Announcing the Winners of the 2020 Good Neighbor Awards
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Jason Koenig, Odd Couple Realty

Shane Montoya (left) and Jason Koenig (right) started their journey together in Saint Paul 19 years ago. They opened their Real Estate office on Grand Avenue in 2015. 

Both Shane and Jason have been involved with the Grand Avenue Business Association (GABA) over the years. Jason, Shane, and their team chaired and sponsored the Summit Hill House Tour in 2018. The countless hours they put in to make our most important fundraiser a huge success can not be overstated.

Their business has also supported community building events like National Night Out block parties, Neighborhood Shred Events, Grand Old Day, Grand Meander, Paws on Grand and more. Shane, Jason and their team support Ronald McDonald House at Children’s hospital by serving meals twice a month. Through the pandemic they replaced this event with a “Stock The Pantry Food Drive" benefiting RMH. Today through December 5th they are accepting coats for Joseph’s Coat on West 7th.

Jason says, “We get energy from serving the community that has taken such great care of us over the years.  It is our responsibility to give back.” 

Jason and Shane have been consistently good neighbors and the Summit Hill Association is pleased to honor their commitment to our neighborhood!!

BRIAN WAGNER, COLDWELL BANKER REALTY

Brian Wagner, works as a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Realty–Crocus Hill. He has a M.Ed. in Education Administration and Counseling from SDSU and a BA in Creative and Performing Arts from Grand View University. In his prior career, he worked in higher education at Walden University and Macalester College.  

Since 2018, he has served as an At-Large Business Representative for Mac-Groveland Community Council. He is the past chair and a current member of the MGCC Community Building Committee and a member of the MGCC Inclusivity Task Force. He served for the past two years as the MGCC liaison to the Grand Avenue Business Association (GABA) and a past Secretary of the GABA Board of Directors; he is currently the chair of the GABA Events Committee. Brian also served as a co-chair of the Future is Grand Task Force – a collaboration between the Summit Hill Association, GABA and MGCC. His contributions to the Grand Avenue Task Force fundamental to its success. 

This summer, Brian helped coordinate the fast response purchase and delivery of plywood boards to businesses across our neighborhoods from Highland Park to Summit Hill. He then helped coordinate dozens of volunteer “installers” to go around and help install them. 

Brian is constantly going out of his way to promote our neighborhood and is a helpful voice in every situation. Thank you, Brian, for being such a great neighbor!

Monica Haas
Neighborhood Meetings Scheduled to Discuss Recent Criminal Activity

Join your neighbors and the Summit Hill Association for a virtual community meeting with City and SPPD representatives regarding the recent criminal activity in the Summit Hill neighborhood

Two separate sessions will be held remotely. Links to both are below.

  • Tuesday, October 6, 12:00 noon

  • Thursday, October 15, 7:00pm

Confirmed participants are:

  • Rebecca Noecker, City Council Representative Ward 2

  • Steve Anderson, St. Paul Police Department Western District Senior Commander

  • Kent Cleveland, St. Paul Police Department Western District Patrol Commander

  • Ricardo Cervantes, DSI (Department of Safety & Inspections) Director

  • Travis Bistodeau, DSI Deputy Director

The office of the Ramsey County Attorney has also been invited to send a representative.

Questions for the participants should be submitted in advance to info@SummitHillAssociation.org.

Discussions will be moderated by Summit Hill resident Katie Bergstrom, Esq.

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***THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 7:00pm***

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83577971991?pwd=L250VDZiWllENThGTmp2WFE3REtqZz09

Meeting ID: 835 7797 1991
Passcode: 674537

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Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kmLPpReOp

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***TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 12:00 noon***

Join Skype Meeting

https://meet.ci.stpaul.mn.us/rebecca.noecker/DFZ4MSMK

Join by phone

(651) 267-3988,,48880127# (Saint Paul, MN) English (United States)

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Conference ID: 48880127

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Monica Haas
SHA Annual Meeting Scheduled for October 8
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The annual membership meeting of the Summit Hill Association (SHA) will be held on Thursday, October 8, and all residents of District 16 are invited to attend.

During the annual meeting, residents can take part in elections for SHA Board members and vote on any other matters before the organization. Anyone interested in running for a position on the Board can do so by visiting this link.

The SHA is a non-profit organization that represents everyone who lives in, owns property or operates a business in the city’s District 16. It is part of the larger Saint Paul Planning Council system that serves as a liaison between the neighborhood and the various City departments and entities. 

Governed by an all-volunteer Board of Directors, the organization was established to enhance effective communication between residents and the city; review and respond to zoning and land use issues; and encourage residents’ participation in community affairs.

This year's meeting will be held remotely. More information, including an agenda and instructions for logging into the meeting, will be available on the SHA's website and through this email notification channel.

We look forward to your attendance.  

Monica Haas
Seeing White: A conversation about a podcast

Listen to SCENE ON radio’s podcast called SEEING WHITE and meet for a conversation online. Feel free to join the conversation even if you don’t have time to listen to the podcast.

http://www.sceneonradio.org/seeing-white/

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Events of the past few weeks have heightened the awareness of race inequities. What if we turn the spotlight on White people, and Whiteness, in the United States?

This series produced with the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University in Durham, NC. https://documentarystudies.duke.edu/

We will use the podcast to explore what it means to be White.  Produced by John Biewen (originally from Minnesota) with special guest Chenjerai Kumanyika.   

From the Study Guide:

The subject of whiteness is potentially uncomfortable for people of any race or ethnicity. People of color may react to the topic of whiteness by thinking: Really? We live in a world dominated and controlled by white people. Whiteness is our often-uncomfortable reality. Do we have to have a discussion about whiteness? For folks feeling that way, please understand: This is not about celebrating whiteness. We’re here to take a critical look at whiteness and how it functions in the life of our society, how it affects us all. Because it does, and we usually don’t talk about it directly.

White people, on the other hand, may react with unease: Am I about to be attacked? Is the point of this discussion that all white people are bad? To those people we can say: The point is not to attack every individual of European descent. None of us chose our “race,” nor did we create the society that we were all born into. In this class or discussion group, we’re in this together, trying to understand how we all got here. A conclusion of the Seeing White series is that white people must own and take responsibility for the advantages that come with whiteness, but that is not the same as saying that you as a white person are to blame and need to feel ashamed.

Join us on any or all of the following dates:

  • Monday, June 15 at 7pm Episode 1 Turning the Lens

  • Wednesday, June 17 at 7pm Episode 2  How Race Was Made

  • Friday, June 19 at 7pm Episode 3 Made in America

  • Sunday, June 21 at 7pm Episode 4 On Crazy we Built a Nation

  • Wednesday, June 24 at 7pm Episode 5 Little War on the Prairie

  • Friday, June 26 at 7pm Episode 6 That’s Not Us, So We’re Clean

  • Sunday, June 28 at 7pm Episode 7 Chenjerai’s Challenge

The first 7 episodes of 14 will be scheduled and we can decide how to continue after June 28.

To participate, go to the SHA Calendar one hour prior to meeting time for the Zoom link.

Monica Haas
A Statement by the SHA Board Regarding the Death of George Floyd

 

Like our entire community, members of the Summit Hill Association are reeling from the death of George Floyd.

We acknowledge the frustration, rage and grief that have taken hold throughout our community as a result of the circumstance surrounding Mr. Floyd’s death. We also acknowledge that we must channel that frustration, rage and grief into something transformative; something that can help us bring neighbors together and take real, concrete actions to move this city, this state and this nation forward, to a place that encourages, promotes and supports systemic change throughout police forces, the justice system and our communities as a whole. 

Our hearts are with George Floyd’s family, his loved ones, the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, and our country. But sympathy without action is not enough, and the SHA pledges to do what it can to foster communication and to find ways to bring this wonderful community together to bring about lasting, positive change.





Monica Haas
Share Your Feedback on Ayd Mill Road – Through March 30
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In lieu of a cancelled in-person community meeting on the future of Ayd Mill Road, the City’s Public Works department recorded a PowerPoint presentation as a narrated video of the slides and is recommending residents complete an online survey.

Please watch the Ayd Mill Road Community Presentation video, which shares information about the history of Ayd Mill Road, the condition of the road, and alternatives that have been considered for repair and maintenance of the road, including the proposed 3-lane plan. After watching the video or viewing the PowerPoint slides of the presentation, you may complete the City’s feedback form by March 31, 2020, so the City can gather public concerns and questions about the recommended proposal for Ayd Mill Road. 

Public Works currently anticipates sharing traffic modeling and summarized feedback through an engagement opportunity on Monday, April 6, 2020. More details will be posted on the City’s webpage for this project: https://www.stpaul.gov/departments/public-works/projects/ayd-mill-road

Monica Haas
COVID-19 Precautions and Update

The Summit Hill Association is taking several precautions to maintain safe operations during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

  • Regular board and committee meetings are being held via Zoom teleconference—see the calendar for meeting times and log-in information.

  • Our Executive Director (Monica Haas) is maintaining office hours from her home —the District 16 office at the Linwood Recreation Center has contact information posted as well as information available from recreation center staff.

  • Gerten’s has extended the ordering deadline for our spring plant sale from March 27th to April 17th.

For Coronavirus (COVID-19) updates, precautions, and resources visit the websites for the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) or Ramsey County Health Department.

Monica Haas