What do want to see in your community? What makes Dayton’s Bluff great? What are the issues that keep us from becoming the safe and thriving community that we all want for ourselves and our families? We want to hear from you.

The programming and initiatives of Dayton’s Bluff Community Council are informed and driven by community input and participation. This year we have spoken to residents about jobs, inequity in our school and parks, safety, and community beautification. Your stories are at the heart and soul of our work. We are proud to have organized a Hiring Kickoff that created a pathway for our residents to have priority in new local job. We are committed to taking action on issues of racial disparities that were discussed in the community dialogue series. And we will continue to support resident-led initiatives like community clean-ups and block clubs.

Our work is richer, stronger, and more effective when we have authentic community engagement. So, for the next two weeks, we will knocking on every door in Dayton’s Bluff to get your input and provide opportunities to get you involved in your District Council. With every voice heard, we can truly build the future together.

See you soon!

On Wednesday, Oct. 21, about 75 residents turned out to call for peace and security in the lower East Side in the wake of a rash of homicides in the area. The group marched down Minnehaha Avenue from the Hamm’s Brewery to Weida Park. (Patrick Larkn/Review)

Crowd condemns spate of gun violence
In the wake of five homicides in East Side neighborhoods in the past month, community members gathered to perform a peaceful march to decry the violence, and show community solidarity.

So, gathering in the golden hours of the day on Wednesday, Oct. 14, a group of about 75 marched from the old Hamm’s Brewery buildings on Minnehaha to Weida Park, chanting calls for peace and justice.

“We just want it to stop,” said Clarissa James, the sister of 37-year-old Synika George James, who was shot in Railroad Island while attending a vigil for another murder victim who was killed last year.

Clarissa James struggled to make sense of her brother’s homicide. She believes another person at the vigil was targeted, and is frustrated at the shooter’s disregard for human life.

Clarissa attended the peace march with her sister Chelsea, who said they wanted “to show people that we do care.”

Gina Sullivan, a friend of the James sisters, said she felt the death of Synika James and the other homicide victims shows a need for better gun control.

“There’s too many kids that can get access to a gun with a phone call,” she said. With such easy access, she figures kids bring guns into conflicts where before they might have fought it out with fists rather than gunshots.

Asia Loscheider, an East Side mother who helped organize the march, seconded that notion. With prevalence of guns, she notes, “it’s not fist play no more.”

“I want these kids to stop,” she added

She called for better pay for police officers and additional resources to help families keep their kids in check, such as more after-school activities.

Dayton’s Bluff Community Council Board of Directors Meeting

Date/Time: Monday October 19th , 7:00-8:30 PM

Location: East Side Enterprise Center- 804 Margret Street

Board Session 7:00-8:30 PM

1. Introductions & Call to Order (5 minutes)
a. Approval Of Minutes – September 21st
b. Approval Of Agenda
2. Annual Meeting & Election (35 minutes)
– Debrief
– Date change- allowed or bylaws change required
– Dates
3. Communication POA (35 minutes)
6. Q & A Session (10 minutes)
7. Announcements (5 minutes)
8. Adjourn
Annual Meeting TBD Next Board Meeting Monday November 16th 6:30-7:15 Learning Session 7:15- 8:30 PM Board Session, Enterprise Center

Board Minutes

9/21/15

Board Members Present: Alex Bajwa, Sage Holben, Jessica Johnson, Jacob Lambert, Elizabeth Matakis, Carla Riehle, Tong Thao, Breann Tierschel

Board Members w/ Scheduled Absence: Rafael Espinosa, Rob Sebo Lubke

Meeting Called to Order at 7:01 pm by Elizabeth Matakis

Minutes from 8/17/15 approved, motion by Jacob Lambert, seconded by Alex Bajwa

Agenda approved, motioned by Tong Thao, seconded by Alex Bajwa

Guest Speaker:

Harding Name Change: Pat Hill presented on his proposal to change the name of Harding High School, named after the 29th president Warren G. Harding, to Mary Colter. The school was initially named after Warren G. Harding simply because of his popularity, but after his death in 1923 a slew of controversies arose. Mary Colter, on the other hand, was born in Pittsburg but grew up in Saint Paul in the Daytons Bluff neighborhood. She was an educator and a distinguished architect that designed the iconic buildings in the Grand Canyon, which is now listed as a National Historic Landmark. Pat Hill is only introducing the idea at this meeting. He will be back at a later time to ask for formal support.

Rush Line: Mike Rogers presented on the Pre-Project Development Study for the Rush Line Corridor. Please see the attached document for details.
Swede Hollow is still on the table for further study because it was good enough to pass through the technical analysis. The land use around the proposed Swede Hollow route supports transit and it is still owned by the Ramsey County Regional Rail Authority. If it is taken off the table now, it will eventually still need to be studied. Sage Holben asked: Is it the elderly that’s mostly in poverty, if so where are they, who are they, and how long have they been in poverty. Mike Rogers responds that basically, poverty rates and concentration of poverty is high across all of the East Side. Sage Holben also asked if the Rush Line will displace any of the residents. Mike Rogers says that because there are some properties that are legally binding low income housing, and others are market rate, it will be more difficult to displace families. Guest Pat Hill asked what the chain of command for the Rush Line looks like, Mike Rogers explained how the chain of command works from the technical team, to the policy advisory committees, to the committees that are seated by public officials all along the corridor.

Big Events:

Radio Station:

The “unofficial” kickoff event was during 7th Street Live, which coincidentally coincided with National Radio Day. The first time WEQY went on air was August 21st and has been broadcasting 24 hours. Currently there are 6 programs on air that are going to be grandfathered into the program schedule. A programming committee is being formed to make decisions on which programs WEQY should air.

7th Street Live:

There were a lot of people who were interested in seeing another 7th Street Live event next year. Although successful, the DBCC staff learned a great deal about hosting an event on the streets such as needing more volunteers to fill different roles and holding the event on a weekend instead. Nicole Pressley gave a shout out to board members that volunteered a great deal of their time to support the event; Breann, Jacob, Carla, and Rob.

Board Elections:

The ad hoc committee met two weeks prior to the full board meeting to discuss changed to our election system. Some of the PROPOSED changes are:

–       This year’s annual meeting will remain in October, but there will be no elections. This is because it did not make sense to elect someone in October, then wait until January to onboard.

–       Elections will be held in February (22nd) instead, and new members will be on boarded before the March board meeting.

o   The terms for outgoing board members will be extended to February for this purpose.

o   January’s board meeting will be the last meeting of the year.

–       The December meeting will just be a holiday party with no official business.

–       The new election cycle also comes with new committee structures, since each board member is elected to represent their sub-districts, each sub-districts should have its own committee.

o   Board members are expected to do outreach to their neighbors in their sub-districts to recruit committee members and potential board members.

o   The idea behind this is to build a stronger sense of community.

–       A friendly vote took place to move elections to February from October, approved unanimously. (This is not a formal vote)

Committee Reports:

Neighborhood Development Committee:

Hosting a cleaning sweep of e. 7th St. on October 29th, from 6-7pm. All are welcomed and encouraged to help.

Land Use:

Will be holding a meeting to discuss the new tenant moving into 908 Mound Street and their program for women.

Motion to adjourn at 8:37pm – Approved

Board Minutes
8/17/15
Board Members Present: Rafael Espinosa, Carla Riehle, Sage Holben, Elizabeth Matakis, Alex Bajwa, Tong Thao, Rob Sebo Lubke, Breann Tierschel, Jessica Johnson, Jacob Lambert, Henry Garnica
Board Members w/ Scheduled Absence:
Meeting Called to Order at 7:01 pm by Elizabeth Matakis
Minutes from 07/20/15 approved, motion by Alex Bajwa, seconded by Tong Thao
Agenda approved, motioned by Rob Sebo Lubke, seconded by Alex Bajwa
Guest Speaker:
Kathleen Anglo presented on the Grand Round project, which is a part of the 8-80 Vitality Initiative, providing spaces for people from 8 years old to 80 years old. The Grand Round would link the major parks in Saint Paul in an unbroken chain that encompasses the city. The project has been planned since the early days of Saint Paul, but the section of Johnson Parkway from Burns Avenue to Phalen Boulevard will be implemented in 2016. The bike trail will be approximately 10 feet across along the Eastern side of the parkway and construction will uproot approximately 3 ash trees.
Rob Sebo Lubke asked what the outreach or communications plan is, since his neighbors have not heard about this project yet. Kathleen Anglo explained that the Grand Round plan will be ready for public comment at the end of September, finalized in October, and open houses will be held in November. Tong Thao asked if there were any studies on how many cars use the intersections that will be closed, Kathleen Anglo explained that there has already been a study and it showed that around 20-30 cars use those intersection at any given day. All other questions asked during the meeting that were not answered were recorded and will be answered shortly.
Big Events:
Radio Station:
– The radio station is accepting donations, a $50 donation will automatically give you
Founding Member status.
– People from Prometheus is here to assist in the installation of the antennae and setting
up the studio.
– WEQY wants to feature local artists, if you know any, please send them to Brenda.
– Local businesses are encourage to become underwriters.
7th Street Live:
There will be dance performers, full bands, businesses, and food vendors. We need volunteers
for set up and tear down. Shifts are from 3:30-4:30 and 9:30-10pm. We need at least 1 person
per hour to staff the bounce house and additional to staff the Dayton’s Bluff booth.
Committee Reports:
Neighborhood Development Committee:
Had a meeting with a landlord/tenant and a homeowner to try to resolve some ongoing dispute,
but there was a no show at the meeting scheduled to try to resolve the conflict. NDC is also
looking for more members for their committee, especially board members who are not active in
any committees.
Land Use:
Had a meeting with the immediate neighbors of Dominium.
Board Elections:
An ad hoc committee will be created to review the election process so that board members can
be more representative of the community. The committee will also look into when elections
should be held. Tong Thao, Alex Bajwa, and Carla Reihle volunteered to be on the committee.
Motion to adjourn at 8:35pm – Approved

Dayton’s Bluff Community Council Board of Directors Meeting

Date/Time:         Monday  September  21st , 7:00-8:30 PM

Location:              East Side Enterprise Center- 804 Margret Street

Board Session                   7:00-8:30 PM

1. Introductions & Call to Order               (5 minutes)                                                                                Liz Matakis                    a. Approval Of Minutes – August  17th

b. Approval Of Agenda

2.  Harding Name Change                             (5 minutes)                                                                                  Pat Hill

3. Rush Line                                                        (35 minutes)

4. Big Events Recap                                         (15 minutes)                                              Deanna Abbott- Foster

a. Radio Kick Off

b. 7th Street Live

5. Board Elections                                            (15 minutes)

6. Committee Updates                                  (10 minutes)

7. Announcements                                         (5 minutes)

8. Adjourn

Annual Meeting Monday October  19th  6:30-8:30 PM, Enterprise Center

Monday, Sept 14th, was the first day of the Dialogue to Action series where St. Paul police, District Councils, and community members met to discuss issues of race and equity in their neighborhoods. Led by youth facilitators, it began by discussing goals each participant wanted accomplished through this project. The goals ranged from establishing better lines of communication between police and community to developing solutions to the current distrust and animus (real and imagined) between the two group. Attendees told stories about their positive and negative experiences with law enforcement, establishing a space for real dialogue where frustration, anger, even laughter were freely expressed.

After 2 hours of engaging dialogue, one thing was clear; having conversations about race and policing was not going to be easy for any parties involved. These issues were not going to be solved after one meeting, but all agreed to do the work and embark on a process to build trust, create solutions, and take action.

These dialogues are open to the public and food and bus passes are provided. Youth are strongly encouraged to participate. The next meeting is Monday, September 21st, 6-8pm at Wellstone Center. For questions, contact Chia Lor at District1chia@gmail.com.

More biking, fewer intersections on the docket for Johnson, Wheelock

Looking to make Johnson and Wheelock parkways more park-like, planners behind the St. Paul Grand Round are proposing closing off many side streets that intersect the two roadways, to improve the experience of the Grand Round for pedestrians on the East Side.

The project would add bikeways and sidewalks along the roads to make up for gaps — many sections of the two East Side thoroughfares lack sidewalks, despite being called parkways.

Construction on the plan would start in spring 2016, and would mean tax assessments for property owners along the parkways.

The Grand Round is a project that aims “to develop 30 miles of parkway connecting neighborhoods across the entire city with scenic parkways and off-street bicycle and pedestrian paths,” according to the project website.

While the southern half of the Grand Round project is already in place, the northern half, including large swaths of the East Side, is yet to be completed.

The northern half goes from Burns Avenue in Dayton’s Bluff to Pelham Boulevard in the Union Park neighborhood via Johnson Parkway, Wheelock Parkway and Pelham Boulevard.

The plan also plugs into the newly developed St. Paul Bicycle Plan.

According to a project map, along Johnson Parkway, intersections would be closed at Reaney, Beech Street, Fifth Street, Fremont, Gotzian, Conway, Euclid, the east side of Wakefield, Old Hudson Road, and York.

Along Wheelock Parkway, intersections would be capped off at Wheelock Ridge Road, Nevada, Walsh, Weide and Arlington, as well as other intersections along Wheelock to the west of Interstate 35E.

As a result of these closures, there would be more contiguous sidewalk for people to walk and bike on.

“It decreases the bike-car conflict,” explains Kathleen Anglo, project manager for the St. Paul Grand Round.

Other updates proposed include adding lighting, landscaping, improving the roads’ boulevards, as well as replacement of curbs, gutters and driveway aprons.

Off-road bike trail construction would be paid for with the city’s 8-80 Vitality Fund, or other funding sources, according to the project website.

Read more. 

For now, one of the newest entries into the Twin Cities radio scene is a couple of people sitting behind a folding table covered with a mess of cords, two computer monitors and a microphone.

Inside the nondescript University Avenue building in St. Paul, in a space shared with a Hmong art studio, a friendly bulldog and some pails to catch the drips from a leaky roof, a growing group of ambitious amateur broadcasters is trying to build something that sounds like the diverse neighborhood that surrounds its makeshift studio.

Frogtown Community Radio, already launched online and soon hitting local airwaves, is one of four low-power, community stations set to formally debut in Minneapolis and St. Paul over the next few months. The radio bonanza is the result of the Local Community Radio Act, a change in federal law that went into effect in 2011 and opened up more space for the kind of stations that run on small budgets, rely on volunteer staffs and offer programming that ranges from cooking shows to English-language instruction.

Some of the stations have already put up their antennas, but most are still trying to build up a full schedule of programs, teach basic broadcasting skills to radio newcomers and figure out how to find enough money to keep the power on and maybe even pay a few staff members. While the people behind all of the stations represent different types of communities, they have a shared goal: putting something on the airwaves that you can’t hear anywhere else.

The stations’ signals typically have a reach of only a few miles, but organizers say the impact will be broader.

Read more.

A new fund that comes from re-allocated sales tax revenues will be used to help boost several commercial nodes, including three on the East Side.

According to the St. Paul city website, the new Commercial Vitality Zone Program “invests in Saint Paul neighborhood commercial districts to promote city-wide vitality, growth and equity.

“It is funded by a $750,000 annual sales tax revenue fund, created by a 1/2-cent local sales tax that state law mandates be used to further residential, cultural, commercial and economic development.”

This annual fund was proposed in 2014, and 2015 is the first year it will be used.

On the docket for spending this year are two East Side projects that have already had some planning work done on them: the redesigning of lower Payne Avenue from East Seventh Street to Minnehaha Avenue; and the final piece of development for the Phalen Village area, which sits in the commercial district between Maryland Avenue, Phalen Boulevard and Johnson Parkway.

Both projects have already seen substantial investment and consideration, and the Commercial Vitality Zone funds will give them another $337,500 each.

Read more.