Trial bus service will give St. Paul kids, school programs a lift

Kurt New had no problem getting St. Paul kids excited about programs and activities at the East Side YMCA where he works.

Getting them there, however, posed a challenge.

But then came along a free bus serving East Side kids during the summer of 2007. It stopped at recreation centers, libraries and other places, such as the YMCA, where kids could take part in productive activities.

"The kids took to it," said New, director of community programs for the YMCA. That has allowed him to focus more time on programs and activities instead of figuring out how to get kids to the building.

Now, after two summers of bus service, the city of St. Paul and community groups announced Tuesday a pilot circulator that will run after school. Two buses will run from 3 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and serve the Dayton's Bluff and Payne-Phalen neighborhoods through May. Youth ages 7 to 18 can ride.

It's part of Mayor Chris Coleman's Second Shift initiative.

Kids need safe places and positive alternatives to keep learning after school is over, he said Tuesday. If kids have access to constructive activities in their neighborhoods, he said, then communities will be safer and students will be more productive. Coleman made Second Shift a major piece of his campaign for mayor.

The programs are worth nothing, though, unless kids have a way to get to them, Coleman said.

The East Side service is modeled after a West Side circulator that was started by parents, said Kari Denissen, who works in the city's Parks and Recreation Department. A similar service, called Youth Are Here, runs in north and south Minneapolis.

The number of summer East Side circulator rides nearly doubled between 2007 and 2008, from about 2,200 to about 4,200. Organizers aren't sure what to expect for after-school ridership, but they're optimistic.

The circulator makes the neighborhood and the world bigger for the children who use it, said Sally Naar, of the East Side Children's Summer Program.

Guadalupe Gadea, 14, would agree.

It will cost about $14,500 to run the service through the school year, and it's paid for through a Minnesota Department of Education grant.

For more information, go to www.stpaul.gov/parks.