District 12 board elections will be held Nov. 4-8 and the council is seeking candidates. Candidate questionnaires are on the St. Anthony Park Community Council website at www.sapcc.org/now-openboard- candidate-questionnaire. The questionnaires are due on Saturday, Oct. 31. Information about candidates will be posted on the council website and on the neighborhood listserv before the election.

Public hearing Lauderdale’s Truth-in-Taxation public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 8, at 7:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall.

Lauderdale residents will vote at Lauderdale City Hall for the Roseville Area Schools board election on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Polls will be open 7 a.m.-8 p.m.

The cities of Falcon Heights, Lauderdale and St. Anthony Village will host a sustainability fair on Thursday, Nov. 19, 5:30-8 p.m. at Silverwood Park, 2500 W. County Road E, St. Anthony. Learn more at tinyurl.com/sustfair.

The City of Lauderdale’s annual Halloween Party will be held Saturday, Oct. 31, 5-7 p.m. at City Hall. Games, fun and food will be provided for all ages. You don’t need to be a kid to dress up. All ages are encouraged to join in. Donations make this event possible, so please consider dropping off cash or candy at City Hall. Volunteers are needed to help set up on Sunday, Oct. 25, noon-4 p.m., and at the event, 5-7 p.m.

The District 10 Pancake Breakfast will be held Saturday, Oct. 31, 8:30- 11 a.m., at the Job Corps Center cafeteria on Arlington Avenue between Snelling Avenue and Arona Street. The annual district fundraiser will include a kids’ costume parade with prizes at 10 a.m. and all-youcan- eat pancakes and sausage, coffee, milk and juice. Tickets are $7 for adults, $4 for children 3-12 and free for those under 3. Save $1 by buying tickets in advance online at www.district10comopark.org. Tickets will be available at the door.

Raymond Avenue from Energy Park Drive north to Como Avenue will be under construction in 2016. But the schedule for the project and the details are still in the planning stage.

Barb Mundahl, project engineer for the City of St. Paul, met with the District 12 Transportation Committee and St. Anthony Park residents on Oct. 12 to gather feedback for the project. Most of the nearly 20 residents who came to the meeting live on or near that section of Raymond.

The 2016 construction is the third phase of a project aimed at making Raymond Avenue more pedestrian friendly and slowing traffic on the avenue. The city is looking at two options in the redesign of the 42- foot-wide street, both of which would have one lane of traffic going in each direction and bike lanes on both sides of the street, Mundahl said. One option is to have no parking on either side of Raymond, which would allow a 34-foot wide street with two 11- foot-wide travel lanes and two 6-foot-wide bike lanes on each side. This option would also allow wider boulevards.

The other option is to allow parking on the street, leaving the street at the same width it is now, but banning parking and narrowing the street at the school crossing, the location of which has not been decided. Currently Raymond is posted as no parking from just south of Gordon Avenue to Como. There is currently a school crossing at Gordon. Mundahl is recommending that the grassy medians at Gordon be removed and the street be reduced to 34 feet wide there if the crossing stays there.

Mundahl described two options for the road configuration under the railroad bridge: Leave the walkway elevated (as it is now) or bring it down to street level to eliminate the need for railings. The options for bikes under the bridge are bike lanes on the roadway or a bike path elevated with the sidewalk. She is also recommending that 24-hour lighting be installed under the railroad bridge between Energy Park Drive and Blake Avenue.

Attendees weighed in on concerns about the speed of vehicles using Raymond, hazards of taking left turns onto Blake, biking under the railroad bridge and the schedule for the project.

Mundahl was urged to get the project started early so that it would be finished before the Minnesota State Fair begins at the end of August. Raymond Avenue is a trunk highway owned by Ramsey County and partially funded by the state, Mundahl explained, and that means that any project involving the street requires approval by the county, the state and the City of St. Paul.

“It’s a very complicated relationship,” she said. She assured the people at the meeting that she would “do everything I can to make it so,” but she couldn’t guarantee the scheduling. Raymond Avenue Phase 2 construction between Hampden Avenue and Energy Park Drive is expected to be completed by the end of November.

Initiated by District 12 residents and officials, planning for this project began in 2004 with the central aim of calming traffic along the corridor. Raymond was constructed in 1923 and is the only north-tosouth route in the neighborhood. Phase 1 of the project was completed in 2013.

The St. Anthony Park Community Council held elections for members of the board in November.

New council members are Michael Russelle and John Mark Lucas, who will represent north St. Anthony Park, and Ian Luby, who will represent south St. Anthony Park. Outgoing members are Seth Levin, Mimi Jennings, JoAnne Makela, John Seppanen and Linda Hodge.

It’s Honor Roll time again

The St. Anthony Park Community Council is looking for nominations of residents who have made outstanding contributions to the neighborhood for the city’s Neighborhood Honor Roll.

Honorees will be treated to a special dinner in January. Their names will then join the names of neighborhood honorees from past years on a plaque hung in St. Paul City Hall.

Send the name and a 50-word description of the person’s work and contributions to Cailin Rogers, cailin@sapcc.org by Thursday, Dec. 4.

Lauderdale public hearing The City of Lauderdale’s Truth-in-Taxation public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 8, at 7:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall.

The Lions Club of Falcon Heights/Lauderdale is celebrating its 29th year of selling Christmas trees. Visit the club at Community Park on the corner of Roselawn and Cleveland avenues if you are shopping for a tree. The lot will be open evenings and weekends starting Friday, Nov. 27. Purchases go toward the Lions Club support of organizations in the community.

Open house will show plans for McMurray Field redesign

The District 10 Como Community Council will host an open house on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 4:30-6:45 p.m., at the Historic Streetcar Station, 1224 N. Lexington Parkway, to look at the city’s latest proposals to reconfigure parking, traffic flow, trails and the softball diamonds around McMurray Field, the woodlands outdoor classroom and the Como Pool.

In its most recent incarnation, project designers propose:

• Adding parking along Jessamine Avenue, along Beulah Lane, and south and east of the pool

• Closing the intersection of Lexington and Jessamine

• Reconfiguring Wynne Avenue, especially on the western end of the athletic fields

• Adding a feeder drive that parallels Lexington from Wynne to Jessamine

• Reducing the number of softball fields from five to three

• Adding walking and bicycling trails in the area

• Increasing participant and spectator access to the athletic fields

See conceptual drawings at www.stpaul.gov/index.aspx?nid=5764.

Honor thy neighbors

Know neighbors who help make the Como Park area a better place to live, work or play? Nominate them for St. Paul’s Neighborhood Honor Roll.

The annual citywide award pays tribute to residents who improve the quality of life in St. Paul.

To nominate someone: Send a short description of their accomplishments or the reasons they should be honored to district10@district10comopark.org. The deadline is Monday, Dec. 7.

The District 10 board will evaluate nominees and select up to three winners at the Tuesday, Dec. 15, council meeting. A dinner on Jan. 29 will officially recognize honorees from District 10 and other St. Paul neighborhoods.

Making organics recycling easier

Como Composts is working with St. Paul Parks and Recreation to locate an organics drop-off site in the neighborhood, most likely at the west end of McMurray Field along Beulah Lane.

Now, the closest place to dispose of organic compost is Ramsey County’s yard waste site on Pierce Butler Route. In a recent community survey, 87 percent of respondents said they would prefer a location in the neighborhood. Meanwhile, free recycling bins and kitchen compost starter kits are available at the District 10 office in the Historic Streetcar Station. You can pick them up on Sunday, Dec. 6, noon-4 p.m. Or call 651-644-3889 and arrange to pick up by appointment.

Interested in a seed exchange?

The District 10 Environmental Committee is setting up a seed exchange for heirloom garden vegetables, native plants and other growing things, starting in spring 2016. If you want to take part, contact Dawn Lamm, comoseedsavers@gmail.com. Or find out more on Facebook: www.facebook.com/comoseedsavers.

Are you on the D10 newsletter list?

To keep up to date in Como, sign up for District 10’s weekly e-newsletter, which is sent out every Friday. Visit district10comopark.org, then click on the sign-up icon in the right column.

Progressive dinner is Feb. 27

The 30th annual St. Anthony Park progressive dinner will be held Saturday, Feb. 27. The fun, food and neighborliness will begin with appetizers at 5:30 p.m. at St. Anthony Park United Methodist Church, 2200 Hillside Ave. From there, diners will fan out across the neighborhood to partake in a series of salad, dinner and dessert courses hosted at the homes of progressive dinner participants.

For more information and participant registration, visit www.sapcc.org/event/sapprogressive-dinner or send an email to progressivedinnersap@gmail.com.

District 12 meetings now held at Jennings Community school

The St. Anthony Park Community Council is now holding its board and Land Use Committee meetings at Jennings Community Learning Center, 2455 W. University Ave. Jennings is a local charter school that has offered the council to use the space for free. There is parking in the back of the building and easy access to public transportation in the front. The Community Council board meets the second Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. The Land Use Committee meets the first Thursday of the month at 7 p.m.

Lauderdale’s Park & Community Involvement Committee needs you

If Community-Building Events in Lauderdale are important to you, please consider volunteering or joining the Park & Community Involvement Committee. The Committee meets about seven times per year on Mondays at 6:30 p.m. If you are interested or would like more information, please contact Jim Bownik at City Hall 651-792-7656.

Winterfest!

The City of Falcon Heights’ annual winter get-together, Winterfest!, will be held Sunday, Jan. 31, 1-4 p.m. Falcon Heights at Community Park, 2050 Roselawn Ave. Activities will include hayrides, a falcon hunt, snowshoeing, and other indoor and outdoor fun.

The city will also have snacks and warm beverages available for attendees.

Community Engagement Commission to host get-together

The Community Engagement Commission will host a get-together Monday, Jan. 25, at 7 p.m., at City Hall, 2077 W. Larpenteur Ave. Kevin Lindsey, Minnesota Department of Human Rights commissioner, will be there to discuss his office’s work and opportunities for the city and its residents.

This will also be a great opportunity for residents to meet their neighborhood liaisons and learn about the services they provide.

Card club meets twice a month

Falconeers Card Club meets the second and fourth Mondays of the month at 1 p.m. at City Hall. All are invited to attend.

Congratulations to D10’s environmental activists

District 10’s Environmental Committee is a winner of this year’s Lifetime Stewardship Award from the Capitol Region Watershed District. Members of the committee have a long history of fighting for water resources in the neighborhood, especially by leading the neverending efforts to improve the quality of Lake Como. In fact, it was members of the committee who organized in 1998 and petitioned the state to create the watershed district in the first place.

The committee is also responsible for the creation and oversight of the Como Woodland Outdoor Classroom. Members and their achievements will be honored at a ceremony Dec. 16.

Como Business Network to meet

The Como Business Network will meet on Tuesday Jan. 12, at the HHH Job Corps Center, 1480 Snelling Ave., 7:30-9 a.m. Guest speaker will be Ellen Muller, the economic development manager for the City of St. Paul’s Department of Planning and Economic Development. The breakfast is free, but reservations are required.

Reserve your spot by calling District 10 at 651-644-3889 or emailing district10@district10comopark.org. The business network meets quarterly to connect with other Como Park businesses and to brainstorm on improving business success in the neighborhood. If you cannot attend the Jan. 12 event, but would like to learn more, contact District 10, 651-644-3889.

Are you on our list?

To keep up to date on what’s going on down the block, sign up for District 10’s free weekly e-newsletter, which is sent to your inbox every Friday. Go to the D10 website at www.district10comopark.org, then click on the sign-up icon in the right column.

Five Como Park and St. Anthony Park residents were placed on the City of St. Paul’s Neighborhood Honor Roll in January. Each year, residents of all 17 districts in the city are encouraged to nominate neighbors who make their neighborhoods a better place to live, work and play. The award recipients will be honored at a celebration at the University of St. Thomas on Jan. 29.

District 10 honorees are Roger Bergerson, Frank Dolejsi and Teri Heyer. The District 12 honorees are Daniel Sarasti and Betty Wheeler. Learn more about each honoree below.

Roger Bergerson

Roger Bergerson is a historian and former Pioneer Press reporter who grew up in Como and is now “an exemplary resident of and ambassador for our neighborhood,” his supporters say.

Publicly, he is known for exploring and sharing the neighborhood’s heritage—through articles on Como history that he writes regularly for the Park Bugle, through popular presentations and through his book, Winging It, which tells the story of the airport that used to exist at Snelling and Larpenteur avenues, the state’s first.

Privately, Bergerson’s activities include helping to take care of an elderly neighbor. “For the last several years, he has been taking this gentleman twice a week on errands to shop, bank and visit the library,” his nominators say. “Even when facing his own health challenges recently, he made sure this man’s needs were being met. Rog demonstrates true neighborliness every day.”

Frank Dolejsi is another one of those retirees who hasn’t slowed down. The 30-year Como resident is a Master Gardener who uses his talent, knowledge and commitment to environmental stewardship not only at home but in the community as well.

Frank Dolesji

He is a member of the District 10 board who has served on the Land Use Capital Improvement Budget committees. Dolejsi now chairs the district’s Environment Committee. As chair, he oversees a wide range of citizen initiatives, including several designed to protect and ultimately improve the water quality of Lake Como. Most recently, he is spearheading efforts to increase organic composting by neighborhood residents and to establish a convenient food-waste drop-off site in the neighborhood.

Dolejsi is a frequent volunteer at neighborhood events, whether he’s wearing his “Como Composts” shirt or not.

Theresa “Teri” Heyer is a forester who is longtime chair of the Como Woodland Advisory Committee. The committee provides ongoing guidance and advice to St. Paul

Teri Heyer

Parks and Recreation on the development, use and maintenance of the Como Woodland Outdoor Classroom.

Heyer played an important role in securing resources to create the “outdoor classroom” status, in securing “school forest” designation for the woodland from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and in forging partnerships with schools that use the classroom. She is also a hands-on mentor for school field trips, leads tours of the outdoor classroom, and volunteers with Parks and Recreation’s EcoStewards program. “It’s a labor of love,” she says.

Betty Wheeler is longtime member of the St. Anthony Park community. She has been an immense asset to District 12. Betty goes above and beyond in her service to the

Betty Wheeler

community, especially in regard to environmental and transportation issues. From single-handedly securing an air-quality monitoring station in South St. Anthony Park to spearheading grant proposals, Wheeler offers support and leadership on a wide variety of community projects. She not only leads on community initiatives, she builds community through her both passionate and inclusive attitude.

Daniel Sarasti

Daniel Sarasti embodies community engagement. Whenever the neighborhood needs more hands on deck, Sarasti volunteers first. From helping to plant rain gardens and plant medians, to attending all community functions, Sarasti makes sure he stands up to help on any project.

Are you interested in fresh produce? Supporting small local farmers? Community cooking classes? Or you simply want to know what’s going on inside that new building on Larpenteur?

Come to Falcon Heights City Hall, 2077 Larpenteur Ave., on Monday, Feb. 22, at 7 p.m. to hear Good Acre executive director Rhys Williams and CSA director Sarah Libertus talk about the Good Acre’s mission and how you can participate through its CSAs, farmers markets and cooking classes.

The Good Acre is a nonprofit food hub providing small immigrant and underserved local farmers with a facility for warehousing, packing, cleaning and storing produce as well as a classroom and teaching kitchen that will be open to the community.

Williams has an extensive background in all areas of food production. He began farming apples and pears on the East and West Coasts before landing in southeastern Minnesota as a partner in Featherstone Fruits and Vegetables, an organic produce farm, where he worked for 11 years. He then moved to Minneapolis where he was a buyer for certified organic wholesale distributer Co-op Partners for seven years.

Williams has been on the board of the Land Stewardship Project, Home Grown Minneapolis and worked in Washington, D.C., as a USDA grant reviewer on community.

The Feb. 22 event is co-sponsored by the Falcon Heights-Lauderdale Lions Club and the cities of Falcon Heights and Lauderdale.

The St. Anthony Park Community Council is moving out of South St. Anthony Recreation Center at 890 Cromwell Ave to an office space above Workhorse Coffee Bar on the third floor of 2395 University Ave., Suite 300 E.

The council will be in the new office on Monday, Feb. 1.

The location is just steps away from Jennings Community Learning Center, where the council I snow holding its Land Use Committee and board meetings.