ssp sept 2010

September 2010

Volume 7

Number 9

IN THIS ISSUE...• Sample St. Paul Event Guide ....... Page 6• River Connections .................... 0• Home Improvement ................. Page 11• Back in Time............................ Page 12

Wakota Bridge complete!Completion is welcome news for many SSP businesses

Mary Diedrick HansenStaff Writer

The I-494 Wakota Bridge bottleneck

was finally busted on July 1 when both east- and westbound bridges were opened. Construction of the new bridge began in 2002 and was designed specifically to transport the growing number of commuters more quickly and efficiently across the Mississippi River.

The assumption was that there would be a few years of inconvenience, including a traffic slow-down, but a series of ill-fated occurrences led to delay after delay, leaving commuters and busi-ness owners wondering if the bridge would ever be completed. Finally, af-ter 8 years of mammoth

traffic jams and lost rev-enue to businesses near exit and entrance ramps, which were sometimes closed for days on end during construction, both spans of the bridge opened.

A celebration was defi-nitely in order. On July 29 a group of 100 gath-ered at the South St. Paul Mississippi River-boat Landing to dedicate the new bridge, which has five lanes on each span, compared to two lanes on the old bridge. It also has full shoulders for motorist safety, as well as a trail/sidewalk on the westbound sec-tion for bicyclists and pedestrians to cross the river. The ceremony con-tinued when a caravan of 50 vehicles, many of them classic cars, cruised

across the bridge. Led by police squad cars from South St. Paul and New-port, they exited into Newport, where festivi-ties continued at Tinuc-cis’s restaurant.

“The bridge is built to last for 100 years,” said John Sachi, city engineer for South St. Paul. “Keep in mind that although it is a five-lane bridge, the two far right lanes going both east- and westbound are actually exit and en-try lanes. The three far left lanes are thorough-fare lanes that match up with the three lanes on either side of the bridge. It’s designed for safety and efficiency.”

The dedication and celebration were long-awaited for Rob Kellner, owner of South St. Paul’s ABC Rental, who saw the

writing on the wall almost from the start when Trac-tor Supply Company, one of ABC Rentals’ comple-mentary businesses, relo-cated outside of South St. Paul. They foresaw po-tential problems with the construction project and took their customer base, shared by ABC Rental, along with them.

“Unfortunately, the length of construction has led people to look for alternative routes to cross the river,” said Kellner, “and it will take some transition time to make them aware that the bot-tleneck is over, and bring them back.”

What went wrong

The plan was simple, Wakota Bridge /

page 2

Heaven Citizenship Ministries: from Africa to South St. PaulPage 3

The Grand Old South St. Paul City HallPage 12

Get involved in America’sGreat Outdoor InitiativePage 10

The Next 100 Years...

- South St. Paul Voice - September 2010

Your community news and information sourceE conomic Development

The South St. Paul Voice is published monthly and distributed to 8,500 homes and high traffic businesses in South St. Paul.

Publisher & Editor: Tim Spitzack Copy Editor: Leslie MartinReporter: Mary Diedrick Hansen Contributors: Lois GlewweMasthead design by Nick GermanoAdvertising: Mario Polanco, Henry TorresHome Delivery: Independent Delivery Service Bulk Delivery: SC Distribution 651-285-1119

The South St. Paul Voice assumes no responsibility for the opinions expressed by contribu-tors and for the validity of claims or items reported. Copyright South St. Paul Voice 2010. All rights reserved in compliance of Federal Copyright Act of 1978.

St. Paul Publishing Co.1643 So. Robert St., West St. Paul, MN 55118

Phone: (651) 457-1177 [email protected]

beginning with construc-tion of the westbound span just north of the old bridge. All I-494 traf-fic would be diverted to the new span, and the old bridge would be demol-ished. Demolition would be done during the win-ter, to avoid intruding on the large volume of sum-mertime barge traffic. Once the old bridge was gone, the eastbound span of the new bridge would be built.

The project progressed well until 2004, when the Minnesota Depart-ment of Transportation (Mn/DOT) noticed that the new bridge was not only beginning to droop a bit, but was starting to crack and was in danger of collapsing under its own weight.

The source of this mis-hap? A design flaw under-estimating the amount of steel rebar needed to sup-port the bridge.

Wakota Bridgefrom page 2

Construction was put on hold. The section of bridge already built was retrofit with steel cables woven through steel bars and pulled so the sides of the bridge came together. This reduced the weight on the concrete and put an end to the sagging.

Because of the delay, the new bridge wasn’t ready by the winter of 2005/2006, which meant that demolition of the old bridge had to be de-layed a whole year. In addition, the design er-ror required construction changes to the eastbound span.

The next problem sur-faced when Mn/DOT and Lunda Construction, in charge of completing the westbound bridge and removal of the old bridge, were at odds over the cost of building the rede-signed eastbound section. Mn/DOT canceled its contract with Lunda, and in January 2008 opened bids for construction of

the second span.The lowest bidder?

Lunda Construction. Lunda’s $60 million bid was within a few hun-dred thousand dollars of its earlier projection. Lunda received about $10 million in a breach of contract settlement. Construction of the sec-ond span began in March 2008.

Mn/DOT had about $40 million left to fin-ish the project, causing concern about cash flow. The department was con-sidering delaying work

on the Wakota Bridge until more funds could be found. Then, in No-vember 2008, MNDOT received $20 million from the bridge designer to compensate for the design errors. That cov-ered the cost of fixing the westbound span, with a few dollars left over for the $30 million price in-crease to build the east-bound span.

Sachi expressed his re-lief regarding the bridge completion since it will reduce the amount of traffic moving through

the city of South St. Paul during rush hour when “jumpers” would exit from clogged-up 494, scoot through town and then re-enter the freeway closer to the bridge.

“We had many com-plaints from residents about the jumpers com-ing down their streets,” he said. “They weren’t stopping for a beer, they were frustrated commut-ers. The opening of the bridges will reduce the amount of wear and tear on the streets of South St. Paul.”

South St. Paul City Administrator Stephen King said that instead of avoiding the bridge and South St. Paul, commut-ers will know that they can quickly and efficient-ly move across the river, leading to more traffic and potential consumers of South St. Paul busi-nesses.

Kellner, of ABC Rent-al, expressed some opti-mism.

“We won’t be able to gauge the ‘ramp up’ (of business) for a while, but more free-flowing traffic and exiting and reenter-ing from Hardman and Concord will help,” he said. “We hope we are en-tering a season filled with progress.”

During construction, Kellner said his business was virtually landlocked as accesses were cut off. In response, he started delivering services to his customers.

“You have to adapt to a handicap,” he said. “We want people to know we are open for business, we have survived and we would love to have you visit.”

Final site cleanup is expected by the end of October. Landscaping is scheduled for this fall near Lake Road, and next fall along the bridge Concord to Maxwell.

Fun facts to know about the Wakota BridgeStatistics common to both spans

Location ..................................River mile 832.40 River elevation .........................686 feet Daily traffic count ...................89,000 (estimated) Bridge type ..............................Post-tensioned continuous concrete box girder Length ....................................1,892 feet, 466-foot longest span

Navigation channel width .........450 feet (estimated) Height above water ..................58 feet Entire Wakota Bridge cost ........$300 million

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HUGE GARAGE SALENext-to-New Garage Sale sponsored by the Junior League of St. Paul on Saturday, October 2 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Dairy Building on MN State Fairgrounds. New and gently-used clothing, toys, books, household, furniture, collectibles, and much more! Half price sale starts at 1 p.m., followed by $5 per bag sale at 3 p.m.

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South St. Paul Voice - September 2010 -

Your community news and information sourceR eligion

Heaven Citizenship Ministries: from Africa to South St. PaulMary Diedrick Hansen

Staff Writer

A new church has ar-rived in South St.

Paul, with roots in Africa and stops along the way in Belgium, accounting and microbiology.

François Ahimou and his wife, Anne, were born in Ivory Coast, West Af-rica, and met in college. He studied microbiol-ogy, and she, accounting. They married in 1994 and moved to Belgium, where François complet-ed a Ph.D. in microbi-ology and began a suc-cessful career in research at universities in Europe and the United States, including the University of Minnesota. He pub-lished numerous articles on applied microbiology. Two years ago, however, the couple took a “leap of faith,” and became

founders of Heaven Citi-zenship Ministries, based in South St. Paul.

During their years of study and professional careers, the couple’s deep faith in God had led them to serve at churches in the cities where they were living. Then, Fran-çois said he got “a clear mandate from God” that they could do more; “that God is more than a Sun-day Service. He is a life-style.”

They joined Power Evangelism Ministry, based in Bloomington, Minn., and while work-ing in research at the University of Minne-sota, they also preached and helped build new churches in Minnesota and Florida.

After three years of training and traveling, François said that once

again he got a strong nudge from God that it was time to change direc-tions and give more at-tention to ministering to others.

The couple took four months to pray for direc-tion from God, he added. What kind of ministry did God want? Where and when should it start? What they learned, he said, was that it should be a simple ministry with the mission to reach those who believe in Jesus Christ and God, but have not grown close enough to have experienced the joy and peace that comes through prayer and Bible study.

The church started two years ago in their living room with 10 people who were being trained to take on leadership roles and to work as a team to get the

church stabilized and to extend the vision. They are now located at 820 N. Concord St. The seating capacity for Sunday ser-vices is 60, and François is confident the church will grow. He is seeing outreach success through

television broadcasts of his preaching and teach-ing to nine different local cable stations throughout the metro area.

“I frequently get calls from people who have seen the sermon on televi-sion and need prayer.” he

François Ahimou, who was born in Ivory Coast, West Africa, took a leap of faith to found Heaven Citizenship Ministries, based in South St. Paul.

said. “So many people are suffering from depression due to divorce or how to pay the bills. My phone is always available.”

For more information, visit www.heavencitizen-ship.org or call 651-274-3244.

Dakota Premium Foods

425 S. Concord455-6611

•Central Square

Community Fitness Center

“Where South St. Paul comes together”

100 - 7th Ave. N.306-3690

•Thompson Trucks

and Parts, Inc.316 Malden St.

455-9300

Jodee Paape & Associates, LLC100 BridgePoint Dr.

Ste. 120455-4621

•Ries Electric

777 N. Concord451-2238

•James P. Leary, Jr.

Certified Public Accountant

1560 Livingston Ave., Suite 102,

West St.Paul 450-9373

Midwest Fabrics1226 S. Concord

451-6289•

ABC Rentals460 E. Villaume

451-2264•

Central Bank835 Southview Blvd.

451-2133•

Deering & SonsAuto Body

1449 S. Concord455-5089

Southview Acupuncture Clinic625 Southview Blvd.

(7th and Southview)455-4909

[email protected]

•Mayor Beth Baumann

•South St. Paul Healthy

Youth CoalitionWorking together to prevent

underage drinking in South St. Paul by linking family, school and

community for healthy youth.457-9491

The following community boosters wish you a

Safe and Happy Labor Day!


Your community news and information sourceN ews BriefsLibrary happenings

For more information on the following library events, call 651-554-3240 or visit www.south-stpaul.org/library.

• Book discussions - “Until They Bring the Streetcars Back” by Stanly Gordon West is the title discussed in September. The novel, which is set in St. Paul, follows teenager Cal Gant as he learns to take a stand, no matter what. The Wednesday afternoon group meets at 1 p.m., Sept. 15; the Thursday group at 7 p.m., Sept. 16. Informa-tion packets are available at the library’s front desk and on our website. West will be appearing at the Wentworth Library at 7 p.m., Tues., Sept. 21.

• Memoir writing workshop – Are you ready to put your fam-

ily’s story into words but don’t know where to start? A 3-session work-shop will be held 6:30-8 p.m., Sept. 23 and 30 and Oct. 7, conducted by James Rogers, writer and adjunct faculty of the University of St. Thomas. Registration is required.

• Drop-In Computer Help - Staff will be avail-able in the library meet-ing room 2-3 p.m., Mon., Sept. 20 to answer basic questions about common software programs, the worldwide web, e-mail and more.

• Saturday hours - The library will be open 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Satur-days, beginning Sept. 11.

• Storytimes - Story-times begin September 13 and continue through the week of Dec. 6. These events are a great way to promote literacy. Baby

storytime is offered Mondays at 6:30 p.m. This 20-minute program of action songs, stories, sign language and more is designed for children under age one and their parents. Toddler Story-time is offered Tuesdays at 10 a.m. The 20-min-ute sessions feature ac-tion rhymes, songs, and books geared toward children age 1-3 who are accompanied by an adult. Preschool Story-time is offered Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. These 30-minute sessions include books, music and more. Some include a short craft project, with all supplies provided. Themes change from week to week.

• Paws to R.E.A.D with Caesar and Lulu - Children of any age may sign up to read for

15 minutes to Caesar or Lulu, trained therapy and reading assistance dogs. Join Caesar 4-5 p.m. the second and fourth Thurs-day of each month, and Lulu 3-4 p.m. the second and fourth Saturday.

• Grand Tea - Grand-parents and their grand-children are invited to register for a Grand Tea, held at 2 p.m., Sat., Sept. 18. Ms. Marilyn from Mannerly Manners will be there to teach table manners and social grac-es. Refreshments will be provided.

Class of ’75 reunion

South St. Paul Class of 1975 is hosting its 35-year reunion at 6 p.m., Sat., Sept. 18, at the Cro-ation Hall in South St Paul. Cost is $5 per per-son at the door. Partici-pants are asked to bring hors d’oeuvres to share. For more information, contact [email protected], Classmates.com or call 612-801-2408.

Benefit for youth with cancer

The First Presbyteri-an Church of South St. Paul is hosting a benefit 2-7 p.m., Sat., Sept. 11, for the family of Wil-lard Lee, 10, of West St. Paul, who was diagnosed with T-cell acute lym-phoblastic leukemia in December of 2009 and continues ongoing treat-ment. Proceeds will help defray medical costs for the family. The event in-cludes food, games, silent auction and a musical performance by the Sib-ley High School band. Area Girl Scout and Boy

Scout troops will be help-ing with the event and church members are do-nating homemade candy, jams, pickles, produce and baked goods for sale. There will also be antique cars in the parking lot of the church, located at 535 20th Ave. N., South St. Paul. For more infor-mation, call the church office at 651-451-6223.

Square Dancing for beginners

Dakota Grand Squares square dancing club will offer weekly square danc-ing for beginners starting at 7 p.m., Tues., Sept. 21, at the Salem Lutheran Church, 11 W. Bernard, West St. Paul. Partici-pants will learn over 60 different calls that make up the basic square dance repertoire. Lessons are structured to include singles, couples and fam-ilies. Pre-registration is encouraged. For more in-formation, call 651-454-2942.

Dakota Grand Squares

Groundbreaking Ceremony - 3 p.m., Tues., Sept. 7 Join local officials and the Dakota County Community Development Agency to officially break-ground on this 60 unit affordable, independent living senior housing development that will be located on Thompson Avenue between 13th and 15th Avenue North in South St. Paul.

Building Features: • Mix of one and two bedroom units • Completely Smoke-Free Building • Underground Heated Parking Garage • Secured Entrances • Exercise Room • Laundry Facilities • Community Room with Kitchen

Income LimitsOne person: $45,100 Two people: $51,550

RentsOne Bedroom: $550 Two Bedroom: $673Note: Income limits and rents are subject to change. To request an application, call 651-675-4440. All applications received by November 1 will be put in a random lottery drawing for placement on the waiting list. For more information visit www.dakotacda.org or call 651-675-4400.

New Senior Housing in South St. Paul

Thompson HeightsOpening Summer 2011

October 17, 2009 11am to 4pm

310 Airport Rd Hangar 3 South St. Paul, MN 55075

www.cafmn.org 651-455-6942

Hosted By:The Commemorative Air Force, MN Wing

Wine Tasting & Vintage Fashion Show

Friday, September 106:00 - 10:00 pm

6-8 pm Wine Tasting with Warehouse Winery and Import Iberia 8 pm Fashion Show featuring Girl Can’t Help It Deluxe Clothing -Twilight Soaps & Gifts Vintage Collection, CAF PX and more.9 pm Trunk Show featuring - Atta Girl by Kedrin, Twilight Soaps and Gifts, Pacific Shores Stone Works and more. 6-10 pm Silent Auction Tickets: $10 in advance or $12 at the door. For tickets email [email protected]

Commemorative Air Force, MN Wing310 Airport Rd Hangar 3 South St. Paul • www.cafmn.org • 651-455-6942

Fall BombersMoon Ball

Saturday, September 186:00 pm - midnight

Music by the Roseville Big Band. Free Dance lessons from TC Swing & The Swing Cats.Doors open at 6 pm, dance lessons at 7 pm, dance runs from 8 pm to MidnightMusic, Dancing, Food, Prizes for best WWII era dress and more. $10 donation per person.Proceeds benefit the MN Wing CAF.

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Your community news and information sourceN ews Briefsalso holds dances the first Saturday of each month at St. John Vianney church, 1815 Bromley St., South St. Paul.

Parks and Recprograms

For more informa-tion on the following programs, call 651-306-3690, or visit the South St. Paul Parks and Rec-reation office, located at the Central Square Com-munity Center, 100 Sev-enth Ave. N.

• Fall programs - The South St. Paul Parks and Recreation Department is offering a large vari-ety of programs this fall, including after-school bowling, non-school day field trips, holiday hap-penings, family Target Center trips, adult kick-ball and more. A Fall Pro-gram Brochure is avail-able at www.southstpaul.org and at the Parks and Rec office.

• Kaposia Park Disc Golf Course - The 18-hole Kaposia Park Disc Golf Course operates on a “pay to play” format. Users must purchase an annual pass for $30 or a daily pass for $5. Passes can be purchased from the Fairway Flyerz facil-ity, located at tee box #1 at Kaposia Park. Annual passes are also sold at the Parks and Rec office.

• Kaposia Landing Off Leash Dog Park - Kapo-sia Landing Off-Leash Dog Park, a 6.3-acre park located near Concord Street North and Bryant Avenue in South St. Paul, features a fully fenced perimeter, bull pen entry and exit area, two shelters with picnic tables, Mutt Mitt waste disposable stations, trash containers and an information/bul-letin board kiosk. Dog Park users must purchase a yearly membership for $20. The fee supports on-going development of the park. Member-ship forms are available at www.southstpaul.org and at the Parks and Rec office.

Highground Memorial

Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 639 of South St. Paul is seeking cash and merchandise do-

nations for its fundraiser, which will be held 2-5:30 p.m., Sat., Oct. 16, at Bugg’s Place, 925 N. Concord Exchange. The event will feature food, a silent auction, pull tabs and more. Proceeds will benefit the Highground Memorial, which honors veterans of all wars. For more information, con-tact John Lynch at 651-459-1310 or [email protected].

Volunteer opportunities

• The Minnesota Reading Corps is seek-ing reading tutors for the 2010/2011 school year. The program pro-vides free, one-on-one tutoring to children age three through third grade. Minnesota Read-ing Corps members re-ceive a living stipend, reimbursement for col-lege (up to $5,350) and health insurance (for full-time members). For more information or to apply, visit www.Minne-sotaReadingCorps.org or call 1-866-859-2825.

• Neighbors, Inc., a social service agency serving Northern Dakota County, has a number of volunteer opportuni-ties to assist local resi-dents. For more informa-tion, contact [email protected] or call 651-306-2145.

Mississippi River Duck Race

Neighbors, Inc., a so-cial service agency serv-ing Northern Dakota County, is hosting the Great Mississippi River Duck Race 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Sat., Sept. 18, at Kaposia Landing, 800 Bryant Ave., South St. Paul. The event includes duck races, concessions, games and activities for all ages. Duck souvenirs and raffle tickets for a variety of prizes will be available for purchase. Raffle tickets are $1 each. All proceeds ben-efit Neighbors, Inc., pro-grams. Rubber ducks will be available for adop-tion at $5 each or $25 for a Family Fun Pack of five ducks. Duck races will be held throughout the event, with prizes awarded for the winning

duck in each race and the last place duck, the Lazy Duck.

Volunteers are needed to assist with the event. For more information on this and other volunteer opportunities at Neigh-bors, Inc., contact [email protected] or 651-306-2145.

Peace Maker Foundation hosts conflict resolution program

Peace Maker Founda-tion is hosting a presenta-tion at noon, Wed., Sept. 29 at Central Square Community Center, 100 Seventh Ave. N., to share information about school-based conflict resolution programs. The meeting is held in part-nership with South St. Paul Restorative Justice Council, Kaposia Educa-tion Center and Lincoln Center Elementary. For more information, con-tact Jodelle Ista at 651-455-4244, [email protected].

Morgan completes Basic Training

Air National Guard Airman Juanita M. Mor-gan of South St. Paul graduated from basic military training at Lack-land Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. She is a 2009 graduate of South St. Paul High School.

SSP Dance Team hosts dance clinic

The South St. Paul Dance Team will host a dance clinic for K-12 girls, Oct. 2, at South St. Paul High School. Par-ticipants will receive a T-shirt and perform during half-time at the Oct. 8 football game at Ettinger Field. For more informa-tion, call 651 323-0790.

Teen NightThe South St. Paul

Mayor’s Youth Task Force is hosting a Teen Night 8-10 p.m., Wed., Sept. 1, at the Central Square Community Center Am-phitheatre. This free event is for 7th-12th grade students. Music will be provided by DJ Preston Woods and food will be available to pur-chase. The event will also feature games and

prizes. The grand prize is a 1-hour limo ride for 8, provided by To-tal Comfort Limousine. For more information, contact Deb Griffith, community affairs liaison at 651-554-3230 or [email protected]. Program on cemeteries and burial places

A program on cemeter-ies and burial places is offered at 7 p.m., Thurs., Sept. 23, at the Dakota County Historical Soci-ety, 130 Third Ave. N., South St. Paul. Debbie Boe, a professional re-searcher, paralegal and genealogist, will present her story about transcrib-ing, compiling and pub-lishing cemetery burial monument information. Boe, who owns and oper-ates Debbie’s Historical and Genealogical Servic-es, has transcribed cem-etery burial monument information for numer-ous cemeteries in Carver, Dakota and Hennepin counties. This free pro-

gram is sponsored by the Dakota County Genea-logical Society. For more information, call Dick Thill at 651-452-5926.

Wine tasting and vintage fashion show

The Minnesota Wing Commemorative Air Force is hosting a wine tasting and vintage fash-ion show 6-11 p.m.,

Fri., Sept. 10, at Han-gar #3, Fleming Field, 310 Airport Road, South St. Paul. The wine tast-ing begins at 6 p.m., the fashion show at 8 p.m., and a trunk show at 9 p.m. A silent auction will be held 6-10 p.m. Tick-ets are $10 in advance or $12 at the door and can be ordered by emailing [email protected].

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Your community news and information sourceS ample St. PaulXcel Energy Center

Dave Matthews Band’s “Summer Tour 2010,” with special guests Black Joe Lewis & The Honey-bears, is coming to Xcel Energy Center at 7 p.m., Wed., Sept. 15. Tickets are $65. The Xcel Center is located at 199 W. Kel-logg Blvd., St. Paul. For more information, visit www.xcelenergycenter.com.

Children’s Museum“The Wizard of Oz,”

the first officially licensed and sanctioned travel-ing educational exhibit based on the beloved film classic, is featured through Sept. 12. Visi-tors will journey through child-size reproductions of memorable sets from the movie, such as the colorful Land of Oz, the Witch’s Castle and Em-erald City. Tickets are $8.95. The museum is located at 10 W. Seventh St., St. Paul. For more in-formation, call 651-225-6000.

Ordway Center for Performing Arts

“Evita” is featured Sept. 30-Oct. 31, at the Ordway Center for Per-forming Arts, 35 Wash-ington St., St. Paul. This performance details the life of First Lady of Ar-gentina Eva Perón, who was a legend in her time. A country girl, she rose to become the most pow-erful woman Latin Amer-ica had ever seen—a po-tent symbol of hope and change. Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s opera is the powerhouse telling of her brief and fascinating life. Tickets are $19-$39. For more information, call 651-224-4222 or visit www.ordway.org.

History Center“The Beatles! A One-

Night Stand in the Heartland” is presented through Sept. 12 at the Minnesota History Cen-ter. The Beatles perfomed only once in Minnesota,

Photo by Connie Shaver

Concrete and Grass Lowertown Music FestivalThe fourth annual Concrete and Grass Lowertown Music Festival will return to St. Paul’s Mears Park Sept.

9-11. The festival will feature classical, indie rock, opera, hip hop, jazz, punk rock and blues on two stages. The festival kicks off on Thurs., Sept. 9 with a Club Crawl, featuring live music in a number of Lowertown

clubs. The Mears Park performances will take place on the permanent stage and a second acoustic stage on Sixth Street, beginning Friday afternoon and continuing through Saturday evening. The music will continue after the park closes at 10 p.m. with additional performances on stages of neighboring clubs in the Lowertown Entertainment District. The Festival includes Thursday happy-hour music beginning at 3:30 at various Lower-town clubs. Music begins in Mears Park at 5 p.m. on Friday and noon on Saturday. Food, wine and beer from restaurants in the Lowertown Entertainment District will be available for purchase. For more information, visit concreteandgrass.com.continued on next page

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Your community news and information sourceS ample St. Paulon Aug. 21, 1965. This exhibit features images taken by Bill Carlson of frenzied fans, close-up images of the band and concert images, some of which have never before been seen. The exhibit also tells the story of a young photographer who got the experience of a lifetime, a local concert promoter who chose not to advertise the concert for fear of crowds that might get out of control, and the lucky fans who did attend.

“Minnesota’s Greatest Generation: The De-pression, The War, The Boom” - This exhibit features more than 6,000 square feet of artifacts, interactive displays and innovative multimedia experiences that reveal the lives and stories of the men and women who came of age during the Depression and World War II, and who went on to create the phe-nomenal postwar boom. The exhibition features first-person narratives in recorded interviews, im-ages, film and audio.

“MN 150”- Meet 150 people, places, events and things that sparked significant change within Minnesota and beyond.

Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and college students, and $5 for children ages 6-17. The Center offers free admission on Tuesdays,

5-8 p.m. For more in-formation, call 651-259-3000 or visit www.mnhs.org.

History TheatreSample Night Live, a

sampling of local produc-tions, is featured at the History Theatre at 7 p.m. the first Wednesday of each month, except Feb-ruary. The format fea-tures 12 acts per night, including theater, film, dance, improv, visual arts, folk and opera. The next performance is July 7. Tickets are $20. The History Theater is locat-ed at 30 E. Tenth St., St. Paul. For more informa-tion, call the box office at 651-292-4323.

Science Museum“Dead Sea Scrolls:

Words That Changed the World.” This exhib-it, featured through Oct. 24, offers a rare opportu-nity to witness one of the greatest archaeological finds of the 20th century. The Dead Sea Scrolls in-clude the earliest known Biblical writings. The 2,000-year-old authentic text fragments are steeped in scientific, religious and cultural significance. Complementing the ex-hibit is “Arabia,” showing in the Omnitheater. This film offers a look at Ara-bia’s culture, history and religion. Tickets are $28 for adults and $22 for children ages 4-12 and

seniors age 60 and older, or $34 and $28 respec-tively with admission to the Omnitheater.

The Science Museum is located at 120 W. Kellogg Blvd. For more informa-tion, visit www.smm.org, or call 651-221-9444.

Artists’ QuarterThe Artists’ Quarter,

located in the Historic Hamm Building at Sev-enth Place and St. Peter in downtown St. Paul, offers live entertainment throughout the month, including jazz bands, po-etry nights and the popu-lar B-3 organ night, held at 9 p.m. every Tuesday. For a complete schedule of events, call 651-292-1359 or visit www.artist-squarter.com.

Minnesota State Fair

The Great Minne-sota Get-Together, held through Sept. 6 in St. Paul, draws more than 1.6 million visitors an-nually and showcases Minnesota’s finest agri-culture, art, industry and people-watching. Every-thing edible on a stick can be found at the fair, along with a giant Mid-way, a kidway, free mu-

sic, Grandstand concerts, giveaways, product dem-onstrations, butter sculp-tures, animals, parades and much more. Tickets are $11 (free for kids 5 and under). Bargain days and discounted tickets bought before the Fair are available. For more information, visit www.mnstatefair.org.

Comedian Steve Hofstetter comes to Station 4

Comedian Steve Hof-stetter will be appearing Wed., Sept. 29 at Sta-tion 4, located at 201 E. Fourth St., St. Paul. Hofstetter has been on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and E! True Hollywood Sto-ry, Comics Unleashed, Comedy All-Stars, Quite

Frankly, White Boyz in the Hood, Countdown, and more. He is a former columnist for Sports Il-lustrated and the NHL, and has also written for Maxim and the New York Times, among others. For more information, visit www.stevehofstetter.com.

Saturday Live continues in September

The popular Saturday Live series will continue in September with week-ly performances at the St. Paul Public Central Li-brary, 90 West Fourth St. The following programs begin at 11:15 a.m. For more information, visit www.sppl.org.

Sept. 11 - Schiffelly Puppets will bring a frac-tured fairy-tale to life.

Setp. 18 - Magical Mia will mystify and entertain with sleight of hand and

illusions involving flow-ers, umbrellas, scarves, gems, pearls, butterflies and more.

Sept. 25 - Musical guests the Okee Dokee Brothers will engage the audience with interactive songs and activities.

Ballet TuesdayLandmark Center and

St. Paul City Ballet will present Ballet Tuesdays at noon the second Tues-day of the month, Sept. 14-May 10, 2011, at the Landmark Center, 75 W. 5th St. The free per-formances will feature the St. Paul City Ballet’s Company of dancers per-forming excerpts from their holiday show, The Enchanted Toy Shop, The Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. For more in-formation, visit www.landmarkcenter.org.

Hall rental & special packages available for fundraisers.

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Live Music in SeptemberSeptember 3 .......................................................The AuthoritiesSeptember 4 ..................................... High Brow and the ShadesSeptember 10 ...............................Tim Sigler (Country), $5 coverSeptember 11 ............................................. Big Toe and the JamSeptember 17 .........................Shayne Wyatt (Country), $5 coverSeptember 18 .... High Noon, final performance at VFW, $5 coverSeptember 21 .........................River City Jazz Orchestra, 7-10pmSeptember 24 ......................... Lost Highway (Country), $5 coverSeptember 25 .............................................Iron Horse (Country)

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Your community news and information sourceC ommunity ColumnsWhat did you do on Wednesday nights this summer?

If you were a member of the South St. Paul Mayor’s Youth Task Force, you were either at Central Square Community Center or Northview Pool. It was quite a summer!

To combat the statement, “There is nothing to do in South St. Paul,” the task force was on a mission to provide activities and events for the community on Wednesday evenings during the summer. Each task force member helped plan and lead an event. Whether it was being in charge of a refreshment stand or com-ing up with games for the pool parties, our members were terrific in their leadership role. Were we success-ful? Here are our observations. You decide.

In June, the task force brought Sounds of South St. Paul to Central Square Community Center on Wednesday evenings. These concerts continued for seven weeks and attracted 100-200 people per con-cert. It appeared to be a favorite of the slightly older generation of South St. Paulites, but had a mix of youth as well. Was it successful? We think so.

In July, we hosted four Swimming under the Stars pool parties at Northview Pool on Wednesday eve-nings. These parties started at 8 p.m., immediately following the closing of the regular pool sessions and the Sounds of South St. Paul concerts. In some cases the concerts were still taking place when the pool par-ties started so task force members split up and covered both events. Attendance at these parties grew each week, with 100-150 youth and parents attending. The average age of the attendees was 10-16. These events were so successful that the task force added three more pool parties during August. Why was there such in-terest? We asked the same question of attendees, and here is what they told us:

“It is a Wednesday night tradition.”“To have fun with my friends.” “It is fun to swim at night.” “To cool off after sports.” “It is a chance to swim.” “It is only $2 to get in.” “It is fun and cheap.” “I love the games that the task force members come

up with.” “The music is great.” “I like playing with the floaties in the pool.” “The parents can get in for free to watch their kids.” “You don’t get sunburn.”“The prizes are great.” “It is like when I was a kid swimming at Northview.”

We received a variety of answers, but everyone we talked with said they were having a good time. In ad-dition, the parents thanked us for hosting the parties. Were they successful? We think so.

In August, the task force, along with the Parks and Rec Department and Experience Shows, Inc., started a 4-week series of Movies in the Park. Even with the other activities going on, attendance topped 100. The audience was mostly under age 10 with their parents. Were they successful? Again, we think so.

So, what do you think? Was there something to do in South St. Paul this summer? The task force would like to thank everyone who helped make these events possible.

So what’s on tap for the fall? The task force is plan-ning a variety of events, including a teen party for 7-12 graders at Central Square Community Center. It will take place 8-10 p.m., Wed., Sept. 1, in the Amphitheatre at Central Square. There will be mu-sic, food, games and fabulous prizes. Admission is free and food may be purchased.

For more information on the task force, visit www.southstpaul.org and click on Mayor’s Youth Task Force.

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Plans are available for download for $10 atwww.questcdn.com, eBidDoc #: 1278004.

Plans are available for viewing at:Minneapolis Builders Exchange, St. Paul Builders

Exchange, and PCL’s Burnsville Office.

Scopes include, but are not limited to: selective demolition, parking lot paving and site concrete, cast-in-place concrete, masonry, structural steel framing, light rail track, roofing, glazing, finishes, mechanical and electrical systems, O&M Facility equipment.

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Saturday, September 185 pm - 10 pm

Tacos and flautas, deejay,other food and refreshments

Sunday, September 1911:30 am - 4 pm

Homestyle chicken dinner,children’s games, vintage cars

Fall FestivalSeptember 18-19

St. Matthew’s Catholic Church

Hall & Robie on St. Paul’s West SideFor more details, call 651-224-9793.

BOTH DAYS...Games: Bingo, Bottle Lotto, Lollipop, Animal Rescue, Paddle Wheel and more.Merchandise: Bakery, jewelry, candles, holiday items, books, DVDs/CDs and more.Raffle, silent auction, pie and ice cream, root beer floats, brats, burgers, French fries, pizza and more.

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River Heights Chamber of Commerce recognizes business success stories

The River Heights Chamber of Commerce is proud to recognize two South St. Paul business members for their recent achievements and honors received nation-ally and internationally.

Bywords Printing

A publication produced by By-words Printing of South St. Paul won the Dromedary award for out-standing achieve-ment in printed communications from Shriners In-ternational. Nan-cy Fish and Jerry Payne, proprietors of Bywords Print-ing, have been active with the Osman Shriners for many years and have prepared the Osman Shrine newspaper since 2006. Nancy is responsible for de-sign and the photography, and Bywords prints and distributes the magazine.

The Dromedary Awards recognize exceptional com-munications efforts throughout Shriners Interna-tional, which has 193 Temples throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. Osman’s newspaper won first place among Temples with membership under 2,000.

Imperial Potentate Jack Jones presented the win-ning Temples with the awards during the 136th Im-perial Council Session in Toronto in July. Shriners are

Your community news and information sourceC ommunity Columns

Jennifer L. Gale, president

By John Kemp Executive Director of

Neighbors, Inc.

Neighbors, Inc.

perhaps best known for wearing their distinctive red fez, and for their 22 hospitals in North America that provide orthopedic and burn care to children at no charge to the family.

Bywords has been in business since 1981 and has been a part of the South St. Paul community since 1994. Fish served as Chairman of the River Heights Chamber of Commerce in 2005, and she and Payne have been active in Kaposia Days for more than 15 years.

Roadware, Inc.Roadware, Inc., of South St. Paul donated one of its

products to assist with a Haiti relief effort after receiv-ing a call last March from Frank Jacobs, director of Hope Alive! Clinic Ministries. He found Roadware’s website and called owner Kelton Glewwe to explain his need to repair a major crack in his clinic’s founda-tion. Roadware donated a Concrete Repair Interna-tional Start-up Kit, which they normally sell to new international customers. The kit contains everything needed to complete a small concrete repair project and helps new customers get acquainted with Road-ware products. Roadware has sent these kits to over 30 different countries over the years.

“We were able to get the kit into Haiti in time for our July 8 trip and brought along a pastor who is also a ‘concrete guy’,” said Jacobs. “He said he has never worked with a product that was so easy and did such a great job. The epicenter of the earthquake was only six to seven miles from our clinic. We even have two sets of tubes left over. The neighbors will benefit.”

Jacobs recently sent Glewwe a thank-you note that

read, “I do not know how to say thanks but to just say thanks. Your kindness has made a difference with Hope Alive Clinics and the Haitian people.”

Congratulations to both of these businesses for their outstanding work and outreach in our commu-nity and abroad.

For more information on the River Heights Cham-ber of Commerce or our members, visit www.river-heights.com or call us at 651-451-2266. The River Heights Chamber of Commerce is located at 5782 Blackshire Path, Inver Grove Heights.

Here come the ducks. Here come the ducks. Y’all watch out, ‘cause here come the ducks!

Yes, it’s almost rubber duck time again; the time of year when Neighbors, Inc. hosts its annual Great Neighbors Mississippi River Duck Races and Family Fun Day. Our third annual event will be held Sat., Sept. 18, at Kaposia Landing in South St. Paul, and this year’s event promises to be more fun than ever before.

Here’s how it works. People adopt one or more ducks. They are given a certificate (not a duck) with

a unique number on it, which corresponds to num-bers on the ducks entered in the race. The first three ducks across the finish line of an enclosed course on the Mississippi River win prizes for their adopters.

This year an extra element of fun has been added. Instead of all the ducks being dumped into the water at the same time, the event will be held in heats. Ap-proximately 300 ducks will be entered into each heat, and the first 25 ducks to cross the finish line will be entered into the finals. Once all the heats have been completed and the finalists determined, there will be a championship race. The adopter of the first-place duck will win a new 50cc motor scooter; the second-place winner a flat-screen television, and the third-place winner a backyard movie screening. The last duck to cross the finish line will win the Lazy Duck Award, a $100 cash prize for its adopter. In addition, winners of each heat will win a prize.

Also new this year is the “duck chute,” a large wood-en chute that will be placed on the bank of the river. Water will be pumped from the top of the chute to carry the ducks down to the river, where they will en-ter the Mississippi River and float to the finish line. It

should be quite a spectacle and lots of fun to watch. Heats will be begin at 11 a.m., and the championship race at 2:45 p.m.

Ducks may be adopted at a large number of loca-tions this year. Visit www.neighborsmn.org for spe-cific locations. In addition, adoption certificates are available at Neighbors, Inc., 218 13th Ave. S., South St. Paul, and at many churches throughout northern Dakota County. Adoptions are $5 each. Remember, adopting more ducks increases your chances of win-ning one of our great prizes. All funds raised in this event will support our programs for the people of northern Dakota County.

Family Fun Day at Kaposia Landing will include several food booths, a variety of games and inflatables, and a “duck store,” where duck-themed products will be available. Duck adoptions will also be available on site during the event, which runs from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Also, mark your calendar to attend our Huge In-door Rummage Sale, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Sept. 8-9. The sale features a wide variety of clothing and household items.

Jerry Payne and Nancy Fish

Roadware assisted with a Haiti relief project.

Saturday, September 185 pm - 10 pm

Tacos and flautas, deejay,other food and refreshments

Sunday, September 1911:30 am - 4 pm

Homestyle chicken dinner,children’s games, vintage cars

Fall FestivalSeptember 18-19

St. Matthew’s Catholic Church

Hall & Robie on St. Paul’s West SideFor more details, call 651-224-9793.

BOTH DAYS...Games: Bingo, Bottle Lotto, Lollipop, Animal Rescue, Paddle Wheel and more.Merchandise: Bakery, jewelry, candles, holiday items, books, DVDs/CDs and more.Raffle, silent auction, pie and ice cream, root beer floats, brats, burgers, French fries, pizza and more.

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Fall FestivalSt. Michaels Church

of West St. PaulSaturday Sept. 25 (4 to 7 p.m.)

Homemade lasagna dinner / Outdoor 5 pm Mass$1000 raffle grand prize

Sunday Sept. 26 (11 a.m. to 5 p.m.)

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Your community news and information sourceR iver ConnectionsAmerica’s Great Outdoors Initiative

Our President wants you to explore the Mississippi River…and other natural amenities

Tim SpitzackEditor

This spring, my son Jake, 14, and I took

a weekend canoe trip on the Mississippi River and one of its tributar-ies: the Zumbro River. As we dipped our paddles into the river, it quickly became evident that the vast number of supplies we had along — tent, cooler, Coleman stove, etc. — would require us to use more strength in each stroke. We dug in hard until we finally found our rhythm, and once our muscles were warmed and cooperative we were able to enjoy the beauty of the landscape.

As we glided along a bushy bank, which cooled us from the warm afternoon sun, we were

able to peer into the for-est to see the different foliage, wildflowers and birds and animals that lived there.

“Look! A bald eagle,” Jake called out as we ap-proached the mouth of the Zumbro. We let the canoe drift quietly along as we closely examined our National bird, which was perched only yards away on a dead branch of a nearby tree. As we stroked further upstream, we saw another eagle, and then another. Suddenly, four bald eagles were playing hop-scotch with us as we paddled a hand-ful of miles to a remote sandbar, which would be our campsite.

That night, after we had scavenged enough driftwood for a campfire, we talked of the day. We

lamented the difficulty of the paddle, we marveled at the number of eagles we had seen and we spoke of the thrill of rounding each river bend. As the flames flickered in the night, we heard strange noises in the forest, fish jump in the river, and secretly wondered about our safety from the wild animals. We were out of our comfort zone, and we were happy.

A trip such as ours is exactly what the organiz-ers of the new Great Out-doors Initiative hope to see happen more often. The goal of the federal program, which was re-cently instituted by Pres-idential Memorandum, is simple: to get more people outdoors and to spark a national dialogue on how we can protect

and conserve our natural resources. According to the Council on Environ-mental Quality (CEQ), 80 percent of Americans live in cities and suburbs. Coalition members, in-cluding the departments of the Interior and Agri-culture, the Environmen-tal Protection Agency and the CEQ, want to see better access to our rivers, parks, lakes and other na-tional amenities, which in turn will hopefully promote better conser-vation and preservation practices. To get the ball rolling, they are hosting listening sessions across the country. The first one was held in St. Paul on Aug. 4. The event began with more than 40 youth paddling a voyageur ca-noe to Harriet Island, the

site of a press conference. The youth are part of the Let’s Move Outside Ju-nior Ranger Program of the National Park Ser-vice, held in partnership with Wilderness Inquiry, Inc. and Urban Wilder-ness Canoe Adventure. A youth listening session was held at Mill City Museum in Minneapolis that day, and the com-munity listening session took place at the Ted Mann Concert Hall in Minneapolis.

Regional discussions

Locally, the National Park Service has been hosting a Mississippi River Forum series since April 2009, which en-courages discussion on how to protect and pre-serve the river. These discussions fit perfectly into this national initia-tive. Some of the topics have included the value of open space, improv-ing water quality with innovative stormwater techniques, drinking the Mississippi River, and the Mississippi Makeover Project. For more infor-mation and future forum dates, visit http://www.nps.gov/miss/nature-science/rfmonthly.htm or call the National Park Service at 651-290-3030.

The St. Paul Riverfront Corporation recently began its next round of discussions to update the Great River Park Master Plan, which is a planning document used to help connect people to the

Mississippi River and to promote recreation and conservation. The plan was developed in 2006 as a way to link new and existing park land to-gether, thus making the area “more natural, more urban and more connect-ed.”

“America’s Great Out-doors Initiative will play an important role in confronting the serious challenges our natural resources face today: cli-mate change, air and wa-ter pollution, landscape fragmentation and loss of open space,” said Ag-riculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in a prepared statement. “This effort will bring Americans from across the country together to look for new approaches to protect our national treasures, and it will highlight the impor-tance of working across ownership boundaries to restore and conserve both private and public lands in a way that recognizes that conservation and economic vitality are in-extricably linked.”

VolunteeringIf you are interested

in helping preserve the river, contact one of the following area St. Paul-based organizations:• Friends of the Missis-sippi River - www.fmr.org, 651-222-2193• Great River Greening - www.greatrivergreening.org, 651-665-9500• Mississippi River Fund - www.missriverfund.org, 651-290-3030.

Photo courtesy of National Park Service

The National Park Service offers many programs to engage the com-munity in exploring the great outdoors, including a youth program with Wilderness Inquiry and Urban Wilderness Canoe Adventure.

Once in a lifetime a story will change your heart and your perspective...

John Jenkins, a young journalist, is marking off time at the small-town Marquette Messenger until he can get into the big-league newspapers. After all, nothing significant ever happens in a farming community, he thinks. Then one day Jenkins is given a routine, dull assignment—to write the obituary of an elderly local farmer, Alfred Gutzman. The remarkable untold story Jenkins uncovers through his investigation, happenstance en-counters with people who knew Gutzman, and covert visits to his farm, challenge everything the young reporter holds dear...

A poignant glimpse of the heart wounds of WWII vets on both sides of the line

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Your community news and information sourceH ome Improvement

Winterizing your homeSmall changes that can add up to big savings

By the time the first winter chill hits the

air, most people have al-ready dusted off their winter coats and pre-pared themselves for the brisk months ahead. For homeowners, however, readying for the win-ter involves more than just unpacking the cold weather clothes.

Each year, homeowners overspend on winter util-ities because they fail to make several small, but energy efficient, modera-tions to their home for the winter. Winterizing a home is quick, easy and inexpensive and can help homeowners trim a sub-stantial amount off their wintertime bills.

• Inspect and repair all insulation.

Most homeowners are aware that hot air rises. Still, most homes have attics with poor insula-tion. Even if you spend little time in your attic, it needs to be well-insulat-ed to keep heating costs down. A properly insu-lated attic could save ho-

meowners a few hundred dollars over the course of a single winter season. A poorly insulated attic, however, will have the opposite effect.

• Don’t let cold air in.

Turning up the ther-mostat is not the most efficient way to keep your home comfort-able. Chances are, if past winters have found you routinely turning up the heat, you have cracks, gaps or holes throughout your house that are let-ting cold air in. Cracks around windows and doors are often the cul-prit when cold air enters a home. Fixing these cracks is inexpensive, and you won’t find yourself constantly overcompen-sating with the heating system. If your windows are on the older side, consider replacing them. While new windows can be a costly expense, in the long run the better insulation they provide will make them more than worth it.

• Don’t let warm air out.

While cracks and holes around windows and doors let cold air in, there are other spots where warm air also escapes a home. This is especially true of areas around elec-trical outlets on exterior walls. If these outlets are insecure, warm air will es-cape through them. Such areas are easily fixed with inexpensive caulking or simply by installing new outlet plates and making sure they are snug to the wall.

• Inspect your heating system-Homeowners often fail to have their heating systems inspected, and

the result can be higher heating bills thanks to dirty heating ducts and old filters. Once these items are cleaned and replaced, homeowners realize results almost im-mediately.

Another way to save

money with your heating system is to use a setback thermometer. A setback thermometer can be set so you can heat the home while you’re there, but lower the temperature during the hours when there is usually no one

home (such as during school hours or the work day). The cost of heating the home back up when you arrive home at night is far less than the cost of keeping the home heated throughout the day when no one is around.

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Your community news and information sourceB ack in Time

The Grand Old South St. Paul City Hall

Lois GlewweContributor

At the top of the Grand Avenue hill

where Grand meets Third Avenue North, today’s South St. Paul residents will find Lawshe Park, a small hillside garden spot with a few benches where walkers can take a wel-come rest. Few remember that the peaceful park was once the site of South St. Paul’s grand old city hall, a massive structure with elaborate stonework and copper domed tower.

Built in 1890, the City Hall was thought by some to be a foolish waste of money. South St. Paul was incorporated in March of 1887 with boundaries that included the current city limits plus the en-tire area of what is now the city of West St. Paul. The first 1887 city coun-cil planned to build a

new city hall on donated land on Oakdale. The of-fer came with a one-year, $6,000 cost stipulation and the Council could never agree on the exact location or design. Two years later, half of the South St. Paul Council got up and walked out to form the city of West St. Paul. The newly formed West St. Paul City Coun-cil moved quickly to ac-cept an offer of land on Eaton Street (now South Robert Street) at Orme Avenue. They hired ar-chitect John Hopper Coxhead to design their city hall and moved into the impressive building in December 1889.

In the meantime, South St. Paul struggled with the financial crisis that resulted from the split. The city lost five of the nine existing schools that had been built between 1887 and 1889, includ-

ing Gladstone School, where the city offices were located. Thus, they no longer had a meeting place, and the land do-nated for their city hall was now outside South St. Paul’s new boundar-ies. Nevertheless, just five days before his work was completed on the

West St. Paul City Hall, South St. Paul officials hired architect Coxhead to design their city hall.

West St. Paul’s City Hall cost $5,000, but the bid South St. Paul received from the con-tracting firm of Barnett & Record came in at $8,950. A few weeks later an additional $1,900 was added to cover the cost of vault doors purchased from Dakota Safe and Lock Company of Can-ton, Ohio. When the two city halls were com-pleted, they were nearly identical in design.

Coxhead’s South St. Paul City Hall was ready for occupancy on July 28, 1890. As the mayor and city council moved into their new facilities, along with the police de-partment and other city staff, they faced many challenges, especially fi-nancial ones. It was only

a few months later, in January 1891, that C.H. Lienau, a state senator from Ramsey County, wrote to Senator Igna-tius Donnelly of Dakota County expressing his dismay at the behavior of the South St. Paul City Council. His words, pub-lished in the South St. Paul Reporter on Febru-ary 9, 1891, included the following accusa-tion: “They (the property owners living in South St. Paul) will tell you some strange stories about the building of a so-called ‘City Hall’ at an enor-mous cost, a building for which there was ab-solutely no demand….” He went on to itemize a long list of expenditures, which he said were in question. His suggestion to Donnelly was that Ramsey County and the city of St. Paul immedi-ately step in and annex

South St. Paul in order to protect its citizens from such irresponsibility.

Fortunately for South St. Paul, the annexation move failed, in large part because there was a ter-rible snowstorm on the night the vote was taken, and those in favor of an-nexation were unable to get to the meeting. Freed from the threat of take-over, the Council contin-ued to work through its financial crisis and man-aged to move forward. By 1891, the city hall had been fitted with steam heating and its rooms and auditorium were rented nearly every night for literary readings, socials, church meetings and civic groups. Its construction cost had prompted criti-cism and controversy, but for the next 63 years it would be the focal point of the growing commu-nity.

West St. Paul City Hall, above left, was erected on the corner of South Robert Street and Orme Avenue in 1889. South St. Paul’s municipal center, above right, was built in 1890 on the top of the hill at Grand Avenue and Third Avenue North. Both structures were designed by architect John Hopper Coxhead, who founded his own firm in St. Paul in 1887. South St. Paul demolished its city hall in 1953. The old West St. Paul City Hall was torn down in October 1971.

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