Neighborhood News

Ramsey County Commissioner Rafael Ortega
Rafael Ortega 3 min read

Rice Creek Commons Update

Although it’s not right here in the city, I know many of you are still interested in the former TCAAP property in Arden Hills (now Rice Creek Commons) and how we are working to make it a productive place for people to live and work. One of our challenges is that we are a fully developed county in Ramsey County and the only way to expand the tax base is to clean up brownfields. In 2013, we purchased this property (the largest superfund site in the state) and cleaned it up. By redeveloping this parcel, we will expand our tax base and will be able to reduce every Ramsey County taxpayer’s burden. Like most big redevelopment projects, it takes time and we need to get cities, the county and developers to agree and we need the economic vision to fit today’s conditions. Here is the update.

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Beatrice Cosgrove 2 min read ,

Setting My 2025 Reading Goals

As 2024 draws to a close, I am reflecting on unrealistic expectations and my attempts to address them. For as long as I can remember I have set my sights on goals that weren’t always achievable and almost never led to growth. It has been difficult to learn that starting small is the way to go, but slowly I have begun to discover that I am disappointed less and often find opportunities to achieve those bigger goals that were simply too much. I would like to share some of the things I have learned in this past year in the context of setting reading goals in 2025. 

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