The Coop

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“We don’t want to take all the credit because there’s all the people who came before us that did a darn good job,” said Karen. “We credit the people in South St. Paul for really supporting the restaurant all these years…. We get compliments a lot about how our employees are good with customers and I love that. When I go onto Yelp and see someone left a review that the food is amazing that’s great, but when I read a review saying that our employees were amazing, that’s even ten times better for me.”

The building was constructed in 1903 and the Hanson’s have made several improvements to it since as- suming ownership. In 2008, they won prize money from the River Heights Chamber of Commerce through a community vote for a small business to get a makeover and used the funds to get new signage, paint the interior and more.

“The appearance of the Coop, especially inside, is a night and day difference from when we bought it,” said Karen. “When we bought the restaurant the focus [theme] inside was chickens. There were just hundreds of chickens everywhere, and we’ve kind of transitioned more to South St. Paul history. Don’t get me wrong, we still have a lot of chickens, but we also have a wall inside that’s all this historical stuff about South St. Paul… People love that wall.”

Other improvements throughout the years have included replacing countertops and appliances, minor demolition to create more food preparation space, and hiring local artist Jaclee Slaba to paint a few more chickens on the building and to create the sign out front that points to South St. Paul landmarks as well as some faraway places such as Canada and Iowa. Slaba also helps tend the many flowers outside the restaurant. In 2018, the city placed a half wall along a portion of Southview Boulevard when that street was being reconstructed, and that wall now helps define the restaurant’s 3-table patio space.

Armour Gates

from page 1 staff are willing to explore whether creating a park in the Bridgepoint Business Park should be a priority in the City’s parks and recreation system and worth the investment. The City is now in the process of updating its Parks and Recreation master plan. If the land becomes a park, the city will lose tax

The Coop opened in 1963 under ownership of Lorraine Fitzgerald. In 1968, brothers Dick and Stan Gapinski purchased it and Dick operated it until the Hansons took over in 2001. The building had previously housed a grocery store that operated under several different names and owners throughout the decades.

“They [the Hansons] didn’t mess it up,” said Dick Gapinski, with a wry laugh. “They’ve made some nice improvements. Frequently, new owners will try to change things up too much, but they’ve done a good job. It’s nice to see [the restaurant still there].” Gapinski noted that he still eats there occasionally, and that his son opened a similar restaurant – The Rooster BBQ Deli – more than 30 years ago at 979 Randolph Ave. in St Paul, so he still has a tie to the industry.

The Coop participates in the annual Kaposia Days parade, and this year was Karen’s second year on the Kaposia Days board of directors. She is a South St. Paul native, and Bob grew up in Inver Grove Heights. Joel Hanson returned to the restaurant in 2006 and now, he’s got his eye on the future.

“We’re looking at perhaps adding some new menu items and I think we’re going to try to expand our catering business,” he said, noting that the COVID-19 pandemic forced them to focus more on online sales. “Now that we do so much online takeout and delivery, we want a product that can withstand being boxed up for 20 minutes and brought somewhere. We’re appreciative of the community and our employees and staff. We’re glad we made it through COVID and we’re going to keep delivering good food with good customer service.” revenue. It’s been estimated that a 40,000-square-foot office-warehouse building on the site would have a total property value of $4.5 million and produce an estimated $150,000 in annual property taxes, with about $40,000 of that total benefiting the city and about $32,500 going to the school district. The position of the gates on the triangular- to older adults or mentor school-age children. Volunteers commit to regular weekly hours for a tax-free stipend and mileage reimbursement. Please contact Brinn Krabbenhoft at 651.310.9455, or Brinn.Krabbenhoft@ lssmn.org for more information and to make an impact in your community. shaped lot has made it difficult to find a buyer for the site, which is best suited for a 35,000-50,000-square-foot building. City staff noted that if the gates are restored and remain onsite without the creation of a park, they could explore alternative development approaches for the property that would work around the gates.

On Friday, Aug. 11, Bob and Karen’s grandkids will host The Local Lemon community lemonade stand at the Coop and hand out free lemonade and treats. Karen had the honor of naming the new leamonde stand. Her nomination was selected via community vote. Other customer appreciation events will also be scheduled throughout the rest of the year. For more information, call 651-455-7566 or visit thecooprestaurant.com.

10% de descuento en su siguiente compra No es válido con otros cupones u ofertas. Debe ser mayor de 21 años para productos Nothing but Hemp. Expira 31/8/23.

This isn’t the first time conversations about saving the gates have arisen. At work sessions over the past few years the city council

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Since 1984 / Major Credit Cards Accepted www.kernlawnservice.com and staff determined that relocating the gates would cost upwards of $175,000, and their restoration – not including roof replacement – would be nearly $205,000. On the flipside, it would cost about $25,000 to demolish them. The City previously requested $350,000 in state funds to assist with relocation and restoration of the structures but was only awarded $50,000. That wasn’t nearly enough so the City ultimately relinquished the funds back to the State. The 1918 brick and limestone structures once served as the entry point for thousands of people going to work at the Armour & Co. meat packing campus.

N ews Briefs Library gets new name

It’s official. The new library under construction at Seventh and Marie avenues will be called Kaposia Library when it opens in early 2024. The name is a nod to the Kaposia Village of the Mdewakanton Dakota, who lived along the Mississippi River in the area that is now South St. Paul. The branch will be the 10th in the Dakota County Library system. Before selecting the name, county staff consulted with tribal historic preservation officers from several Indigenous communities. For more information, visit dakotacounty.us and search kaposia library.

Library events

For more information or to register, call 651-5543240 or visit southstpaul. org/library.

Altered Book Art, 6:308 p.m., Monday, Aug. 21. Repurpose a worn book into a one-of-a kind accordion style journal using collage materials, scissors, glue and more. Geared toward adults.

Registration required.

Book Club , 7-8 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 3. The title

Luther Memorial Church 315 15th Ave N 651 - 451-2400 luther-memorial.com

• St . Augustine ’s Catholic Church 408 3rd St N 651 - 45 5 - 1302 holytrinitysspmn.org

• First Presbyterian 535 20th Ave N 651 - 451-6223 fpcssp.org

• Woodbury Lutheran Wakota Ridge Campus 255 W. Douglas St. 651-739-5144 woodburylutheran.org

• South St. Paul Hispanic Seventh-day Adventist 140 6th Ave N 651 - 455-0777

• Grace Lutheran Church

1 49 8th Ave S 651 - 451-1035 grace-ssp.org is “The Minnesota Stories of Sinclair Lewis” by Sinclair Lewis. Visit tinyurl. com/SSPbookclub for more information.

Relay For Life

Relay For Life, a fundraising event for the American Cancer Society, begins at 4 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 5 at Lincoln Center Elementary, 357 9th Ave. N. The goal is to raise $25,000 to help fight cancer. At Relay For Life, community members take turns walking around the school’s track lined with luminaria. Cancer survivors will make the first lap of the day then be joined by caregivers of cancer patients. The event also includes local entertainers. For more information or to make a pledge, visit cancer.org and click the Relay for Life link.

Meeting dates

The South St. Paul City Council meets at 7 p.m. the first and third Monday of each month in the council chambers at City Hall, 125 3rd Ave. N. For agendas and city council member contact information, visit southstpaul.org or call 651554-3284.

The Special School District 6 School Board meets at 6 p.m. the second and fourth Monday of each month. For agendas and school board member contact information, visitsspps. org or call 651-457-9400.

The South St. Paul Lions Club meets at 7:15 p.m. the first and third Thursday of the month (SeptemberMay). For more information, visit ssplions.org.

South St. Paul Southwest Lioness-Lions Club meets the second Thursday of the month at 6 p.m. at Angelo’s Italian Restaurant, 1203 Southview Blvd., South St. Paul. This group of women serves the community through fundraising and volunteering.

Student notes

University of NebraskaLincoln dean’s list: Ryan Hurdt, Keeley Williams

Hamline University dean’s list: Jaime Hernandez Portillo, Carter Viner, Dawson Shanley, Gerardo Landaverde, Nevaeh Van Horn and Pricilla Lopez Serrano

University of Dallas dean’s list: Maximilian Hastreiter

SSP man completes advocacy training

Nicholas Kelley of South St. Paul knows what it’s like to live with a disability. Now, thanks to recent training, he also knows how to advocate for other people with disabilities. Kelley, who has autism, recently completed an advocacy training course through Partners in Policymaking, learning the history of disability and self-advocacy movements, inclusive education, supported living, competitive employment and ways to influence county, state and federal legislative processes. A highlight for Kelley