August 15th, 2010 by Nieeta

Rendering of Frogtown Square by Trossen Wright Plutowski Architects, PA

August 3rd, 2010 by Nieeta

The Neighborhood Energy Connection, a local nonprofit agency, will be door-knocking in Frogtown this week. Between August 4th -10th, they’ll be signing up residents for their Home Energy Squad program. A visit from the Home Energy Squad is the easiest, fastest and most effective way to start saving on utility bills. The Squads will install key energy-saving products in your home, such as exterior door weather stripping, a programmable thermostat, a new showerhead and bathroom and kitchen faucet aerators. Residents who schedule a Home Energy Squad appointment will receive a discounted Home Energy Squad visit. You can save money on your bills and save energy resources for the planet!

For more information on the Home Energy Squads and the Neighborhood Energy Connection, visit them on the web. Or watch the campaign roll out on the Neighborhood Energy Connection’s Facebook page!

August 2nd, 2010 by Nieeta

LISC’s AmeriCorps program seeks to attract talented individuals to serve for one year to help build organizational capacity. LISC is seeking an AmeriCorps member to work with the Aurora St. Anthony Neighborhood Development Corporation. ASANDC, established in 1980, aims to address neighborhood quality of life issues, advocacy, organizing and community economic and housing development in St. Paul’s Ward One neighborhoods of Aurora St. Anthony, Summit-University and Frogtown.

The AmeriCorps member working with the Aurora St. Anthony Neighborhood Development Corporation (ASANDC) will serve as a Program Assistant and will work on a variety of initiatives and projects, including:

• Developing resident leaders through ASANDC’s Power of One Plus One Program (PO1+1), a program that aims to increase the level of engagement of community residents. The program provides training to residents and helps them develop the necessary skills, knowledge, ability and power to decide the direction of their neighborhood.
• Assisting with the project management of the Frogtown Rondo Action Network, a collaborative of 10 non-profit organizations working to ensure that community residents in the Old Rondo and Frogtown neighborhoods achieve long-term stability and well-being. In this role, the AmeriCorps member will support the development and implementation of specific strategies identified by FRAN; participate in community meetings, events and other public forums; and maintain cooperation and participation with collaborating groups.
• Other duties as assigned.

See the full job description for more details. Applications are due August 8, 2010.

July 25th, 2010 by Nieeta

Project: Frogtown from Public Insight Network on Vimeo.

Reporters from around the country gathered in the Frogtown neighborhood to apply Design Thinking principles to journalism with the aid of the Public Insight Network.

February 15th, 2010 by Nieeta

Rendering of Frogtown Square

There will be a meet-and-greet session from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Feb. 22 at the Central Corridor Resource Center, 1080 University Ave., St. Paul, (Map/Directions or Transit Info) for contractors and others interested in working on the Frogtown Square project. The project at the intersection of University Avenue and Dale Street in St. Paul is scheduled to open in 2010. It will include more than 20,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor and 50 active senior living units owned and managed by Episcopal Homes of Minnesota. It will also include underground parking for residents and surface parking for customers.

For information about the senior apartments project, called Kings Crossing, call Heidi Crumpler, Manager of Carty Heights, at (651) 288-1142, or click here to request an information packet.

February 15th, 2010 by Nieeta

Join Model Cities, the Alliance for Metropolitan Stability, Aurora/St. Anthony NDC and other Frogtown Rondo Action Network partners at an Organizer Roundtable — Community Partnerships for Success: Building Sustainable Communities from noon to 2 p.m. Wednesday, February 24, at Model Cities Community Room, 839 University Avenue, Saint Paul. (Map/Directions or Transit Planner)

In 2007, the Twin Cities was chosen by the national Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) to carry out a Building Sustainable Communities demonstration to promote more integrated and comprehensive approaches to community development. Twin Cities LISC is implementing the project with a focus on five areas: St. Paul’s East Side, the Central Corridor, Minneapolis’ north and south sides, and the suburban community of Hopkins. They chose these areas because each offers a multitude of potential partners, opportunities and issues.

Come hear from community leaders involved in the program about their efforts to direct resources toward community-based projects already under way that would otherwise be constrained by limited means and abilities. Join in the dialogue about how innovative partnerships like this can leverage resources for community projects.

Organizer Roundtables are free but registration is required. Light snacks will be provided. Feel free to bring your lunch.

February 14th, 2010 by JenHosterman

Vic Rosenthal, Executive Director of Jewish Community Action, knows how beneficial it is to partner with other organizations to meet a common goal. That is why he and other dedicated, passionate people at JCA are collaborating with Frogtown Rondo Action Network, not only during the upcoming construction on the Central Corridor Light Rail project, but also well beyond that for the health of a multicultural community a long way down the road.

Vic Rosenthal of JCA

JCA is one of 10 community-based organizations working together as FRAN. With a heart and passion all their own, JCA makes up a key element to this group. JCA’s members have strategically placed themselves inside and outside of synagogues for all Jews who are interested in social justice, no matter where they are. The door is open to everyone, Rosenthal said. The hope was, when they started 14 years ago to be a “Jewish voice for social and economic justice in the community … to be able to put their values and religion into action,” said Rosenthal. “There were a lot of other religious voices in the community and this seemed to be missing.”

JCA’s very mission plays perfectly into what they have begun doing with FRAN, building power within Frogtown and Rondo by forming alliances or collaborations with other organizations and government. By creating and being a part of these alliances, “people who think alike and care about the same issues, are able to work together to advance a common agenda,” Rosenthal said.

To read more about Rosenthal and the JCA, pick up the Aurora/St. Anthony spring newsletter, which should hit the streets in about a week.

December 20th, 2009 by Nieeta

Check out our new Twitter feed page with a spiffy new background, which includes links to our other social media sites. In addition to Twitter, you can find the Frogtown Rondo Action Network and Aurora/St. Anthony Neighborhood Development Corp.’s photos on Flickr, our videos on YouTube and web sites we like on StumbleUpon. Check us out and join in the conversation.

November 9th, 2009 by Nieeta

Architect's rendering of Frogtown Square project at University and Dale.

The Frogtown Square groundbreaking and subcontractor meet-and-greet sessions planned for later this month have been postponed. Keep an eye on this space — we will be posting the new dates here as soon as they are available. The project at the intersection of University Avenue and Dale Street in St. Paul is scheduled to open in 2010. It will include more than 20,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor and 50 active senior living units owned and managed by Episcopal Homes of Minnesota. It will also include underground parking for residents and surface parking for customers.

October 7th, 2009 by Nieeta

Hiawatha LRT construction photo courtesy of Met Council

The University Avenue Business Preparation Collaborative — known as U7 — is working to help existing and new businesses survive the Central Corridor Light Rail Transit construction phase and to improve their businesses after the construction is complete. We plan to offer technical assistance and business development planning in areas such as cash-flow management, advertising, customer retention and more. Plans also include new pools of funds for short-term lending and real-estate acquisition lending. The collaborative includes:

• Aurora/St. Anthony CDC
• Greater Frogtown CDC
• The Hmong Central Coalition
• Selby Area CDC
• Neighborhood Development Center
• SPARC
• Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developers

U7 is advised by the city of St. Paul, Twin Cities Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Model Cities, University United, the St. Paul Port Authority and UABA. The collaborative has hired two business-retention advisors, Sia Lo and Marilyn Porter, both of whom have extensive experience in the business and nonprofit sectors. To contact the business-retention advisors:

• Email Sia Lo  or call (651) 789-7486.
• Email Marilyn Porter or call (651) 230-1020.