4/29-5/3/2002 Meetings for the week of April 29th- May 3rd Page 1 of 1
rittIL The City of Saint Paul
PAt* Meetings for the Week of
April 29th, thru May 3rd, 2002
MONDAY - April 29th
Arcade Street Small Area Plan Task 5.30 PM 875 Arcade St. - East Side
Force Y.M.C.A.
TUESDAY - April 30th
5th Tuesday - No Ramsey County Board Meeting
977 Fuller Avenue - Property Code 1:30 PM Room 330 City Hall
Enforcement Hearing
Cafe Biaggio - Legislative Hearing 2:00 PM Room 330 City Hall
Lamp Lighter- Legislative Hearing 3:00 PM Room 330 City Hall
Comprehensive Planning Committee 4:00 PM Room 1106 City Hall Annnex
WEDNESDAY - May 1st
Neighborhood and Current Planning
Committee 8:30 AM Room 1106 City Annex
*City Council --- see Agenda 3:30 PM Council Chambers
*Public Hearings 5:30 PM Council Chambers
THURSDAY - May 2nd
*Zoning Committee 3:00 PM Council Chambers
Public Hearing - Minnesota Boat 3:30 PM Council Chambers
Club
FRIDAY - May 3rd
No Meetings Scheduled
* Cablecast live and repeated on Saint Paul Channel 18.
Interpreter service for the hearing impaired will be provided at public meetings upon request. Request can be made by
calling(651)266-8509(Voice and TDD)Monday thru Friday, 8:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M.A minimum of two days notice is
required.
For more information on any of these meetings, you can send Email to:
citizen.service@ci.stpaul.mn.us, or call the Saint Paul Citizen Service Office at (651) 266-8989
http://www.ci.stpaul.mn.us/depts/clerk/meetings.html 4/26/02
SAINT ST PAUL PLANNING COMMISSION CITY OF SAINT PAUL
PAU 1Aht.
ZONING COMMITTEE Dept.of Planning and
Economic Development
A A A A Phone:(651)266-6589
Fax: (651)228-3220
Public Hearing Notice
FILE#02-107-693
PURPOSE: River Corridor Special Condition Use Permit,modification of River
Corridor floodproofing standards and parking variance to allow construction of an
addition with bathrooms and an elevator.
PROPERTY ADDRESS: 1 Water St.(Raspberry Island).
APPLICANT: Minnesota Boat Club
HEARING DATE:Thursday May 2.2002.at 3:30 p.m.
All public hearings are held in City Council Chambers,3'Floor City Hall-Court House,
15 W. Kellogg Boulevard.You may send written comments to Zoning Committee at the
address listed on the reverse side of this card. Please call(651)266-6572,or e-mail
Martha.Faust@ci.stpaul.nm.us,or call your District Council representative at
(651)293-1708 if you have any questions.
Mailed:4/22/02
Saint Paul Planning Commission
MASTER MEETING CALENDAR
WEEK OF APRIL 29 -MAY 3, 2002
Mon 29 5:30- Arcade Street Small Area Plan Task Force East Side Y.M.C.A.
7:00 p.m. (Rich Malloy, 651/266-6647) 875 Arcade Street
Summary Recommendations for Improving the Arcade Commercial Corridor
Tues 30 4:00- Comprehensive Planning Committee Room 1106- CHA
5:30 p.m. (Larry Soderholm, 615/266-6575) 25 West Fourth Street
-Urban Rivers Study by MN Planning Agency. (Burke & Soderholm)
-Update on Floodway Rezoning. (Faust& Soderholm)
Wed 1 8:30- Neighborhood and Current Planning Committee Room 1106- CHA
10:00 a.m. (Jim Zdon, 651/266-6559) 25 West Fourth Street
Traditional Neighborhood Development Districts - Continued discussion.
Urban Village Zoning Ordinance and Zoning Code Reformatting - discussion and
setting Planning Commission Public Hearing date. (Lucy Thompson, Allan Torstenson,
and Jim Zdon)
Thurs 2 3:30 p.m. Zoning Committee City Council Chambers
3`d Floor City Hall
15 Kellogg Blvd West
Zoning OLD BUSINESS
#02-103-654 Hoc&Minh Nguyen - Special Condition Use for outdoor used car sales.
380 W. Maryland, SW corner of Maryland&Western. (Patricia James, 651/266-6639)
#02-100-192 Summit Hill Assn/Dist 16 -Appeal of Summit Hill Assn/Dist 16 of a
zoning administrator interpretation of the Grand Avenue Special District Sign Plan to
permit a reader board sign. 925 Grand Ave.,NW corner at Milton. (Yang Zhang,
651/266-6659)
NEW BUSINESS
#02-107-693 Minnesota Boat Club -River Corridor Special Condition Use Permit,
modification of River Corridor Standards and parking variance to allow construction of
addition with bathrooms and an elevator. 1 Water St. (Raspberry Island) (Martha Faust,
651/266-6572)
#02-105-312 HRA-Rezone from RT-2 (Residential) to P-1 (Parking). 615 - 623 York
Ave.between Payne &Edgerton. (Patricia James, 651/266-6639)
#02-107-212 Robert&Deborah Jackson -Rezone from R-4(Single Family)to RT-1
(Duplex). SE Corner of Winona and Oakdale. (Patricia James, 651/266-6639)
#02-107-442 Bradley Johnson- Sign variance of 100 sq. ft. area limit and 37 Y2 ft.
height limit to allow use of an existing roof-top business sign structure for a real estate
development sign. 2341 University Ave. W.,NE corner of University&Carleton.
(Yang Zhang, 651/266-6659)
#02-107-935 SOS Office Furniture- Sign Variance for 197 sq. ft. of business sign(100
sq. ft. allowed). 2441 University Ave. W.,between Raymond and Pelham.
(Yang Zhang, 651/266-6659)
#02-104-528 Marathon Ashland Petroleum LLC - Special Condition Use Permit for
an auto convenience market. 232 Fairview Ave. S., 1801, 1805 St. Clair Ave.,NE
corner of Fairview& St. Clair. (Yang Zhang, 651/266-6659)
Fri 3
Bruton\Calendars\April 29-May 3,2002
• SAINT SAINT PAUL - RAMSEY COUNTY
PAUL
0111011
, COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES
AAAA ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO THE SAINT PAUL CITY COUNCIL AND THE RAMSEY COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
555 Cedar Street
Saint Paul,Minnesota 55101-2260 RAMSEY COUNTY
651-266-1200
MEETING NOTICE
WEDNESDAY, MAY 1, 2002
SAINT PAUL - RAMSEY COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH - 555 CEDAR STREET
AGENDA
1. Call to Order
2. Presentation by Mr. Bob Tracy, Director, Community Affairs & Education, Minnesota AIDS Project (MAP)
and Mr. Orin Johnson, MAP Health Education Manager
They will present an overview perspective on the "expanding epidemic" of HIV in Minnesota and the depth
of impact in African American communities.
3. Approval of Meeting Minutes From April 3, 2002
4. Chairperson's Report
5. Director's Report
6. Legislative Update
CHSAC Public Meeting will begin at 5:30 p. m.
NEXT MEETING JUNE 5, 2002
PACKET ENCLOSURES
1. Director's Report 2. Restaurants Facing Tougher Smoking Rules
3. April 2002 Section Updates
** Attention CH5 Advisory Committee members: Please call Sharon Alt at 651-
266-1200 if you will not be attending the Meeting.
S AI T SAINT PAUL - RAMSEY COUNTY -
L
COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES Milik
A AA A ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO THE SAINT PAUL CITY COUNCIL AND THE RAMSEY COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
555 Cedar Street
01111111111410
iimomiat Saint Paul,Minnesota 55101-2260 RAMSEY COUNTY
651-266-1200
MINUTES
COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES ADVISORY COMMITTEE
APRIL 3, 2002
MEMBERS PRESENT: Mary Jo Borden James Haselmann
Clarissa Hirsch Joan Johnson
Shana Morrell Jack Rossbach
Greg Sheehan Sheri Smith
MEMBERS EXCUSED: Mary Ackerman Lucie Ferrell
MEMBERS ABSENT: Nina Hakanson Mary Kay McJilton
Faye Thayer
STAFF/GUEST PRESENT: Rob Fulton Eduardo Parra
Dick Ragan Julie Hanson
CALL TO ORDER:
Joan Johnson called the Meeting to order. Joan welcomed Eduardo Parra and Julie Hanson, the two guests'
presenters to tonights' CHS Advisory Committee Meeting. She requested introductions be made by
Committee members and guests.
PRESENTATION ON RYAN WHITE CARE ACT GRANT:
Joan Johnson introduced Eduardo Parra, Senior Planning Analyst of the Ryan White CARE Grant, with the
Hennepin County Community Health. Eduardo gave a brief summary of how Hennepin County first started
receiving Ryan White funding and the services they provide to people living with HIV/AIDS and planning
bodies. He also distributed and did a brief walk through of the following documents: Ryan White Title I &
II Grantee Roles & Responsibilities; Distribution of Living HIV/AIDS Cases (Through 9/2001); HRSA Fact
Sheet; FY 2002 Ryan White CARE Act Title I Emergency Relief Grants; and Ryan White CARE Act Title I
& II Vendor Contact By Agency.
Discussion was held on: How many - what is the percentage of people living with AIDS/HIV who
participate in Ryan White programs and what makes them eligible; How much money is spent on
medications; How Ryan White is responding to AIDS/HIV as the course of the disease changes in terms of
demographics; Who was Ryan White; Who shares in the Title III Ryan White grant funding; How closely do
the Hennepin County, Ramsey County and the Minnesota Department of Health work together; A more
specific description of some of the services such as food service; Are there still State funds in case
management and does Medical Assistance also pay for case management; and From his perspective how did
HIV/AIDS get labeled a disability as a chronic infectious disease.
PRESENTATION ON HIV/AIDS PLANNING:
Joan Johnson introduced Julie Hanson, MDH HIV Services Specialist for Prevention and Services for People
with AIDS/HIV. Joan focused most of her presentation on the prevention planning of HIV/AIDS, but she
also drew a parallel between services and prevention. She also distributed and did a brief walk through of the
following documents: Overview of HIV Prevention Planning In Minnesota; 2001 Minnesota Health Access
Survey Results: Ramsey County; and the MDH STD and HIV Section HIV Testing Sites and Community-
Based Prevention Programs.
Discussion was held on: Question about labels, the phrase Men Who Have Sex With Men, and is that a
sensitive acceptable phrase, and how it is a behavioral description and not a sexual description; Of these
categories of target population do they actually prioritize them in name order; What is the current
thinking/prevention on the disease factors these days and is it the category of those people who have the
disease but don't know it or do we see it rather moving up the line to the people that know they have the
disease and are seeking treatment but yet still have risky sexual practices; and is the number of agencies
vying for these dollars increasing/decreasing.
Joan Johnson and Rob Fulton thank both Eduardo Parra and Julie Hanson for coming to tonight's meeting.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM MARCH 6, 2002:
The March 6, Minutes were approved as written with one correction; in item HIV/AIDS By Keith Henry,
delete the whole last paragraph where it begins, "Rob thanked Dr. Henry."
CHAIRPERSON'S REPORT:
Joan Johnson stated that there was no Executive Subcommittee Meeting last month. Joan referred Committee
members to the letter to the Editor that was included in the CHSAC mailing packet. She wanted to let
Committee members be aware that it was an activity which occurred during the month because of Legislative
activities.
DIRECTOR'S REPORT:
Rob Fulton referred to his written Director's Report. He also talked about a resolution the County Board
passed honoring Public Health staff; data from a survey regarding a study done two years ago on uninsured
care; and problems/barriers with Minnesota Care.
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE:
Rob talked about one bill that benefits Public Health and was in process at the State Legislature. The bill
states that counties who collect household hazardous waste will no longer be liable for the disposal of that
household hazardous waste. The State is going to assume liability for disposal of household hazardous waste.
There is nothing happening regarding the budget. The House budget may take the tobacco endowment funds
which were allotted for state wide programs (not for local programs), and use them to off set their budget
shortfall. The Senate version uses the funds for cash flow purposes. The State Legislature has until May 21,
2
but if they don't have everything finished, they can ask to come back for a special session. Rob also stated
that Mayor Kelly office has advertised and a notice has been posted for applications for City appointed
members to the CHS Advisory Committee. They are receiving calls and gathering names for both the city
and the county so they should have a roster by June.
Jack Rossbach distributed and talked about an article that appeared in the journal of the American Medical
Association regarding a study that was being done on people in cities and other places where they are exposed
to pollutants in the air from power plants and diesel exhaust from cars. Rob stated that he is working with
Minneapolis to propose state legislation that would require school districts to send home letters to parents
about the health risks their children face on school buses due to diesel fumes. They are hoping that with
enough backing from parents they will be able to get bus drivers to turn off their engines.
Rob stated that the Executive Committee will meet Wednesday, April 10.
A motion was made to adjourn the meeting. The motion was seconded. The motion carried. The meeting
adjourned.
3
""`' Saint Paul - Ramsey County 50 West Kellogg Blvd.
immi Department of Public Health Saint Paul,MN 55102-1657
651-266-2400 Fax: 651-266-2593
= TTY: 651-266-2594
Ir.. Rob Fulton, Director www.co.ramsey.mn.us/ph/
RAMSEY COUNTY
April 16, 2002
To: Community Health Services Advisory Committee
From: Rob Fulton f(L�V`--
Re: Director's Report for April
Because of the need to do this written report early, it will be very abbreviated.
I am attaching two pieces for your review. The first is the Winter publication from the
MN Department of Health. It includes information from the Commissioner as well as
activities of the State Community Health Services Advisory Committee, which is the
state counterpart of our local advisory committee. Commissioner Janice Rettman is our
representative and Jane Norbin is the alternate.
The second piece is the Ramsey County Update which has an article about the work of
the Violence Initiative on page one; notice on propane tanks in the trash on page two; and
most importantly, announcements of May as Teen Pregnancy Awareness Month on page
three.
At this time, the State budget is still deadlocked and we don't have a clear picture of what
the impacts will be on the county. The issues of bioterrorism and homeland security are
still in conference committee and these won't move until the budget is finalized. So, we
continue to sit and wait.
printed on recycled paper with a minimum of 20%post-consumer content
Restaurants Facing Tougher Smoking Rules
BY TOM MAJESKI
Pioneer Press
The Minnesota Health Department did not go far enough in some of its proposals for tightening
the state's 1975 Clean Indoor Air Act, Administrative Law Judge George Beck said in a ruling
released Thursday.
Beck said existing restaurants should not be exempt from the new rules before they are sold, that
more than 30 percent of restaurant seating should be reserved for nonsmokers and that signs
should be modified to reflect the fact that no-smoking sections are not truly smoke-free.
"We're pleased the administrative law judge recognized that there is no rationale for exempting
existing restaurants from the proposed changes to the Clean Indoor Air Act," said Judy Knapp,
executive director of the Minnesota Smoke-Free Coalition. "However, the scientific evidence
remains: Ventilation will not eliminate the dangerous chemicals that are in secondhand smoke. It
is deeply disappointing that these rules will not fully protect restaurant workers or the public."
Julie Brunner, the Health Department's deputy commissioner, said she is not sure how the
department will handle the judge's restaurant proposal. "We need to sit down with
[Commissioner Jan Malcolm] and talk this over a bit. It goes against what legislators may want."
The department's proposed rule changes have attracted the attention of legislators, many of whom
have been lobbied hard by the hospitality industry. A bill now in the House hopper would require
all department proposals dealing with restaurants to undergo legislative scrutiny before they are
implemented.
"My understanding is that the hospitality industry has some real concerns about the impact of
these restrictions on their businesses and they made their case effectively to some legislators,"
Brunner said. "I assume that when the Legislature does take a look at the rules, some
nonsmoking legislators will say that they think there ought to be an outright ban on smoking in
restaurants. This is democracy at its best."
Regardless of what the Legislature may or may not do, implementing the rules "is some time off,"
Brunner said.
Under the Health Department's proposal:
• New restaurants must either go entirely smoke-free or take steps to ensure that patrons in the
nonsmoking sections are not exposed to air from the smoking sections. They can accomplish
this by either walling off the two areas or installing a ventilation system that keeps the air
from the two sections separate.
• Existing restaurants can keep their current arrangements for smoking and nonsmoking
patrons, but they must not seat anyone in the "buffer zone" between the two areas. They
must prominently post signs outside warning nonsmokers about possible exposure to
secondhand smoke. When existing restaurants change owners or reopen after letting their
licenses expire for a year, they must follow the stricter rules for new restaurants.
• Workplaces can either go entirely smoke-free or establish designated areas for smoking. If
they choose the latter, they must install barriers or ventilation systems similar to those for
new restaurants.
• Bars are exempt from the rules unless they seat more than 50 patrons and serve a variety of
food.
In his ruling, Beck said that "complete exemption until the sale of a restaurant is not supported by
the record in light of the compelling evidence of the harmful effects of(environmental tobacco
smoke). An indefinite exemption for restaurants, where most non-smoking Minnesotans
encounter secondhand smoke, does not rationally connect with protection of the public health,
especially of children or ill and injured persons."
Instead, Beck suggested the department consider creating a delayed effective date for existing
restaurants.
Beck also said the record does not support the department's proposal that restaurants set aside a
minimum of 30 percent of their seats for nonsmokers, saying the number should be closer to the
percentage of nonsmokers in the population. While an estimated 80 percent of Minnesota adults
do not smoke, Beck suggested the department consider a 50 percent requirement as more
reasonable.
Because ventilated areas are really not smoke-free, Beck suggested the department require signs
that are more accurate, suggesting "reduced smoke" as a possibility. He also said the only
reasonable use for "smoke-free" signs would be in areas where smoking is prohibited entirely.
Zack Hansen, R.E.H.S.
Environmental Health Director
Saint Paul - Ramsey County Department of Public Health
1670 Beam Avenue, Suite A
Maplewood, MN 55109-1176
Phone: 651.773.4440
Fax: 651.773.4454
ill I
At ..
Saint Paul - Ramsey County Department of Public Health
Section Updates -April 2002
DISEASE PREVENTION AND CONTROL SECTION
The section is working on a number of things. One is to analyze year 2001 disease incidence
data for the "Framing the Future for Public Health" session on April 19. The topic is
communicable disease control.
Sharon Lynch has completed a large amount of work on the Minnesota Department of Health's
kindergarten retrospective on the immunization records of all kindergartners in school year
2001-02. MDH will analyze the records and determine if kids are being immunized on time--
according to the recommended immunization schedule. The Ramsey County kindergarten
records have all been sent to MDH. In the 5 Ramsey County school districts, the majority of the
immunization records are in a data system, and can be sent electronically to MDH. However,
the records of the 10 charter schools and all of the suburban non-public records had to be hand-
entered into a system by DP&C staff and mailed. We expect to have retrospective data later
this year.
We are pleased to have three excellent speakers arranged for the Public Health Presents
lecture series in the next weeks. The subjects include childhood asthma, elimination of
secondhand smoke, and infant mortality/health disparities.
Two clusters of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis have occurred in our area. Staff has worked
with the TB Clinic to make sure that the cases and contacts were treated effectively.
Neal Holtan is serving on two work groups, one an ad hoc committee of the Minnesota
Department of Health working on a statewide plan to address asthma, the other a group of
Ramsey County officials analyzing and planning for mental health needs among Southeast
Asians. He is presenting a paper in Kansas City on April 26 at the annual meeting of the
American Association for the History of Medicine. The talk on surgical sterilization in Minnesota
in the 1920s and 1930s will also be given at the Wangensteen Library at the University of
Minnesota on April 15 at noon.
Dr. Greg Berglund, a family practice resident, will be spending Monday Wednesday and Friday
afternoons and all day Tuesdays and Thursdays here at the Department of Public Health during
the month of April. He graduated from the University of North Dakota Medical School and is
now a 2nd year resident at the U of MN-St. John's program and practices at Phalen Village
Clinic. Greg tells me that he has a wife and 4 children, and he plans to practice family medicine
in the Twin Cities Area. Greg is doing a community health rotation similar to that of other
f .
residents with us in the past. He will learn about environmental health, child and maternal
health, tuberculosis control, infection control, and health education.
Dr. Jennifer Giroux participated in the Tuberculosis Clinic as a guest of Neal Holtan's during
March and April. She is currently studying at the School of Public Health as part of her work as
an Epidemiology Intelligence Officer at the Centers for Disease Control. A native of North
Dakota, she is serving on the University of Minnesota Medical School Admissions Committee
and as a Fellow in the Center of American Indian and Minority Health at the University of
Minnesota.
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SECTION
Compliance Unit - Solid & Hazardous Waste:
Training for auto parts recycling industry. On April 9, as part of its industry specific training
program, the Solid and Hazardous Waste Compliance program hosted Environmental Training
for the Auto Parts Recycling Industry.
• Thirteen of the fourteen auto parts recyclers located in the county sent at least one
representative to the training, and many sent several people. The training, held in
the evening from 6:00 - 8:00 at the Environmental Health Section's offices, covered
environmental topics that were relevant to this industry.
• In addition to Environmental Health staff Paul Gelbmann and Karen Reilly,
presenters included staff from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (including
Clancy, the mercury detecting dog), the Minnesota Office of Environmental
Assistance and North Star Steel. North Star Steel, which is located in Ramsey
County, is a secondary steel smelter and one of the main recipients of the crushed
vehicles from the auto parts recyclers.
• Generally, the evaluations showed that the discussions and the presentations were
considered "very useful" by the attendees.
Community Involvement Unit:
Mercury thermometer collection. Joe Wozniak and Cathi Lyman-Onkka are working with an
Eagle Scout candidate on a service project to collect mercury fever thermometers. The
volunteers will distribute flyers to about 400 households in Arden Hills on Saturday, April 20th
and return on Saturday, April 27, to collect any mercury fever thermometers the households may
have and to provide a digital fever thermometer in exchange (only one digital thermometer per
household). This is the first time we have had this kind of collection and are excited to see how
it goes.
2001 residential recycling survey. Every other year the Envir. Health Section develops
questions and contracts for the undertaking of a statistically valid survey of 500 county residents
concerning residential recycling and related issues. The 2001 Ramsey County Residential
Recycling Survey- the eighth residential recycling survey- has finally been tallied. Some
highlights:
• Eighty-nine percent of respondents reported they had recycled in the past three
months. The material most cited that they recycled (82%) was newspaper, followed
by aluminum cans (70%) and then glass (67%). The earlier surveys had asked
2
about recycling in the past 12 months, so the responses are not comparable.
• Fifty-nine percent reported they would use a separate collection service for
biodegradable waste, to be taken to a composting facility, if their hauler provided
that service.
• We asked whether the respondent used the Internet at least once a week, and 60%
responded that they did. The difference between Saint Paul Residents and
suburban residents for both Internet use and owning a computer monitor was not
significantly different. We also asked those who used the Internet at least once a
week whether they had visited the Ramsey County web site, and 18% reported that
they had.
Various outreach activities of the Community Involvement Unit:
• Staff represented Ramsey County at the Recycling Association of Minnesota and
the Minnesota Indoor Air Quality Coalition booths at the Minneapolis Home &
Garden Show. Topics covered included recycling, buying recycled, backyard
composting and radon.
• Staff participated in the Vento Elementary School Family Fun Night. Information
regarding safe consumption of fish and the proper disposal of household hazardous
waste (HHW)was distributed to the adults. A recycling guessing game was
available for the kids.
• Staff made several presentations to parents in Early Childhood Family Education
classes. The presentations included information about children's health and their
home environment.
• The web page was updated to reflect the opening of the yard waste sites and the
seasonal HHW sites. Information about the hazardous waste program was also
added to the web page.
• A full-day food manager certification class and a re-certification class were taught in
March.
• Staff hosted a booth at the Midway Home & Garden Show. Approximately 200
people stopped at the booth to get questions about radon answered!
Household Hazardous Waste: The seasonal site schedule began on April 5 with the opening of
the Maplewood Aldrich Arena seasonal site (Fridays and Saturdays through April), which will be
followed by the Shoreview Ice Arena site (Fridays and Saturdays through May and on June 1).
Policy, Planning and Evaluation Unit:
Compost Bin Distribution Events: Two backyard compost bin distribution events have been
scheduled for this spring, Saturday, April 27, at the Shoreview Public Works Maintenance
facility, and Saturday, May 4, at the State Fairgrounds. Residents have placed orders for about
1800 bins, to be picked up at these events. Residents are able to obtain bins for$20 instead of
a typical retail price of$70. This project is sponsored by the six-county Solid Waste
Management Coordinating Board and is being implemented by each county.
Yard Waste Sites: The Ramsey County Yard Waste sites opened on April 8, a two-week delay
from the originally scheduled opening date due to weather.
Annual County Solid Waste Report: State law requires the County to submit a detailed annual
3
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report on recycling and solid waste issues. The key findings are that the County's recycling rate
declined from about 48% in 2000 to about 44% in 2001, due to a decline in curbside residential
recycling and a slight decline in business recycling, while the amount of garbage generated
continued to increase.
Resource Recovery:
Public Collection Study: The study of public collection is nearly complete. The Ramsey and
Washington County Boards during the spring of 2001 authorized the Ramsey/Washington
County Resource Recovery Project (RRP) to undertake this study, which has been undertaken
with staff from both counties and consultants. The Boards made it clear that there was no
predetermined outcome to this study and that public collection, if implemented, would entail
contracts with private waste haulers/collectors, not use of public trucks and employees.
• The study of public collection being undertaken by Ramsey and Washington
Counties consumed large amounts of staff time during March and early April.
• The final staff report, including recommendations, has been completed and made
public.
• The next major step is a workshop to be held on Thursday, April 25, by the RRP,
with county board members of both counties attending. They will hear a
presentation of the final report, along with structured input from the waste industry
and others.
• One of the key elements of the study was obtaining input from the public. The
public comment period ended in mid-March. In addition to the approximately 1500
comments (postcards, emails, etc.) received during the first phase of the study
(summer 2001 through late January), about 6000 comments were received during
the second phase from late January through mid-March. The vast majority of the
these comments were on comment forms included in the February edition of Trash
Today(a publication distributed by the RRP to residents and businesses throughout
both counties). To ensure that each comment was reviewed, extensive staff time
was required by staff from the RRP and both Counties. These comments continued
to show the pattern of earlier comments-significant concern for the environment, but
a split in opinions on collection between strong feelings in favor on having a choice
of waste hauler versus concerns about adverse effects of multiple haulers serving
neighborhoods.
• The final report or its executive summary (depending on the audience) were
distributed the second week of April to County Board members, cities and district
councils, waste haulers, and others.
• The RRP distributed the April edition of the Collection Connection newsletter, which
contained a summary of the staff report, to several thousand people who had
provided input on the study and had requested updates.
• The final report is on the web at
<http://www.co.rannsey.mn.us/recovery/TableofContents.htm>
Soil cleanup at Recycling Center: Last summer the County Board approved sale of the Ramsey
County Recycling Center site to a neighboring business for$900,000; most of the proceeds will
be placed in a County housing fund. The transaction has been held up pending environmental
review, which has hinged primarily on satisfactory removal of contaminated soils on the site.
After an arduous testing and regulatory process that has dragged on for half a year, the soil
4
cleanup was finally completed on April 18.
HEALTHY COMMUNITIES SECTION
Nutrition, Exercise, and Tobacco-Prevention (NET) Trends from the National Cardiovascular
Health Conference 2002
In order for Ramsey County to meet the challenge of Healthy People 2010, every "community,"
as well as every individual must become involved. The National Cardiovascular Health
Conference, April 11-13, 2002, in Washington, D.C. showcased best practices and current,
community health models to reduce health disparities through healthy eating and increased
physical activity.
A major premise of the conference was that successful environmental and policy strategies
in tobacco control can be used to reduce all heart disease risk factors. A second premise
acknowledged the need for unlikely partners to join forces in creating community designs
and policies that "sneak" physical activity and healthy food into our daily lives. A third
premise assumed that African American, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American communities
all currently have leadership networks capable of prevention education and that clinicians,
health maintenance organizations, and public health must continue to partner with and cultivate
these capacities.
Just as this conference advocated for community partnering in prevention education, the
conference was innovative in design to "sneak" interdisciplinary partnering and networking into
the sessions. Networking activities for idea sharing about physical activity and healthy eating
interventions were required among government, HMO, clinical, community, industry,
representatives from communities of color, public health departments, academia and technology
interests. A level playing field and spirit of"we can do it together" prevailed during the meeting.
Building relationships before seeking data and before taking action was emphasized. An
example of networking innovation occurred at the opening reception, where participants "line
danced" together, participated in physical activity demonstrations for families, and watched
healthy cooking demonstrations followed by catered sampling of the foods prepared.
A move away from individual-focused prevention efforts toward developing environments
and policies that help entire communities implement more activity and healthy eating was
a predominant trend of this conference. Involving minority communities in the effort for
"Stealth Health", through relationships before action, was a second predominant trend. Both
trends drive the current, community efforts of the department's NET (Nutrition, Exercise, and
Tobacco-Prevention) Workgroup.
For more information about successful models shared at this conference, names and addresses
of other interested persons around the country, handouts and training materials or resources,
contact any member of the NET Workgroup, or Jerry Soechting at 266-2430.
5
HEALTH POLICY AND PLANNING SECTION
The past several months for HPP have been very busy. One of the staff, Michael Dean, left his
position with the County in February. The two remaining staff, (Barb Nelson and Sharon Borg)
have been doing a wonderful job of covering all the highest priority work. If we are slow about
responding to some requests, understand that we are down by 1/3!
Here are a few of the things that have been keeping HPP staff busy:
• Sharon Borg has been working with Minneapolis to do the Perinatal Periods of Risk
infant mortality analysis for the Twin Cities Healthy Start project.
• Both Sharon and Barb have been working on the Metro Adult Health Survey. This is
a multi-county project that is developing a survey to assess the health of adult
populations.
• Sharon has worked with Rob Fulton to review the public health parts of the current
PMAP proposals. Our input will be going to DHS for their consideration when
awarding contracts.
• A Health Disparity Fact Sheet has been developed and is ready for printing. Watch
for it soon!
• Believe it or not, the CHS planning process has begun again! Both Barb and
Sharon are reviewing assessment data as a first step.
• As always, we continue to respond to individual request for data, this has recently
included St. Paul PED; the mayor of Falcon Heights; and several community
members working on health disparity grants.
BRG/Bio-Response Group Activities:
Health Policy has been coordinating the Departments' planning efforts around preparation for
bioterrorism and other infectious diseases. This work continues to grow in scope as we learn
more and more about what is needed. The Department's BRG (Bio-Response Group) has had
the primary responsibility for this planning. That group has been working on the following:
• Continuing to improve on the Department's overall disaster response plan and the
mass clinic plan. There are always more details to attend to and the plan gets better
with each new addition or revision.
• Training Department staff on the plans and on their role in a mass clinic event. Four
training sessions were held in different locations and most of the Department staff
were able to attend one.
• Working on development of a state/local public health grant to be submitted to CDC
for state wide funding for BT and other infectious diseases. This included a quick trip
to Denver for Jane Norbin in which CDC presented the grant requirements.
• Beginning development of SPRCDPH plan for using the federal funding that will
soon be available.
• Representing the Department at internal and external state, regional, and local
meetings on this topic. There are meetings every day (many times multiple meetings
on the same day) with others working on this planning. We recognize that
responding to this type of incident will be a joint effort, so it is necessary to plan
jointly.
• Continuing the development of our Health Alert Network system. In particular, we
are working on the ability to have a redundant system at Maplewood in the event of
6
a failure in the West building system.
• Coordinating numerous satellite and Web broadcasts on bioterrorism and making
tapes of these available.
• Development of plans to exercise (try out) our emergency plans. This will include
several small drills as well as a large scale exercise in the fall.
WIC SECTION
• Congratulations to Blia Vang and Murugi Mutiga, WIC staff members, who are the proud
mother of baby boys born in April.
• The Arlington Hill Presbyterian WIC Clinic, which serves 4000 participants each month,
recently got beautiful new work stations which provide for much greater privacy for
participant interviews and use the space much more effectively. Thanks to Sarah Gorter,
Jenni Dahlen, Shayne Xiong of WIC and to Theresa Rongstad of Admin for their hard
work in getting this furniture ordered.
• We are gearing up to distribute Farmers' Market coupons to our WIC participants
beginning in June.
•
Page 1 of 1
Lucille Johnson - Meetings of the Week Calendar
From: Racquel Naylor
To: Johnson, Lucille
Date: 4/24/02 5:59 PM
Subject: Meetings of the Week Calendar
I have 3 Legislative Hearings on April 30. One you don't know about and the others you do. Here is all of them:
Tuesday,April 30,1:30 p.m.
Property Code Enforcement Meeting
977 Fuller Avenue
Room 330 Courthouse
Tuesday,April 30,2:00 p.m.
Cafe Biaggio
Room 330 Courthouse
Tuesday,April 30,3:00 p.m.
Lamp Lighter
Room 330 Courthouse
Thanks in advance. -Racquel,6-8573
file://C:\WINDOWS\TEMP\GW}00002.HTM 4/26/02
Page 1 of 1
Lucille Johnson - Meetings of the Week Calendar
From: Racquel Naylor
To: Johnson, Lucille
Date: 4/17/02 3:56 PM
Subjec • , -- _ -..
Please add the following two meetings to the calendar:
Property Code Enforcement for 977 Fuller
Room 330 Courthouse
Legislative Hearing for Cafe Biaggio
rr
-. :I,p.m.
Room 330 Courthouse
Thanks in advance. -Racquel,6-8573
file://C:\WINDOWS\TEMP\GW}00002.HTM 4/19/02
APR-25-2002 16:36 RAMSEY COUNTY MANAGER 651 266 S039 P.02/02
11.ki
MEETING NOTICE
BOARD OF RAMSEY COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
15 W. KELLOGG BLVD.. ST. PAUL. MN 55102
Iiii
651 266-8350
MSEY COUNTY
Monday,April 29, 2002
Tuesday, April 30, 2002
NO BOARD OR COMMITTEE MEETINGS
(5Tn TUESDAY)
12:00 noon - Board/Bench Committee
Room 220 Court House, Large Conference Room
Wednesday, May 1, 2002
8;30 a.m. - Metropolitan LRT Joint Powers Board
AMC, 125 Charles Avenue
Thursday, May 2, 2002
11:00 a.m. - Cinco de Mayo
Landmark Center, 75 W, 5th Street
Friday, May 3, 2002
Advance Notice
May 7, 2002— 9:00 a.m. Board Meeting, Council Chambers
HRA Meeting, Council Chambers
Board Workshop — SE Asian Mental Health Services, Room 220
May 14, 2002 - Board Meeting, Council Chambers
Board Workshop — Criteria for Facilities, Room 220
TOTAL P.02