St. AnthonyYour Park Park award-winning,Falcon Heights nonprofitLauderdale community Comoresource Park Distance tutoring St.www.parkbugle.org Anthony Park / Falcon Heights www.parkbugle.org BugleLauderdale / Como Park June 2020 Page 6 4th in the Park pivots for this year’s holiday Annual parade canceled but virtual events planned By Scott Carlson cluding a virtual float parade, to celebrate July 4th and support lo- For the first time in memory, the cal businesses, Healey and Seeley St. Anthony Park 4th in the Park said. Other members of the 4th Committee is canceling the an- in the Park Committee are Josh nual July 4th parade and related Becerra and Marie Lister. in-person activities, citing the For more information and ways need for social distancing due to to enter contests, residents can vis- the COVID-19 pandemic. it the 4th in the Park’s website, “This year would have been http://www.4thinthepark.org/. the 73rd year of the St. Anthony The activities include: Park neighborhood’s 4th in the Park event,” said Colleen Healy, a • Parade float contest: Design 4th in the Park Committee mem- your own parade float and then Artist profiles take a photo of it and submit to ber. However, the volunteer or- The view from prior Fourth of July parade down Como Avenue. Photo [email protected] to be Pages 8-9 ganizers decided that due to the by Kip Hansen. coronavirus pandemic, “it was included the committee’s virtual time to pivot and plan an alterna- parade.The 4th in the Park group include victory garden photos going to support neighborhood tive, safer way for the community plans to live stream its virtual pa- and front door decorating. businesses. A link to purchase the rade on the Fourth of July. to celebrate the Fourth of July.” • Gift certificates to local busi- shirts will be posted on the 4th Emma Seeley, another 4th in • A neighborhood treasure hunt: nesses: Participants in various in the Park Facebook page and the Park Committee member, Travel in small groups with people contests will be entered in a draw- website. added, “It wasn’t an easy decision, you’ve been quarantined with to ing making them eligible to win The 4th in the Park festivities are but it is definitely the safe thing find interesting things around the gift certificates to neighborhood made possible by Sunrise Banks, to do.” neighborhood. All details about businesses. the presenting sponsor, and com- Typically, the annual day-long the contest and the treasure hunt • A limited edition “quaran- munity business sponsors and holiday celebration, which in- will be on the 4th in the Park’s tine 4th in the Park” t-shirt is in with donations from generous cludes games and music, attracts website and Facebook page. design, as this issue of the Bugle neighbors. Sponsorships and do- upwards of 5,000 people. • Essay contest: Winners of this goes to press, and will be available nations comprise the committee’s Despite canceling the parade, year’s patriotic essay will make a for purchase. The likely cost for entire $20,000 annual budget. the 4th in the Park Committee video of their essay for social me- the t-shirt will be $15. This will The entire event is planned and is planning various activities in- Empty sports fields dia distribution. Other contests be a fundraiser with proceeds run by volunteers. n Page 16 For nursing homes, the daunting challenge of taking on COVID-19 By Maja Beckstrom a ritual that 76-year-old Kathy De- facilities that have had 20 or 30 Bace enjoyed, even through the deaths,” Barker said. “We’re do- On a February visit to St. Anthony haze of Alzheimer’s disease. Since ing everything we humanly can Park Home, Terrie Zarembinski then DeBace has tested positive to prevent it. But I haven’t been trimmed her mother’s hair. It was for the coronavirus. But as of mid- able to convince myself that it May was showing no symptoms. couldn’t happen.” Kathy DeBace, 76, enjoyed a “That was the last time I saw her “The pressure is immense,” he video call with her daughter Terrie in person,” Zarembinkski said. added. Zarembinkski on Mother’s Day. When COVID-19 arrived in Brenda Johnson, administra- Photo courtesy Saint Anthony Minnesota, nursing homes closed tor at Lyngblomsten Care Center Park Home. their doors to visitors in hopes of that is in the Como neighbor- PRSRT STD PRSRT keeping the virus from infecting hood, shares Barker’s worries. centers started screening staff for TWIN CITIES, MN US POSTAGE PAID US POSTAGE PERMIT NO. 30308 PERMIT vulnerable older residents. The Lyngblomsten’s first employee symptoms at the start of every near impossibility of that task is tested positive for the virus on shift. Employees must wear face now apparent as local long-term April 25 followed three days later masks and, more recently, gog- care facilities are grappling to by the first resident. gles. Residents stay in their rooms keep a lid on coronavirus infec- By early May, more residents and no longer gather for meals in tions among residents and staff. had tested positive and the 225- the dining rooms or for worship “It’s hard to stop the wind and bed skilled nursing facility has or movies. that’s what I feel like we’re trying sustained six resident deaths as To soften the isolation, a to do,” said John Barker, admin- of about May 17. Across Minne- Lyngblomsten chaplain leads istrator of the St. Anthony Park sota, about 80 percent of people sing-a-longs on closed-circuit tele- Home. In early May, his first em- who die from COVID-19 lived in vision. At St. Anthony Park Home, ployee tested positive for the vi- long-term care centers. Barker puts on impromptu perfor- rus. The first 11 residents he tested, “I thought maybe, just maybe, mances, playing “Claire de Lune” including Zarembinski’s mother, we could have avoided COVID,” on double bass while his activities were negative for the virus. Then Johnson said. “I had to have that manager accompanies him on a a resident tested positive. mindset. We had to try. We piano she rolls down the hallway. “I’m absolutely terrified that swung for the fences.” Park Press, Inc. Park Press, Box 8126 P.O. Saint Paul, MN 55108 I could be in a situation like the Back in March, both local Nursing homes to p. 3 2 PARK BUGLE n JUNE 2020 CITY FILES Timeline shapes up for Como Avenue reconstruction By Michael Kuchta Snelling, Como Avenue will be bers could vote by mail or by us- District Council’s bylaws, which for members of the Como neigh- narrowed to one lane of vehi- ing an online ballot. the board expected to do May 19. borhood. Take a look at the Dis- St. Paul city officials now say re- cle traffic in both directions, an Under a draft proposal, eli- The District 10 annual meet- trict 10 website for an overview construction of Como Avenue on-street bicycle lane in each di- gible community members in ing likely will take place by video of what’s available, where to find between Snelling Avenue and rection and a center turn lane. District 10 would request a bal- and phone conference at 7 p.m. out what the panels do and how the Raymond/Cleveland inter- (During the State Fair, this stretch lot, then return it before June 16. June 16. Community members you could apply. section is scheduled to start in will be restriped to handle two ve- Ballots could be requested online who want access information • Rezoning request: The city’s early September, presumably af- hicle lanes in each direction simi- at: www.district10comopark.org/ to participate should email the Zoning Committee was sched- ter the conclusion of the Minne- lar to what occurs now.) Between ballot_request.html. The District District 10 office at district10@ uled to vote May 21 on wheth- sota State Fair. Snelling and Hamline avenues, 10 website also will have informa- district10compark.org, or call er to recommend rezoning 978 Meanwhile, reconstruction bike lanes disappear from the tion about candidates. 651-644-3889. Front Ave. from B2 community of Como Avenue between Snel- street; there will be one lane of ve- The ability to vote absentee business to T2 traditional neigh- ling and Hamline avenues is now hicle traffic in each direction and will allow community members Citywide Drop-Off canceled borhood. The property, at the scheduled for 2021. parking on both sides of Como. to participate in the district coun- (for now) southwest corner of Front Ave- While rebuilding the road, the cil elections more on their own Due to the state’s currently ban- nue and Chatsworth Street, now city and Ramsey County are re- In other District 10 Community timeline. is mixed use—with a dog-training configuring much of the right-of- Council related news: District 10’s previous bylaws ning large public gatherings be- cause of COVID-19, St. Paul is business on the first floor and res- way to add the Como Avenue trail, required that community mem- idential use on the second floor. an off-street bicycle and pedestrian bers vote only in-person during canceling its Citywide Drop-Off Community Council plans events originally scheduled for The property owners say the re- trail on the north side of the road. the council’s annual meeting, zoning would give them more Between Raymond and the Uni- absentee voting which was originally sched- June 6 at the State Fairgrounds and June 20 at Washington residential options than they versity of Minnesota Transitway, The Como Community Coun- uled April 21.