South St. Paul
Chamber names interim president
Mysterious murals discovered
Page 7
Page 8
Volume 17 | Number 7
Council adopts new housing strategy Tim Spitzack Editor
At its June 1 meeting, the South St. Paul City Council unanimously adopted new guidelines to address the city’s housing market. The Master Housing Assessment and Strategy Plan was developed by city staff with the help of a 9-member task force led by former South St. Paul Mayor Beth Baumann. It addresses the current condition of the housing market, trends and barriers in housing, needed investments, and programs and resources needed to encourage homeowners and developers to make investments or reinvestments. Economic and Community Development Director Ryan Garcia said the overall goal of the document is to help the city maintain a community that is attractive to longtime and new residents. The document identifies short-, mid- and long-term goals. Within the next year, the city will focus on fair housing, zoning code changes for multi-family units, providing loan education for residents and updating the “New Resident Packet” with information on local fees and property taxes, inspections, financial assistance programs and other resources. After that it will turn its attention to reexamining rental property preservation and residential design standards, rental rehab and creating a Home Expo. Long-term goals—5 years and beyond—include converting duplexes into single family homes, establishing a housing improvement Housing / Page 3
Your Community News & Information Source
Serbian Hall one step closer to becoming event center
Owner Alex Stojmenovic in the newly-remodeled reception hall. Tim Spitzack Editor
A
lex Stojmenovic has spent the last year pouring a fair amount of blood, sweat and tears—and more than $300,000—into renovating the historic Serbian Hall at 404 3rd Ave. S. to return it to its former glory as a place where people gather to celebrate life’s most cherished events. A recent amendment to
a zoning ordinance by the South St. Paul City Council now has him one step closer to opening. At its June 1 meeting, the Council voted unanimously to change the city code to allow a for-profit entity to operate an event center in a historic building. Their motivation was to preserve the character of the city and its oldest buildings rather than merely supporting the Serbian Hall Serbian Hall / Page 2
Students and community shine in new video Tim Spitzack Editor
Several seniors from South St. Paul High School, city leaders, members of South Metro Fire and owners of local businesses are featured in a new video that honors the Class of 2020. The video was released May 27 and can be viewed on YouTube. The City of South St. Paul commissioned singersongwriter Kat Perkins and
co-writer Eric Warner to write a song specifically for South St. Paul graduates who missed out on many school- and graduationrelated activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Perkins, a native of Scranton, N. D., who now lives in the Twin Cities, gained notoriety from her 2014 appearance on NBC’s The Voice, where she advanced to the semifinals. She released her first single that year and con-
tinues to write and perform. In the video, Perkins sings her new song “Shine,” which includes uplifting words of encouragement for the graduates. She is featured in the high school gymnasium, Ettinger Field and other places around the city. At the end of the video, she speaks directly to the graduates saying, “I have faith that you will do amazing things. Future doctors, future nurses, future engineers and sci-
entists. You will be leaders with compassionate and empathetic hearts. My faith and hope is in you. We see you. We hear you. Your community stands with you. It’s your time to shine.” After South St. Paul Mayor Jimmy Francis approached Perkins with the idea, her muse quickly took over. “I actually wrote the song in under an hour,” Shine / Page 3
July 2020
Summer learning continues online Tim Spitzack Editor
Distance learning for local students will extend into the summer. South St. Paul Public Schools is hosting its Summer Learning Academy online July 6-30. Classes are held 8:30 a.m.12:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday and include the following topics: Exploring Stories, Yoga Movement, Exploring Animals, Castle History, Mindful Movement, Reading, Math, Exploring Math Through Games, Mystery Science, Virtual Field Trip Journeys, and Social Skills. The District received a grant from the U. S. Department of Agriculture to support its summer meal program. Free meals are available to youth age 18 and younger through Aug. 27. Boxed meals are distributed 10 a.m.-noon on Mondays and Thursdays at Lincoln Center Elementary, 357 9th Ave. N., Kaposia Education Center, 1225 First Ave. S. and South St. Paul Secondary, 700 N. Second St. Each box contains three breakfast and three lunch meals. No meals will be distributed on July 2 or July 6. For more information, call 651-457-9429 or visit www.sspps. org/Page/1368. South St. Paul Community Theatre is also going online this summer. It will present “The Big One-Oh” online musical at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., July 30-Aug. 1. The play is about Charley, a shy child whose friends are all imaginary monsters. For his 10th birthday, Charley decides to have a Summer school / Page 3
E conomic Development Serbian Hall from page 1
project. Stojmenovic must still obtain a conditional use permit, which the city can revoke if problems arise in the future. He may not operate a public bar there. Stojmenovic is a Twin Cities developer and real estate broker who immigrated to the United States from Serbia in 1991. He is eager to start welcoming guests and hopes that restrictions due to COVID-19 will ease in the coming months so he can do just that. He purchased the building in 2018 and has already completed a vast array of renovations, including refinishing hardwood floors, windows and doors, painting of the interior walls and trim, repairing damaged radiators and sprucing up the three bathrooms with tera cotta tile and other improvements. He still needs to do some exterior work, including tuckpointing, landscaping and
lighting, as well as creating a parking lot. Initially, he’ll use a portion of the lot next door for that purpose. The lot has a house on it, which he owns as rental property. If he needs more spaces in the future, he may relocate that house elsewhere in South St. Paul. He also owns other rental properties in the city. The Hall has two levels with a total of 9,000 squarefeet and will be used strictly for private events of up to 200. Customers will have the option of renting one or both levels. The lower level has a kitchen and bar but the kitchen is not suitable for commercial use. Stojmenovic has no plans to upgrade it or obtain a liquor license. Those wanting food and liquor will need to have it catered. He is also developing a list of caterers for the building, which already includes The Coop, one of
Your community news and information source South St. Paul’s oldest restaurants. Built in 1924, the 2-story brick building once hosted social gatherings, worship services, educational events and celebrations of the Serbian community living in South St. Paul and the surrounding region. It operated a bar until the 1960s when business began to fade. The previous owner failed to renew the on-sale liquor license and eventually quit hosting events altogether in the 1980s. Most recently, the Hall was used as a museum for Serbian artifacts and memorabilia, operated by South St. Paul resident Ted Trkla. Due to dwindling finances, the museum closed about a year ago. South St. Paul has two other ethnic halls that host events. The Croatian Hall, also in a residential neighborhood, has been operating a bar and event center since the early 1900s, and the Polish National Alliance
operates a bar and gathering space. Both were grandfathered in under the former ordinance, and the amendment to the city code will not affect them. The Serbian Hall was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992 for its history as an ethnic cultural center, and Stojmenovic wants to perpetuate its heritage. He will keep the name of the building the same—Serbian Hall—and make it available to the local Serbian community for use as a cultural center. That was the driving force behind his purchasing the building. “This is a lasting thing for me, if I can save the building,” he said. “It has a history. It will be honored. My ancestors built it.” Stojmenovic, who became a citizen in 2003, lives in Edina with his wife and four children. For more information, contact him at 612-200-4377 or alex@ parkrealtymn.com.
‘This is a lasting thing for me, if I can save the building,’ said Stojmenovic. ‘It has a history. It will be honored. My ancestors built it.’
The Serbian Hall was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992 for its history as an ethnic cultural center.
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C ommunity Housing from page 1
loan program that isn’t based on income, and a mixedincome housing policy that supports residents of all income levels. According to a 2017 survey, the majority of homes—63%—in South St. Paul are single-family, and 60% are more than 60 years old. The city has approximately 6,200 singlefamily homes. The median home value is $177,700 and the average sales price is $205,820. The greatest need
Your community news and information source in the future is housing for young couples without children and empty-nesters, a trend that is expected to create more demand for rental housing and townhomes.
Recent activity According to a new report by the St. Paul Area Association of Realtors, the housing market in South St. Paul was flat through April compared to the same period in 2019. New listings were identical at 103, and closed sales went from 84 to 86. Homes sold in an average of 45 days compared to 48 last year, and the median sales
price increased by $300 to $223,300. In the Twin Cities metro area, the first quarter of 2020 was strong but the second quarter was a rollercoaster, as expected due to COVID-19. As of April, the median Twin Cities home price increased 8.9% to $305,000, a new high for the metro area. New construction sales rose 4.7%, and single-family homes were up 11.1%. Townhome sales dipped 5.3% and condo sales were the low performer, dropping 33.2%. Additionally, reports continue to abound of sellers receiving multiple offers
above their asking price, and low mortgage rates have helped sustain the market. Rates on a 30-year fixed loan are at around 3.24%. “March started off strong and that strength returned later in April and into May; however, the latter half of March and the start of April saw set-backs due to COVID-19,” said Patrick Ruble, president of the St. Paul Area Association of Realtors, in a statement. “Realtors are busy, and we’ve seen gains for both buyers and sellers in late-April and May.” For more information, visit www.spaar.com.
New islands at Pig’s Eye Lake Tim Spitzack Editor
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is scheduled to begin a project this year that will build seven new islands in Pig’s Eye Lake, a backwater of the Mississippi River bordering South St. Paul. The Corps will use material dredged from the river bottom to create low elevation islands with sand benches and native plantings. The goal is to reduce shoreline erosion, improve vegetation and create new habitat for waterfowl. The lake is home to the Pig’s Eye Island rookery, one of the largest in the state for birds that nest in colonies, including great egrets, blackcrowned night herons, great blue herons, double-crested cormorants and American white pelicans.
The lake’s water quality is poor due to sedimentation and run-off of pollutants. The lake is next to the former Pig’s Eye dump, which, according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, deposited more than 8 million cubic yards of residential and industrial waste into a 230-acre wetland between 1956 and 1972. From 19771985, the Metropolitan
Council Wastewater Treatment Plant also dumped an estimated 236,000 cubic yards of wastewater treatment sludge ash there. Remediation efforts began in 1999 to remove drums of waste along Battle Creek and to cover the entire site with at least two feet of clean soil. Trees and other vegetation were planted to help prevent erosion and reduce
contaminants from reaching the groundwater. The $12.6 million project is scheduled to begin this fall and be completed in 2022. The Corps will cover $8.4 million of the cost and Ramsey County will provide the remainder. Local conservation group Friends of the Mississippi River supports the effort.
Summer school from page 1
party with some real friends but things don’t go as planned. The theater will also present “The Carol Burnett Show” online play at 2 p.m., July 4 and 25, and original skits written and performed by South St. Paul students at 2 p.m., June 27 and July 18. For more information, visit https://sites.google.com/ site/ssppstheatre/summer-2020, or contact Eric Holsen at 651-457-9430 or eholsen@sspps.org.
Shine from page 1
she said. “I was so moved by the mission to do something special for the class of 2020, and I couldn’t stop thinking about everything I wanted to say to those amazing kids in a time of need.” The video shoot went fast as well. She and her team recorded it in four hours in and around the empty high school. “It was the fastest I’ve ever taken a song idea from my brain to recorded audio and video,” said Perkins. The inspiration for the song came after Francis told her that the school district
turned on the lights at Ettinger Field on several Monday evenings to recognize its students, a gesture similar to that of many other school districts across the country. “That imagery completely inspired ‘shine’ and ‘shine on,’” she said. “It just clicked with me. I basically just put together all that I wanted to say to the class with the hopeful vision of taking the time to shine and turn this moment into a positive one.” Perkins also noted that she found the community itself to be warm and welcoming. “I learned quickly that the community is strong,” she said. “Everyone is kind, loving, caring, and the students reflect that right back.”
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S ummer Fun Paddle Share: the perfect social-distancing adventure Your community news and information source
Ginny Contreras Sawyer Contributor
B
ack in March when Gov. Tim Walz implored all Minnesotans to shelter in place, I could practically hear the collective plea of the people: “We’ll give you March and April, maybe even part of May, but please don’t take our summer!” Unfortunately, this beast of a virus seems to be doing just that, although restrictions are loosening. As a nature junkie who
enjoys all things outdoors, by early June I was starting to feel desperate and was drowning in self-pity at the prospect of a lost season. Then a life preserver was thrown in my direction when I learned of Mississippi Paddle Share. “The program has been around for almost five years but not many people know about it,” said Lauren DeGennaro, spokesperson for the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (MNRRA), a division of
the National Park Service that manages the program. “We’re hoping to get the word out better this year.” DeGennaro met me at the Paddle Share station at Pickerel Lake in Lilydale Regional Park to guide me through the process of renting a kayak and to answer my questions. In preparation for our meeting, I had scoured Paddleshare.org and learned that there are five routes stretching from Coon Rapids to St. Paul: Nature Route, Nature to
City, City Plus, City, and Pickerel Lake, which is the one station not connected to the river. It’s an ideal place for novice kayakers to gain experience before venturing further afield. My first questions centered around safety protocols concerning COVID-19. She assured me that the Park Service and its partners take safety very seriously. “Kayaks are normally rented out every couple of hours but now our turnaround is 24 hours,” she said. “Besides
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disinfecting all the equipment and life vests, we figured letting the kayaks sit for some time wouldn’t hurt.” The rental station is located at the small public boat access just off Water Street in St. Paul. It’s easily recognizable by the long silver lockers—each with its own keypad. If you weren’t looking for the place it might be hard to find, and even then it might not be clear what the lockers are for. As if to underscore the point, within a 15-minute timespan two people on bikes and one pedestrian stopped to talk to DeGennaro, who in her official green ranger uniform appeared both welcoming and knowledgeable. The passersby all expressed their surprise at never having noticed the lockers. I chuckled to myself, having said the same thing to her just minutes ago. “We’re going to be getting new signage soon,” said DeGennaro after they left. “With everyone hanging closer to home, if we do this well it could be our busiest summer yet.” Normally this is a selfservice experience, similar to the shared bikes and scooters seen around the city, and DeGennaro showed me how simple it is. She punched in a 10-digit code and opened the door. Inside was one kayak, a paddle and a life jacket. Surprisingly, the locker reminded me of the black box Fisher Price magic set I had as a kid, but instead of a yellow foam bunny magically appearing behind the door it was a yellow kayak. (Perhaps the isolation of a 2-month quarantine has affected me more than I realize.) The Paddle Share website is simple to navigate, even for the non-tech-savvy like me. After clicking on Rent A Kayak, users are prompted to choose a route and pay online. The access code is sent to your email. Once you reach your destination, you punch in the code and voila,
a day of paddling the river or lake is all yours. Pickerel Lake has some advantages. For one, the fee is about $10 cheaper: $20 for a single and $35 for a tandem. The station also has a kayak with adaptive equipment for paddlers with accessibility needs. Because each kayak is disinfected and left overnight, you can leisurely explore the lake for the entire day for the same price as the normal 2-hour rental window. As I paddled away from shore, I quickly noticed the monstrous powerline poles that cut across the northwest side of the lake. I couldn’t decide if they were kind of cool or just plain ugly. I leaned toward the cool end of the spectrum when I saw a bald eagle’s nest perched on top of one. On my outing, I also spotted a beaver’s dam, some painted turtles sunning themselves on a partially submerged log, and more than a few large fish breaking the surface to feed on algae and insects. Paddling under a wooden railroad bridge on the north end of the lake was also fun. Honestly, I was just happy to be out of the house and away from my neighborhood for an extended period of time. The east side of the lake was my favorite. It was woodsy and quiet and far away from bike trails, roads and powerlines. I faced the kayak toward the east shore and tuned out the distant hum of traffic on I-35 to focus on melodic bird song, honking geese and the rustling of wind through the leaves. I closed my eyes and imagined I was kayaking in the Boundary Waters, and after a few minutes started grinning like an idiot. Boy was I desperate for nature! Although this wasn’t pristine wilderness, I had to admit it might be the perfect socialdistancing activity to get me through summer.
S ummer Fun Explore regional parks While the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the cancellation of outdoor festivals, concerts and most other summertime entertainment options, it has not kept us from exploring the great outdoors. Those who have grown tired of visiting parks in their city have
Your community news and information source many options to branch out and visit the metro area’s regional parks for hiking, biking, fishing, picnicking and a host of other activities. The 7-county metro area has 56 regional parks and park reserves encompassing nearly 55,000 acres, and a regional trail system totaling about 400 miles. St. Paul alone has six regional
parks—Battle Creek and Indian Mounds, Como Zoo and Conservatory, Hidden Falls-Crosby Farm, LilydaleHarriet Island and Cherokee Heights, Mississippi Gorge, and Phalen-Keller—and three regional trails: Bruce Vento, Sam Morgan and Trout Brook. Nearby are the Mississippi River Trail, River to River Greenway Trail and
the Big Rivers Trail. For specific regional park uses and locations, visit the Parks page at https://metrocouncil.org and view the Maps and Activities link. While most parks offer free admission, some require a daily or annual pass to enter by vehicle. Entrance by bike or on foot is always free.
Capital City Bikeway expands The St. Paul City Council has approved the second leg of the Capital City Bikeway. It will supplement the first section, which is on Jackson Street between Kellogg Boulevard and 11th Street. The new segment will run along 10th Street from Dorothy Day Place to Jackson Street, and on Ninth Street from Jackson to Broadway. The Bikeway, a top priority of the St. Paul Bicycle Plan, adopted by the St. Paul City Council in March 2015, will connect to existing trails and on-street bikeways. Artwork courtesy of the City of St. Paul
Padelford Riverboats, moored at Harriet Island, is operating its narrated 90-minute public sightseeing cruises at noon and 2:30 p.m. daily, and 6 p.m. or 7 p.m. most other days. Cost is $18, with discounts for students and seniors. Themed cruises are also offered, including the lunch-and-lock, rib dinner and sunset cruises. For more information, call 651227-1100 or visit www.riverrides.com.
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South St. Paul Voice - July 2020 - Page 5
C ommunity
Neighbors, Inc. Charlie Thompson President & CEO
I have a quote from Martin Luther King Jr. on my computer desktop that reads, “It really boils down to this: that all life is interrelated. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied into a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one destiny, affects all indirectly.” Earlier this summer, our community was shaken by the murder of a black man at the hands of a white police officer. George Floyd’s death, like countless others, is tied to the
Postscript
A little awkward
It’s harder to keep in touch with people these days. Things are opening up but it’s going to be a while before we hop in a car and visit people the way we used to. I met the pastor of my church while walking. She told me the youth group had been meeting via Zoom and the kids were overcome with shyness, seeing their faces on MERRIAM PARK
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the screen. I wanted to say, “Don’t they realize they can be seen when they show up in person?” But I sympathized with the teenagers. When my husband, Peter,
institutional racism that plagues our country. The garment of destiny that MLK refers to makes no distinction between race or life experience. It is a powerful statement that what affects one affects all. As a white person, I find myself reflecting on my own experience with race, and struggle to find answers. However, I also recognize that silence and ignoring past experience is not an option. I grew up in southeastern Minnesota. During my formative years, it was rare for me to meet a person of color. Race was dealt with in an ignorant manner that was normalized in small town Minnesota. However, being normal does not make it right, just or acceptable. At Neighbors, our vision is to have communities where all are nourished, and our core values are respect, generosity and inclusion. To fully live the values and achieve our vision, systemic racism must stop. We have taken steps during the past few years to update policies and handbooks. We have discussions about the importance of treating everyone with dignity and providing our guests with respectful, affirming experiences. We lean into our belief that we value all people, that every story matters and that diversity makes communities stronger.
I admire the team at Neighbors because they are always looking for ways to lower barriers and improve our service to the community. We do this best when we engage in listening to concerns of all those we interact with, regardless of who they are or why they are here. This is an ongoing process. Employees and staff receive annual training on civil rights, and our board of directors and staff continue to have training on diversity, equity and inclusion. These actions are a small step toward recognizing how interrelated our lives are and working for not simply justice, but racial justice for all. Transforming our communities takes constant care, nurturing and vigilance. One individual person or organization cannot accomplish it alone. It must be a group effort, and we all bear responsibility for committing to a just, fair and equitable world where all neighbors have the opportunity to thrive and are nourished. Let us acknowledge the inescapable network we all live in and work together to ensure that our common destiny is free from racism and full of peace, justice and prosperity for all.
and I tried Zoom for the first time it was a little awkward. “Shouldn’t the camera be higher?” I asked. “You can see right up our noses!” We found a cardboard box and adjusted the laptop angle. “Why is it so smudgy?” “I had sticky tape over the camera,” Peter told me. Peter cleaned the tape residue off the lens and I realized I looked a lot better smudgy. We’ve been trying to make a point of calling people up more often. (Peter calls it “drunk dialing,” although we’re not.) Sometimes it takes some effort. Sometimes I’ve wondered if these unexpected phone calls are more a bother than a pleasant surprise to the folks we call. Yesterday, I got a surprise call myself from Geri. I haven’t seen Geri since I
to clean Geri’s house. “Geri, I am not going to clean your house.” “Oh no. But it’s so good to hear your voice. How are you doing?” I knew Geri was getting up in years and her husband, Clarence, was older yet. I asked, somewhat timidly, “How’s your family?” “Oh, we’re fine. But we’re old. I am 88 and Clarence is 95.” “Only 95? He’s a pup!” “He parks in the spot reserved for WWII veterans they still have at the grocery store and I think he’s the only one who uses it.” Geri and I chatted for quite a while. We both had news and a lot of shared memories. “You and Peter have to come and visit sometime,”
moved 1,400 miles away years ago. She’s quite a bit older than me and not someone I knew well, so when I saw her name pop up on my phone yesterday I was very surprised. I didn’t know I even had her phone number, to be honest. “Geri,” I said, “this is Carrie.” There was a moment of awkward silence. “Geri, did you butt-dial me?” “Carrie? This is Carrie Classon?” “Geri, you butt-dialed me, didn’t you?” “No. I was trying to call someone else. Someone to clean my house.” Geri has a huge old wooden house sitting on a hill. It even has a turret on one corner. There are nooks and crannies and stairs everywhere. I would not want
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Geri said. I promised we would next time we were anywhere near. “Clarence is going to be mad when he finds out you called me up to clean your house and ended up inviting us over,” I told her. “No, no, we would love to see you. It was great talking with you.” “It was good to hear from you, Geri.” And it was. Talking to Geri made my day. I suddenly felt less worried about those “Hi! We were just thinking about you” calls Peter and I have been making. Yes, it’s a little awkward making conversation with someone you haven’t talked to in a long time, but sometimes a little awkward is okay, I decided. Sometimes a little awkward is a lot of fun. Till next time.
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C ommunity
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Chamber names interim president
Kaposia Education Center and Lincoln Center Elementary each hosted a parade on Wednesday, June 3 to celebrate the end of the school year. Teachers and staff at Kaposia participated in a procession of approximately 30 vehicles along a 5-mile route that snaked through the neighborhoods around the school. The event at Lincoln Center was a reverse parade, in which teachers and staff stood around the school and waved to students and their families as they drove by.
Library events Pick 5 Summer Reading Challenge - Read five books of your choice from our Pick 5 category list (available at www.ssplibrary.org) for a chance to win $10 gift cards from local businesses. The challenge runs through Aug. 14. Tech Tutoring - Tech tu-
toring services are available by phone. Call 651-5543243 or email Honora at hrodriguez@sspmn.org to schedule an appointment. Book Club - The club will meet virtually on Zoom at 7 p.m., Thursday, July 9 to discuss “The Missing” by Tim Gautreaux. To learn how to join the discussion,
email Honora at hrodriguez@sspmn.org. Cookbook Club, 7 p.m., Friday, July 17. Join this virtual meeting on Zoom geared toward South St. Paul foodies. To learn how to join the discussion, email Honora at hrodriguez@ sspmn.org.
Student notes Belmont University dean’s list: Emma Kroska Bradley University dean’s list: Ryan Krech, Abby Macioch and Maeve Mellen University of North Dakota dean’s list: Oliver Nordlie University of Iowa dean’s list: Kathryn Stietz
‘Please Come to My Neighborhood’ program begins
Due to COVID-19 and the closure of pools this summer, the South St. Paul Mayor’s Youth Task Force is replacing Swimming Under
the Stars with a new program called Please Come to My Neighborhood. On Wednesday evenings, from 6-7 p.m., members of the task force will travel throughout the city greeting youth and offering treats such as popsicles, freeze pops, Rice Krispies treats and more. We need your help. Write us a letter and tell us why we should come to your neighborhood. Tell us what your neighborhood is like and how many kids are there. Let
us know if there is someone of any age who is having a birthday, anniversary or celebrating any other special occasion. We will review all letters and select one neighborhood for a special visit we are calling, “You’ve been Visited, the Task Force Way!” Mail your letter, along with your address and telephone number, to Deb Griffith, City of South St. Paul, 125 3rd Ave. N., South St. Paul, MN 55075, email deb.griffith@southstpaul.org
or drop it off at City Hall. The 6-week program will begin July 8. Watch the South St. Paul Events and Activities Facebook page for updates, fun photos and more information. We cannot wait to come to your neighborhood this summer. If you are part of a business or organization that would like to partner with the task force on this or other programs, contact Deb Griffith at 651-554-3230 or deb. griffith@southstpaul.org.
The River Heights Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors has named Colleen Murphy Roth as interim president. She succeeds Jennifer Gale, who resigned after 16 years to move to the private sector. “I wish to thank the Board members, both present and past, the membership for investing in the River Heights Chamber during my tenure and to the community leaders who have partnered with the Chamber to make our community a great place to live, work and play,” said Gale. “I take great pride in the staff and the work plans we accomplished together to solidify the Chamber as the premier local advocate for business. It has been my greatest pleasure serving our business community and I am blessed to have had the chance to work with, learn from, and partner with the amazing leaders in the River Heights community.” Roth has been the Chamber’s director of membership development for the past two and a half years. Previously, she worked in development with various nonprofits in the Twin Cities. She also serves as the vice president of Squirts for District 8 of MN Hockey. She said she is excited for the challenges that lie ahead with the everchanging business landscape and is committed to having the Chamber be the premier resource for businesses in the community. Goals for the Chamber this year include: Programming for different demographic groups - This includes weekly we-
Colleen Murphy Roth binars on topics such as working from home, investments, tourism, retail, real estate, legal, human resources and managerial staffing. Using technology to better communicate - The Chamber utilizes Facebook Live, Zoom, Microsoft Teams and other platforms for its meetings, group communications and events. Bridging the political divide - The Chamber is using its consensus-building experience to promote shared values rather than divisive issues. It moderated a town hall meeting this spring to discuss the PPP and EIDL Small Business Loan programs and has worked with state legislators to secure additional grants and state loans to assist local businesses in dealing with the pandemic. It is also working with local governments to encourage them to relax city ordinances to assist businesses in reopening in a safe, yet profitable way that meets state policy guidelines. For more information or to contact chamber staff, visit www.riverheights.com.
Serving Pre-K-12th graders in St. Paul Metro Learn new skills. Make media. Share your story.
St. Paul City School District
Looking for a small, supportive school community? We're enrolling! Call 651-225-9177 or visit www.stpaulcityschool.org to learn more and schedule a tour
St. Paul City Primary School 260 Edmund Ave., St. Paul St. Paul City Middle School 643 Virginia St., St. Paul River's Edge Academy High School 188 West Plato Blvd., St. Paul
• Free public charter school • Small class sizes (25 or fewer) • Full day pres-school and kindergarten • Emphasis on community • Environmental Ed / Experiential Learning programs • Free school busing in St. Paul for Pre-K-8th grade / Free Metro Transit passes for 9th-12th grade • Free breakfast & lunch available • Special education services • English language learning services • School culture that emphasizes relationships, community building, leadership and character growth.
Become a member today. Visit us at spnn.org or 550 Vandalia St Suite 170 Saint Paul, MN 55114
South St. Paul Voice - July 2020 - Page 7
B ack in Time
Your community news and information source
Mysterious murals discovered at local funeral home Lois Glewwe Contributor
I’ve talked about the Kandt-Tetrick Funeral Home in this history column several times over the past 15 years. It’s a charming building that originally housed the tea house restaurant known as the Greystone Grill, owned and operated by Loretta Andrus. It was a place where
schoolteachers and “ladies who lunch” enjoyed asparagus soufflé and delicate desserts. After Andrus and her husband retired to Florida, Robert English bought the building and founded the English Funeral Home on the site at 140 8th Ave. N. He and Warren Meeker became partners in 1950 under the name English-Meeker
Funeral Parlor. Around 1955, an addition was made to the building across the street from South St. Paul High School and two years
later the business was sold to Myron and Russell Kandt. Myron’s son, Jeff, now partners with Paul Tetrick, and they operate the business un-
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der the name Kandt-Tetrick Funeral Home & Cremation Services. In 2019, Jeff Kandt told me they found a beautiful painted wall mural when they were removing 1980sera wallpaper in the main chapel on the building’s east side. They salvaged large portions of it and had four of the sections framed. The mystery is that no one remembers who painted the mural. Grace English, widow of the late Bob English, is more than 100 years old and sharp as a tack but can’t recall the mural. She thinks they were painted after her time with the business. Kandt thought perhaps Paul Kramer painted the mural, which is believed to date to 1955, but Kramer’s family said he did not. Kramer
was the artist who created the painting of Christ in the chapel. He passed away in 2012. Two of the salvaged portions of the mural portray lovely flowing landscapes that include distant views of farm buildings nestled in the hills. A third portion is a more generic scene with a close-up of trees and flowers against a background of purple rolling hills. The hills are a bit too rocky and dramatic to be local scenery but the painting evokes a sense of timeless pastoral calm in a peaceful world. It would be wonderful to discover the identity of the artist. If anyone has information to share or has an idea about who this excellent painter might be, contact me at lglewwe@hotmail.com.
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