.

8. Skyway Easement Widths:
Thune worked with DSI, PED, CapitolRiver Council and the handicapped community on a plan to reduce the width of the public pedestrian right-of-way easement in the Galtier Plaza building from the contracted 12 feet down to 8 feet. The management of Cray Research was extremely helpful and sensitive to their new downtown neighbors, in reworking their office build-out design to bring the skyway back to an 11 foot, 6 inch width. This compromise, which would not reduce the total square footage of the original easement, was approved unanimously by the CapitolRiver Council.

9. 778 Smith Avenue Demolished:
The old gas station at 778 Smith Avenue South on the West Side, which had veen vacant since 1996 and whose roof collapsed three years ago, was demolished this summer. Thanks much to the neighbors for their persistence in calling.

10. Farmer's Market Parking Tickets:
Dave Thune worked with Jack Gerten from the Farmer's Market, the Police Department, and Paul St. Martin from Public Works to address some parking restriction issues that resulted in an unusually high number of parking tickets being issued at the Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings. As a reminder, free parking at the Farmer's Market applies ONLY to meters. Please park free for 2 hours at a parking meter within 2 blocks of the Farmer's Market on Saturday and shop. Park in non-metered spaces at your own risk.

11. Parking in Crosswalk Tickets:
Thune's office has been fielding a large number of complaints about the police issuing tickets for parking less than 20 feet away from the crosswalk. Pat Lindgren is researching the issue. Contact her with your story.

12. Saints' Baseball Team Owners Woo Lowertown:
The Saints baseball franchise owners held a round of meetings with residents in Lowertown about the possibility of relocating their planned new stadium to the Gillette/Diamond Products site across from the Farmer's Market in Lowertown. Please check out their new website at http://www.ballparkfriendsandfans.org/

13. Mock Trial of Dillinger's Moll Billie Frechette:
Dave Thune provided the official welcome at West Legal Edcenter's mock trial of Billie Frechette at Landmark Center on July 16th. Ms. Frechette was actually tried in a courtroom at the Landmark Center in 1934. Thune also sponsored a STAR grant for permanent exhibit display cases whose maiden appearance was for the "Public Enemies: a retrospective" exhibit to coincide with release of the Johnny Depp move Public Enemies. Landmark Center director Amy Mino reported SRO crowds at the trial and record attendance at the gangster-era law enforcement exhibit.

14. Domestic Partner Registry:
Councilmembers Helgen and Thune sponsored a resolution creating a domestic partner registry in St. Paul. The City Councill passed it on a 6-0 vote on July 22 and Mayor Chris Coleman signed it the same day. As of September 4th, four couples have registered with the City Clerk.

15. Yarusso's Italian Restaurant Re-opened:
For all those in red sauce withdrawal, Yarusso's re-opened the last week of July. You may remember they suffered a grease fire in January. The restaurant is completely remodeled with an expanded kitchen, a new color scheme throught, and new hand-crafted wooden booths. Check it out and compare its 150-year-old secret red sauce recipe to anyone's.

16. National Night Out:
Thune rode his classic Harley around to 10 National Night Out events on the West Side, Summit Hill and West End. Pat took in an additional 5 National Night Out events. Was it just us, or were they more fun this year?

17). Lilydale Park Master Plan:
Thune worked with the Friends of Lilydale Park on their master plan for future development in the park. The goal of keeping it more wild and scenic was achieved. Lovers of that park owe much to Grit Youngquist, who is a quiet but tireless advocate for keeping it in its natural state.

18). Grand Avenue Sign District Revisions Passed:
Only five years in the planning, revisions were passed first by the Planning Commission and then the City Council on August 5th.

19). Organized Trash Collection:
Thune and Helgen stirred up a little controversy by sponsoring a City Council resolution to study organized trash collection in the City of St. Paul. There will be a report to the City Council by September 23rd.

20). Fort Road Federation Houses Get Free Weatherization:
Neighborhood Energy Consortium, in cooperation with the HRA, used three HRA-owned houses on Forbes Avenue to train their newly hired work crew on proper weatherstripping techniques. Obama's economic stimulus money is at work in West 7th.

Historic Conservation District study

2009-09-02T17:59:00.001-05:00

The City Council today passed the following resolution initiating a study to create Historic Conservation Districts in St. Paul. Sponsored by Dave Thune, Melvin Carter, Kathy Lantry and Russ Stark - vote was unanimous.

Resolution Requesting Study of Neighborhood Conservation Districts

Whereas, the City Council finds that neighborhood conservation district ordinances can be used to ensure that new construction, renovation and remodeling projects within residential zoning districts will be done in a manner that is compatible with the architectural styles and building materials used in the City's varied and unique neighborhoods; and

Whereas, the the Historic Preservation Paln, part of the Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan and adopted by the City Council on March 11, 2009, includes Policy 6.3 which states, "Explore the creation of neighborhood conservation districts;" and

Whereas, demolition and replacement of existing housing stock with new construction increases the consumption of natural resources, fills landfills, and increases greenhouse gas emission. Construction debris currently accounts for 25% of annual municipal waste streams. One recent sutdy has determined that greenhouse gas emissions from renovation projects are 30% to 50% less than an equal investment in new construction, making renovation of existing buildings the most sustainable alternative; and

Whereas, neighborhood conservation district ordinances which promot compatible and coherent design appearances and building materials within a designated neighborhood conservation district can stabilize and ultimately increase the value of both existing and new residential properties within that district by requiring investment in design elements and building materials that are in keeping with the physical appearance, design characteristics, and building materials currently in use within the particular neighborhood conservation district; and

Whereas, the heritage preservation commission conducted a conservation district study in 1991 that recommended for consideration high-potential neighborhoods such as Frogtown, Uppertown, Daytons Bluff, Macalester-Groveland and the early "streetcar suburbs" of St. Anthony Park; now therefore

BE IT RESOLVED, the Council requests that the planning commission and heritage preservation commission jointly study and prepare a report and recommendation for the potential to designate and establish, by ordinance, residential neighborhood historic conservation districts, considering options to address (1) infill only; (2) infill and additions only; (3) infill, additions, and demolitions only; or (4) addressing all exterior changes to buildings; and involving interested district councils and community development corporations in development of the report and recommendations as appropriate; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the report include an analysis of the level of study that would be required to establish neighborhood conservation districts, and an estimate of staff and/or consultant resources that would be needed to both establish and administer conservation districts; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, in undertaking the study and preparing the report, the planning commission also examine other potential regulatory changes or programs that might be enacted to ensure high-quality design for construction of new buildings or building additions and renovations in neighborhoods; and the heritage preservation commission examine needed changes to Chapter 173 of the City's legislative code to add requirements related to demolition review; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Saint Paul hereby requests that the Planning Commission, working with the Heritage Preservation Commission, prepare a report and make a recommendation to the Council within six months regarding the establishment by ordinance of neighborhood conservation overlay districts consistent with the requirements and requests of this resolution.

Organized solid waste collection in St. Paul

2009-08-18T12:59:00.000-05:00

At the August 12th Saint Paul City Council meeting, the council passed a resolution calling for a study of organized trash collection in the city of St. Paul. Councilmembers Thune, Helgen, and Stark signed the resolution which was passed on a vote of 7-0. The resolution, as passed, is reproduced below:

Requesting City Council Research to prepare a report outlining steps and recommending options for implementing an organized solid waste collection in the City of Saint Paul.

Whereas, the current system relies on the individual residential property owners to contract with private haulers to dispose of their solid waste, excluding recycling; and

Whereas, residents have complained about the carbon footprint, wear and tear on roads and alleys, and noise created by the current solid waste collection system; and

Whereas, organized collection systems tend to lower costs for private waste haulers who in turn can pass along those savings to customers; and

Whereas, under Minnesota Statue 115.49, the City is enabled to institute an organized collection system consistent with this law; and

Whereas, the City Council is primarily interested in exploring a system that would utilize existing private trash haulers on more efficient routes; and

Whereas, the City Council believes it is in the best interest of the community at large to explore implementation of an organized solid waste system; and now

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Saint Paul City Council requests Council Research to prepare a report within the next 45 days outlining steps and recommending options for implementing an organized solid waste collection system.

* * * * * * * * * * *

As usual, we are interested in hearing your ideas and experiences in a thoughtful discussion of the public policy benefits or the unintended consequences of such a trash collection system.

Wabasha Street Green Stairs

2009-07-28T13:15:00.000-05:00

Reconstruction of the West Side's beloved Green Stairs got a boost when the ever watchful Saint Paul City Engineer noticed that an ineligible Minneapolis project had received Municipal State Aid funding and was prohibited from spending it. He quickly put in an application for these "loose" funds and St. Paul had its first $400,000 to jump start reconstruction of the stairs that had to be removed when a boulder falling off the bluff damaged the tower's 100-year-old supports.

The Met Council recently approved the expenditure of $2 million in Obama economic recovery money to reconstruct the Green Stairs.

The stairs are used daily by:

Pedestrians going to and from work on the flats or downtown

Bus riders who walk down and up to catch the bus on Wabasha

Saint Paul firefighters who practice high rise building entrances on the stairs

Humboldt High School football and baseball teams

West Side runners who are looking for a little extra burn

West Side children

The new stairs will still be green, will have 200 stairs, and will be 100 feet high. The foundation will be laid in Fall 2009, the steel tower fabricated over the winter, and installed in Spring 2010. Look for a grand opening in July 2010.

City of St. Paul changes policy on deconverting illegal duplexes

2009-06-16T17:36:00.000-05:00

The following memo went out changing the policy to require that nonconforming duplexes in registered vacant buildings for a period of at last 365 days must revert to compliance with the underlying zoning in any future remodeling. And further no permits will be issued that are not in compliance with the underlying zoning after 365 days as a registered vacant building. This is a huge victory for our neighborhoods.

Date: May 13, 2009

To: DSI Staff

From: Zoning Manager

Re: Policy - Reestablishment of discontinued nonconforming uses

The following policy will apply in implementing Sec. 62.106(g) of the Saint Paul Zoning Code.

Sec. 62.106(g). Nonconforming uses of structures, or structures and land in combination.
When a nonconforming use is discontinued or ceases to exist for a continuous period of three hundred sixty-five (365) days, the building, or building and land in combination, shall thereafter be used in conformance with the regulations of the district in which it is located, unless the planning commission approves a permit to reestablish the nonconforming use as set forth in section 62.109(e).

● This section applies to buildings with a nonconforming use where the use has been discontinued or ceases to exist. However, it does not apply to a vacant unit within a multiple family building because a vacancy generally denotes availability. Additionally, it does not apply to a conforming use that has been discontinued or ceases to exist because Sec. 62.106 only applies to nonconforming uses and not conforming uses.

● There must be verifiable evidence that the nonconforming use has been discontinued or has ceased to exist for a continuous period of more than 365 days before this section can be applied. It is considered verifiable evidence if the property has been a registered vacant building for more than 365 days.

● To provide notification to the property owner, the Code Compliance letter that is done for Category 2 and Category 3 vacant buildings will indicate whether the use of the property is nonconforming and if so, the date the nonconforming status expires (365 days after the vacant buildings folder was created). If the use is nonconforming, a copy of Sec. 62.106(g) will be included in the Code Compliance letter and the property owner will be advised that once the nonconforming status expires, the property may only be used for a conforming use unless a reestablishment of nonconforming use permit is granted.

● To prevent the accidental issuance of a code compliance repair permit, all vacant buildings with two or more dwelling units that have been registered on the vacant buildings list for more than 365 days and that have a nonconforming use status in the info field in Amana will be flagged by means of a zoning warning folder prohibiting the issuance of any permit unless it is for a conforming use or the planning commission (or City Council on appeal) grants a reestablishment of nonconforming use permit.

● The reestablishment of nonconforming use permit is regulated under Sec. 62.109(e) of the zoning code. There is an application fee (currently $650), a public hearing would be held and the process generally takes one month. The planning commission’s decision is appealable to the City Council within 10 days; there is another filing fee (currently $435) and the timing is generally an additional month. The findings the planning commission must make follows. Please note that finding (5) requires a petition from the neighboring property owners.

Sec. 62.109(e) Reestablishment of nonconforming use.
When a nonconforming use of a structure, or structure and land in combination, is discontinued or ceases to exist for a continuous period of three hundred sixty-five (365) days, the planning commission may permit the reestablishment of a nonconforming use if the commission makes the following findings:
(1) The structure, or structure and land in combination, cannot reasonably or economically be used for a conforming purpose;
(2) The proposed use is equally appropriate or more appropriate to the district than the previous nonconforming use;
(3) The proposed use will not be detrimental to the existing character of development in the immediate neighborhood or endanger the public health, safety, or general welfare;
(4) The proposed use is consistent with the comprehensive plan; and
(5) A notarized petition of two-thirds of the property owners within one hundred (100) feet of the property has been submitted stating their support for the use.

March, April and May 2009 Update

2009-06-10T17:50:00.000-05:00

1). STAR grants and loans submitted and/or approved during this three month period: (a) a series of benches at Lilydale Park and Dunedin High-Rise in collaboration with Ramsey County’s Active Living program, (b) the rooftop garden at Children’s Hospital on Smith Avenue, (c) Ben Johnson from Golden’s Deli submitted a grant request for awnings with signs, (d) Historic Saint Paul’s “Restore Saint Paul” loan program to rehab homes on the West Side and West 7th Street, (e) REDA’s “Storefront Incentive” grant program in District del Sol, and (f) energy improvements at the Minnesota Transportation Museum (a train museum).

On a related note, Gardner’s Row, which received a STAR grant two years ago through the efforts of the Ward 2 office, received a Heritage Preservation Award this year.

2). Pat talked to Katie Sabaka, Kim Hyers and Sgt. Paul Paulos about the Capitol River Council organizing a skyway and bus stop walking patrol. Hours discussed were office quitting times, roughly 3:00 to 6:00 pm. CRC has a number of retired persons who want to participate. The idea is not for them to intervene, but to phone or Twitter in reports of illegal activity, as well as serve as skyway ambassadors to help lost souls find their way.

3). Mike Fish from the Hat Trick bar called in to complain that the police had inexplicably picked the night of the first big high school sports tournament to begin aggressively enforcing the “no parking after 2:00 am” requirement to allow for street sweeping downtown. Pat called Frank Ball at MLBA, who was able to work out an agreement with the police.

4). The Grand Avenue sign district revisions are proceeding apace. Thune jump-started City action by passing a resolution asking for a report within 90 days. The Planning Commission held a hearing on April 24. It is anticipated that the sign district changes will be on the City Council’s public hearing agenda in June or July.

5). The St. Paul City Council passed a complete streets policy March 4th that encourages bike and pedestrian traffic on an equal footing with automobile traffic.

6). Councilmember Dave Thune made an impassioned plea to “just say no” to an LRT maintenance shed in one of the prime locations in Lowertown – the only successful real estate market in St. Paul right now. With the Mayor and labor weighing in as the opposition, he was not successful.

7). The Skyway Governance Committee voted to deny a request for an hours exception to the Pioneer and Endicott Buildings. This was largely because Federal Courthouse agencies testified that it would adversely affect business interests in downtown St. Paul to close that skyway before 2:00 am. Again, the talented Becca Hine marshaled the committee admirably in her role as contractor to the Skyway Governance Committee.

8). The Council passed a budget resolution on April 1st appropriating $900,000 in revolving special assessment funding for Phase 2 of the Downtown Façade Improvement program to rehab the exteriors of historic buildings downtown. In mid-May, the Council also passed revised guidelines for the program, putting the Heritage Preservation Commission in charge of prioritizing requests for funding and establishing a timeline for approving projects.

9). Dave, his lovely wife Sue, and Pat participated in the Lilydale Park clean-up on April 11.

10). Thune, Pat and former aide Chuck Repke attended the Fort Road Federation annual meeting at Summit Brewery, which was extremely well attended. Don Bredemus was elected the new Chair. A motion was made and overwhelmingly passed to oppose locating a baseball stadium at Victoria Park.

11). The Ward 2 office received complaints during April (that are still continuing) about renewed aggressive enforcement of “no parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk” in Summit Hill and Upper Landing, two neighbors with severe shortages of parking space. We seem to be at an impasse with the police department. In a related development, it took about six neighbors and Dave Thune personally calling repeatedly to get a car with two flat tires that had been illegally parked for three weeks in West 7th Street towed by the police.

12). Pat, Diane Wanner, and Nhia Vang have been meeting since February to make revisions to the “early warning” (ENS) system that notifies district councils about upcoming issues affecting their neighborhoods and gives them time to formulate and provide a thoughtful response. After months of meeting with city staff, district council staff, Peter Warner from the City Attorney’s Office, and Erica Schumacher from the Mayor’s Office, we got IS to agree to make the system electronic, and Thune held a May 7th meeting at City Hall attended by about 40 people from all those groups to hammer out final language in the rule change. It was a lively, but productive discussion.

12a). Related to the ENS story above, the Friends of Lilydale Park expressed some frustration that a master plan they did not know had been formally adopted was being used to request funding from two different agencies for items they did not want constructed at the park. The City Clerk researched what the legal requirements are for approving parks master plans and a Parks section was added to the ENS requiring district council notification whenever a master plan, or a capitol request to construct a feature in a master plan, are approved.

13). Thune met with Upper Landing residents to discuss spot lighting on the historic Municipal Elevator (AKA Head House) and placement of the porta potties for the park activities that will take place in and around the Head House.

14). Thune met with both Saint Paul public works and Ramsey County rail authority to strenuously object to the Riverview Corridor being located on West 7th Street.

15). Pat met with two people from Public Works, Al Carlson from PED, and Keith Robberstad from Associated Dentists on the sidewalk in front of Associated Dentists to iron out a deal on: (a) moving the street light, (b) replacing with a new above-standard double globe street light in a different location, and (c) sidewalk replacement.

16). Thune, Carter, Lantry, and Stark introduced a resolution asking the Planning Commission to study allowing local neighborhoods to nominate Historic Conservation Overlay Districts. The director of Planning & Economic Development asked that it be laid over to study the implications for staffing in a time of layoffs. Pat has met with three planning commissioners and has passed out the resolution at district council meetings in Districts 4, 5, 7, 8, and 16; and at selected block club meetings in Districts 3 and 9. Pat and Ward 2 Planning Commissioner Bob Spaulding attended a Historic Saint Paul brown bag lunch on the topic with a panel of four excellent experts.

17). Thune and Pat attended an informal gathering called by Andy Remke to meet with the Saints owner Mike Veeck at the Black Dog to discuss the idea of luring the Saints ballpark to Lowertown. As a result of that meeting, three people expressed an interest in having Veeck attend their condo association meetings to explore the idea further.

18). The Ward 2 office met several times with the new West 7th/Smith Avenue block club. They have a broad array of issues, but of immediate concern is saving the Civil War-era house at 301 Sturgis. Thune asked the City Attorney and Mark Ireland to negotiate with the bank to donate this house to the Fort Road Federation. The bank has agreed.

19). HealthEast Foundation finally completed the paperwork to hire a consultant to begin work on (a) researching the numbers on health care in St. Paul, (b) doing a SWAT analysis of St. Paul’s competitive position, and (c) laying out a framework for producing a marketing plan to tout St. Paul as Minnesota’s Health Care Capital.

20). Parks, parks, and more parks.
(a) Xcel Energy land donation for park purposes discussed with the director of Parks. Thune would like to see a dog park and some activities offered to senior citizens and children with disabilities.
(b) Lilydale Park – community meetings were held about incorporating a dog park and to finalize the master plan,
(c) Fitzgerald – or Pedro – Park – Thune has had some preliminary meetings with Carl Pedro Jr who has expressed a possible interest in donating his building and land to the city, but has continued to offer the property for sale.
(d) Children’s Play Space – the Ward 2 office has received numerous complaints about the physical condition of the park and the need for capital improvements, most specifically to the rubber mat covering ground surfaces.
(e) Wacouta Park – Ward 2 office worked with Public Works to clear up some parking problems around the park, and is working with residents on a dog park.
(f) Mears Park – worked with some residents to limit hours of summer music in the park.

21). Thune and Pat have been working with Paul Maccabee and Amy Mino from Landmark Center to produce some fun gangster activities timed to coincide with the release of Johnny Depp’s movie “Public Enemies” about John Dillinger. The activities have been scaled down to a mock trial of the Billie Frechett trial and a weekend display of gangster memorabilia at the Landmark Center. Paul Maccabee will participate in Osh Kosh, Wisconsin’s activities.

22). Yarusso’s Italian Restaurant in Railroad Island is rebuilding after their fire this winter. Dave Gontarek from PED has been working with them, and is helping them apply for a large STAR loan for their parking lot and some exterior improvements. Jon Kerr from Greening the Avenue met with them to discuss some winter interest landscaping plans.

23). Pat attended a meeting of two block clubs on the West Side that are having problems with a neighborhood convenience store with some questionable merchandise choices and questionable clientele. Pat produced a spreadsheet showing at a glance all the health inspections at the food side of the business from 2004 to 2009. It appears that the same violations are noted time after time. The block club may want to invite Bill Gunther from DSI to one of their future meetings. Bill is working on a proposal to take adverse action for a pattern of repeated violations, rather than just one violation that has not been corrected.

24). Thune has asked Council Research to produce a map of motorcycle parking spaces downtown that can be used to publicize their location. Their continued existence depends on whether or not sufficient revenues are collected at the special parking meters.

25). Dave offered an amendment to the cultural STAR funding resolution on May 27 to treat the projects that had gone through the STAR board process and been allocated funds in a similar way to the late addition of a public library appropriation. Thune’s amendment would have given everyone 88.5% of their original allocation, treating the real cultural STAR projects the same as the library system. In the resolution that came to the Council, the Library appropriation was at their request level, while all other projects were being funded at 86.5% of their final STAR board funding. Dave’s amendment did not get 4 votes.