Over 200 St. Anthony Park residents are saving energy through our neighborhood program.  Program includes: a free workshop, a personal home visit, dozens of energy saving materials installed in your home, 12 months of energy tracking, and access to specialized rebates.

Attend the Energy Workshop in St. Anthony Park on Thursday, October 28, 1605 Eustis (Children's Home Society and Family Services building) at 6:30pm.  Walk-ins welcome. Cost for the entire program: $30 (free for those who qualify for energy assistance)

Brought to you by local non-profits, including the Green Institute and the Neighborhood Energy Connection.  A big thanks to the Environment and Natural Resource Trust Fund for funding this program.

Collectivist Thinking is an Individual Responsibility

When conservatives toss around "individual responsibility," what they typically mean is: "If you're in a tough spot, don't expect me or the government to help you out." But Minnesotans across the state demonstrate true individual responsibility when they recognize the interconnectedness of our society and work to promote a sustainable world.

The St. Anthony Park Community Council submitted the Como 2030 small area plan to the city and we are waiting for approval.

Read the plan (pdf)

The Bush Artist Program has introduced its 2010 Bush Artist Fellows. Each of the 15 fellows, chosen from a competitive field of more than 500 applicants, will receive a total of $50,000 in unrestricted funds and professional development support.  Three St. Anthony Park artists received the grants: John Whitehead, who lives in North SAP and works out of 2402 University, Dean Lucker who also has a studio in the 2402 building, and Michael Kareken, whose studio is in the Dow building in South SAP. 

You might have noticed some new signs we've put up financed by the University of Minnesota Good Neighbor Fund. The signs will help people easily find and become aware of the Transitway. We hope it assists those who are already bicycing with finding the safest route.  Many new or infrequent bicyclists struggle to locate the Transitway or are simply unaware of the safer option. Second, increasing the visibility of the Transitway will encourage commuters who currently travel by car to consider bicycling--reducing the use of cars, reducing air pollution and congestion and improving the quality of life for neighbors.

EnergySmartsPay.com is a free online tool for homeowners, landlords
and renters to quickly locate energy assistance and conservation
programs they may be qualified for based on answering a few simple
questions. Where it pays to be energy smart!

For the lastest information and newsletter about Emerald Ash Borer which threatens all the ash trees in our neighborhood, check out the MN Dept. of Agriculture website's page on the subject.

The Line Media has a great video with Jay Walljasper talking about St. Anthony Park and what makes it a great neighborhood:  "Former editor of Utne Reader, author of The Great Neighborhood Book: A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Placemaking (New Society Publishers/Project for Public Spaces) and of the forthcoming What We Share: A Field Guide to the Commons, Jay Walljasper likes to stroll, explore, lounge at cafe tables, chill on park benches, meet friends, window-shop, and just generally enjoy the micro-environments called neighborhoods in the world's cities. He's got a trained eye for the little things that make neighborhoods great, and a sense of the history that lies behind those details. One of his favorite Twin Cities neighborhoods is St. Anthony Park, in western St. Paul.

A coalition of state and local organizations are working to integrate renewable and efficient energy sources along University Avenue and to possibly capture the waste heat from Rock Tenn to heat area buildings.  Check out the article in Business and Commerce about it. 

By Laura Phillips-Mao, PhD Candidate in Conservation Biology at the University of Minnesota and SAP resident
As you’re working in your yards this spring, keep an eye out for garlic mustard—a new invasive plant moving into the Saint Anthony Park neighborhood.  Originally from Europe, garlic mustard is spreading rapidly through woodlands across much of North America.  In addition to displacing native plants, garlic mustard changes woodland ecosystems by altering nutrient levels in soils and releasing chemicals that are toxic to beneficial soil fungi, resulting in reduced tree seedling growth. (seedling at right)

Have you noticed fewer fireflies (lightening bugs) in recent years? These amazing winged beetles make summer nights special with their use of light (bioluminescence) with which they communicate and attract mates.  However, thoughout the world, these insects seem to be disappearing - note this article from the Washington Post. It's unknown why, but it may have to do with loss of habitat through development, as well as light pollution.

The www.firefly.org web site provides a lot of interesting information about fireflies and their predicament, including tips for how to help, such as:

Thanks to all of you that voted.  And a big thank you to those willing to serve the neighborhood by being on the St. Anthony Park Community Council Board. Elected and appointed this year:
South Delegation: Matt Hass, Jim Hunt, Joe Kelly, and Nolan O'Neil.
North Delegation: Brain Longley, Roger Purdy, Jon Seppenan
Business Delegation: Ray Bryan, Raymond Computing; Amy Brendmoen, Children's Home Society & Family Services; Linda Hodge, BJL Software; Paul Hanscom, Ewald Consulting; Stephen Mastey, Stephen Mastey Landscape Architecture; Paul Mix, Kasota Leasing ; Ferd Peters, Ferdinand Peters Law Offices

Attached is a pdf of a plan of the improvements to be made to I-94 between TH 55 (Hiawatha Avenue) and Vandalia Street.  This is informational; MnDOT is not requesting feedback. Here are some specifics.

Project purpose: "After the tragic collapse of the I-35W bridge in 2007, Mn/DOT created a detour and routed traffic on Hwy 280 and I-94. The purpose of this project is to replace the present temporary configuration of I-94 between TH 55 at Hiawatha Avenue in Minneapolis and Vandalia Street/Cretin Avenue in Saint Paul with a permanent configuration that will supply additional lanes, relieve congestion, improve safety, provide advantages for transit and rehabilitate the pavement surface — by December 2011."