SENA searches for sense of direction as it fashions new plan

Residents encouraged to share what they value in the neighborhood and how to help neighbors make better connections

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN
What do you want your neighborhood to look like?
Share your opinions in the Standish-Ericsson neighborhood online survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6SBHZB6.
“We’ve had a great response to the survey, with more than 300 responses, which is at least 100 more responses than the last SENA survey eight years ago,” noted Standish-Ericsson Neighborhood Association (SENA) Board President Molly McCartney.
The survey is the first step in fashioning a new strategic plan for SENA.
This new plan will guide SENA for the next three to five years.
Photo right: SENA staff members Bob Kambeitz and Shirley Yeoman serve as “a conduit to collect the energy and talent of neighborhood folks and help funnel that back into the neighborhood in a way that produces positive programs and benefits for everyone,” according to Yeoman. (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)
“SENA has been dealing with a changing financial future and neighborhood demographics for the last few years,” remarked McCartney. “With the sunsetting of the Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP), the ‘retirement’ of a long-term volunteer base, and many new neighbors in Standish-Ericsson, it became a good time to reevaluate how SENA can best support our community and its needs.”

Helping the neighborhood
SENA was formed at the beginning of the NRP (Neighborhood Revitalization Program) to access the funds allocated for neighborhoods.
SENA Neighborhood Coordinator Shirley Yeoman has worked at SENA since 1996 and will retire at the end of this year. “The NRP plans developed by residents through an extensive community engagement process guided our work for many years,” explained Yeoman, who lives a few blocks out of SENA in the Hiawatha neighborhood. “We did such a good job of utilizing those funds for projects in the neighborhood that our allocations have been spent (mostly—except for some small remaining pots.)”
Minneapolis chose not to renew the NRP Program but created a new funding source for neighborhood groups called the Citizen Participation Program (CPP). These funds provide basic administration and some communication and community event dollars, but nothing for programming, Yeoman noted. “So, SENA needs to develop a new ‘plan’ to help guide our work in the neighborhood,” she said.
What does SENA do?
SENA’s most important role in the neighborhood, according to Yeoman, “is to serve as a conduit to collect the energy and talent of neighborhood folks and help funnel that back into the neighborhood in a way that produces positive programs and benefits for everyone.
Photo left: The new mural being painted on the Dokken Building at the 28th Ave S. and 42nd St. E. intersection is sponsored by the Standish-Ericsson Neighborhood Association (SENA). In August, community members gathered to help paint. It is being finished by Roosevelt High School students. (Photo submitted)
“The conduit can also work the opposite direction in that we can be the ‘collecting place’ for information about resources available and information that impacts people who live here and then get that information out to our residents.”
Recently SENA has been working on a water quality project funded by Hennepin County to raise awareness of how everyday actions can help keep Lake Hiawatha, Minnehaha Creek and the Mississippi River clean and healthy.
It is sponsoring the mural being painted on the Dokken Building at the 28th Ave S. and 42nd St. E. intersection.
The organization is also working to develop a SkillShare program where neighbors teach and learn skills from one another. In April, the focus was on bike maintenance, and in May it was on growing native plants.

Photo left: SENA has just completed distribution of a $30,000 Great Streets Facade Improvement Program grant that helps businesses make exterior improvements, and hopes to receive additional grants in the future. Among those that benefited from the program was Everetts Foods at Cedar and 38th. (Photo submitted) 

SENA has just completed the distribution of a $30,000 Great Streets Facade Improvement Program grant that helps businesses make exterior improvements, and SENA hopes to receive additional grants in the future.
It may renew its Welcome Committee program shortly.
“There are many accomplishments since the inception of SENA,” stated Yeoman. “We brought nearly $4 million in improvements and programs to the neighborhood with NRP funds. Those include home improvement loans and grants, a new playground and upgraded building at Lake Hiawatha Park, commercial improvement grants, bicycle racks, home safety programs and grants, a wonderful neighborhood newsletter, and more.”
SENA was instrumental in helping to form the West of the Rail Business Association, and still continues to provide essential support to this group to help support neighborhood businesses.
Last year, SENA partnered with Folwell Performing Arts School and artist Greta McLain to apply for and receive a Minnesota State Arts Board grant to do the large Connections mural on the south side of Folwell’s building. “It’s quite impressive and was a true ‘community’ project,” said Yeoman.
“SENA is a great resource for the neighborhood to learn more about what is happening around us and a way to become involved in making our neighborhoods a great place to live, work, and play,” said McCartney, who has lived in Standish for over 12 years. “The value of SENA can be seen every day—from the beautiful public art we have organized at locals schools, business, and utility boxes, to the connections that board members, staff, and volunteers make with policy makers, other community organizations, and our neighbors.”
She wouldn’t trade her neighborhood for anywhere else.

In search of direction
The online survey will be open through the fall. Consultants have also been conducting one-on-one interviews with neighborhood stakeholders.
The SENA board will convene retreat events this fall and winter, and the plan will be presented to the public at the annual meeting in February or March.
“My hopes for this process is to learn what our residents value about our community and how SENA can help neighbors make better connections with each other,” remarked McCartney. “I also hope for a practical work plan that can guide the organization in the next 3-5 years.”
“I am very hopeful that this process will help SENA find a strong sense of direction and help us set some very specific goals. Those two things will help guide decisions about staffing and purpose,” said Yeoman.
“I am also very hopeful that many more people will get involved in the work required to achieve the goals we set.”

This article appeared in the October 2016 edition of the Longfellow/Nokomis Messenger.

Laune Bread features sourdough and whole grains delivered via bicycle

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN
Christopher MacLeod is known as The Bread Man to local residents.

On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, the Bancroft resident crisscrosses South Minneapolis delivering freshly baked bread on his bicycle.
His trailer promises beards, breads, and good vibes, the English translation of his name “Laune.”
Photo right: On Wednesday and Thursday mornings, rain or shine, Christopher Mac­Leod of Laune Bread can be found delivering bread via bicycle in South Minneapolis. The delivery area boundaries are between Interstate 35W east to Minnehaha Ave., and 28th St. south to Minnehaha Pkwy. (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)
Laune Breads are naturally leavened, crafted with ten digits and friendly ingredients, and locally sourced.
When he began the business last October, MacLeod was the only local bakery using organic grains. He’s one of two delivering bread by bicycle in the Twin Cities.
“I view this business as a project for myself,” said Mac­Leod.
After living on the West Coast, MacLeod wanted to experience someplace new, so he moved to Minnesota about two years ago. He envisioned an abundance of wheat in the Midwest, MacLeod recalled, and thought he’d learn a lot about the process of growing it and transforming it into flour. When he got here, he discovered that there weren’t any local bakers using local wheat. And they weren’t making German-style breads either, but instead, the majority of them were baking white breads and yeasty breads.
He’s worked to identify local growers who use organic and sustainable methods, including Bakers Field in Northeast and Whole Grain Milling, and buys his flour from them.

Connections
Currently, MacLeod bakes two days a week in the kitchen at Sun Street Breads, 4600 Nicolet Ave. S. The owner there began by baking in someone else’s kitchen, and she’s paying it forward, Mac­Leod explained.
Photo left: Christopher MacLeod of Laune Bread checks bread and pretzels as they rise. While most bakers work in the early morning hours when no one else is awake, MacLeod bakes in the early evening and delivers the next morning by bicycle. With that model, he can interact with his customers. “I get a lot of feedback,” MacLeod pointed out. (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)
He doesn’t want a storefront. “I prefer to spend my time worrying about bread and sourcing better products,” said MacLeod.
He explained that instead of putting money towards a building, he wants to support small farms and mills, in part to reduce the total food miles involved. Although Minnesota is a large grower of wheat, it is often shipped to Colorado to be milled and then shipped back to Minnesota to be used or exported overseas. In fact, 50% of the wheat grown in Minnesota is exported to places such as Korea, Japan, and Europe, MacLeod pointed out.
He also wants to provide a connection between his subscribers and farmers. His weekly newsletters include information about bread and grains.

‘Bread I make is the bread I want to eat’
MacLeod compared his subscription service to that of a CSA (community supported agriculture).
Photo right: Photo left: Christopher MacLeod of Laune Bread likes his bread with a moist interior and a chewy exterior, and uses at least 50% of whole grains in his breads. The sourdough is for more than taste, and there is no yeast added, making the bread easier to digest. (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)
While most bakers work in the early morning hours when no one else is awake, MacLeod bakes in the early evening and delivers the next morning by bicycle. With that model, he can interact with his customers. “I get a lot of feedback,” MacLeod pointed out.
Most bakeries are pretty wasteful, and much of what they make gets thrown in the trash at the end of the day. With a subscription service, MacLeod bakes to order and has very little waste.
All of his breads are sourdough, which makes them easier to digest and healthier. While many bakers add sourdough for flavor, they still use yeast. Mac­Leod relies on naturally leavening only. When he eats other’s breads, his stomach tells him right away whether it is a true sourdough or not.
“The bread I make is the bread I want to eat,” said Mac­Leod.
He lets the flavors in the crust and interior meld during a longer rising period and then bakes them at a high temperature. “I think it adds more sweetness and nuttiness,” MacLeod remarked.
For much of history, people lived off of whole grain bread, getting the nutrients they needed. Yet, the peasants always wanted to have white bread, like the nobility. Today, he pointed out, the shift is away from Wonderbread and back toward whole grains.
‘Bread time’ in Germany
MacLeod’s love for bread can be traced to the college year he spent studying in Munich, Germany. The bread he ate there was a far cry from the sliced white bread he’d eaten in America. Rather than eat a typical meal with a plate of food following an appetizer, in Germany he was introduced to brotzeit, or “bread time.”
“It seemed more like a personal meal,” MacLeod observed.
Plus he was friends with a local whose parents owned a bakery and lived upstairs. The smells wafting up from their bakery enticed him.
Back in Portland, OR, Mac­Leod completed his degree in communications and German in 2011, only to discover that marketing firms weren’t hiring. So, he started working at a German bakery there in Portland and learned the basics of mixing and shaping, getting his foundation in bread making. A year later, he was hired by a wood-fired bakery in northern California. It was there that he developed his ideas of bread.
It’s important to MacLeod to use ingredients from the region or state. Because of that, he doesn’t make olive bread in Minnesota. Instead, he incorporates items such as cranberries, apples, and roasted leeks. He builds upon the German style of using a lot of seeds and some dried fruits. The German bread is denser, although he works to make it lighter by using a lot of water. He likes his bread with a moist interior and a chewy exterior, which helps the shelf life. MacLeod uses at least 50% of whole grains in his breads.
Bread delivered
Each week, MacLeod sells a half wheat, half white sourdough made with whole wheat flour, wheat flour, rye flour, salt, and malted barley flour for $7 a loaf. He also offers the Bäckers Whim—a rotating cast of breads that has included Cardamom Raisin Oatmeal, Caramelized Onion, Spelt Sesame, and Roasted Leek and Black Pepper for $8 a loaf.
Other items for sale and delivery include six sourdough wheaty pretzel knots for $10 and seedy granola (454 grams) featuring Skinny Jake’s Fat Honey, an urban Minneapolis apiary, for $7.50.
A monthly bread subscription is $28-30. Or, customers can opt for a bi-weekly service for $14-16.
Delivery to about 70 subscribers occurs each Tuesday and Wednesday morning when the bread is ready to be cut into and eaten. Deliveries via bicycle are made between Interstate 35W on the west, Minnehaha Ave. on the east, 28th St. to the north and Minnehaha Pkwy. on the south.
Or, subscriptions can be picked up at several drop-off points including: On Wednesdays—Conexion at Open Book, Anelace Coffee, The Baker’s Front Porch (41st S. Elliot); on Thursdays—Canteen, Dogwood East Lake and The Baker’s Front Porch (41st S./Elliot).
During the summer, bread was sold at the Nokomis and Tiny Diner Farmers Markets, as well.
For more information, browse launebread.com.

This article appeared in the October edition of the Longfellow/Nokomis Messenger.

Central High School transformed for its 150th anniversary year

Improved landscaping, stormwater management, outdoor classroom and paved pathway to Lexington part of project

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN
When students arrived at Central High School for the start of the sesquicentennial school year, the “prison” looked a little more inviting.
Photo right: Members of the Transforming Central Committee and Principal Mary Mackbee survey the work being done to create the outdoor classroom in August 2016. “I’m super excited for the outdoor classroom and learning opportunities that the project is installing,” said senior Olive Murdoch Meyer, who is the co-president of Roots and Shoots. (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)
The transformation of the state’s oldest, continuously-operating, and only five-story high school campus began on June 13. It included improved landscaping and stormwater management, an outdoor classroom, and a paved pathway across campus to Lexington Pkwy.
Before these updates, longtime Principal Mary Mackbee described the front entryway as “bland.” As work progressed over the summer, she was looking forward to returning students passing through the project area and seeing all the new things in front. “It’s wonderful,” Mackbee stated.
“We always joked that Central resembled a prison—and maybe took some pride in that—but these updates will make it have a sense of place, make it feel like the great academic school it is,” stated St. Paul Council Member and Assistant Hennepin County Attorney Chris Tolbert, who graduated in 2001.
Tolbert praised the group of parents who have worked on this update for years. “This project would not have happened but for their persistence, dedication, and resourcefulness,” said Tolbert. “I hope that we can keep that level of dedication from parents for generations.”
Photo left: Members of the Transforming Central Committee are excited to see five years of work coming to fruition. The changes to the stormwater system and front plaza were sparked by students, staff, and parents. The project completion kicks off the sesquicentennial celebration of the school. Left to right: Ann Hobbie, Lisa Heyman, Maggie O’Reilly, Principal Mary Mackbee, Julie Marckel, Olive Murdoch Meyer and Nina Tuttle. (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)
Committee members included Deb Ahlquist, Beth Black, Amber Buckner, Patricia Eaves, Craig Davies, Sally Gagne, Kris Hageman, Lisa Heyman, Ann Hobbie, Margaret Jones, Julie Marckel, Dana Murdoch, Maggie O’Reilly, Jeff Risberg, and Nina Tuttle.
“We thought that Central’s drab and uninviting exterior did not reflect the diverse, welcoming and vibrant community inside,” observed committee member Heyman. “With the addition of the outdoor classroom and seated planters there will be so many more places to sit. The paved pathway to Lexington will bring dignity to all students. No longer will they trudge through the mud to get to their buses.”
Someone cared enough
“Appearance plays a big role in the way people feel,” remarked Adrian Perryman, a 2003 Central High School graduate and current Concordia University employee. “Knowing that someone cared enough to invest their time into this project will make students feel special. I don’t recall any improvements when I was a student, but the appearance of the school and the grounds was definitely a topic of discussion.”
According to Maggie O’Reilly, the effort to upgrade and renovate the outdoor campus started five years ago when parents on the committee noted the compacted soil on the grounds, excessive water runoff, worn trees and landscaping, and unattractive entrance. They also noted a need for outdoor seating and a paved walking path from the plaza to Lexington Ave.
The Transforming Central project officially got underway by a dedicated group of parents, students and community members in the fall of 2011 when the committee partnered with the Root and Shoots environmental awareness team and the National Honor Society to plant over 500 bulbs on the school grounds.
Next, they surveyed students, faculty, administrators, parents and community members to gather input on desirable exterior improvements, which was put together into a document that guided planning for the next few years.
Things really got moving in the summer of 2012 when students and parent volunteers planted the three large tiers that frame the front exterior stairway with native perennials and grasses thanks to private donations and school support. Committee member Julie Marckel recalled how two environmental classes spread out wood chips in the tiers to mulch the plants. Those classes, along with the National Honor Society and the Roots and Shoots, have continued to care for the grounds. “It’s a nice way to get the kids involved,” said Marckel.
Cleaning up water runoff
In November 2012, Central received a grant from the Capitol Region Watershed District (CRWD) to analyze storm water run-off at the site, and in September 2013, they got another CRWD grant for the stormwater retrofit project. More money came in later to make changes at the site, which included the removal of the berm areas in front of the school along Marshall Ave. and extensive excavation for the underground storm water treatment system that will also manage water draining from the roof. A large rain garden at the corner of Marshall and Lexington will beautify while collecting and filtering water.
Dead and diseased trees were removed and new ones planted. Memorial trees and shrubs planted over the years are being grouped in a Memorial Garden area. All of the new plantings will be native and hardy perennials, trees and shrubs, and will include many pollinator-friendly plants.
Impermeable surfaces are replaced with well-planned permeable ones.
“When the project is finished, 1,434,000 gallons of runoff each year will filter through the ground instead of flowing untreated to the Mississippi River, and 1,367 pounds of sediment will no longer erode,” pointed out Heyman. “Additionally, 4.23 pounds of phosphorous will no longer enter the Mississippi River watershed.”
Environmental science teacher Lisa Houdek and biology teacher Stacey Skinner received an educator’s grant from Capitol Region Watershed District to pay for curriculum and measurement tools. The system has been built so that students can access it to track how much water is in the system, the water quality, and more.
Several grants and donations have been raised over the years to make this project happen, with money coming from state organizations, civic and community groups, as well as private individuals.
The 2013 graduating class commissioned local artist Peter Morales to create a bench to be included in the new landscaping. Each graduating class since has donated money for the project, and Roots and Shoots raised money for the new red hanging bike racks that are located in the front alcoves.
Phase 2 will include art pieces that reflect the vibrancy/energy of Central students and the surrounding community, as well as additional lighting, benches and landscaping. “We are considering sculptures and banner-like art commissioned by local St. Paul artists,” said O’Reilly. Discussions about the art and fundraising for the $100,000 shortfall continue.
Outdoor classroom
A highlight for many is the new outdoor classroom, fashioned out of limestone blocks that form a Fibonacci spiral—a mathematical sequence.
“I’m super excited for the outdoor classroom and learning opportunities that the project is installing,” said senior Olive Murdoch Meyer, who is the co-president of Roots and Shoots. “The beautification of Central’s facade is wonderful, but I think the most important part is giving students a chance to appreciate and utilize the outdoors in a way that wouldn’t have been as accessible before.”
Murdoch Meyer added, “Central is such a strong, vibrant place that can and will get through anything, but this project will be a special refresher to remind us what we can do together as a community, and will bring extra energy to this upcoming school year, as well as years to come. I think that this transformation is a big milestone for Central.”

Article appeared in the September 2016 Monitor Saint Paul.

Hamline Midway Coalition at low-power state during transition

Office being staffed one day a week for the rest of the summer; board hopes to have full-time staff back in September

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN
The Hamline Midway Coalition (HMC) has suspended most functions for the time being due to staffing challenges.
The Board of Directors is currently working on a transition plan and hopes to have a full-time person in the office again by September, according to Board President Steve Samuelson.
Hamline Midway Coalition (HMC) Executive Director Michael Jon Olson is currently on an indefinite medical leave.
Kyle Mianulli, HMC’s former Director of Communications and Community Engagement, has left HMC to pursue a career opportunity in the Hennepin County Public Works communications department. “It was an offer he couldn’t refuse,” remarked Samuelson.
Samuelson pointed out that the staffing problems facing HMC are part of a bigger issue for community organizations: it’s hard to retain good staff, Samuelson said.
Office staffed on Wednesdays
During the transition period, former board member Melissa Cortez is staffing the office every Wednesday from 10am to 5pm. Email her at Melissa@hamlinemidway.org, or contact Samuelson at ssamuelson11@comcast.net.
Meanwhile, Olson has been meeting once a week with the bookkeeper to keep up with HMC’s financial transactions.
Olson has been with HMC for about ten years. “He’s been a tremendous asset for the neighborhood,” said Samuelson.
At its August meeting, the board members intend to discuss the job responsibilities of a full-time position they will be hiring.
The organization’s 11-person board is made up of Hamline Midway neighbors, business owners, and community members.
Samuelson pointed out that August is a historically slow time for the organization.
“If something comes in we have the mechanisms in place to deal with it,” assured Samuelson. “We have the basic services in place while we go through this transition period.”

Article appeared in the August 2016 St. Paul Monitor.

ComoFest shapes neighborhood identity, brings people together

Community partners share what they appreciate most about the seven-year-old festival of family-friendly activities

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN
Historical photos submitted
How has ComoFest developed from a small ice cream social with a few hundred people to a month-long event drawing in thousands?
Ask the organizers and they’ll point to how the festival strengthens the community while pulling in neighborhood partners. Plus, it’s fun.
“ComoFest has an established reputation of building the community through family-fun events,” stated Lyngblomsten Director of Lifelong Learning and the Arts Andrea Lewandoski. In 2012, Lyngblomsten integrated its annual “Mid-Summer Festival” into ComoFest.
“The events allow for an open, friendly atmosphere, the opportunity for community members to meet and speak with local artists, hear live music from local bands and musicians, and provide the chance for community members to visit local businesses and restaurants,” said Lewandowski. “Fine food and a variety of arts and wellness activities add to the festive fun during the entire month of July.”
“When folks think about Como Park, they typically think of the park and zoo, which is a huge draw and major asset to this neighborhood,” remarked AndreaLynn Johnson. “But ComoFest is giving families throughout the Twin Cities and surrounding area another reason to visit the neighborhood—for the food, the music, the arts, to explore new events, and meet new people in Como that they didn’t know. It is a way to highlight what the people of the community have to offer the greater Twin Cities community.”
Johnson has been part of the festival since the beginning when she coordinated the first art crawl. That year, five artists opened up their studios and homes, including Johnson. Over the years, the art crawl has evolved into an art fair that she continues to organize.
What’s kept her involved over the years?
“I love finding unique ways to promote the arts, and doing so in this non-juried art fair has been a wonderful way to highlight local artists,” said Johnson. “I have enjoyed not only seeing the community come together for one unified event or focus, but getting to know my fellow community members and business even better.”
“The willingness to volunteer time and genuine love for the neighborhood shown by the community is unmatched,” Johnson said.
Photo right: Artist AndreaLynn Johnson (at right) has helped organize the art fair since its inception. “I love finding unique ways to promote the arts, and doing so in this non-juried art fair has been a wonderful way to highlight local artists,” said Johnson. “I have enjoyed not only seeing the community come together for one unified event or focus but getting to know my fellow community members and business even better.”

“This has strengthened our working bonds for sure,” said Darcy Rivers, St. Paul Parks and Recreation Community Recreation Director of Programming. “Having the opportunity to work with District 10, Lyngblomsten and others is a no-brainer. We all service the same people, combine our resources, learn from each other, receive new contacts and develop friendships.”
One thing that sets ComoFest apart is that each event operates independently. “There’s no grand planning committee,” explained Michael Kuchta, District 10 Executive Director. “But we do collaborate, we do support each other, and we do coordinate as much as we can on things like logistics, advertising, and publicity.”
District 10 serves as the hub for ComoFest and hosts the web page and Facebook page. It also handles the finances and contributes its own event, the Ice Cream Social.
This year’s partners include Lyngblomsten, St. Paul Parks and Recreation, Topline Federal Credit Union, The Underground Music Cafe, Honest-1 Auto Care, Como Dockside Lakeside Pavilion, and Como Park – Falcon Heights Living at Home Block Nurse Program. Humphrey Job Corps Center supplies volunteers.
From a weekend to a month
Instead of cramming everything into one weekend, this year there will be eight events spread out over four weekends. “We’re hoping that gives neighbors a chance to sample activities in a way that fits their schedules,” explained Kuchta. “If they happen to be out of town one weekend, or already booked solid for one weekend, they’ve still got a chance to check out a half-dozen other events.”
The festival started with the North Dale Movie Night on July 8 and the ComoFest Art Fair on July 9.
Next up:
• District 10 Ice Cream Social on July 15;
• ComoFest 5K Walk/Run for Everyone on July 17;
• Lyngblomsten Mid-Summer Festival: A Celebration of Arts & Lifelong Learning on July 22;
• Community Appreciation Picnic on July 23;
• Northwest Como Campout on July 29; and
• the Block Party at UMC on July 30-31.
“Don’t miss any of it,” urged Rivers. “Each event brings a new flavor of activity that is representative of the neighborhood.”
“The evolution of ComoFest from one small event to a month-long series of events has been due to our want to include more partners within and outside of District 10, wanting to include a wider variety of activities and by spreading the activities out over a month, giving families a better opportunity to attend more of the ComoFest events,” said Johnson.
Work in progress
ComoFest is a continual work in progress with new ideas and community members, observed Rivers.
River remembers the meeting in 2010 that gave birth to ComoFest. She and then-District 10 Community Council Coordinator Rhonda DeBough recognized that people couldn’t afford to travel because of the recession, and they decided to offer the District 10 Staycation. They combined the Northwest Como Movie Night with District 10’s Art Crawl, Garden Tour, and Bike Ride, along with the Chelsea Heights PTO Flea Market and Coffee Grounds Music Festival on one weekend.
The festival also offered residents a way to discover a little bit more about their neighborhood.
“In that way, nothing’s changed,” remarked Kuchta. “You can still experience ComoFest without spending a dime. It’s still family oriented, and it features a variety of very simple, very low-key, but enjoyable events that expose you to some of what’s available right in your own backyard.”
Some events come and go, he noted, but the essence is still the same.
“It’s not a big festival that shuts down streets and disrupts people’s lives for a couple of days. We’ve got enough high-impact activity in our neighborhood. ComoFest is actually the opposite of that.”
Spreading through Como
Kuchta is excited to see the event growing to include more than just the intersection of Hamline and Hoyt, where things were centered at the beginning. “For the first time this year, we’ve got something going on east of the lake—with North Dale’s movie night—and something going on in South Como—with TopLine’s cookout. I’m hoping we can build on that, so we really do tie in the whole neighborhood,” he stated.
Como Park – Falcon Heights Living at Home Block Nurse Program initially got involved with Comofest by invitation from District 10. The community non-profit began with an information table at the ice cream social and that morphed into sponsoring a 5K run/walk around Como Lake last year.
“It turned out better than we thought,” recalled Executive Director Jody McCardle. “And we loved meeting neighbors who were glad to learn about how we help seniors remain in their homes safely. We even had a few runners become volunteers for our program.”
“Many of the seniors we work with talk about their love of Como Lake and their everyday walks around Como Lake with family and friends—so in a way it is a continuum of celebrating our seniors in our community and the natural resources of District 10 that we treasure,” McCardle added.
All part of Como Park
The Como area is in high demand from people all over the state and visitors, pointed out Rivers. While the community cherishes the Como resources and shares them, residents also value their neighborhoods. ComoFest helps with community identity, strengthens the neighborhood and takes back the space.
“It sounds cliché, but anything that gets us out from behind our own fences helps build community,” said Kuchta. “Something like ComoFest can eliminate, in small ways, the physical barriers that separate parts of our neighborhood: Which side of the park you are on, which side of the tracks you are on, are you in a home or an apartment? Doesn’t matter—you’re still part of Como Park.”

Article appeared in the July 2016 Monitor Saint Paul.

The Emily Program ‘gave me my life back’ says local woman

Program set apart by staff who have been there too, and are working to increase care standards for eating disorders

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN
One in five women struggles with an eating disorder.
St. Anthony resident Billie Gray is one of them.
At 39, her best friend asked her to be an attendant at her wedding, and Gray spent more time worrying about how she was going to look in a sleeveless dress than she did being happy for her friend.
“Luckily I had enough awareness to recognize that as distorted thinking,” stated Gray.
She walked herself down to her “friendly neighborhood eating center,” The Emily Program, and asked for help.
She got it.
“It gave me my life back,” said Gray.
Photo right: The adult treatment site at 2265 Como is one of several in the neighborhood. A center for youth is located across the street. The Emily Program offers outpatient, intensive day/partial programs with lodging available, and 24/7 residential care at ten sites across Minnesota as well as sites in Washington, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. The administrative offices, including the Foundation, are based in St. Paul’s Bandana Square. (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)
For Gray, having an eating disorder meant that she kept a part of herself set aside to manage that disorder.
She knows she could have been diagnosed with binge eating disorder when she was 24, but she kept her habits hidden from others for years.
“Eating disorders come in a lot of different manifestations,” Gray observed.
She wasn’t the type of binge eater who drove to three different drive-thrus and ordered a meal at each to devour in one sitting. No, hers was harder to see because it didn’t manifest according to the stereotype. Her eating disorder involved grazing from the time she got home from work to the time she climbed into bed. Every night she ate to the point where she felt full and then kept going until she felt physically ill.
“It was like I had two stomachs,” Gray explained. “One was so full. One couldn’t stop eating.”
Photo left: The Emily Program Foundation Executive Director Billie Gray and The Emily Program Chief Strategy Officer Dr. Jillian Lampert stand in the kitchen at the 2265 Como Building, a place where cooking classes and meals are held. Treatment at The Emily Program involves a lot of different food experiences, pointed out Lampert. (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)
For some, grazing is fine, but Gray’s habits were normal behavior taken to extremes, as all eating disorders are. Hers was a problem in part because of the time she spent obsessing about food and the internalized shame that surrounded eating, Gray pointed out.
Every day she woke up and told herself today would be different. Every day it was the same.
Gray isn’t alone. Middle-aged women are among the fastest growing segment of the population diagnosed with eating disorders.
Relaxing and welcoming atmosphere
Gray is grateful for the help she received at The Emily Program, which is primarily staffed by 520 people who have had eating disorders themselves.
“I love the atmosphere here,” Gray stated. “It’s very relaxing. Everyone was kind and willing to meet me where I was. If I had had one negative experience, I would have left.”
Once she was being treated at The Emily Program, she felt like she got steadily better as she put time into it, but change didn’t happen all at once.
She attended individual therapy, met with dietitians to learn about nutrition, and focused on the behavioral piece, as well.
Treatment at The Emily Program involves a lot of different food experiences, pointed out Dr. Jilllian Lampert, The Emily Program Chief Strategy Officer. Residents and therapists engage in intimate meals together in the dining rooms at the facility, cook meals together, and go out to eat together.
Other components are art therapy, body image support groups, and mindful, restorative yoga.
“Being disconnected from your body is a hallmark of an eating disorder,” pointed out Lampert, “so getting back in touch with your body is a part of healing.”
Gray’s breakthrough came during a somatic experience group session, a type of therapy she didn’t think would be valuable for her at all. She considers herself to be analytical and logical and didn’t want to focus on sensations.
When encouraged to stop and pay attention to the sensations in her body, Gray realized, “I literally couldn’t feel anything between my pelvis and my throat.”
Lampert pointed out that another common part of an eating disorder is being unable to close one’s eyes and count a pulse beat. Restorative yoga helps patients reconnect with their body’s biorhythms.
Photo right: The Emily Program Foundation staff meet with a group of girls at Whittier International Elementary School in Minneapolis. They present at daycares, middle and high schools, universities, churches and other community groups to increase awareness and education of eating disorders. “The seeds get planted very young,” observed Gray. “We’re doing what we can to change the environment and minimize the number of seeds that get planted. They’re currently partnering on a pilot program with the St. Anthony Park United Church of Christ Preschool. (Photo submitted)
The underlying issue creating Gray’s eating disorder was control. “I wasn’t ok with who I was,” she observed.
Through art therapy, she learned how to express herself, a practice she found empowering and continues today.
There is a debate about whether one is ever really cured of an eating disorder. Gray finds it helpful to continue attending a support group every two weeks.
After her three-year treatment, she realized she wanted to make a difference for other people struggling with eating disorders. She quit her successful corporate job and became the executive director of The Emily Program Foundation in June 2014.
The Emily Program Foundation presents at daycares, middle and high schools, universities, churches and other community groups to increase awareness and education of eating disorders. Bullying about body size and appearance is the most common form of bullying in schools.
An program set apart
In 1993, psychologist Dirk Miller, Ph.D., LP, opened The Emily Program, named after his sister, Emily, who recovered from an eating disorder.
Previously, Miller had started the first hospital-based eating disorders treatment program at South Bend General Hospital in Indiana. He had also worked with the University of Minnesota’s intensive bulimia program and started an eating disorders group at The University of St. Thomas.
The 23-year-old organization has grown a lot since its start with one employee in a former St. Paul fire station.
Today, The Emily Program offers outpatient, intensive day/partial programs with lodging available, and 24/7 residential care at ten sites across Minnesota as well as sites in Washington, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. The administrative offices, including the Foundation, are based at 1295 Bandana Boulevard W.
They also have an Outpatient Eating Disorder Treatment location for adolescents and adults at 2265 Como Ave. and at 2230 Como Ave.
The program is for people of all genders from age 8 to 78 who struggle with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating, compulsive overeating, obesity, and other specified feeding and eating disorders (OSFED).
The approach to treating eating disorders is based on the belief that individuals are unique and that they intuitively seek meaning, value, and creativity in life. Effective treatment requires awareness of the genetic, biological, psychological, social, and cultural impacts on each person.
Lampert noted, “It’s the way we do things that sets us apart.”
The Emily Program meets this high-intensity need for care through evidence-based practices, round-the-clock nursing, and specialized medical treatment. It is affiliated with the University of Minnesota, initiates studies, and lobbies at the federal level.
“We can help people make changes in their behavior, so they don’t have to have an eating disorder,” said Lampert.
Working to raise the standards of care
The Emily Program is leading the charge to improve the quality of residential eating disorder care through its leadership of the Residential Eating Disorder Consortium (REDC).
“Through REDC, we are hoping to raise the bar for quality of care across all residential eating disorder programs,” stated Lampert, who serves as president of the REDC, an organization The Emily Program co-founded.
In the United States, 30 million Americans struggle with eating disorders. Only a fraction of them will need specialized 24/7 care for their mental illness, but few will find it as residential programs only have the capacity to treat less than 0.05 percent of those impacted each year.
Insurance doesn’t always cover treatment costs, despite the Mental Health Parity Bill passed in 2008.
Every 62 minutes someone dies as a direct result of an eating disorder, according to the Eating Disorders Coalition for Research, Policy and Action. Eating disorders can be expensive to treat, but they are serious issues with the highest mortality rate of any other mental health illness.
The Emily Program provides education and training opportunities for health professionals so that they may be better equipped to intervene early in the illness, optimizing patients’ recovery.
When Lampert was struggling with an eating disorder 20 years ago, she bounced from substandard program to substandard program. While things have gotten better, she sees room for improvement. That’s part of what has driven her efforts to push for quality treatment standards, which were adopted by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitative Facilities in 2013 and by the Joint Commission recently.
Few health care providers receive adequate training in recognition and treatment of eating disorders, explained Lampert. “There’s a huge disparity between the number of lives lost and medical training.” The average doctor has received 24 minutes of training. The Emily Program feels so passionately about this that there is currently a bill in Congress, The Anna Westin Act, named in memory of a Minnesota woman who died at the age of 21 as a direct result of anorexia that sets aside existing funds for training. The Emily Program staff and volunteers, including Anna’s mother Kitty, who serves on the Foundation Board, are working hard to ensure it becomes law.
For more, browse emilyprogram.com.

Article appeared in the June 2016 Monitor Saint Paul.

A Line marks step forward in bus service

Ride for free during opening weekend; special events planned on Sat., June 11

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN
On June 11, locals will have a new transportation option.
The Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) A Line will begin operating locally from Rosedale Mall, down the busy Snelling Ave. commercial corridor to Highland Village and over to 46th St. Station in Minneapolis.
The A Line will offer a new kind of bus service that will cut the journey from 46th St. station to Rosedale Mall from 48 minutes to 35 minutes.
The line officially opens at 10am.
Bus service on the A Line and Route 84 will be free June 11 to 13.
Photo right: The 40-foot Gillig model buses look significantly different than regular-route buses. Passengers will be able to get on and off faster, thanks to low-floor buses and raised curbs at stations, plus wider bus doors and boarding from the front and back. (Photos submitted)
Midway resident Jessica Treat of Transit for Livable Communities is looking forward to the start of the A Line. “It’s a significant change and the first in the region,” pointed out Treat.
Como resident João Medeiros said, “I am excited that the BRT will provide an efficient connection from my side of the neighborhood to the Green Line, which should provide easy transit access from the neighborhood to both downtown Minneapolis and downtown St. Paul.”
Mederios is looking forward to seeing whether the BRT helps alleviate some of the congestion at State Fair time. “As an all-season user of the Como and Snelling bus stop, I am also excited that the stations are going to have radiant heating in the winter, like light rail stations,” he added.
Opening day events
Events planned from 10am to 2pm on June 11 include:
• Snelling and University: Official ribbon cutting ceremony begins at 9:30am with the ribbon cutting at 9:50. There will be live music and food trucks. Community groups and businesses will have tables set up.
• HarMar Mall: The first bus will bring the mayor of Roseville to HarMar at about 10:10am, where there will be a short ceremony and music by the Roseville City Band and other groups.
• Highland Park: The event will take place at Hillcrest Park, located at Ford Pkwy. and Kenneth, an A Line stop. Community groups, local businesses, and the park board are coming together to host an event celebrating the launch of the A Line route. There will be a climbing wall and children’s craft activity.
• 46th Street Station: A Line bus on display and Metro Transit personnel available to answer questions.
Cross between bus and train
Bus Rapid Transit makes riding a bus a bit more like riding a light rail train.
Customers will pay their fares at ticket vending machines before boarding the bus.
By extending the curbs at stations, buses can merge more easily into traffic after serving a station. The buses won’t pull over to board passengers, but will instead remain in the right driving lane.
Each A Line station is comprised of a northbound and southbound platform. All station platforms will have a customer waiting shelter with interior light and heater, as well as a pylon marker with a real-time NexTrip display.
Passengers will be able to get on and off faster, thanks to low-floor buses and raised curbs at stations, plus wider bus doors and boarding from the front and back. These 40-foot Gillig model buses will look significantly different than regular-route buses.
The A Line buses will stop at fewer red lights courtesy of transit signal priority, and stay better in sync with traffic flow.
While people typically think that traffic is the main reason for bus delays, a traffic analysis showed that delays actually occur from stopping every block, customers paying fares, and stopping at red lights.
BRT addresses these issues.
21 stations every one-half mile
The A Line will connect the Twin Cities’ two metro light-rail lines with the busy Snelling Ave. commercial corridor and several popular destinations, including Hamline University, Macalester College, Midway, Highland Village, Minnehaha Park, Rosedale Center, and HarMar Mall.
The A Line will operate every 10 minutes along the 9.7-mile-long route during rush hours, midday, evenings, and weekends, with less frequent service in the early morning and late at night. The span of service is very similar to today’s Route 84 schedule, with trips beginning at approximately 4am and continuing until approximately 1:30am.
Twenty-one stations are located roughly every half-mile.
The A Line will become the primary bus route serving Snelling Ave. and Ford Pkwy. with increased service in evenings and on weekends, substantially replacing much of Route 84.
Local Route 84 will operate every 30 minutes and make off-corridor branch connections to St. Paul Ave., West 7th St. and Davern St.
Transferring between the A Line and light rail is easy. No matter where you purchase your ticket, it will be valid for 20 hours of unlimited rides. Additionally, A Line tickets are valid for regular-route buses; present your ticket to the driver but don’t insert it into the fare box so that you can keep using it.
Are people riding for free?
Some residents are concerned that riders aren’t paying for their light rail trips and won’t pay for the A Line ride either.
For Hamline Midway resident Dave Olson, not paying for a ride is theft.
“I take the Green Line fairly often and while waiting for trains observe how many just walk past the payment machines and get on the train. Am I an idiot for not riding free also?” asked Olson.
The issues for Hamline Midway resident Tom Goldstein are the $180 fine people are charged if caught riding without a ticket and the use of police officers rather than train monitors for the fare checks. “I wish that everyone were honest—or had the means to pay for transit—but I’d rather see our focus be on keeping the trains safe for all riders than creating a system with out-of-whack penalties and out-of-whack priorities for how we do enforcement,” remarked Goldstein.
“Some of us will perceive rampant fare-theft and some of us will observe near universal compliance in the same train ride. Thankfully the Met Council undertook a controlled study with sound statistical methods to determine an estimate of compliance,” pointed out Hamline-Midway resident Bryan Kennedy.
According to the April 2015 report, the Blue Line fare evasion rate is between 2.6% and 3.6%, and the compliance rate is estimated to be between 80.8% and 84.8%. The Green Line fare evasion rate is between 4.6% and 9.0% and the compliance rate for is between 81.6% and 87.6%. The audit found that Go-To Card users were the largest group of people not to comply, perhaps because of a misunderstanding of how the card works. Data was collected in 2014.
Neighborhood resident and transportation researcher Guillermo Narvaez thinks that the BRT model seems well suited at this time for Snelling. However, he pointed out that “while it does increase the amount of passengers it can carry, it does not really inspire developers in the same way more permanent forms of transit does.”
BRT is attractive because the overall project costs less, but it is less effective in moving people than a light rail or metro system, he noted. “The idea is one that the GOP will tolerate (versus light rail or streetcar) as it shares the same road infrastructure that cars and trucks use,” Narvaez said.
Why the Snelling Ave. route?
In 2011, Met Transit studied 12 high-ridership corridors and determined that BRT would perform well along the Snelling/Ford/46th route. As a bonus, it was shovel-ready.
The other routes included in the Arterial Transitway Corridors Study were: Lake St., American Blvd., Central Ave., Chicago Ave., E. 7th St, Hennepin Ave., Nicollet Ave., Robert St., Snelling Ave., West 7th St. and West Broadway Ave. The study later added Penn Ave. and Chicago-Fremont in North Minneapolis.
Construction on the line began in 2015 with road improvements, new shelters, and other amenities. The line was originally slated to open in 2015, but a lengthy review period set the project back.
The total cost of the A Line project is about $27 million, with money coming from the federal government ($7 million), the state of Minnesota ($16 million) and the Metropolitan Council ($4 million). Of that, $15 million was spent constructing stations and adding related technology and fare collection elements; $7 million on new BRT vehicles for the service; $1 million on transit signal priority; and $4 million on design.
Plans call for 20 rapid transitways by the year 2040—16 to 17 of those would be BRT lines. This system will allow another 500,000 people to be a 30-minute commute from their workplace.
“I believe in transit and other forms of transportation that make cities more livable and attractive,” said Narvaez. “Is the BRT a perfect solution? Hardly, but it has us talking and thinking about it instead of just driving through places that hopefully will become destinations in the near future.”

Article appeared in the June 2016 Monitor Saint Paul