Councilmember Russ Stark's Ward 4 E-News
May 2015Like us on Facebook
In This Issue
Opportunities for you to weigh in
  • Proposed bike lanes on Cleveland between Summit and Highland Parkway. Project page includes link to Open St Paul where you can post your comments.
  • The Capital Improvement Budget (CIB) Committee's public hearing on 2016-2017 Capital Improvement Budget proposals will be held Monday, June 1, 2015 at 6 p.m. in the lower level of City Hall, room 40. (15 W Kellogg Blvd). See "additional project information" section on this page to see what projects are competing for funding.
     
  • Apply to serve on one of many City advisory committees or commissions, including bodies that determine funding allocations like the Cultural or Neighborhood STAR boards. Other committees with openings include the Advisory Committee on Aging and Parks and Recreation Commission, among others. Apply by June 15. Info on current openings and application here.
  What's happening in Ward 4?


My office works daily to balance short term issues like preparing for the weekly Council meeting and addressing constituent inquires, with long term issues like developing policy, managing large projects, and working on the budget. Instead of my regular in-depth comments on a particular subject, I thought it might be interesting to give you a glimpse into the breadth of issues we're working on at any given time. I love my job as Councilmember, but the most challenging part of it is the number of issues that I'm thinking about on a given day.


Parking tickets, snow plowing, tree-trimming, and pothole complaints. Most parking tickets turn out to be justified, but on the rare occasion when they're not we try to connect constituents or business owners with the appropriate contacts in Public Works and/or the Police Department to see if they can be resolved. Complaints about plowing operations vary from not enough plowing or parking enforcement to complaints about tickets and towing. The short-term pothole issue in the spring of 2014 was actually a symptom of a long-term problem of under-investment in our arterial streets. Working with my colleagues and the Mayor, we found a way to invest more in those streets while also continuing to make the case that the State must provide more help for local communities in this area.

 

Parks. I've been working to restore the long-neglected Dickerman Park. As a piece of parks property that we already own along the Green Line, it has the potential to act as an economic development catalyst. I also worked with neaby neighbors and the Parks department to develop the Meeker Island Park into dog park.

Happy people, happy dogs, at the Meeker Dog Park Grand Opening.


Problem properties. We hear from neighbors who are experiencing problems with a nearby property. The property might be occupied and have code violations (ie: trash, unmown lawn, cars without current tabs), be vacant and deteriorating, or be the source of nuisances (noise, odors) or suspected criminal activity.
 

Solid waste system. We are making sure our recycling system is the best it can be, reducing and diverting as much waste from landfills and incinerators as possible, including adding household organics collection in the next couple years. There has also been growing interest in reducing the number of trash haulers going down our streets and alleys. Further, I've been having discussions about requiring greater construction and demolition materials recycling and re-use, and perhaps following the path of Minneapolis to ban use of non-recyclable to-go containers from restaurants and convenience stores.

Economic development. I am constantly hearing from developers or businesses who would like to develop or move into Ward 4. I connect them with the area District Council and with the various City departments they might need to work with for permits, licenses, and approvals. In addition, we are always asking the question, what could/should we be doing to help attract more good-paying jobs to St. Paul? For me, the answer is continuing to invest in high-quality public infrastructure, ensuring that we have a safe and livable community, and ensuring that we have a well-educated and skilled workforce. I recently started serving as the City's representative on a large group that is looking at creating a University Avenue Innovation District that straddles the St. Paul/Minneapolis city line.


Affordable housing. I have been a very active promoter of the need for more affordable housing in our community. In particular, as investment in the Green Line will most likely lead to increased land prices and rents along University Avenue, I have advocated that we get new affordable housing units built now while the land is still relatively affordable. As market rate units start getting built along the corridor (The Lyric, C & E Lofts, etc.), the affordable units will end up being a small fraction of the total but will help our community continue to be a place where people of all incomes and walks of life can live.

 

Hamline Station PPL
Hamline Station, an affordable housing project currently under constructon.


The City's systems for public engagement. My office has been engaged in many conversations about public engagement - both how City departments conduct public engagement today and how we can improve these systems and reach people beyond those who are consistently engaged. Many times public engagement leads us to only hear from those who oppose a proposal, and to not get a very good overall sense of the perspective of the broader community.


Safe Routes to School. My office has been working with the School District, County, Mayor's office, and Public Works to pursue a plan for making walking or biking to school safe and viable for more St Paul students.


Completing our sidewalk network. One of St Paul's competitive advantages as a City in our region is its walkability. Some parts our neighborhoods do not have the connected sidewalk networks that we need to provide safe routes for people on foot.

doorhanger
Providing clear, safe sidewalks in the winter. In the winter, unshoveled sidewalks can prove to be a major barrier to mobility and a safety hazard.  We have been working on this issue for a number of years, and are currently working to revise the ordinance and notification/abatement system for snow-covered sidewalks.

 

 

 


Safe neighborhoods. I meet monthly with our local Western Police District Commanders to get a sense of the trends they are seeing in crime in the Ward and how they are approaching those issues.


Transportation options.   I   think a great deal about how we can continue to improve transit service in St. Paul, improve our system of bikeways, and make sure that our streets serve all users - people driving cars, trucks, riding bikes, walking, and using transit.


Ward 4 is home to several large institutions whose activities can impact neighbors positively and negatively -- the University of St. Thomas, Hamline University, the State Fair, Como Park, and Rock-Tenn Paper, to name a few -- and there is a constant need to ensure that neighbors' concerns are being addressed. Recently, this work has included a community meeting about noise and odor concerns around Rock Tenn, meeting with District 10 and the State Fair around impacts of events at the Fairgrounds on neighbors.I have also been convening a series of meetings involving Hamline University and neighbors regarding Hamline's purchase and possible demolition of houses on the edge of their campus, as well as the need to develop an ongoing structure for communication between Hamline and the neighborhood.


Racial equity. I have a strong interest and the City has a strong self-interest in ensuring that all St. Paul residents have opportunities for success and prosperity. As a community that is 45% people of color and where 70+% of the student in our school district are kids of color, we all have an interest in narrowing and eventually eliminating the disparities of opportunity and outcome that exist in education, income, health, and more. We can do this by: ensuring that there are ladders of opportunity to employment with the City of St. Paul; by coordinating and improving out-of-school time services for kids; and by working with our partners in the private sector to remove barriers to educational and employment opportunities. 


In addition to my new role as Council President, I also serve on the St. Paul Regional Water Authority Board, the Joint Property Tax Committee (City, County, School District), the Board of the Family Housing Fund, East Metro Strong (a partnership advocating for more transit investment in the East Metro area), and other boards and committees that meet on a regular basis.
 

Support Snelling Avenue businesses during construction
 
Snelling ave
Snelling Avenue photo credit Creative Commons kregarious.

 

Construction is underway on Snelling Avenue. For the duration of the summer, it's going to be a hassle getting around the area, but it's going to be even harder on many of the valued businesses on or near Snelling that depend on easy access for their customers. Let's show our local businesses we value them and do what we can as a community to ease the burden of construction.


We are confident that once completed, this project will do a great deal to revitalize this important street. In the meantime, let's work together to ease the transition for our local business community.
 
Your dollars go furthest when spent close to home, and you can make them go even further by supporting a local business on Snelling that might be facing a tough couple of months. Support our local business community and make the effort to "Shop Snelling."
For the latest detour and closure information, you can sign up to receive alerts and notices here. Also stay tuned to the Hamline Midway Coalition's newsletter, Facebook and Twitter for regular updates.

For the latest detour and closure information, you can sign up to receive alerts and notices here. Also stay tuned to the Hamline Midway Coalition's newsletter, Facebook, and Twitter for regular updates.

  
Construction has also begun on Raymond Avenue between Hampden and Como, and the businesses in that area can similarly use your support during construction.
Join me for lunch
 
In an effort to bring customers to Snelling Avenue restaurants during constructio, I'll be dining there throughout the summer and hope you'll join me. You can learn about upcoming dates later in the summer by following my Facebook page.
  
Mirror of Korea, photo credit Jun Won Choi.
Upcoming lunches:
Friday, May 29, at 12pm at Mirror of Korea (761 Snelling Ave N)
  
Friday, June 12, at 11:30am at Snelling Cafe (638 Snelling Ave N)
  
Please respond to this email with an RSVP if you plan to attend, and which date, so we can let the restaurants know how many people to expect.
Citywide Bicycle Plan approved & construction season begins

 

In March, my colleagues and I approved the City's first citywide bicycle plan. This was the culmination of years of work by dedicated City staff as well as invested residents who provided input into a plan that will provide safer routes for people biking to get where they need to go.
Learn what roadway projects are being done in 2015, and which of those are part of bicycle plan implementation.
In the news
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