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Dayton’s BluffCommunity Council798 East 7th StreetSt. Paul, MN 55106

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New DBCC website goes liveForum staff

Dayton's Bluff has a new face andfresh new clothes, electronicallyspeaking.

You'll find the new features atwww.daytonsbluff.org, the same webaddress the Community Council hashad for many years, but the look ismuch different, with crisp graphicsand up-to-the-minute informationabout the neighborhood and what'shappening with the Dayton's BluffCommunity Council, as well as linksto the Council's community partners.When you visit the new website, besure to sign up for the Council's news-

letter if you're not already receiving it.The October Forum will have moreinformation about the new website andall it has to offer.

The old site, with archived issues ofthe Forum, is still accessible atwww.v1.daytonsbluff.org.

ESTE: Collaborating for equitabledevelopment

Jennifer HermanForum staff

Residents of Dayton’s Bluff are alltoo familiar with the frustration of hav-ing things done for us, to us, or in spiteof us. Policymakers have a long historyof waiting to address community con-cerns until after changing the rules,changing a process, tearing down oldthings, or building new things – and

even then, the focus is on a few con-cerns raised by a limited group of com-munity members. The ESTE steeringcommittee and organizers are hard atwork creating a new way for all resi-dents and policy makers to work togeth-er at the beginning of and throughoutthe change process.

See “ESTE,” continued on page 4.

Serve your community – join theDayton's Bluff Community CouncilDBCC report

This October, there will be nineseats up for election for the Dayton'sBluff Community Council (DBCC).

The DBCC is a neighborhood orga-nization designed to encourage partic-ipation in and awareness of theDayton’s Bluff neighborhood. It is oneof the 17 councils within the St. PaulDistrict Council System.

The Council is overseen by a boardcomposed of people from the neigh-borhood. All adults who reside, ownproperty or own a business in Day-ton's Bluff are eligible to serve. Thecouncil also has several subcommit-tees addressing ongoing programs or

issues.The DBCC encourages you to take

this opportunity to learn about hap-penings in our neighborhood and en-gage with fellow neighbors.

The DBCC mission statement: toadvance equity and enhance quality oflife through partnerships and commu-nity engagement. We meet on the thirdMonday of each month, and subcom-mittees meet on various nights, basedon the schedules of the members.

If you're interested in serving on theDayton's Bluff Community Council,please call the council office at 651-772-2075 or info@daytonsbluff.org.The election will take place at the an-nual meeting on Monday, October 20.

East Side Enterprise CenterCarla RiehleForum staff

Next month, the Dayton's BluffCommunity Council, long located at798 East 7th Street, will be movingnext door, into the new East Side En-terprise Center (ESEC). A couple ofyears in the making, ESEC is reallytwo things: it's the culmination of alot of hard work by the Council andits community partners, and it's also aspringboard for an ambitious andtransformative model of communitydevelopment.

Pictured below is an artist's render-ing of what the “new” ESEC buildinglooked like in 1898 when it was firstbuilt. For years, the facade was cov-ered up with sheathing and has onlyrecently been revealed, as part of a la-bor of love by former owner CleoKelly. The building is now owned byESEC, a limited liability companycomprised of the Council and theLatino Economic Development Cen-ter (LEDC).

See “East Side Enterprise Center,”continued on page 3.

A bustling Thursday evening on the Bluff

Nicole Pressley

Above: this panoramic shot of the Market on the Bluff shows some of the beautiful craft, food, and produce options at the Market on the Bluff, which is held Thursday evenings at 463 Maria Avenue (just north of 7th Street).

Volume 27, No. 8

September 2014

www.daytonsbluff.org

Vea la página 4 para unartículo en español.

“The Voice of the Community”

Page 2 Dayton’s Bluff District Forum September 2014

New Friends of SwedeHollow are welcome

The next Friends of Swede Hollowmonthly meeting is on Wednesday,September 10, at 6:30 pm. Email kar-in@swedehollow.org or call 651-776-0550 for more information and themeeting's location.

Get rid of your junk car;help Dayton's BluffCommunity Council

Budget Towing of Minnesota, Minne-sota’s largest towing company, is ownedby Roy Carlson, a former Dayton’sBluff Community Council board mem-ber. Budget Towing will remove anyjunk car or truck – located anywhere inSt. Paul – and dispose of it at no chargeto the vehicle owner or the propertyowner where it is located. The vehicleowner will receive paperwork for a taxdonation, and Roy will make a small do-nation to the Community Council. Call651-772-2075 to have a junk car re-moved – and help clean up Dayton’sBluff.

Meet with the policeThe Eastern District Police hosts their

monthly meetings for community mem-bers at 722 Payne Avenue, at the cornerof Payne and Minnehaha Avenues.

The next meetings are Wednesday,September 17, at 6:30 pm, and Fri-day, September 19, at 9:30 am. Themeetings, open to all, are intended tolearn about, listen to, and address con-cerns about crime and other issues onthe East Side. Bring your neighbors; thisis a great opportunity to discuss neigh-borhood nuisance issues.

Take-a-Hike September 6Take-a-Hike occurs on the first Satur-

day of most months. The next hike willbe Saturday, September 6. Hikers meetat 10:30 am in Indian Mounds Park atEarl Street and Mounds Boulevard, andwalk to the East Side Heritage Park. Thehike is about two hours (four miles)with some moderately rough terrain.New hikers are always welcome. Formore information, call 651-776-0550.

Forum monthly meetingThis Forum newspaper is always

looking for help in several volunteer ca-pacities. If you'd like to contribute(writing, editing, online content, gener-ating of ideas, etc.) to the Forum, pleasejoin us at our next meeting, Tuesday,September 2, at 10:00 am at 798 East7th Street. Snacks encouraged.

Dayton’s Bluff Book ClubLove to read? Join the Dayton’s Bluff

Book Club to read and discuss multicul-tural and local author’s books, begin-ning with Spirit Car by Diane Wilson.The first meeting is Thursday, October9, 2014, 6:00-8:30 pm in the Metropoli-tan State Library & Learning Center,(co-located with Dayton’s Bluff Branchpublic library), Room 302. Space is lim-ited and registration is required. Booksand a light dinner will be provided at nocharge. To register, contact MetropolitanState’s Institute for Community Engage-ment at 651-793-1285 or community.en-gagement@metrostate.edu.

The book club is co-sponsored by theDayton's Bluff Branch of the St. PaulPublic Library, and Metropolitan StateUniversity.

Metro State art exhibitopen to the public

Metropolitan State release

Metropolitan State University's Gor-don Parks Gallery presents Mixed Me-dia: The Faculty Show as the firstexhibit of the school year. The exhibitopens with a reception on Friday, Sep-tember 12 from 5:00-7:30 pm and con-tinues through October 3. Gallery hoursare Mondays-Thursdays, 11:00 am-7:00pm; and Fridays-Saturdays, 11:00 am-4:00 pm. The gallery is located in theLibrary and Learning Center, 645 East7th Street.

This exhibition features creativeworks produced by MetropolitanState’s fine arts instructors. Frompaintings and sculptures to photo-graphs and films, this show highlightsthe multi-disciplinary efforts of resi-dent and community faculty.

Erica Rasmussen, resident facultymember and gallery director, said, “Ex-posure to such a show can be an invalu-able tool for students interested intaking art classes. Close inspection ofimagery and objects or multiple view-ings of short films can reveal subtletiesabout the work that might otherwise belost through limited contact or reproduc-tions.”

The reception includes a screening ofJames Byrne’s new film, The Light ofEach New Day. The film will be loopedin a room adjacent to the gallery. Allshows and programs at The GordonParks Gallery are free and open to thepublic.

For more information about the ex-hibit, contact Erica Rasmussen, gallerydirector, at 651-793-1631 or e-mail herat erica.rasmussen@metrostate.edu.

Parent & Tot Time: ongoing, Wednesdays and Fridays,10:00 am-12:00 noon.

Judo: Mondays, 6:00-7:00 pm.

Seniors “500” card playing:every Friday, 12:00-4:00 pm;coffee and snacks provided!

Fitness Room: 3-7:45 pm

Teen “Bluff Room”: 3:00-7:30 pm.

Take Home Chef: learn how to make simple, healthy snacks to take home or make at home.

Rec Check! Sign up 1st-5th graders; starts September 8.

Open gym 6:00-7:45 pm. Monday-Thursday; all ages.

Messy Fingers & Toes (art for ages1-4); starts September 19; Fee $38.

Mass produce distribution:September 25, 3:00 pm untilfood is gone.

The Dayton's Bluff Rec Centeris located at 800 Conway Street.

651-793-3885

Facebook: Dayton's Bluff Recreation Center

Stop by and check us out!

Upcoming opportunities at Dayton’s Bluff Recreation Center

Nominate aneighbor for 2014Roger Tetu award

DBCC

The Roger Tetu award, a Dayton'sBluff tradition, honors someone who“offers kindness without hesitation ona daily basis.”

In life, Roger was a quiet, be-hind-the-scenes guy who didn't drawmuch attention. When he was killedin a hit-and-run accident in 2011, wefound ourselves missing the littlethings Roger did each day to makeour corner of the neighborhood better:rescuing animals, planting beautifulgardens, connecting with kids, com-forting accident victims, and cleaningup a neighborhood park.

Dayton's Bluff is full of “Rogers” –folks who selflessly reach out to makeour neighborhood a little better, a lit-tle brighter. It would be a tragedy tolose another “Roger” before express-ing our gratitude. Does a “Roger” liveon your block? Have you seen a“Roger” at work perhaps making abig difference in little ways? Is there ayoung person who has stepped up andmade a difference? Or a quiet, unas-suming neighbor who is known onyour block for his or her kind deeds?

The 2014 Roger Tetu award will bepresented this fall. Nominations canbe for individuals or groups, young orold. Please take a minute to nominatethe “Roger” you know! To submityour nomination, please call the Day-ton's Bluff Community Council officeat 651-772-2075.

September 2014 Dayton’s Bluff District Forum Page 3

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Metropolitan State University receivesrecognition as adult learning institution

Metropolitan State University release

Metropolitan State University re-cently joined the Coalition of AdultLearning Focused Institutions (ALFI).Colleges and universities in the Coali-tion strive continuously to improvetheir programs and services for adultstudents, assess their adult degree pro-grams regularly, and share best prac-tices for adult learners with otherCoalition members.

Metropolitan State joins MinnesotaState Colleges and Universities sis-ter-schools Winona State Universityand Inver Hills Community College inthis recognition.

The ALFI Coalition is an alliance ofmembers of the Council for Adult andExperiential Learning (CAEL) whodemonstrate their commitment to im-proving their services to adult learnersby completing the ALFI surveys. The

surveys, based on CAEL’s research onhow to serve adult learners effectively,identify and compare how students,faculty, staff and administrators per-ceive the services offered by the insti-tution. The data provided help aninstitution identify its strengths andchallenges, plan strategically for thefuture and discover how best to allo-cate resources for the greatest impact.Data also serve as a baseline, enablingan institution to establish consistentmeasurements for the impact of theiradult programs.

Metropolitan State University, amember of the Minnesota State Col-leges and Universities system, isAmerica’s premier university for life-long learning, providing unsurpassed,competitive academic and professionaldegree programs at the bachelor’s,master’s and doctoral levels whilemaintaining affordability.

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King Arthur in Swede Hollow ParkKarin DuPaulForum staff

Mixed Precipitation presents KingArthur: A Picnic Operetta in SwedeHollow on September 14 at 4:00 pm.Enter Swede Hollow Park at theDrewry Tunnel at Beaumont andDrewry Lane, one block south ofPayne and Minnehaha next to HOPECommunity Academy. King Arthur isa punk retelling of Henry Purcell’s

1684 English Baroque opera. Thismagical story is family-friendly andfull of adventure.

Chef Nick Schneider’s five-coursesampling menu of locally-grown treatsis created especially for the perfor-mance. To reserve your seats, call 612-619-2112. Audience is encouraged tobring lawn chairs and blankets to siton. The suggested donation is $10-$20per person.

Flying high in formerHamm’s Brewery

Karin DuPaulForum staff

On the north side of East Minneha-ha in the old Hamm’s Brewery (nownamed Everest LLC), there are manyinteresting businesses. One of thebusinesses is the Twin Cities TrapezeCenter.

The owner of the Twin CitiesTrapeze Center is Katie Kimball, whogot started in the flying trapeze busi-ness because she was a dancer who

saw a production of Cirque du Soleiland thought “hey, that looks cool, I betI could do that!” So she ran away toCalifornia to train. Katie and Jake (herbusiness partner) spent 10 years learn-ing, teaching and performing FlyingTrapeze (and other aerial arts) beforereturning home to the Twin Cities.

They looked for a year before find-ing the Old Hamm’s Brewery space,with a building with a 40' ceiling.Katie said “the location is perfect and

the property manage-ment staff are adream.”

Twin Cities Trapezeis open to the publicand anyone can comeby and take a class.Their schedule is atwww.twincitiestrapeze.com. It's also free towatch, so folks arewelcome to stop byduring class times andsee what the trapeze isall about!

Left: Twin Cities Trapeze instructor and co-owner Jake adjusts the harness of 7-year-old Edward in preparation for Edward's first try on the trapeze.

Forum staff

Continued from page 1: East Side Enterprise Center pairs community, economic resources

However, ESEC also includes ten othercommunity partners, shown in the graphic atright. These partners have all agreed to pro-vide programming in the new EnterpriseCenter that will include classes, loan andgrant opportunities for businesses, and com-munity engagement opportunities for EastSide residents.

In next month's issue of the Forum, we'llhave information about the grand opening ofESEC (it was planned for September, butconstruction delays got in the way). The Oc-tober issue will also have more informationabout ESEC with a special focus on the im-portant role of local food production.

Forum staffRobin Major of Stone's Throw Agricultural cooperative,with one of the farmers and a truckload of cantaloupe from Agua Gorda cooperative.

Page 4 Dayton’s Bluff District Forum September 2014

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September at theHistoric Mounds Theatre

Raeann RuthExecutive Director, Mounds Theatre

Two unrelated transit-centricevents are planned for the MoundsTheatre in September. Join us for oneor both!

Earl Street BRT StationArea Planning Meeting

The City of St. Paul is holding ameeting on September 3 at theMounds Theatre to discuss a possibleEarl Street station on the proposedBus Rapid Transit line along the I-94Gateway Transitway Corridor. Themeeting runs from 4:00 to 7:00 pm.The public is invited.

Gateway CorridorRavages Eastside

A group opposing the GatewayTransitway Corridor will hold anevent on Tuesday September 23 at theHistoric Mounds Theatre. Billed as“The Gateway Corridor RavagesEastside,” it features a high-qualitydocumentary-style film that is a

ground and aerial tour and overviewof the proposed Hudson Road Align-ment of the Gateway Corridor. Themovie has been retitled from its origi-nal title, “Is the Hudson Road Gate-way Corridor Alignment an Illusion?”to a title more appropriate to thisevent and presentation, “Eastside vs.Gateway Corridor,” which more accu-rately depicts the conflict. After themovie, Randal O'Toole, worldwideauthority and proponent of sane tran-sit, will speak.

Door prizes and a grand prize giveaway are scheduled. Attendees willhave the opportunity to sign a petitionfor reverse commuting (which is asane, nondestructive alternative to thedevastation of the corridor). Theevent runs from 7:00-9:00 pm. It isfree and open to the public.

Visit www.moundstheatre.org forother upcoming events. The HistoricMounds Theatre is located at 1029Hudson Road, St. Paul, MN 55106.651-772-2253.

Continued from page 1:

ESTE: Collaborating to greetneighborhood change

ESTE stands for East Side TransitEquity, and is a continuation of thework begun last year by Fostering anEast Side Transit Equity Conversation(FESTEC). The ESTE steering com-mittee is made up of the four EastSide District Coun-cils (1, 2, 4, & 5),ESABA, Metro Tran-sit, St. Paul PED,Ramsey County Re-gional Rail, andWashington County.ESTE guides a groupof organizers whoare hard at workmeeting with EastSiders to gather inputabout upcoming transit developmentprojects and raise up a group of resi-dents willing to remain engagedthroughout the planning and develop-ment processes.

Though diversity makes the EastSide beautiful, it also creates chal-lenges when trying to get input fromeveryone. People of color and peoplein poverty are typically under-en-gaged in community planning and de-cision-making, even though they maybe the most impacted by the changes.For that reason, the ESTE steeringcommittee hired organizers who rep-resent these groups. The organizerslook like, speak the languages, andunderstand the cultural traditions ofthe area’s diverse residents. They are

focused on identifying active repre-sentatives from these underrepresent-ed groups. Adding these voices to thechorus of the traditionally-engagedwill ensure more equitable decisions,plans, and developments.

District Councilsare, by design, geo-graphically-based or-ganizations focusedon the needs of theresidents and busi-nesses in a particulardistrict. However,the proposed transitprojects are regionalin scope, and eachwill pass through

and impact multiple districts. The Ex-ecutive Directors of the four Councilsand ESABA realized that by workingcollaboratively they could design andimplement a coordinated and more-equitable engagement process acrossthe entire East Side. The folks fromthe city, the counties, and Metro Tran-sit see the value in equitable develop-ment and are modifying theirplanning processes to incorporate thisnew model. This fresh collaborativespirit across the East Side is creatingmore access and opportunity for anequitable planning and developmentprocess that will help us respond witha strong and diverse voice when wegreet change on the East Side.

Immigration law: Path to citizenship forimmigrant victims of serious crime

Marisela E. Cantu, Esq.special to the Forum

In October of 2000, Congress creat-ed the U nonimmigrant visa when theypassed the “Victims of Trafficking andViolence Protection Act.” The legisla-tion was intended to strengthen theability of law enforcement agencies toinvestigate and prosecute cases whileprotecting victims of crimes who havesuffered substantial mental and physi-cal abuse due to the crime. The ideabehind the legislation is that immi-grants, especially undocumented im-migrants, were not likely to reportcrimes or come forward to prosecutethe perpetrator because they had toomuch to lose such as being placed intodeportation proceedings. In the end,immigrants not coming forward to re-port crimes is a detriment to all of so-ciety, since a perpetrator’s next victimmay likely be a U.S. Citizen. There-fore, congress wanted to encourageimmigrants to come forward to reportcrimes.

As the victim of a serious crime, anindividual may be eligible to apply fora U-Visa. The U visa applies to immi-grants, including undocumented immi-grants, who are the victims of certain

serious crimes and who have cooperat-ed with authorities in the prosecutionof the perpetrator. The undocumentedimmigrant must cooperate with lawenforcement agencies which includethe police department, the prosecutor’soffice and the Court to be eligible forthis visa.

An immigrant granted a U Visa willsubsequently be given legal status toreside and work in the United States.In Minnesota, they will be able to ob-tain a driver’s license. U visa statuscannot exceed four years. After threeyears, an immigrant in U visa statuscan apply for permanent residency sta-tus (green card).

If you or someone you know hasbeen a victim of a crime, it is impor-tant to consult with an immigration at-torney to see if they qualify for a Uvisa.

Marisela E. Cantu is an immigra-tion law attorney on the East side ofSaint Paul. She is a member of theAmerican Immigration Lawyers Asso-ciation. She speaks Spanish and canbe reached at 651-239-8195 or at herlaw office at 798 7th Street East, St.Paul, MN 55106; www.cantuattorney.com.

Ley de inmigración: Camino a la ciudadaníapara inmigrantes víctimas de delito grave

Marisela E. Cantu, Esq.Especial para el Forum

En octubre de 2000, el Congresocreó la visa de no-inmigrante Ucuando pasaron por las "víctimas de latrata de personas y ley de protecciónde la violencia". La intención dellegislación se fortalecer la capacidadde las agencias legales para investigary enjuiciar al mismo tiempo proteger alas víctimas de los crímenes que hansufrido abuso mental y físico debido ala delincuencia. La idea detrás de lalegislación es que los inmigrantes,especialmente los inmigrantes indocu-mentados, no eran propensos a de-nunciar delitos o salen a perseguir alautor porque tenían mucho que perdercomo se colocan en proceso dedeportación. Al final, los inmigrantesno adelantándose a crímenes dereporte son un perjuicio para toda lasociedad ya próxima víctima de unagresor puede ser probable que unciudadano estadounidense. Por lotanto, Congreso quería alentar a losinmigrantes a venir adelante acrímenes de reporte.

Como la víctima de un delito grave,un individuo puede ser elegible paraaplicar para una Visa U. La visa U seaplica a los inmigrantes, incluyendo alos inmigrantes indocumentados,

quienes son las víctimas de ciertosdelitos graves y que han cooperadocon las autoridades de la Fiscalía delperpetrador. Los inmigrantes indocu-mentados deben cooperar con agenciaspoliciales que incluyen el Departa-mento de policía, la fiscalía y la cortepara ser elegible para esta visa.

Un inmigrante concedida que unaVisa U posteriormente se dará estatuslegal para residir y trabajar en losEstados Unidos. En Minnesota, seráncapaces de obtener una licencia amanejar. Estatus de visa U no puedenexceder de cuatro años. Después detres años un inmigrante en estatus devisa U puede solicitar estatus deresidencia permanente (tarjeta verde).

Si usted o alguien que usted conoceha sido víctima de un crimen, esimportante consultar con un abogadode inmigración para ver si cumplen losrequisitos para una visa U.

Marisela E. Cantu es un abogadode inmigración en el East side de SaintPaul. Es un miembro de la AmericanImmigration Lawyers Association.Ella habla a español y se puede llegaral 651-239-8195 o en su oficina deabogados en 798 7th Street East, St.Paul, MN 55106; www.cantuattorney.com.

The [ESTE]organizers look like,speak the languages,and understand the

cultural traditions ofthe area’s diverse

residents.

September 2014 Dayton’s Bluff District Forum Page 5

Volunteer for WEQY,the Voice of the East Side

Carla RiehleForum staff

WEQY FM, the Voice of the EastSide, is slated to launch before the endof September; that is, if the all the piecesfall into place as planned. Station Man-ager Kathryn Harris (pictured at right) isasking our readers to start tuning in to104.7 FM during the the last two weeksof September to see if the signal is onthe air yet, and determine how strong itis at various locations. The first week ofairtime is called “riding the signal,” atest phase for new stations that won'thave any specific programming, but willprovide valuable engineering informa-tion. In particular, Kathryn wants toknow what the signal is like from allparts of the East Side: in your car, onyour bike or at home. Email her at WE-QYKathryn@gmail.com to report in.

As of this writing, Harris and salesmanager Dwayne Diggs have just re-turned from the Grassroots Radio Con-ference in Ames, Iowa, organized justfor radio start-ups like WEQY. They re-turned with a lot of information and con-nections as well as a sense of thesolidarity and power that hundreds ofnew community radio stations are start-ing to feel as they move forward withtheir agenda of independent, communi-ty-based radio.

Here on the East Side, underwritingsponsors are stepping up. Many thanksto Mississippi Market (opening in 2015on East 7th Street) for being the first tosign on. Also on board is New LensMentoring Society, a partnership be-tween the St. Paul Public Schools andthe St. Paul Public Schools Foundationto mentor young Black males. A numberof other partners are in the pipeline. Ifyou know of a potential sponsor, please

contact Dwayne Diggs at WEQY-Dwayne@gmail.com.

The initial programming line-up isrepresentative of WEQY's diverse for-mat. Here's just a partial list: BarryMadore is putting together atelenovela/variety show for Latino EastSiders, Thom Derus will showcase localmusic on Beats, Tong Thao and friendswill feature Hmong rap, Cindy Lewiswill chat about schools and kids on Par-ent Talk, and Tim Olson will air Irishmusic.

Want to be a part of WEQY? Theheart of community radio is its volun-teers. The principal need right now is forpeople who can staff the front desk andanswer phones at the Plaza del Sol stu-dio at 990 Payne Avenue. If you want toget a little deeper into radio, training willbe available to be a “traffic” engineer,who makes sure the program line-up andpromotional spots are properly in placeand air at exactly the right time. If you'renot sure what your talents are, emailKathryn anyway, at WEQYKathryn@gmail.com and she'll find a spot for you.

What I learned from my time in Germany

Foung HawjMinnesota State Senator

The good news for Minnesotans be-gan a few weeks ago with the an-nouncement that the Minneapolis-St.Paul region’s four-percent unemploy-ment rate in May was ranked the low-est among U.S. metros with apopulation of one million or more!Minnesota's economy continues topick up speed.

In addition to our low unemploy-ment rate, our businesses continue toexpand and grow, and we were re-cently ranked number two in the U.S.in research and development. I’m soproud to be an ambassador for Minne-sota – and that’s exactly the role Iplayed recently on a trip to Germany.

Along with 19 other Minnesota del-egates, I was invited to the week-longBerlin Energy Seminar, where welearned about renewable energy poli-cy. I was honored to be invited, andfascinated by the things I saw andwhat I learned about the future of re-newable energy. My initial reaction isthat Germany is many years ahead ofMinnesota when it comes to light-rail.While we are just getting started herein Minnesota, Germany and Berlinhave entire networks of light rail andsubway systems. The same is true forour energy conservation. I was partic-ularly impressed with the Germans’solar energy research and their storageof energy. Germany seems to be mak-ing changes quickly, while the United

States seems to be moving so slowlyon any kind of energy reform.

While Minnesota has passed energyconservation and sustainable energychanges in recent years, what I learnedfrom my time in Berlin is that we needto do more. While I think it’s safe tosay we are more deliberate with ourdecisions and research, we need tomake substantial changes to becomemore energy-efficient. The Germansinvest heavily in their renewable-ener-gy research, and likewise they havemany students studying it in their uni-versities. This is where I see the fu-ture. I would recommend thatMinnesota high school students studythe sciences and engineering and be-come part of the solution to ourcounty’s dependence on non-renew-able energy sources.

While my time in Germany taughtme a lot about what we can do differ-ently, I did walk away with a renewedappreciation for our green spaces.Minnesota clearly values protectingour waterways, prairies and forests,and creating parks and bike paths inour cities. I did not see as much of thisin Berlin as I find right here in theTwin Cities. We treasure our environ-ment here, and that is a gift not allstates and countries are blessed with.

If you have any questions or wouldlike to discuss a specific topic, pleaseemail me at sen.foung.hawj@sen-ate.mn or call my office at (651) 296-5285.

Scenes from a Dayton's Bluff summer Vibrant new construction; picnic foods, collaborativeget-togethers: all signs of a successful summer on the Bluff. Here are some images captured by neighbors this summer:

Top left: Revelers enjoy the Urban Oasis event August 17.

Top right: Youth Director at Mounds Park United Methodist Church, the ebullient Eric Buck, charms a neighbor during the church's annual National Night Out celebration.

Bottom left: Lori Greene at Mosaic On A Stick completed the new mosaicat 180 Degrees (7th Street and Johnson Parkway), incorporating healing images like quilt squares, and native themes into the work. The new facility will offer refuge to girls who have been victims of sexual trafficking.

Bottom right: Participantsshare ideas and food at a Mind Munch gathering.

Greg Cosimini

Urban Oasis

Robert Sebo Lubke

Page 6 Dayton’s Bluff District Forum September 2014

Dayton’s Bluff District Forum798 East 7th Street, St. Paul, MN 55106

Phone: 651-772-2075 Fax: 651-774-3510 E-mail: editor@daytonsbluff.org

Monthly circulation: 7,500; also available online at www.daytonsbluff.org. This publicationof Hopewell Communications, Inc. is intended to provide a forum for the ideas and opinionsof its readers and to be an instrument for developing community awareness and pride. Nomaterial contained in this paper may be reprinted without consent of the editor. Articles andletters to the editor are welcome and may be emailed to editor@daytonsbluff.org or faxed to651-774-3510. The Dayton's Bluff District Forum is delivered to every home and businessin the Dayton's Bluff neighborhood. Outside this area, subscriptions cost $15 per year andmay be arranged by calling 651-776-0550.

Board of Directors: Greg Cosimini, Karin DuPaul, Jennifer Herman, Carrie Obry,Carla Riehle, Steve Trimble

Editor/Layout: Meg Gronau Editorial Assistant: Mark Gallagher

Next issue: October 2014. Deadline for material: September 10, 2014.

Housing forum pairs officials,residents in discussing thefuture of Dayton's Bluff

Angela DuPaulspecial to the Forum

On Thursday, August 14, a meetingwas held to facilitate dialog betweencommunity members and elected offi-cials on housing issues. Representa-tives from city, county and state wereon hand to discuss topics of concernsto Dayton’s Bluff residents. The fo-rum was organized by the Dayton’sBluff Community Council’s HousingCommittee.

The affordability of housing wasone theme brought up repeatedly.There is a fear that gentrification –the shift toward wealthier residentsand businesses – will displace manycurrent residents, including those nowworking hard to improve the neigh-borhood, as has happened in other ar-eas of the city. Property values hereare expected to rise dramatically.

Quality of housing was another is-sue raised by several participants. Theimpact of vacant or poorly-managedproperties extends far beyond theproperty itself. The processes for

dealing with problem properties areoften long and complicated. The im-pact of good properties also benefitsthe neighborhood as a whole. Home-owners often want to improve theirhomes, but may lack funds to do so.

Elected officials who participatedin the housing forum were City Coun-cil President Kathy Lantry, RamseyCounty commissioners Jim Mc-Donough and Rafael Ortega, andState Representatives Tim Mahoneyand Sheldon Johnson.

The merits of the Dayton’s BluffHistoric District were also discussed.Resurveying of the district could re-veal sections within it that are eligiblefor national designation. This mightallow property owners in these areasto access new sources of funding forrestoration of their properties.

Participants went away with newknowledge about the state of housingin Dayton’s Bluff, information on re-sources available to them, and, it ishoped, the sense that their concernshave been heard.

The wild and the wackyOkay, a goat's not exactly “wild.” Above: The Dancing Goat Coffee House celebrated its grand opening on August 13. Left: Actual goat present at grand opening; will also appear at special occasions. The Dancing Goat is located at 699 East 7th Street andis on Facebook.

Right: Over 300 people came together to celebrate National Night Out at St. Pascal Baylon School on August 5. The eveningwas filled with face painting, games and building community. Silly Miss Tilly was a huge hit with young and old alike! Elizabeth MatakisForum staff

September 2014 Dayton’s Bluff District Forum Page 7

History cornerAn Irish boxer of St. Paul

Steve Trimble, Forum historian

At the 2014 Irish Fair on Harriet Is-land in August, I gave a talk about sixIrish boxers. Even though the fighterswere not from our neighborhood, Ithought people might enjoy readingsome of what I found. The following isan excerpt from the talk, focusing on aboxer named Mike Gibbons.

A good portion of Gibbons' success-ful fighting career was spent while hissport was illegal. Though boxing start-ed in the 1850s in St. Paul, often fea-turing nationally well-known fighters,the Minnesota Legislature outlawedboxing in 1892.

Minnesota finally yielded to publicsentiment and legalized boxing onApril 24, 1915. The law imposed a no-decision rule that was intended toeliminate betting. The bill also limitedmatches to 10 rounds, and limitedprize fights to towns with 50,000 peo-ple.

Mike’s parents came from Ireland toSt. Paul, where hewas born in 1887.They lived in theFrogtown areaand spent a lot oftime on RiceStreet. Mike start-ed out as awrestler butswitched to box-ing. He wascalled “The Phan-tom” because hewas cagey andhard to hit. Hiscareer in fisticuffslasted 16 yearswith 132 record-ed fights.

One writer saidthat Mike Gib-bons combinedan “Irish fightinginstinct with thescience of boxingand uses hishusky physique to put it over.” Hisprofessional career started in 1907,when fighters could face a jail term aswell as a hefty fine. However, therewere fights in small halls, gyms, barnsand open fields in the woods. Somewere even held in upper floors ofdowntown buildings, in the shadow ofpolice stations. It would have beenfoolish to use print to advertise bouts,but word-of-mouth would usually pro-duce a good crowd for the illegalfights.

Gibbons’ debut was in a preliminaryfight in South St. Paul. He went to thebuilding where the fights were to beheld and was ushered through a backdoor where he was surprised to be fac-ing a row of jail cells. It turned out thatthe local chief of police was a promot-er of the fights and the bout took placeupstairs at city hall. He won a six-round decision over Newsboy Brown.

Gibbons' third pro fight in 1908 wasin a St. Paul Park barn against a toughfighter from Minneapolis. Unfortu-nately, most of the people were gate-crashers and the gate only came to$90, so each fighter received only$22.50. Gibbons went home with abroken nose, an injured hand and acauliflower ear that he had for the restof his life. At another secret fight Mikemade $25.00, but someone told the au-thorities and the sheriff soon knockedon his door, fining him $26 for the ille-gal activity.

Gibbons began to schedule fights inother states. After Minnesota legalizedboxing in 1915, the locals were eagerto see Mike, then a top contender. So,on January 18, 1916, he made his firstlegal home state appearance. A largecrowd filled the St. Paul Auditorium tosee Gibbons explode and flatten hisopponent in the first round.

When World War I broke out, Gib-bons was conditionally rejected be-cause of a double hernia and varicoseveins; however, he underwent correc-tive surgery and passed the physical. Inthe Army, one of his duties was that ofboxing instructor.

Mike Gibbons never won a world ti-tle because three successive mid-dleweight champions avoided meetinghim. Only fellow St. Paulite MikeO'Dowd gave him a crack at thecrown. The two met in St. Paul on No-vember 21, 1919. Special trainsbrought fans to the fight. A selloutcrowd of 9,559 paid a gate of $41,846– a record for many years.

It was a veryclose fight, but inthe end, most re-porters awardedO'Dowd the ver-dict, as this fightwas fought duringthe “no-decision”era. AlthoughGibbons boxedwell, it was evi-dent that his bestdays were behindhim.

St. Paul artistLeRoy Neiman,who grew up inthe Rice Streetarea, told this sto-ry: Gibbons“came up rough,’’he said, and be-came “the blarneyking of RiceStreet by provok-ing tough guys

into making… dopes of themselves.His gimmick was to stand on an openhandkerchief against a brick wall andbet big they couldn’t knock off his der-by hat, saying ‘Fifty cents says you’renot man enough!’ And he’d just standthere without budging off the handker-chief and slip, duck, and dodge punch-es until his challenger’s fists werebroken and bloodied from hitting thebricks. He was a hell of a guy, like acharacter out of an American talltale… to us kids.”

Gibbons was also an author andpenned two books: How to Box andHow to Train that sold thousands ofcopies. He was enshrined in the Box-ing Hall of Fame in 1958, and the In-ternational Boxing Hall of Fame in1992. On August 31, 1956, Mike wasplaying cards with his wife in theirhome when he suffered a fatal heart at-tack at the age of 69.

View from my porch: Intersections

Sage HolbenDayton's Bluff Community Council

East 7th Street & Maria AvenueWhen I close my eyes, I still see the

shiny, dark green fender just two inchesfrom my thigh...

I stood on the curb of the northwestcorner of East 7th Street at Maria Av-enue, waiting for the “walk” signal. Atfive o’clock Friday afternoon, theworkday traffic was heavy. I steppeddown, waited for an impatient driver tomake his turn from the south onto 7th

Street, heading west, in front of me. Hewas turning before I was actually in thestreet, so I’ll give him that. I had justentered the inside westbound lane andeyeing the intersection walled with carsup to the crosswalk. A second car camefast, from Maria, turning west. TheSUV driver in the eastbound lanescreamed. I saw the vehicle coming atme and leaped backward. I don’t knowthat the driver even saw me. He wasn’tlooking in the direction that he wasdriving; he was looking to his right, inthe direction of Burger King or the busstop. He didn’t stop or slow down, yettime seemed to lock my eyes on the for-est green fender. All I saw as he droveaway were the first characters on hisplate: “610.”

I called the police after assuring by-standers that I had not been hit and wasokay, though visibly shaking. Callingand talking with someone in dispatchdoesn’t mean a report is made, but cer-tainly something could be done? Yes, Itold dispatch, I would like to talk to anofficer; I gave my home address andsaid I would meet an officer there (andlater was told it would become a deadreport).

4th Street East & Bates AvenuePeople trust a four-way stop, except

when even church buses and parkingenforcement vehicles run through it.

Sunday, July 20, 6:45-7:09 pm (24minutes): 29 vehicles through the 4th

Street & Bates Avenue 4-way stop inter-section: 6 going north, 12 going south,two of which ran the 4-way stop.

Speed bumps; lighted stop signs;changing a lane direction; or creating aroundabout might create a better inter-section. Too expensive; traffic has to gosomewhere; it’ll just create a problemelsewhere; who’ll pay for it?

Sunday, June 29, 12:39-1:38 pm(one hour): 63 vehicles, 21 goingsouth; 19 going north. Plus, 2 no-stopsfrom the west, turning south; 1 no-stopfrom the south, turning east; 23 pedes-trians, one pedestrian with dog; onepedestrian with stroller; and three bicy-clists.

Thursday, July 3, 7:38-8:22 pm (42minutes): 51 vehicles, most (21) travel-ing southbound. Other traffic: 1 near-broadside, three turns made withoutstopping; 21 pedestrians; 3 pedestrians

with strollers; 8 bikers.Several years ago, I requested and re-

ceived a traffic study report for the 4th

Street and Bates Avenue intersection.Conclusions indicated that the amountof traffic wasn’t unusual, and that ifrerouting was done, it would negativelyaffect other intersections. Another time,I complained of drivers running thestop signs and requested a traffic en-forcement watch. After giving the timespan of most activity, I saw a parkingenforcement vehicle park near a stopsign for all of ten minutes – and not atthe time I gave as most active. Perhapsanother observation occurred, thoughI’m not aware of it. But a well-markedparking enforcement car parked near astop sign for ten minutes – what sensedoes that make?

Wednesday, May 8, 5:54-6:30 pm (36minutes): 36 vehicles, 1 no-stop; 12pedestrians; 3 dogs, one kid hitting apuppy, 1 bicyclist.

Speed isn’t generally a problem, butnot stopping at the stop sign – and thenumber of vehicles – is. Granted, justbecause people stop doesn’t mean theyreally look at what or who is also near-ing the intersection.

Wednesday, July 30, 7:00-7:37 pm:(37 minutes): 39 vehicles, 12 goingsouth, 14 going north; 13 pedestrians(two with dogs), 2 bicyclists.

June 30, edging toward dusk: Threecars within 45 minutes ran the 4-waystop at Bates Avenue and 4th Street 4-way. Usually it’s cars traveling north tosouth. One of the three came from thenorth on Bates and made a left turnonto 4th Street, almost on two wheels,stopping about two-thirds of the way upthe hill, in the 700 block of 4th StreetEast.

I walked up the hill and as I ap-proached the car, the driver emerged.She was young, petite, and took out ababy in a carrier. Two other children ex-ited, about two to four years old. Iasked the driver if she realized that shehad just run a stop sign on the corner.“Huh?” was her reply. Me: “You drove,at a fast speed, through a stop sign.”

Sunday, August 12, 5:38-7:07 pm (90minutes): 107 vehicles; 34 movingsouth (one didn't stop), 42 movingnorth (one didn't stop); 32 pedestrians,7 bicyclists, 7 pedestrians with dogs,two kids on tricycles, 3 strollers, 1 U-turn. No area detours were in effect toaccount for volume of traffic.

A look of disinterest and another“Huh” and then, “There’s no stop signon that corner.” Me: “There is a stopsign on each corner.” She: “Sorry.”With THREE little kids! I don’t know ifshe lives there, or just takes her chil-dren to the child care across the street.Why would I expect people who useour neighborhood streets as a cut-through to care more than those whohave a residence or regular destinationhere?

Personal collection of Steve Trimble

Above: Mike Gibbons in his fighting prime.

Page 8 Dayton’s Bluff District Forum September 2014

Serving the neighborhoodKarin DuPaul

I first met Ed Lambert when weboth worked at the Wilder Foundationin the late 1980s. He did a lot of workon the West Side at that time. Throughhis job at Wilder he helped neighbor-hood organizations and groups. Twoorganizations I know he worked withhere in Dayton’s Bluff at the timewere the Upper Swede Hollow Neigh-borhoods Association and the Day-ton’s Bluff District Forum. He helpedthe Forum find ways to cut costs, likegetting a cheaper printing company.

Over the years I would see him atdifferent meetings here and there. Andthen to my surprise he was hired atthe Dayton’s Bluff Community Coun-cil as the Executive Director. He wasa great person to work with. He grewup in Dayton’s Bluff and he was veryhappy to work in his old neighbor-hood. During Ed’s time at DBCC westarted our annual fund raising dinnerat the Strip Club which funded ourfree community dinner and communi-ty council election of the board mem-bers.

Ed was instrumental in starting theEast Side Social Leaders Action Net-work, which included leaders frommany East Side organizations workingtogether on East Side projects. Edalong with Betsy Leach and AmySparks starting the popular trainingsessions for city wide district councilstaff and boards members, to themlearn about district councils roll withthings like Zoning, Code Enforce-ment, running a good meeting, etc.

We had many fun times in the of-fice, and one nice summer day wewent on a staff excursion. Ed tookJune Bennett and me on a ride on hisboat on the Mississippi. It was a won-derful day.

Remembering Ed Lambert A longtime fixture in Dayton's Bluff, EdLambert passed away in August. Ed was raisedin Dayton's Bluff and served as the ExecutiveDirector of the Dayton's Bluff CommunityCouncil from 2006-2011, in addition to doingmuch more work for the neighborhood. Hereare some reminiscences from Dayton's Bluffdenizens who knew Ed.

From childhood chum to lifelong friendRick Cardenas

I first met Ed Lambert at the Bluffplayground as he was coming from hishouse directly across from the kidswings. I don’t remember if I intro-duced myself or not – we both must'vebeen about 10 or 11 years old. Helooked a little ragtag: messed-up shoesand messed-up pants with a T-shirt on.It was summertime. I thought howgreat it would be to live right acrossthe street from the Bluff playground.He could race home for lunch or sup-per and run right back across the streetto see what was happening at theBluff.

The Bluff (as we called it – some ofthe older kids called it the “Tuxedo”)was our place of refuge away fromparents; a place where you could prac-tice your budding athletic skills, yourwood carving or jigsaw skill, or yourpopularity and dancing prowess withgirls – and often the last two were notmutually exclusive. Ed and I playedfootball and baseball together over theyears. We also danced! The Bluff hadFriday night dances, and I rememberEd could dance the fast ones while Ionly danced the slow ones.

Ed was our paperboy when he was13 or 14 years old. He had taken theplace of Buzzy Ruttermen, our long-time paperboy, and I remember think-ing, “That’s great; someone my ageable to be out there making money.”Of course, I was very curious abouthow someone 14 years old could get ajob delivering newspapers – because Iwanted to make money too! I figuredEd must be really enterprising, withexcellent powers of persuasion.

Ed’s papers were The St. Paul Pio-neer Press and Dispatch, and his de-livery times were early in the dark ofmorning and late in the afternoon. Idon’t remember seeing him deliver the

papers often,but I do re-member vivid-ly the times hecame to collecthis monthlypayment.

We lived on4th Street onthe East Side,near the under-belly of the 3rd

Street bridgewhere manyMexican-American fam-ilies lived. Therailroad tracks,which camefrom every-where to St.Paul, werepractically in our backyard. Manypeople were afraid to come down toour house because of fear of the peo-ple who lived there. There was also alittle racism on our East side; I experi-enced it as a kid. For instance, therewas a girl in the seventh grade wholiked me. I was interested in her too,and one time we were going to walk tothe movies together. Then, the day be-fore the movie, she told me I couldn’tcome to the door because her daddidn’t like Mexicans. That ended that;however, things like that happened tome once in a while!

But when Ed came to our neighbor-hood to collect his payment for thenewspapers, I could feel his lack offear, his acceptance, kindness and hisabsence of racism. This was impres-sive to me. I remember he wore a win-ter cap that had fur-lined ear flaps. Hestill looked a little sloppy, and I mayhave identified with him because hewas a poor kid out there making mon-ey, which he probably gave to his

mother.Life happened, and I didn’t have

much contact with Ed for many yearsafter high school. I did see his namehere and there, and sometimeswatched his news program on KTCAback in the late 1960s and early '70s.Then a few years ago, Ed and I beganto get reacquainted, and I had the plea-sure of meeting his wife, Chiky. Thistime it was on the water. They had ahouseboat on the Mississippi down-town, and my sister and niece andtheir husbands all had boats at the St.Paul Yacht Club. Also, Ed and I wereboth involved in some city politics andwould run into each other at meetingsand other events.

He and Chiky moved away a fewyears ago, but we were able keep intouch by Facebook. Whenever theycame back from South Carolina for avisit, I always enjoyed meeting themand talking about the East Side. I willalways treasure the memories I haveof Ed.

Friends of the ForumDear Reader,

The Dayton's Bluff District Forum has been a volunteer-runnewspaper since the 1970s, and has always operated on aminimal budget.

Thanks to the generous contributions of nearly 50 individualsand businesses, we raised $2,800 in 2013, enough to keep the pa-per running for now.

If you value this community source of information, please con-sider filling out the form at right. Any amount is appreciated; youmay also make memorial donations or include the Forum in yourlegacy planning.

If you became our Friend in 2013, please renew your member-ship for 2014. Thank you!

Sincerely,The Dayton's Bluff District Forum

Board: Greg Cosimini, Karin DuPaul, Jennifer Herman, CarrieObry, Carla Riehle, Steve TrimbleEditor: Meg Gronau Editorial Assistant: Mark Gallagher

Thank you to these donors for their generous contributions:

Rev. Dennis Alexander – Marge Bleakmore – Carol Carey – Greg Cosimini – Annie Cull & Jen King – Karin DuPaul

Bonnie Featherstone – Mark Gallagher – Judy Gustafson – Bill & Amy Holland – David Hueffmeier – Bette Johnson

Lois McKinnon – Mounds Park United Methodist Church – Carla Riehle – Gloria Russell – Donna Seabloom – Pat Seidl

Ramona J Shafer – Jon Sherman – Marjorie L Toensing – Ward 6 Food & Drink

Yes, I will become a Friend of the Forum.

My tax-deductible check is enclosed, for:

$100 $50 $25 Other______

Or give online: www.razoo.com/Hopewell-Com-munications-Incorporated.

Name_________________________________________

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Make checks out to Dayton's Bluff District Forum and mail to 798 East 7th Street, St. Paul, MN 55106.

For more information, contact 651-772-2075 oreditor@daytonsbluff.org.

Above: Lambert played the part of Judge at Karin DuPaul's retirement party last year.

Jack Davidsen collection

Above: 1953 Peewee baseball team at Bluff Playgrounds. Front row, left to right: Dave Petri, Ed Lambert, Dan McDermott. Back row, left to right: Mike Holland, Rick Cardenas, Dick Puffer, Jack Davidsen. The vacant lot across Wilson street is pictured in the background.