Carol Carey 
Executive Director, USHNA

By Caroline Snyder

HER ENERGIES ARE TARGETED TOWARD A GOAL OF IDENTIFYING THE UNLIMITED BENEFITS AND INTANGIBLES BESTOWED ON AN URBAN COMMUNITY SUCH AS DAYTON¹S BLUFF.

Carol will arouse your enthusiasm for community issues at the first encounter and will leave you with a desire to follow in her footsteps if only you had the energy and time. Well, Carol will dispute the energy and time issue.  She energizes all around her and the intensity of her commitment is exciting to witness.  She is one of a small population who relentlessly makes time and rejuvenates her energies by becoming involved with her goals if she truly believes that they will make a difference for the community as a whole.
 
Her involvement with community issues began in 1987-88 when she and her husband, Cliff, became block club members.  In the 1980s they moved into the Dayton's Bluff area and began to renovate one of the historical Victorian homes.  Along with other neighborhood residents who wanted to encourage the renovation of the area’s homes by promoting their historic value, she assisted with research for a study done on local properties being considered for designation by the St. Paul Heritage Preservation. The mother of three children,  Ricky (12), Allie (10) and Sam (8), she was concerned that their children experience a safe, nurturing, interesting and positive environment during their formative years.  She and Cliff believed Dayton¹s Bluff had the potential to provide this opportunity for their children.
Carol Carey
 

  
In the 1980s and 1990s there was growing concern about an increase in properties being purchased, owned and managed by absentee landlords.  In many cases these landlords did not have a personal commitment to the neighborhood, but rather foresaw the advantage of owning rental property only from a cash flow basis.  Thus the percentages of non-homestead properties were 55% compared to 35% for homestead ownership, with 10% vacant.  To combat this trend, a core group came together in the late 1980s with a goal of encouraging home ownership and instilling an awareness of the community’s historic resources.  By highlighting the area’s affordable homes that possessed architecturally desirable style and quality, they began selling a vision of investment in community through home ownership.   It was hoped that property values would rise to a level that could attract additional investment and a concerned community would evolve.  Through “sweat equity" the face and future of the community began to change.  
 
Carol began somewhat of a personal crusade of her own.  By following issues of interest to her, observing policies affecting her community, and participating in "hands-on" neighborhood improvement projects, she devoted time and commitment to volunteer positions relevant to her community goals. She eventually became a paid staff person for the Upper Swede Hollow Neighborhood Association (USHNA).  USHNA became a non-profit organization in 1989 and today its projects and accomplishments exemplify the many types of positive physical change possible in an urban community. Work on the restoration of historic homes and community garden projects are only two examples of USHNA’s achievements.   The original Bates and 7th Street community garden and the Stutzman Block Initiative are a culmination of personal and community dedication and are thriving today.  Funding and support for USHNA came from a wide variety of sources including neighborhood residents, 3M, Metro State University, St. Paul Companies, Bigelow Foundation, McKnight Foundation, Eastern Heights Bank, University National Bank, City of St. Paul STAR Funds, and many other public and private sources. 
 
Examples of working with organizations and government agencies to improve the quality of life in the community can be found in USHNA’s work on environmental and infrastructure issues.  Such examples include working to incorporate the installation of traffic calming devices into the Margaret/Arcade street improvement project. Addressing the heavy dominance of traffic in the neighborhood requires a collective effort to alleviate noise, speed and congestion. Carol is particularly proud of USHNA’s work to develop and promote rain gardens throughout the neighborhood.  She explained to me that rain gardens are specially designed green spaces that capture rainwater runoff, filter pollutants that contaminate adjacent bodies of water such as the Mississippi River, and revitalize the growth of natural plants.  The promotion of local rain gardens is part of a larger local environmental initiative known as the Lower Phalen Creek Project.  Through this project USHNA is working with a consortium of communities to preserve and restore a natural area that would reconnect Swede Hollow Park and the Mississippi River. Project partners include the Friends of Swede Hollow, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Trust for Public Land, Great River Greening, the City of Saint Paul, Lowertown Redevelopment Corporation and many others.
 
Carol advocates the use of a variety of tools that encourage people to settle or resettle in communities such as ours.  She stresses the importance of adopting public policy and legislation that focuses on improving natural resources and sustainable development. One such example is the Old House Bill, a state funded bill offering tax relief to people who invest in the renovation of older homes. She also recognizes the role safety issues, such as crime prevention and code enforcement, can play in attracting people back into the city.  When community members are not discouraged or afraid to help enforce existing rules and become confident in their relationships with law enforcement and other government officials, the impact is significant, confidence in creating change is built, and challenges are met. A sense of civic responsibility is kindled when citizens become aware of the opportunities that exist to improve and build a community.
 
Carol reveals her main motivators have been her children and a husband who supported and encouraged her involvement in the community.  She is proud of her 1992 LIN award given by the St. Paul Companies.  Her endeavors to research ways to utilize historical preservation as a community development tool in economically stressed neighborhoods is recognized and valued. Her leadership qualities and the intensity with which she approaches a new challenge are significant in the achievement of her goals for Dayton’s Bluff.