Following the success of the first ever Live!!@Lincoln Center of the Block on Grand Avenue last month, live music is returning to the former Salut Patio for 3 additional dates throughout the fall:

• September 19 - Prudence Johnson and Tim Sparks

• September 26 - Gullywashers with Jeff Ray (Special extra show!)

• October 17 - Jesse St. Duo (Stan O’Daffer and Trish Neumann)

Come and join us Thursday evenings for music and shopping on Grand Avenue!

Select businesses and restaurants on Grand will be extending their hours as Grand Ave Business Assoc. hosts Open Doors from 5:00-8:00pm on Sept 19 and Oct 17th!

Live!!Lincoln Center of the Block and Summit Hill Association are hosting music on Thursday nights this fall. Bands will be performing from 6:00-7:30pm at 917 Grand Patio (the old Salut Patio) on Sept 19, Sept 26, and Oct 17. Grab local eats or drinks from your favorite restaurants and bring a chair to enjoy a beautiful night on the patio!

Thank you to the neighbors that joined us on August 15 to hear from Saint Paul Parks & Recreation about revised plans for the west side of Linwood Park. New renderings were released and Parks & Rec is now taking comments on the most recent design (see survey link below).

Presentation

After a few words from SHA President Simon Taghioff and an introduction from Ward 2 City Council Member Rebecca Noecker, Katie Hamerlinck from Parks & Rec revealed updated designs for the entire western side of Linwood Park. Parks & Rec had engaged deeply with the feedback from the previous community survey from the May 30 meeting, and revealed a thoughtful site plan that addressed as much of it as possible within site constraints:

(Click on the image to download the full presentation)

Key changes from the previous options include:

• The upper area now contains both a 2-5 Tot Lot and a 5-12 playground. The chosen location maintains proximity to the main rec center buildings.

• Overall site accessibility has been considered. There’s a lot more connectivity, including at-grade access to the playground from Saint Clair, embankment play, and pathways to connect the various elements of the site to one another.

• There are now two pickleball courts and a full sized basketball court in the plans. They have been located in the lower field area to minimize noise to neighboring residents.

• Shade trees and structures have been incorporated, close to the amenities they serve. This includes the pickleball courts and playground.

• A trail to connect the east and west sides of the park is being considered. The ideal would be to have a walking loop.

• While no splash pad is in the current project plan, the site is within the search area for a splash pad, per the Saint Paul Parks & Rec System Plan. The current project will be programmed so as not to exclude this as a future possibility.

The presentation was followed by a Q&A, with multiple representatives from Parks & Rec answering questions ranging from access to programming, maintenance, etc. There was excitement about the plans from community members in attendance.

Note to attendees - it was occasionally hard to hear during the Q&A due to the size of the room (both halves of the gym). We do not have amplification available but will take this into consideration when scheduling future events.

Download the full presentation

Take the Community Survey!

Parks & Rec wants your feedback on the concepts shared at the August community meeting. Your input is important – it shows that the community cares about this project and it is clear that Parks & Rec are working to reflect community preferences as these plans take shape.

Please take the survey before September 15.

Next steps will be to refine these final concepts based on community input and review playground themes and equipment.

Look out for more information on our Reimagine Linwood Page.

Join us on Thursday, August 15 at 6:00pm at the former Salut Patio at 917 Grand Avenue as Doug Otto and Hillary Thavis take us through a mix of folk, country, and blues music on a summer’s evening.

The concert is a first foray onto Grand Avenue for the team behind Live @ Lincoln Center of the Block, which has brought regular porch concerts to the neighborhood for years and often draws crowds of 100+ people.

The event coincides with Grand Avenue Open Doors, held on the third Thursday of each month through October. Participating Grand Avenue businesses stay open later than normal for the night and offer discounts, giveaways and other promotions.

Please note:

• The concert is free. A hat will be passed if you would like to support the musicians.

• We suggest bringing a lawn chair or similar, and a drink to stay hydrated. We will not have concessions available.

Bringing more people to Grand Avenue is a key goal of the Grand Avenue Working Group, which includes the Summit Hill Association and the Grand Avenue Business Association. If you’d like to support our work, please consider making a regular contribution. Thanks to STRS Ohio, JLL, and Anderson Property Management for working with the community to make this series happen.

The City of Saint Paul recently shared its summary of community feedback from in-person, online and direct email communication on Linwood Park site improvements. In May, the City shared three site concepts for community feedback (see summary document).

While there was some community preference for Option C, there is still plenty of feedback that the City will consider in future concept revisions. There is general community consensus on the importance of accessibility, desire for additional landscaping and cohesive walking paths, hope for additional amenities like water features and dog park, and interest in looking at more options for court locations.

The City will share its revisions to these site concepts and gather additional neighborhood feedback at a meeting on Thursday, August 15, at 6:30pm at the Linwood Recreation Center.

Check out our latest e-newsletter here:

• House Tour sponsorship deadline approaching

• Reimagine Linwood community meeting set for August 15

• Support Grand Avenue

Check out our latest e-newsletter here.

• 2024 Summit Hill House Tour - sponsorships available, tickets on sale

• Grand Avenue Working Group update

• Reimagine Linwood - capital campaign and youth volunteers needed

Update from Rich Segar, SHA board member - Chair of Grand Avenue Working Group

Summit Hill Association and Grand Avenue Business Association (GABA) are partnering to create unique Grand Avenue experiences which build on the tradition of our walkable community avenue. The organizations are teamed up to promote Grand Avenue, improve the streetscape, develop business-community oriented programming, showcase our businesses, and establish relationships with city leaders to continue investment in Grand Avenue. 

Grand Old Day, Grand Avenue’s showcase event, brought over 200,000 visitors to our St. Paul avenue to enjoy the parade, food, and music. Significant appreciation to GABA Board members Chris Jensen (President), Kim O’Brien (Executive Director), Holly Weinkauf (Treasurer), and a host of GABA board and community volunteers who contributed over 10,000 hours to make this event a success. 

Circus Juventas and the property management group representing the State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio celebrated the 30th anniversary of Circus Juventas with a “Window Gallery Walk” at 860 Grand Avenue, across from Bread and Chocolate. Elaborate multi-window displays showcase the costumes and stage designs.  Mayor Melvin Carter and Ward 2 Council Member Rebecca Noecker spoke at the unveiling of the Circus Juventas window displays. These displays will run from May 29 through July 15. Circus Juventas tickets for the July/August show of Jangala are on sale now.

We’re all excited to see the business community prospering post-Covid. This month, new businesses were welcomed to our community including Mick’s Bottle Shop - Stitch and Styles Vintage - Razava Bread - NikoNiko Boba.  And there are more new restaurants coming including Russell's Bar & Grill (Tavern on Grand location) and Gather Eatery & Bar (Billy’s on Grand location). GABA has been striving to promote and unify community businesses which saw a growth from 40 to over 70 members in the last month.

GABA and SHA submitted a Neighborhood STAR grant application to the City of St Paul for funding of a small business capital development budget managed by GABA. Small businesses are the cornerstone of our economic community and often need support funding to improve and sustain their operations. Grants are in the review process. The 2024 Neighborhood STAR program contributes funding to neighborhood-based projects to address problems, needs, and opportunities in Saint Paul. 

Pedestrian safety and beautification are essential to Grand Avenue street life and top of mind for many of us in the community. SHA and GABA are meeting with City leaders in June to discuss street maintenance, pedestrian safety, and future vision of Grand Ave which aligns to the St Paul 2040 Comprehensive Plan. 

The East Grand Avenue Overlay City Council public hearing is scheduled for July 10, 2024. The East Grand Avenue Overlay District (Oakland Ave to Ayd Mill Road) establishes regulatory standards for building size, height, and design for all new development.  The St Paul Planning Commission has recommended approval of the amendments submitted by the Comprehensive and Neighborhood Planning Committee.  The next step is the July public hearing by the St Paul City Council.

“I Love Grand” t-shirts have hit the streets and are all the fad!   Support Grand Avenue buy purchasing and wearing a Grand Avenue shirt proudly. T-Shirts can be purchased through the SHA website and proceeds go to support programming on Grand Avenue.

Grand Avenue is full of energy with upcoming events including: Paws on Grand (Sept 8), Halloween Boo-Fest (Oct 26), Grand Meander (Dec 7), and holiday lights street decorations. We are looking for community leaders and volunteers to coordinate and plan for these Grand Avenue events. If you are interested in meeting new neighbors, while bringing energy and experiences to Grand Avenue, please reach to info@summithillassociation.org.