DISTRICT FORUM Volume 20, No. 1 www.daytonsbluff.org March 2007

By Ed Lambert, Executive Director,Dayton’s Bluff Community Council The purpose of a district plan is todescribe the community’s vision of itsfuture development and to help guidecity staff and residents in working to-ward that vision. The plan outlines acommunity’s history and charts itsmajor development experiences andplanned future direction. In short, itspells out what we have been as acommunity and where we want to go. Dayton’s Bluff first assembled a dis-trict plan in 1978; and updated it in1986. It has been our adopted planfor the last 20 years. In St. Paul, com-munity plans should be updated or re-done every ten years. Ours has fivekey areas:

* Commercial and Economic Devel-opment* Community Life, Public Spaces,and Recreation

Sharon McCrea, Dave Murphy and Marge Smith were added to the Saint Paul Neighborhood Honor Roll this year. Nominationsare now being accepted for next year’s Honor Roll. Back row(l to r): Kathy Lantry, Dave Murphy, Jacob Dorer, Ed Lambert,Ellen Biales and John Smith. Middle row: Jean Comstock, Angela DuPaul and Marge Smith. Front row: Sharon McCrea andKarin DuPaul.

Hundreds of people attended theCelebrate Saint Paul’s District Coun-cil reception held at St. Thomas Col-lege in January. The yearly celebra-tion started in the 1980s as did theSaint Paul Neighborhood Honor Roll,a list of Saint Paul citizens who havedone outstanding service in their neigh-borhoods over a long period of time. Each year all 17 District Councilscan add three names to the honor roll.Past honor roll inductees volunteered

Dayton’s Bluff Adds Three to Neighborhood Honor Roll

for years at a church or a school,served on the community board, ledprojects like Buckthorn removal orspearheaded ongoing communityevents. This year Dayton’s Bluff addedSharon McCrea, Dave Murphy, andMargie Smith for their years of ser-vice in the Dayton’s Bluff neighbor-hood. The Saint Paul NeighborhoodHonor Roll is located in the hallwayon the third floor of the Saint Paul City

Hall and Court House. The quality andamount of volunteer time that makeour communities better is amazing inSaint Paul. The Dayton’s Bluff District 4 Com-munity Council is looking for threepeople to add to the honor roll nextyear. If you know of someone whohas done an outstanding job of volun-teer work in Dayton’s Bluff, emailKarin@DaytonsBluff.org or callKarin at 772-2075.

April Showers Bring New District Plan* Housing and Residential Life* Neighborhood Safety and Liv-ability* Transportation, Traffic, andParking.

The Dayton’s Bluff CommunityCouncil has been guiding the devel-opment of our new plan through sur-veys, public meetings, research, andcommittee work since 2004 when itwas decided to create a new plan. Watch this space for announcementsof the final public meetings to presentthe new plan to the community, andsend it to the city to be incorporatedinto St. Paul’s overall city plan. TheCouncil intends for this document toinform the community of the vision andgoals which were expressed by thecommunity itself. Given continuedcommunity involvement, it will guidethe growth and development of theBluff.

Community Meeting........Page 2

Be Your Own Boss..............Page 2

Greening Dayton’s Bluff.....Page 2

Get Connected to the Bluff..Page 3

Walk the Bluff Program ..........Page 3

Dayton’s Bluff Princess........Page 4

ECFE Plays Post Office.........Page 4

DB Rec Center Activities.......Page 5

Young Artists do Mulan.....Page 5

Myth of Xee.......................Page 5

Portage Summer Camps.......Page 5

Black History.....................Page 6

Touring the Bluff....................Page 6

Neighbors Close Store.......Page 7

Multi-Cultural Fair................Page 8

Inside This Issue

Bethlehem Lutheran Church at 655Forest St. recently received a $50,000grant designed to generate thousandsmore in financial gifts to the church.The grant, “Sharing the Blessing in theCenter City” will provide biblicallysound stewardship principles forBethlehem’s culturally diverse mem-bers to enable them to effectivelyreach out to the surrounding inner cityarea. The grant is one of 75 awardedby the Thrivent Financial forLutherans Foundation as part of its$4.8 million Charitable Gifting Initia-tive program. “This grant will help Bethlehemremain on the east side of St. Paul andcontinue it’s ministry in our commu-nity for many years to come,” saidBarbara Fallert, a Bethlehem member.“It is our hope that this grant willstrengthen Bethlehem’s ability to in-form potential donors of various op-tions available to them to financiallysupport Bethlehem’s work,” said BradHewitt, president of the Thrivent Fi-nancial for Lutherans Foundation. “Aspeople come alongside Bethlehemwith charitable gifts, Bethlehem willbecome increasingly effective in car-rying out its ministry and mission.” The 2006 Charitable Gifting Initia-tive grants ranged from $5,000 to$100,000. The 75 grants are expectedto generate a total of more than $160million in immediate or deferred mon-etary gifts to Lutheran institutions.

Keep these two dates open so youcan be part of finalizing the plan: anevening meeting on April 17, and aSaturday meeting on April 21. De-tails will be in the April District Fo-rum and on www.daytonsbluff.orgearly in April. Call 651-772-2075 formore information.

BethlehemLutheran ChurchReceives Grant

“Grant” continued on page 2

Page 2 Dayton’s Bluff District Forum March 2007

Dayton’s BluffCommunity Meeting

The next Dayton’s Bluff Neighbor-hood Microentrepreneur Class is start-ing April 4, 2007. This program helpsstart-up and young businesses on theEast Side. All East Side entrepreneursare welcome. Class training lasts 8 weeks and in-cludes topics such as operations man-agement, marketing, financial manage-ment, one to one assistance with cre-ating a successful business, and pre-paring a business plan, plus 8 hours ofone on one time with the instructor.Those who successfully complete thecourse and locate their businesses intarget neighborhoods are eligible forongoing business support services. Some examples of businessesstarted by people who have previouslytaken this course include graphics,photography, food service, restorationof wood furniture and works of art,custom floral design for weddings andevents, and exterior and interior paint-ing. The course is sponsored by theDayton’s Bluff Community Counciland the Neighborhood DevelopmentCenter. There is a small registrationfee based on a sliding fee scale. Thenext session will start in April 2007and class size is limited. Please email or call Karin atKarin@Daytonsbluff.org or 772-2075for an application.

Be Your Own Boss

The next Community Meeting isThursday, March 1, 2007 from 6:30 to8:00 p.m. in the meeting room at theDayton’s Bluff Community Council,798 East 7th Street at the corner of7th and Margaret. The Dayton’s Bluff CommunityCouncil holds its Community Meetingon the 1st Thursday of each month.The purpose is to work with blockclubs and neighborhood residents onproblem properties, criminal and nui-sance behavior, code enforcement is-sues and any other neighborhood is-sues, concerns, or new ideas for im-provement in Dayton’s Bluff. Remember, it’s always on the 1stThursday of the month. All Dayton’sBluff residents are welcome to attend.If you need more information emailKarin@DaytonsBluff.org or callKarin at 651-772-2075.

Graduates of a recent Dayton’s Bluff Neighborhood Entrepreneur Training and SupportProgram with their family and friends at the class graduation at First Lutheran Church.Registration is now being taken for the April 2007 class. Call Karin at 772-2075

The 2007 Dayton’s Bluff Neighborhood Home Tour will be held on Saturday,April 28th from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday, April 29th from 1:00 p.m. to5:00 p.m. It is part of the Minneapolis – St. Paul Home Tour sponsored by theCities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. The Home Tour is free of charge andopen to the public. The Dayton’s Bluff Neighborhood Home Tour features beautiful homes, andbuildings being redeveloped into condominiums including 770 East 6th Street,895 Mound Street, 658-666 East 4th Street, 771 East Minnehaha, and 1158 East5th Street. We can always use volunteers to help with the Home Tour. Volunteeringconsists of greeting people at the door to give out brochures and informationabout Dayton’s Bluff, and helping the homeowners for a few hours either day.If you’re interested, please email Karin@DaytonsBluff.org or call Karin at 651-772-2075.

Dayton’s Bluff Neighborhood Home Tour

Residents of St. Paul are encouraged to help clean up their favorite park orrecreation center on April 14, 2007 starting at 9:00 a.m. Each year tons of trashis removed from Saint Paul parks and recreation centers. The parks andrecreation centers in Dayton’s Bluff include the Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary,Mounds Park, Swede Hollow Park, Hamm Park, Dayton’s Bluff RecreationCenter, and Margaret Recreation Center. The Clean Up is sponsored by SaintPaul Parks and Recreation. Email Karin@DaytonsBluff.org or call Karin at651-772-2075 if you can help or for more information.

Parks and Rec Center Clean Up on April 14

Friends of Swede Hollow (FOSH) is a nonprofit organization formed in 1994when a number of interested neighbors from both sides of Swede Hollow cametogether to discuss our common goals, deep affection for, and commitment tothe park, as well as our dreams, ideas, concerns, and the history of SwedeHollow. Other dedicated Swede Hollow supporters have joined the group sincethen. Many of the members have been involved in Swede Hollow since theearly 1970s when Swede Hollow Park was in the early stages of development. FOSH has been meeting on the last Wednesday of each month, working onSwede Hollow issues, planning and orchestrating a number of clean ups andwork days and projects in the park, as well as oral history sessions, historytours, and events that promote Swede Hollow Park. FOSH initiated the Lower Phalen Creek Project, a project to extend the BruceVento Trail and make the area from Swede Hollow to the Mississippi River abeautiful nature area like Swede Hollow, which is now the Bruce Vento NatureSanctuary. FOSH started a project in 1998 to save the Hamm Brewery build-ings. The brewery is just north of Swede Hollow and the brewery is a beautifulback drop to Swede Hollow as well as an important Saint Paul landmark. FOSH welcomes new members. If you are interested in learning more aboutit or have any questions email KarinDuPaul@comcast.net or call 651-776-0550.

Friends of Swede Hollow Looking for New Members

Budget Towing of Minnesota, Minnesota’s largest towing company, was located inDayton’s Bluff until just two years ago. They moved to another part of St. Paul in orderto make room for the Phalen Corridor and are now located off W. 7th St. near the PearsonCandy Company. Owner Roy Carlson still has a home in Dayton’s Bluff and is active with the DistrictCouncil. His firm will remove any junk car or truck, located anywhere in St. Paul, anddispose of it at no charge to the vehicle owner, or the property owner where it is located.He will also make a small donation to the Council for each car he tows away. Just call Karin at 651-772-2075 to find out how you can get a junk car out of the wayto help brighten up St. Paul and Dayton’s Bluff. For those vehicles with no real value,and you “Gotta Get It Outta Here” call Karin.

Junk Car in the Way? Get Rid of it Free

The Thrivent Financial forLutherans Foundation is a privatefoundations funded by Thrivent Finan-cial for Lutherans. As a 501(c)(3) or-ganization with its own board of trust-ees, the foundation is organized andoperated exclusively for charitable,religious, scientific, literary and edu-cational purposes and makes grantsand gifts to 501(c)(3) exempt orga-nizations. The foundation does notprovide grants to individuals. Tolearn more about the foundation andits programs, visit: www.thrivent.com/foundations.

“Grant” continued from page 1

Plans for 2007 are well under way.We had two meetings to talk aboutplanning for 2007. One in Novemberwith people involved in our GardeningGrant program and the other in Janu-ary for everyone with ideas. We willcontinue some of the favorites suchas the plant swap, garden tours, bou-levard planting, 7th Street plantings andworkshops. We will be adding flow-ering pots in the business area atHudson Road and Earl Street. On Tuesday, March 13th we arehaving a workshop, “Going Wild, Natu-ral Planting”, about the ease and lim-ited care that native planting requirein gardens. The Workshop will be heldin the meeting room of the Dayton’sBluff Community Council, 798 East 7thStreet starting at 6:30 p.m. We are in the process of schedulingworkshops: Asian Gardening in Min-nesota, Mexican Gardening in Minne-sota, and Backyard Gardening forBirds. Our Rain Garden Workshopwill be scheduled in May and partici-pants are asked to bring photos, draw-ings, and/or plans for the site of theirrain garden. The Annual Plant Sale and Swap willbe held on Saturday, May 19th. Watchfor more information in the next issueof the Forum. Greening Dayton’s Bluff is fundedby the Saint Paul Garden Club and theMcKnight Foundation. For more infor-mation or to register, emailKarin@DaytonsBluff.org or callKarin at 651-772-2075.

Greening Dayton’sBluff in 2007

The Greening Dayton’s Bluff com-mittee is looking for crafters and art-ists to display their wares at the An-nual Plant Sale and Swap on Satur-day, May 19th. Space will be avail-able to vendors of decorative and func-tional garden accessories such asbirdfeeders, planters, trellises, bird-houses, or outdoor furniture. To re-serve space email Karin atKarin@DaytonsBluff.org or callKarin at 651-772-2075.

Garden Artisans Needed

Eureka Recycling will now collectyour milk cartons and juice boxes withbottles and cans. Recyclers shouldremove any caps or straws from thecontainers, then rinse and flatten them.Plastic pour spouts do not need to beremoved. The most common types ofthis packaging are milk cartons, juiceboxes, soup and broth cartons, andcartons for soy and rice beverages.. This packaging is made of 70-85%high-grade paper. To be recycled,Eureka Recycling can only collectthem with bottles and cans because itallows them to easily separate themout at their facility. It is then sold tocompanies where the paper is sepa-rated from the plastic coatings andmetal linings in a pulping process andmade into new paper products. Formore information, call Eureka Recy-cling staffed recycling hotline at (651)222-SORT (7678).

Recycle milk cartonsand juices boxes!

March 2007 Dayton’s Bluff District Forum Page 3

By Garry Fay, Coordinator, Walk theBluff Program The “Walk the Bluff” programhopes to help you, your family andfriends to walk Dayton’s Bluff regu-larly. Walk the Bluff is working tomake your walks more frequent, en-joyable, and safe by helping you findwalking partner(s) as well as goodplaces or trails in Dayton’s Bluff inwhich to walk regularly. Our goal isto get hundreds more people out walk-ing often – four times per week for30 minutes. You and your groupchose when and where to walk. TheWalk the Bluff program has sugges-tions on where and with whom youcan walk. We hope to make yourwalks more frequent, joyful and safe. Walking is healthy fun, convenientexercise as well as a simple and effi-cient way to get places includingschool, work and shopping. One canwalk off pounds and stress. Whenwalking one can discuss issues of theday, spy the glories of nature in actionor enjoy quiet time together with fam-ily or friends. Walk the Bluff can help you find awalking partner or group. Of course,you can talk with possible partnersabout walking together anywherewhether it be at home, in your neigh-borhood, at church, at work – and lotsof employers want you to walk, someeven have health club medical ben-efits. Try asking people that you wantto see healthy, that you care about.

Ask them to walk with you. Let oth-ers know that you (want to) walk andwant them to join you. If you already have a walking groupor partner please share what you con-sider to be the best times and placeson the Bluff to walk. Your story mightinspire others to walk! Let me knowabout your walks and group. Pleasecall Garry at 651-772-2075 or writeGarry@DaytonsBluff.org. By walking our neighborhoods youreyes and ears on the street help cre-ate a safer community for all. Pre-vention of undesirable activities oftenhappens just because someone isthere. Both the Dayton’s Bluff Com-munity Council and Blue Cross BlueShield are funding the Walk the Bluffprogram to make our neighborhoodsa better place to live, work and raisea family. We have maps and lists of walkingplaces both indoors and out in ourparks as well as some interesting toursin our neighborhood. Where can youwalk? Who can walk? How can youfind a walking partner or group? Ifyou have questions we can help. Doyou want to talk to someone aboutwhere to walk? If you have ques-tions call Garry at 651-772-2075 oremail Garry@DaytonsBluff.org.

Join New Walk the Bluff Program

By Ed Lambert, Executive Director,Dayton’s Bluff Community Council The Dayton’s Bluff District 4 Com-munity Council Board elections takeplace each year during the month ofOctober, and new members take theirseats in November. The Board has18 members each elected to two-yearterms. Half are up for election eachyear as terms are staggered to ensurecontinuity. All residents or propertyowners over 18 are qualified voters. Two at-large members represent thewhole district, 4 members each fromeach of our 4 sub-districts representtheir districts and the community.There is one vacancy now (sub dis-trict A). The Council strongly encour-ages interested residents (includingrenters), as well as property and busi-ness owners, from that sub district tocontact the office if they are interestedin filling that position. The Board canfill vacancies at any board meeting;the new member takes their seat atthe following meeting. Board candi-dates are asked to fill out a brief in-

formation form 30 days before thenext board meeting, so as to informmembers a candidate for election willbe on the next agenda. After new members are seatedeach Fall, the board elects its 4 offic-ers for one year terms. 2007 Offic-ers are: President Wally Waranka (atLarge), VP John Barbie (Sub Dist D),Secretary Jean Comstock (Sub DistB), and Treasurer Stephanie Harr(Sub Dist D). 9 seats are up for election/re-elec-tion next Fall: 1 at-large seat, and 2seats in each sub-district. The Coun-cil strongly encourages all interestedpersons to contact Karin or Ed at theoffice, or any board member, to getinformation and/or express their inter-est in being on the Board. You canhave someone nominate you, or sim-ply nominate yourself. We seek people with a strong inter-est in, and commitment to, Dayton’sBluff to serve on the Board. Recentimmigrants, as well as long time resi-dents are needed; as well as business

By Walter Waranka, President,Dayton’s Bluff Community Council I just wanted to drop a quick note tosay hello and briefly introduce myselfto you. I have recently been giventhe privilege to serve as the Presidentof the Dayton’s Bluff CommunityCouncil for the next year. I have been a resident of Saint Paulsince moving here eleven years agofrom Wisconsin. I have really enjoyedit all. During this time I have beenworking as an employment consultantand have volunteered with manygroups and organizations. I have hadmany opportunities to serve thesegroups and organizations. I have beena member, a board member andserved as an officer and enjoyed itvery much. I have been a resident of Dayton’sBluff for four years and enjoy theneighborhood very much. Two yearsago I was elected to the CommunityCouncil and now am beginning mythird year as your newly elected Presi-dent. I will do the best to keepDayton’s Bluff moving in the right di-

rection and I am always open to lis-tening to any of your concerns or is-sues. I want to encourage all of youto attend a meeting (or more), so youcan get a first-hand idea what yourCommunity Council does. The Community Council is com-prised of many individuals who all be-lieve in the neighborhood and want todo their best to serve. But we do needand welcome your input. I look for-ward to the coming year and I will domy best to represent Dayton’s Bluff.

Get Connected, Get Involved, Improve Dayton’s Bluff

owners who do not reside here, butown a business here. Persons withstrong ties to the Hmong and Hispaniccommunities, as well as the African-American and Native American com-munities, are strongly encouraged tojoin the Board and help strengthenefforts to improve our community.

Get connected, get involved; it’show we make progress in Dayton’sBluff and improve our community foreveryone. Your energy, ideas, andconcerns are needed by all of us. For more information call Ed orKarin at 651-772-2075.

Greetings from the Community Council

Walter Waranka

Dayton’s BluffRecycling Pick up

Curbside every Tuesday.Have your recycling on the

curb by 7:00a.m.

If you need recycling binscall 651-772-2075.

Page 4 Dayton’s Bluff District Forum March 2007

By Steve Trimble Marie Scheffer, the 1886 Queen ofSt. Paul’s first Winter Carnival, was aresident of Dayton’s Bluff. And re-cently another young women, who haslived her whole life with her motherand brother on Mounds Boulevard,also becamea member ofthe WinterC a r n i v a lroyal family. EllenE d w a r d swas crownedPrincess ofthe WestWind at thefrigid 2007coronation onHarriet Is-land. Shewas recentlykind enoughto spendsome timeout from herwork in thepharmacy atthe East SideTarget storeon SuburbanAvenue totalk about herbackgroundand her expe-riences as part of one of St. Paul’soldest celebrations. “I’ve lived in Mounds Park on St.Paul’s East Side my entire life,” Ellensaid. “As kids we used to walk upthe hill to the tennis courts, ride ourbikes to Dayton’s Bluff RecreationCenter for softball, and we would siton the park bench across the streetfrom our house to look at the view—it’s the most beautiful view in all ofSt. Paul.” Our perky Princess went to St.Paul’s Adams Spanish ImmersionMagnet school and was a member ofthe 2001 high school graduating classat Cretin-Derham Hall. After earninga degree from Bemidji State Univer-sity, she said “I decided to get involvedand to re-connect with the area I grewup in after I had been away to col-lege.” The buoyant Bluffer was encour-aged to get involved in the Winter Car-nival by her grandmother. There wasa family connection. Her grandfatherRed Roberts was part of the KingBoreas court many years ago. Eachcandidate is sponsored by a differentbusiness or organization. Once againthere was a family connection as hersponsor was Windy Hill Auto Parts inNew London, owned by her uncle. The dozen or so candidates had tostudy up on the history of the WinterCarnival and its traditions. They at-tended many events throughout theTwin Cities even before the corona-tion. There were judges at events thatobserved how they handled them-

New Winter Carnival West WindPrincess from Dayton’s Bluff

selves and represented the WinterCarnival; however, their identity waskept hidden for a while. Then a little before the Carnivalopened, there were a series of inter-views with the hopeful candidates.

T h ej u d g e sa s k e deach onestandardquestionsmeant tofind outwhy eachy o u n gw o m a nwanted tobe in-v o l v e dand whatthey feltt h e yc o u l dcontr ib-ute. Therewere also“ f i s hb o w l ”questionsthat weredrawn outrandomlyfor indi-

viduals. They were often a little off-the-wall and designed to see how aperson handled themselves in a quickresponse manner. “If you were onAmericans Idol, what song would youpick to sing?” for instance. As part of the 2007 Royal Familythey went to schools and nursinghomes to visit with the children andresidents. While there, Ellen explained,they would “knight” people into the“Realm of Boreas” At every school,she related, “Our 2007 King Boreasalways tells the kids ‘working hard inyour life will make you happy and suc-cessful.’” Throughout the coming year, Ellenand the other members of the WinterCarnival royal family will go to vari-ous local events and take trips to vari-ous festivals outside the state. In fact,when last seen, Ellen was gettingready to go to an event in Winnipeg, aCanadian city that, unfortunately, isusually ten to fifteen degrees colderthan the Twin Cities. Ellen Edwards is glad she decidedto take her grandmother’s advice andcarry on a family tradition. She washoping it would be fun but, as she said,“It’s been a blast!” It was a learningopportunity and a chance to serve thecommunity. “It exceeded all of myexpectations,” she stated. As the newPrincess of the West Winds remarked,“Doing this makes me happy andmakes me feel successful, so I knowthat this is what I am supposed to bedoing.”

Princess of the West Wind Ellen Edwardsand her grandfather Red Roberts

Good programs for very young chil-dren always provide many opportuni-ties for them to grow socially andemotionally, to practice using theirlarge and small muscles, and to workon the thinking skills they will need forschool success. During the month ofFebruary, the Dayton’s Bluff EarlyChildhood Family Education (ECFE)Program used a focus on the U. S.Postal Service to help children developskills in all of these areas through play. Parts of both children’s room werededicated to “mail” themes. In addi-tion to the usual materials, the infanttoddler room had postcards to exam-ine, bags to carry letters to the mail-box, whole table tops covered in pa-per so kids could make their scribblemarks, the earliest form of writing. A large area in the preschool roombecame the “Post Office.” Therewere stamps to buy, envelopes, sta-tionery, pens, pencils, a big red and bluecollection mail box “on the corner” andmail boxes at several “homes” wheremail could be delivered. Children couldwear postal uniforms and hats and usemailbags to carry the mail. Manipulative materials in the roomincluded puzzles around the post of-fice theme. The small block area wasenhanced with post office vehicles andsmall postal worker dolls. There weremany books about mail – both nonfic-tion descriptions of the ways lettersare processed through the mail andimaginative stories about letters beingsent and received. One they recom-mend is “Never Mail an Elephant”. Because children’s developing read-ing, writing, and math skills are most

ECFE Children Play Post Office

solidly learned in a context which givesthem meaning, we took advantage ofthe Valentine’s Day holiday to helpchildren understand that writing turnsspoken language into words on paperand tells other people who cannot hearour voices what we want to say to them Every preschooler who was inschool the week before Valentine’sDay choose a classmate to send aValentine post card to. They deco-rated the card as they wished and,with the help of a parent, addressed itto their friend. They then bought areal US Postal Service stamp in our“post office” and mailed it in the col-lection box. Teachers made sure ev-ery child in the preschool class re-ceived a postcard at their home froma friend at school. This built children’sunderstanding of the process of send-ing and receiving mail, while strength-ening their social connections witheach other. Some children also“mailed” letters to their parents by slip-ping them under the parent room doorand were thrilled to have their parentsslip return mail back to them. Part of the post office curriculumincluded discussions with parents aboutthe stages children go through as theygo from scribbling and making letter-like marks to picture writing to pre-tend writing to beginning use of let-ters to communicate meaning. Theyalso noticed developmental differ-ences in children’s ability to recognizeand name letters of the alphabet. Theyhelped their kids count stickers todecorate postcards and reinforced theidea of using money to buy a stamp inthe post office.

There has been an increase of graffiti in manyparts of Dayton’s Bluff in recent weeks. Com-munity members need to help stop graffiti.The way to help stop it is to report it whenyou see it. If the graffiti is on your property call thepolice at 651-291-1111 and ask that a reportbe written. Also report graffiti that you see on otherpeople’s property and public property. Call651-266-8989 or emailcitizen.service@ci.stpaul.mn.us Remembergraffiti is a crime. The police department takesthis crime very seriously and is very aggres-sive in identifying and arresting graffiti van-dals for their crimes. Often young people arethe perpetrators. Many parents have no idea that their chil-dren are involved in these crimes nor are they

Report Graffiti, Stop Graffitiaware of the indicators of graffiti vandal ac-tivity. Parents should:· Check children’s backpacks for markers and/or spray paint, as well as sketch books, piecesof paper with graffiti “tags” on them aerosolcan caps and/or nozzles, white shoe polishand photographs of graffiti pieces/murals.· Check school papers for graffiti “tags” and/or sketches of murals.· Know who your children are hanging outwith and make sure they are home at curfewtime. Curfew times are: 10 pm for ages 15 oryounger; midnight for ages 16-17. Graffiti is not an art; it’s a crime. Neighbor-hood residents get very upset about seeinggraffiti in the neighborhood. For more infor-mation email Karin@DaytonsBluff.org or callKarin at 651-772-2075.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

March 2007 Dayton’s Bluff District Forum Page 5

Dayton’s Bluff CommunityRecreation Center800 Conway St. 651.793-3885Director: Jody Griffinjody.griffin@ci.stpaul.n.us

Winter Program (Jan.- March2007 Events & Activities) Stop bythe center to pick up your copy orvisit us on line at www.ci.stpaul.gov/depts/parksSpring / Summer Program (April-August) will be out in the middle ofMarch.

SUMMER SPORTSREGISTRATION Mickey MouseT-Ball, T-Ball, Nearball, Baseball,Softball; April 2-13; Ages 3-18;Registration forms available April 2.PARENT TOT PLAY TIME -Mon., Wed., Fri.’s; 10 am-12 pm;Free; Ages 0-5SENIOR CARDS – 500 Friday’s;12:30-4 pm; Fee: $2 weekly fee forthe kitty.ADULT LUNCH TIMEVOLLEYBALL &BASKETBALL Thursday’s 11am-1 pm; $1 / week; On-going. Nochildren allowed.SPRING BREAK KIDS DANCEThurs., Apr. 5; 5:30-8:30 pm Gr.5-8; $3CRIBBAGE Looking to start anew group. Call if interested.Adult/Seniors; Tuesday’s; 12-3 pm;.50 per week; 10 wksTEENS CLUB - The group meetson Tuesday & Thursday’s from 5-7pm.; Free; New members wanted.

ADULT CO-ED VOLLEYBALLFriday’s; 6-8:45 pm; $1 / weekINFANT / CHILD CPRCOURSE Wed., Mar. 7/14; 5:30-9pm; $45; 2 ses.SAFE ON MY OWN CLASSMon., Mar. 12; 5:30-7:30 pm; Ages8-11; $17SPRING PARTY Thurs., Mar. 29;5:30-6:30 pm; Ages 12 & under;FreeJUDO FOR TOTS Sat., Mar. 3;10:30-12 pm; Ages 4-6 pm; $20; 4ses.; Sat., Apr. 7; 10:30-12 pm;Ages 4-6 pm; $20; 4 ses.JUDO Sat., Mar. 3; 12-2 pm; Ages7-12; $20; Sat., Apr. 7; 12-2 pm;Ages 7-12 pm; $20; 4 ses.1st AID & ADULT CPR Tues.,April 17/24; 5:30-8:30 pm; $?; 2 ses.FAMILY SELF DEFENSECLASS Wed., April 18; 6-7:30 pm;Families; $60/family; 8 ses.GONE FISHING Thurs., April 26;2:30-4:30 pm; Ages 6-13; FreeKICKBOXING Tues., May 1;6:30-7:30 pm; $45; 6 ses.

FIELD TRIPSParent Permission slips are required.Must register prior to trip. Youthunder the age listed are welcomebut must be accompanied by anadult.SWIM, GYM & A MOVIE Ages8 & up; Fri., Mar. 9; 9 am-3:30 pm;$7ROLLERSKATING ATWOODDALE Ages 9 & up;Wed., Apr. 4; 12:30-3:30 pm; $9

Dayton’s Bluff Rec CenterMarch and April Activities

CHAT (Center for Hmong Arts andTalent) and the Portage for Youthhave worked collaboratively with agroup of Hmong youth to produce theMYTH OF XEE to be staged live atthe Mounds Theatre on March 2-4.It is directed by A. Yang and KatieVang. The public is invited to this livestage production.

MYTH OF XEE is a fictional por-trayal of the first Hmong female gue-rilla solder. The play raises questionsabout stories that might have beenoverlooked or never told. “I think there were woman soldiersbecause of the stories that my momtold me. It seems like the women hadto fight and run from the war too, butthey just weren’t called soldiers,” ex-plained one of the students, Lee Vang,14, when asked if he believed therewere really female Hmong soldiers. CHAT’s Art Saves Us program isan after school arts program for youthto be introduced and engaged in dif-ferent art forms. The Creative Dramaclass began in October 2006 and hasmet three times every week to workon character development, props, set,sound and costume design for thestaging of MYTH OF XEE. With an all Hmong youth cast,MYTH OF XEE was written by theLive to Inspire team made possible byCHAT’S Art Save us Program andthe Portage for Youth.Where: MOUNDS THEATRE 1029 Hudson Road Saint Paul, MN 55106When: March 2nd and 3rd at 8 p.m. March 4th at 2 p.m.Tickets: $5.00 General Admission For ticket info contact Kathy at 651-603-6971 or kathy@aboutchat.org.

EXPLORE – LEARN - CREATE

The Portage for Youth will launcha new summer camp program thisyear featuring classes in drama,dance, music, mosaic art, photographyand video. Seven week-long sessionswill begin June 18th and run throughAugust 17th. Morning, afternoon andfull day options are available. Theprogram is open to girls and boys, ages8 to 13 or 13 to 18 years old. Activities will take place at theMounds Theatre building located at1029 Hudson Road in Saint Paul.Application deadline is May 1st or untilall sessions are filled.

SUMMER CAMP FEES$110 – per week/per child – 1/2 days(morning OR afternoon)$200 – Per week/per child-full days(morning AND afternoon).Morning classes are from 9am to noonand afternoon classes are from 1 to4pm. Some scholarships are available. You may register online atwww.theportage.org, or you may calland get an information packet andregistration form sent to your home.For registration packets and/or moreinformation, please call 651-772-8674or 651-772-2253.

The following Summer Camp sessionsare available:

SESSION 1: June 18-22Theatre 9am-noon; Dance (ages 8-12) 1-4pm or Mosaic Art 1-4pmSESSION 2: June 25-29Theatre 9am-noon; Dance (ages 13-18) 1-4pm or Video Production (ages9-15) 1-4pm or Mosaic Art 1-4pmSESSION 3: July 9-13Theatre 9am-noon; Dance (ages 8-12) 1-4pm or Photography (ages 9-15) 1-4pm or Mosaic Art 1-4pmSESSION 4: July 16-20Theatre 9am-noon; Dance (ages 13-18) 1-4pm or Photography (ages 9-15) 1-4pm or Mosaic Art 1-4pmSESSION 5: July 23-27Theatre 9am-noon; Dance (ages 8-12) 1-4pm or Video Production (ages9-15) 1-4pm or Mosaic Art 1-4pmSESSION 6: Aug 6-10Theatre 9am-noon; Dance (ages 13-18) 1-4pm or Mosaic Art 1-4pmSESSION 7: Aug 13-17Theatre 9am-noon; Dance (ages 8-12) 1-4pm or Mosaic Art 1-4pm

By Nathaniel Churchill Students from Saint Paul’s East Sideare busy rehearsing their big premiere!The East Side’s own Young ArtistsInitiative (YAI) was proud to be cho-sen as the first theater company topresent a full-scale stage productionof Disney’s Mulan. The show was originally work-shopped at the North Shore MusicTheater in Beverly, Massachusetts,and YAI is thrilled to be the first com-pany to be granted the opportunity tooffer audiences a fully realized stageproduction. Disney’s Mulan is part ofMusic Theater International’s “Junior”series, which adapts hit musicals andarranges the music to make it moreaccessible for young performers. The story takes audience membersback in time to ancient China were theHuns have invaded and it is up to themisfit Mulan and her mischievoussidekick dragon, Mushu, to save theEmperor. It is a heartwarming cel-ebration of culture, honor and fightingspirit. For those who are fans of theoriginal film, the stage adaptation fea-tures all their favorites like “Reflec-tion,” “Honor to Us All” and “I’ll Makea Man Out of You.”

Benjamin Lacina, a former SaintPaul Public Schools music specialist,is the director of the production and abig fan of the original film. He wasparticularly drawn to this show be-cause of the positive role model thatMulan can be to young girls. Lacinaadded, “We hope that this show willempower young girls on Saint Paul’sEast Side and help them see that theycan make a difference.” YAI believes that the arts should beaccessible to all young people regard-less of their race, beliefs or economicstatus. Young Artists Initiative officesand classrooms are located within FirstLutheran Church. Performances are March 16ththrough March 25th and are takingplace at the beautiful NeighborhoodHouse Theater located within the Pauland Sheila Wellstone Center, 179Robie Street East, Saint. Paul, MN55107-2360. Ticket prices are familyfriendly at only $8 for adults and $4for students/seniors. If you would likespecific show times, to order ticketsor to learn more call the YAI Infor-mation Line at 651-222-KIDS or ex-plore their website atwww.youngartistsmn.org.

Young Artists Initiative toPremiere Disney’s Mulan Live

MYTH OF XEEAt the Mounds Theatre

Portage for YouthSummer Camps

Coming off their highly successfulrun of Amadeus, Starting Gate Pro-ductions’ next play at the MoundsTheatre will be True West. A showdown between brothers fordominance and understanding injectsthis brutal comedy with the tension ofa gunfight. True West was written bySam Shepard and is being directed byBryan BevellWhere: Mounds Theatre 1029 Hudson Road St. Paul, MN 55106When: March 23 - April 15, 2007 Friday & Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:00 p.m.Tickets: All tickets are $18; $16 for seniorsand students. Call 651-645-3503 orgo to www.startinggate.org.

True West

ShopDayton’s Bluff

Page 6 Dayton’s Bluff District Forum March 2007

By Ed Lambert February is Black History month inthe United States. The shortest, cold-est, month of the year in Minnesotabrings many occasions in the TwinCities to learn about Black History;and to celebrate it as well. The an-nual Soul Food Dinner at Metropoli-tan State University (MSU) is one ofthe most interesting and joyful suchoccasions. This year’s took place inthe Great Hall of MSU where some200 people were served catfish, friedturkey, and other delicious items onFriday, the ninth of February. The diners were also treated to anumber of entertaining and powerfulperformances, including an “acappella” rendition of the Black Na-tional Anthem, “Lift Every Voice andSing.” After dinner, most adjournedto the Founder’s Hall for more per-formances, and to view a remarkablephoto and text display of Black His-tory in the United States. I was struckby the richness of the display, and therealization that there is a lot to BlackHistory that many of us do not know. The Keynote Address, “Black His-tory: Learning it, Living it, Loving it,”was presented by George Rice III. Heis a sought-after speaker and educa-tor who, as a Curator of Energy, be-lieves that education is not about train-

Whose Hands Keep the Village?

ing people to answer questions a cer-tain way, but rather empoweringpeople to ask questions that most darenot ask. He was very effective, inno-vative, and compelling, even from thevery beginning as he approached thepodium. After he was introduced, we hearda voice singing but could not tell fromwhere. It was Rice, who slowly ap-proached the podium while strollingthrough the crowd and singing aboutjoy, acceptance, and coming forwardto live your life for something greaterthan yourself. I have heard manyspeakers, but have never seen this in-novative entrance before. He thenlaunched into a powerful and inspiringtalk that reached us all with its clarityand insight. He reminded us that we are all“Keepers of the Village,” and must askourselves “in whose hands, if not ours,is the keeping in?” How are you‘gonna use YOUR hands? He left usall concerned about what we are NOTdoing to help Keep Our Village. I’llbe there next year to get a fresh doseof inspiration, and insight, about all ofUs… as a People…don’t miss it!Some ten groups worked on this eventled by the African American StudentAssociation, among others at Metro-politan State University.

We need your help with this event.We are asking residents to bring theirstories, pictures, picture boards, scrapbooks, etc. on big and little home re-pair projects to share. Last year resi-dents brought photos, picture boards,and stories about kitchen, bathroom,porch, and whole house projects.Email Karin@DaytonsBluff.org or callKarin at 651-772-2075 if you can helpor for more information. Do you want to learn more aboutrepairing and preserving your home?Curious about your house’s history?We are planning our third annualDayton’s Bluff Preservation Eveningon April 26th. from 6:30 to 8p.m. Theevent will take place in the EcolabCommunity Room, third floor of Met-ropolitan State University/Dayton’sBluff Library, just west of the inter-section of Seventh and Maria Come and hear about historicallysympathetic home preservation andrepair.

The Dayton’s Bluff CommunityCouncil has received a number ofcalls from neighbors reporting thatpeople are stealing aluminum cansfrom recycling bins. It is against thelaw to steal cans from recycling bins.If you see someone stealing call thePolice 291-1111 let them know whereit is happening and give a descriptionof the people taking the cans. Alsoemail Karin@DaytonsBluff.org or callKarin at 651-772-2075 and let us knowwhere the theft is happening.

The American Indian Magnet andWorld Cultures Magnet are workingtogether to improve their school play-ground. Both schools are in the oldHarding High building on 3rd and Earl.The playground that is there now wasinstalled in 1993 and is too small. Itneeds to be upgraded and expanded.Both schools have 330 students mak-ing a total of 660 in the building. Bothare Magnet schools that have studentswho attend from all cultures and liveeverywhere in the St. Paul school dis-trict. They have been in the buildingsince 1990. Our school has a long history on theEast Side. It was built in 1934 and firstused as Harding High School. Afterthe new Harding was built our schoolbecame Mounds Park Jr. High. Thiswas in 1965. The building was closedand used for storage until it was reno-vated in 1990 and our schools beganin 1991. The cost of a new playground is anestimated $120,000. No school fundscan be used for the playground. Allfunds must be raised by grants, dona-tion and fund raising. The schools areasking all businesses in the Dayton’sBluff area to contribute. Our schools will be having a SilentAuction on April 26 and would likebusiness and private donations. Thisis a great way to promote your busi-ness and also a great way to find adeal at the same time. The Silent Auc-tion is open to the community. It willbe an evening of fun. A Foods of AllNations buffet will be served for $3.00a person. There will be entertainmentin the gym and over 150 items to bidon. The items include a Vikings foot-ball, art prints, jewelry, and also manyfamily fun coupons as well as lots ofother surprises. We look forward to agreat night of fun. There will be no childcare orchildren’s activities available. Pleasecall us at the school for more informa-tion, 651-778-3100 and ask for Donna.

George Rice III and Darcell Hill at Metropolitan State’s annual Soul Food Dinner

Dayton’s Bluff Preservation Evening Dayton’s Bluff has a historic district,and many beautiful homes are in allparts of Dayton’s Bluff. Neighborshave had extensive experience pre-serving and repairing their homes.Some of these neighbors will be onhand to speak about their homes andshow before and after images. If you have a historic home youwant to preserve and research anddon’t know where to start, you canlearn about researching your home andits previous owners. Hear from ex-perts in the field, who offer technicaladvice, assessment, and hard-to-findclasses such as historic masonry. Metropolitan State’s Center forCommunity-Based Learning, Dayton’sBluff District 4 Community Council,and the Dayton’s Bluff Branch of theSt. Paul Public Library are co-spon-soring the event. For more informa-tion, call Rebecca Ryan at 651-793-1296.

A surprising number of people in-formally visit Dayton’s Bluff each yearto tour the neighborhood, drive by thehistoric homes, and visit the parks.Last November we had two folksshow up at the District Council officefrom Bloomington who intended to dojust that. Cathy Berg and her motherKatie Rouse had learned aboutDayton’s Bluff by viewing a TPT“Hands on History” show featuringDayton’s Bluff, along with two othercommunities. Cathy had never heard of Dayton’sBluff and was intrigued enough to visitour web site www.daytonsbluff.org tolearn more. As it turned out, the sitewas down at the time but she did getcontact information for the DistrictCouncil Office. On November 5thshe and Katie visited the office to getsome maps and historic site informa-tion for their tour. That day they spentthree hours here, had lunch at theSwede Hollow Café (they said it wasexcellent), and drove by about 20 sites.They stopped at each to read the ma-terial we gave them about it, and thenmoved on to the next. Next month we are expecting a tourgroup from Eau Claire, Wisconsin tobring a busload of folks to tour the dis-trict and have lunch here. They mighteven tour some homes whose ownersare available on the Saturday they ar-rive. Like Cathy, they saw somethingin the newspaper or on TV that gotthem to look closer. Looking closerlead to making a visit, and then to com-ing back. Cathy, her mom, and sev-eral friends will also be back to finishtheir tour in April or May. Our web site has a load of informa-tion about the community, its history,and the Historic District; as well asmaps and photos of several walkingand driving tours one can take. Youcan also find info, maps, and photosabout the parks, business districts, andplans for the future here. You mayhave heard about Carver’s Cave, butwhat do you know about MontanaBill’s Cave? Touring Dayton’s Bluff is as easyas opening your Internet browser, orgetting in your car with maps and pho-tographs that you can print offwww.daytonsbluff.org. Go to theCulture and History link on the homepage and take a tour yourself. En-courage your friends to do the same.It can bring people here who learnabout our community and want tocome back. A lot more than St. Paulis looking up to (checking into?)Dayton’s Bluff.

Touring Dayton’sBluff by Foot or Car

Magnet School Play-ground in the Making

Report Recycling Theft

All over the city there has been arash of break-ins into vacant homesand buildings and even occupiedapartment buildings where the copperpiping including gas lines is stolen. In several cases the gas was onwhich resulted in serious gas leaks.These gas leaks could easily be ignitedinto a explosion that could destroy theentire building. The price of copper is

up, which makes stealing and sellingit appealing to thieves. If you see unusual activity aroundhomes or buildings or smell gas call911. All vacant homes and buildingsshould be secure without any open orbroken doors or windows and thesnow and ice should be removed fromsidewalks. If there are problems call651-266-8989 or emailcitizen.service@ci.stpaul.mn.us.

Copper Pipe Theft is a Growing Crime

March 2007 Dayton’s Bluff District Forum Page 7

By Martin Russo Clerk: “What can I get for you?” Customer: “Let’s see. I need milk,eggs, and bread. Oh yeah, and throwin a crack pipe, some papers, and abong.” Thankfully, this is one conversationthat will not happen again in our neigh-borhood grocery store. Thanks to the grass-roots efforts ofseveral folks in the Mounds Parkneighborhood, Adam’s Market, locatedat the corner of Burns Avenue andEarl street, has closed. And anyoneinterested in selling drug parapherna-lia will not be able to operate at thatspot again. A group of neighbors, upset with thelatest incarnation of what was once anice, little neighborhood grocery store,met a few times about the problem,and documented their concerns. Itbecame clear that no one (at leastthose neighbors attending the meet-ings) felt comfortable with the kind ofstore Adams Market had become Thanks to a violation of the existingnon-conforming use permit (interest-ingly not even related to the drug para-phernalia issue) the neighborhoodgroup, along with city code inspectors,asked the planning commission tohave a public hearing about Adam’sMarket. That meeting took place incity hall on January 4, 2007. Beforethe hearing, the neighborhood groupmet again and clearly defined whatrestrictions they thought should beplaced on the current (and any future)commercial tenants of the building At the hearing, the business ownerand the neighbors were able to ex-press their opinions about the issue,and the planning commission ulti-mately approved new non-conform-ing use permit restrictions (see be-low). Just another example of the powerof like-minded neighbors!

The New Code:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RE-SOLVED, by the Saint Paul PlanningCommission, under the authority of theCity’s Legislative Code, that the Re-establishment of Nonconforming UsePermit approved in Zoning File # 99-178351 for a grocery and carry-outrestaurant at 241 Earl St is hereby re-approved for a grocery only (carry-out restaurant deleted) and modifiedwith the following conditions:

1. The sale of tobacco products atthis store shall comply with Chapter324 of the legislative code and shallbe limited to packaged cigarettes, ci-gars, smokeless tobacco, and lighters.No other tobacco accessories shall besold at this store. 2. None of the following items shallbe sold at the store: Diluents andadulterants; separation gins and sift-ers; hypodermic syringes or needles;metal, wooden, acrylic, glass, stone,plastic or ceramic pipes; permanentscreens, hashish heads or puncturedmetal bowls; water pipes; carburetiontubes and devices; smoking and car-buretion masks; roach clips; miniaturecocaine spoons, and cocaine vials;chamber pipes; carburetor pipes; elec-tric pipes; air-driven pipes; chillums;bongs; and ice pipes or chillers. 3. No drug paraphernalia shall besold. 4. No individual razor blades or por-tions of opened packages of razorblades shall be sold. 5. The sale of blunts and single ciga-rettes is prohibited at this store, andtobacco products must be sold in theoriginal packaging, as per §324.07 ofthe Saint Paul Legislative Code. 6. The store hours shall be no ear-lier than 8 a.m. and no later than 9p.m. 7. There shall be no permanent oraffixed temporary exterior signs thatadvertise products. All other signageshall comply with provisions of§64.640, Dayton’s Bluff special dis-trict sign plan. 8. There shall be no flashing lightsor signs in store windows. 9. No pay telephone shall be installedon the exterior of the store. 10. The rear portion of the lot shallbe paved to provide off-street park-ing. The lot shall be paved in accor-dance with a site plan approved bycity staff no later than June 4, 2007.At site plan review, site plan reviewstaff must ensure that the site planadequately addresses issues related torubbish and other waste disposal forthe tenants of the building. 11. Indoor and outdoor trash recep-tacles shall be located near the mainentrance of the store and shall be regu-larly emptied. 12. This nonconforming use permitshall be reviewed by the zoning ad-ministrator for compliance at one (1)year from the date of the approval ofthis modified permit.

Neighbors Succeed in ClosingUnwanted Corner Store

Students’ Artwork Chosen for Exhibit Two students from Dayton’s BluffAchievement Plus Elementary School hadtheir artwork exhibited at the Ordway The-ater in downtown St. Paul. The display was part of the welcomingreception for Superintendent Dr.Carstarphen, sponsored by Saint PaulPublic Schools’ Arts for All organization. The two students were Naly from Ms.Melas’ fourth grade class and Rafael, asixth grader in Mr. Stanek’s class. Rafael’s portrait (right) is marker on pa-per. The portrait was done in Art Class.Another student was the model. Naly’s still life (below) was created withpencil, and colored pencils on paper. It isher shoe. She says the colorfulbackground makes the shoe stand out.

The Arts and Culture Committee ofthe Dayton’s Bluff Community Coun-cil has scheduled a number of eventsover the months to come.*Thursday, March 22 at 6:30 p.m. atthe 378 Maria Café, corner of 6th andMaria. Author/Reporter DonBoxmeyer. In 2003 Don wrote AKnack for Knowing Things Storiesfrom St. Paul Neighborhoods and hehas written years of articles about St.Paul in the Pioneer Press.* Thursday, April 26 at 6:30 pm is theDayton’s Bluff Preservation Evening.

Arts and Culture Committee Events* Thursday, May 24: Dayton’s BluffLibrary 125th Anniversary. Author/Historian Larry Millet will be on handand walk with Historian Steve Trimbleand neighbors on a short walking tourof the Lower Bluff.* Thursday, June 28: Historian SteveTrimble will talk on Dayton’s BluffHistory If you are interested in joining theArts and Culture Committee or needmore information emailKarin@DaytonsBluff.org or callKarin at 651-772-2075.

936 East 6th St. The building at 936 East 6th Streetwas sold to Alex Haug, owner of TwinCities Tee’s, a company that will beusing the building for production of silk-screened and embroidered tee shirts.Back in November before purchasingthe building Alex met with the localblock club and talked with the neigh-bors about his plans for the building.The neighbors were supportive andAlex moved forward with his plans. Alex has been working with the East7th Street/Dayton’s Bluff Façade Im-provement Program making neces-sary repairs and upgrades to the build-ing. Alex is an alumni of theMicroentrepreneur Training and Sup-port Program and was voted an En-trepreneur of the Year of the programin 2005. Dayton’s Bluff offers thisclass to any East Side businesspersonor resident in the spring and fall ofeach year.

869 East 5th St. Victory Through Faith, Inc. who hasthe Micah Halfway house in Minne-apolis wanted to open another halfwayhouse at 869 East 5th Street, theformer convent at Sacred HeartChurch. They have been running theMinneapolis program for the last 2 ½years and from all reports they run anexcellent program in Minneapolis.They planned to start with 26 clientsand go up to 40 in the future. The local block club, many neigh-borhood residents, Sacred HeartChurch, and Trinity Elementary

Community Council Update onRecent Real Estate Activity

School were less than supportiveabout the halfway house moving intothe old convent building. Some of theconcerns included: the school/commu-nity tot lot is located next door; theeffect the halfway house would haveon the elementary school becausemany parents said they will take theirchildren out of the school if the half-way house went in; there is already ahigh concentration of recovery facili-ties in the area; the lack of parking inthe area; and its effect on propertyvalues. The Zoning Committee of the Plan-ning Commission passed a resolutionto deny the Conductional Use Permit7 – 0. The full Planning Commissionunanimously denied the ConductionalUse Permit.

Hamm’s Brewery The Asian Pacific Cultural Centerhas received tentative developer sta-tus from the city to re-use a portion ofthe southern buildings at Hamm’sBrewery. They received $400,000from the state to work on the planningprocess and raise funds to redevelopthe buildings. They plan to put in a the-atre, banquet area, library, gift shop,classrooms and offices. They will bedoing design work and raising fundsfor the construction over the next year.

378 Maria Ave.378 Maria Café at 6th and Maria (for-merly POP’s Café) is under new man-agement. It’s new phone number is651-776-7000.

Page 8 Dayton’s Bluff District Forum March 2007

Dayton’s Bluff District Forum

798 East 7th StreetSaint Paul, MN 55106Phone: 651-772-2075FAX: 651-774-3510E-mail: karindupaul@comcast.netMonthly Circulation: 5,000.Also available online at www.daytonsbluff.org This is a publication of HopewellCommunications, Inc. and is intended to provide a forum for the ideas andopinions of its readers and to be an instrument for developing communityawareness and pride. No material contained in this paper may be reprinted withoutconsent of the editor. Articles and letters to the editor are welcome and may beemailed to KarinDuPaul@comcast.net or faxed to 651-774-3510. The Dayton’sBluff District Forum is delivered to every home in the Dayton’s Bluff area. Outsidethis area, subscriptions cost $12 and may be arranged by calling 651-772-2075.Board of Directors: Allen Clausen, Greg Cosimini, and Karin DuPaul. Editor &Layout: Greg Cosimini.Next issue: April 2007. Deadline for material: March 10, 2007.

The East Side Neighborhood Devel-opment Company (ESNDC) an-nounces a new three-year initiativecalled the “Prosperity Campaign”with funding from the Otto BremerFoundation. A grand openingmulticultural celebration will take placeon Saturday, March 24, 2007 from12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. at the HmongAmerican Partnership Building at1075 Arcade Street in St. Paul. Allare invited to this community resourcefair featuring food, entertainment andnetworking opportunities. Metropoli-tan State University President WilliamBradshaw will offer remarks about ourcommunity vision.

The Prosperity Campaign will usecommunity organizing, networking andmarketing strategies to connect EastSide residents and business in creat-ing and sustaining community and per-sonal wealth. These opportunities willdevelop awareness about communitychallenges—safety, poverty, isolation;connect people to programs; and in-spire residents to take action andachieve their wealth creation goals.The campaign is designed to equipresidents with the skills needed to earnliving wage jobs, escape poverty andelevate their overall standard of liv-ing. The major components of theProsperity Campaign are to create a

The Prosperity Campaign’s – Multi-Cultural Resource Fair“pipe-line” of existing and new oppor-tunities and services to the East Side. This Campaign is necessary be-cause 19% of all residents and 27%of our children are living at-or-belowthe poverty level. 78% qualify for freeor reduced-price school lunch (com-pared to the St. Paul average of 65%).The Payne/Phalen Lake communityhas more participants in the Minne-sota Family Investment Plan (MFIP)and more families in federally subsi-dized Section 8 housing than any otherneighborhood in Ramsey County. To combat our community chal-lenges, join East Side residents, busi-nesses, clergy members, schools andnon-profits at the March 24th Multi-Cultural Resource Fair and discoverthe many trainings and products thatare coming to the East Side. Enroll inhomeownership classes, debt counsel-ing services, small business classes,youth programs, and leadership devel-

opment courses on-the-spot or just getinformation for your future. Mari Bongiovanni, new executivedirector of ESNDC, is excited aboutthe Prosperity Campaign’s broaderperspective of community develop-ment. According to Bongiovanni,“Wealth can be evidenced by some-thing as simple as the number of rela-tionships formed in our own neighbor-hood by those who have been isolatedby fear, or by more traditional mea-sures of home ownership, education,jobs, entrepreneurship, leadership andyouth development and financial lit-eracy.” These measures are a per-fect fit with ESNDC’s mission: Tocreate wealth and well-being in amulticultural neighborhood. For more information, contact: MariBongiovanni, ESNDC’s ExecutiveDirector, mbongiovanni@esndc.org,Phone: 651-771-1152, x106

What should residents ofDayton’s Bluff be called?

A) BluffersB) BluffoniansC) BluffaloesD) Blufftonians

E) BluffitesF) BluffapolitansG) Not late for dinnerH) _______________

Send your choice to: Dayton’s Bluff District Forum798 E. 7th St., St. Paul, MN 55106