A vision of renewal

You can help a St. Paul community get some projects done with the click of a mouse. Three projects on the East Side were chosen to be among those in 10 U.S. cities participating in HGTV's "Change the World, Start at Home" campaign for community revitalization.

By Chris Havens

Last update: November 14, 2007 - 10:20 AM

Kris and Tom Nelson moved into their Dayton's Bluff house almost 11 years ago. They knew it would take years of work to restore it to its original glory, but that's what you do for a labor of love.

The couple worked on the house until Kris became pregnant with their first son, Andreas, who's almost 4. His brother, Alex, came along 18 months later.

About two years ago, Tom died in his sleep. It's now Kris and her two sons in the three-story house that was built in 1889.

Nelson, who helps maintain her community's rain garden, said several people expressed doubt that she could keep living in the house. "But I feel so connected, I don't know that I could live anywhere else."

The project calls for removing asbestos siding, remodeling the kitchen and bathroom and replacing windows.

City Academy at Wilder Recreation Center

The Wilder Recreation Center was designed by architect Clarence (Cap) Wigington and was built as a WPA project. City Academy, the nation's first charter school, is housed in an addition built in 1994. The school serves about 100 at-risk students, mostly juniors and seniors, per year.

City Academy has made an effort this year to use locally sourced meats and organic produce in its kitchen, said co-director Milo Cutter.

There's nothing more local than a garden on site, and this project calls for building one on the roof. Students would tend to the veggies, which would be used in school lunches.

The project also calls for landscaping around the recreation center, adding exercise stations along a walking course and building a picnic pavilion or gazebo near athletic fields.

Students in science, culinary arts and construction classes would help with the project.

"We want to spruce up our part of town," Cutter said.

Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary

This 27-acre plot of land lies to the east of downtown and at the foot of Dayton's Bluff. A former rail yard that had become an illegal dumping ground, the land holds cultural and historical significance.

The land was acquired for the city in 2002. Debris was removed and the soil was cleaned in following years. Community members planted more than 13,000 plants, trees and shrubs. The park opened to the public in 2005.

It's now home to bald eagles, great blue herons and acres of restored woodlands and wetlands.

The tasks sought are to plant oak trees, preserve and close off historic caves on the site and use high-tech equipment to find out more about archaeological features.

Chris Havens • CHAVENS@STARTRIBUNE.COM