Troubled waters: St. Paul’s Bridges project has more bridges to cross

In a meeting called through an ad in the Pioneer Press, the TriCouncil Task Force gathered Thursday to discuss the Bridges of St. Paul project. The project has created significant contention since the idea was formed by Jerry Trooien, developer and owner of JLT Inc., a development firm, due to the project’s size and a lack of community input in its conception.

After a bid for rezoning of the project was expected to fail, Ward 2 Council Member Dave Thune negotiated a deal in which Trooien withdrew the rezoning proposal and agreed to work with the community. Shortly after that a contentious annual election was held at (WSCO), the local district council, which was swayed by a significant number of people who voted as volunteers, who lived outside the area, toward a board which is now supportive of the project.

Thursday evening’s meeting didn’t have anyone yelling or storming out in anger but was certainly not the Bridges love-in that it was intended to be. Several members of the TriCouncil task force voiced concerns about the change in the task force composition. The original design called for three members each of the Capitol River Council (CRC), West Seventh/Fort Road Federation, and West Side Citizens’ Organization. WSCO, however, brought to the task force six members that president Don Luna intended to present to their board for official approval.  Erroll Edward, one of the expected appointees from WSCO, said, “If you want to add, then you can add. This is not about us. This about our community.” Members of both the federation and CRC said they would have to return to their boards with the altered layout of the task force to see if the boards would agree to proceed.

The task force as originally envisioned would have included three members appointed from each group, with those nine people being able to add additional people by a majority vote. The original agreement also said that it would be a review panel that would operate by simple majority, if WSCO had 6 pro-JLT members it would likely make CRC and the Federation reconsider their participation in it.

Thune, who still has no opponents for his re-election, started the meeting by saying, “The time is not to look back but to look forward.” Thune said, “JLT needs to not try to force a schedule,” and added that city planner Lucy Thompson would be leading the project once she returns in February. When a West Side resident asked Thune if he supported the initial vision of the Bridges project, Thune said he had not supported that project.

Erroll Edwards-WSCO board Vice President, Erik Hare-West 7th/Fort Road Federation Representative, Diane Gerth-West 7th/Fort Road Federation Representative

Erroll Edwards said at the end of the discussion about the process, “The buck stops on the West Side. We are the ones that have to respond to the community.”

The audience was also given a chance to respond at the meeting. The mostly West Side residents who raised concerns focused on taxes, TIF, public health, and safety.