In This Issue
St. Anthony  Park Neighborhood News
June 17, 2015
Strategic Planning Continues

Thank you to all of you who have given feedback throughout the strategic planning process, either in interviews or by taking the survey. Our strategic planning consultant, Barbara Raye at the Center for Policy, Planning, and Performance, met with our board last week to continue our strategic planning process. 

We learned from surveying and interviewing our community and engaging a broad swath of residents, business representatives, non-profits, students, school administrators and more that the Community Council has several effective tools to reach our community. Survey respondents identified our e-Newsletter as an effective and clear tool for sharing community news and heightening community engagement. We also learned that although our committees carry out many tasks involved in land use, transportation, and environment, that we can do a better job highlighting the incredible work these committees do. With a deeper understanding of our perception in the community, we are able to sculpt a strategy to build deeper community connections and broaden our reach in our neighborhood. 

The board is currently working on developing a strategic vision for our Community Council to guide our work over the next several years. By articulating core values and functions of the Community Council, we will help define our role in our neighborhood and city into the future. We will continue our strategic planning process this summer based on the feedback our community gave us. We will update you, our community members and partner organizations, as we undertake our strategic vision.

A huge thank you to St. Matthew's Episcopal Church for offering us space in St. Anthony Park for our planning retreat and to Afro Deli for catering the event. Thank you to Barbara Raye for leading the process (barbara.raye@effective.org).

Knight Green Line Challenge!


How would you tap into the potential of the Green Line to make neighborhoods along the Green Line in St. Paul more vibrant places to live, work, and play? The Knight Green Line Challenge offers an opportunity for you to make your vision for our neighborhood a reality. 


The challenge only has two rules: 

1. Proposed projects must take in place in and benefit at least one of six St. Paul neighborhoods along the Green Line: Downtown St. Paul, Frogtown/Thomas-Dale, Hamline Midway, Summit-University, St. Anthony Park, or Union Park.


 

2. Ideas must tap into the potential of the Green Line to create impact in one or more of these three key areas:

-Exciting current residents and attracting newcomers to the Central Corridor

-Expanding economic opportunity and breaking down divides

-Strengthening the culture of civic engagement
 

Learn more here: http://www.knightgreenlinechallenge.org/about/

 

Aeon Development Community Meetings
Example of an Aeon Development project.


 

 At the intersection of Vandalia and University (currently home to the Pirtek building, across University from the Dubliner), Aeon plans to develop a multi-use housing and business development. With their long history of working with neighborhoods and community members to envision development that reflects the community they work in, Aeon will host two public meetings to engage our neighborhood in conversations about their development.

 

Aeon proposes to construct approximately 100-140 new apartment homes and some modest first floor commercial/retail at the intersection of University Ave. W and Vandalia Ave. on a 1.79-acre site. The goals of the project are to: provide families with quality apartment homes; support the transit-rich location by redeveloping an underutilized site and building upon the employment, educational, and recreational opportunities within walking, biking, and transit accessibliity; increase density and mixed-income housing opportunities; and, provide a highly efficient and sustainable living community. 

 

Aeon's development is reflective of both the neighborhood and the city of St. Paul's desire for mixed-income and higher density housing developments along designated transit corridors. It will offer a balanced mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom units. 
 


Join Aeon to discuss their development:

July 7th 6:00-8:30pm 

Dubliner Pub (2162 University Ave. W)


 

July 13th 6:00-8:30pm 

Jennings Community Learning Center (2455 University Ave. W)


 

Questions? Contact Cailin at cailin@sapcc.org

Welcome Amanda Yang

Amanda joins our team as our very first GIS Environmental Analyst Apprentice. She will work on a detailed environmental mapping project for District 12 that serves as an informational hub for the public. Based off a collaboration between CURA and SECIA in Southeast Como, Amanda will scour public records to find the local history of environmental degradation and clean up.

Amanda has her Master of Urban Planning degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She has a background in GIS and holds a bachelor degree in Architecture from the University of Minnesota. 

We are thrilled to have her on board!


Fourth of July Parade -- Volunteers Needed

Every year, SAPCC marches in the Fourth of July parade. This year, as we did last year, we will march with Transition Town to bring publicity to the work we do both separately and together. 

 

Join us! Come march in the parade and help carry the SAPCC sign as we build community visibility and connections during this annual celebration. Email Cailin at cailin@sapcc.org for more information.

 

The parade begins at 11:00am from Luther Place and ends in Langford Pak where speeches, music, volleyball, horseshoes, tennis, pony rides, games, and more await. Food will be sold by the St. Anthony Park Booster Club all afternoon. 

Highlights from the SAP Art Festival
Kids enjoy art projects at the art festival.
The annual St. Anthony Park Art Festival saw crowds of people, local artists, food trucks, and community groups. Transition Town, St. Anthony Park Community Council, and the SAPCC Transportation Committee all hosted tables to do outreach and create publicity over the work we do. 

The Transportation Committee connected with community members over the Como Avenue reconstruction planned by the City of St. Paul for 2017. Thanks to Jon Schumacher at the St. Anthony Park Foundation and Amy Sparks at Creative Enterprise Zone for funding and creating the giant map of Como! 

Transition Town showed off their quilt-making skills by teaching community members how to quilt with old fabric pieces. They engaged our community in sustainability, bees, and the other work they continue to do in both north and south SAP.
Mindy from TT-ASAP teaches Suyapa from SAPCC how to quilt!

Our Community Council joined forces with the District Councils Collaborative (DCC) to promote the Knight Green Line Challenge to art festival goers! We used an exciting opportunity for investment in our neighborhood to strengthen our relationships with the DCC and support the work they do in aiding District Councils throughout St. Paul. Thank you to Carol Swenson from the DCC for joining us at the art festival!

Job Opportunities 

 


The City of St. Paul  8-80 Vitality Fellow
smiling-computer-ladies.jpg
18 month fellowship
$30.39-$41.01 hourly

Contextual Learning Coordinator
20 hrs/wk
Avalon Needs Book Donations!

Next year, the Avalon middle school will read Harper Lee's classic novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" and will then attend an adaptation of the novel at the Guthrie Theater. Do you have a copy to donate? Please bring to Avalon School office or send it to Avalon via Becca Merton c/o Avalon School 700 Glendale St. St. Paul, MN 55114. Questions? Email Kevin at kevin@avalonschool.org.


Get Involved

Visit or join a Community Council committee! All are open to the community and new members. 
Land Use--First Thursday of the month 7-9pm 
Board of Directors--Second Thursday of the month 7-9pm 
Energy Resilience Group--Third Thursday 7-9pm (email erg@sapcc.org for location)
Transportation--First Monday of Every Month 6:30-8pm 

Environment--Fourth Wednesday of Every Month, 7-9pm

All committee meetings of the Community Council are an easy way for you to keep informed, get to know your neighbors and shape your neighborhood for the better. Committee meetings are held at the South St. Anthony Rec Center (890 Cromwell) unless otherwise noted. Community members are encouraged to join any committee- you become a member after attending only three meetings.

 

About Us

The St. Anthony Park Community Council is a non-profit citizen's organization of residents working together to maintain and enhance the quality of life, residential character, economic vitality, and physical development of St. Anthony Park. The Board meets monthly as do our three committees: Land Use, Transportation and Environment. Any resident may join the committees. The Board is elected with five delegates and two alternates each from North St. Anthony, South St. Anthony, and Business. Current Board members from North: Gary Carlson, Seth Levin, John Seppanen, Michael Russelle, Wanjiru Mugo, Mimi Jennings. From South:  Matt Hass, JoAnne Makela, Kathryn Murray. The business members are Ray Brian, Linda Hodge. Student Delegate: Alex Susko. Board Repair: Amanda Yang.