Is means is, town means town

Star Tribune Fri, 13 Jun 2008 04:45:13 GMT
Can Ramsey still hold town hall meetings?

A judge said that because Ramsey is a city and not a town, a rule concerning charter schools doesn't apply. Ramsey has a Town Center. It has town homes. But Ramsey is not a town -- it's a city. And after an Anoka County judge's recent ruling, nobody is more aware of that distinction than Ramsey City Council Member Matt Look. Look sued the PACT Charter School in Ramsey in a challenge of its admissions policies. He argued that state law requires if a charter school is the only school "located in a town" that offers a specific grade level, residents of that town get admission preference for that grade level. But the PACT school administrator said the rule does not apply because Ramsey is a city. And Anoka County Judge Tammi Frederickson concurred when she ruled: "Creating an admissions preference that applies to only charter schools located in townships may be an underinclusive policy. However, the court's role is limited to interpreting a statute, not passing on its 'wisdom and utility.'"

[[keywords: Legal;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;]]

Maybe Sheriff should be hereditary

Pioneer Press Sat, 12 Jan 2008 19:58:39 -0700
Ramsey County / County could end sheriff elections

He's one of the most important armed dudes around. So the people should decide who the Ramsey County sheriff is in an election, as they do now. But because he (or she) is one of the most important armed dudes around, there's no way we should leave it to the whims of voters and the machinery of big-ego politicians - the sheriff should be appointed. Whaddya think? The otherwise-quiet Ramsey County Charter Commission - which is considering putting the question on the November ballot - wants to know. Tuesday evening will be the first of a series of public hearings on the issue, which encompasses the philosophical musings of democracy and the provincial turf battles of local politics. It's hardly new to Ramsey County.

[[keywords: Officials;Elections;Ramsey;]]

What a way to run a railroad

Pioneer Press Tue, 25 Mar 2008 22:54:59 -0600
Taxes OK'd in Ramsey, Anoka counties: A closer look at the votes. Page 5A Fight erupts over new sales taxes for transit

Article Last Updated: 03/25/2008 11:54:59 PM CDT What did you think would happen? On Tuesday, the day some cheered passage of new taxes for transit projects, partisan sparring broke out over how the new money â€" perhaps $100 million a year â€" would be spent in a dumpy economy. It's not about one train project versus another but whether a sales tax hike and motor vehicle tax enacted by some Twin Cities counties should be used to patch a possible hole in the Metropolitan Council's transit budget. The squabble, echoing from the Anoka County Government Center to the Capitol, could mean the difference between fare increases and service cuts on Metro Transit buses and whether the planned Central Corridor light rail linking St. Paul and Minneapolis is delayed. On Tuesday morning, commissioners in Anoka and Ramsey counties adopted a 0.25 percent sales tax increase and a $20 per-vehicle excise sales tax, creating the state's first dedicated funding source for new train, bus or bike routes. Hennepin and Dakota counties are expected to follow suit, and Washington County is on the fence. Carver County said no, and Scott County is expected to opt out as well. Only counties that support the new taxes will pay them and have a say in where the money goes. Moments after their vote, Ramsey County officials began distributing position papers underscoring that they believe the new money must "supplement and not supplant" the normal funding of the Met Council, which operates the region's poised-to-grow transit system. It was a response to Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty, whose proposed budget seeks to address a $930 million projected shortfall by cutting the Met Council's budget. That budget is already shrinking because its dedicated funding stream â€" motor vehicle sales taxes â€" is sagging with the economy. Met Council Chairman Peter Bell, a Pawlenty appointee, has been telling lawmakers he suspects a resulting $47.5 million budget hole could force fare increases or â€" worse â€" service cuts, if cash from the new taxes isn't injected into the Met Council's coffers.

[[keywords: PublicWorks;PropertyTax;Ramsey;]]

Visions

Star Tribune Tue, 06 May 2008 02:29:56 GMT
Bank wants out of Ramsey Town Center restrictions

The bank holding 150 acres of foreclosed land doesn't want to be bound by the original development plan. The Ramsey Town Center was supposed to feel like a traditional downtown, with parks and fountains interspersed among small shops, restaurants and hundreds of homes. But the bank that holds the mortgage for 150 foreclosed acres in the Town Center is saying that the city of Ramsey needs to set aside its dreams for the project, according to court documents filed Friday in Anoka County District Court. Last June the City of Ramsey filed a lawsuit against Minnwest Bank Central arguing that the city's original plan, or master development agreement, for the Town Center project should continue to be followed, even though the project's original developer, Bruce Nedegaard, went into bankruptcy and died in 2006. For months, the lawsuit has lingered, but now Minnwest has filed a counterclaim that says the land should be "free and clear of the terms, covenants and restrictions" in the development agreement.

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

Penny wise

Star Tribune Wed, 28 May 2008 01:52:02 GMT
Ham Lake is leery of refinancing debt to save interest costs

Anoka County voted to go ahead with Ramsey bond refinancing after Ham Lake balked at a chance to save thousands of dollars. Refinancing senior housing projects in Ramsey and Ham Lake could save hundreds of thousands of dollars for both Anoka County cities, county officials said Tuesday. But Ham Lake remained unconvinced. Asking how Ham Lake could stall when offered a chance to save "a half-million in this economy," Commissioner Dan Erhart led the County Board in passing a resolution approving the refinancing of housing development bonds through the county for Ramsey only. If Ham Lake doesn't opt within a month to refinance the debt on the Willows complex, the city would be charged a $50,000 fee to issue bonds if it later chose to refinance, Erhart suggested to the board. With its refinancing, Ramsey could save an estimated $40,000 a year for the next 18 years, county officials said. The principal amount of bonds authorized by the county for both cities combined was set at a maximum of $6.2 million, and the interest rate is capped at 4.5 percent. Clearly frustrated by Ham Lake's indecisiveness, Erhart said he couldn't begin to "explain why the [Ham Lake] City Council is making the decisions they are." "We are very cautious," explained Ham Lake council member Julie Braastad. "We do our research. We don't just jump on the bandwagon. We look at ourselves as being unique."

[[keywords: Officials;PropertyTax;Metro;]]

Train Depot in name only

Star Tribune Fri, 08 Feb 2008 05:19:57 GMT
Union Depot concourse may not get LRT route

Ramsey County is backing off its longtime stance that the Central Corridor line should reach the St. Paul depot's concourse. It's Central Corridor crunch time, and Ramsey County knows it. To keep the light-rail plan on track and present a united front with its project partners, the county is willing to let the line stop in front of downtown's Union Depot for now. The cost-saving compromise, scheduled for a vote at Tuesday's meeting of the Ramsey County Regional Rail Authority, was hailed as a "very helpful development," by Peter Bell, chairman of the Metropolitan Council. Gov. Tim Pawlenty has threatened to withdraw his support for the project unless costs are trimmed and a design plan completed by month's end.

[[keywords: PublicWorks;Ramsey;Metro;]]

Rescue mission?

Star Tribune Tue, 01 Apr 2008 04:34:13 GMT
Ramsey Town Center project has a new suitor

A new developer is in talks with the city of Ramsey over the future of the stalled project. THE LATEST: A new developer is in talks with the city of Ramsey over the future of the stalled Ramsey Town Center project. Tom Gump, a co-principal of Neighborhood Development Partners LLC, said Monday that the company already made an offer on the 150 acres of foreclosed land in the project but that their offer was turned down by Minnwest Bank, which holds the mortgage to the property.

[[keywords: LandUse;Metro;]]

There is some land available for that Ramsey station

Star Tribune Wed, 13 Feb 2008 03:54:33 GMT
More stations being discussed for Northstar commuter rail

Officials are discussing the feasibility of adding more stops to the 40-mile Northstar rail line. Plans to expand the Northstar commuter rail line are already in the works after the project received $156.8 million in federal funding in December. The Anoka County Regional Railroad Authority (ACRRA) met Tuesday and discussed how to add stations in Fridley, Coon Rapids and Ramsey. Members also approved a $190,000 study that will look at the feasibility of extending the commuter rail line from the proposed Coon Rapids-Foley station to Cambridge. Ramsey city officials recently renewed their pursuit of a stop on the 40-mile line from Minneapolis to Big Lake. Northstar officials have expressed support for the city's request, but they still have to determine how many people might use the stop and how it would be paid for. They said they will look at what it would take to secure federal funding for the Ramsey stop, which could cost more than $8 million.

[[keywords: PublicWorks;Metro;]]

Consumation

Star Tribune Tue, 15 Apr 2008 04:38:20 GMT
Ramsey County gets Postal Service OK to buy part of Union Depot

Ramsey County got final approval from U.S. Postal Service officials to buy part of the Union Depot and adjacent land in downtown St. Paul. County Manager David Twa said he received verbal confirmation about the Postal Service Board of Governors decision last week. The nearly $50 million sale gives the county the depot's rear concourse and about 9 acres of land. The county has long envisioned the Union Depot as a regional transportation hub for rail, buses, bicycles and taxis. The depot lobby, or headhouse, is privately owned.

[[keywords: LandUse;PropertyTax;Ramsey;]]

Harder to see 'Bridges' from downtown with this in the way

Star Tribune Fri, 11 Jan 2008 06:11:09 GMT
Opus, Ramsey County reach riverfront land deal

Developer would pay $10 million for prime parcel along Kellogg Boulevard in downtown St. Paul. Ramsey County and a developer have agreed on a $10 million purchase price for prime riverfront land in downtown St. Paul. County commissioners are expected to vote on the deal Tuesday. Opus Northwest, based in Minnetonka, hopes to buy the 6-acre site of the old West Publishing complex and the adjacent vacant county jail. The site stretches along Kellogg Boulevard and the Mississippi River bluffs from Market to Wabasha streets. Opus would use the entire parcel to build a hotel, condominiums and offices. The cost would be at least $200 million, and the project could be built in phases or all at once.

[[keywords: LandUse;Ramsey;]]

Property tax managers skipping town

Star Tribune Thu, 29 Nov 2007 20:56:04 CST
Ramsey County department makes move across the river

The Property Records and Revenue Department should be up and running Monday at its new site. The consolidation should please residents: Parking will be free. It's about to get a lot easier to look up a property record or get an absentee ballot in Ramsey County -- depending on whether you live and work downtown or are coming from elsewhere. The Property Records and Revenue Department, which also contains the elections office, is moving this weekend from its space along downtown St. Paul's river bluff to an open building on the West Side. Parking will be free. ... The space left behind will likely be filled by county employees currently working in the "F Building," the easternmost part of the West complex. County commissioners voted 6 to 1 in October to raze the F building and old county jail, which sits vacant, as part of county efforts to shed its prime riverfront real estate. The county is negotiating with two developers, Minnesota-based Opus Northwest and Belgium-based WingField, which each want the land to build a mix of housing, hotel, office and shop space. The County Board is expected to choose one of the purchase agreements on Dec. 18.

[[keywords: LandUse;PropertyTax;Ramsey;]]

Get ready to sell your car

Star Tribune Wed, 13 Feb 2008 05:50:45 GMT
Central Corridor rail line clicks a step closer to reality with plan

East metro officials reached an agreement. Yet to be resolved: How to run line through U campus. ... Ramsey County, long a champion of the line, has for now backed off its insistence that the terminus be at the rear concourse of the Union Depot in St. Paul. On Tuesday, the county Regional Rail Authority voted 7-0 to approve a resolution that says: • The line should end on Fourth Street in front of the Union Depot, rather than extending to the depot's abandoned rear concourse, which county officials envision as a regional transportation hub for buses, trains and taxis. • A maintenance building capable of handling two- and three-car trains will be built on county-owned land near the concourse south of Kellogg Boulevard. • Three additional stops -- at Hamline, Victoria and Western avenues -- need to be designed and roughed in for future use as money becomes available. • At least one of those stops needs to be built in the first phase of construction. "It's a good compromise," said Ramsey County Commissioner Rafael Ortega.

[[keywords: PublicWorks;Ramsey;]]

Damn the torpedoes, paddle ahead!

Pioneer Press Sat, 16 Feb 2008 18:39:50 -0700
North Metro / Agencies bridging Rice Creek gap

It's a water trail in an urban jungle. Enthusiasts have been quietly paddling parts of Rice Creek in the north metro for years - but not the entire 18 miles from Peltier Lake near Centerville westward to the Mississippi River in Fridley. Land at the Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant in Arden Hills, about midway through the creek's course, was off limits to the public. Now that problem is about to disappear. Ramsey County took possession of a section of ammunition plant land in late 2006 and will remove water gates on the creek sometime before summer, said Greg Mack, Ramsey County parks and recreation director. Other obstacles stand in the way of having a widely used, safe recreational water trail for new and experienced paddlers, but Mack and other local parks officials are excited about the possibility of ultimately promoting Rice Creek as one of only two recreational water trails in the sevencounty metro area. "I'm really optimistic," Mack said. "We want to open up the entire (Rice) creek corridor for recreation and kayaking." Other groups trying to make that happen are Anoka County Parks and Recreation, the Rice Creek Watershed District and the National Parks Service. This fall, those agencies teamed up with a University of Minnesota environmental sciences class, which studied vegetation, risk assessment, access points, environmental education and recreational planning along the creek.

[[keywords: LandUse;Ramsey;Metro;]]

What's the plan?

Pioneer Press Sun, 20 Apr 2008 22:33:19 -0600
Ramsey / Time to reassess Town Center's marketability

Ramsey officials are looking for a consultant to perform a market analysis of Ramsey Town Center â€" years after the project stalled. Most of the 320-acre development sits vacant and nearly half is in foreclosure. The unfinished project has some interested suitors, said City Administrator Kurt Ulrich, and the city wants to prepare for negotiations with developers by bringing in a consultant to determine the property's current market value. "We feel we're closer than ever to getting a real development proposal," he said. "We want to prepare ourselves as best we can for when the market picks up again." Town Center â€" with its planned 2,800 homes, shops, civic buildings and parks â€" was supposed to be a model of suburban downtown planning. But the project has suffered delays, debt, the death of a developer and questionable financing. Minnwest Corp., of Minnetonka, holds the $35 million mortgage on a large chunk of the project. It has scheduled and postponed foreclosure sales of the land for months.

[[keywords: LandUse;Metro;]]

Move to higher ground

Pioneer Press Sat, 19 Jan 2008 22:06:47 -0700
St. Paul / 1 project sinks as another swims

Developer Jerry Trooien - whose bold 2 million-square-foot mixed-use proposal, the Bridges of St. Paul, was nixed last year by St. Paul - is still licking his wounds. Meanwhile, Timothy Murnane - the public face of Opus Northwest's plan to transform the former county jail and Ramsey County-owned West Publishing building into a similarly bold project - is getting congratulatory slaps on the back in City Hall. The Ramsey County Board last week approved a deal that would sell the land to Opus for $10 million. What gives? Answer: It's all about the river. St. Paul's vision for big developments - high-density, high-rise, high-impact - calls for them to be only on the downtown side of the Mississippi River. Opus' property is; Trooien's isn't. Neither the projects nor the developers have been actually pitted against each other. Location is the difference. The Pioneer Press had more questions and asked each man, separately, to reflect. Here are their answers, edited for space and clarity:

[[keywords: LandUse;Ramsey;]]

Not going so well

Star Tribune Wed, 13 Feb 2008 05:01:06 GMT
Ramsey's Town Center lands on the block

The auction of 150 acres of Ramsey Town Center land has a new date. It was the land on which Ramsey city leaders hoped to build the $1.3 billion Town Center -- 150 acres that has become a minefield of bank conspiracy allegations and lawsuits. And the land is about to go up for auction. The oft-postponed land auction has been rescheduled for 10 a.m. Feb. 22 at the Anoka County courthouse, said Russ Bushman, chief credit officer for Minnwest Corp., the company that took over the mortgage from several banks that originally loaned $35 million toward the project. The property went into foreclosure after the original developer, Bruce Nedegaard, filed for bankruptcy and died last fall, leaving much of the 380-acre site undeveloped. According to federal court documents unsealed in December, the project turned into a conspiracy among bank executives to defraud other banks that invested millions in the project.

[[keywords: LandUse;PropertyTax;Metro;]]

All aboard!

Pioneer Press Mon, 24 Mar 2008 18:06:59 -0600
A steady source

The Ramsey County Board is expected to vote today to raise the county sales tax one-quarter of 1 percent to fund transit projects. We don't like to pay higher taxes. But this hike is part of a historic transportation-and-transit bill passed by the Minnesota Legislature last month. We support this modest increase as the best way to accelerate the move toward a modern, metrowide transit network. And we'll be looking for evidence the counties imposing the tax can spend the money in the best interests of the region as a whole. Today's scheduled vote is a result of the Legislature's override of Gov. Tim Pawlenty's veto a month ago. That decision raised the state's gasoline tax to help fix roads and bridges. It also authorized metro-area counties to impose a one-quarter-of-1-percent sales tax hike for transit projects. One-fourth of 1 percent equals 1 penny for every $4 spent. The increase will take effect July 1 and will be tacked on to the statewide sales tax of 6.5 percent. The city of St. Paul levies an extra half-percent for various projects, including debt on the St. Paul RiverCentre. Five of the seven core metro counties are expected to consider enacting the tax now, and others may join later. If all seven participate, the tax is estimated to raise approximately $100 million per year. ... If this is a good idea for Ramsey and Hennepin counties, it is a good idea for growing suburban counties that have the greatest need for transit assistance. We hope Washington County in particular, with its busy I-94 corridor, sees the larger regional benefit of imposing the tax and joining the joint powers board. The debate over light-rail transit changed when the Hiawatha line opened in 2004. The reality of the train has a way of overcoming some doubts. The Northstar commuter rail project from downtown Minneapolis to the northwest suburbs, expected to be running by late 2009, may have a similar effect. We need to keep the momentum going, and the Ramsey County Board's approval of the sales tax increase today is an important step.

[[keywords: PublicWorks;Officials;Metro;]]

Adrift on the riverfront with no anchor

Star Tribune Thu, 08 May 2008 23:25:07 GMT
Ramsey County officials to vote on riverfront development deal

Ramsey County commissioners will be voting Tuesday on an amended deal with the developer that wants to transform the county's downtown St. Paul riverfront property into a mix of office, hotel and condo space. Opus Northwest canceled the original $10 million purchase agreement last month to retain $250,000 of earnest money. It hadn't found an anchor office tenant, a requirement to get the $200 million project moving, the developer said. Under the amended purchase agreement, made public Thursday, Opus will give the county a $125,000 nonrefundable payment in exchange for a six-month extension to find an anchor tenant. If Opus continues with the project, it would pay an additional $875,000. Should Opus end the agreement, it must give the county all reports and studies related to the property.

[[keywords: LandUse;Ramsey;]]

Good thing we have a zoo

Pioneer Press Sat, 01 Dec 2007 18:14:52 -0700
St. Paul / Light-rail cash tops bonding wish list

Ramsey County wants the trains to return to downtown's Union Depot. The James J. Hill House needs some tuck-pointing. And county officials dream of a new snow-making system at Battle Creek Regional Park. Ramsey County wants the trains to return to downtown's Union Depot. The James J. Hill House needs some tuck-pointing. And county officials dream of a new snow-making system at Battle Creek Regional Park. A host of local agencies want the state to provide at least $83 million to revive St. Paul's parks, attractions, colleges, transit corridors and historical sites. Throw in Metropolitan Council's $140 million request to help pay for the proposed Central Corridor light-rail transit line, and St. Paul's wish list totals $223 million. ...complete planning and construction of the light-rail train line along University Avenue. In the most recent session, the Legislature appropriated $40 million toward the almost $1 billion project, but Gov. Tim Pawlenty vetoed the entire $334 million public works bill. Still, the fact that the light-rail request made it into the bill gives Hausman hope. "In years past, it's been political, but I think there's been a sea change," Hausman said. "People now get it. The Central Corridor is the piece that makes the whole regional transportation system work. It's no more a St. Paul project than Interstate 94." St. Paul's City Hall is asking for about $51 million for Como Zoo, a new baseball and soccer complex, riverfront improvements and a new Asian-American cultural center. The $11 million Como request is the city's No. 1 legislative priority. It would help fund modern, roomier spaces for the gorillas and polar bears. The Legislature has already granted about $9 million for the polar bear exhibit, which will begin construction next spring.

[[keywords: PropertyTax;Ramsey;]]