District Councils Collaborate to Reduce Expenses - Councilmembers Applaud and Encourage Cost-Saving Efforts

In a joint press release, Councilmembers Brendmoen, Bostrom and Stark announced that district councils in Saint Paul would now be able to significantly reduce their individual costs by participating in a group liability insurance policy.

“Since I took office in January, I have been encouraging the City’s district councils seek money-saving efficiencies by combining or sharing “back-of-house” resources,” said Councilmember Amy Brendmoen.  “A group insurance policy is a great step in that direction.”

Starting on May 1, 2012 four district councils; District 2 (Greater East Side) District 10 (Como), District 11 (Hamline/Midway) and District 12 (Saint Anthony Park) will purchase their general liability insurance in a group policy through one provider.  All had previously purchased their policies separately.  By combining their liability to a group policy some of the agencies will save as much as one thousand dollars a year.

“These are tough budget times, and I am glad to see district councils find creative ways to stretch a dollar,” said Councilmember Bostrom.

 “I work in the non-profit community, and I know that there are many administrative requirements that have nothing to do with providing services,” said Brendmoen.  “If we can reduce these burdens and expenses through collaboration, it will make our tax dollars go farther and allow the district councils to focus on their priority--community engagement.”

Saint Paul has seventeen district councils that receive funding from the City’s Citizen Participation grant program.  District councils are responsible for facilitating communication between the City, residents and businesses in their geographic areas.  They are all independent non-profit organizations operated by a community elected board. 

Soon, hundreds of projects led by local artists will bring new life and vibrancy to the Central Corridor Light Rail Line in Saint Paul, thanks to a new partnership between Springboard for the Arts, Twin Cities Local Initiatives Support Corporation and the City of Saint Paul. Called Irrigate, this initiative spurs artist-led creative placemaking spanning the six miles of the Central Corridor Light Rail line in Saint Paul during the years of its construction. This is a unique opportunity that brings together huge infrastructure development, a high concentration of resident artists on both ends of the corridor, a diverse ethnic and cultural mix among the neighborhoods, and a city with a strong track record of artist community engagement. By mobilizing artists to engage in their community, Irrigate will change the landscape of the Central Corridor with color, art, surprise, creativity and fun.

Placemaking is the act of people coming together to change overlooked and undervalued public and shared spaces into welcoming places where community gathers, supports one another, and thrives. Places can be animated and enhanced by elements that encourage human interaction – from temporary activities such as performances and chalked poetry to permanent installations such as landscaping and unique art.

How to Get Involved

Every year in January, the City of Saint Paul and the City's 17 District Councils celebrate the contributions of outstanding neighborhood volunteers. Each District Council can name up to 3 groups or individuals for recognition at the City's "Neighborhood Honor Roll" event, which was held on January 20. This year's honorees from Hamline Midway are Pat Vanreese, Kathy Oaks, and the Hamline Midway History Corps.

• Pat Vanreese. We all appreciate having a helpful neighbor - one who will look after our pets or lend us a tool or help with a home improvement project - and Pat is that neighbor. Even more so, we all appreciate having a helpful neighbor in the winter - one who will help remove our ice dams or take out the snow blower and clear the sidewalk and driveways on the block. According to those who live near him, Pat is that neighbor, too.
• Kathy Oaks. For the past several years, Kathy has hosted and promoted the Hamline Midway Barter Market - a time and place for local residents to swap extra produce, trade home-made goods, exchange used items, or just have a good conversation. Through her generous investment of time and energy, Kathy has advanced the twin ethics of neighborliness and stewardship of our planet.
• Hamline Midway History Corps. Since 2005, the Hamline Midway History Corps has persistently pursued its mission to collect, share, and preserve the history of the Hamline Midway neighborhood. From a popular speaker series to monthly meet-ups to archival projects to advocacy for the preservation of the historic Hamline Park Building, the Hamline Midway History Corp has consistently reminded the neighborhood that the future of a community is always firmly rooted in its past.

HMC salutes Hamline Midway's 2012 Neighborhood Honor Roll honorees!

Step right up to get involved in the 2012 Hamline Midway Heartwood Festival!

Registration is now open for exhibitors and sponsors. Businesses, nonprofits, community organizations, and government agencies are invited to fill out a registration form and reserve their space today. Unable to participate as a sponsor or exhibitor? Reserve advertising space in the event program and donate to the Silent Auction. The registration packet (downloadable below) includes:

• A cover letter explaining the benefits of participation,
• An event overview detailing different aspects of the festival, and
• A festival registration form.

If you have questions, please contact Faith at 651-494-7683 or faith@hamlinemidway.org.

*Note: These materials are not intended for Art & Craft Fair submissions. Please find information here. 

Learn how you can help build a strong local food system in our community at the Midway Local Food Resource Hub Kick-Off on Wednesday, January 25 at 7:00pm at the Hamline Midway Library (1558 W. Minnehaha). Together with your neighbors, you can gain access to low-cost seeds and plants, gardening workshops, a tool-lending library, newly-established community gardens, and more to expand gardening and healthy food access in our community.

Come learn about local food opportunities in the neighborhood and join the discussion to build on these efforts. Light refreshments and children's activities will be provided.

Local food resource hubs are locally-based partnerships of individuals, organizations, businesses, and Gardening Matters to ensure healthy food access for all. Three local food resource hubs were established in Minneapolis in 2011. Learn more about hubs here and here.

This kick-off event is a collaboration between Hamline Midway Coalition's Local Foods Working Group, Gardening Matters, and the Hamline Midway Environmental Group. More collaboration is needed to make this a stronger effort. If you are interested in organizational collaboration or tabling at this event, contact Faith Krogstad at faith@hamlinemidway.org or 651-494-7683.

Hamline Midway Coalition's Local Foods Working Group voted in November 2011 to partner with Gardening Matters to establish a Local Food Resource Hub in the neighborhood. Local Food Resource Hubs are locally-based partnerships of individuals, neighborhood organizations, and local businesses who support residents to grow their own fresh produce, helping to ensure greater food security and healthy food access. Local Food Resource Hubs are democratic organizations that are community member inspired, driven, and organized. The success of the program depends largely on community support and donations of time, money and resources.

The concept of resource hubs grew out of Detroit and has now spread to many places across the nation. Gardening Matters helped establish the first three hubs in the Twin Cities in 2010 in Minneapolis. The first year's network of hubs had five main focus areas:

• Serve as local points of distribution for physical resources
• Provide physical space for education classes
• Focus on building leadership capacity at the community level
• Develop a community network of gardeners and urban farmers that are able to support one another
• Build community connections

Mark your calendars for Wednesday, November 16, the Annual “Give to the Max” Day - and donate to the Hamline Midway Coalition!

Throughout the 24-hour period of 12:01am to 11:59pm on 11/16, one donor will be randomly chosen every hour to have $1,000 added to their donation. So donate during the dark underbelly of the night and in the dim predawn light!

What a great way to help make our neighborhood an even better place to live, learn, work, and play.

It’s easy. Donate using the box on the left, or:

1. Go to the Hamline Midway Coalition's page on GiveMN.org.

2. Enter your donation!

This is an exciting time for Hamline Midway residents who want to improve Mississippi River water quality! As part of the upcoming 2012 Residential Street Vitality Program (RSVP), residents whose streets will be reconstructed this summer (see map of Hewitt-Tatum RSVP Project) are eligible for FREE boulevard rain gardens with joint support from the City of St. Paul and the Capitol Region Watershed District. [Don't live in the Hewitt-Tatum RSVP area? You may be eligible to receive grant assistance from the Capitol Region Watershed District.]

A rain garden is a shallow, constructed depression to catch rainwater and allow it to infiltrate into the ground within 48 hours. Rain gardens contain plants that can tolerate standing water for several hours. Rain gardens help the Mississippi River's health by allowing water to infiltrate into the ground rather than run off into storm drains directly to the river. Boulevard rain gardens in this project are engineered to accept some stormwater run-off from the street.

For RSVP residents interested in having a boulevard rain garden, the City will install a curb cut, dig a depression into the boulevard, and put down mulch as part of the street repaving project for no extra cost. The watershed district will provide planting designs and free plants for residents to transplant into the rain garden. Residents are responsible for watering and maintaining the rain garden.   

Want to make your home and garage more secure? Download our new Residential Burglary Prevention Checklist for tips and tricks to trip up burglars. Get copies to distribute to your neighbors from Hamline Midway Coalition. Contact Faith at 651-494-7683 or faith@hamlinemidway.org.

Over 30 volunteers turned out for the first Green Alley Work Day on Saturday, September 24! The crew pulled weeds, pulled trees, disposed of garbage, mulched, and planted on 17 properties. Many thank-yous go out to neighbors, Hamline Midway Environmental Group (HMEG) members, Hamline Midway Coalition's Community Building Committee (CBC), and our Master Gardener Diane Fraser. The alley was transformed when trash-filled, overgrown, and untidy spaces were cleaned up and planted. Plus, some block residents connected for the first time while others strengthened their relationships throughout the process. Better neighbor connections and well-kept spaces can help prevent crime such as illegal dumping, graffiti, and residential burglaries.

The vision of the project was to support residents who want to improve their alleys for water quality, safety, food production, and aesthetics. This block on Charles Ave between Griggs and Syndicate got 20 property owners on board with a green alley pilot project, and in exchange, received organizing help and volunteer assistance for a Green Alley Work Day from the CBC and HMEG. One alley resident and work day volunteer expounded on the benefits of the event: "Many alley [spaces] that looked derelict now look clean and tended-to. I met neighbors I'd never spoken with before, and had great conversations with residents I almost never see. [Plus] I got to use a weed wrench!" Another volunteer said, "Extreme Alley Makeover should be the name of this program - beautiful transformations of neglected space!"