Neighborhood Discussion re: Rock-Tenn

Monday, May 12, 2008

7:00 p.m.

Bethel Christian Fellowship Church

1466 Portland Avenue

St. Paul

Last June Excel shut down its coal-fired steam pipeline to the Rock-Tenn factory, hence the current exploration for alternative fuel sources.  In 2007, the Minnesota Legislature charged the Saint Paul Port Authority with assessing the environmental, technical and economic feasibility of building an energy plant for Rock-Tenn.  The legislation also mandated that the Port Authority convene an advisory panel composed of members recommended by District Councils from Hamline-Midway, St. Anthony Park, District 13, Macalester Groveland and other members as appropriate.  RCAP (Rock-Tenn Community Advisory Panel) was formed.  Port Authority representatives and RCAP members plan to present the results of their findings and subsequent recommendations to the Saint Paul City Council in the fall.  

The study is nearing completion and findings are being presented in neighborhood meetings.  Many District 13 residents have expressed concern about the future of Rock-Tenn and the impact it may have on the community.  Come to hear District 13's representative to RCAP, Tim Thoreen and others talk about the most recent information regarding Rock-Tenn's options for alternative fuel sources.  This is your opportunity to ask questions and provide comment.  For more information about Rock-Tenn and the RCAP proceedings, please visit www.rtadvisory.org or contact Nina Axelson at 612-788-4151 or nina@sapcc.org.

May 7 UPDC Board Meeting Agenda

Union Park District Council Board Meeting
Merriam Park Community Center - 2000 St. Anthony Ave

Agenda – May 7, 2008


7:00 PM Call to order - James Marti
Approval of the agenda
Approval of April minutes

7:05 Merriam Park Vision Process - Jim Marti/Barb Deming

7:20 Treasurer’s Report - David Rasmussen
March 2008 financials

7:30 Committee & Delegate Reports: (Requested actions)

o Land Use Committee Scott Banas
(adopt DCC resolution re: Pawlenty’s veto; vote re: motion to approve replat for Keagan Addition (Target); vote re: motion to extend Interim Overlay Zoning for LRT Hamline Station area)
o RCAP (Rock Tenn Community Advisory Panel) Tim Thoreen

o Neighborhood Issues Committee Jeanne Matross
o Internal Affairs Committee Glen McCluskey
o Parks & Recreation Committee Rich Wilber
(approval of $500 to NPCR/CURA)
o Crime Prevention and Safety Committee Maureen Warren
o Desnoyer Park Improvement Assoc. Jeanne Matross
o Lexington Hamline Community Council Barb Gunther
o Executive Committee James Marti
(adopt Sober House Ordinance position)

8:35 Staff Report - Julie Oney/Theresa Heiland

8:45 President’s Report - James Marti

9:00 Adjourn

Light Rail Transit, Street Parking, and You

Thursday, May 8, 2008
6:00-8:30pm
Central Corridor
540 Fairview Ave N, Suite 200
St. Paul, MN 55104

Come to a neighborhood meeting to learn about the current Light Rail Transit Plan for University Avenue and how this may affect the parking on your street.

-Learn about the effects of the current LRT plan
-Discuss concerns regarding the loss of parking
-Explore current efforts to restore and/or mitigate the loss of parking

This event is free and open to the public. Representatives from the Metropolitan Council, Union Park District Council (D13), St. Paul City Council, and St. Paul Planning and Economic Development will be available to provide information and answer questions.

For a copy of the flyer, click on the graphic to the right.

NOTE: Enter on the Fairview side of the building by the Workforce Center sign. Go to the second floor. There is no easy access to the Project Office via the buildings University Avenue entrance.

Free Parking is available opposite this entrance in the first lot off Fairview and Charles Avenues and on the north side of Griggs Midway Building off Fairview. Parking is free for the first hour in the gated lot off of Fairview Avenue.

Bus routes 16/50 and 67 go to University and Fairview.

Important Dates at the Eleanor Graham Community Garden

Friday, May 2
If you requested tilling, your plot must be thoroughly cleared

Saturday, May 3, 9 am - noon
First work day for gardeners at Eleanor Graham Community Garden

Sunday, May 25
Gardeners must have begun planting

Saturday, June 7, 9 am - noon
Work day for gardeners

Saturday, July 12, 9 am - noon
Work day for gardeners

Saturday, August 16, 10 am - 2 pm
3rd Annual Parade of Gardens and work day for gardeners

Saturday, September 13 (tentative), 9 am - noon
Work day for gardeners

Saturday, October 25, 9 am - noon
Garden clean-up for gardeners

By October 31
Water will be shut off before hard frost

District Council 13 Press Release: We Have a New District Name!

District Council 13 has chosen Union Park District Council (UPDC) as its new name. One of 17 District Planning Councils in St. Paul, District 13 includes the neighborhoods of Lexington-Hamline, Snelling Hamline, and Merriam Park. UPDC represents all three neighborhoods to the City of St. Paul. District 13 is bounded on the west by the city limits and the Mississippi River, on the south by Summit Avenue, on the east by Lexington Avenue and on the north by University Avenue, over to Cleveland and south to the railroad right-of-way and west back to the river. The name Union Park is meant to suggest the union between the various neighborhoods. That is why material with the Union Park name will also state: Many Neighborhoods - One Community.

The council worked with Little and Company of Minneapolis to select a new name. The criterion used was that the name has historical roots and serves as an identity for the council as it moves into the future. Little also created the brand identity and name for the North Loop neighborhood of Minneapolis.

“A new name for anything, usually seems strange at first,” said Glen McCluskey, vice president of the Union Park District Council. “We wanted a name that was unique, but also has some historical roots. I think that over time people will come to think of the name Union Park as natural and familiar as are the current names of the individual neighborhoods.”

The name Union Park also has historical roots, said Jim Sazevich, architectural historian. “I am very familiar with old Union Park, later changed to Iris Park - with little artificial Lake Iris. Union Park was an early amusement park, which lasted for a few years, and then was platted into city lots for building purposes in the late 1880,” said Sazevich. He did some of the earliest research on the neighborhood back in the early 1970s. “I love (the name) Union Park. I think it sounds natural, feels right for Saint Paul, has a historic connection and a valuable meaning: a union of many neighborhoods,” said Sazevich.

The individual names of the neighborhoods within Union Park are not going away. They remain to represent parts of the community. Those include Desnoyer Park, Shadow Falls, Iris Park, Snelling Hamline, Lexington-Hamline, and Merriam Park.

District 13 Board Meeting - April 2, 2008

District Council 13 Board Meeting Agenda
April 2, 2008
Merriam Park Community Center
2000 St. Anthony Ave

7:00 pm Call to order - James Marti
Approval of the agenda
Approval of March minutes

7:05 Eureka Recycling - Susan Hubbard, ER
Accomplishments and future direction for ER

7:25 Treasurer’s Report - David Rasmussen

7:30 Committee & Delegate Reports: (Requested actions)
o Neighborhood Issues Committee - Jeanne Matross
(action: approve petition for traffic circle in SH)
o Internal Affairs Committee - Glen McCluskey
o Land Use Committee - Scott Banas
o Parks & Recreation Committee - Rich Wilber
o Crime Prevention and Safety Committee - James Marti
o Desnoyer Park Improvement Assoc. - Jeanne Matross
o Lexington Hamline Community Council -Barb Gunther
o Executive Committee - James Marti

8:35 Staff Report - Julie Oney/Theresa Heiland

8:45 President’s Report - James Marti

9:00 Adjourn

Rock-Tenn Community Advisory Panel Meeting 15

March 31st, 2008

Topics and guest speakers include:
7:10 Ramsey County Environmental & Public Health Overview of Waste Management (Zack Hanson – Ramsey County Environmental Health Manager)

7:20 Operational History & New Facility Standards for Refused Derived Fuel
(Peter Torkelson)

Upcoming Meetings & Agenda Topics
RCAP meetings are now held at the Wilder Center at 451 Lexington Parkway North

April 7th
Study Topic: Anaerobic Digestion: Patrick J. Hirl, P.E., Ph.D.

April 21st
Tentative Study Topic: Technologies Feasibility, Site Logistics

May 5th
Tentative Study Topic: Economic Scenarios and Pro Forma, Cost of Emission Controls

May 19th
Tentative Study Topic: Advanced Heat Recovery Pilot Project, Fuels (Agricultural Sources, Opportunistic Fuels, Wood), Quantity and Cost