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.


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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!