Short commute

Pioneer Press Sun, 23 Mar 2008 22:17:35 -0600
Life at the old union depot will be picking up steam

Amid all the plans to turn St. Paul's Union Depot back into a working train station years from now, one thing is still unclear: How noisy will it really be for those living in it? Planners hope to get a feel for that over the next few months as they assess how the converted station will affect its Lowertown neighborhood. They'll gauge the potential for increased noise, vibration and traffic as the station takes on more trains and buses in the years ahead, a transportation official said. "I can expect for some people it would be wonderful" living in a station, "and for other people that's awful," said Stephen L. Morris, transit project manager for the Ramsey County Regional Railroad Authority. Union Depot Lofts developer Steve Frenz said he sees no problem. Any increase in decibels will be "minimal," he said, and the sounds of the station will be "like white noise." That said, he acknowledged the train station "is an urban location. People will choose to live there or they won't."

[[keywords: Living;Metro;]]

Picking a good year to be gone

Pioneer Press Mon, 26 Nov 2007 22:39:58 -0700
Staying in the Loop

"There is nothing, absolutely nothing, half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.... "The Great Loop." What, she asked, was that? Turns out it was a yearlong boat trip on the continuous waterway that encircles the eastern portion of North America - inland rivers, the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic Seaboard and the Great Lakes. Janacek thought he and his wife, Sally Colwell, could make the journey after their two sons, David and Adam Janacek, were grown and the couple had retired. Colwell had a better idea. "We should do this, but we shouldn't wait until the kids are grown," she told him. "We should do it while the kids are still young enough to go with us." So the Maplewood family bought a 36-foot trawler and spent 54 weeks in 2006 and 2007 cruising the loop, covering 8,749 miles. They returned to Minnesota Aug. 18. ... [the 8th grader] said living on a small boat also taught him how to live without many material objects. "You really don't need that much stuff - just really the bare essentials," he said. "

[[keywords: Living;Maplewood;]]

Woodbury acts strangely - gathers actual information

Star Tribune Sat, 05 Jan 2008 03:51:25 GMT
Woodbury survey finds good growth climate

The poll of businesses showed expansion in health and medical services, and general satisfaction. Health and medical services continue to grow in Woodbury and the city's retail climate remains strong, a city business survey shows. The findings show that Woodbury is a prime shopping destination, said Janelle Schmitz, city planning and economic development manager. Some businesses outside Woodbury, she said, identify themselves with the city. "We know that there's something to the name 'Woodbury' that brings punch," she said. Although a small number of the city's 870 businesses responded to the survey, results were consistent with past surveys, Schmitz said. The survey showed, for example, that businesses value Woodbury's location at the intersection of Interstate Hwys. 94 and 494, as well as the city's growth, image, lower crime rate and more affluent demographics. On the negative side, some businesses complained about the higher cost of land and buildings, a cost of living too high for employees, relative lack of public transportation and the distance to downtown Minneapolis.

[[keywords: Living;Metro;]]

Just a few months for some food that doesn't collect frequent flier miles

Star Tribune Wed, 05 Mar 2008 05:52:30 GMT
Helping immigrants live the dream of living off the land

Minnesota's immigrant farmers bring diverse culture and food to farmers' markets, and a conference this week will teach them about farm costs, marketing and government rules. Morning after morning, in a greenhouse near Hastings, a handful of Hmong farmers plant seeds and tend to sprouts of basil, lemongrass, flowers and other produce that they'll sell at farmers' markets this spring. Just off Hwy. 55, this Hmong-owned farm is nestled in the metro area, just like a growing number of immigrants' small-scale farms and garden plots throughout the state. The immigrant farmers make up nearly half of the vendors in the farmers' markets that are popping up in community after community to serve consumers who want connections to the source of their food. They are the kind of small-scale farmers that organizers of an immigrant-farmer training conference hope to attract Friday and Saturday. These farmers face many challenges -- the least of which is a command of the English language adequate enough to understand the rules and regulations that govern the growing of food and flowers. They need technical assistance and information on subjects ranging from marketing to microbes.

[[keywords: Living;Metro;]]

Nothing lasts forever, part 2

Star Tribune Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:44:18 GMT
For downtown Lake Elmo, how much growth is too much?

City leaders face a decision Tuesday on how many homes to add to the Old Village project. ... So far, there's been strong community support for studying only the plan with the smallest number of new homes downtown, Klatt said. At a public hearing in February, some 70 residents showed up and most of them called for limiting the number to 600, said Steve DeLapp, a member of the Lake Elmo City Council. But some say only the people against growth are being heard, because residents who support a larger downtown are scared to speak up. DeLapp doesn't buy it. The new housing units would be a mix of single-family homes, townhouses, apartments and senior living. Lake Elmo has a quaint downtown that hasn't changed much in the past 30 or 40 years, said Klatt, who grew up in Lake Elmo. "Its roots go back to when Lake Elmo was almost a strictly agricultural community. Over time, of course, things have changed," he said.

[[keywords: LandUse;Housing;Officials;Living;Metro;]]

Wrong neighbors? No meal for you

Star Tribune Sun, 15 Jun 2008 03:00:55 GMT
Senior meal program in Ramsey County faces money woes

The clarification of a federal policy may mean some disabled residents will lose their reimbursed meals. A longtime senior nutrition program in Ramsey County that serves about 120,000 meals a year is facing a financial crisis that is threatening to trim back the program. The "congregate dining program,'' which offers warm meals and social time for seniors at apartment complexes and community centers, had been erroneously giving meals to too many disabled people under age 60, according to a clarification issued this year on federal requirements. Up to $1.6 million was spent on the meals for disabled and low-income residents since 2004 who were later found not to be eligible for reimbursement, said Ramsey County Commissioner Janice Rettman, who is on the board of directors of the agency running the dining program, Community Action Partnership of Ramsey and Washington Counties. It's unclear whether the money will need to be repaid. Under federal guidelines, disabled people can get the reduced-cost meals as long as seniors comprise more than 50 percent of the occupants of their apartment building. A shift in the makeup of people living in senior housing buildings meant nine of 17 buildings in Ramsey County no longer met that standard, said Kirk Hayes, acting executive director of the Community Action Partnership.

[[keywords: Living;Ramsey;]]

The work of living together

Star Tribune Mon, 03 Mar 2008 05:20:11 GMT
City parks, city streets ... city cemetery?

Care of older, small graveyards falling to often reluctant cities. More cities are taking over cemeteries as caretakers dwindle. Dozens of graves dating to the 1800s are now lined up next to soccer fields in a Minnetonka park. Tucked under a grove of tall cedar trees, they are the final resting place of some of the area's early Czech settlers. Today, suburban development surrounds the site, and cemetery board members who once tended the graves are gone. Now, care of the little cemetery has fallen to the city. Shady Oak Lake Cemetery is just one of thousands of small cemeteries in Minnesota, and one of many private cemeteries that are winding up in public hands when there is no one left to watch over them. The duty might seem an unlikely one for a city. But Minnetonka, Eden Prairie and Apple Valley are examples of cities that have adopted cemeteries at the urging of private associations that could not maintain them anymore.

[[keywords: LandUse;Living;Metro;]]

Ease in, ease out

Pioneer Press Mon, 21 Apr 2008 09:40:53 -0600
Thousands of Minn. conservation reserve acres set to lapse back to cropland

Almost a third of the two million acres of Minnesota wetland set aside in the Conservation Reserve Program could leave the program in the next two years and go back to cropland. The CRP contracts between the state and farmers are expiring, and with rising commodity prices farmers are finding they can make more by farming the lands. That's got some conservationists worried about the impact on the environment. "A healthy wetland ... removes nitrates, removes phosphorus, keeps the water clean flowing into our lakes and rivers," Kevin Lines, conservation easement manager for the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources, told Minnesota Public Radio News. "These things provide the public with a huge number of benefits that are difficult to put a cost on or a benefit factor on." The conservation easements began during the farm crisis of the 1980s, less as a way to protect the environment and more as a way to get money into the rural economy. It pays farmers to take marginal land out of production, promising not to plow the land for 10 to 15 years. They plant native grasses or allow trees to grow up. Last June, Lines had a goal of adding another 120,000 acres to the program. But farmers would only commit to 8,000 acres. Lines said he's frustrated, but understands the economics involved. "The landowner has to make a living today, they want to send their kids to college tomorrow, so programs have to be competitive," Lines said. "We can't get all these public benefits from private landowners without some cost to society."

[[keywords: LandUse;Living;Metro;]]

It is a library, after all

Star Tribune Thu, 08 May 2008 04:06:49 GMT
A message to the bride and groom: Shhh

The Stillwater City Council's recent decision to delay the noise curfew for events held on the library's rooftop has irked some neighbors. Laughter and music on the Stillwater Public Library's rooftop are pure bliss for the brides and grooms getting married there. But for some library neighbors, living near those late-night sounds is giving them the wedding bell blues. About a dozen people showed up at Tuesday's City Council meeting to protest a recent decision by the council exempting summer weddings and other private parties held at the library from the city's 10 p.m. noise ordinance. The blanket variance extends the noise curfew to 11:30 p.m. "The neighborhood is absolutely opposed to this," said Jerry Helmberger, who lives next door to the library, and with his wife operates a bed and breakfast there. "Since the library [expansion] opened, the burden to this neighborhood has done nothing but increase."

[[keywords: Living;Metro;]]

Who is my neighbor?

Star Tribune Thu, 24 Jan 2008 00:35:58 GMT
Neighbors find prison fence offensive

The state insists that a fence it seeks to build around the women's prison in Shakopee will look more like a gated community than a fortress. Bracing for another fight with neighbors, Minnesota's corrections department says the fence it wants to build around the state women's prison in Shakopee would resemble the ones surrounding Harvard University. The department is bracing for a fight as it tries once again in the upcoming session to get legislators to set money aside for a project that many of those living near the prison oppose. Gov. Tim Pawlenty, in his $1 billion bonding request presented last week, confirmed what many in Shakopee strongly suspected but officials until then had declined to confirm -- that he will in fact seek about half a million dollars to launch the project. The fact that anyone would not want to wall in a prison has drawn national mirth in years past -- from the Daily Show and others.

[[keywords: Living;Metro;]]

Housing follows money

Star Tribune Sun, 09 Dec 2007 23:53:52 GMT
The new American dream of not owning a home

With a falling housing market and more people turning to apartment living, developers have new projects for the area - mostly high-end units. Twin Cities-area developers are responding to falling vacancy rates and rising rent prices with a batch of new luxury apartment buildings in the coming year -- mostly high-rent units in and around Minneapolis' Uptown neighborhood. Expect that to happen in St. Paul and some close-in suburbs as well, as more prospective homeowners choose renting over buying, and as aging baby boomers give up the houses in the suburbs for urban apartment living. "There seems to be demonstrated demand for well-located urban projects," said Brent Wittenberg, vice president of GVA Marquette Advisors, who has been tracking projects in the metro area. The trend is also being driven by developers who once built condominiums -- a segment of the market that is oversupplied.

[[keywords: Housing;Metro;]]

All aboard!

Star Tribune Sat, 19 Jan 2008 05:25:54 GMT
Study: High-speed rail to Duluth costly, attractive

Proposed train appeals to many along the line, including the owners of the Grand Casino in Hinckley. The cost of the proposed passenger rail line from Minneapolis to Duluth could exceed $400 million -- $50 million more than previously projected -- and there's no guarantee that federal funding will cover 80 percent of the project as local officials hope, the rail expert who recently completed a study of the line said. But a potential partnership with the Mille Lacs tribe, enthusiasm from federal officials and unexpected support along the corridor have rail experts considering additional stations and running as many as eight trains along the route each day.

[[keywords: LandUse;PublicWorks;Living;Metro;]]

Something we can do every day

Star Tribune Tue, 08 Apr 2008 12:28:06 GMT
Twin Cities groceries deal with recycling plastic bags

ST. PAUL - Grocery stores across the Twin Cities are trying to get a handle on plastic bags. Plastic bags take up landfill space and require lots of oil to make. The bags can take thousands of years to degrade in landfills. In the Twin Cities, a crew of a couple dozen people collects plastic bags from area grocery stores. The crews work for a recycling program called "It's in the Bag," a partnership among grocery stores and some businesses. The program hires adults with developmental disabilities to collect, sort and bale plastic bags for recycling. Bags are not accepted if they are crinkled, black, dirty, wet or have strings. And while the "It's in the Bag" program has kept 1.1 million pounds of plastic bags out of landfills each of the past two years, John Crea of Merrick Inc., the company that runs the program, points out that they're capturing "a fraction of what's out there to be captured."

[[keywords: LandUse;Living;Metro;]]

Integration District busing continues

Pioneer Press Thu, 24 Jan 2008 20:59:27 -0700
East Metro Integration District will bus North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale students through at least July 2009

A popular desegregation program is exploring how to help families in the North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale school district. Superintendent Carl Wahlstrom said the East Metro Integration District will pay to bus the school district's students at least through the end of the 2008-09 school year, even though North St. Paul is ending its participation in EMID a month before its school year ends. The North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale board voted unanimously this week to withdraw from the integration district effective June 30, 2009, and explore a partnership with other suburban districts instead. That means big decisions for the families of about 180 school district students who attend EMID's two year-round schools: Harambee Elementary in Maplewood and Crosswinds Arts and Science School in Woodbury. The students still could attend the schools, but the school district is no longer required to provide busing. The integration district - which serves St. Paul and nine suburban districts - also is exploring what kind of transportation options it could offer those families after 2009, Wahlstrom said. He said they could offer busing for a fee or possibly pay for it through grants or other means. "We haven't completely closed the door on helping these families after the 2008-09 school year," Wahlstrom said. "But we don't have anything definitive yet."

[[keywords: Schools;Living;Maplewood;]]

Give a little, get a lot

Star Tribune Wed, 16 Apr 2008 01:53:14 GMT
Grants will help boost projects in five Dakota County cities

The county awarded more than $1 million for projects that include development and redevelopment in Apple Valley, Lakeville, Burnsville, Rosemount and Hastings. From public gathering spots for farmers markets to riverfront improvements, five cities in Dakota County will split more than $1 million in grants for redevelopment, officials said this week. The grants -- ranging from $15,000 to $250,000 -- were awarded by the Dakota County Community Development Agency (CDA) to encourage community revitalization in Apple Valley, Burnsville, Hastings, Lakeville and Rosemount, according to Mark Ulfers, executive director of the CDA. The redevelopment projects are expected to attract new businesses to the communities, create an estimated 60 new jobs and help retain businesses that now provide more than 250 jobs.

[[keywords: Living;PropertyTax;Metro;]]

End of an era

Pioneer Press Tue, 08 Jan 2008 13:17:26 -0700
3M to sell last campus parcel; 1,000 jobs leave St. Paul

3M Companies announced this week it would sell its entire campus on the East Side of St. Paul, bringing to a close a nearly century-old relationship between the Maplewood-based industrial products manufacturer and Minnesota's capital city.

[[keywords: LandUse;Living;Ramsey;]]

Who is my neighbor?

Pioneer Press Fri, 16 Nov 2007 18:35:03 -0700
Tribute for all
Monday's letters to the editor include this one

It's your mess, cities Can anybody tell me why the whole state of Minnesota should pay for the fiscal irresponsibility of St. Paul, Minneapolis, Ely, Hutchinson, Bemidji and other cities? I believe they made their mess and they should have to clean it up. Their taxpayers should have to pay, and the same reasoning applies to the school districts. Is there any reason I should have to pay my tax money to Edina? We should hold our local officials responsible for the mess we are in. TOM AUDETTE St. Paul

[[keywords: Living;Metro;]]

I can't talk right now, I have to mow the roof

Star Tribune Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:17:46 GMT
Green roof takes root at Minneapolis City Hall

The courtyard roof of Minneapolis' City Hall and the Hennepin County Courthouse is going green. Workers will plant it with more than 40 varieties of plants, wildflowers, grasses, shrubs and vines, most of them native to Minnesota. The courtyard roof of Minneapolis' City Hall and the Hennepin County Courthouse is going green. Weather permitting, workers will continue planting more than 40 varieties of plants, wildflowers, grasses, shrubs and vines at 11 a.m. Thursday. Some of the planting began Tuesday, said Spokesman Matt Laible. Most of the plants being used to cover the 5,000-square-foot space are native to Minnesota. Among them are Bottlebrush Grass, Jack-in-the Pulpit, Prairie Clover, Phlox, Virginia Creeper and wild strawberries. The courtyard roof is a outdoor rectangular area on the interior of City Hall. The roof top covers some of the lower levels of City Hall and can be seen only from windows inside the building at 350 S. 4th Street.

[[keywords: LandUse;Living;Metro;]]

First amendment zones a tad ambitious

Star Tribune Wed, 07 May 2008 05:49:42 GMT
Bloomington delays measure to deal with protesters

A letter from the state ACLU prompted Bloomington's City Council to postpone a vote to consider all the ramifications.

[[keywords: Living;Elections;Metro;]]

Still no word on cannon's target

Star Tribune Tue, 04 Dec 2007 14:49:28 GMT
Cannon is fodder for war debate

When a citizens group sought approval to raise money to buy a Civil War-era cannon for a soldiers' memorial, members of the St. Croix Valley Peacemakers showed up to say they see the cannon as a symbol of destruction. New battle lines have been drawn in Stillwater over the Civil War’s most famous weapon ­â€" the cannon.

[[keywords: PublicSafety;Living;Metro;]]