South St. Paul Voice Sept 2020 by St. Paul Publishing Co.

South St. Paul

Fall sports preview Page 4

Wonderful SSP Women Page 8

Volume 17 | Number 9

SSP resident publishes book on abandoned golf courses

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September 2020

Of Grave Concern SSP woman on a mission to honor deceased vets Tim Spitzack Editor

O Tim Spitzack Editor

f you’re a golfer, you’ve undoubtedly noticed a sharp decline in courses over the past several years. Few know better about this phenomenon than South St. Paulite Joe Bissen, who recently published his second book on the topic of abandoned golf courses. “More! Gone. Minnesota’s Golf Courses, Part II,” was published in mid-July and is available on Amazon.com. The 156-page book is illustrated with historic photographs and artwork and is a companion to his first book, “Fore! Gone. Minnesota’s Lost Golf Courses, 1897-1999.” That title was published in 2014 and won three regional awards for independent or self-published books. Bissen, a copy editor at the Minneapolis Star Tribune, has spent the last 10 years researching and writing about the topic. He has identified

Joe Bissen / Page 2

n any given Tuesday morning around 9:30 throughout the summer you’ll find Lauri Flatley in the veterans’ section of Oak Hill Cemetery toiling over the headstones. When she finds one that is sunken in the ground, she uses a shovel to raise it and place it aside. Next, she adds pea gravel to the hole and replaces the stone so it rests squarely and at the proper height. Finally, she uses a special cleaning solution to bring new life to the weathered marker. It’s a labor of love that she’s been doing for the past eight years to honor the veterans for their service to the country. Remarkably, Flatley has no relatives of her own in the cemetery, nor close ties to these veterans. She does, however, have a few distant family members who have served in the armed forces, including a great uncle who was aboard the U.S.S. Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor and rests in that watery tomb. She first got the idea in 2011 after attending a Memorial Day service and seeing the state of some of the headstones. She enlisted her four children to help her clean debris from atop and around some stones annually, and since the spring of 2019 has returned at least once a week from May through September to work in the cemetery. She works in tandem with the caretaker, whom she says does a great job of maintaining the cemetery grounds. Typically, she works for an hour every Tuesday and often two other days of the week,

Tiffany Greene

Greene named housing program adminstrator Tim Spitzack Editor

T Photo by Addy Flatley

Lauri Flatley has been helping restore headstones for nearly a decade. and other volunteers assist as their schedules allow. She estimates they have cleaned more than 400 headstones in the veteran section, and at least 100 elsewhere in Oak Hill Cemetery and others in the city. Last year, local history buff Ronald Erickson pitched in and is now one of a half dozen volunteers who regularly help Flatley in the endeavor. Erickson has been instrumental in taking the project to a new level. Rather than simply cleaning the stones, he and Flatley do research to find more information about the veterans in that cemetery Lauri Flatley / Page 3

he City of South St. Paul has hired Tiffany Greene as its new housing programs administrator. Her primary responsibilities are to provide oversight of the Nan McKay and John Carroll public housing properties for seniors and meet HUD reporting requirements. She began on Aug. 10 at a salary of $75,609. A graduate of Metropolitan State University with a bachelor of science in human services, Greene comes to the city after working nearly two years as a payroll administrator for Dayton Rogers Manufacturing of Minneapolis. Prior to that she worked for five years as a property manager for Metro Plains Management, where she helped develop operating and capital budgets for a large portfolio of commercial and

Tiffany Greene / Page 2

City’s latest library proposal gets lukewarm reaction from county commissioners Tim Spitzack Editor

t appears the city of South St. Paul won’t have a new library anytime soon, based on the reaction of the Dakota County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 4. During that meeting city leaders received a lukewarm reaction to their proposal to merge the city library into the county system and build a new library building

near 7th and Marie. While the commissioners voted to continue the discussion, it was evident they are in no hurry to make a decision. They raised concerns about the proposed size of a new building, how that library would affect usership at other nearby county libraries, and how much the City is willing to contribute to the project. If a merger were to occur, the city has pledged land for a new

building, as well as the City library’s collection of books and other materials, valued at $1.2 million. Based on community surveys over the past few years, residents have made it clear that they want to have a library in the city, but they also realize that the current library is outdated. It was built in 1927 and is one of only four independent, cityowned libraries in the metro area

Originally, the City had hoped to renovate and expand its library building or build a new one on the existing property. However, building a new library would require more land. In both scenarios, they hoped to merge the city-owned library into the county library system. During this years-long saga, the County said it will not accept the South St. Paul Library in its present condiLibrary saga / Page 3

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Joe Bissen more than 200 golf courses in Minnesota that have closed since 1897 and shares tales that are historic, engaging and sometimes comedic. His journey began in 2010 when he was commissioned to write an article on lost golf courses of the Twin Cities for Minnesota Golfer magazine. That assignment sparked an interest that continues to this day. Bissen has spent countless hours researching courses and interviewing people with connections to them. He has also traveled across

the state, visiting the sites of more than 60 former courses. The closest one to South St. Paul was Bunker Hills Golf Club, a public course that operated from 1933-42 in Mendota Heights, near Hwy. 62 and Dodd Road. It had no affiliation with the present-day course of the same name in Coon Rapids. “I’m afraid I haven’t written about any lost courses in South St. Paul, because I don’t know of any that have ever set roots down in the city,” he said. “It has to be one of the biggest cities

in the state never to have a course.” One of his favorite stories in the new book concerns Riverdale, an odd little course in southeastern Minnesota that was wedged on a small parcel between the Mississippi River and Hwy. 61. It operated from 19311940. Its demise, like many others of that era, was due to the start of WWII. Bissen has noted two trends in closures, and both have to do with times of prosperity followed by economic turmoil. During the Roaring ’20s, many courses were added throughout the state. When the Great Depression hit, the courses suf-

lic housing program in late 2018 and shortly after signed a 2-year contract with the St. Paul-based nonprofit CommonBond to manage the properties, which together have 296 low-income housing units. That relationship did not go well and CommonBond pulled out of the contract, effective Feb. 29 of this year, saying its accounting and reporting software didn’t match up with those used by the city and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. South St. Paul officials saw things differently, citing several is-

sues of poor management, including late or incomplete reports, a failure to issue rent statements to tenants, late invoices to vendors, and a host of maintenance issues. In February, the city hired Bloomington-based Nath Companies to provide property management and has been pleased with their performance. Nath manages several other Twin Cities properties, including restaurants, hotels and housing. “Nath has handled the transition of management very well, from the city’s perspective, especially given

the extraordinary circumstances that COVID has introduced,” said Economic and Community Development Director Ryan Garcia. “I believe that they’re representing our interests at the buildings well. They walked into a challenging situation, and almost immediately with COVID a whole new complication was introduced. But nonetheless they’ve hit the ground running and been a great partner.” Garcia is confident that Greene will work well with Nath to ensure the properties are well maintained and

residents get the services they need. “Tiffany will be a good addition to the team, as she brings a background in affordable housing, property management, budgeting and grant management,” he said. The high-rises were built in the late 1960s and 1970s and until last year were managed by the city’s housing and redevelopment authority. The city ended in-house management because of decreased federal subsidies and for potential cost savings.

things from him as well.” Other contributors to the boys team include junior Joakim Mendolia-Johnson and seventh graders Jackson Schultz and Rosario Ruiz. Members of the youth brigade who are likely to have an immediate impact on the girls team include ninth grader Jessica Kelly and eighth graders Ella Hutchins and Hazel Skarda. The only cross country meets scheduled as of press time are the Metro East

Conference Preview on Sept. 26 and the Metro East Conference Championships on Oct. 10. As with all of the teams that are allowed to compete this fall, there are limitations in place to prevent the spread of the pandemic. The Packers will compete against conference opponents only and the maximum number of teams permitted to compete in a given race is three.

from page 1

Joe Bissen

Tiffany Greene from page 1 multi-family housing projects and oversaw compliance and financial reporting. “What attracted me to this position was the opportunity to apply my passion for people and desire to make a difference in a role that challenged me professionally,” said Greene. “I believe that affordable housing strengthens our communities, and I’m happy to say that my values align with this position. “My initial goal is to be-

come familiar with where we are and where we need to go. This assessment will help guide future plans for our community’s housing programs.” The city’s housing program has been in flux for the past year and a half as city leaders worked through the challenge of finding the right property management company for its public housing properties. The city ended its longtime in-house pub-

Support Your Community Newspaper! For nearly a decade, the South St. Paul Voice has covered the issues most important to the community. From city council reports to school updates to profiles on people and businesses, we let you know what’s going on in the city. We deliver our newspaper for free to the residents of South St. Paul and we welcome donations to support this cause. Every dollar helps. To contribute, mail your check to St. Paul Publishing Co., 1643 S. Robert St., Suite 60B, West St. Paul, MN 55118, or call us at 651-457-1177 with your credit card number. Mailed subscriptions are available for $21.50/yr. Thank you for your support!

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Page 2 - South St. Paul Voice - September 2020

Sports preview

from page 4 the boys and girls teams. The 2019 squads produced two All-Conference runners, Eli Winslow Brewer and Amanda Kelly, both of whom graduated with the Class of 2020. Haack’s 2020 squad (both boys and girls) will be captained by senior Nikki Kelly. The fastest returning letterman on the boys team is ju-

nior Evan Hanson. “Nikki was injured and missed last season but she is back to full strength and looking forward to competing again,” said Haack. “Evan trained extremely hard all summer and should have a great year. Senior Daniel Bakken has also put in a lot of work this summer and we’re expecting great

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fered. More recently, he said 81 courses have closed since 2000. “It’s a matter of supply and demand,” he said. “There was a lot of over-building in the 1990s and early 2000s. In 2002, the over-supply met the lack of demand.” Bissen is a long-time golf enthusiast but rarely plays today. He honed his own skills on the links in his hometown of Caledonia, Minn., and went on to be a letter-winner at Winona State University, where he earned a degree in mass communications/journalism. For more information on his books, visit www.foregonegolf.com.

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Library saga from page 1 tion, and city officials have come to see that improving the building to county standards is cost-prohibitive. This spring it seemed like the pieces were falling in place for a new or expanded building on the current library site when the City learned that the County was considering relocating Lawshe Museum, which is located next door to the library. With the museum gone, they could use the adjacent parcel for the library project.

Those plans fell through in mid-July when the County said it is not planning to relocate the museum after all. It was a bittersweet announcement for South St. Paul administrators. While pleased that the museum will stay in the city, they were forced to make alternative plans for the future of the city library. At its July 20 meeting, the South St. Paul City Council voted 5-1 to scrap its original plan in favor of building a new

Lauri Flatley

from page 1 and others in South St. Paul. It has led them to a greater appreciation for the sacrifice some have made. While researching the story of South St. Paulite Alton Heuer, they discovered he received both the Purple Heart and Bronze Star for his valor in WWII as an Army radio operator in France in 1944. During one battle when his unit was surrounded by the enemy, he threw down his radio and picked up a rocket launcher, which he used to help save the lives of many of his fellow soldiers. Later he fell in action and was buried in a cemetery in France. In 1948, his family received permission to move his remains to the General Lutheran Cemetery in South St. Paul. Cleaning the headstones is a slow and meticulous task. Volunteers use an environmentally friendly solution that is used in other national cemeteries, including Arlington near Washington D.C., and locally at Fort Snelling. It’s effective but at $48 a gallon also expensive. Flat-

ley has received donations from community members to help cover this and other expenses. She also recently applied for a grant to help repair a monument to veterans in the cemetery that has been damaged. “I must give a thank you to the community for their help and financial donations,” she said. “We couldn’t do this without their physical and financial support.” In addition to this service, Flatley and others have cre-

Dakota County Library at 7th and Marie. Councilmember Lori Hanson was the lone dissenting vote, saying “I don’t think that site is the best option for the city overall.” She would rather see housing and businesses there if and when the area is redeveloped. South St. Paul Library Director Kathy Halgren acknowledged that some members of the library board and other residents are not comfortable with the 7th and Marie site. The city owns the property west of 7th and Special School District #6 owns the property to the east. ated lawn signs featuring the names of local veterans. On Memorial Day, they placed 150 signs in yards throughout the community. The week of Veterans Day, they plan to have those 150 plus an additional 200 on display. To provide volunteer or financial support, contact Flatley at 651-442-7380 or berniebc2001@yahoo.com. She is active in the community in other ways, including donning a dinosaur costume and entertaining kids on visits as city mascot Terri the TRex. She is married to South St. Paul City Councilmember Bill Flatley.

“There are concerns of putting a library up by the school,” she said. “There are concerns of the elderly, and in terms of younger children not necessarily feeling safe or maybe intimidated by teenagers and older children.” She also mentioned the need for a traffic study in that area. Halgren, who has been library director since 2011, said the current library lacks adequate space for staff, parking, meeting space, private study rooms, public computer stations and areas for expanded programming. Before voting in favor of

the resolution, Coucilmember Bill Flatley said the City needs to know where the County stands, and continuing discussions is the only way to find out. Otherwise, “We have other decisions to make,” he said. “Going on our own potentially and doing our own thing.” Keeping the library under city ownership would mean that the financial burden would remain with the city. In 2019, the library’s operating costs were $797,351. If a merger were to occur, Dakota County would assume all financial responsibility

for the building, staffing and maintenance. Halgren said the cost to build an entirely new library is estimated to be around $8 million in 2022 dollars. The cost to make the existing library ADA-compliant, upgrade mechanical systems and make other desired improvements is estimated to be $6 million in 2022 dollars. “This whole process is an engagement with the County to know what the real possibilities are,” she said in a later interview. “That’s the real reason we’re doing this.”

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Fall sports begin but teams will see limited action John E. Ahlstrom Staff Writer

or the past nine years, we have featured a Packer Football Preview article in the September issue of the South St. Paul Voice. That will not happen in 2020. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) has moved the start of the football season to March 2021. We will fill that void by previewing the fall sports teams whose seasons are already underway. Boys soccer - Head Coach Rob Murphy is in third season at the helm of the program. The Packers are coming off a 3-11-2 season that included four losses by a single goal. “We were competitive in nearly all of our games,” said Murphy. “We lost 16 seniors to graduation so we will be in a rebuilding mode this season.” The 2020 defensive stalwarts include Kevin Medina, who is in his fourth season as the starting goalkeeper, and outside defender William

Schweinler. Both are team captains. “There is no keeper in the conference better than Kevin. He is lightning quick to the ball and commands control of the game from the net,” said Murphy. “William is very strong on the back end and also has the speed to attack from his defensive position.” Highlighting the offensive attack are the other two captains, sophomore Matthew Ayoub and senior Owen Mylchreest. “Matthew is versatile and can play inside or outside. He is also a very vocal team leader,” said Murphy. “Owen is a center midfielder with a high soccer IQ and is adept at distributing the ball.” Murphy is looking for a breakthrough scoring season from senior Carter Kovarik, who, according to the coach, has all of the physical tools to succeed. Ninth grader Anthony Lopez-Romero will also get significant playing time. The reduced 10-game schedule mandated by the MSHSL will include games

against the other eight teams in the Metro East Conference. They will also play two conference rivals twice. “The season will obviously have a different feel to it with social distancing, smaller group drills and masks on the sidelines,” said Murphy. “But the kids are excited about playing and so am I.” Girls soccer - Tom Hart is now in his third season as head coach. Within a three week period in 2019, the Packers faced four teams ranked in the Top Ten: Metro East rivals Mahtomedi and Hill Murray, along with Visitation and Holy Angels. The losses to Visitation and Holy Angels were 4-3 and 2-1, respectively. “We have a great tradition to live up to here and we think the best way to prepare for the post-season is to play a tough schedule,” said Hart. Hart is confident that the Packers will be in the thick of things again in 2020. Senior co-captain Mak Deering, on the varsity since eighth grade, will key the offense from the center midfielder

position. The other senior co-captain, Brynn Bauer, will key the defense. “Mak is very athletic and comfortable when she’s in control of the ball. Our offense runs through her and she distributes the ball with pinpoint accuracy,” said Hart. “Brynn is the consummate defender—strong, physical and fearless. She has a knack for slowing down the opposition and getting the ball going in the other direction.” Senior Melody Podgorski will also play a key role for the Packers. “Melody is big, fast and a fearless attacker,” said Hart. “She is also tall and is a scoring threat with a header.” Sophomore Kayla Matuzak is the goalkeeper, but junior Brooklyn Fischbach will also see action there. When not in goal, the versatile Fischbach will play other positions on the pitch. The girls schedule is similar to that of the boys—10 games, all against conference rivals. Girls swimming and diving - Sarah Fischer is in her fourth season as head coach. Under her leadership three Packers qualified for positioning on the team’s prestigious all-time Top Ten board in 2019. Senior Summerdai Kier swam the 100-yard breast stroke in 1:16.68, seventh best all-time; eighth grader Abby Nunez swam the 100yard back stroke in 1:10.23, also seventh best all-time; and sophomore Grace Gerten recorded 361.10 points on 11 dives, second best all-time. Gerten also set a school and pool record while accumulating 242.90 points on six dives. She finished the season with a seventh place finish in the state

Junior diver Grace Gerten earned All-State honors as a sophomore in 2019. tournament and earned AllState honors. She credits her success to diving coach Karli Kriewall, who was a Division I diver at Boise State. Kier and Kaitlyn Morris were the only two seniors on the 2019 roster. Captain Clare Shannon is the lone senior on the 2020 squad. She has been a member of the swim team since seventh grade. Her specialty events include the 200 individual medley (IM), the 50 freestyle and the 200 free relay. Joining Shannon as team captains are juniors Aselya Gullickson, Tamara Threatt and Abby Brundiek. “With safety our number one priority, our captains and the coaching staff

worked all summer on adhering to socially distanced practices,” said Fischer. “We are a young and growing team with a bunch of hardworking athletes who support and care about each other and also want to get the job done in the water.” The schedule calls for 10 meets, all within the Metro East Conference. The first home meet is on Sept. 3 against Henry Sibley. Although spectators are not allowed, the event will be available online. Cross Country - Jenna Haack is in her first season as the head coach of Sports preview / Page 2

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Student notes Boston University dean’s list: Natalia Wendlandt. College of St. Scholastica graduates: Jesse Arvidson, certificate in special education; Nicholas Liebelt, certificate in teaching

Library events Take & Make: Spooky Terrariums - Take & Make art kits are available to make a spooky terrarium at home. The kits contain directions and all supplies, except the jar. Pick up times are on Sept. 14 and 15. Reserve your kit by visiting tinyurl. com/SSPLkit after 9 a.m., Tuesday, Sept. 1. Book Club discussion, 7 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 10. “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” by Jonathan Safran Foer will be discussed during a virtual Zoom meeting. Email hrodriguez@ sspmn.org for more information or visit tinyurl.com/ SSPbookclub. Book Match - Need a book recommendation? Try the library’s free service, SSP Library Book Match. Complete the form at tinyurl. com/SSPbookmatch and a

librarian will create a customized reading list of five titles just for you. Storytime - Enjoy a 20-minute storytime featuring songs, rhymes, movement and stories each Tuesday at 10:30 a.m., beginning Sept. 15 on Facebook: www. facebook.com/ssplibrary.

Progress on Robert Piram Regional Trail Significant progress has been made this summer to close the gap between St. Paul’s trail system and the Mississippi River Trail, and by next spring cyclists and pedestrians will be able to safely travel between Harriet Island Regional Park and Kaposia Landing Park in South St. Paul. From there, they can access the Mississippi River Trail and travel to Rosemount. A small gap still exists near Spring Lake Park Reserve in Rosemount and the trail leading to Hastings. The new segment will be part of the multi-state bike trail that begins at the Mississippi River’s headwaters at Itasca State Park and follows the river all the way to

the Gulf of Mexico. The $8 million project, a joint effort between the City of St. Paul and Dakota County, began in September 2019 and is funded by a Federal Surface Transportation Program grant, Legacy Funds, the National Park Service, Metropolitan Council, Dakota County and Ramsey County. The project includes a 10foot wide multi-purpose trail approximately. 3.7 miles in length, a pedestrian overpass bridge in South St. Paul, two boardwalk bridges in St. Paul, landscaping, wayfinding signage, and cultural/historical interpretive elements. For more information, call 651-266-6407 or visit www. stpaul.gov and search the trail name.

Teacher training program at SSPHS Students interested in pursuing a career in teaching will have a new option this year to gain insight into that profession and earn up to six college credits in the process. South St. Paul Secondary has teamed up with Metropolitan State University’s School of Urban Educa-

tion to provide coursework to juniors and seniors that introduces them to careers in education, with a focus on teaching and increasing diversity within the field. This year-long experience will give students a glimpse into what is involved in becoming a teacher or educational professional through coursework that is equivalent to the first two courses college students take while pursuing their teaching degree. An instructor from the high school will work alongside a Metro State professor to present the material. This program was created with the support of the TriDistrict Career and College Readiness Initiative, a collaboration between the school districts of South St. Paul, Inver Grove Heights, and West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan. The TriDistrict Career and College Readiness Initiative also offers career-focused programming in transportation technologies & skilled trades; healthcare; and business & entrepreneurship. Students interested in participating in any of these opportunities should contact their high

school counselor or administration staff. For more information on the TriDistrict Career and College Readiness Initiative, contact Ben Kusch at 612-267-2760 or bkusch@tridistrictce.org. The new teaching program is partially funded through a grant from the Minnesota Department of Education.

Rep. Hansen receives award Rep. Rick Hansen (DFL, District 52A) has received the Leon G. Billings Environmental Achievement Award from the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators. The award recognizes state legislators for their outstanding accomplishments on environmen-

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South St. Paul Voice - September 2020 - Page 5

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Neighbors, Inc. Charlie Thompson President & CEO

My family was fortunate to take a vacation this summer in spite of COVID-19. As part of our vacation, my wife Kim and I spent three days backpacking in the Mount Jefferson Wilderness in Oregon. About half of the 28-mile loop hike was on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), which runs 2,650 miles from the border of Mexico in California to the border of Canada in Washington. We nearly canceled our

hike because we could not find fuel for our camp stove. Due to the pandemic, the supply chain was disrupted and stores were out of fuel. Eventually, we found a sporting goods store with the proper fuel and we were on our way. After nearly six hours of hiking on the first day, we arrived at our lakefront, backwoods camping area. We pitched our tent, boiled some lake water and enjoyed

This time I rationed my water. After eight hours of hiking, we reached the parking lot where we began. During our trip we viewed majestic mountains, soaked in cool lakes and enjoyed some of the freshest air you can imagine. It was not easy, but it was worth it. I held my last liter of water in hand while standing by our car and that is when the most memorable part of our entire vacation began. I was about to down the water when a man approached us. He was hot, dirty and disheveled, he did not speak English well, but I knew what he wanted: water. Turns out he was about 150 days into hiking the PCT and was out of water and low on food. Without hesitation, I poured my last liter into his jug and he downed

it. My wife also gave him her last bottle of water and we offered him whatever food he wanted from what we had left. He took some and left the rest. He still had ten miles to go that day. We wished him well and he went on his way. We finished packing and drove back to civilization, having completed a 3-day hike and performing a good deed. My story could easily end here with an appropriate message about never knowing when you will be asked to provide food and water to someone in need. But it doesn’t. Three days later, clean and rested from the backpacking portion of our trip, we took our kids to the Mount Hood Wilderness for a short hike. This hike, like our previous one, briefly intersected the PCT. We were

walking along when a lone, disheveled looking hiker came our way. I said hello as he walked by shuffling his feet. It was only after he passed by that I looked back at him and then turned to my wife and said, “it’s the same guy.” Sure enough, Kim confirmed it was the same hiker, only this time he was 60 miles closer to finishing his 2,650-mile journey. Unlike the PCT, with COVID, we do not know how long the journey is going to last. However, much like the hiker, no matter how alone we may feel, no matter how tired we may become, no matter how disheveled we may get, we have each other to help us through the wilderness. Keep hiking. Keep supporting. Keep hoping. Be well.

By Adam Bengtson, chairman of the Board

of Directors at the River Heights Chamber of Commerce want to reassure you that the Chamber is evolving and shifting the way we support our members and the business community just as quickly as our circumstances are shifting around us. The Chamber will continue to adapt and work with you and our partners until all of us reach more stability. The Chamber has been working tirelessly to advocate for businesses, share their accomplishments and bring them the information and resources they need to run their businesses during the pandemic, whether it’s details of the Governor’s latest executive orders, steps to reopen a business safely, how to create a COVID-19 Preparedness Plan, or which grants and loan programs are available and how to apply. It’s all available through our weekly communications, so-

cial media and our website’s resource page at www.riverheights.com/covid19/. In addition, the Chamber and Inver Grove Heights Convention and Visitor’s Bureau have compiled the River Heights Region Restaurant & Food Guide to let the community know who is offering take-out and/or delivery. Also, the 2020-21 South Metro Living Guide magazine is now available for pick up at the Chamber office, on riverheights.com or at various local businesses and City Halls. We held our first-ever Virtual Small Business Award & Trade Show Event, and have partnered with other local Chambers to bring members a series of Real Time Solution webinars over Zoom. The Chamber has also worked in cooperation with the State and DEED under the latest State Mask Mandate to provide two distribution pick-

up sites, and have handed out face masks to local area businesses to have for their employees and customers to assist in helping keep people safe and slow the spread of COVID-19 in our communities. We will continue to find creative ways to hold events safely, add virtual meetings and webinars, update job postings and share successes of our business community. We are stronger together. I am so proud of the measures so many of you have taken already to adapt and showcase leadership to those around you. Look for the River Heights Chamber badge “2020 Stronger Together” when you are out in the community or visiting a business online. For more information on the Chamber, visit www.riverheights.com. I hope to see you soon. Until then, stay safe and be well!

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a rehydrated meal. Afterward, we hung our food in a nearby tree and settled in for the night. Day 2 started early with three relatively easy miles, then trail conditions worsened. We started coming across felled trees that blocked our path, and each required us to go around, over or under it. At about the 7-mile mark, in the heat of the day, my water ran out. We still had three miles to go and it was getting hotter. Finally, we reached camp. It was a beautiful lake and the water never felt (or tasted) so good. We repeated the same routine as the day before, only this time we added a nice soak in the mountain lake. Day 3 came early. We packed up and set out for our final 11 miles of the trip.

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Postscript

Summer Storm I was headed out for my daily hike. There was thunder in the distance. “It’s getting lighter,” my husband, Peter, said. “I don’t think we’re going to get any rain.” The air smelled like a storm to me, but what do I know? If my dog, Milo, were still alive I would have asked him. Milo would huddle in the corner of the kitchen when a thunderstorm approached. “There’s no storm on the radar,” Peter would tell him. Milo didn’t care what the

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radar said. We called him, “Doppler Dog,” because if Milo was in the corner, bad weather was never far be-

hind. But Milo is no longer with us and I was headed out on a hike. “Do you think I need a hat?” I asked. If the sun came out, I’d want a hat. “I don’t think you’ll need it,” Peter assured me. It might be worth noting that both Peter and I grew up on the plains of the Midwest where you can see a storm coming from miles away and the weather is predicted accurately to within the quarter of an hour. I left the house without a hat and it started to rain before I’d even made it to the trail. That might have been a good time to turn around. I didn’t. I go on my hike almost every day. I hike in the snow and the drizzle and the cold.

“There is no bad weather,” a naturalist in Alaska once told me, “only inappropriate clothing choices.” I like that. So when it started to rain, I wished I had my hat. But the weather was warm and, as Peter pointed out, it was getting lighter up ahead. Unfortunately, that was not where the weather was coming from. By the time I got to the trail, the rain was steady but not cold. I started walking faster. When I reached the section of the trail that goes into a ravine, the sky opened up and a sheet of rain fell. In moments, I was as wet as it was possible to get. I was now going at a brisk trot. It couldn’t have been

more than five minutes later that the sky crackled with lightning. I have never had thunder crash so close overhead in my life. My hair would have stood on end if it hadn’t been plastered to my head. The lightning and thunder were simultaneous, so I figured I had walked smack-dab into the middle of a summer storm. The rain was now coming down in buckets and the entire trail had become a swiftly flowing stream. I needed my hiking poles to hop along the newly formed riverbank—jumping from one rock to another, my boots filled with water, my eyes stinging from the rain—and all I could think was, “Oh my gosh, it’s good

to be alive!” By the time I was headed home, the rain started to slow. It came to a stop about a half-mile from home. I noticed the puddles getting smaller until the ground was nearly dry. Peter was surprised when I got home. “You sure hiked fast today!” he said. He had no idea what had been happening just a couple of miles away. At our house, it had hardly rained. I got in a hot bath, and as I washed the mud off my legs I knew I would never have gone on that hike if I’d known how bad it would get. And I was so glad I hadn’t missed it. Till next time.

St. Paul Police Department, South Metro Fire, Ashes Fire Truck, Terri the T-Rex and Cooper the Gold’n Plump Chicken for joining us in handing out Mr. Freezes and summer fun items. We hope to bring back Swimming Under the Stars next summer, but time will tell. It is hard to believe that South St. Paul youth will soon be back at school. As we write this column, it is still unknown how the school year will play out—if youth will be learning from home, in the classroom or a combination of both—but we’re ready for a new and

challenging year. Thanks to everyone who contributed to the 2020 Fill the Backpack campaign. Due to your generosity, students will have the school supplies they need to start the year off right. We achieved our goal of raising enough supplies to fill backpacks and supply items to teachers. If you have a student in the South St. Paul School District who needs a filled backpack or school supplies, contact the administration office at your child’s school.

We wish everyone a successful school year. We are looking for youth to join our energetic group. If you are in grade 4-12 and are looking for ways to give back to the community, have great ideas for the youth in the community, or are looking for ways to earn community service hours, the task force is a group for you. To join us or for more information, contact Deb Griffith, community affairs liaison, at 651-554-3230 or deb. griffith@southstpaul.org.

t was definitely a different summer of activities and events for the Mayor’s Youth Task Force this year. Like everyone else, we took it one day at a time. Through it all, we found safe activities to host in the community. A special thank you to all the neighborhoods that participated in the Please Come to My Neighborhood Program. We had a blast being with you! We were invited to about 20 neighborhoods and parks and hope we were able to bring some joy and fun this summer. A special thank you goes to the South

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Wonderful South St. Paul Women: Vicki Albu V

Lois Glewwe Contributor

Editor’s note: We are featuring this year-long series in recognition of the centennial of a nationally significant event that took place here, when 90 women from South St. Paul became the first women in the country to vote after passage of the 19th Amendment, on Aug. 27, 1920. The series recognizes contributions from South St. Paul women, past and present.

Vicki Young Albu

icki Young Albu is notable for being the interviewer and project lead for the 2014 documentary film “A Thousand Dollars and Back, Recollections of Early Romanian Immigration to Minnesota.” She is also the cofounder of the Dakota County Genealogical Society. The 1976 graduate of South St. Paul High School started college at Carleton but didn’t complete her degree in history with a minor in Russian until 2009, after working in state government for over

35 years. “I really got going in genealogical research in the 1980s,” said Albu. “I would go to the Minnesota History Center on my lunch breaks to read microfilm. Thursday nights I had a date with the microfilm reader at the Lawshe Museum. I went on 2-week research trips to Salt Lake City and spent up to 12 hours a day in the Family History Library. Those were my vacations. This was before Ancestry.com and the Internet, when we posted queries in magazines

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and sent letters through the mail with a self-addressed, stamped envelope. By 1987, several like-minded individuals and I founded the Dakota County Genealogical Society, which recently merged with the Historical Society. We sponsored lectures and events to help others learn how to do research.” The idea to make the documentary grew after Albu’s grandmother passed away in 1995. Her father, Ilie “Eli” Moisescu, had come to the U.S. from Romania in 1911 and worked as a barber, first on Rice Street in St. Paul and then in one of the pool halls and boarding houses on Concord Street in South St. Paul. When Vicki began conducting research on Romanian immigration to the U.S., she uncovered many unbelievable stories, and it became clear to her that documented sources were practically nonexistent. In 2009, Albu collaborated with some recent Romanian immigrants to form the Heritage Organization of Romanian Americans in Minnesota (HORA), dedicated to the preservation of Romanian heritage and culture. In 2011 she cofounded the Romanian Genealogy Society (RGS) under the umbrella of the Minnesota Genealogical Society. While at a genealogy conference in 2012, Albu had a conversation with Joy Curtin of Town Square Television, the local Northern Dakota County Cable TV station, and she suggested that Albu record her interviews with Romanian immigrants on camera and make a documentary. She took that advice and identified 11 people who had immigrated to Minnesota from Romania. She used the transcripts from those interviews and other historical research to

create the film’s script. One of the HORA members had a connection to local news anchor Don Shelby, who had reported on Romanian orphanages in the early ’90s, and he agreed to serve as narrator. Community members and families contributed photos of their ancestors for use in the film, which premiered at the Dakota County Historical Society in September 2014. More than 200 people attended the screening, including Shelby, then-South St. Paul mayor Beth Baumann, and many dignitaries from the local Romanian-American community. Jodie Miller, executive director at Town Square Television, nominated the documentary for the 2015 Upper Midwest Regional Emmy award and it was accepted but did not win. “It was incredible to attend the ceremony and have our names up there along with those of big-name reporters and filmmakers,” said Albu. “I felt like it really put Romanian-Americans on the map. The film was shown for the first time in Romania in 2019. People love to know that their history is valued and preserved. These are our stories.” To learn more about other honored women from South St. Paul, visit “Honoring 90 South St. Paul Women Leaders” on Facebook. com. This month you can read the stories of Margaret Bateman, political activist; Iantha Powry LeVander, First Lady of Minnesota; Anita M. Pampusch, college president; Kate Michelmore, newspaper columnist; Jeanine Czech, U.S. military physician; Suzanne Savanick Hansen, environmentalist; and Venise LeMay Stassen, community volunteer.

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