Como Community Council Corner

By MICHAEL KUCHTA, Executive Director

Changes coming to Como, Front, and Dale

Saint Paul city staff are recommending five infrastructure projects for the intersection of Como, Front, and Dale in 2018. The projects would be paid for with $350,000 in Commercial Vitality Zone money authorized by the City Council in 2015.

District 10 is surveying community members to get a sense of whether they support these projects or not. Take the survey before Jan. 14 at www.surveymonkey.com/r/comofrontdale

A summary of the possible projects:

• Eliminate the dedicated right turn lane from southeast-bound Como Ave. to westbound Front St. In its place, expand the pedestrian island toward the furniture store, and shorten the crosswalk on Como.

• Paint higher-visibility crosswalks in all current locations. Paint stop bars on the pavement in front of the crosswalks; stop bars are designed to encourage motorists to stop before, not in, a crosswalk.

• Paint green lane extensions across the intersection to visibly designate the location of the Como Ave. bike lanes.

• Install landscaping and other aesthetic features, including between the sidewalk and parking lot of the strip mall on the northeast corner of the intersection.

• Relocate the bus stop on northbound Dale from in front of the strip mall to the south side of the intersection (in front of John’s Pizza Café). This is designed to eliminate vehicles backing up into the intersection if they are stopped behind a bus.

Three join honor roll

Congratulations to Mike Ireland, Frank P. Liu, and Quentin “Q” Nguyen. They are District 10’s additions to the 2017 St. Paul Neighborhood Honor Roll. The board of the Como Community Council selected them from a group of 13 Como residents nominated by their neighbors. They will be formally recognized with a banquet Jan. 26, and immortalized on a plaque in City Hall.

More ash trees become history

St. Paul Forestry will cut down nearly 60 more boulevard ash trees in District 10 beginning this month. The trees are what’s left of the ash still standing on:

• Alameda from Wheelock south to Maryland

• Alameda from Hoyt south to Arlington

• Arlington from Victoria east to St. Albans

• Maywood from Cottage south to Wheelock

• Nebraska near Alameda

The trees are among 995 ash citywide that Forestry has identified as infested with emerald ash borer. It will remove those trees, and perhaps hundreds more, in 2018.

The golf course is next: Also in January, Parks and Recreation expects to close ski trails in Como Park beginning Jan. 22 so it can take down about 165 trees on the golf course, including about 150 ash.

Make Sundays more exciting

District 10 has scheduled its first two Sunday Series presentations for 2018.• State Fair History, Part 2. Minnesota State Fair director Jerry Hammer picks up where he left off last year. He’ll share forgotten photos, facts, and stories about the Fair from the last 100 years— from 1920 until today. The free presentation is Sun., Feb. 25 from 1-2:30pm in the Newman-Benson Chapel at Lyngblomsten, 1415 Almond Ave.• The Next Step: Pedestrian Safety in St. Paul. Drivers continue to run into pedestrians in higher and higher numbers. What will it take to stop that? Fay Simer, the city’s new pedestrian safety advocate, and Sgt. Jeremy Ellison, who leads enforcement efforts in the citywide Stop for Me campaign, lead the discussion. The free presentation is Sun., Mar. 18 from 1-2:30pm, probably at the Como Park Streetcar Station, 1224 Lexington Pkwy. N.

Upcoming District 10 meetings

• Como Community Council Monthly Meeting: Tues., Jan. 16

• Environment Committee: Wed., Jan. 31

• Neighborhood Relations and Safety Committee: Tues., Feb. 6

• Land Use Committee: Wed., Feb. 7

All meetings begin at 7pm at the Como Park Streetcar Station, which is at the northeast corner of Lexington and Horton. Community members are always welcome to attend and participate. Whenever possible, agendas are posted in advance in the “Board News” section of District 10’s website.