Improving our infrastructure
Council Perspectives – Ward 3, St. Paul Community Council
Hello “Community Reporter” Readers,
I am Saura Jost, your Ward 3 St. Paul City Councilmember. When I last wrote to you in June I asked you for your input on the Riverview Corridor and I asked you to share it with Ramsey County. You followed through and as readers of the “Community Reporter” you probably already know that Ramsey County ended up canceling the Riverview Corridor Project between that ask and now.
There’s been a lot of mixed emotions at the end of the Riverview Project, but no matter how you felt about the project everyone is asking the same question: “What now?” It’s a simple answer: Forward. Our office and Mayor Carter’s Administration are going to take the consensus built and insights learned from Riverview and we’re going to carry them into the next project to improve West 7th. We are already in conversation with Metro Transit, the MetCouncil, and Ramsey County about Bus Rapid Transit.
West 7th has felt stuck in a Riverview Stasis for a long time, a lot of smaller decisions in our community have been waiting for any decision on Riverview. Our community has been extremely patient, we’ve waited a long time for Riverview. I want to honor that patience by hurrying up; I’ll be urging our partners at MNDOT, Met Council, Metro Transit and the County to take everything we can from Riverview and use it to expedite what comes next.
I am excited to see that progress.
St Paul Regional Water Service’s (SPRWS) Lead Free STP program continues. We hope to replace every last remaining Lead Water Service Line in the city at no cost to property owners. SPRWS has identified these service lines, but we need property owners’ consent and engagement in order to complete the work. Please take the time to check if your property has a lead service line and then take one step further to see if any friends or family have property with a lead service line and get them signed up. You can sign up and learn more information at stpaul.gov/departments/saint-paul-regional-water-services/customer-resources/lead-free-sprws.
The success of this program will make a happier and healthier future in St. Paul and all we need to do is say “Yes.”
Municipal government is not glamorous. It’s frequently the opposite. Old pipes in need of replacing, a road in need of repair, where the bus stops will go, but these are the pieces of our everyday lives. Those old pipes fill your water glass. The bus on the bumpy road gets you to work and home again. Help us ensure that infrastructure and our services are the best they can be.
Our office can be reached online at [email protected] or by telephone at 651-266-8630. Thank you for being a good neighbor.
