Monday, October 22, 2012

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.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

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.


Tuesday, September 25, 2012

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

Monday, September 17, 2012

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.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

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) 

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

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
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.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

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)