September Newsletter 2020

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A newsletter of the District 1 Community Council. Battle Creek | Conway  | Eastview | Highwood Hello all, We are required to submit a mid-year report as part of our funding process through the City of St. Paul. This requires some tallying of numbers that help reflect our activities. As always, we invite you to participate by attending meetings, joining a committee or joining our Board of Directors. Here are a few highlights from this report of our work so far this year: 57 Events  - Including in-person and online committee and board meetings, food distribution and other activities. 64 Volunteers - including our board of directors, committees and food distribution volunteers 520 Volunteer Hours, this would be even higher if we were able to meet in-person, we estimate this to be approximately worth $7,800. 54,000 lbs. of food distributed through our community events $2000 raised for community food shelves and supplies 18+ Partner Organizations - these are groups we work with to serve community, including The Sanneh Foundation, Ramsey County/University of MN Extension Services, Progressive Baptist Church, St. Paul Public Schools, East Side Elders, RiverLife Church, The Alliance, MICAH, The Alliance, East Side Area Business Association and more.   Planning for Future Energy Use in Our Community Join us for a discussion on Xcel Energy's Integrated Resource Plan. This 15-year plan highlights Xcel Energy's planning to reduce their use of coal, continue work with nuclear plants, and increase renewable power resources, among other areas of importance. How do these plans affect you, your utility bill and the health of our environment? Wednesday, September 16 6:30-8:00 pm **Via Zoom online - email Betsy Mowry Voss to have the Zoom login sent to you. If you need assistance in how to use this platform, please let me know - I'm happy to speak with you. Annie Levenson-Falk from the the Citizens Utilities Board (CUB) will present an overview of the plan, and will include some of the boards insights and feedback on the proposed plan. We will also be joined by members of MN-350 an organization that works on issues pertaining to climate change and climate justice. Their focus is on moving toward clean energy through peaceful methods that include policy advocacy, public events, political engagement and nonviolent direct action to change the rules of government and corporate behavior. Q & A time will follow. You may also direct questions to either organization through us in advance by email or phone. Sewer Rehabilitation Project, Battle Creek The Metropolitan Council (Met Council) will be implementing a sewer rehabilitation project along Battle Creek  trails this fall. Learn more with a presentation by John Chlebeck at our upcoming Land Use meeting on the evening of Tuesday, September 8 starting at 6:00 pm. Contact our office to get information on the Zoom online login.   Pigs Eye Lake Master Plan The Pigs Eye master plan will address phased natural resource improvements for the Pigs Eye Lake island building project, other natural resource activities and public protection for the Ramsey County section of Pigs Eye Lake.   Community members may review the materials and provide feedback through Wednesday, September 30. Follow this link to read more. What are your thoughts and ideas about our local parks? Let us know! Thank you to everyone who participated in our visiting Local Parks Checklist this summer. Next week, we will be drawing a couple names of winners who submitted their forms in time! In our efforts to learn more about resident feelings regarding our local parks, the various District Douncil partners in this project have created a survey to collect information to share with each other, Parks & Recreation and other departments and officials.   Please complete our online survey by clicking here. Read more about the 10-Minute Walk program here! St. Paul Public Libraries Slowly Re-opening Saint Paul Public Library is safely opening its doors at several branches throughout the city in the coming weeks to offer Library Express services.  Sun Ray Library invites residents to come for a quick visit to pick up reserved items; find books, movies and music to check out; or use our copy, fax, scan or express printing services. Visitors are limited, everyone must wear a mask and stay 6 feet apart while visiting. Please spread the word! Find the details on the library's website. Vote From the Comfort of Your Own Home The Minnesota Secretary of State's Office is encouraging absentee voting among eligible voters to to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and to keep our communities healthy. Voting from home is easy and available to Minnesota voters through the absentee balloting system.   To register to vote and request your absentee ballot, visit the Secretary of State’s website. Make sure you have a Minnesota-issued driver's license/State ID or the last 4 digits of your social security number   Ballots will start being sent out after September 18th. You can also track your ballot online to see when it's sent to you and when it returns. The deadline to register to vote is October 13. Ballots need to be mailed back prior to Election Day on Nov. 3rd in order to be counted. Census Update Earlier this month, Census Takers began going door to door to follow up with Minnesotans that have not yet responded to the 2020 Census. They only have until September 30 to finish the count. The Census Bureau recently released the State by State Total Response Rates, which shows what percentage of households in each state have been counted by Census Takers, as well as total response rates from across the country. Minnesota has dropped from #1 to #12 in responses.   Response rates are broken up into three columns: Self-responded – This reflects the percentage of households that self-responded to the Census online, by phone or by mail. Enumerated in nonresponse follow up (NRFU) – This reflects the percentage of households that responded to the Census during a visit from a Census Taker. Enumerated – This reflects the total response rate (self-response rate + the NRFU rate)   This data is currently only available at the state level. The current rates in Minnesota are as follows: Self-responded – 73.9% Enumerated in nonresponse follow up (NRFU) – 15.1% Enumerated – 89.1%     In Other News . . . Get recycling tips and more at Green Ramsey Want to know more about waste, recycling, energy and other environmental health issues in Ramsey County? Sign up to receive Green Ramsey, a monthly e-newsletter produced by Ramsey County’s Environmental Health Division. Visit the web page and click on the red envelope. Drive Thru Baked Potato Bar Fundraiser, Sept. 18 A fun and delicious way for you to support East Side Elders and their work with seniors in the community. Order a delicious baked potato and a wide variety of toppings - and a volunteer will bring your order right to your car. Add dessert and a drink and make it a meal! Pre-orders are open via this link, or by calling 651-683-2326 to order by phone. To help make this a safe, socially distant event, there will be no orders accepted on the day of the event. Ramsey County Navigators and Service Centers Five Service Centers are now open to provide more convenient and accessible access to programs for residents. The centers feature Navigators who provide comprehensive in-person assistance with enrollment information connections to county programs. The Service Centers provide residents with more accessible connections to all county programs. All Service Centers are open from 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. weekdays and are located at existing county buildings. Downtown Saint Paul, Maplewood and Roseville locations also feature Community Career Labs to assist job seekers who have been impacted by COVID. Seed Squad Volunteer Events Come harvest native seed from our high quality natural areas! The collected seed will later be planted to increase diversity for wildlife and pollinators. All ages are welcome, but may be best suited for ages 8 and up. Events begin in September. Health and safety guidelines will be in place and registration is required. Help is a Phone Call Away Jewish Family Service of St. Paul Community Support Program was created in response to COVID-19 to address the increase in need for emotional support.   Through the program, JFS provides three 20-minute phone sessions with a therapist. The phone calls help strengthen coping skills, assist with problem-solving, and provide psycho-educational information when appropriate. There is a free service. Interested clients can contact JFS  by phone (651) 239-4756 or email swellington@jfssp.org. Upcoming Zoom Meetings We invite community members may attend or join our committees to have a voice in the things happening in our community. To participate online - contact us for the Zoom login.  Land Use Committee: September 8, 6:00-7:30 pm (day changed due to Labor Day) Guest: John Chlebeck, Met Council, sewer line rehabilitation work to be done on Battle Creek Park trails October Guest: Fay Simer, North Area Coordinator MnDOT Metro District   Communications Committee: September 14, 6:00-7:30 pm  (2nd Mondays) This committee will be brainstorming on how to redesign the committee to better serve our residents. Contact us to participate.   Board Meeting: September 28, 6:00-7:30 pm Contact us if you would like to attend and we will send you the link. Submit information and events to betsy@southeastside.org.