Summit Hill, Mac-Groveland, and Highland Park are co-hosting Neighborhood Garage Sales June 9 & 10.
On the weekend of June 9th and 10th, households across these neighborhoods will be hosting garage sales, offering a variety of items. From clothing and furniture to books and household appliances, there's something for everyone at this event. To participate in the garage sale, be on the lookout for our sign-up form on our webpage at Garage Sale — Summit Hill Association
Thank you to brave 25 or so neighbors who joined us last Saturday in the rain, cold, and wind for the clean-up at Linwood Recreation Center. You filled nearly 20 bags with trash, not counting those of you who kindly brought your own bags! Maybe next year Mother Nature will be a little more forgiving.
Earth Day can be every day - if you see some rogue trash, please help and pick it up and drop it in a bin.
From St Paul Parks & Recreation:
The weather has been hot and dry and we could use your help keeping newly planted boulevard trees watered. To water recently planted trees, set a hose at a trickle for one hour, three times a week, or place a watering bag around the trunk and fill it weekly. Contact our Forestry team if you would like to have a gator bag put on your newly planted tree and follow these other tree care recommendations.
Image: MN Pollution Control Agency
Image: St Paul Parks & Rec
[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.
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.
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.
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.
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
In the Fall of 2021, Summit Hill's Neighborhood Plan Committee defined a common vision for our 10-Year Neighborhood Plan. This vision's themes were displayed at the October 14, 2021 Fall Festival, where community members were asked to vote with adhesive dots in finding the most important issues to those that attended.
The committee is now seeking to get additional feedback on the same topics through the Visioning Survey, which will take less than 5 minutes to complete. Complete the survey and select the top issues that are important to you!
Take the survey here: SummitHillAssociation.org/survey
Learn more about SHA's Plan process here.
The Summit Hill Association is a year-round organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in the neighborhood through a variety of projects and programs. From the spring plant sale to rain garden maintenance and neighborhood Fall Festivals, the work we do all year long is made possible by the generosity of you and your neighbors.
This year we are particularly reliant on our neighbors because we had to cancel our Bi-Annual House Tour for the second year in a row. The House Tour is normally one of our largest sources of funding and canceling it due to COVID-19 has left us needing more support from you than usual.
There are many ways to get involved and help contribute. For some, volunteering is the most rewarding. For those who want to make a difference but might not have the time in their schedules to participate on a Committee or volunteer at an event, making a donation to SHA can be the right fit.
Making a tax-deductible donation to SHA is quick and easy, and you have lots of options to choose from:
Use a check or your credit card. Contributions of all sizes have a direct and positive impact on SHA.
Send in your check, made out to “Summit Hill Association,” using your own envelope or a pre-printed one from the table just outside the SHA office.
Visit SummitHillAssociation.org/donate to make your gift online.
Select SHA when you shop on AmazonSmile. If you’re not able to find what you need when shopping on Grand Avenue, consider using AmazonSmile to complete your shopping. When you choose SHA as your charity, Amazon will donate a portion of each of your orders to us, at no cost to you!
IRA charitable roll-over. If you are 70 ½ years or older, you can make a donation directly from your IRA account to SHA, a 501(c)(3) organization. Your IRA administrator will be able to help you make a direct qualified distribution.
Employer matching. Many companies match charitable donations made by their employees, and some even match contributions from spouses and retirees. The easiest way to find out if your employer will match your donation to SHA is to ask your human resources representative and request a matching gift form.
However you choose to support SHA, your involvement makes a difference. What you give stays here in our community and allows SHA to make a difference where you live and work.
If you have any questions about making a gift, please reach out to us at info@SummitHillAssociation.org or 651.222.1222.
Reuter Walton (RW), the developers working with owner Peter Kenefick, have filed their application with the City to rezone 695 Grand Avenue (site of Dixie’s, Saji-ya, and Emmett’s Pub) from B2 to T3. The final plans are the result of months of community engagement. They incorporate several changes since the version that was presented on 5/5/21, including a brand new fourth retail space along Grand Ave. and additional setbacks to improve transitions to the existing buildings along St. Albans St.
Public comments via Zoom are invited at the June 8 ZLU meeting. The full SHA Board will vote on this project at a special board meeting on Thursday, June 17. It is expected the application will be reviewed by the City’s Zoning Committee of the Planning Commission on July 1.
Go to the project page, www.SummitHillAssociation.org/695grandave, for:
Re-zoning and conditional use permit (CUP) application documents
Architectural and engineering drawings as filed with the City
RW response to SHA inquiry dated May 20
Key project dates
Comments on this project can be emailed to ZLU@SummitHillAssociation.org
