FINALgf

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Big Ideas 1000 Trees, One Tree at a Time Sometimes it takes a while for a big idea to bear fruit. In this case, literal fruit. In 2009 Frogtown resident Seitu Jones tapped out a manifesto for “1,000 Trees for Frogtown,” the neighborhood was in the throes of the recession. Not too many people were thinking about planting trees. But the St. Paul Forestry department, acting on a survey that showed Frogtown had less tree canopy coverage than most other neighborhoods in the city, connected with Jones and others to see what could be done. From there, Frogtown’s Tree Frogs were born. Working with arborists from the city as well as the US Forest Service and the University of Minnesota, the small group of Frogtowners has managed to plant over 150 new trees in Frogtown since 2009. In May, a vacant lot on the southeast Renee Taylor and her Tree Frogs tree. corner of Dale Street and Lafond Avenue will be relandscaped to become a more permanent home for the Tree Frogs’ volunteer labor. Grants from the Laura Jane Musser fund and Unity Church Unitarian will be used to buy and install benches, paths, and flowerbeds to beautify the lot, cleared when Dale St was widened in 1996. “The Tree Frogs have been planning the new parklet all winter,” says member Liz Colwell. “We’ve ordered benches, and commissioned mosaic trees.” The parklet will continue to provide storage space for the Tree Frogs’ annual supply of giveaway trees. Residents who want to help get the Tree Frogs closer to their goal by planting a fruit or shade tree should contact Frogtown Green, 651-757- 5970, or sign up for one at the parklet’s inaugural event on Saturday, June 18. PAGE 8 MAY/JUNE 2016
Trashed! Are You Getting a Deal, or Getting Taken? The highly variable cost of garbage collection in St. Paul As city officials consider a move toward organized trash hauling, one of the big questions is cost. What do we pay now to get our garbage hauled? What would it cost if St. Paul structured trash hauling something like Minneapolis does? There, you’re billed for trash hauling with your utility bill. You get a bin for your trash and recycling. For a 32-gallon cart you pay $27.89 per month. For a 96-gallon cart you pay $31.45. There’s no additional charge for yard waste, extra garbage, bulky household items and appliances. You get vouchers that allow you to haul large amounts of construction debris, tires and other junk to hauling stations at no extra cost. So how much do St. Paul residents currently pay to get their garbage hauled? The truth is, there’s no easy answer. If garbage hauling were like most other products, you’d do a Google search of haulers, go to their websites, look at the prices and compare. But in St. Paul, garbage hauling is not like most other products. If you want to know how much it’s going to cost you, you’ve got to do some digging. There are currently 14 licensed haulers that offer service in the city of St. Paul. Two publish their hauling rates. Eight don’t. Four don’t have web sites. Of the two haulers that list rates on their websites— Waste Management and Republic — Waste Management offers a clear statement of the total cost of trash pickup, which includes taxes and a “fuel and environmental charge.” Republic gives you a price for “basic service” without specifying the container size, then notes that “applicable taxes and fees” will be added. With 68-gallon per week service, this can add about $7.50 per month to the total bill. Recently St. Paul officials asked residents to send their garbage bills to Public Works. They wanted to get an idea of what we pay now for trash collection. The answer: it’s all over the map. You can see the results below. Nobody is saying that this is a scientific survey. It’s a grab bag of bills created by people who chose to send theirs in. Some of them show what are unquestionably lowball introductory rates. Remember, these prices are the basic monthly fee. They don’t include hauler charges for extra junk — the mattresses, furniture, yard waste, appliances, tires and other flotsam that most of us need to 35-gallon (approx.) weekly pick-up, per month Lowest Range Sample of 35 get rid of now and then. But even if it’s not quite science, the figures below can suggest whether you’re getting a deal or getting jacked. Add more data to the pile by sending your garbage bill to city officials. Cross out your name and the last two numbers of your street address and send your bill in one of these ways: • Mail: Public Works, 1500 City Hall Annex, 25 W. 4th Street, Saint Paul, MN, 55102 • E-mail: allinprogram@ci.stpaul. mn.us • Facebook: Post a status with a picture of your bill and the hashtag #ShareYourBillStP • Twitter: send a picture of your bill to @cityofsaintpaul, or via #ShareYourBillStP Highest $9.13 $53.65 65-gallon (approx.) weekly pick-up, per month Lowest Range Sample of 24 Highest $15.49 $61.69 95-gallon (approx.) weekly pick-up, per month Lowest Range Sample of 10 Highest $20.99 $59.72
Page 1 and 2: MAY/JUNE 2016 Inside… Frogtown Co
Page 3 and 4: A Natural Play Area at Our New Park
Page 5 and 6: Frogtown News Above: Renderings of
Page 7: MAY/JUNE 2016 PAGE 7
Page 11 and 12: On the Cover Frogtown’s Greatest

FINALgf

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?