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As 2017 concludes, I wish each of you Happy Holiday and a
wonderful new year. 2018 bring us a new administration, and I
look forward to working with Mayor Carter, and all of you, to
make Ward 1 and all of St. Paul a welcoming, safe, and livable place for
all.
Achieving improvements in affordable housing is at the top of my list in the
new year, as well as continuing to fight against racial disparities.
The new year also brings the implementation of Earned Sick and Safe time for St.
Paul employees, which I championed to ensure those who work in St.
Paul can stay home when they or a family member is sick, or other emergencies
without worrying about their jobs.
We broke
ground on the new Major League Soccer stadium, and in 2018 I’m looking forward
to continuing to see the stadium rise, moving forward with a much needed catalyst
for drawing investment, businesses and jobs to the Midway area.
As always, it is an honor to serve you, and I am here for
you. If you have any questions or concerns please
don’t hesitate to call my office at 651-266-8610 or email me at ward1@ci.stpaul.mn.us.
Kindly,
Dai Thao
Stop by the coffee shop inside Awash Market (NEW LOCATION!) and Golden Thyme Cafe with questions and issues regarding Ward 1 or the city.
Councilmember Thao will be at Awash Market (590 University Ave) the first Thursday of the Month quarterly, from 4:30 PM until 5:30 PM.
Upcoming 2018 Awash Market Coffee Shop Dates:
March 1, June 7, September 6, December 6
4:30 - 5:30 PM
Councilmember Thao will be at Golden Thyme Café (921 Selby Ave) the first Friday of the Month quarterly, from 1:00 P.M. until 2:00 P.M.
Upcoming 2018 Golden Thyme Cafe Dates:
March 2, June 1, September 7, December 7
1:00 - 2:00 PM
If your conversation requires more than 10 minutes, please contact the Ward 1 Office to schedule a separate meeting.
Earned Sick and Safe Time Implementation
 The Earned Sick & Safe Time ordinance goes into effect January 1st, 2018.
For more information about Earned Sick and Safe Time
(ESST), please visit www.stpaul.gov/esst, where individuals can
find employer and employee resources and sign up to receive ESST email updates.
Stay Informed of St. Paul Snow Emergencies
 It's that time of year again. Now is a good time to refresh yourself on St. Paul's snow emergency parking guidelines.
Sign up for alerts, so you don't get towed!
- Online at stpaul.gov/snow
- Get the app
- Call 651-266-PLOW
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Subscribe to "SnowAlert" and receive an email and/or text message when a snow emergency is declared.
- Get updates at www.stpaul.gov/snowupdate
- Or text "STPAUL SNOW" to 468311 to receive a text message when a snow emergency is declared.
- Or text "STPAUL SNOW [your email address here]" to 468311 to receive an email when a snow emergency is declared.
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Keystone Opens New Best Buy Teen Tech Center
 December 13th, CM Thao was able to stop by to visit Keystone Community Services’ Best Buy Teen Tech Center, which is now open. Located at 1150 Selby Avenue in St. Paul, the center is part of a growing network of Best Buy-supported after-school programs offering free, hands-on tech activities to local youth.
These specially designed spaces enable teens to learn and explore technology in a variety of creative ways, including robotics, programming, coding, graphic design, 3D printing, filmmaking and music production. The goal is to help young people, ages 14 to 18, gain the technology skills and confidence to succeed in school, identify things they are passionate about and prepare for future careers.
City Council passes the Menthol Cigarette Restrictions
 Councilmember Thao is proud to be a strong supporter of the ordinance, which restricts the sale of mint, wintergreen and fruit flavored tobacco products to adults only tobacco shops and liquor stores. These restrictions will help make sure that groups strongly targeted by the tobacco industry, such as youth and African-Americans, are less likely to get hooked on tobacco products. The new ordinance takes effect November 1, 2018.
Victoria Theater Update
Plans are moving forward to restore the Victoria Theater. St. Paul Housing and Redevelopment Authority voted this month to give the project a $200,000 grant to repair the roof and stabilize the building, and a $412,000 forgivable loan to the Victoria Theater Arts Center, who is expected to buy the property from Twin Cities Land Bank. The loan will be gradually "forgiven" over 15 years, and doesn't have to be repaid if the space hosts a dozen events a year. Finally, the local Hardenbergh Foundation awarded a $150,000 grant. The Victoria Theaters Arts Center's first Executive Director was hired a couple of months back, and those involved estimate the theater will reopen in a couple of years. For more information view the article here or the Victoria theater webpage.
Frogtown Park and Farm Raingarden planting
 Recently, Frogtown Green's Tree Frogs coordinated a recent raingarden planting at Frogtown Farm & Park. Over 30 trees were planted along the southeast side of the Park, as well as a 90 foot long rain garden! They had great help from the members of the
Conservation Corps, students at the UMN and St Paul College, St Paul Forestry
staff and interns, and a couple of babies
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 Further, Lauren
Colwell (found in the purple coat in the group picture above, and right), a lifelong Frogtown resident, was the mastermind behind the raingarden. Lauren is
a trained geologist, who volunteers with Frogtown Green's Tree Frogs. She was nominated for an award from the Capitol Region Watershed District, and it was recently annoucned
she was named Watershed Citizen of the Year for 2017! Councilmember Thao appreciates her hard work and dedication to Ward 1, and all of Saint Paul.
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Skyline Tower Leadership Honored
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Outgoing members of
Skyline Tower's Resident Association being honored in November for their three years of
community service.
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St. Paul Youth Services Presentation to City Council
 September 13th*, St. Paul Youth Services presented to the City Council. YouthPower is
St. Paul Youth Services' youth-led organizing and advocacy hub. The current
participants are all Black boys and young men; Black girls and young women will
join YouthPower in January. The youth follow an engaging curriculum of Healing
& Identity, Exploration & Innovation, and Policy Change.
The youth
pictured here are all Saint Paul Public School students, ages 13-15, who
presented their priorities and criteria for youth programming and City
budgeting to ensure they positively and equitably benefit Black boys and young
men in the East Metro.
(Photos Courtesy Trace Asberry, SPYS) *this is a past quarter event, but the Ward 1 office wanted to highlight the hard work of the students.
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Union Park Micro-Grants
 Do you have an idea
for a bench at a bus stop, a mural on a neglected wall, a creative way to
improve pedestrian safety, or fun way to activate a park? Union Park District Council is now accepting
applications for this type of project through the Union Park Micro-Grant
Program. They are inviting individual residents and small groups of neighbors
within Union Park to apply for small grants (of $200-$600) to complete small
projects within our community. They hope to award 2-4 grants this
year. Please contact michael@unionparkdc.org for more informations on how
to apply and for any questions
Volunteers Needed for Slow Roll St. Paul
Slow Roll St. Paul is looking for leaders, community members, and bicyclists of St. Paul, especially in the Frogtown, Rondo and East St. Paul neighborhoods, to join in helping plan for Slow Roll St. Paul 2018.
Slow Roll St. Paul’s purpose is to highlight our amazing and vibrant communities within St. Paul. They accomplish this through biweekly community rides held at different locations during the months of June through September. If you are interested, sign up here or email Skye Vang at skye@cyclesforchange.org for more information.
Neighborhood Honor Roll
Every year, District
Councils recognize three outstanding community members or groups from each
district at the citywide Neighborhood Honor Roll Celebration. All are welcome
to attend the celebration on Friday, January 26 from 5:30 - 7:30
p.m. at the University of St. Thomas in Anderson Student Center. The event
costs $15. Email julie@unionparkdc.org
for more information.
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ReConnectRondo
Community Conversation
ReConnectRondo will be hosting a community
conversation around the Rondo Land Bridge, preserving Rondo history and
community development without gentrification. Through this conversation we will
discuss a base engineering conceptual design. Come share your thoughts,
feelings, frustrations and excitement about the neighborhood and a land bridge
in Rondo.
This
event will take place Thursday January 18th from 5 to 7:30 PM. Location TBD, please check their website for updates.
Light
Refreshments will be provided.
Please
RSVP here: https://www.meetup.com/Land-Bridge-Community-Dialogue/events/246065125/
Please
consider completing the RCR survey. Follow the link to complete the survey: https://www.reconnectrondo.org/survey
Capitol Rice Event: Vote for your favorite Ideas!
 Questions: Contact CAAPB's Peter Musty at 651-757-1501 or peter.musty@state.mn.us.
TRACK the PROJECT and SIGN UP for EMAIL UPDATES at mn.gov/caapb
Annual Frogtown Green Gathering
 The annual Frogtown Green Gathering will take place Saturday, February 24th from 2 PM - 4 PM at Rondo Library (the corner of Dale and University).
Meet tree-planters, flower gardeners, vegetable growers, beekeepers, trash mashers, urban homesteaders, chicken raisers, water stewards and more, who are making Frogtown the greenest neighborhood in Saint Paul!
Free, family-friendly, snacks and activities planned. Plenty of time for networking, internship hunting and more!
Make Your Sundays
More Exciting
District 10 has scheduled its first two Sunday Series
presentations for 2018.
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State
Fair History, Part 2. Minnesota State Fair director Jerry Hammer picks up
where he left off last year. He’ll share forgotten photos, facts, and stories
about the Fair from the last 100 years – from 1920 until today. The free
presentation is Sunday Feb. 25 from 1-2:30 p.m. in the Newman-Benson Chapel at
Lyngblomsten, 1415 Almond Ave.
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The Next
Step: Pedestrian Safety in Saint Paul. Drivers continue to run into
pedestrians in higher and higher numbers. What will it take to stop that? Fay
Simer, the city’s new pedestrian safety advocate, and Sgt. Jeremy Ellison, who
leads enforcement efforts in the citywide Stop for Me campaign, lead the
discussion. The free presentation is Sunday March 18 from 1-2:30 p.m., probably
at the Como Park Streetcar Station, 1224 Lexington Parkway N.
Unique Opportunity to have a Website Created
 The Acedemy of Information Technology program at Humboldt High is looking for small businesses who would be interested in allowing AIOT students to do basic web design as part of their class project. Please contact Heidi Elliott at 651-744-5516 or Heidi.elliot@spps.org if you or someone you know is interested.
Union Park Ten Year Anniversary
Union Park District
Council celebrates its ten year anniversary in March. Stay tuned for updates on
the big celebration by liking them on Facebook at Union Park District
Council and subscribe to Neighborhood Matters, our e-newsletter, by
emailing michael@unionparkdc.org
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Changes coming to Como, Front and Dale
Saint Paul city staff are recommending five infrastructure
projects for the intersection of Como, Front and Dale in 2018. The projects
would be paid for with $350,000 in Commercial Vitality Zone money authorized by
the City Council in 2015. District 10 is surveying community members to get a
sense of whether they support these projects or not. Take the survey before
Jan. 14 at: www.surveymonkey.com/r/comofrontdale
Recommendations include higher visibility striping
for crosswalks, painted extensions of the Como Ave. bike lanes through the
intersection (green), and eliminating the dedicated right-turn lane from Como
onto westbound Front (blue).
Applications for 2018 Home Repair Projects through TC Habitat for Humanity Have Closed
Thank you to those who submitted applications to A Brush with Kindness
Program at Twin Cities Habitat, for your home repair needs. Applications
for 2018 home repair projects have now closed. Please keep in mind that
applications are opened for a limited time once a year, for projects to be
scheduled the following year. Please check back with us next July for
information on how to apply for 2019 home repair projects!
New to Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity’s programs? Need
home repairs? To learn more, visit their website at www.tchabitat.org.
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