Vacant Housing Task Force Update

The Historic Vacant Buildings Task Force continues to meet regularly regarding the issue of registered vacant buildings in the Historic Hill District. The City of St. Paul ranks registered vacant buildings in one of three categories:

1)  Vacant, but needs only a Truth in Sale and payment of fees to re-occupy.

2)  Vacant, needs to obtain a code compliance report and be brought up to code before occupancy. May be sold with a plan to complete work within a reasonable timeframe.

3)  Vacant, needs substantial work to be brought up to code. May not be sold until certificate of occupancy is issued.

Summit Avenue currently has only one registered vacant building, but the threat is greater in other historic districts. Neighboring Ramsey Hill currently has twelve registered vacant buildings. Of these, four are Category 3 and are at the greatest threat.

The committee’s initial work was on stabilizing the two most threatened buildings — 451 Selby and 466 Iglehart.

Of these, 451 Selby has been granted 180 days (from October 17) to complete the required work. The owner has turned in a work plan and proven financial capacity, and is working with a reputable contractor. The committee is cautiously optimistic on the property.

466 Iglehart is another case. The owner has been granted 45 days (from November 7) to complete the work on the property, and is non-responsive. Further action will likely be needed to save this historic duplex. The committee has met with Councilmember Carter’s office twice, as well as other city officials, to try to determine next steps, but time is running out.

As well as addressing these properties, the task force has turned its attention to how best to save the other vacant historic homes in the district, and how to prevent this from happening in the future.

Members of the task force include: Gregory Donofrio, Kit Richardson, Michelle Hotzler, Greg Hotzler, Charlie Niemeyer, Mike Faricy, and Gwen Schwebel. All have extensive experience in preservation and related community issues. 

Crashed Ice Returns

Definitely affects the east end of Summit:

Dear Residents:

Well it’s winter and that means winter events in Saint Paul.  As some of you may have heard, Red Bull will be returning to Saint Paul for the Red Bull Crashed Ice World Championships to be held January 24^th – 26^th, 2013.  Many of you will remember this from last year but if you did not, I would recommend viewing this video from last year’s event.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfXScR9SFnk (there have been a number of course changes to try and minimize the impact on the neighborhood so please know the course you see here is NOT what you will see this year).

One of the hallmarks of our relationship with Red Bull is that we always strive to ensure that suggestions from the community are heard and integrated into the overall event plan whenever possible.  This helps make certain that neighborhoods and businesses are prepared and can plan appropriately for events like these.  After last year’s event we held community meetings to get feedback from many of you and Red Bull has integrated those suggestions into this year’s event plan.

On behalf of the Mayor’s office and Red Bull, I wanted to extend an invitation to you to join us for meetings with City Staff, the Police Department, the Mayor’s office and Red Bull event planners to review the event and share your thoughts and suggestions with us.

Meeting one:

Date: Wednesday, 11/14/12

Time: 6:30pm – 7:30pm

Place: Room 4310 Link, Main Building of Saint Paul College

If for some reason you cannot make either of these times, please contact me and I will put you on my email distribution list.  Like last year, we will be holding other meetings as we move forward and I will be sending out information on the event, as well as weekly updates, as we work our way through the event preparations.  My email is jake.spano@stpaul.gov.

Thank you!

Jake Spano Marketing Director Office of Mayor Christopher B. Coleman 15 Kellogg Boulevard West, Room 390 Saint Paul, MN 55102 P: 651-266-8527 jake.spano@stpaul.gov

Member Social Event

Please join us for a Member Social Event —

Sunday, October 28 • 5-7pm

at the home of board member KD Athow, 1490 Summit

Come eat, drink, find out more about SARPA, and socialize with your neighbors! Feel free to stay afterwards for the brief SARPA board meeting.

Cass Gilbert Walking & House Tour

Join the Cass Gilbert Society for a Fall Tour . The Cass Gilbert Society is hosting a walking and house tour this Saturday, October 13, 2012 that will highlight several Summit Avenue homes. The tour will begin at Lookout Park on Summit Avenue and Ramsey Hill.


Saturday, October 13, 2012 at 1:30 PM
Start: Lookout Park (Summit & Ramsey Hill)
Cost: $15


Members and friends of the Cass Gilbert Society will enjoy a walking tour of the work of Gilbert and his contemporaries in St. Paul’s Ramsey Hill neighborhood. Gilbert began his career in St. Paul by designing for his mother Elizabeth the house that still stands at 471 Ashland Avenue. Buildings by Gilbert in Ramsey Hill range in date from 1883 to 1898. The tour will also look at works of colleagues and contemporaries that extend into the 1920s.

When Gilbert returned to St. Paul, after studying at MIT, traveling in Europe, and working for McKim, Mead & White in New York, he was able to apply his knowledge and experience to his independent career. While he employed popular architectural styles of the late nineteenth century, such as the Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, and Romanesque Revival, he often employed elements of more than one style in a single building, and he developed characteristics details that provide clues to his design authorship. Among them are window designs, column and capital details, and unexpected combinations of materials. One aspect of the tour will be to focus on such details as well as to tell the stories behind the buildings.

Participants will also tour the interior of the first floor of an early (1890) Gilbert house at 839 Osceola Avenue. In addition to rehabilitating the kitchen and downstairs bathroom, the current owners completely restored the exterior including architectural details, which had been covered with steel siding,

The tour will begin at Lookout Park (Overlook Park) on Summit Avenue and Ramsey Street, east of the University Club, by the Eagle, starting between 1:30 P.M. and 2:00 P.M. Groups will be led by Tom Blanck, Marjorie Pearson, Ted Lenz, and John Yust. At the conclusion of the tour, participants are invited to a reception at the Summit Avenue home of Carolyn Nayematsu and Vincent Platt.

Tour admission is $15 (cash or check). For reservations and further information, call Carolyn at 651-699-7407.

Crosswalk Clarification

Some crosswalk clarifications, since Summit is so heavily used by walkers and runners:

Motorists are supposed to stop for pedestrians at all intersections, whether crosswalks are painted or not painted. 

The Minnesota Crosswalk Law: Key Elements

Where traffic control signals are not in place or in operation, a driver must stop for a pedestrian crossing within a marked crosswalk or at an intersection with no marked crosswalk. A vehicle that is stopped at a crosswalk can proceed once the pedestrian has completely crossed the lane in front of the stopped vehicle.

A pedestrian must not enter a crosswalk if a vehicle is approaching. There is no defined distance that a pedestrian must abide by before entering the crosswalk, but common sense should prevail. The law states: "No pedestrian shall suddenly leave a curb or other place of safety and walk or run into the path of a vehicle which is so close that it is impossible for the driver to yield."

When a vehicle is stopped at an intersection to allow pedestrians to cross the roadway, drivers of other vehicles approaching from the rear must not pass the other vehicle.

It's unlawful for the driver of a motor vehicle to proceed through a group of school children crossing a street or highway, or past a member of a school safety patrol or adult crossing guard who is directing children across the roadway and who is holding an official signal in the stop position.

Failure to obey the law is a misdemeanor. A second violation within one year is a gross misdemeanor. 

Cities can designate crosswalks for longer illumination of "Walk" "Don't Walk" signal lights. Intersections where there is a high concentration of pedestrians, senior citizens, school children, etc., qualify for such designation. District councils, community clubs, or other organizations can petition their city councils to designate these crosswalks.

Minnesota Statutes 1999, Chapter 169.21 - Pedestrian Law

Motions from Tonight's Board Meeting

Two motions unanimously passed at tonight's board meeting:

1)  SARPA strongly supports the Grand Avenue zoning study and its accompanying moratorium.

Though this study only affects Grand Avenue between Cretin and Fairview, we feel that the repercussions are strong for Summit. Current development proposals call for at least one, perhaps several, 50' buildings on that section of Grand (for comparison, UST buildings are limited to 40', and most properties in the area are no more than 30'. Such high density development also brings into question the ideas of parking, density, and city services.

There will be public testimony on the issue at the City Council meeting at 5:30pm on September 19.

2)  SARPA supports a task force that addresses the issues of vacant properties in historic districts.

Currently, there are over 65 registered vacant buildings in Saint Paul's historic districts. Many of them are Category 3, which, by the "Bostrom amendment"cannot be sold without attaining full code compliance. The potential loss of contributing historic assets due to vacancy and neglect is a burgeoning issue in Saint Paul, and we support the work of a citizen-led task force to address the issues and come up with solutions.

SPCO Concerts on Summit

(sorry to just cut and paste from the press release, just wanted to make it easier).... SAINT PAUL'S SUMMIT HILL SERIES BEGINS SOON!Ameriprise Financial Neighborhood Series

Join us for our concert series on Saturday evenings at St. Paul's United Church of Christ on Summit Avenue in Saint Paul and experience world-class music right in your own neighborhood. It's close, it's convenient, and at only $10 or $25 per concert—only $5 for kids—you can't beat the price! Highlights of our 2012-13 season in Summit Hill include Barber's beloved Adagio for Strings, Bach's Cantata No. 199 and Well-Tempered Clavier, and Schumann's Cello Concerto, performed by celebrated cellist Steven Isserlis. CONCERTS BEGIN SEPTEMBER 29 - ORDER TODAY! Visit thespco.org/cyo to create your own package online or call our Ticket Office at 651.291.1144. MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR SPCO EXPERIENCE  SPCO Mobile App - With our free app for iPhone and iPad, you can hear SPCO performances anytime, anywhere. Listen to more than 250 complete works, enjoy quick access to a calendar of upcoming performances and turn back tickets to concerts you can't attend, right on your mobile device. The SPCO app is a free download. We’ve also created a mobile version of our website for Android users featuring quick access to our performance calendar and a convenient ticket turn back form. Visit thespco.org/app to learn more. SPCO iCalendar - Looking for a convenient way to keep track of SPCO events? Now you can view our full concert calendar on several popular software programs and mobile devices, including Microsoft Outlook 2007, Apple iCal (on Macintosh computers), Google Calendar, Yahoo Calendar, iPhone, iPad and other mobile devices. Subscribe now and set your software to update daily or weekly to ensure you'll always see the latest events and programs. Follow the SPCO on Facebook and Twitter - If you’re on Facebook, be sure to follow the SPCO. You’ll get the latest news, photos and more. Plus, your friends will know that you’re a fan of the SPCO! Visitfacebook.com/thespco and click “Like” to become a fan. We’re also on Twitter at twitter.com/thespco. SPCO Listening Library - With the support of our broadcast partner Classical MPR, we’ve created an extensive and expanding collection of recordings of past SPCO concerts. Visit thespco.org/music to listen to SPCO recordings for FREE anytime. Fanfare - Join us each Friday morning and each Friday and Saturday evening one hour before the concert to learn about the music you will hear on the program. Look for Fanfare signs at your location and visitthespco.org/fanfare for a schedule of Fanfare speakers. (Excludes performances at SPCO Center)

Hate Your Kitchen/Bathroom?

NOW CASTING FOR "I HATE MY KITCHEN!" AND "I HATE MY BATH!"

"I Hate My Kitchen!" and "I Hate My Bath!" are nationally-televised hit series for the DIY Network that focus on fun, fast and creative ways to make over a kitchen or bath. We're looking for fun, energetic homeowners who are open to "out-of-the-box" design ideas, live in the metro area (within 25 miles of downtown Minneapolis), and have an ugly or outdated kitchen or bath in need of a makeover. More information can be found at: http://www.magneticproductions.com/casting/

Benefits of participating:
-Free professional designer.
-Receive $4,000 towards your project.
-Companies often provide goods for your project in exchange for being on the television show.

Requirement of participating:
-Your home must be located within 25 miles of downtown Minneapolis
-Minimum budget from you:  $10,000+ (for kitchens) or $7,000+ (for baths), depending on scope of project.
-You must have a flexible schedule to appear on camera at least three full shoot days with additional partial days as needed.

Interested?  Please email us at:
kitchencasting@magneticproductions.com

bathcasting@magneticproductions.com

Be sure to include the following:
-A brief description of what you like/dislike about your space.
-A daytime phone, email address, and your city of residence.

-Several photos and/or video of you and your space. 

-An approximate budget.

SARPA ANNUAL MEETING!

Annual Meeting Coming Up!
Wednesday, June 20 - 6pm

When is the SARPA Annual Meeting not on Summit? When it's at Summit Brewery! Come join us for free beer and root beer tasting, election of the board, information on public gardens, and some of our new outreach!


(no need to RSVP, but you are welcome to if you want — Bethany at 651.227.1839)
Summit Brewery
910 Montreal Circle
Saint Paul 
(just off West 7th)

Crosswalks!

All along Summit, the crosswalk lines are getting re-painted, which should make them easier to see.

SARPA reminds you, however, that pedestrians have the right-of-way at every intersection, marked crosswalk or not. MN State Statute 169.21 decrees:

Rights in absence of signal.

 

(a) Where traffic-control signals are not in place or in operation, the driver of a vehicle shall stop to yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within a marked crosswalk or at an intersection with no marked crosswalk. The driver must remain stopped until the pedestrian has passed the lane in which the vehicle is stopped. No pedestrian shall suddenly leave a curb or other place of safety and walk or run into the path of a vehicle which is so close that it is impossible for the driver to yield. This provision shall not apply under the conditions as otherwise provided in this subdivision.

(b) When any vehicle is stopped at a marked crosswalk or at an intersection with no marked crosswalk to permit a pedestrian to cross the roadway, the driver of any other vehicle approaching from the rear shall not overtake and pass the stopped vehicle.

However, the same statute remarks that:

(a) Every pedestrian crossing a roadway at any point other than within a marked crosswalk or at an intersection with no marked crosswalk shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles upon the roadway. 

Pedestrian traffic along Summit easily doubles in the summer, so let's be sure everyone is safe!

More Summit Avenue Kudos for David Heide Design!

One of SARPA's favorite partners just won an award for one of our favorite buildings — the Macalester College Alumni House!

Earlier this month, David Heide Design Studio won a Preservation Award from the Saint Paul Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC) and the Saint Paul Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in recognition of the restoration of the property.  

The historic 1926 Georgian Revival residence, once home to Macalester presidents,  now provides accommodations for illustrious visitors—Rosalyn and Jimmy Carter stayed there, as did Macalester alumnus Kofi Annan—and for visiting scholars, prospective students, and families. The house is the college’s doorway—quite literally—onto Saint Paul’s historic Summit Avenue for visitors from around the world.

It hadn’t been touched in 30 years and was showing its age when Macalester hired award-winning architecture and interior design firm David Heide Design Studio to restore the house. “The work required a careful balance,” said firm principal David Heide. “We wanted to preserve the architectural integrity of the house, yet update the interiors with long-lasting, durable, and period-appropriate finishes and furnishings.”

The work began in June 2011. The studio repaired or replaced exterior elements of the house, including the windows, roof, and front stoop, with materials matching the originals. On the inside, updates included new kitchen countertops, plumbing, mechanicals, and a fresh coat of paint throughout. Upstairs, all three guest suites were reconfigured, and four bathrooms were updated with period-appropriate cabinetry, tile, and fixtures.

“Our work gave the interiors the sense of timelessness visitors expect from a historic house and added the modern conveniences they want,” said Heide. “We appreciate Saint Paul HPC’s recognition of our work and Macalester’s commitment not only to the historic architecture of the house itself, but to Summit Avenue and a historic district of the City of Saint Paul. We are indebted to Macalester for investing in a restoration that renews the Alumni House for the next generation.” 

Solar Summary

It was a beautiful — Sunny — evening for our lecture on solar power, but those who came in for the lecture by Rebecca Lundberg could not have been happier!

Rebecca is the co-owner/co-founder of Powerfully Green, a company that began when she and her partner wanted to retrofit a South Minneapolis bungalow with solar power while preserving its sense of history. She's a hard-working businessperson who spends much of her time actually on the roofs doing the install, and a former teacher who could make a rather complicated process seem understandable.

My notes from the session are quite copious, and I'll save you the detailed re-cap. What I will say is that Minnesota does have enough sun for solar power, and it can be done efficiently. Perhaps more important, the work companies like Rebecca's can do is historically sensitive. Her ideas for when solar power is most effective for historic homes mesh almost perfectly with our position on solar energy!

I left the lecture very excited for the future and seriously contemplating solar panels for our home at some time in the future, and I know I was not the only one.

Thanks to the University Club of Saint Paul for hosting our lectures, and David Heide Design for providing the funding. The Lecture Series will return next year for the third year in a row!

Solar Energy on Summit

The final 2012 SARPA Lecture Series returns next Monday, thanks to generous hosting by the University Club of Saint Paul and contributions from David Heide Design.

The lecture is free and open to anyone (not just SARPA members) The lecture begins at 6pm at the University Club of Saint Paul and lasts roughly an hour.

Monday, May 14
Solar Power in Historic Homes
With Rebecca Lundberg of Powerfully Green
Rebecca Lundberg designs and installs solar energy systems as president and CEO of Powerfully Green. She has a Master’s Degree in Education, a Minnesota Residential Building Contractor’s license, and is a North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) Solar PV installer.

Rebecca serves as a Board Member for the Minnesota Renewable Energy Society, and currently serves as Convenor of Solar Minnesota. She is passionate about sustainable living, and lectures about conservation
and renewable energy at every opportunity.

This workshop will focus on solar installations for urban areas, and will include some basic information about how solar works, many examples and photos of projects that meet city and historic district goals for neighborhoods, and details on currently available incentives.


--


It's quite a hot-button topic (pardon the pun), and we look forward to discussing it with you!

A Greener Summit

Interested in reducing the amount of waste you toss into your trash can, minimizing your environmental impact, or saving money on your trash bill? The Macalester-Groveland Community Council is about to open the city's first community organics drop-off site, just one block off Summit in the Patagonia store parking lot on Grand!

Open only to Macalester-Groveland residents, the site provides a sustainable resource where residents can take their compostable organic waste, meat, dairy, bones, and non-recyclable paper for delivery to a commercial composting facility. The Organics Recycling Drop-off Site offers even avid backyard composters the opportunity to compost more materials like freezer boxes, egg cartons, paper towels, napkins, meat and bones, dairy products, compostable tableware, pizza boxes too greasy for recycling pick-up, and much more.  

Households who sign up to participate in this new program will pay a $40 fee, which provides unlimited access for one year and covers the cost of hauling the organics from the Drop-off Site to a commercial composting facility. 

Learn more about this new program on Saturday, May 12th at 11:00am at Patagonia (1648 Grand Avenue) (please RSVP to lauren@macgrove.org). Or visit the Council's website (www.macgrove.org) or call 651-695-4000 for more information.

Spring Art & Architecture Tour - St. Thomas More

Saturday, May 19, 2012

6:00 PM

St. Thomas More East Campus Church

1079 Summit Avenue
Saint Paul, MN 55105

Join in an entertaining and informative evening to learn about the beautiful art, architecture and history of St. Thomas More East Campus Church, located on historic Summit Ave in St. Paul.  Fr. Joseph Weiss, SJ, will lead this tour of the interior (and exterior, weather permitting) of this beautiful church, accompanied by wine, appetizers and good company.  All are invited to attend - please invite your friends!  Suggested donation for the event is $10.00 per person to cover the costs; a free-will offering will be collected. Reservations are requested to Patti Day in the St. Thomas More Parish Office, at (651) 227-7669, ext. 302, orpday@morecommunity.org. This event is sponsored by the St. Thomas More Women's Group.

Larry Millett Recap

If you missed yesterday's lecture by Larry Millett — well, let's just say that there were many that did not!

The lecture was fascinating, focusing on:

-  Entire lost districts, including the mansion district of the 1860s-70s in Lowertown and the Capitol Heights district. Did you know that there used to be a major water feature called Trout Creek at the edge of Lowertown, or that the topography by the Capitol was quite hilly?

-  Individual lost properties on Summit:
242 Summit - Neill House
201 Summit - Kittson House
226 Summit - Wilder House
276 Summit - Jefferson House
288 Summit - Stickley House
545 Summit - Muir House

-  Other lost properties throughout Saint Paul.

Hope to see you at the final lecture, on solar power, on May 14!

Larry Millett TONIGHT!

Larry Millet, Once There Were Castles

Monday, April 30, at the University Club (420 Summit)

6pm

FREE!

Buying and Selling on Summit

Did you miss the first SARPA lecture of the year on Buying and Selling on Summit, with Kevin O'Brien, Charlie Neimeyer, and Jim Keane? If so, we're sorry, because it was a great kick-off to the series!

Some key points:
- 12 houses have sold between January 2011 and now. There are 11 currently on the market — so a 14-month supply. Average time on the market is 200 days, and average price per square foot is $112-226, depending on condition.
- More than ever, home sold on Summit are sold to specific buyers looking for certain things. Not necessarily the "trophy home" of the past, but private showings are still common.
- Amenities: new kitchens, central AC, 2F laundry — are hotter than ever.
- The triumvirate of selling points are price, condition, and location. Location is a given, so you either need to better your condition or lower your price.

Great job, guys!

-

Don't miss the next 2 lectures:

Monday, April 30 - Larry Millett Once There Were Castles
Monday, May 14 - Rebecca Lundberg on Solar Power for Historic Homes

6pm at the University Club, free!

Lecture Series Returns!!

The popular SARPA Lecture Series returns this spring, thanks to generous hosting by the University Club of Saint Paul and contributions from David Heide Design.

All lectures are free and open to anyone (not just SARPA members, but why not join anyway!) All lectures begin at 6pm at the University Club of Saint Paul and last roughly an hour, so plenty of time to go out and discuss what you learned at some of our fabulous local restaurants afterwards.

Monday, April 9
Buying and Selling on Summit
With Edina Realty experts: Kevin O'Brien, James Keane, and Charlie Niemeyer

As if real estate transactions weren't complicated enough, buying or selling a home on Summit adds a whole new layer of complexity. If you are buying — how do you find the best place? What should you keep in mind? What are some of the hidden costs? Are home values really that much higher? If you are selling — how do you find the right buyer who will love the home as much as you have? How do you convey both the pros and cons of owning a historic home? And how bad is the market, really, anyway?

Our panel has almost half a century of experience between them, specializing in historic homes in Saint Paul. If they don't know the answer, it's not an issue — let them allay your fears and answer your questions.

Monday, April 30 –
Once There Were Castles with Larry Millett

The first in-depth look at the history of the Twin Cities’ mansions, Once There Were Castles presents ninety lost mansions and estates, organized by neighborhood and illustrated with photographs and drawings. An absorbing read for Twin Cities residents and a crucial addition to the body of work on the region’s history, Once There Were Castles brings these “ghost mansions” back to life.

Larry Millett has found more ghosts. In Once There Were Castles, the historian and author of Lost Twin Cities digs up images and stories that paint a picture of 90 long-gone buildings. The photographs of their unabashed luxury are stunning; the stories of their demise, laden with hubris, are irresistible. Minnesota Monthly

Monday, May 14
Solar Power in Historic Homes
With Rebecca Lundberg of Powerfully Green

Rebecca Lundberg designs and installs solar energy systems as president and CEO of Powerfully Green. She has a Master’s Degree in Education, a Minnesota Residential Building Contractor’s license, and is a North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) Solar PV installer.

Rebecca serves as a Board Member for the Minnesota Renewable Energy Society, and currently serves as Convenor of Solar Minnesota. She is passionate about sustainable living, and lectures about conservation
and renewable energy at every opportunity.

This workshop will focus on solar installations for urban areas, and will include some basic information about how solar works, many examples and photos of projects that meet city and historic district goals for neighborhoods, and details on currently available incentives.

Sunday Events

This Sunday, March 4
4-6pm
at 591 Summit

Please join us!

----

And, if you want, go to Cathedral Family Day first, then head on over:
Cathedral Community & Family Day
(St. Paul, MN) Please join us for the fifth annual Cathedral Community & Family Day. This festive and free open house is set for 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, March 4. The Cathedral of Saint Paul is located at 239 Selby Avenue, at the corner of Summit Avenue and John Ireland Boulevard.
Highlights this year include:
· · Story-telling by New York Times best-selling author Tom Hegg (“A Cup of Christmas Tea”), who will delight us with his original tale of John Ireland’s early years in St. Paul.
· The first-time ever chance to enter the Sanctuary for demonstrations on the recently refurbished 1927 E.M.Skinner pipe organ.
· History Hunts for all ages; learn new facts and win prizes.
· Costumed characters and guides will highlight the Cathedral’s history, art and restoration projects.
· Create mosaic art with the Minnesota Children’s Museum.
· Learn to tie knots like a pirate with staff from the Science Museum of Minnesota.
· View artistic depictions of the Cathedral created by students from the St. Paul College of Visual Arts.
· Hear live entertainment by faculty and students from St. Joseph’s School of Music.
· Enjoy refreshments for sale by the Cathedral Young Adults.

For more information, go to www.cathedralheritagefoundation.org, or phone 651-288-1776.

Member Social Event this Sunday!

The Board of Directors of Summit Avenue Residential Preservation Association invites you to a:
SARPA Member Social Event
Sunday, March 4 from 4 to 6 p.m.

We have also invited more than a dozen Summit Avenue homeowners whose homes were celebrate their 100th "birthdays" this year!

Hosting the event are Kit and Marilyn Natz at 591 Summit Avenue.

The SARPA board will hold a short business meeting at 5:30, which is open to all SARPA members.

Hope to see you there.

SARPA's Position on Solar Technology

SARPA Whitepaper on Solar Energy Modifications
As adopted by the SARPA board on 16 January, 2012

SARPA (the Summit Avenue Residential Preservation Association) is dedicated to the preservation of the historic, residential, and urban park character of Summit Avenue. SARPA was commissioned in 1986 by Mayor George Latimer and the St. Paul City Council to preserve the residential quality of Summit Avenue for future generations.

A recent focus of SARPA has been to promote and encourage the fact that SARPA, while being an important historic resource, is also a street of unusual diversity. Many different kinds of people live along the street, from young to old, families to single residents, owners to renters. It’s also a street with myriad uses, from single family homes to multiple units, churches, synagogues, schools, reception houses, the Governor’s Mansion, a historic house museum, and several parks and open spaces. As such, SARPA is mainly concerned with the quality of life for all who live on — and who use — the street, and this concern is generally prioritized over individual situations.

With its interest in the diversity of historic resources, SARPA has been especially interested in the confluence of historic preservation and “green building,” particularly recent National Trust endeavors (please see source list at the end of this document). We support the Trust’s assertion that “the greenest building is the one that is already built” in that historic preservation is the “original” green building by retaining existing resources. We also support the combination of historic preservation and energy efficiency tax credits.

While energy conservation methods such as passive solar methods and geothermal wells are more or less invisible post-construction, private solar panels cause a different set of problems, enough so that they are specifically addressed in 2011 amendments to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. These amendments are as follows:

The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation & Illustrated Guidelines on Sustainability for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings (2011)
Solar Technology
Recommended:
• Considering on-site, solar technology only after implementing all appropriate treatments to improve energy efficiency of the building, which often have greater life-cycle cost benefit than on-site renewable energy.
• Analyzing whether solar technology can be used successfully and will benefit a historic building without compromising its character or the character of the site or the surrounding historic district.
• Installing a solar device in a compatible location on the site or on a non-historic building or addition where it will have minimal impact on the historic building and its site.
• Installing a solar device on the historic building only after other locations have been investigated and determined infeasible.
• Installing a low-profile solar device on the historic building so that it is not visible or only minimally visible from the public right of way: for example, on a flat roof and set back to take advantage of a parapet or other roof feature to screen solar panels from view; or on a secondary slope of a roof, out of view from the public right of way.
• Installing a solar device on the historic building in a manner that does not damage historic roofing material or negatively impact the building’s historic character and is reversible.
• Installing solar roof panels horizontally – flat or parallel to the roof – to reduce visibility.

Not Recommended:
• Installing on-site, solar technology without first implementing all appropriate treatments to the building to improve its energy efficiency.
• Installing a solar device without first analyzing its potential benefit or whether it will negatively impact the character of the historic building or site or the surrounding historic district.
• Placing a solar device in a highly-visible location where it will negatively impact the historic building and its site.
• Installing a solar device on the historic building without first considering other locations.
• Installing a solar device in a prominent location on the building where it will negatively impact its historic character.
• Installing a solar device on the historic building in a manner that damages historic roofing material or replaces it with an incompatible material and is not reversible.
• Removing historic roof features to install solar panels.
• Altering a historic, character-defining roof slope to install solar panels.
• Installing solar devices that are not reversible.
• Placing solar roof panels vertically where they are highly visible and will negatively impact the historic character of the building.

SARPA’s policies have aligned with the Secretary’s Standards in the past, and our position on solar technology is no different. In general, and in keeping with its position of prioritizing the character of the district as a whole over individual instances, SARPA shall not support solar technology alterations that do not conform to these standards.

In general, that means that solar technology use on Summit shall be implemented only after other methods have been exhausted, and that such alterations shall be unobtrusive and reversible. SARPA encourages Summit Avenue homeowners to investigate a wide spectrum of energy conservation options to best preserve the quality and character of their home and of the street in general.

Sources:
- Historic Preservation and Green Building: A Lasting Relationship (http://www.preservationnation.org/issues/sustainability/additional-resources/HPandGreenBuildingArticle.pdf)
- Sustainable Stewardship (http://berkeleyheritage.com/speeches/richard_moe.html)
- Historic Preservation and Sustainable Architecture: Friend or Foes? (http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/theskyline/2009/05/historic-preservation-and-green-architecture-friends-of-foes-.html)

Crashed Ice

Have you been wondering what on earth is happening at the eastern end of Summit next to the Cathedral? It's not church construction, or light rail, or Winter Carnival prep — it's the first-of-its-kind Red Bull Crashed Ice event!

Red Bull provides this description:

The extreme sport of ice cross downhill heads into a new season in 2012. The world championship battle will take place this year, as in 2010 for the first time, in both Europe and North America.

Red Bull Crashed Ice World Championship 2012 calendar:
Saint Paul (USA) –January 12-14
Valkenburg (NED) – February 2-4
Are (SWE) – February 16-18
Quebec City (CAN) – March 15-17

The combination of speedskating, boardercross and downhill skiing has only been around for 10 years but ice cross downhill has already overtaken many other established sports.

There are participants from 30 nations – 15,000 athletes packed into the pre-qualifying in Canada alone last year – and venues around the world that are bursting at the seams with spectators.

The rules are simple: four athletes line up at the start and the first across the finish line wins. Speed, agility, perserverance, toughness and courage at speeds of up to 60kph are the ingredients needed for success.

But I think we all know it will be even wilder and crazier than that!

The City of Saint Paul has a new website just for the event:
www.stpaul.gov/crashedice