SHA's Role in the Neighborhood
[PLEASE NOTE: Information in this message related to Billy’s On Grand is no longer accurate as of May 23, 2022.]
Dear Neighbors,
Over the past couple of weeks, a number of you have expressed concerns over a business within our district as well as police-related matters, with an expectation that the Board would relay them on to the appropriate City department. We would like to take the opportunity to clarify the role and actions of the SHA board.
1) SHA’s role with the City is to hold public hearings on applications from businesses.
In response to an application that was filed in the fall and then reprocessed earlier this year, SHA held our hearing for the 6 licenses applied for in April, revising our earlier recommendations in response to community input. We opposed a 2:00am license and suggested a midnight closing time. We await a final decision on this matter from the City.
This business now has separate event applications before the City (for sound and outdoor liquor service on several dates in the coming months). A public hearing has been scheduled for next Thursday, May 19, after which the Board will send a letter of recommendation to the City along with any public comments received.
As far as SHA’s official role with the City, that is the end of our responsibilities and the limit of where our input can be effectively made.
2) SHA serves as a facilitator of communication with the City
The Board’s mission includes facilitation of communication between the neighborhood and the City. When neighbors have concerns about a business, that is most effectively expressed through direct communication with the City, and SHA is here to help neighbors find the right person or department to share complaints with.
● SPPD has explicitly said that when neighbors have a concern about a crime (including disturbance of the peace) it is best to call 911 directly. This allows police familiar with our neighborhood to respond.
● Non-urgent issues may be reported to the police at (651) 291-1111
● Issues regarding liquor licenses should be emailed directly to the Dept of Safety & Inspections at eric.hudak@ci.stpaul.mn.us, or residents can use the online complaint form at https://www.stpaul.gov/departments/safety-inspections/report-incident
● To report a property with ongoing issues, from poor maintenance to excessive noise, use the Saint Paul Police Department’s (SPPD) Problem Properties form.
● For more information on the City’s process for handling license- or code-related complaints, check out this webpage: Complaint Process | Saint Paul Minnesota
By contacting the correct City agency, all complaints can be gathered in one location and looked at as whole. Likewise, the City agencies which have control over business licenses, can take appropriate action when there appears to be a pattern of problems.
At the same time, SHA will share with the neighborhood any publicly available information regarding business applications, keep neighbors informed of upcoming decisions and meetings regarding neighborhood businesses, and advise neighbors and business owners where to go at the City with questions or for more information.
3) SHA does not have a dedicated staff member to address concerns about crime or policing.
SHA used to have a part-time employee who focused on this. This position is no longer funded by the City.
SHA does not serve as a neighborhood crime watch organization.
If you would like to start a neighborhood watch group or take more proactive crime-prevention steps, we refer you to these resources:
● National Neighborhood Watch https://www.nnw.org/ can help you start a neighborhood or block watch program.
● SPPD’s crime prevention webpage https://www.stpaul.gov/departments/police/administration-office-chief/community-engagement-division/community-1 provides links and information on a variety of crime prevention programs, strategies, and tips.
Periodically, SHA arranges for a police liaison to schedule neighborhood meetings to discuss general crime prevention or specific concerns in the neighborhood. SHA will continue to do so.
SHA does not provide crime statistics or reports.
We have all heard that “crime is up all over the city,” but what does that mean for our neighborhood? We wish we knew. SHA is currently working with a volunteer to possibly provide some analysis of the City’s 389,000-incident crime database in hopes that we can observe crime trends from our neighborhood in a meaningful way. In the meantime:
● The City’s Crime Incident Report database is available online here: https://information.stpaul.gov/datasets/stpaul::crime-incident-report/about
● The Crime Incident Report by Neighborhood report is available online here:https://information.stpaul.gov/apps/stpaul::crime-incidents-by-neighborhood/explore
● The PDF version of this letter shows a graph of crime reports by district for the period May 1, 2021–April 30, 2022.
SHA does not hold or organize meetings about sex predator registration.
Periodic meetings regarding sex predators are held at the Western Precinct Office regardless of where the sex predators are proposing to live because that building has a space to accommodate public meetings. When a meeting is held at the Western Precinct Office, it does not mean that a sex predator is planning to move into the surrounding neighborhoods.
o Learn about the sex predator notification system here: https://www.stpaul.gov/departments/police/administration-office-chief/major-crimes-division/family-sexual-violence-unit-1
o We are searching for the address with which you can subscribe to the sex offender notification bulletins and will post it on Facebook once we have it.
o Additional questions can be directed to Officer Koski or Officer Doverspike with the St. Paul Police Department Sex Crimes/Predatory Offender Registration (POR) Unit at 651-266-5617/651-266-5871.
If you have other questions for the police, you can contact our neighborhood SPPD liaison, Patty Lammers, at (651) 266-5455 or patricia.lammers@ci.stpaul.mn.us.
Also, note that in the wake of racial uprisings in response to systemic police violence, SHA is growing in its awareness and pursuit of a racial-equity-informed approach to meetings about crime and responding to neighbor complaints. In neighborhood reporting, discussions about crime, or meetings with law enforcement, racial profiling will not be tolerated, and racial bias will be interrogated.
In Conclusion
We are grateful to live in a neighborhood with so many concerned and involved neighbors. SHA will continue to make every attempt to share information from the City or SPPD regarding meetings of interest to our neighbors when we receive notice in a timely manner.
If you have thoughts on how much time and energy SHA should devote to crime-related topics versus other activities, please join our discussion on the matter at our Board meeting this week Thursday, 7:00pm via Zoom at https://bit.ly/SHA_BoardMtg.
If you would like to volunteer your time to help Summit Hill Association provide additional services to our neighborhood, please contact us at info@SummitHillAssociation.org. Or consider applying for a position on the board of directors. Details and an application are available at SummitHillAssociation.org/join-the-board.
--Denise Aldrich
SHA President