Welcome to Raising St. Paul, a new online site dedicated to public input on development topics related to Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

The Minnesota Cricket Assoc: http://www.minnesotacricket.com/ has seen the Gillette building re-use concept. They like it! Their schedule could accommodate the Saints and other regularly scheduled activities in a Lowertown ballpark. Fort Lauderdale, FL is the only city with a major stadium for its regional Cricket league. Minnesota's Cricket league is now 30 teams strong.

Below the Gillette building re-use site plan concept, and the FL Cricket field. Conversion of the Saints ballfield into a Cricket field (150x130 yard oval) can be done in a short amount of time.

We continue to encourage Mayor Coleman to expand the City's vision for what could occur on the Lowertown ballpark site: a unique multiple-use, year-round attraction for Minnesota's Capital City.

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Regional Baseball is coming To Lowertown

Let's bring a State Amphitheatre, Cycling Center and more to the Game as well!

(April 2013) Funding is now in place; $54 million in mostly taxpayer dollars. The remediation of the Gillette Building has begun. The City's official plan remains, begin taking down the massive building afterwards, thereby destroying one of the greatest economic values and opportunities Saint Paul will have for years to come.

Is it too late for us to change course, think creatively and smart, and build a better ballpark? It is not.

We need a stronger venue here, dollar for dollar to attract a much broader range of people. And, importantly, do so year-round.

The City’s January 2012 Regional Ballpark literature given to Governor Dayton, state lawmakers and countless others specifically stated, “Community input will help determine the (ballpark's) actual design.” This promise has not been honorably adhered to since Saint Paul received $26 million in state funds last September.

Downtown Saint Paul has taken particularly large hits to its private employment and retail base in the last two decades. Macy's just closed and good paying private sector jobs continue to decline. We need to optimize state and local tax dollars invested here for year-round benefit.

Few cities will ever get the chance that Saint Paul now has before it. Creating a combined Ballpark - Amphitheatre -Velodrome, and so much more, on one site that utilizes existing structures large enough to support them is a remarkable opportunity. It is a phased plan concept, with priority going to completing the combined Ballpark -Amphitheatre facility, indoor parking and skyway link first.

The citizens and business community of Saint Paul should have been allowed to truly help determine the development's "actual" design. This power was take from them, in exchange for an 'alright' ballpark, that will sit underused much of the year.

Browse the various posts here and links, and then consider signing our volunteer group's petition to the mayor. Perhaps yet, he will do the right thing, and let The People who are paying for the development actually have a real part in this while there is still time.

Thank you,
Friends of Baseball, Biking and the Arts, and much more