April 14, 2023
Saint Paul resident Lauren Norén, speaking on behalf of SOS, told an overflow crowd at the Saint Paul Parks & Recreation Commission meeting Thursday night why the city's proposed bike path on Summit Avenue is a bad idea for many reasons.

SOS supporters, many in green attire, waited well into the night for a chance to present their case to the
Parks & Recreation commission.

SOS supporters can be proud of the effort they made Thursday night at a packed Parks & Recreation Commission meeting at Palace Community Center. Among the highlights:

Loren Norén, leading off presentations on behalf of SOS, supplied hard facts on why the city's proposed plan for Summit Avenue is a bad idea. (You could say that data is her superpower; she's data scientist at Google.) Among her points: If we lose the 950 trees on Summit that our expert arborists estimate, the city will lose nearly $330,000 annually in climate benefits including stormwater filtration, heating and cooling impact, CO2 storage and oxygen emissions. Watch her PowerPoint presentation by choosing "The Case to Delay" on our resources page here.

• Seven media outlets covered the action, with Jane McClure of the Villager and a photojournalist from KSTP TV winning the stamina award for staying until the 10:15 p.m. adjournment.

Rebecca Pfeiffer, owner of Experience the Twin Cities, the largest tour company in the state, emphasized that tourism is a $16 billion industry in Minnesota, and one of the top attractions is Historic Summit Avenue. She said it should not be altered.

• National transportation safety expert Karen Sprattler warned that the bike trail proposed by the city is actually LESS SAFE than what currently exists, and could lead to more intersection-related conflicts with possibly tragic outcomes.

Next steps

The Parks and Recreation Commission will vote on their recommendation to the City Council at their next meeting on May 13.

In the meantime, we strongly encourage you to contact your city council member as well as the mayor and his staff and tell them to
VOTE NO on this proposed trail.
Find all contact information here.

sign holders
There was huge support for SOS from people who came to listen to the presenters.
By the way, SOS has gofundme page.
Please consider a contribution to support our efforts. Donate here.
KARE 11 TV interviewed Summit Avenue resident and owner of Summit Manor wedding and event venue David McLaughlin. David's mother was instrumental in restoring the historic street from it's state of decay in the 1970s.
CLICK to watch the segment.

Our online petition has more than 2,800 signatures! If you haven't
signed yet, please do so today. And spread the word!
ABOUT SOS (Save Our Street)
Save Our Street is a citizen group that seeks to educate and advocate for the preservation of the historic streetscape of Summit Avenue as a treasured St. Paul destination and a safe, tree-lined, multi-modal corridor for generations to come.
SOS Steering Committee Chair: Gary Todd Grtodd@comcast.net 651-470-4720
SOS Public Relations Carolyn Will carolyn@cwcommunications.info 612-414-9661
SOS PR & Volunteer Coordinator Susan Ritt Susan@cwcommunications.info
651-335-1834