D1CC Newsletter | May, 2019

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May 2019 Eastview | Conway | Battle Creek | Highwood Hills Welcome to Our New Staff Member! Join us in welcoming Naima Farrah to District 1! Naima will serve as a part-time Cultural Liaison between our office and our Somali community members. Her background is in social work and she has worked with youth, older adults, individuals with disabilities and veterans. Naima is employed full-time at CommonBond Communities in St. Paul. With her experience serving as a translator, facilitator and service-provider, we are looking forward to building greater connections with our Somali neighbors. District 1 Reveals Our New Name In case you missed it last month, we have a new name. There were many recommendations for the name. It was a tough competition, but one name clearly won out!   The feedback we received was that Southeast Community Organization most closely describes our location and all the neighborhoods in our district. The communications committee are in the process of interviewing and hiring a graphic designer. Once we have community meetings scheduled, we'll let you know. We will begin incorporating the new name over the next year. Parents and Kids! Complete Our Youth Survey Our youth interns and work group have created a survey to gather community input on District 1 needs for out-of-school programs. Please complete the survey to help us gather as much information as possible! Children and youth can complete one as well. We will be presenting our findings at a community meeting on June 12!   >> Youth Survey Link << Project Presentation! Children and Youth Program Needs in District 1 Join us to show your support! Our interns and youth project group will share findings from the work they've done over the past 6 months. Learn what they have heard from community children and youth regarding program and activity needs in our district. Wednesday, June 12 6:00-7:00 pm DoubleTree Hotel 2201 Burns Ave, St Paul Refreshments will be provided. Nonprofit and Financial Training at Upcoming Board Meetings We invite residents to join us for our training for board members to learn about what it means to be a nonprofit, fiduciary duties of the board and financial management. District 1 is welcoming Propel for Nonprofits for trainings at our May 20th and June 24 board meetings. Both will start at 6:00 pm (instead of 6:30) and training will be 75 minutes at each. Then, the board will proceed with its regular meeting. A Joyful Re-Opening of the Highwood Hills Recreation Center!       Community members came together to celebrate the re-opening of the Highwood Hills Recreation Center. The center will provide a much needed activity space for residents in the southern part of our district. A Safety Study on McKnight Road This summer, a University of Minnesota graduate school intern (through the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs), will be guiding our office in researching pedestrian and bicyclist traffic along McKnight Road, south of highway 94. The data will be used with Ramsey County to help inform safety plans for the road. We will need volunteers to help with the surveying. Keep an eye on our future newsletters for more information.   Complete the St. Paul Alley Plowing Survey Saint Paul Public Works has partnered with the University of Minnesota to gather information from residents about plowing alleys. Historically, the city has never plowed alleys, and many residents work with their  neighbors to hire private contractors to provide this service. Others have asked the city to add this as a basic service for all residents. Share your feedback by May 3. Click here for the survey Reminder! Date Change for Eastside Drop-Off Day The annual eastside Drop-Off Day will now take place in September instead of June (as it has in the past). We switched dates to help accommodate another district that is no longer able to hold their Drop-Off event in September. We will be looking for volunteers. Please keep an eye out for information this summer. We Count Minnesota Census An accurate Census count is necessary for equal political representation, fair distribution of government funding, and planning and investment in our community. In the past, the Census has disproportionately undercounted areas with high numbers of immigrants and refugees, students, and English-language learners. This may be due to a lack of knowledge or fear about what the Census is. Both past and projected response rates show that broad areas of Ramsey County, especially Saint Paul, are at risk of being undercounted. Low-wealth areas are particularly vulnerable.    Join the Census Bureau to help with the process. There will bevarious jobs that need to be filled, including census takers, recruiting assistants, office staff, and supervisory staff. Committee Updates Land Use Committee In April, we were visited by the City to hear about changes on White Bear Avenue between Upper Afton Road and Suburban. Parking will be eliminated on one side of the street to make room for a bicycle lane, There was no April meeting about the Red Rock Terminal. Communications Committee The group reviewed applicants for the graphic designer for our new logo. We narrowed it down to two individuals and will be meeting with them at our May meeting. We need neighbors to help with newsletter distribution, please contact our office. Delivery has been increased to more than 30 locations, and we can use assistance. Upcoming Meetings and Events (See the Calendar on our web site for more info) All committee meetings run from 6:00-8:00 pm. Board meetings will continue to take place from 6:30-8:30 pm. Land Use Committee: May 6 & June 3 (D1 Ofc) Communications Committee: May 13 & June 10 (D1 Ofc) Exec/Finance Committee: May 8 (D1 Ofc) Exec/Finance Committee: Presentation by youth interns on our Youth Research Project on Out-of-School Program Needs, Jun 12, DoubleTree Hotel, 2201 Burns Ave. Board Meeting: Meeting and Training on being a 501(c)3 (Propel for Nonprofits), May 20, 6:00-8:30 pm Board Meeting: Meeting and Training on reading a budget and fiduciary responsibilities (Propel for Nonprofits), June 24, 6:00-8:30 pm   Community Events Coffee with Councilmember Jane Prince, May 13, 4-6 pm, Yoerg Brewing Company, 378 Maria Avenue Ward 7 Convention, May 4, 4:00 Sign-in, 5:00 start, Harding High School St. Paul Regional Water Services, Water utility open house and tours, May 9, 2-7:00 pm, 1900 Rice Street Fun with Feathered Friends, MN Valley National Wildlife Refuge, May 19, 1:30-3:30 pm, Sun Ray Library City of Saint Paul: Zoning Principles and Processes, May 23, 5:30-7:30 pm, Rondo Library, 461 Dale St N East Side Summer Kick Off, June 11, 5:30-7:30 pm, behind Sun Ray Library Submit ideas and articles by the 20th of each month to [email protected]. Amazon Smile and D1CC Wish List                             District 1 has an Amazon Wish List that includes items we need for the office. Have questions? Call us at 651-578-7600.   Amazon Smile donates a small part of funds from some purchases to our organization. If you shop on Amazon, you can sign up for Amazon Smile - and look for District 1 Community Council. Thank you! We always accept donations to support our work. Please give today!