After attending the Hamline Midway Coalition community meeting on Nov. 7 to discuss the expansion at Kimball Court on Snelling Avenue, I am not convinced that the city of St. Paul is taking day-to-day public safety seriously enough. I, like St. Paul City Council President Mitra Jalali, am in favor of supportive housing in the Hamline Midway neighborhood. In fact, almost every neighbor I talk to in Hamline Midway is. We understand the high demand of supportive housing for our fellow Minnesotans being ravaged by the opioid epidemic. At this meeting, our community heard a lot about the incredible work (past, present, and future) being done to improve conditions and lives at Kimball Court. I understand that this work is gradual and ongoing. There is no silver bullet.
However, I left the meeting unsure if our immediate safety concerns were a priority for the city. The questions came in many forms: Why isn’t there additional security available for Kimball Court now? What immediate resources are available for concerning activity near (but not on) Kimball Court property? What needs to happen for the city to realize additional resources are needed? The answers felt insufficient: There isn’t enough money right now. Call 911. We are putting a lot of resources into the area already. The resounding message from the community was clear: It isn’t enough. The current state is unsustainable. If providing supportive housing is a priority for the city of St. Paul, then ensuring the resources needed are made available is an obligation. At present, it feels like the Hamline Midway community is being asked to sacrifice our safety as collateral damage to combat homelessness and the opioid epidemic. I would like the city of St. Paul to prioritize both supportive housing and the immediate safety of the Hamline Midway neighborhood.
The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board has seemingly not addressed this privacy issue for decades. Equally troubling is the careless management of public land they do own. I am referring to the Cedar Lake marsh, on the northwest edge of the lake. It is a well-traveled gateway to the lake.
The marsh has been swallowed by invasive hybrid cattails, reed canary grass, motherwort and garlic mustard. Stalks of corn are the latest culprit. The path is crumbling with orange cones warning pedestrians. The overlooking docks are wobbly but no matter — those gorgeous views are gone unless you enjoy some face-to-face encounters with tall, sharp cattails.
