September Newsletter | 2019

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View this email in your browser Southeast Community Organization September 2019 Eastview | Conway | Battle Creek | Highwood Hills Keep our Green Spaces Green! Volunteers Needed to Assist with Drop-Off Day Every year, we deal with illegal dumping of mattresses, furniture, trash bags, clothing, children's toys, household items, concrete and electronics. These waste items can be breeding grounds for mosquitoes, disrupt wildlife habitats, and pose fire risks. In addition, chemicals can leach into the soil and into ground water. >> D1CC staff observed this first hand during the Earth Day Clean-up this year. And, yesterday, I saw an old cabinet dumped on the side of McKnight as I was driving to work!  :-( The annual Drop-Off Day helps deter illegal dumping in our parks and neighborhoods. Drop-Off Day encourages St. Paul residents to dispose of items correctly and legally. The eastside Drop-Off Day will take place the second Saturday in September and we need your help. Follow this link to our website to sign-up. School, organization and church groups are welcomed! Date: Saturday, September 14 Location: Harding High School parking lot Volunteer Shifts: 7:15-10:30 am (limited spaces) and 10:15-1:30 pm Volunteer for one or both shifts. Volunteers receive: Breakfast, lunch and refreshments A voucher to drop off a free load of items Your name entered into an hourly door prize drawing per each shift   Some of you might remember what happened to Arlo Guthrie in Alice's Restaurant? Don't let this happen to you! Click here on the image to see the video clip on our website.     Senior Pick-Up We still have space for seniors, veterans and individuals with disabilities who need items picked up for Drop-off Day. People can sign up by clicking this link, or calling our office at 651/578-7600. Vote on the Southeast Community Organization Logo Our Communications Committee has been working with a graphic designer for a couple months to determine the new logo for our organization. A great deal of time, discussion and deliberation have gone into this process. Please use this link to vote on the logo you like best! Note that designs are not final. There may be small changes in color, font or imagery - but the general design will stay the same.     Also, thanks to Board Member Melissa Wenzel for introducing the logos at our last Highwood Performance Series event, and gathering some great input! The Highwood Performance Series      Didn't Attend? Let us know why.      Attended? Share your input! Thank you to the hundreds of neighbors who joined us for the Highwood Series. We enjoyed great weather and loads of community fun! Thanks also to the League of Women Voters for hosting a registration booth, and to Ramsey County Parks for joining us to promote planning for the Batttle Creek Master Plan. If you didn't attend, we'd love to know why. This information helps us plan relevant programs for the future. If you did attend, and have some feedback, we'd like to hear from you as well. Click here to share you ideas and input!   McKnight Road Safety Survey Report-Done! We completed a summer of outreach and discussion thanks to many neighbors, and our summer intern PeiYu Phua. Thank you to everyone who lent a hand, including many of our board members; Melissa Wenzel, Paul Sawyer, Therese Scherbel, Michelle Jacobson and Amin Omar. Also, thank you to everyone who provided great information on the survey. PeiYu completed her report, and it is being reviewed by her supervisors at the University of MN. Join us for the September 23 Board Meeting at 6:30 pm to hear about her findings. This won't be a long presentation, but we welcome all who are interested. The report will be available on our website once complete. There are changes coming to McKnight Road in the next two years. When we learn more, we will share that with you. Community Survey As part of the District 1 grant funds we have regarding Boys Totem Town, we have three goals to accomplish:   1. Develop community leadership 2. Build community 3. Capture community ideas and themes regarding the potential future use of the Boys Totem Town land. Some of this took place in previous of years, but we've heard from community members who have not had a chance to weigh in with their feedback. Please follow this link to complete a survey that helps us gain a better sense of community needs in District 1. We do not have final say over the outcome of the property, but this information will be compiled into a report and shared with city and county officials as well as community members. Battle Creek Regional Park Master Plan - Weigh in! Battle Creek Regional Park is getting a new master plan for the first time in 30 years. Led by Ramsey County Parks & Recreation, in partnership with SRF Consulting, the planning process  includes extensive community engagement. Share your ideas through the county website. Microaggressions and Bias 101 Workshop What does it mean to have bias? Are biases good or bad? Where does bias come from? This workshop helps individuals understand how and why biases form. Then we will talk about the impact biases have in our decision-making and how to respond to microaggressions that may occur in our everyday lives. Register here. Date: Tuesday, September 24 Time: 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm Location: YWCA Downtown, 1130 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, MN 55403 Cost: $10 ($5 for YWCA Minneapolis members and YWCA early childhood education families) Scholarships: District 1 strives to reflect our values: Respect, Equity, Solidarity and Sustainability in all that we do. This includes the education and promotion of equity and diversity in our work. We are offering scholarships for up to 10 residents from our district to attend this YWCA workshop. You will need to register and pay in advance, attend the workshop, and submit your receipt, including documentation of attendance, afterwards for reimbursement. Please contact us to let us know you plan to attend, and are requesting a scholarship! Year-Round Compost Bin Sale Compost bins are now sold year-round with a pick-up location in Maplewood. They are $64+tax. Ramsey County residents can recieve an additional $20 off. Order at RecycleMinnesota.org  and enter promo code “Ramsey” to receive the discount, or call 651-641-4589 and mention that you are a Ramsey County resident. Then call Ramsey County Environmental Health at 651-266-1199 to arrange a pick-up time. Save the Date! Brunch with the Board of Directors Join the SouthEast Community Organization Board of Directors for Saturday brunch! This is a great opportunity for residents who are unable to attend our usual Monday evening meetings. There will be a short presentation from Ramsey County Census staff at the beginning of this meeting. Got questions about what it means to serve on the D1 Board of Directors? Join us for a short board info session with staff from 11:30 am-12:00 pm. Saturday, October 26 10:00 am-11:30 am (Board Meeting) 11:30 am - 12:00 pm (Info Session) Battle Creek Recreation Center Light breakfast provided. Committee Updates Land Use Committee The Sanneh Foundation shared news and updates regarding their development project. We had a visit from a community member from the St. Pauls Westside to talk about their experience with the Equitable Development Scorecard. The Scorecard will be a tool we use to help ensure community-relevant decision-making on planning and development in our community. Please let us know if you'd like to be involved. A commemorative event  was held for Boys Totem Town in August. Attendees were mostly Ramsey County staff and former BTT residents. Discussions about the Red Rock Terminal railroad issue continue. Work group meetings take place each month. Follow our website for information. We are running a project with organizer Carlos Garcia-Velasco to get to know more renters and engage them in our work. If you would like to participate in our planning and events. please let us know. D1 office staff have been working with the St. Paul Police, Councilmember Prince and Brixmor Management to improve the safety and cleanliness at Sun Ray Shopping Center. Big changes are coming! If you'd like to assist with this important work, please let us know. Communications Committee We continue to work with our graphic designer on the logo. Please share your vote above! Interested in helping us with community outreach or tabling at events? Contact us to sign up. Upcoming Meetings and Events (See the Calendar on our web site for more info) All committee meetings run from 6:00-7:30 pm. Board meetings take place from 6:30-8:00 pm. Land Use Committee: Sept 3 & Oct 7, 6:00-8:00 pm (D1 Ofc) Communications Committee: Sept 9 & Oct 14, 6:00-7:30 pm  (D1 Ofc) Board Meeting: Sept 23, 6:30-8:00 pm, Battle Creek Rec Brunch with the Board, Saturday, Oct 27, 10:00 am -11:30 am, Battle Creek Rec (this event replaces the regular board meeting) Board Info Session, Saturday, Oct 27, 11:30 am-12:00 pm, Battle Creek Rec   St. Paul Elections, Tuesday, Nov 5, Make sure you are registered to vote!   Submit ideas and events by the 20th of each month to district1council@gmail.com. Copyright © 2019 District 1 Community Council, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: 2105 1/2 Old Hudson Road St. Paul, MN  55119 651-578-7600 district1council@gmail.com District1Council.org