Reading the Highland Villager #101

[The Villager shivers.]

[Basically the problem is that the best source of Saint Paul streets & sidewalks news is the Highland Villager, a very fine and historical newspaper. This wouldn't be a problem, except that its not available online. You basically have to live in or frequent Saint Paul to read it. That's why I'm reading the Highland Villager. Until this newspaper goes online, sidewalk information must be set free.]




Headline: City tees up new era at Como and Phalen courses; Hopes to save money by leasing operations to private contractor
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: Someone other than the city is going to run two of the four city-owned golf courses now in the hopes of turning a profit. [I know, CRAZY!]


Headline: Hardware just got harder to come by; Seven Corners store gives way to mixed-use project
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: The best hardware store in the Twin Cities is closing because it's too close to valuable land in the downtown.



Headline: St. Paul lays out ambitious bikeway plan; Proposal would put routes no more than a half mile apart in city
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: [Years after it was supposed to complete it,] Saint Paul released its draft "bikeways plan." [What's a bikeway? About 20 pounds.] It has lots of bike lanes and bike boulevards and sharrows and a "downtown loop" and a "grand round." Article claims that marking Highland Parkway with sharrows and signs is "potentially controversial." Costs are unclear.



Headline: St. Paul streetcar plan gets mixed reviews; Despite the high cost, opinion is pretty evenly divided over feasibility of new transit network ["Despite" or "because of"? The Highland Villager frames issues so strangely!]
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: The city completed a streetcar feasibility study which is unclear about costs, downtown routing, and timeline. It chooses 7th and Rice/Robert as the "starter lines."  Article includes postive quotes Best quote is from a east side business owner who says "I see buses drive by and I've never seen a full one." [Well then, case closed!] Article also cites Lexington and W 7th as "the intersection of death." [Therefore we shouldn't spend money on transit and sidewalks!] Article includes quote from [impolitic gadfly] Bill Hosko: "Anyone needing mass transit is already well served." [Article does not state in his fantastic fantasy world and on which planet this is true.]


Headline: Despite cold, ash borers not going away any time soon
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: Bugs are still eating nice trees.


Headline: Council appoints 10 members to city's planning commission
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: People got appointed, two new ones.

Headline: Hearing set on new median at Marshall Ave. and Wilder St.
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: The city wants to install a median on Marshall to make it easier to cross the street but it might affect U-turns so people are worried.

Headline: Rezoning sought as part of Midway Chev redevelopment
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: A group wants to build an affordable housing building but needs to sell a tiny part of the land next to a parking lot to a neighboring single-family property and it thus needs to be re-zoned from TN to R. [If you have to ask...]

Headline: Goodwill's plans for former Whitaker Buick site reviewed
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: Goodwill wants to build a two-story store at an old car dealership site on University by Hamline. It needs a variance for a large parking lot.


Headline: Light-rail line launched June 14 [Note the past tense.]
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: [Finally.]


Headline: Metro Green Line by the numbers
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: Stats about the LRT. Best one is: "Projeted ridership is more than 40,000 boardings each weekday by 2030." [They'll break that number by 2020, if not sooner.]


Headline: Land Bank purchase boosts effort to rescue historic Victoria Theater
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: People got some money to restore an old theater on University Avenue. It might become an arts center. [Very cool building, this.]


Headline: Federation purchases eight more West End properties to revitalize
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: The West 7th neighborhood group is still buying old houses to fix up.


Headline: City OKs permit, variances for Waters of Highland plan
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: Plans for a new old folks home passed the city council.


Headline: City seeks a redesign of intersection of West 7th Street and Shepard Road; The aim is to steer more traffic onto Shepard Road
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: Public Works has a proposal to redesign the intersection of Highway 5 as it goes into Saint Paul, and wants to route more of the traffic onto Shepard Road instead of West 7th Street. [This is a great idea. West 7th South of 35E is a dangerous unwalkable disaster.]



Headline: SPA to expand its upper school with new performing arts center
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: An expensive private high school is building a new building.