October 5, 2022

Contact

Nicole Frethem
Commissioner, District 1
651-266-8362 or 651-425-9580 
Email

Sheena Denny
Principal Aide
651-266-8355
Email

Nancy Larson
Administrative Assistant

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The Board of Commissioners have returned to in-person meetings. Board meetings and workshops continue to be available online on the Ramsey County webpage.

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Sign up for the County's coronavirus email newsletter.

Ramsey County has launched the new Job Connect online job board to connect residents and employers during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. This employment platform is the latest tool integrated within the county’s economic development website, RamseyCountyMeansBusiness.com, which provides business development resources and incentives.

Funding Win for Homelessness

In recent weeks, Governor Walz proposed several spending recommendations for the state’s remaining federal COVID-19 aid dollars, including $6 million for Heading Home Ramsey. On June 30th, the legislative commission responsible for reviewing those recommendations voted to approve the $6 million investment. In addition, the Saint Paul Housing and Development Authority approved $827,000  to help fund Project Home through next March. The hope is that with additional funding, shelters will have the ability to expand capacity and keep citizens off the streets this winter. 

Ramsey Connected is an initiative designed to ensure all Ramsey County residents have access to low-cost internet and computers and the skills to use them.

Ramsey County believes internet access is a basic need and low-cost internet should be available to all residents. While Ramsey County is not an internet service provider, we serve as a promoter, connector and partner through our Ramsey Connected program. 

For more information on internet resources, please visit Ramsey County's webpage. 

The U.S. Department of Education has implemented temporary changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program rules that make it easier for federal student loan borrowers to receive credit for past periods of repayment that would otherwise not qualify for forgiveness. These changes end on Oct. 31, 2022. Millions of government and private, non-profit employees have federal student loans and may now be eligible for loan forgiveness or additional credit toward forgiveness under these time-limited PSLF changes. The U.S. Department of Education has implemented temporary changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program rules that make it easier for federal student loan borrowers to receive credit for past periods of repayment that would otherwise not qualify for forgiveness. These changes end on Oct. 31, 2022. Millions of government and private, non-profit employees have federal student loans and may now be eligible for loan forgiveness or additional credit toward forgiveness under these time-limited PSLF changes.  

For more information, visit the website here.

Rice Creek Commons Event

The Rice Creek Commons Open House was held on August 13, 2022, from 1pm-4pm. 86 people RSVP’d for the
event and attendance was between 75-100 participants. All participants who RSVP’d received an email with a
request to complete an event feedback survey following the event (information about the survey was also
available at the event). Survey results, a video tour, and more information can be found on Commissioner Frethem's webpage. 

Lexington Avenue Construction

Construction on Lexington Avenue will extend into summer 2023. The project team continues to monitor the daily progress of construction and utility contractors, and it has become clear that it’s unrealistic to complete all remaining work in 2022.

We recognize the timeline for this project has shifted significantly from the original plans shared with neighboring businesses and the local community. The project has encountered several issues throughout the construction season and Ramsey County’s project team is continually elevating issues with our contractors and partners, and pushing for firm deadlines to advance the project.

We understand and apologize for the continued frustration and unforeseen delays. Ramsey County Public Works is committed to addressing the issues encountered on this project and is working to prevent them from happen again. Thank you for your ongoing patience.

For more information on the project please visit the Ramsey County webpage.

While construction is happening, remember to keep supporting our Lexington Ave businesses. Business access will remain the same among traffic shifts in the coming weeks.  

Remember to #ShopLex!

Vadnais-Snail Lakes Regional Park Trail Improvements Feasibility Study informational meeting

Commissioner Frethem giving closing remarks @ trail feasibility study informational meeting

The focus of the trail improvements project is the corridor section along the east side of Wetland A  where trails remain inundated with water. 

On Sept. 28th, a brief presentation about the results of the Vadnais-Snail Lakes Regional Park Trail Improvements Feasibility Study was presented to the community, followed by a Q&A period for attendees to ask questions and talk one-on-one with staff about the project.

The trail feasibility study was a necessary next step to assess options available to the county to reopen trails more permanently and determine the next step forward. There was strong community opposition towards installing boardwalks both due to the expense of doing so and the experience change from the more natural environment. This feedback has been heard from staff and they will be considering next steps and alternatives based on that feedback. Commissioner Frethem is grateful for all the residents who came out to share their concerns, ideas, and suggestions with staff.

Many residents expressed interest in the root causes of the water issues and flooding. In 2020, Commissioner Frethem hosted a community conversation that brought together several entities to discuss flooding in the northern suburbs of Ramsey County over the last decade. The transcript and video presentation can be found on Commissioner Frethem's Ramsey County webpage.