SSP Mar 10

March 2010

Volume 7

Number 3

IN THIS ISSUE...• News Briefs.................................. Page 4• Sample St. Paul............................ Page 6• River Connections........................ Page 8• Back in Time.............................. Page 12

Still Standing After All These Years…

Even.during.times.of.prosperity,.the.first.quarter.of.the.year.can.be.challenging.for.many.businesses..Yet,.many.local.companies.continue.offering.goods.and.services.through.good.times.and.bad..The.Voice.turned.to.some.long-time.South.St..Paul.business.owners.to.see.how.they.are.weathering.the.recession.and.find.out.what.guides.them.toward.continued.success,.and.for.their.views.on.the.business.climate.

Business Climate / Page 2

B & G Crossing601 Marie Ave. 651-451-8563 Owner: Dave Gerkovich

Business History:In.1934,.Ely.Gerkov-

ich. opened. Marie. Av-enue. Dry. Goods,. also.know. as. “Gerkovich’s,”.in. South. St. Paul.  The.store. carried. men’s,.women’s. and. children’s.clothing,. including.school. uniforms,. and.a. notions. section. with.sewing. supplies.. The.store. continues. as. a.family-owned.business,.although. the. name.was. changed. to. B. &.G. Crossing. to. better.reflect. the. identity. of.its. owners,. with. the.“B”.representing.Doro-thy. Gerkovich. Blais-dell. and. her. husband.John,. and. the. “G”.for. her. brother. Dave.Gerkovich.. The. 1980s.saw. many. changes. for.the. business..The. chil-dren’s. department. was.eliminated. and. the.business. was. comput-erized. for. better. in-ventory. and. customer.tracking.. Dave. even-tually. became. its. sole.proprietor.

Have you ever consid-ered relocating outside of South St Paul?

“We. had. considered.opening. a. second. store.outside. of. South. St. Paul.but. were. unable. to. find.the. perfect. venue. or.qualified. management.for. a. second. shop,”. said.Gerkovich.

What accounts for your longevity in the clothing business?

“You.have.to.love.what.you. do. and. have. good.quality. vendors,. good.customer. service,. and.the.good.fortune.to.have.good.customers.”

Have you ever experi-enced a business climate

like the one we are in right now?

“We’ve. seen. some.pretty. lean. years. –. and.this. would. be. among.the. worst.. It’s. not. just.the. economy,. but. also. a.changing.demographic.”.

What steps do you take to adjust to forc-es that challenge your business operation?

“As.a.rule,.we.do.what-ever. it. takes. to. keep.our. customers. satisfied,.whether. it. means. taking.phone.orders.and.deliver-ing,. and. offering. altera-tions.”.

What is the most im-portant aspect of your business?

“Definitely. very. per-sonal.customer.service..Making. hard-to-find.sizes. available,. such. as.large. and. tall. sizes. for.men,. and. petites. and.women’s. sizes. (1X,.2X,.3X).for.women.”.

Grevas Photography1100 South Concord Street651-451-0402Owner: Dan Grevas

Business History:At. age. 14,. Dan. Gre-

vas. opened. a. package.from. his. brother. who.was. stationed. in. Viet-

Mary Diedrick HansenStaff Writer

Cash flow on the MississippiPage 8

Plans advancing for new Lafayette BridgePage 5

Dead Sea Scrollscoming to St. PaulPage 6

Dave Gerkovich, owner of B & G Crossing.

Page 2 - South St. Paul Voice - March 2010

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,.Isaac.Contreras.Home 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 2009...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]

nam.. In. it. was. a. Canon.Pelix. camera,. which. was.to. become. the. start. of. a.lifelong. love. affair. with.the. art. of. photography..There. was. nothing. “au-tomatic”. about. a. Canon.Pelix. back. then.. Grevas.said. he. learned. his. skills.from.the.“bootstraps.up.”.His. hobby. evolved. into.a. 29-year. business. (and.counting).when.he.estab-lished. Grevas. Photogra-phy. in. the. Midway. area.of. St.. Paul. in. 1981.. He.moved. to. South. St.. Paul.In.1984.

Why has South St. Paul been such a good location for you?

“Because. most. of. the.people. support. local.businesses,”. said. Grevas..“I. really. appreciate. that..When.I.ask.my.customers.why. they. chose. me,. they.say,. ‘high. quality,. that. I.have.been.in.the.business.for. a. while,’. but. most.say,. ‘I’m. from. South. St..Paul. and. I. support. our.local. businesses.’. That’s.

terrific.. Our. country. has.evolved.into.a.global.and.internet. nation.. I. won’t.buy. anything. over. the.internet. that. I. can. buy.locally.. I. try. to. spend.my.money. locally.. If.you.don’t,. local. businesses.who.pay.taxes.to.the.city.will. go. down. and. taxes.will.go.up.for.residents.”

What accounts for your longevity in the business?

“Working. long. hours:.50-60. hours. each. week,.quality. up. front,. and.good. customer. service..Photography. is. really.a. people. business.. You.need. to. make. the. cus-tomer.feel.comfortable.to.get. a. good. portrait.. My.wife. and. I. enjoy. people.but.we.work.hard.and.ap-ply.ourselves.”

Have you ever experi-enced a business climate like the one we are in right now?

“There. was. a. recession.in. the. ’80s. when. I. start-ed.. But. back. then. if. you.made.$50. you.were.hap-

py..I.didn’t.have.anything.to. compare. to.. No,. I’ve.never. seen. anything. like.this..It’s.tough.out.there..We. all. have. to. band. to-gether. to. get. through..I’ve.heard.many.business.owners.say.they.are.work-ing.two.times.as.hard.for.half.the.money..The.busi-ness. is. your. heart. and.soul..You.will.fight.pretty.hard.to.keep.it.”

What steps do you take to adjust to forc-es that challenge your business?

“We. are. cutting-edge.with. slide. shows,. folded.holiday. cards. and. Face-book. photos. of. the. class.of. 2010.. We. constantly.go. to. seminars. to. learn.new.techniques..We.have.a. large.4,000.square-foot.studio. to. manage. the.growing.business.—.even.have.a.waterfall.and.boul-ders. and. a. flower. garden.outside. and. behind. the.studio. as. a. backdrop. for.portraits.”

What is the most im-portant aspect of your

business?“The. people.. I. am. so.

glad. they. hang. in. there.with.us.”..

Globe Printing 224 North Concord Exchange 651-451-2261Owners: Dan and Bill Horst

Business History Globe. Publishing. was.

started. in. 1919. to. meet.

the.printing.needs.of. the.Livestock.Exchange.com-panies. at. the. South. St..Paul.stockyards..

“In. 1955,. Eddie. Horst.(my.dad).and.John.Goff,.bought. out. the. original.owners,”.said.Dan.Horst..“In. 1960,. Dad. bought.out. Goff. to. become. sole.owner.. Since. the. late.1950s,.the.business.pros-pered. under. Dad’s. lead-ership.. There. was. little.competition. and,. being.

a. union. shop,. election.time. became. quite. busy.since.most.people.wanted.the. union. label. on. their.printed. material,. espe-cially.in.a.blue.collar.city.and. state.. In. 1974. Dad.turned. over. the. business.to. my. brother. Bill. and.me.”

Why has South St. Paul been such a good location for you?

“We. never. really. con-

Your community news and information sourceC ommerceBusiness Climate / from page 1

Dan Grevas of Grevas Photography.

Dakota Premium Foods425 S. Concord

455-6611•

Central Square Community Fitness Center

“Where South St. Paul comes together”

100 - 7th Ave. N.306-3690

•Jodee Paape

& Associates, LLC100 BridgePoint Dr.,Ste. 120

455-4621•

Ries Electric777 N. Concord

451-2238•

James P. Leary, Jr. Certified Public Accountant1560 Livingston Ave.,

Suite 102, West St.Paul 450-9373

Midwest Fabrics1226 S. Concord

451-6289•

South St. Paul Healthy Youth Coalition

Working together to prevent under-age drinking in South St. Paul by

linking family, school and community for healthy youth.

457-9491•

Central Bank835 Southview Blvd.

451-2133•

Mayor Beth Baumann

•ABC Rentals

460 E. Villaume451-2264

•South St. Paul Voice

457-1177

by shopping locally!The following supporters are proud to be part of the South St. Paul business community. We encourage you to shop locally to keep our community strong.

South St. Paul Voice - March 2010 - Page 3

sidered. moving. from.South. St.. Paul. because.all. the.Horst. family. lives.here..It’s.home..The.only.move. made. was. back. in.1973. during. an. urban.renewal.project,.when.we.moved. across. the. street..The. United. Federal. Sav-ings. &. Loan. Building.was. bought. on. a. hand-shake. and. a. signature,.and.the.family.business.is.still.there.today.”

What accounts for your longevity in the printing business?

“We’ve. always. been.able. to. take. care. of. our.customers. in. a. very. per-sonal. way.. Whenever.you. call. Globe,. one. of.the. bosses. is. sure. to. be.available.. Eddie,. soon. to.be. 101,. comes. in. every.day,. and. you. may. even.get. to. talk. to. him.. We.have. developed. lifelong.friendships.with.our.cus-tomers,. mostly. because.they.know.they.can.trust.Globe.”

Have you ever experi-enced a business climate like the one we are in right now?

“My. brother. Bill. and.I. have. never. experienced.

this. type. of. business. cli-mate,. although. our. Dad.sure. has. during. the. ’30s..Things.are.improving.but.we. still. have. a. long. way.to.go.”

What steps do you take to adjust to forc-es that challenge your business?

“The. economy. has.given. us. the. unpleasant.task.of.letting.a.couple.of.employees. go.. They. had.been. with. us. for. a. long.time.. It. really. hurt. mak-ing.that.decision,.but.our.workflow. just. wouldn’t.give. us. any. options.. We.try. to. keep. abreast. of.new.technology.and.now.have. a.high-speed.digital.color. printer.. It. makes.us. competitive. on. short-.

and. medium-color. runs..We.have.a.website,.www.globepubco.com,. mak-ing.access.to.us.even.that.much.easier.”.

What is the most im-portant aspect of your business?

“Our.business. tends. to.be.about.people.first.and.product. second.. We. en-joy.people,.and.hope.that.it.shows.to.the.point.that.they’re. willing. to. trust.us. with. their. business..The. quality. of. the. work.we. deliver. is. also. a. very.important. aspect. of. our.image.. A. fair. price. for.our.product.and.on-time.delivery. is. something. we.strive.for.every.day..None.of. this. can. happen. with-out.great.employees.”.

Your community news and information sourceC ommerce

Globe Printing patriarch Ed Horst took over the company in 1955 with a business partner and became sole owner in 1960. He remains active with the company today.

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St. Paul VoiceLa Voz LatinaDowntownSouth St. Paul

Spread the Health~ Group Fitness Classes ~~ Private 1-on-1 Sessions ~

YourFitstudio.com651.210.7665

[email protected]

Personal Training

Submitted photo

Dance team takes 5th at StateThe South St. Paul varsity girls dance team took third place in the section tournament, and 5th place overall for AA Jazz/Funk at the State tournament, held in mid-February at the Target Center. Team members are Gabby Thompson (co-captain), Die-drah Porter (co-captain), Kelsey Kropp (co-captain), Jayna An-derson, Lauren Moore, Jessaca Karg, Josi Hendrickson, Sabreena Darveaux, Allison Fuchs, Jana Kronberg, Nicole Fuchs and Katie Ray. Managers are Holly Ecwochi and Molly Thistle. Head coach is Shannon Ross and assistant coaches are Rachel Wilson and Tara Martin.

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Page 4 - South St. Paul Voice - March 2010

Your community news and information sourceN ews BriefsLibrary events

For. more. information.on. the. following. South.St.. Paul. library. events,.call.651-554-3240.or.vis-it. www.southstpaul.org/library.

Book Discussions.-. . “The. Ginger. Tree,”.by. Oswald. Wynd,. is. the.title. discussed. in. March..Mary. Mackenzie. sails. to.China. to. marry. another.Brit,. but. soon. falls. for. a.Japanese. nobleman,. set-ting.into.motion.a.life.of.abandonment.and.discov-ery.. Discussions. are. held.at.1.p.m.,.Wed.,.Mar..17,.and.7.p.m.,.Thurs.,.Mar..18.. Information. pack-ets. are. available. at. the.library’s. front. desk. or. at.www.southstpaul.org/li-brary,. under. Adult. Book.Discussions..

Computer help. -. Staff.will.be.available.in.the.li-brary. meeting. room. 1-3.p.m.,. Tues.,. Mar.. 23,. to.answer. basic. questions.about.Word,.Excel,.Inter-net.Explorer,. the.web,. e-mail,.and.other.computer.questions.

Read to Lulu or Cae-sar –. Children. are. invit-ed.to.come.to.the.library.6:30-7:30.p.m.,.Mondays.and. Thursdays. to. read.to. Lulu. or. Caesar,. dogs.that.are.part.of.the.Read-ing. Education. Assistance.Dogs.(READ).program..

Junior Book Club. -.“Things. Not. Seen,”. by.Andrew. Clements,. is. the.title.that.will.be.discussed.at.4.p.m.,.Mon.,.Mar..1.

Read-to-me club party -.The.Winter.Read-to-me.Club. Party. will. be. held.Wed.,. Mar.. 10.. Partici-pants.are.invited.to.bring.a. bag. lunch. at. noon. and.enjoy. a. show. by. “Penny.Planet,”. beginning. at.12:30.p.m.

Teen Book Club. -.

“Stargirl,”. by. Jerry. Spi-nelli,.will.be.discussed.at.4.p.m.,.Fri.,.Mar..5...This.club. is. for. teens.ages.12-18...Refreshments.will.be.provided.

Reduce/Reuse saleSt.. John. Vianney.

church. in. South. St.. Paul.is. hosting. a. Reduce/Re-use. sale. 9. a.m.-2. p.m.,.Mar.. 25-27.. There. is.a. $2. entry. fee. for. the.presale. held. 4-7. p.m.,.Thurs.,.Mar..25..There.is.no. charge. on. Friday. and.Saturday..The.sale. is.also.open. 5-7. p.m.. during.the.Friday.Fish.Fry..A.$2.bag. sale. begins. at. noon,.Saturday.. The. church. is.located. at. 19th. Avenue.North. and. Bromley.. Do-nations. are. welcome,.Bring.items.to.the.church.5-7.p.m.,.Mar..23.or.2-7.p.m.,.Mar..24.

Free workplace English classes

South. Suburban. Adult.Basic. Education. (ABE).offers.Workplace.English.classes. to. adults. ages. 18.and. older. who. want. to.enter. the. workforce. and.wish. to. improve. their.English.language.and.job.search. skills.. The. classes.are.free.and.open.to.resi-dents. of. the. South. St..Paul. school. district.. To.enroll.or.receive.more.in-formation,. call. 651-457-9441..

SSP residents honored for volunteer work

Laurel. Venhuizen.and. Yvonne. Morency.of. South. St.. Paul. were.honored. as. DARTS. Vol-unteers. of. the. Year. for.2009.. Venhuizen. was.recognized. as. Adminis-trative. Volunteer. for. the.clerical.help.she.provides.

weekly.. She. also. works.with. DARTS’. Learning.Buddies. program. and. is.an.active.volunteer.at.her.church. and. with. Neigh-bors,.Inc..

Morency. was. recog-nized. as. the. Intergenera-tional. Volunteer. for. her.work. with. the. Learning.Buddies. program. at. Lin-coln. Center. in. South. St..Paul..For.three.years,.she.has. worked. weekly. with.second. grade. students.on. their. reading. and.writing. skills.. For. more.information. or. to. learn.more. about. volunteer-ing. at. DARTS,. call. 651-455-1560. or. visit. www.darts1.org.. DARTS. is. a.nonprofit. organization.that. assists. older. adults.and.families.experiencing.life.transitions.

SSP organizations receive Cultural Heritage Grants

Two.South.St..Paul.or-ganizations. recently. re-ceived.grant.money.from.the. Minnesota. Histori-cal. Society.. The. Dakota.County. Historical. Soci-ety. received. $75,000. to.acquire. and. install. com-pact. storage. to. better.preserve. historical. mate-rials,. and. the. Minnesota.Genealogical. Society. re-ceived.$6,971.to.broaden.public. accessibility. to.primary. records. by. add-ing. eight. fiche. and. 96.rolls. of. microfilmed. city.directories.. The. money.comes. from. the.Arts. and.Cultural. Heritage. Fund,.created. with. passage. of.the. Clean. Water,. Land.and.Legacy.Amendment.

Pancake BreakfastThe.South.St..Paul.Li-

ions. Club. is. hosting. a.pancake.breakfast.8.a.m.-12:30. p.m.,. Sun.,. Mar..21,. at. Lincoln. Center.Elementary,.357.9th.Ave..N.. The. meal. includes.pancakes,. sausage,. juice.and. milk.. Cost. is. $5. for.adults. and. $3. for. chil-dren.age.12.and.under.

Garden Club meeting

Katherine. Aby. of. the.Espalier. Society. will.speak. at. the. South. St..Paul. Garden. Club. meet-ing. at. 7. p.m.,. Mon.,.Mar.. 1,. at. the. South. St..Paul. VFW. Post. #295,.111. South. Concord. Ex-

change,. South. St.. Paul.Espalier. is. the. technique.of. training. trees. through.pruning. and. grafting.to. create. formal. “two-dimensional”. or. single.plane. patterns. by. the.branches.of.the.tree..This.makes.them.ideal.for.both.decorative. purposes. and.in. gardens. where. space.is. limited.. The. meeting.is. free. and. open. to. the.public.. For. more. infor-mation,.call.Lois.Glewwe.at.651-457-3403.

Geneology meeting

Darlene. Joyce,. a. cer-tified. genealogist. and.prominent. lecturer. on.genealogy,.will.speak.at.7.p.m.,.Thurs.,.Mar.,.18,.at.the. Dakota. County. His-torical.Society,.130.Third.Ave.. N.,. South. St.. Paul..Joyce.will.present.a.visual.tour. of. major. reposito-ries. for. genealogical. and.family.history.research.in.the.Midwest. and.will.of-fer.tips.on.how.to.prepare.for.visits,.search.key.data.collections. from. your.home.computer,. take.ad-vantage. of. inter-library.loans. and.download.data.from. a. variety. of. archive.sources.. The. program. is.sponsored.by. the.Dakota.County.Genealogical.So-ciety..The.meeting.is.free.and. open. to. the. public..For. more. information,.contact. Dick. Thill. at.651-452-5926.

Parks and RecThe. South. St.. Paul.

Parks.and.Recreation.De-partment. announces. the.following. programs.. For.more. information,. call.

651-306-3690. or. visit.Central. Square. Commu-nity.Center.(CSCC),.100..7th.Ave..No..

• Youth Spring Break trip on.Tues.,. Mar.. 30. –.featuring.bowling,. swim-ming. and. a. movie. for.ages. 6. and. up.. Meet. at.Matties.Lanes,.365.North.Concord.St.,.at.9:45.a.m..Cost.is.$20.and.covers.all.fees,. including. bowling.shoes,. lunch. and. trans-portation.. Child. pickup.is. at. Central. Square. at. 3.p.m.. Pre-registration. re-quired..

• Community gar-dens for rent. -. Parks  .&  . Rec  . will  . be  . rent-ing. 15-foot. by. 20-foot.community. garden. plots.at. the. west. end. of  . Mc-Morrow.Field, 200.South.St.. Residents. age. 18-54.pay  $20. plus. tax;. age. 55.and. over,. $15. plus. tax..Last.year’s.gardeners.have.priority. sign-up,  Mar..2-13.. . Sign-up. for. other.residents.begins.Mar..16..Non-residents. may. rent.for. $25. plus. tax. begin-ning.April.1..

• Floats and Flicks at Central Square - All.ages.are. welcome. to. relax. on.floats.while.watching.big.screen. movies. on. Friday.nights,. 6-8. p.m.,. March.12.and.26..Free.for.mem-bers;. $3.25. for. non-members.. Refreshments.will.be.available.for.sale.

• Swimming lessons - Registration. is. open.

for. American. Red. Cross.certified. swimming. les-sons. for. . infant/toddler.to. Level. 6.. Choose. an.8-week. class. on. Monday.night. or. Saturday. morn-ing.in.the.Central.Square.

Pool.. Fees. are. $35. for.CSCC.members;.$45. for.non-members.. Online.registration.is.available.at.www.southstpaul.org.

• Summer program brochure. -.The. Parks. &.Rec. summer. 1. brochure.will. be. mailed. to. every.household. in. the. city.in. mid-March. and. on-line. at. www.southstpaul.org,. with. info. on. sum-mer. playgrounds,. day.camps,. pre-school. pro-grams,. youth. trips,. out-door. swimming. lessons,.outdoor. pool. passes. and.more..

• Fare For All Express.-. . CSCC. is. a. partner. in.the. Fare. For. All. Express.program.of.the.Emergen-cy. Food. Shelf  Network..The. program. allows. in-dividuals. to. save. up. to.50. percent. on. monthly.groceries.by.purchasing.a.variety. of. “express. pack-ages.”. No. advance. pay-ment. or. pre-registration.is. needed. to. purchase.packages.. Fare. For. All. is.open.to.everyone,.regard-less. of. income,  and. does.not. affect. eligibility. to.receive. assistance. from.the. food. shelf.. There. is.no. limit. to. the. number.of. packages. that. can. be.purchased. each. month..Fare. For. All. Express. will.be.held.4-6.p.m.,.Mar..2.and.30,.at.CSCC.

• Adult softball leagues.-.The.city’s.Adult.Softball. Leagues. are. ad-ministered. apart. from.Parks. &. Rec.. Organiz-ing.meetings.for.men.and.women.are.usually.set.for.mid-March.. Contact. the.league. director. at. 651-455-1725.

St. John Vianney School earns Flint Hills awardThanks to the work of 4th grade teacher Marge Milner, St. John Vian-ney 4th and 5th grade students were able to have a Science Museum of Minnesota Outreach tour at their school, and travel to St. Paul in mid-February for a sleepover at the Science Museum. The event was sponsored by Flint Hills Resources.

Live Music EveryThursday in March

with the Lift Kids House Band Tom Robinson - guitar, vocal, Fred Weber and Tony Moreno - percussion, Tom Church - saxophone, clarinet, flute, Vince Hyman - vibes, melodica

All shows start at 7 p.m. at Lift Kids/Global Village, 508 Jackson St., St. Paul. For more information, call 651 298 9200.

Great live music in the heart of downtown St. Paul!

www.myspace.com/iluaye

South St. Paul Voice - March 2010 - Page 5

Your community news and information sourceN ews Briefs

Plans advancing for new Lafayette BridgeMary Diedrick Hansen

Staff Writer

Fed.up.with.daily.traf-fic. snares,. chronic.

congestion. and. frustrat-ing. delays. on. the. La-fayette. Bridge. entering.downtown. St.. Paul. from.Highway. 52,. or. tired.of. holding. your. breath.while. merging. onto. west.I-94?. Here’s. some. good.news.. Design. plans. for.a. new. bridge. —. actually.two. new. bridges. —. are.60. percent. complete..Bidding. for. the. project.is.scheduled.for.October,.and.construction.is.slated.to.begin.next.spring.

Relief.won’t.come.over-night,. of. course,. but.here’s. the. plan.. First,. a.new. three-lane. bridge,.with. shoulders,. will. be.constructed. just. east.of. the. current. bridge..Once. the. new. bridge. is.open,. the. old. one. will.be. demolished.. All. traf-fic. will. be. diverted. onto.the.new.bridge,.with. the.shoulders. in. use. as. driv-ing. lanes.. Then,. a. sec-ond. bridge. will. be. built,.also.with. three. lanes. and.shoulders,.where.the.cur-rent. bridge. now. stands..Eventually,. the. first. new.bridge.will.handle.north-bound. traffic. and. the.second.will.handle.south-bound.

The.bridge.crosses.over.the.Mississippi.River.and.I-94,. linking. east. metro.thoroughfare. Highway.52. to. downtown.. It. is.Minnesota’s. most. trav-eled.bridge.and. is.one.of.the. longest. in. the. state,.almost.three-quarters.of.a.mile.long..It.was.built.in.the. 1960s. when. 24,600.vehicles. traveled. it. daily..Although. constructed. to.handle. more. traffic,. it.was.not.meant.to.manage.the.81,000.vehicles.using.it.daily.today.

Pedestrian. and. bicycle.lanes.have.been.proposed.and. are. expected. to. be.included. in. the. design..The. boundaries. for. con-struction. are. from. East.Seventh. Street. on. the.north. and. 200. feet. be-yond.Plato.Boulevard.on.the.south..

According. to. the. Min-nesota. Department. of.Transportation. (Mn/DOT),. the. existing.bridge.is.safe.but.nearing.the.end.of.its.lifespan,.al-though.a.2006.inspection.report.rated.it. just.below.the.I-35W.span.that.col-lapsed. on. Aug.. 1,. 2007...The. Lafayette. Bridge.was.designed.to.meet.the.standards.of.40.years.ago...It. was. constructed. in.1968. using. the. standard.design,.detailing.and.fab-rication. methods. of. the.times. .Like.many.bridges.of. that. era,. it. has. a. his-tory. of. problems. with.structural. steel. that. may.not. pose. an. immediate.risk.but.that.require.con-stant.attention.from.Mn/DOT’s. bridge. inspec-tors. The.concrete.deck.is.deteriorating. from. road-way.salt.and.traffic.

The. main. spans. over.the. Mississippi. are. con-sidered.“fracture.critical,”.which. means. that. key.structural. components.(i.e.. the. supporting. steel.girders). cannot. be. taken.out.of.service.without.re-moving. the. entire. bridge.from. service.. With. the.proposed. two-bridge. de-sign,. if. one. bridge. needs.repair,. traffic. can. be. di-verted. to. the.other.while.repair.work.takes.place. . 

Anyone. traveling. the.Lafayette. Bridge. during.the. morning. rush. hour.knows. that. something.needs. to. be. done.. Ac-cording. to. a. Metropoli-tan.Freeway.System.2005.Congestion. report,. the.Lafayette. Bridge. expe-riences. more. than. five.hours. of. congestion. on.any. given. weekday.. One.reason. is. that. there. is.not. enough. space. on. the.bridge. to. provide. for. in-dividual. exit. lanes. for.East-. and. Westbound.traffic. onto. I-94,. or. to.East.Seventh.Street.where.the.bridge.ends..

The.sharply.curved.exit.ramp. onto. westbound.I-94. only. makes. matters.worse..The. radius. of. the.curve. is. acknowledged.as. too. tight,. requiring.slower. speeds,. especially.for. trucks. because. the.

angle.can. lead. to. tipping.and. rolling.. In. addition,.what’s. called. the. “slip.ramp”. from. East. Sev-enth. Street,. also. merges.onto.the.Westbound.I-94.curve,. adding. extra. vol-ume. to. the. entrance. to.I-94. and. slowing. down.those. exiting. the. bridge.even.more..

Congestion. leads. to.crashes,. and. crashes. in.the. Highway. 52/Lafay-ette. Bridge. area. exceed.those. of. comparable.roadways.. Rear-end. col-lisions. account. for. the.majority,. followed. by.sideswipe. crashes,. with.the.numbers.along.High-way. 52. increasing. as. it.approaches. the. I-94. in-terchange.. Complicat-ing. the. problem. is. lack.of. shoulder. space. on. the.bridge..Shoulders.provide.a.place.to.clear.accidents,.which.reduces.the.chance.for.secondary.crashes..

It’s.not.easy.redesigning.a.bridge.at.the.current.lo-cation.. Consultants. have.to. deal. with. navigation.channel.constraints.along.

the.river,.which.limit.the.available. structure. depth.of.the.river.spans.and.op-tions.for.new.pier.footing.locations.. Nearby. Hol-man. Field. has. a. runway.clear.zone.that.constrains.bridge. height.. Likewise,.Xcel.energy.has.clearance.requirements. for. over-head.power.lines.. .

Design. consultants. are.considering. both. con-crete. and. steel. bridge.options.  . Mn/DOT. will.draft. construction. plans.for.the.exit.ramps..

Joey. Lundquist,. Mn/DOT’s. deputy. project.manager,. said. construc-tion. is.projected. at.$185.million,. with. 80. percent.coming. from. federal.funding. and. 20. percent.from. the. state’s. Chapter.

152. bond. fund,. enacted.after. the. 35W. Bridge.collapse.. He. estimates.that. it. will. take. a. year-and-a-half. to. build. the.first. bridge.. The. second.bridge. is. estimated. to. be.completed.by.2014.

Sketch courtesy of MNDOT

A number of designs are being considered for the new Lafayette Bridge project. Shown here is the steel box alternative.

Call 651-451-9692 Ron Sterry, Accountant

907 Southview Blvd., South St. PaulMember: SOUTH ST. PAUL BUSINESS ASSOCIATION

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Every Friday Feb. 19 - Mar. 26

St. Matthew’s Social Hall510 Hall Ave., St. Paul

21st annual

Senior special served 4-5 p.m.General public served 4:30-7:30 p.m.

All You Care To Eat Fish (baked or fried) with baked potato, vegetable, salad

bar, bread, dessert, milk and coffee. Take-out available with generous portions.

Live Music in MarchMarch 5 .................................Killer Hayseeds (Country), $5 coverMarch 6 ...................................................... Dixie Hicks (Country)March 12 .............................................. The Big Twang (Country)March 13 ....................................Jonah and the Whales, $5 coverMarch 16 ................................River City Jazz Orchestra, 7-10 pmMarch 19 ............................................... Hillbilly Mafia (Country)March 20 ............................................. Chain Lightning, $5 coverMarch 26 ........................................Rockin' Hollywoods, $5 coverMarch 27 ....................................Lost Highway (Country) winner

Battle of the Bands, $5 coverSt. Patricks Day - March 17 - Beer and drink specials, green beer, Irish Whiskey,corned beef & cabbage meal and Reuben sandwiches, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. & 4 p.m.-gone

Food & Drink SpecialsSundays - Commanders & Color Guard Breakfast, second and fourth Sunday each month, 8 am-1 pm. Open mic and Jam session, 6-10 pm. Build your own Bloodys @ Happy Hour prices, 10-2 pm., open until 10 p.m.Mon - Fri - Happy hour, 4-6 pmMon - Texas Hold 'em at 7 p.m. Free to play. $100 cash 1st place; Chicken wing night, 4-9 pm, 5 for $2, no take-outsTues - $1.50 Burger Night; 2nd Tuesday Turtle Lake Casino Trip, 9 am, , $5, get two free drinks upon return from casino,Fourth Tuesday of each month is Comedy Nite, featuring Dennis Carney & his comedy troupe, 7:30-9 p.m., FreeWed - Bar and Mega Bingo, 7 pm startWed & Thur - 7" Coney Night, 2 for $5, biggest & tastiestThurs - Karaoke, 8-close; Ladies Night, $2 drinks and beers for the ladies, 9-closeFri - open until 2 am. Fish Fry through April 2, 11 am-1 pm and 5-8 pmSat - Mega Tacos $3 and meat raffle,noon-4 pm, open until 2 amBurger Kitchen - open Mon-Sat, 4-10 pm

Hall rental & special packages available for fundraisers.

www.vfwpost295.org

V.F.W. POST 295South St. Paul • 651-455-1505

Page 6 - South St. Paul Voice - March 2010

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Your community news and information sourceS ample St. PaulOrdway Center for Performing Arts

“August: Osage Coun-ty”.is.presented.Mar..16-21,.at.the.Ordway.Center.for.Performing.Arts,. 345.Washington.St.,.St..Paul..Steppenwolf ’s. “August:.Osage. County”. is. a. new.play. that. tells. the. story.of. the. Westons,. a. large.extended.clan.that.comes.together. at. their. rural.Oklahoma. homestead.when.the.alcoholic.patri-arch. disappears.. Forced.to. confront. unspoken.truths. and. astonishing.secrets,. the. family. must.also.contend.with.Violet,.a. pill-popping,. deeply.unsettled. woman. who. is.at.the.center.of.the.family.storm.. Tickets. are. $44-$70.. For. more. informa-tion,.call.the.box.office.at.651-224-4222.

History Theatre“Hiding in the Open”

is.presented.through.Mar..21,. at. the. History. The-atre,. 30. E.. 10th. St.,. St..Paul...For.many.years.Sa-bina.Zimering,.a.success-ful. eye.doctor. in.Minne-

apolis,.held.a.secret.close.to.heart..Then.she.took.a.class. at. the. Loft. Literary.Center. and. her. amazing.story. of. escape. and. sur-vival.became.a.truly.com-pelling. book.. Sabina,. a.Polish.Jew,.came.of.age.as.Hitler.and.the.Nazis.rose.to. power.. When. Poland.was. invaded,. Sabina. and.her. sister. survived. the.horrors. of. the. Holocaust.by. disguising. themselves.as.Catholics.from.Poland,.while. living. in.Germany..Along. the. way. they. had.to. rely. on. one. another.and. their. quick. wits. to.keep. them. safe. and. sane.as. the. world. around.them. crumbled.. Tickets.are. $25-$30. for. adults,.$22-$28. for. seniors,.$15.for. students. and. $10. for.children..For.more.infor-mation,. call. the. box. of-fice.at.651-292-4323.

Minnesota Children’s Museum

“Dinosaurs: Land of Fire and Ice” is. present-ed. through. May. 31. at.the.Minnesota.Children’s.Museum,. 10. W.. Seventh.

St.,.St..Paul..This.exhibit.will. transport. families.back. to. the. Cretaceous.Period. (145. -. 65. million.years. ago). to. explore. di-nosaur. habitats. and. bet-ter.understand.how.these.mysterious.animals.lived..

“Children of Hang-zhou: Connecting with

China” is. presented.through. May. 16.. This.exhibit.is.designed.to.en-gage. children. and. fami-lies. in. learning. about.one.of.the.oldest.civiliza-tions. –. and. now. among.the. most. modern. in. the.world.–.through.some.of.its.young.people..Tickets.

are. $8.95.. For. more. in-formation,. call. 651-225-6000.

Xcel Energy CenterPop-rock. singer/song-

writer. John Mayer. will.perform.at.8.p.m.,.Tues.,.Mar.. 2.. Mayer’s. “Battle.Studies. Tour”. features.

special. guest. Michael.Franti. &. Spearhead..Tickets.are.$51-$71.

Grammy. Award-win-ning.recording.artists.The.Black Eyed Peas will.per-form.at.7:30.p.m.,.Mon..Mar.. 22.. . The. group’s.“The.E.N.D..World.Tour.2010”. features. special.guest. LMFAO.. Tickets.are.$49.50-$81.50.

International.Irish.mu-sic. phenomenon. Celtic Woman.will.present.their.“Songs. from. the. Heart”.tour. at. 7:30. p.m.,.Wed.,.Mar..24..Tickets.are.$47-$77.

Grammy. Award-win-ner. Michael Bublé. will.perform. at. 8. p.m.,. Sun.,.Mar.. 28.. Tickets. are.$51.50-$91.50.

The. Xcel. Center. is. lo-cated. at. 199. W.. Kellogg.Blvd.,.St..Paul..For.more.information,. visit. www.xcelenergycenter.com.

Park Square Theatre

“Painting Churches”.is. presented. through.Mar.. 21. at. Park. Square.Theatre,.20.W..7th.Place,.

This scroll fragment from the book of Genesis will appear in The Dead Sea Scrolls: Words That Changed the World, exhibit, which opens Mar. 12, at the Sci-ence Museum of Min-nesota. This particular fragment will be part of the third set of five scrolls. This fragment depicts Genesis 48: 8-10, which describes the patriarch Jacob and his blessing of Jo-seph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh.

South St. Paul Voice - March 2010 - Page 7

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Your community news and information sourceS ample St. PaulSt.. Paul..When. Mags. re-turns. home. to. help. her.aging,. eccentric. parents.pack.up.their.Beacon.Hill.house.in.Boston,.she.sud-denly.sees.them.in.a.new.light.. This. play. explores.family. ties. and. is. filled.with. moments. of. brava-do,.mischief.and.intimate.memories.

“The Diary of Anne Frank”. is. presented.through. May. 7.. In. this.extraordinary. account. of.eight. Jews. hiding. in. Na-zi-occupied. Amsterdam,.Anne.Frank.emerges.from.history. as. a. lyrical. and.intensely. gifted. young.woman.. Be. inspired. by.this. timeless. account. of.a. girl. whose. imagina-tion.and.hope.would.not.be. stifled. by. adversity..Tickets. are. $36-$40. for.adults,. $31-$35. for. se-niors.and.$15. for.age.30.and.under...For.more.de-tails,.call.651-291-7005.

Science Museum of Minnesota

“Dead Sea Scrolls: Words That Changed the World”. –. This. ex-hibit,. featured. Mar.. 12-Oct.. 24,. offers. a. rare.opportunity. to. witness.one. of. the. greatest. ar-chaeological. finds. of. the.20th.century—The.Dead.Sea. Scrolls,. which. in-clude. the. earliest. known.Biblical. writings.. The.2,000-year-old,. authen-tic. text. fragments. are.steeped.in.scientific,.reli-gious.and.cultural.signif-icance.. Complementing.the. exhibit. is. “Arabia,”.showing.in.the.Omnithe-ater..This.new.film.offers.a.look.at.Arabia’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.respectively.with.ad-mission. to. the.Omnithe-ater.

Omnifest 2010,. a. gi-ant. screen. film. festival,.is. presented. through.Mar.. 11,. at. the. Omni-theater,. located. in. the.Science.Museum,.120.W..Kellogg. Blvd.,. St.. Paul..The. featured. films. are.“Africa’s. Elephant. King-dom,”. “Into. the. Deep,”.“Van. Gogh:. Brush. with.Genius,”. “The. Greatest.

Places,”. and. “Ski. to. the.Max.”.Tickets. are. $8. for.adults. and. $7. for. chil-dren.. For. more. informa-tion,.visit.www.smm.org,.or.call.651-221-9444.

Minnesota History Center

“Benjamin Frank-lin: In Search of a Bet-ter World”. is. presented.through. July. 4,. at. the.Minnesota. History. Cen-ter,. 345. W.. Kellogg.Blvd.,.St..Paul..You.know.about. Benjamin. Frank-lin’s. famous. experiment.with. a. kite,. a. key. and.some. lightning,. but. did.you. also. know. about. his.rebellious.youth?.That.he.pioneered. wind. surfing.and. invented. swim. fins?.That.he.helped.found.the.nation’s.first.hospital,.was.an. environmentalist. and.charted. the. Gulf. Stream.to. assist. in. ocean. travel?.In. many. ways. Benjamin.Franklin. is. the. founding.father. nobody. knows. –.misunderstood. because.of. the. sheer. breadth. and.diversity. of. his. accom-plishments.. Discover. the.many. ways. Franklin. has.affected. our. world. today.in.the.new.exhibit..

“Minnesota’s Great-est Generation: The Depression, The War, The Boom”. -. This. ex-hibit. features. more. than.6,000-square-feet.of.arti-facts,. interactive. displays.and. innovative. multime-dia. experiences. that. re-veal. the. lives. and. stories.of. the. men. and. women.who. came. of. age. dur-ing. 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. have. sparked.significant.change.within.Minnesota.and.beyond.

History. Center. tickets.are. $10. for. adults,. $8.for. seniors. and. college.students,.and.$5.for.chil-dren.ages.6-17..The.cen-ter. offers. free. admission.on. Tuesdays. from. 5-8.p.m.. For. more. informa-tion,. call. 651-259-3000.or.visit.www.mnhs.org.

Lowry Theatre“Hockey Mom, Hock-

ey Dad!”. is. presented.through. April. 26. at. the.Lowry. Theatre,. 16. W..5th.St.,.St..Paul..Comedy.and.drama.collide.in.this.romantic. comedy. about.two. lonely,. single. par-ents.who.meet.and.fall.in.love.while.watching.their.kids.play.hockey..Tickets.are. $14.50-$27.50. and.can.be.ordered.by.calling.Ticketmaster. at. 1-800-982-2787.. For. more. in-formation,. call. the. box.office.at.651-227-2464.

Free ballet programSt..Paul.City.Ballet.is.offering.Ballet.Tuesdays.at.noon,.the.second.Tuesday.of.the.month.at.the.Landmark.Center.in.downtown.St..Paul..This.free.program.runs.through.April.13..The.majority.of.Ballet.Tues-days.will.feature.St..Paul.City.Ballet’s.Company.of.dancers,.who.will.per-form.and.educate.attend-ees.on.various.aspects.of.ballet.and.preview.upcoming.performances..March.performances.will.include.excerpts.from.the.company’s.Sister.City.tour.to.Manzanillo,.Mexico, as.well.as the.company’s.performance.at.the.Ritz.in.March..For.more.information,.call.651-292-3276,.or.visit.www.landmarkcenter.org.

Artists’ QuarterThe. Artists’. Quarter,.

located. in. the. Historic.Hamm. Building. at. 7th.Place. and. St.. Peter. in.

downtown. St.. Paul,. of-fers. 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. more. details,. call.651-292-1359. or. visit.www.artistsquarter.com..

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Page 8 - South St. Paul Voice - March 2010

Your community news and information sourceR iver Connections

Cash flow on the MississippiA look at the economic impact of the Mississippi River in St. Paul

Tim SpitzackEditor

A.pleasure.boater. from.Red. Wing. steers. his.

vessel.into.a.rental.slip.at.the. St.. Paul. Yacht. Club..He. and. his. friends. will.dock. there. for. the.night,.while. enjoying. dinner.and. an. evening. on. the.town.. Music. lovers. from.across. the. metro. area.flock. to. Harriet. Island.each. summer. for. the. an-

nual. Taste. of. Minnesota.and. open. up. their. pock-etbooks. to. enjoy. the.food,.drink.and.music.at.the.event..A.school.group.from.Eagan.enjoys.a.river.cruise.with.the.Padelford.Packet. Boat. Company.and. then. visits. the. Sci-ence. Museum. These. are.just. some. of. the. many.ways.the.Mississippi.Riv-er. has. a. financial. impact.on.the.city.of.St..Paul.

The. Mississippi. River.

is. indeed. an. important.economic.resource.for.St..Paul.and.the.surrounding.metro. area.. In. fact,. it. is.arguably.the.most.instru-mental.building.block.to.the. formation.of. the.city.itself,. bringing. in. vast.numbers. of. people. and.trade.during. the.mid-. to.late-1800s,. causing. St..Paul.to.grow.rapidly.from.a.fledging.village.to.a.city.of. significance.. City. fa-thers.quickly.realized.the.

importance. of. the. river.and.worked. feverishly. to.establish. St.. Paul. as. the.head. of. navigation. on.the.river..

In.recent.years,.St..Paul.city.officials.and.boosters.have. used. the. river. as. a.magnet. to. attract. both.tourists. and. commercial.developers.. The. redevel-opment.of.Harriet.Island.Regional. Park,. which.began. in. 1998,. was. an.important. first. step.. To.

date,.nearly.$2.2.million.has. been. pumped. into.the. park,. which. is. home.to. such. large. events. as.the. Taste. of. Minnesota.and. the. Irish. Fair. of.Minnesota,.as.well.as.the.Padleford. Packet. Boat.Company,. which. has.served. over. one. million.visitors. over. the. past. 40.years.. Padelford. General.Manager. Gus. Gaspardo.said. his. company. sees.about. 85,000. visitors.annually. for. riverboat.cruises,. with. another.13,000.visiting. the.Cen-tennial.Showboat,.which.his.company.manages.for.the. University. of. Min-nesota. Theater. Depart-ment.. He. said. patrons.to. these. venues. often.tell.him.that.they.couple.their. river. experience.with. other. area. attrac-tions,. such. as. . the. Sci-ence.Museum.of.Minne-sota,. the.Minnesota.Zoo.or.the.Mall.of.America.

After. checking. with. a.few. organizations,. such.as. the. St.. Paul. Conven-tion.and.Visitors.Bureau.and. the. Capitol. City.Partnership,. it. appears.there.are.no.formal.stud-ies. that. place. a. dollar.figure. on. the. financial.impact. of. visitors. to. the.Mississippi. River. lo-cally.. However,. one. can.get.an.idea.from.a.recent.study. conducted. by. the.Riverview.Economic.De-velopment. Association.(REDA),. which. spon-sors. the. popular. Cinco.de. Mayo. celebration. on.the. West. Side.. Accord-ing. to. REDA. Marketing.Manager. Brian. Gioi-elli,. attendees. reported.spending. $32.35. at. lo-

cal. businesses. during.the. 2-day. event,. which.annually. attracts. crowds.of. 100,000. people..That.translates. into. an. esti-mated.$3.million.impact..In. addition,. 90. percent.said. they. planned. to. re-turn.to.the.community.in.the.next.12.months..

Similar. figures. were.found. by. Mark. and.Monica. Frazer. of. Hub’s.Landing. and. Marina. in.Hastings.. The. couple.did. a. study. last. year. on.the. economic. impact. of.recreational. boaters. us-ing. the. new. public. dock.in. Hastings..They. deter-mined.if.10.percent.of.the.boaters.who.use.Pool.3.of.the.Mississippi.and.those.that. pass. through. Lock.2. spent.$50. in.Hastings,.the.city.would.see.a.$1.2.million.impact..

Brad.Meyer.of.St..Paul.Parks. and. Recreation.said. Harriet. Island. at-tracts. up. to. a. million.visitors. annually,. which.likely. translates. into. a.major. infusion. of. cash.into. the. local. economy..Last. year. Harriet. Island.hosted.nearly.500.events,.ranging. from. weddings.and.reunions.to.the.Taste.of. Minnesota,. which. at-tracts. nearly. 400,000.visitors.annually,.and.the.Irish. Fair. of. Minnesota,.which. sees. crowds. of.100,000..

Commercial and residential developments

With. improved. green.spaces. and. trails. along.the.river,.developers.took.notice.. During. the. early.2000s,.the.riverfront.saw.significant. commercial.

The Padelford Packet Boat Company attracts 85,000 visitors annually for riverboat cruises.

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South St. Paul Voice - March 2010 - Page 9

Your community news and information sourceR iver Connectionsand. residential. develop-ment,. including. the. Up-per. Landing. housing. de-velopment.along.Shepard.Road. and. the. U.S.. Bank.operations. center. on. the.West.Side..

According. to. the. city.of.St..Paul’s.2015.report,.future. development. is.planned. for. the. Ramsey.County. West. properties.on. the. bluff. . in. down-town. St.. Paul,. the. Xcel.Energy. High. Bridge. site.and. the. West. Side. Flats..The. city’s. vision. for. the.Ramsey. County. West.property. is. construction.of. an. office. tower,. con-vention. hotel. and. hous-ing. development.. The.project. is. estimated. at.$200. million.. The. city.also. supports. efforts. by.Xcel. Energy. to. convert.some. of. its. former. Xcel.High. Bridge. Plant. site.into. a. park,. and. expects.work. to. begin. soon. on.the.first.phase.of.the.$64.million. plan. to. create. a.rental. and.mixed-use.de-

Library programs highlight Mississippi RiverThe. St.. Paul. Public.

Library. will. offer. a. vari-ety.of.events.to.celebrate.the. Mississippi. River. in.March..These. free.events.will. feature. notable.speakers,. local. photog-raphers,. experts. on. the.Mississippi. River,. and. a.presentation. by. explorer.Ann.Bancroft..

The. Mississippi. River.Series. begins. at. 2. p.m.,.Sun.,. Mar.. 4,. at. Central.Library,. 90. W.. Fourth.St.,.with.a.presentation.of.photographic.artist.Chris.Faust.. Faust. will. share.photographs. taken. along.the.Mississippi.River.and.discuss. the. interaction.between.humans.and.the.natural. landscape.. Faust.has. received. numerous.commissions. for. such.projects. as. the. Minne-sota. Historical. Society’s.Swenson. Collection. and.the.Minnesota.Historical.Society’s.Minnesota.2000.Project..

On.Sat.,.Mar..13,.from.10. a.m.. to. 11. a.m.,. Kar-en. Campbell,. education.director. at. the. National.Center. for. Earth-surface.Dynamics. at. the. Univer-sity. of. Minnesota,. will.talk. about. the. social. and.geologic. history. of. the.Mississippi. River. in. the.Twin.Cities.area,.particu-larly.the.retreat.of.St..An-thony.Falls. from.St..Paul.to. Minneapolis.. She. will.also.share.historic.photos.and.information.on.mod-ern.river.science.

A. presentation. on. na-tional. parks. by. Dan.Dressler. from. the. Na-tional. Parks. Service. is.offered.2. to.3.p.m.,.Sat.,.Mar.. 13,. at. the. James. J..Hill. Reference. Library,.80.W..Fourth.St.

River. Bird. Life. is. pre-sented. 2. to. 3. p.m.,. Sat.,.Mar.. 20.. Birding. expert.Sharon. Stiteler. (known.as.the.Birdchick).will.dis-cuss.bird.life.on.the.Mis-sissippi.. She. runs. one. of.

the.highest. rated.birding.blogs. on. the. Internet,.Birdchick.com,. and. has.been. in. The. Wall. Street.Journal,. The. New. York.Times,. and. on. the. NBC.Nightly. News.. Her. writ-ing. can. be. found. in. sev-eral.publications,.includ-ing.Wild.Bird.Magazine,.Outdoor.News.and.Bird-ing.Business.

Explorer. Ann. Bancroft.will. offer. a. presenta-tion. on. her. adventures.at. 7:30. p.m.,.Tues.. Mar..16,. at. the. James. J.. Hill.Reference.Library,.80.W..Fourth.St.

On. Sun.,. Mar.. 21,.from. 2. to. 3. p.m.,. Min-nesota. Historical. Society.acquisitions. librarian.Pat.Coleman.will. give. a.pre-sentation.on. the. library’s.diverse. collection. of.books. on. the. social. his-tory.of.the.Mississippi..

At. 2. p.m.,. Sat.,. Mar..27,. Pat. Nunnally,. coor-dinator. for. the. Institute.on. the. Environment’s.

River.Life.program.at.the.University.of.Minnesota,.will.give.a.talk.about.the.Mississippi. River’s. . past,.present. and. future.. He.will. lead. program. at-tendees.in.a.conversation.about. our. own. stories. of.the. river,. pondering. the.question. “What. will. be.our.21st.Century.story.of.the.Mississippi?”..

The. Mississippi. River.Series. concludes. at. 2.p.m.,.Sun.,.Mar..28,.with.a. program. on. the. social.and. environmental. his-tory. of. the. Mississippi.River. by. John. Anfinson,.historian. for. the. Missis-sippi. National. River. and.Recreation.Area. and.Na-tional.Park.Service.

For. those. who. want.to. explore. the. river,. the.Central.Library.will.host.a. Mississippi. River. walk.on.Sat.,.April.3..

For. more. information,.call.651-266-7000.or.vis-it.www.sppl.org

velopment. on. the. West.Side. Flats. site,. a. 45-acre.parcel.along.the.river.be-tween.Wabasha.and.Rob-ert.streets.

Work vs. PleasureAccording. to. recent.

statistics. from. the. U.S..Army. Corps. of. Engi-neers,. both. commercial.and. recreational. boat.traffic. increased. con-siderably. on. the. Upper.Mississippi. River. last.year..Earlier.this.year.the.Corps.reported.that.com-mercial. traffic. in. the. St..Paul.area.increased.about.29. percent,. and. recre-ational. traffic. about. 16.percent..Shipping.on. the.river.was.up.dramatically.this. past. year,. as. well..Dick. Lambert,. director.of.the.Minnesota.Depart-ment. of. Transportation,.Ports. and. Waterways,.said.tonnage.through.the.Twin.Cities.increased.2.5.million.tons.in.2009.over.2008,. with. the. biggest.increase.coming.in.grain..

Editor’s note: This ar-ticle was written by Mark Kom, senior pastor at Crown of Life Church in West St. Paul, after he spent a day volunteering at Neighbors, Inc.

Who cares?You.have.heard. the. announcement. a.million. times.

before.. “Neighbors. Inc.. is. running. its. March. Food-Share.drive.for.donations,.food,.etc..Now.is.the.time.to.give…..”.It’s.like.anything.else,.isn’t.it?.If.you.hear.it.enough,.it.fades.into.the.background..Sadly,.it.sim-ply.becomes.just.one.more.thing.that.the.church.does.from. time. to. time..We.may.not. say. it. out. loud,. but.our. inaction. says. it. loud. and. clear.. We. look. at. the.same. old. annual. announcement. to. help. with. a. food.drive. and. say. “Who. cares?”. It’s. somebody. else’s. job..It’s. not. new.. It’s. not. the. most. exotic. way. to. fill. my.time.and.spend.my.resources..Suddenly,.mission.trips.to.Haiti.sound.a.whole.lot.more.appealing.

True. confession:. I. fall. into. that. way. of. thinking.sometimes,.too..

Then.something.changed..I.volunteered.for.a.day.at.Neighbors,.Inc..It.opened.my.eyes.to.the.basic.needs.of.people.in.our.own.community.

The value of picturesDo.you.know.why.many.people.will.contribute.to-

ward. the. relief. efforts. in. Haiti. for. many. months. to.follow?..(Our.church.will.contribute,.too,.and.it’s.the.right.thing.to.do.).It’s.the.pictures..We.can.see.people.in.the.streets.with.no.place.to.go..We.can.see.the.rub-

John Kemp Executive Director of

Neighbors, Inc.

Neighbors, Inc.

ble.of.what.used.to.be.their.homes..We.can.see.chil-dren. scrounging. for. food.. It. tugs. at. our.heartstrings.and.we.are.compelled.to.do.something.about.it.

I.was.introduced.to.some.new.pictures.when.I.vol-unteered.at.Neighbors,.just.down.the.street..Actually,.they.are.old.pictures.to.the.folks.who.serve.there.every.day.. They. are. the. pictures. that. keep. recurring. over.and.over.again..

Picture.a.boy.stopping.by.the.food.shelf.–.this.boy.who.lives.just.down.the.street.from.you.and.me.in.our.neighborhoods.–.in.search.of.some.food..He.comes.to.the. bread. rack. and. takes. a. loaf. of. bread.. No. butter..No. peanut. butter.. No. jelly.. No. mayo.. No. ketchup..No.meat..Just.bread..Only.bread..And.the.boy.jumps.at. the. opportunity. because. this. is. the. only. meal. he.will.have.that.day..His.parents.cannot.afford.to.make.ends.meet..Food.is.scarce..This.boy.is.grateful.for.the.chance.to.eat.anything.

Picture. a. young. mother. with. two. small. children..There. is. no. husband. or. other. major. provider. in. her.life..It’s.just.her..She.is.astounded.at.how.quickly.her.children.grow...They.move.out.of.one.size.diaper.into.the.next..They.need.food,.but.the.cupboards.are.bare.because.she.is.behind.on.the.rent,.the.electric.bill.and.a. few. medical. bills.. She. comes. to. the. food. shelf. be-cause.there.are.simply.no.other.options..No.one.else.can.help.

They.aren’t.very.pretty.pictures,.are.they?.The.folks.at.Neighbors.have.so.many.pictures.to.share.that.are.similar,.but.it.would.take.too.long.to.talk.about.them.all.. Yet. these. pictures. are. vivid. and. they. tug. at. my.heartstrings,. too.. The. bottom. line. is. that. the. food.shelf.doesn’t.stock.itself..If. it. is.going.to.continue.to.meet.the.needs.of.the.community,.it.is.going.to.need.donations..

The all-important questionSo.here.is.the.pivotal.question,.the.answer.to.which.

will.determine.if.the.young.boy.will.continue.to.find.some.bread.or.if.the.mother.will.continue.to.be.able.to. find. food. for.herself. and.her. children.when. there.is.nowhere.else.to.turn..The.question.is:.Who.cares?

We,.of.course,.know.that.the.answer.must.be:.“We.do.”.In.fact,.as.a.religious.community.we.have.a.bet-ter.reason.than.anyone.to.care.and.to.care.deeply..We.know.that.we.dare.not.turn.away.or.turn.a.blind.eye.toward. those. in. our. own. community. who. need. our.help..We.know.how.much.Jesus.loves.us..Helping.oth-ers.is.a.way.for.us.to.show.our.love.for.Him.

I care – so what can I do?We. can. donate. food.. Some. of. the. “hot. items”. in-

clude. crackers,. cookies,. apple. sauce. and. a. variety.of. soups.. Canned. goods. like. corn. and. baked. beans,.peas,.green.beans,.canned.fruit,.tuna,.spaghetti.sauce,.boxed. potatoes,. noodles,. rice,. macaroni. and. cheese.and. jello. are. excellent. as. well.. Even. different. meats.like.hamburger,.hot.dogs,.turkey.breasts,.chicken.and.BBQ. ribs. are. accepted.. If. food. and. shopping. is. not.your. thing,. you. can. donate. cash.. When. you. donate.cash.it.allows.the.staff.at.Neighbors.to.purchase.items.in.short.supply.that.are.much-needed.

Why March is so importantAt. the. end. of. the. day,. it’s. not. just. another. annu-

al. announcement. from. our. neighbors. at. Neighbors,.Inc.,. is. it?. If. it. helps,. remember. the. pictures. of. the.people.who.find.themselves.in.need.of.some.help..The.need.is.there..The.opportunity.is.right.in.front.of.us..And.so.it.begs.the.question:.Who.cares?

Let’s.answer.it.loudly.and.clearly.this.time..Let’s.let.the.whole.world.know.that.we.care.—.not.so.much.by.what.we. say,.but.by.what.we.do..Please.get. involved.and.donate.as.generously.as.you.are.able.this.month..What.a.beautiful.picture.that.would.be.

Rummage saleNeighbors,.Inc.,.218.13th.Ave..S.,.is.hosting.a.rum-

mage.sale.10.a.m..-.4.p.m.,.Mar..3.and.4..The.sale.will.feature. books,. linens,. towels,. sheets,. pots. and. pans,.dishes,.glasses,.pictures,.frames,. lamps,.puzzles,.toys,.small. appliances,. furniture. and. more.. All. proceeds.will.help.fund.programs.at.Neighbors.

Page 10 - South St. Paul Voice - March 2010

Your community news and information sourceC ommunity

Grow Minnesota! launches BusinessConnection

The. River. Heights. Chamber. of. Commerce. and.Progress. Plus. are. proud. to. announce. that. South. St..Paul. and. Inver. Grove. Heights. companies. and. entre-preneurs. now. have. a. single. entry. point. to. become.connected.with.private.and.public. resources. to. solve.

What does ‘Going Green’ mean to you? Over.the.past.few.months,.members.of.the.Mayor’s.

Youth.Task.Force.have.been.busy.researching.and.sift-ing.through.massive.amounts.of.information.to.devel-op.an. informative.program.on.“Going.Green.”.They.will.present. their. findings.6:30-8.p.m.,.Thurs.,.Mar..18,.at.a.Town.Hall.meeting.at.City.Hall..Residents.are.invited. to. attend.or. tune. in. to. the. live.broadcast.on.Town.Square.TV.-.Channel.19.

Getting. the. community. involved. and. working. to-ward. a. common. goal. is. exactly. what. the. task. force.is. hoping. to. accomplish. with. the. Town. Hall. meet-

Jennifer L. Gale, president

ing..We.will. take. a. look. at. a. typical. home. and.offer.suggestions. to. “Go. Green”. in. your. home. and. yard..We’ll.look.at.the.3.Rs.—.Reducing,.Reusing.and.Re-cycling.—.and.offer.easy,.commonsense.ways.in.which.everyone. can. get. involved..The.meeting.will. include.experts. in. a. variety. of. areas,. a. question-and-answer.session,. demonstrations. and. more.. In. addition,. we.will.be.looking.at.ways.to.put.this.knowledge.to.work.in.the.community.

So,. what. does. going. green. mean. to. you?. Here. is.what.it.means.to.some.of.our.members.

Austin.writes.that.going.green.is.becoming.more.en-vironmentally.friendly.in.protecting.our.planet.

Beth. states. that. going. green. is. being. conscious. of.what.you.throw.away,. the.products. that.you.use.and.

understanding.how.you.affect.the.environment.Paxton. says. going. green. is. saving. energy,. as. well.

as. reducing,. reusing. and. recycling,. like. composting.fruits.and.vegetables..

Emma.adds.that.going.green.will.help.the.earth..Hannah.said.it.means.going.out.of.your.way.to.help.

save.the.environment.by.helping.save.energy,.conserv-ing.water.and.reducing.air.pollution..She.cites.simple.examples.such.as.turning.off.lights.when.you.are.not.home,. taking. shorter. showers. and.walking.or.biking.instead.of.using.a.car..

If. you. have. a. question. or. suggestion. and. are. not.able. to. attend. the. meeting,. contact. Deb. Griffith,.community. affairs. liaison,. at. 651-554-3230. or. [email protected]..

everyday. business. problems.. BusinessConnection,.a. new. business. assistance. and. referral. network,. was.launched. recently. by.Grow.Minnesota!,. a. subsidiary.of. the.Minnesota.Chamber.of.Commerce.. It. is.open.to. all. businesses. and. can. be. reached. at. 888-MINN-BIZ.(646-6249).or.www.mnbizconnect.com..

“Our. state.has. the.business-assistance. resources. to.solve. most. problems,”. said. Bill. Blazar,. senior. vice.president.of.public.affairs.and.business.development.at. the.Minnesota.Chamber.of.Commerce,. the. state’s.largest. business-advocacy. organization.. “But. our.Grow. Minnesota!. business. retention. visits. also. sug-gest.that.Minnesota.companies.are.generally.unaware.of.the.resources.and.how.to.identify.and.access.those.that.can.solve.their.problems.”

Grow.Minnesota!,.a.distinctive.private-sector.busi-ness. retention. and. economic. development. program,.is.conducted.in.partnership.with.over.50.local.cham-bers.of.commerce..Staff.and.volunteers.average.about.900.personal.visits.per.year.with.owners.and.manag-ers.of.Minnesota.businesses..Most.importantly,.in.five.years.of.operation,.Grow.Minnesota!.has.solved.more.than.500.separate.problems.for.individual.companies..The.requests.for.help.ranged.from.acquiring.specific.permits,. to. looking. for. a. raw. material. supplier. for.a. manufacturing. process,. to. searching. for. potential.buildings.and.sites.to.expand.within.a.community.or.the. state..The.number.of.queries. and. range.of. assis-tance. provided. were. the. impetus. for. creating. Busi-nessConnection.

Job. retention. and. creation. are. our. top. priority. at.the.River.Heights.Chamber.of.Commerce.and.Prog-ress. Plus.. This. network. will. increase. utilization. of.existing. assistance.programs. for.businesses,. and. that.will. go. a. long. way. toward. keeping. jobs. in. Minne-sota,. as. well. as. helping. businesses. grow.. Grow. Min-nesota!. is.the.River.Heights.Chamber’s. job.retention.and.business.growth.program..BusinessConnection.is.a. joint.project.of.Grow.Minnesota!. and. the.Depart-ment. of. Employment. and. Economic. Development.(DEED).. The. service. is. designed. to. be. statewide,.well-publicized.and.easy. to.access..Grow.Minnesota!.worked. closely. with. DEED,. as. well. as. other. public.and.private.economic.development.organizations,. to.shape.BusinessConnection..

“Preserving. and. growing. jobs. is. increasingly. chal-lenging.in.today’s.global.economy,”.Blazar.said..“Busi-nesses.face.enough.obstacles.without.being.frustrated.in.their.attempts.to.find.answers.to.simple.questions.or.navigate.the.regulatory.landscape.”

Grants. from. the. McKnight. Foundation. to. Grow.Minnesota!. and. DEED. will. cover. the. start-up. and.initial. operating. costs. of. BusinessConnection.. Use.of. the.database.and.network.will.be.monitored.care-fully. to.determine.the.program’s.permanency.as.part.of.Grow.Minnesota.

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Your community news and information sourceH ome Improvement

What consumers should know before remodelingImproving.your.home.to.

better. fit. your. needs..will.also.increase.the.val-ue. of. your. investment. –.and.for.a.lot.less.than.the.cost.of.a.new.home.

Finding. a. qualified.professional. remodel-ing. contractor. is. critical.to. your. satisfaction. with.the.project.. .This.doesn’t.have. to. be. a. difficult.task,. but. it. is. important.to.take.the.time.to.find.a.qualified.and.ethical.con-tractor.to.do.the.work.

Hiring contractors•. Check. references.

in. the. community;. lo-cal. firms. can. be. checked.more.easily.

•. Is. the. contractor. li-censed. by. the. State. of.Minnesota,. and. are. they.bonded?. . Their. letter-head. needs. to. include.their.license.number.

•. Check. with. the. local.office.of.the.National.As-sociation. of. the. Remod-eling. Industry. (NARI).for. a. list. of. the. certi-fied. contractors. that. are.members.. .

•.Ask.for.verification.of.the. contractor’s. certifica-tions.of.insurance.

•.If.obtaining.bids.from.several. contractors,. be.certain. that. you. provide.the. same. information. in.a. written. document. so.that. they. are. bidding. on.the.same.thing.

PlanningThink. through. the. en-

tire. project. from. start. to.finish.. . Consider. repairs.needed,. improvements.desired. and. what. your.future. needs. might. be...Professional. remodel-ing. contractors. can. help.you. in. your. planning. by.outlining. options. and.discussing. the. improve-ments. you. can. make.within.your.budget..

Design & function•. Design. and. function.

should. be. foremost. in.your. mind. when. adding.a. room. or. converting. an.existing. room.. . Design/build. contractors. are.those. who. can. provide.

both. quality. design. and.construction. services.within. the. same. com-pany.

•. Major. remodeling.requires. construction.drawings. to. define. con-tracts. and. permits. pro-curement...If.your.profes-sional.remodeler.does.not.provide. design. services,.you.can.use.a.profession-ally.trained.architect.that..specializes. in. home. re-modeling.

The contract•. A. well-written. con-

tract. is. essential.. . Care-fully. read. the. bid. docu-ment. or. consult. an.attorney. to. be. certain.you. understand. the.points. being.made. about.cost,.materials.used,.war-ranties,. your. rights,. start.and. end. dates. and. terms.of.payment.

•. Various. financing.plans.are.available.to.ho-meowners.. . Among. the.most. popular. is. the. eq-uity. line. of. credit. that.bases. the. loan. amount.

on. the. equity. in. your.home.. . Consulting. your.mortgage. holder. before.starting. the. remodeling.process.will.help.you.de-termine.your.budget.

•.A.professional.remod-eling. contractor. is. famil-iar.with. available. financ-ing.options.and.can.help.

The project•. Plan. for. the. disrup-

tion. in. your. life. if. you.remain. in. your. home.during. the. construction...Discuss. this. with. the.contractor. ahead. of. time.so.you.can.make.plans.for.your.family...Let.the.con-tractor. know. when. you.will. be. away. on. vacation.or. other. lengthier. times.so. they. can. schedule. ap-propriately.

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Page 12 - South St. Paul Voice - March 2010

Your community news and information sourceB ack in Time

Centennial celebration marks new era for the city

Lois GlewweContributor

In. recent. months,.this. history. column.

has. addressed. the. clos-ing. of. both. of. South. St..Paul’s.major.meatpacking.plants.between.1969.and.1979,. the. urban. renewal.efforts. along. Grand. Av-enue.and.Concord.Street.in. the. 1970s,. and. the.challenges. the. city. faced.as. the. 1980s. arrived.. All.branches. of. government,.including. city,. county,.state.and.federal.agencies.had. brought. their. best.efforts. to. the. plans. for.revitalization. of. South.St..Paul’s. economic.base..Some. projects. had. suc-ceeded,. but. the. massive.abandoned. Armour’s.plant. dominated. the. riv-erfront,. and. the. grand.old. Exchange. Build-ing,. vandalized. in. 1981,.stood. silent.with. gaping,.broken.windows.beckon-

ing.pigeons.into.the.once.gracious.hallways.and.of-fices. of. the. 1886. struc-ture...

In. the. midst. of. this.difficult. time,. the. city.of. South. St.. Paul. began.making. plans. to. com-memorate.the.city’s.Cen-tennial. in. 1987.. Mayor.Bruce. Baumann. asked.J.. Robert. “Bob”. Stassen.to. chair. the. Centennial.Commission,.and.Bob.re-cruited. many. of. the. best.and.most.dedicated. local.leaders. and.volunteers. to.serve.. I. was. fortunate. to.be.hired.as.the.coordina-tor.for.the.year-long.cele-bration.in.April.of.1986..At. the. same. time,. the.South.St..Paul.Chapter.of.the. Dakota. County. His-torical. Society. gathered.the.reams.of.research.and.hundreds.of.photographs.that. they.had.been. accu-mulating.in.order.to.pro-duce.a.history.of.the.city..I. was. doubly. fortunate.

that. they. chose.me. to.be.the.editor.of.that.massive.book.project.

None. of. those. who.took.part. in. the.Centen-nial. planning. for. the. 21.events. that. were. held. in.1987,. nor. those. who. as-sisted. with. the. publica-tion. of. the. city’s. history,.had.any.idea.what.an.im-pact. their. efforts. would.have. on. South. St.. Paul’s.future.. Because. of. the.community’s. focus. on.its. heritage,. hundreds. of.individuals. and. families.gathered. throughout. the.year.to.share.memories.of.the. stockyards,. the.pack-ing.plants,.the.old.down-town.and. the. rich.ethnic.celebrations. that. had.marked.the.city.during.its.100. year. history.. As. the.year. of. reflection. drew.to. a. close,. in. November.of. 1987,. the. Governor’s.Design.Team,. a. group.of.volunteer. architects. and.city. planners,. came. to.

town. to. help. the. com-munity. focus. on. its. vi-sion. for. South. St.. Paul’s.future.

A.series.of.well-attend-ed. Town. Meetings. were.held. and. people. from. all.walks. of. life. came. and.participated. in. the. dis-cussion..One.of.the.main.themes. that. came. out. of.the.process.was.a.desire.to.reconnect. South. St.. Paul.to. the. Mississippi. River..Another. was. to. find. a.way. to. beautify. and. en-hance. the. connection. of.the.Southview.and.Marie.Avenue.shopping.areas.to.the. rest. of. the. city.. Re-development. of. the. old.Exchange. Building. and.

reclaiming. of. the. land.along. the. river. where.the. old. Armour’s. plant.stood.were.also.identified.among.the.top.priorities..

The. ideas. generated.with. the. assistance. of.the. Governor’s. Design.Team.were.powerful.and,.for. many,. impossible. to.imagine.. The. one. tan-gible.and.achievable.con-cept. that. arose. from. the.process. was. the. creation.of. a. grassroots. citizens’.organization. that. ended.up. being. called. the. Riv-er. Environment. Action.Project.or.R.E.A.P..Origi-nally.organized.with. sev-eral. action. groups. dedi-cated. to. various. aspects.of. the. Design. Team’s.suggestions,.R.E.A.P..was.the. driving. force. that.kept. the. vision. and. the.dream.in.front.of.the.city.council,. the. planning.commission,. the.housing.and. redevelopment. au-thority. and. the. chamber.

of. commerce.. Citizens.began. to. participate. at.public.meetings. in.great-er.numbers.and.expressed.their. willingness. to. vol-unteer. to. assist. with. any.steps. that. would. bring.the. community. closer. to.a.successful.future..

Volunteers. who. had.spent. a. year. working. on.Centennial. events. trans-ferred. their. energy. into.improving. the. commu-nity. in.a.variety.of.ways..Citizens. who. had. also.spent. 1987. hearing. and.reading. about. the. city’s.history. remained. inter-ested. and. turned. their.attention. to. the. new.ideas. for.a.different.kind.of. development.. Many.were. curious,. although.not. entirely. convinced.that. spending. time. and.money. to. improve. the.riverfront. was. a. wise.move.. Others. firmly. be-lieved.that.South.St..Paul.should. focus. on. replac-ing. the. packing. plants.with. heavy. industry. and.stop. trying. to. become.anything. more.. As. the.community. gathered. to.dance. the. night. away. at.the. Centennial. Ball. on.December. 31,. 1987,. the.stage. was. set. for. a. dra-matic. decade. that. would.bring. more. changes. to.the. old. city. than. anyone.imagined.. Next. month’s.column. will. examine. the.efforts. to. restore. legal.public. access. to. the.Mis-sissippi. River. for. all. of.South.St..Paul’s.citizens.

The city of South St. Paul celebrated its 100th birthday in 1987 with over 20 community events, including those advertised on this huge billboard, which greeted travelers heading south on Highway 52 into the city. The billboard was sponsored by V.F.W. Post #295. The year-long commemoration of the city’s past resulted in the creation of R.E.A.P., a grassroots citizens’ group that involved residents in the dis-cussions and decisions that would ultimately restore public access to the Mississippi River in South St. Paul.

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