(00:00:00) Good afternoon. Welcome back to midday on Minnesota Public Radio. I'm Gary eichten. Glad you could join us. Say Paul Mayor Norm Coleman says the state of Minnesota's capitol city is good and getting better even says it's time perhaps to start talking about a Twins baseball stadium again, but he says some tough budget choices will soon be facing the city. He's warning against complacency and the belief that quote if some of us are doing well, then all of us are doing well. Mayor Coleman delivered his sixth annual state of the city address yesterday afternoon, and he's come by our Studios today to talk about the steady and take your question. So we sure invite you to give us a call see Paul Mayor Norm Coleman Our Guest this hour and if you've got a question for the mayor six, five, one two, two seven six thousand 6512276 thousand outside the Twin Cities. Or to 28286512276 thousand or one eight hundred two four two two eight two eight mayor. Thanks for coming in today. Great to be here. You have a tough time finding your way through the Maze of st. Paul Street since I've had experience here that you got to (00:01:17) want to be here Gary. That's that's a good thing. By the way, and the good thing is I got to say people do want to be here. The state of the city is great. I had a great time last night and I one of the things I did I just want to say this that so often we give these speeches. It's about us and about government would you know what the mayor's on the politicians have done? I the fun I had last night was introducing about 200 st. Paul I said I could have had another thousand Gary getting people on stage saying here's the state of our city. These are the folks working in the neighborhoods working in the communities doing things to keep st. Paul great. So it was a it was a fun speech to give (00:01:50) well you touched on lots of big issues. But of course the one that all the headlines are baseball baseball the Twins stadium issue. Is it realistic to think that a new stadium is going to be built anywhere and be that it would might be built in st. (00:02:08) Paul first. It's probably a crazy idea Gary but hockey was a crazy idea. They'll tell people when I've had I said last night, I'm very fond of David Ben-Gurion the first prime minister of Israel who wants it anybody doesn't believe in miracles is not a realist bringing the NHL. He was a miracle getting the Smithsonian here was a miracle getting the the whistles of the Titanic to blow although not too loud, but getting them to Glow as the crazy idea if if we don't do anything baseball leaves and it will if we don't do any we just sit back quietly and and baseball Major League Sports baseball brings two to three million visitors a year to went to an urban center. It brings a whole range of promotional opportunities for an area. It's part of our who we are a culture. I mean I said my speech I want to sit someday and in some cheap seats in an outdoor stadium eating a hot dog. With my kids and watch some future Kirby Puckett smack a home run. If no one does anything baseball is gone. So it's a crazy idea but you know, I believe it can be done and I just want to add one thing. We saw it with baseball, but we talked about a lot of things a lot of things going on this city. I talked about change really kind of embracing loving change and we're changing what we're doing with with the river with changing what we do with government services were using competition to kind of Judge the whether we're delivering the best service at least cause I don't know anybody in the state who's doing that we're out in front on Y2K doing things with connecting the commute. I know anybody in the state who's doing that I'm looking at because I'm looking at some tough budget decisions ahead looking at using the internet what I call st. Paul website clever site away to to really listen to the voices of the people use technology in a way. We haven't done before so baseball was part of last night and I mentioned it but there are so many bold and exciting things going on making this a very fun job in a very great City (00:03:58) now a lot of these X and ideas that you talked about yesterday, I don't I don't believe could be completed in a couple of years. Are you thinking maybe you should run for re-election as mayor or is this truly your last (00:04:12) go-round? I love what I do. I really do love what I do. I again in the speech last night talked about the nobility of Public Service very proud to serve the people as a great job Gary in the past. I have said, you know, this should be my time, but I'm I will tell you this. I don't want to turn the city back to the folks who led who were in charge before I was here. If you go back to where we were 1993 there were very tough economic times. We had lost a lot of jobs. It was the wrong Vision. It was the vision of government and programs and and not about kind of empowering people to do great things. We've cut taxes. We brought back jobs where back opportunity I'm not giving a city back area so I could be here it is possible that I could continue to be a I'll leave that up to the people. I've really am I got to tell you. Maybe because I'm learning more about the Internet of Things myself, but I really think as we move into this next millennium There's an opportunity to really hear from the people to figure out what they really want up front, you know close to we got into in our libraries not just the folks who have computers at home. So I'm going to figure out a way to be listening to the people and and I'm certainly not looking to walk away from this (00:05:18) job. What's going to happen with the st. Paul companies there the plan was that they would expand in the the block across the street from their current headquarters. But of course you bought it up against the issue of what to do with the Orpheum Theater some apartments on the Block and then probably most significantly those old Coney Island buildings. I said last (00:05:46) night and I'll repeat again. And again again, I'm going to fight hard to keep 3,000 jobs at st. Paul company growth in st. Paul on 7th place. I'm going to fight to keep the jobs. They're one of the things that frustrates. About that issue Gary. Is that somehow we fail to communicate in the early discussion that when we build in st. Paul one of the things that we have done, I think dramatically done we've created Design Center when you build in st. Paul's not just about plucking buildings down in the middle any building you do here is building that is consistent with that understanding of Urban Design consistent with the importance of street life and and and and the kind of the whole feeling of the river. I invested my again move away from I we the city the riverfront Corporation Capital City partnership invested a couple years working with Ken Greenberg developing a framework a vision for growth in the city and in the st. Paul companies, what happened is is Ken Greenberg the head of the earth than the Urban Design sent to their a nationally-known urban planner. The Saints will come as the mayor got went before the HPC Heritage preservation commission. All we asked for was the opportunity have a couple months to look at how you incorporate historic preservation Urban Design and keep the jobs there. It was the commission and I would I consider kind of very idiot. Logically oriented we're going to regulate now and talk later made a decision to go another path. Ultimately the Planning Commission rejected the approach of the HPC. But all we ask for and what we looked at was how do you look at Urban Design? How do you look at historic preservation? How do you incorporate them and still keep the jobs? I believe we can have it all and I am going to work very very very hard. We will deal with the housing everyone who lives in the st. Francis house and they will be accommodated before st. Paul company does any expansion we will deal with historic preservation issues you can work with them incorporate features into design But ultimately Gary you got to have 3,000 jobs and the other issue that we failed to I think adequately communicate to the public as the importance of being on 7th place there were some who said well, why doesn't st. Paul companies build on its parking lot on the other side of the companies and I said to a a TV reporter one day one cold. They would have this discussion. I said do me a favor. I want you to take you and your camera person to go over to that parking lot where folks were talking about building and I want you to walk to Dayton's A long walk and I want you to tell me how many times you'll ever do that again if you worked in that building and that's the point. What we've learned about Urban Design is that proximity is important. You don't want the jobs a quarter of a mile an eighth of a mile away separated by huge Open Spaces because people won't make though they won't make the connection that would be different by the way Gary if we had four or five blocks of retail connecting that people make that take that walk. So the point being the growth has to be on 7th place. The reality is we will work with historic preservation, but you don't regulate first you talk you try to work out the you know, the issues and the problems and then in the end if you can't do that your regulate but you don't regulate first so I will work very hard to make sure st. Paul companies grows on 7th place. Ultimately they have to make a decision about growth. But if they make it Gary it's going to be in st. Paul if I have anything to do with it. It's going to be on 7th place (00:08:51) housing one of your top priorities. There's a big problem with Lack of affordable housing throughout the actually throughout the state of Minnesota. Certainly. You can't do it all what would be your first priority in terms of housing for poor people housing for middle-class people housing for the wealthier people. Who were where do you start? (00:09:18) One of the things that I think we all understand is housing isn't a problem for most of us. That's a nice thing the average value of a home in st. Paul increased by ten percent last year so famosa, it's not a problem. But for some it is and one of the things that I said again my say the city is and you can't use the Dow Jones Industrial Average is a measure of Public Welfare. Some of us are doing well and some aren't and housing is a problem. It is a problem for first-time homebuyers. It is a problem for the poor. We understand that affordable housing is an issue where you start first are you always start is preserving what you have you don't build know you got it where an older City. So our first focus is and has been on keeping what we Have secondly then you look at you know, what are the other opportunities whatever we build we have we're not going to go back to the old 60s attitude of male of massive concentrations of low-income housing when we build housing with any kind of Public Funding involved we've got to do is we'll put 20% aside for affordable and then the rest kind of across the board because you got to keep your middle class. You got to keep you middle class. You can't become a city of a few halves and many have nuts. So we have we're going to have a very balanced approach to housing. The other thing we got to do is figure out how to get rid of the added costs that government adds to the cost of housing. We are part of the problem. We should be able to build a house $80,000 and sell it for $80,000 but we've done the past and we're part of it in terms of Regulation rules a licensing a whole range of things and I am going to take a very aggressive look at what at the cost of housing in the things that government does adds that course that is not value added and we have to have the courage. This is again the courage to change Everyone likes change until it affects them to get If some of the regulation to get rid of some of the bureaucracy to get rid of some unnecessary licensing so that we can in fact have housing have people decide they want to build in st. Paul. And so that that I thought that's the goal is that we want to be bold want to be aggressive but will be housing across the board. We need to accommodate Gary the Aging Baby Boomers. I'm smiling because I'm getting close myself. You know, I hit the big 500 this year and the fact is for a lot of us. We'd love to live in a town home. Perhaps overlooking the Mississippi River. We don't have that enough of that kind of housing today in st. Paul first-time homebuyers accommodate them seniors where the demographics of such that people around America Gary a moving back into core Urban centers. It's true in Chicago. It's true in Denver. It's true in Milwaukee and it will be true in st. Paul. So, you know, I can't say we're going to do it all we'll make sure we cut the cost unnecessary cost. We will focus on on renovating what we have and then we build will build with it with a mix with a blend 20 percent affordable and the low income and an affordable. The way is not just folks on welfare affordable as seniors affordable first-time homebuyers housing today is an economic development issue. It's a jobs issue got to get the housing for the workers and we need to focus on that kind of housing (00:12:12) type all mayor Norm. Coleman is our guest this our mayor delivered his sixth annual state of the city address yesterday touching on a lot of big issues and we thought it'd be a good opportunity to talk to the mayor about those issues and give him a chance to answer your questions or give us a call six five. One two, two seven six thousand or one eight hundred two four two two eight two eight Don is on the line from Minneapolis calling from across the river done. Go ahead. Good afternoon, mr. Mayor. Good afternoon done. I actually live in st. Paul and working in Minneapolis. So (00:12:45) glad to have you look glad to have you part of the tax base in st. Paul down puts a smile on my face. (00:12:49) Thank you. I just wanted to follow up on your number one priority which was the expansion of the st. Paul companies. I believe the last public statement that the company made was that they Were no longer interested in expansion on 7th place and if they were to expand it wouldn't be for three to five years and you also assured the owners of the Coney Island that they were no longer under threat of condemnation. Are is the company telling you something that they're not telling the public or how can this remain your top (00:13:19) priority? The company isn't telling us anything the not telling the public but clearly the highest and best use of that property done is 3,000 jobs for st. Paul company. That's the highest and best youth. This is a company that has grown that that we want to make sure that their growth is in st. Paul that property has been there done as you well know for a long time and there are a lot of folks who were talking about they got ideas for it. There was one guy that wanted to put holographs of some sort of things in there. The reality is that we've got to look at the highest and best use and if it's possible to put st. Paul companies in there. That's what you do and you do what you can to make sure that happens in addition. Let me say this about the Coney the Only isn't under threat of would of taking their property. My hope is always been that you could build that building and not worry about the Coney. I mean there are lots of possibilities there. But let's first deal with the issue of of st. Paul companies growth and let them know that if in fact they are going to expand that that that space is there for them. They are one of the most beneficent by the way corporate citizens in st. Paul and folks who involved in community work all know that and understand that they've been a leader in childcare. They've been a leader in Community Development. The reason we've got now some quality housing over in Torre de San Miguel over on the westside low-income housing is because st. Paul company stepped in there and bought the tax credits they in effect Finance our opportunity to keep quality low income housing in st. Paul. So that's what they're all about. And we want to make sure that their growth is in st. Paul in the logical place is right there. So what you do is you look at the highest best youths you look at the history of the company and its growth and you make sure you do not forego that opportunity for the people st. Paul (00:14:58) what's going on? The World Trade Center kitty corner from our building here in St. Paul kind of like a ghost town. (00:15:05) Well, not not not the World Trade Center is A Tale of Two Cities. The World Trade Center is about 97 percent occupied by office space 97 percent occupied it was I think 40 or 50 percent, you know, six years ago. It is it's filled to capacity in the office space where you see the ghost town is in the retail and that is that the folks who have owns that that that building have been reposition themselves are now going to sell it and I'm going to sell that building and I think they haven't made the investment in the long-term investment what they want to do with retail the good news about the the World Trade Center by the way is another reason why you want the st. Paul companies to be right across the street while you want 3,000 jobs across the street because retail is driven by traffic government shouldn't create retail. What we can do is create the opportunity for the traffic we can we have led the region and st. Paul and filling office space in the last two years. We have a new hockey arena coming. Line, we have a new Convention Center this online. We got a new science museum that will be opening up this year between three and a half and four million more people in the core downtown retail will follow the traffic. There is a report that's going to come out. I believe it may even be this weekend that the city hired Robert gives who was a nationally renowned retail consultant and he's come up with some very interesting findings for us, which I hope will spur the private side to make the investment st. Paul is under retail. There was more buying power today in st. Paul that is being used and by contrast I think gives would say if you look at Nicollet Mall that could that is over retailed. In other words, you got more retail and then the buying power provides any given area. We are under retailed. What you need is you need the private side to make the investment to bring in the kind of retail. We have a great opportunity with doing that loss and software. We've got a new building coming. I've got retail there and we should bring in retail that is complementary by the way to Dayton's and Dayton's Dayton's is a building that can do very well. The building is too big data' needs to be renovated. I talked about that in my state of the city. We need to keep Dayton's as a retail anchor and but work with them in some way to see that that building is renovated. So they can generate more profit. And then you need the private side to make the investment. The good news is Gary is that the studies will show that this opportunity. The good news is that the studies will show there's money to be spent and but government can't do it all we have set the stage, but you do need the private site to step in. So the World Trade Center on one half will in the office space filled to capacity, but we've got to turn the retail piece around and I'm hopeful in that building sold at the new investors and new owners will look at that and say Here's wonderful opportunity right by a Dayton's right across the street from a future home of st. Paul companies right by law since offer which will bring a thousand new employees in the core downtown early next (00:17:44) year during the campaign for governor. A lot of your opponent's critics said you've built a house of cards in st. Paul that the financing on all of these projects is shaky at best and if anything Anything goes wrong it all (00:18:01) collapses. I love the critics. They should stay in their caves. That's what they should do. Carry critic should stay in the case. And I say that by way of if we didn't do a loss in you and I could walk down Wabash a street today and you'd see the clothes McDonald's think probably the only clothes McDonald's in America, you know, the fantasy our sex shop that was that was a highlight of Waba sure at that time a close drugstore. And so next year you'll have new retail. You have a thousand new people working on the street. The NHL is being built and let's step back a we've cut taxes five years in a row. I've got 49 million dollars in my budget Reserve up over double from when I took off as long as about 20-something million low 20 when I took office the fact is we're doing very strong and we have growth in the growth has not been growth that is required taxpayers to chip in we have was their risk was the risk in the end it when we did the NHL deal on that the state wouldn't come in and provide the 65 million dollar essentially interest-free loan. There was risk and it had that gone wrong. The critics probably would have jumped up and down said I told Just so I told you so but if the critics were in charge Gary you this taxpayers is st. Paul today would be probably putting ten million dollars in which when I probably would be fixing the roof dealing with asbestos some mechanical interior things that had to be done. We'd be pouring ten million dollars this year into a 26 year old arena with no principal tenant and that would be coming right out of the taxpayers pocket. So instead what we have is we have a brand new facility that's going up that's going to bring hundreds of thousands of people to the core downtown and and it's not touching the property taxpayers the st. Paul. So yeah, there's some risk, but there's gain and if you if you listen to the folks who say the sky is falling we'd be stuck back in cave somewhere Marine your question, (00:19:41) please. Hello. Yes. You're on the air. Hi. I have a question. I did just recently I spent st. Patrick's Day downtown st. Paul for the parade and then afterwards there was a lot of people downtown having a really good time. And I just wonder if there's anything in the works to bring more fun things downtown. (00:19:59) Fun. I love the question by the way and part of my speech. I talked about Fun City. You got to have fun. By the way. I hope you found your way around the streets and same patch. The good thing is the parade was in a straight line. So all of us could kind of you know, navigate that know where we were (00:20:13) going. We have the annual NPR open house. What more yeah you go. That's fun. (00:20:19) There are so many. I tell people the flowers beginning to unfold the the science museum opens up this year. It's going to be Magnificent the NHL arena when that happens. And by the way, they're there at least four or five new restaurants has Aluna opened up this year has been a great success can cases going in loss and building. So they'll be more activity there. I'm still pushing by the way to get LeRoy Neiman to have a Neiman Museum in st. Paul. We're going to make that happen. It's not a big thing but Leroy's from Frogtown and that's going to bring more people Harriet Island is being renovated. When I took office Harriet Island was supposed to be the renovation of hair. Dye Island was going to occur by the year 2013, but because of all the other stuff that we've done on the river because of the Arena Because of the science museum because we accelerate and the renovation of The Magnificent new Harbour Street Bridge. We're breaking ground and Harriet Island renovation this year in by next year. You'll be able to walk by that Pavilion which will be renovated and go and then touch the water today. There are there's concrete dividers and chain link fences that separate you from the water. And so you can have a renovated Harriet Island. You can have a new restaurants New a cue that's in the downtown and when you get out of downtown try walking up Selby Avenue today, six seven years ago people wouldn't do that without would be concerned. If I'd what five six new restaurants in the last couple of years. He has Selby's exploding over the fail and car the East Side. We've got a failed card of initiative in which the community is banded together new jobs new housing New Roads Grand Avenue is is kind of the jewel of of commercial strips in the region Highland areas exploding. So there's a lot of opportunity in st. Paul which which changing it was still a great big small town, but we're going to go from at least the core downtown that rolls its streets up at five o'clock to a downtown that's going to be a At least till 11:00 o'clock. I don't think we'll go 24 hours. But I think we'll push the envelopes at least 11 12 and who knows maybe even one o'clock by next (00:22:06) year. So Paul Mayor Norm Coleman is our guest this hour. And again, if you have a question for the mayor give us a call six five one two, two seven six thousand 6512276 thousand outside the Twin Cities 1-800 to for 22828 and we'll get to some more callers and just a couple minutes. But right now let's catch up on news headlines Greta. Good afternoon. Gary Italian officials. Say many fighter jets took off from the NATO Air Base at Aviano in northeastern Italy today. There are reports that warning sirens are sounding a Kosovo is main city prishtina at this hour and the streets are deserted America and its NATO Air Lines could unleash missiles and bombs at Yugoslavia at any moment Congressional sources say the Administration has told the military action is imminent President Clinton says airstrikes are aimed at stopping Serbian aggression in Kosovo. Well, NATO is Unified over the issue of using military force Russian president Boris. Yeltsin is urging Delay, he spoke with President Clinton for nearly an hour today. He appeared on National Television later saying military action would be tragic security is tight in Laramie Wyoming today for the trial of one of two men accused of killing a gay college student Matthew Shepard, there are extra police patrols and there's a fence around the courthouse Russell Henderson faces. The death penalty if convicted in Regional news, a jib way Indian leaders are expected to have more to say about today's US Supreme Court ruling upholding their hunting and fishing treaty rights, the Court ruled the Ojibwe can continue to hunt and fish on 13 million Acres of public land in Minnesota without State regulation by five to four vote. The court said that neither in 1850 presidential order nor Minnesota Statehood in 1858 strip the band of the hunting and fishing privilege. They received in an 1837 treaty Governor. Ventura wants all minnesotans to respect the US Supreme Court's treaty rights ruling today. The governor has been critical of tribal rights in the past the forecast for the state of Minnesota today calls for Sunshine State wide with high temperatures from 35 to 45 degrees tonight mostly clear skies with lows ranging from five above in the Northeast to about 20 in the south at this hour sunny skies reported around the region Fargo report sunshine and 34. It's sunny in Rochester and 36 sunny in Duluth and 32. And in the Twin Cities Sunshine a temperature of 38 degrees Gary. That's a look at the latest news. Thank you Greta Cunningham 29 minutes now before one o'clock midday coming to you on Minnesota Public Radio, and we're talking this hour with st. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman who yesterday delivered his sixth annual state of the city address raise lots of interesting issues. And today he's come by today to talk about those issues take your call. So give us a call if you'd like to talk with the mayor six five. One two, two seven six thousand 6512276 thousand outside the Twin Cities one eight hundred two, four two two eight two eight L your question, please I have to know now, let's talk to you. I live in Prairie. I am a member of the Children's Museum My daughter loves it out down there and we get down there probably a couple three times a year. I'm wondering if you give me a little bit of a heads-up and what the plan is for one of your best kept secrets and st. Paul which has opinions Shepard wrote for those of us coming from the Western and the western side of town to have a quote unquote. Semi Expressway is just it's an excellent thing. I've been doing it since I've been probably fifteen Seventeen years now going the Civic Center in such. It's a great thing. I thought it read in the strip. No, I don't know your or so ago that you were talking about redoing all that. I don't know probably commercializing it a little bit and putting up stoplights and making it more like a downtown and I'm hoping that you're considering something along the lines of keeping traffic going to just for those of us who, you know would prefer not to go on 7th street and whatever the main drag is off of five there if you take it straight into (00:25:53) downtown absolute. Let me have can I first talked about the Children's Museum and and give a plug for the children's name because there Folks that showed. I think the greatest courage in investing in downtown at a time when there wasn't a loss in software and wasn't the new convention center and wasn't an NHL arena and wasn't Riverfront development. They stepped out front before anybody and move the children's name to the core downtown. It was a bold and wonderful decision and I am forever indebted tooted indebted to the folks from the children's museum for their confidence in our city and hopefully that confidence has now paid off. You've got a new parking ramp right across and said, I'd cross from the Children's Museum making it easier for folks to park there. We've worked aggressively on the neighborhood in and around and then of course if you got the st. Paul companies new growth and expansion you'd have three thousand more people working right by that children was even literally right next door and one of the things by the way by Public Safety is streets are safer when they're occupied by people. It's really fascinating one of the safest times to be in st. Paul always was when we had the high school tournaments the streets were filled people feel comfortable when they see other people were beginning to see that we Got more office work as we filled up. The empty office is one activity more vitality and good things will flow from that. So first a great note of appreciation and a plug for folks who visit the Magnificent children's in which will be a wonderful adjunct then for the new science museum, which will be finished by the end of this year. And I hope folks kind of go from one to the other and one of the things that we're doing with Shepherd Road is is we're making it so that visually it is more attractive. We are rerouting it so that we're finding opportunity to connect more of our land with the river so that for instance around NSP Shepherd Road will go behind and around NSP but still able to travel on it and we will then gain more space Riverfront Connection in front of in around the NSP area around the area by the science museum as you come right into downtown. In fact, there will be stop signs it will in effect. Perhaps slow it up, but you're already into the core downtown you can wind around right there and then and get to the children who seem so I think you will. Find the ease of access to be the same. You will find it things more aesthetically pleasing in and around the riverfront area. And so I think we're going to get the best of both worlds. We really worked very hard working with a downtown businesses working with the chamber working with the neighborhoods. And with the folks focused on Riverfront development to come out with a solution that I think really meets all needs a Shepherd Road will be more aesthetic Merkley. It's not a pretty road right now, right if you it doesn't mean you drive along it and and Aesthetics are important it gets back to that discussion. We had about Seventh Place Urban Design. We understand the importance of Urban Design. We also understand the importance of kind of practically getting to and from places. So I think you'll see hopefully the Best of Both Worlds a good road to travel on aesthetically more pleasing great a connection with the riverfront and then particularly as you get to the core downtown. What we're doing is probably slowing up with Shepherd Road right around the core downtown area when you get past the children when you get past the area where you get into The Children's Museum There will have more Riverfront connection and I think a greater feel of of safety and comfort as you're walking by the river in that area by downtown their Shepherd (00:29:09) Road Jared your question, please yes. First of all, I'd like to say mr. Mayor. I'm very proud to have called st. Paul home. Why one time my life and I'm really proud of what you've been doing to the city. Thank you Jerrod very very much. My question is when I grew up on the east side of st. Paul we lived on a Parkway that used to be the Old Trolley line used to run through the city of st. Paul back before I was born my question concerns. What I've been reading in the Pioneer Press concerning Light Rail transit in Minneapolis. And in even in the northern part of the city of st. Paul, what are the possibilities for after the year 2000 for a light rail transit system in st. (00:29:42) Paul. First of all dread one of the great mistakes that the folks before us made is they ripped out the trolleys think about think about what what a wonderful opportunity would be to take a trolley from Grand to Selby Avenue right to the core downtown take that trolley from Downtown up the Magnificent Eastside traveling up around Rhode Island Dayton's Bluff and and just wonderful wonderful opportunity to connect neighborhoods and we lost that and that's yesterday and we have to look at the future. We cannot continue to build roads and highways to order, you know, kind of ramp ourself out of the the train in the transportation area. It just you need to look at other ways other ways to move people to and from your core cities. I recognize that I recognize that and this discussion about Light Rail and commuter rail and let me be very blunt and tell you my concern about what's happening. If you're going to build Light Rail if that then becomes a solution that it's in addition to we're not Banning cars, but you just can't build enough roads to accommodate all the traffic we need by the way better public transportation. We need a better commitment to bus service in this community st. Paul by the way has a relatively low incidence Of bus ridership. It's one of the reasons the city is working with Metro Transit and we step forward with the program for our employees and hopefully we will be a model for the private sector to get their employees into using metro transit. We need to increase the number of people who use public transportation that will ease some of the parking and congestion issues that we have in around downtown today. But if we're going to go to light rail, it has to be a regional system and what's happened is we went from an original commitment to build Light Rail connecting Minneapolis. And st. Paul and then to do your off shoots from there. The largest growing region area in the region right now is Woodbury it's the eastern part of the metro area. There are a million people living in the East Metro, but what's happened is the discussion Light Rail is now focused on the the Hiawatha line which Saint Paul supported if you're going to build out your light rail, you had an opportunity go from Minneapolis to the airport Mall of America. We supported that with the understanding though that it's a regional development growth and investment is going to follow infrastructure. It and so when you wherever you build that light rail, if it's to be built, you will see additional investment what's happened now is the conversation has shifted so that talking about commuter rail from st. Cloud to Minneapolis. And then the discussion is light rail extending from Minneapolis to the mall to the airport and then South through Lakeville and Egan and those areas if all your investment is basically MetroWest you will destroy and I'm using this word not lightly you will destroy the long-term economic future and vitality of the East metro area and for the million people live in the East metro area, some of us have to stand up and say we are going to let that happen. So if you do light rail, there has to be a regional vision and a commitment to that vision and I got to tell you Jared it's not enough to say I'm from the government trust me that we're going to build Light Rail in one area and have the commitment on from from Minneapolis down to the airport and that the next piece is going to be a commuter rail from st. Cloud to Minneapolis and then the next piece met May not be the East and metro area. In fact, it could go somewhere else there has to be a firm and unequivocal commitment to Metro wide vision. And if not don't build it figure out a better way than to move traffic again other the you can't I know you can't depend just on cars we're going to use cars and that's part of who we are certainly bus and and public transportation needs to be more supported. But I'm going to tell you if in fact all we get is 400 500 a billion dollars of investment on the west side of the river. You will have a long term devastating impact upon the economic growth and vitality East metro area and I'm not going to let that happen LRT (00:33:38) supporters though say that the position of st. Paul Ramsey County on this LRT issue threatens the whole concept of LRT, and that what's needed here is is Metro Wide Unity up at the Capitol and get the first line built and then (00:33:56) Move along from there. You need Metro Wide Unity Gary. Absolutely and Metro Wide Unity will occur when there is a clear and unequivocal commitment demonstrated commitment that that light rail if it's to be built is going to be built in a regional from Regional way that it's not just going to be built on one side of the river and until you do that if you if you in fact if I were to sit here as mayor of st. Paul and say, you know something I'm going to support Light Rail over from Minneapolis down to the airport into the mall and yeah, you know bring in the heavy commuter rail from st. Cloud to Minneapolis. You got to start that somewhere and yeah, you know, there's been a lot of growth and development from the airport. You want to go right down through he get in those and come down into the southern suburbs there in 10 years from now that's going to have a very negative impact upon economic growth and vitality and the Woodbury is In the Still Waters in The Oakdale is in the st. Paul's and you can't let that happen. So I think the I think the responsibility is upon the supporters of Light Rail to step up and demonstrate that In fact, there is a regional Vision that there is regional Unity. Otherwise, don't do it. Otherwise don't do it. This is a huge investment and you are going to make the investment it better support the region not just a piece of the (00:35:10) region have people on the in the meat East metro area settled on one preferred line. Assuming everybody would want otherwise sign up for this deal of you decided to go with the st. Paul Minneapolis line. Have you decided to go with his line from downtown st. Paul to the airport or (00:35:27) here's what you have here. It's really kind of like this with television. I could draw it on a map, but it's radio. So I got to use words to describe it visually, but it's a triangle. Yeah, you got it you go from Minneapolis and and you go from Minneapolis and I'll start with the Hiawatha line down to the mall to the airport. You can then go from the mall and the airport along the river to downtown st. Paul from downtown st. Paul back to Minneapolis along the central Corridor and then all the other lines will come off that triangle in fact the total area in the Triangle from Central corridor from Minneapolis to st. Paul on the central area and let's say University Avenue and then from st. Paul on the river that total mileage is about equal to the mileage from Minneapolis to the airport and including the peace in Minneapolis along the central Cardiff University of Minnesota to Minneapolis. So you have to have the whole Vision but you don't do it all at once I buy that argument. I understand that you probably probably ready to move in the central Corridor. That's that's ready to happen first and what you do in the again, if you do Light Rail and along the River View Cordia, you do things with buses River views a long-term vision for st. Paul and in the future if you look at the growth of st. Paul you're going to see how is it on the river and we call the upper Landing by the science museum, you're going to see housing in the coke mobile sites of the near West Seventh Street near the Highland are you'll see housing and probably retail in that area. You're going to see new industrial parks and job growth in the Texaco tank farm. We've got we've got huge opportunities for growth and development along the river. That's a long-term vision. You don't need to make any long-term investment there. I think you have to have a commitment demonstrated commitment to the vision and you have to perhaps do some things other than light rail up front to get people into the mode of using public transportation. So you don't need to do it all at once and you could probably start with a firm commitment on the central Corridor which has been studied which has been that's where the ridership is but have the have the commitment to the full vision. It's one of the things we've learned about development in st. Paul II early. I talked about our development framework. We have a vision for the long-term growth and development of st. Paul based on using the river. And by the way, Gary that Vision I mentioned my say the city is as applicable for what we're going to do and we call the Great Northern corridor from the area from from Lake Phalen all the way to st. Anthony Park on across the northern portion of the city. It's as applicable for the work being done in the Phelan corridor from Phelan right down heading from north to south along the east side eastern border st. Paul right down to the core downtown. That same Riverfront vision of using green space of parks of connecting Links of people working living and recreating and kind of doing all those things together rather than separate that that we have a long-term Vision. You need the same thing with Light Rail and many other things and all too often in government. We do a piece of something and we self don't get that piece done. You're going to kill the whole thing. You need a clear long-term Vision. That's the way we have done. Well in st. Paul we've done it with Riverfront development can do with economic development our neighborhoods and we should do the same thing with light (00:38:28) rail. Say Paul Mayor Norm Coleman is our guest this hour if you have a question for the mayor six, five, one two, two seven six thousand outside the Twin Cities 1-800 to for 22828 and your question. Hello. Yes, you're on the air. Hi. I'm Mary. I was wondering what you're going to do to make some changes in the st. Paul police department to make it so that your Chief is not having arguments and basically a pissing contest with the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department negative effect, that's happening to the st. Paul citizens and also the staff sworn in non-sworn that is affected by this Feud that's going on right (00:39:03) now first. Let me give a ringing endorsement of the work of the st. Paul police department. I think we have one of the safest cities. I don't I think we do unequivocal. We do have one of the safest cities our size and in America, we have a police department that has the support of the community last year. We cleared it a low homicide rate in every case was cleared tremendous work by a homicide folks. We've done tremendous job and getting out into neighbors and I think the chief is provided tremendous leadership. I will also give a ringing endorsement to Bob Fletcher the Ramsey County Sheriff a former member of the st. Paul police department who deep commitment to public service by Way not just as chief of police but he's a he's one of my he's one of my point you the public housing authority. Bob has been very involved and we're programs working with kids. So you've got two very capable individuals directing quality law enforcement organizations and along the way there is some tension that sometimes there's tension between Minneapolis and st. Paul we have that but in the end you figure out ways to work together, but the good news is that you have to Quality departments and I can tell you where that I have no hesitation in and heaping praise certainly upon my chief of police and and in the end the citizens of this area st. Paul in Ramsey County should feel very confident about the leadership that they getting and the support that they're getting from their respective law enforcement agencies. (00:40:26) Tim your question. Hello. Mayor Coleman Tim. Hi there see I have a question actually regarding the the riverfront area on the angle. I guess of from from a boating standpoint voted in there this summer and you know, you have a beautiful when you pull any C's st. Paul which looks absolutely beautiful where you coming from Tim from the river say actually st. Croix, you know, come down the st. Croix and then I'm going to be and you know, you head into st. Paul and it's just a beautiful view and it's just a very small Marina there on the south side of the river, you know barges. I know there's a lot of bars traffic just takes up the whole whole sides of the river and I was wondering if there was any any thought of maybe expanding that a little bit since voters especially in the rivers are always looking for nice places to go to and restaurants to go to and there really isn't a lot except for small towns on the river and it's Saint Paul warned option. You know, there were (00:41:26) be I want to capture to I want Capture I want to capture that energy. I want to capture that Vitality. I my vision is that you going to see restaurants along the river by the court Downtown. The good news is you're well aware that a couple of years ago for the first time we put a public dock we can actually come by and dock your boat right in by the by the Marina downtown. So we're making change their nice thing about the river that it is working River. We respect that. We understand that I'm a huge fan huge fan of the folks that they kind of do rowing by the by the river. They've been there forever. In fact showing mcavoy's one of the people that among the hundreds and I mentioned last night early on I made mention the folks from the from the boat club there have been long-term residents of that of that area. So I think we've got to have a mix you're going to see change when we make the change in Harriet Island that I talked about before you're going to see a softening of the water's edge so that people actually Come by and get close and touch the river literally be able to touch it. So we do have a vision of capturing the economic opportunities generated by folks like yourself folks who boat along that that River and you'll see the change, you know, if you go back to where we were four five and six years ago the best view of the Mississippi River was Ramsey County jail, and I tell people standing room only waiting list to get in there, you know, that was packed but we had no place to touch the river we're beginning to make change. It's a long-term process, but the restoration of Harry Diane will provide some real opportunity and it wouldn't surprise me to see some restaurants available for boat traffic in the next couple of years. It's going to happen some of these things take a little time with the good news. As I said earlier the flowers beginning to unfold I wouldn't surprise me. We get the science museum done at some point down the road to have water taxis that take people from the science museum, which will be touching the River on the downtown side across to Harriet Island, which has that great Regional Park. I'll see I think you'll see those kind of connections. Coming in years to come (00:43:29) Kelly your question. I actually have two questions one is about Farmers Market. I've always really enjoyed farmers market in downtown st. Paul and I read somewhere. I think I might have been sitting business that there was some consideration being given to expanding farmers market and even finding an indoor facility where it could maybe operate for a longer period during the year. I'd like to hear the mayor's Insight on that if he has any news that or any feelings about that. Secondly, I'm just wondering how much land is actually available for Waterfront development for Riverfront development the city and and are there funds available from the city to do feasibility studies on projects that might be undertaken (00:44:08) first. I'm a huge fan of the farmers market among the Litany of folks who I recognized last night. I made special note of Patty Brandon dick broker who I noted worked tirelessly to expand and Revitalize our Farmers Market. There are plans that have been effect studies done to accommodate the growth and expansion of the farmers market and looking at Long-term looking at there being an indoor element so that in the winter. You could do things like you could do honey. You could do the dried meats. You can do a range of product that's available in the winter thought of having it year-round. We've got to expect accommodate the growth of the farmers market. There's been some discussion about it going across the river certainly those folks in the lower town area want to keep it in Lower Town. We're working with the farmers market with the community there to accommodate that growth. That's one of those things that will happen. All these things take time. And really it's hot the end of my speech last night was an Ode to change a note to change love it embrace it capture it but it's hard. It really is difficult. We study the farmers market issue for a while, but the good news is we're making progress. We're moving forward and you will see growth and you will see expansion in terms of Riverfront development. And one of the great things we have is a Riverfront cooperation that has really taken the lead and in and helping to articulate and shape the vision for Riverfront development and they have and again we have this Framework this Vision. I keep coming back to it's important. That's one of the things that I think long after Norm Coleman is gone. There will be a very clear picture and hopefully a lot of it will be done but not all of of how we're going to grow and develop both in the river and now Beyond and now Beyond in terms of you know, I'm not sure what they're looking at private investment opportunities or or public investment. Clearly. What we have to do is I believe the city's role is to set the stage in the early days Riverfront development. We went to the Bigelow Foundation the mardik foundation. They actually put up money so that we could capture a piece of land. This is in the very early days way before we got anything done and and that really kind of got us going I think down the road. The riverfront Corporation is looking at doing things with Lance interesting. The first thing that they're looking at is not necessary on the river, but they're looking at actually buying the first Star Bank property, which as those familiar with downtown will know his right by Rice Park, it's you have now the new Lawson building which is going up which is beautiful. You have the Magnificent landmarks any of What way you have the incredible wonderful st. Paul Hotel, you have the Magnificent Library, which is undergoing a major renovation project next year. And of course all of this is right by the Minnesota club, which is going to go through renovation starting now and then the new Arena and the New River Center, but you've got that little bang and that little kind of strip of property there. The river incorporation is actually made an offer on that property to first star and the plan there is to do things with that property so that it becomes an inviting connecting link between Rice Park the science museum can hockey arena convention center and then moving those people so that they actually connect with downtown right now. It is not in there's nothing that invites you to st. Peter and wobs you Street when you're in around that Rice Park area that and you have to figure out a way to change that so they have actually made an offer on that piece of property and will work to make sure that it's developed in a way that actually creates an invitation to come to st. Peter come to watch the street and connect the energy of our Central business district with our Our Recreation entertainment area (00:47:31) merrier question, please. Yes, now that the legislature has changed the city residency laws as wondering if the city of st. Paul will be doing their own programs to encourage City residency and perhaps even living right downtown on the riverfront. (00:47:47) Well, we certainly want to encourage City residency in part of encouraging living right down. The river front is getting housing down there. And that's one of the priorities that we have to put housing and around the core downtown. We need housing all over but there are huge opportunities in and around the upper Landing which is on the River on the West Side the West Side Flats on the river and in the Northeast quadrant, which is kind of like Laurel Village in Minneapolis, not right on the river, but very very close. So the way I think you encourage people to live in a community is to make sure that it's safe which we've done in st. Paul make sure that it's affordable. It's why we have cut taxes for five years and one of the things that we're going to do this year. It's going to be harder to cut. As we squeeze for five years, we're going to face some budgetary issues and I'm going to make some tough choices, but I'm going to use the internet to get the people of st. Paul way in about whether they want to cut taxes or they want to infect keep going down that path where they prepare to increase them. I vote for cutting taxes, but I'm going to be one vote. I'm going to be a loud voice. I believe low attacks generate jobs and growth and opportunity, but we're doing the things to make st. Paul a fun place and exciting place of vibrant place and who knows we get near the end of our and we've hardly talked about baseball. I know we're on public radio. It's fabulous. But you know, we may even have baseball and downtown st. Paul and all of that will make st. Paul a great place to be to live to grow jobs to raise a family. So what doing all those things I think there's great opportunity. You don't need residency requirements to force people to have to live in your city to work there. We are part of a region. I need the best Minds in the brightest people to be committed to st. Paul and if they live in Roseville if they live in Maplewood and they want to work for the city of st. Paul and they love saying Paul God. Bless him. We'll use their talent will use their energy and we will do everything we can to make st. Paul the best place to raise a family to grow jobs in to retire (00:49:37) just about out of time as the mayor notes. We just got word here according to the Italian news agency air attacks against Yugoslavia have begun NATO air attacks and we'll have more on that in the news coming up here momentarily before we wrap up here. Let me run a couple of things by you mayor Y2K we're coming up on the Millennium here will people in St. Paul be freezing to death if worst predictions come true. (00:50:04) St. Paul has been very aggressive when working with Y2K we a city systems are being checked. The phone's going to work. The electricity is going to be on you can be able to get water. Let me know the other thing we're doing with using it as an opportunity to work with the faith community to reach out to Citizens Y2K is going to be a positive community building experience to seniors out there and others. Watch out for the Y2K scams. I saw a commercial last night. Got me scared. It was it was for a company I think in the gold and silver business and it showed somebody walking up and Bank doors closed and ATM machines not working and we're starting to see scams around the country of people going to senior say you get your money out of the bank and give it to us and we'll take care of it. You're going to see a lot of fear-mongering about Y2K st. Paul is going to we're going to approach it and in a positive way build community. There may be some little problems along the way but you're going to be confident being living and working in st. Paul. We're going to make it work. You (00:50:56) said at the beginning of the program or indicated maybe you might seek re-election as mayor maybe three thinking that what about the Senate there was a poll out here a little earlier you and timpani and Rod grams neck-and-neck only ones who get any support at all. (00:51:12) I love I love being mayor. I love my job. I'm going to work as hard as I can to be the best mayor that this City's ever known. (00:51:19) Yeah, and will there be a Twins baseball stadium in st. Paul Grill? It realistically here now Gary is your best. Guess it is. It is a (00:51:27) crazy almost impossible thing. But as I've said before many times, you know, I believe in miracles you can make crazy impossible things happen. We need to keep the twins in this community. St. Paul's as good a place as any and I'm going to work hard to make it happen. If you ask me right now, I can't tell you but I believe I believe and and again hockey was impossible. It was a miracle and maybe we can do the same thing with the twins. (00:51:53) Thank you mayor for coming by today. Appreciate it. (00:51:55) Always a pleasure Gary. Thank you. (00:51:56) St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman joining us this hour to talk about the state of the city of st. Paul yesterday the mayor delivered his sixth annual official state of the city address, and he's good enough come by today to elaborate a little bit on some of the items that he talked about yesterday and take your calls. Our plan right now is to rebroadcast this program at nine o'clock tonight. And I say the plan right now because if the reports out of Italy are true and in fact bombing has begun my guess is that there may be some special programming later this evening, but we'll keep you posted Ray Suarez is going to be along with Talk of the Nation here momentarily and full to our broadcast on the situation in Kosovo. But all I can do here is to advise that you stay tuned. We'll keep you posted on that story then of course, there's the US Supreme Court ruling that came down today on the Indian treaty rights case here in the state of Minnesota lots more information available through the day on that story busy day, and we hope you'll be able to stay tuned Gary eichten here. Thanks for tuning in today. I'm Lorna Benson. Be sure to tune in for the next All Things Considered for all the day's top stories plus insightful conversations and commentary. It's all things considered weekdays at 3:00 on Minnesota Public Radio. KN o WF M 91.1 You're listening to Minnesota Public Radio. We have a sunny Sky now. It's 38 degrees at Cana wfm 91.1 Minneapolis. And Saint Paul should be sunny through the afternoon with a high near 45 degrees another seven degrees warmer clear tonight with a low in the teens and then sunny skies are forecast for tomorrow. Once again temperature high tomorrow should be in the middle 40s. It's one o'clock. (00:53:52) From NPR news in Washington, I'm Ray Suarez. And this is Talk of the Nation the president assures this country that acting sooner saves lives. There is a humanitarian reason why I believe we need to take a stand there. There is a practical reason if we don't do it now, we'll have to do it later more people will die and it will cost more money. And there is a long-term strategic reason for the United States our children need a stable free Europe Bill Clinton explaining his administration's Kosovo policy yesterday in Washington while the president calls for a stable and free Europe today. The region looks jittery a NATO attack on Yugoslavia appears imminent will talk about the West's pressure on the milosevic government on Talk of the Nation after the news.