Starling is an exciting project happening in the South St. Anthony Creative Enterprise Zone. Check out the article about it. 

The City of Saint Paul has announced a $250,000 year long streetcar study, which will explore the viability of adding streetcars to the existing Central Corridor multi-modal system. The study will explore economic and social benefits, as well as ridership and cost.

It’s not to late to get a 0% interest deferred loan to replace your furnace or boiler and/or add insulation to your home. The Saint Paul Energy Smart Homes loan program is coming to a close, but funds are still available. Here are the details:

• Loans up to $6,500 for Saint Paul homeowners
• Available for insulation and furnace/boiler replacement
• No monthly payments and no interest
• Loan is due in 30 years or upon sale of property
• No income limits, but income affects termsLoan availability is first-come, first-served

Energy Smart Homes is made possible by the City of Saint Paul with a grant from the US Department of Energy; through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 (ARRA).

According to the latest census data, there are approximately 3750 people living in North St. Anthony (north of Energy Park Drive) and approximately 3038 living in South St. Anthony. Numbers aren't exact because some of the block data didn't quite fit our boundaries. For more information, go to Minnesota Compass.  

From Starling: 

You should do it. That project, business, event, experiment. Maybe it exists already, maybe it almost does. But the answer is yes, and – if you need space to get started, and you’re not looking for a long-term lease – we know where you should incubate that idea. Put aside anything you’ve thought about where you might do it. If you’re looking for inexpensive, flexible, accessible space, and visibility isn’t a bad thing, here’s our suggestion:

The Retrofit Companies is happy to announce a new E-waste Recycling Program for Ramsey county residents, beginning 2/1/2012.

What type of e-waste is included & What are the Fees?
Televisions & Monitors Recycling Fee: $5.00 each
Televisions: including TV's, TV DVD-VCR combinations, monitors for home security/CCTV systems
Computer Monitors: including monitors, "all in one" computers, eBook readers, digital picture frames and portable DVD players
Computers & Peripheral Electronic Devices Recycling Fee: FREE
Peripheral devices include items sold exclusively for external use with a computer that provides input or output from a computer: CPUs and Computer Towers, Laptop computers,  Tablet PCs, Keyboards, Mice, Printers, Fax Machines, DVD Players, VCRs

Drop-off Facility is open to Ramsey county Residents M-F, 7:00am to 4:00pm
The Retrofit Companies is located at 2960 Yorkton Blvd., Little Canada, MN 55117

Over the past 25 years, the Saint Paul Parks and Recreation Department has established a tradition of hosting an annual Spring Parks Cleanup event to collect the trash that has accumulated over the winter. Now, with the help of the Saint Paul Public Works Department and their Come Clean! Neighborhood Litter Campaign, the event has transformed into a citywide effort to clean our parks, neighborhoods, and streets.

Check out the PDF below of the 2011 report of the 17 St. Paul District Councils.  It includes great stories about work happening across the City, from rain barrel workshops to home owner education to supporting businesses during light rail construction.

Since St. Anthony Park has come to know the Emerald Ash Borer more intimately than the rest of the state, you might be interested in joining the hundreds of citizens who already have stepped-up to help keep an eye out for new infestations of emerald ash borer and other destructive invasive pests. These volunteer "first detectors" form part of the state's early warning system for invasive tree pests, making it more likely that infestations will be found in early stages when they are easier to control. 

Last summer the St. Paul Police Department’s Auto Theft Unit uncovered nearly a dozen illegal tow truck drivers who were stealing cars and scrapping them for cash at one primary automobile scrap metal operation in the Twin Cities. In the wake of this investigation, more than 10 people were criminally charged through the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office in connection with stealing more than 100 vehicles. To this date, eight of those individuals have pleaded guilty with others awaiting trial.

Investigators determined there were three schemes involved:

I. Yearly events and projects

1. Organize volunteers for annual neighborhood cleanup in September
2. Organize volunteers for annual Kasota Ponds cleanup

II. Specific tasks for 2012

1. Continue to communicate on and advocate for Raymond Avenue Reconstruction
2. Initiate new Raymond / University Parking Task Force to mitigate issues related to Raymond Avenue Reconstruction
3. Research and implement fundraising for Hampden Park implementation project, including funding from various sources including CIB and CRWD
4. Educate the neighborhood about proper leaf disposal through signage and events
5. Create a vision for improved transit, cycling, and pedestrian connections within and through St. Anthony Park
6. Investigate a planning grant for the long term management and improvement of Kasota Ponds water quality 

III. General outreach/advocacy

Did you ever think about what happens to the thousands of tons of salt that is applied to roads, parking lots and sidewalks?  Most of it ends up in our lakes, rivers, streams and wetlands. As a result, clean water in the Twin Cities is in jeopardy. Watch this new video, Improved Winter Maintenance: Good Choices for Clean Water to learn about tools, techniques and products that you can use to keep your driveways and sidewalks safe AND protect our waters. To watch it, visit this link or go to YouTube.com and type in MWMOvideo . Two St. Anthony Park people are featured in the video - Dr.

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.

Every year, the St. Anthony Park Community Council, along with the other sixteen district councils, nominate members of their area for the Neighborhood Honor Roll. Congratulations and thank you to this year's honorees:Tom Bielenberg and Hans Weyandt, co-owners of Micawber’s Bookstore, Michael Russell, Tim Faacks and Tom Spreigl, co-owners of Speedy Market.

Check out the video on YouTube of the keynote speech by Jane McClure as well as the volunteer awards.

The St. Paul Police have released the year end crime statistics. 2011 had a decrease in crimes committeed in North and South St. Anthony Park. In 2011, there were 223 crimes--down from the 2010 number of 284. For details....