St. Paul isn't Minneapolis (and that's a good thing)

If you were to read the City of St. Paul's legislative wish list, you'd see a list of big projects such as:

Last year the City asked for $25 million for a new baseball stadium in Lowertown, and they got it.

The odd thing about these projects is that they aren't what the average resident of St. Paul really cares about. It appears as if these funding requests are typically large ticket items aimed at attracting people from outside St. Paul to come visit.

Most of these projects are part of this senseless game of "let's compete with Minneapolis."

Newsflash: St. Paul isn't Minneapolis, and the residents of St. Paul are content with that.

Too often I read a quote in a local newspaper that sounds something like, "Minneapolis got this, so it's only fair that we get this too." So, Minneapolis gets the Vikings Stadium. That means it's only fair that St. Paul gets money for the Saints. Minneapolis gets Target Center renovation cash, so we have to improve the Xcel Center. The list could go on …

I don't know if those asking for money know this, but the people of St. Paul don't really care that it's not Minneapolis. In fact, we wish that city leaders would stop trying to be the big city and just concentrate on the things that make St. Paul great.

I like the neighborhoods and the tree-lined streets. I like the Groveland Tap and Grand Avenue. I love the slower pace of life, the cheaper rents and about a thousand other things. I like that I have the keys to my neighbor's house, you know, just in case. I like that when I leave my trash bin out that my neighbor will bring it back and place it in my backyard. Yes, these things occur in Minneapolis neighborhoods too, but I have experienced them in my neighborhood in St. Paul.

Sure, I'd like to buy cupcakes on Grand Avenue and have a few more bike lanes, but I can get by without them. No place is going to be perfect.

The easiest way to make life better in St. Paul would be to listen to its residents. The city would find that most suggestions are small, reasonable and affordable. I was having this conversation with my girlfriend and I asked her "What could be done to make St. Paul a better place?"

Right away, off the top of her head, she responded with two great suggestions:

Both of these ideas would benefit thousands of people and are really cheap (or, at least cheaper than a baseball stadium and the Children's Museum expansion). The mid-range grocery store would certainly help me. In Highland Park, we've got high-end and low-end. Mississippi Market, Kowlaski's and Lund's are great, but they break the bank. Then we've got Cooper's Super Value. It's cheap, but good luck finding fresh fruit. And bridging the disconnect between the two bike trails would entail nothing more than adding a mile or two of bike lanes and some better wayfinding signage. Simple.

I asked my neighbor. His suggestion was even more basic: add sidewalks along Davern Street Hill and Edgecumbe Road so the kids who have to walk up the hill to high school don't have to walk in the street.

That's it! That's what people actually want: a sidewalk, bike trail, neighborhood pub and an affordable grocery store.

Okay, before you write something in the comment section, I want to say: Yes, I've used a very small sample size. I recognize this. The St. Paul demographic that I know would be those living south of I-94 and those without children. I'm sure if I asked this question to some parents or anyone living anywhere in St. Paul, they'd tell me something about their neighborhood, their public school and possibly something about crime.

The point I want to get across is that people want things that are small and localized. They want the proverbial pothole fixed, and while they may enjoy the occasional visit to the Science Museum and possibly a Wild game or two, that's not what they really care about. That's not what makes them want to live in St. Paul.

If St. Paul does the small things right, then I think the big things, like sports stadiums and science museums will fall into place.