Rice & Larpenteur Alliance: Revitalizing a Gateway to Three Cities
An interview with Executive Director Kim O'Brien
On Saturday, the Rice & Larpenteur Alliance held its 7th annual Summer Block Party for the community where Roseville, Maplewood, and Saint Paul meet.
Prior to the event, Roseville Reader contributing reporter Greg Simbeck had the chance to sit down with the Executive Director of the Rice & Larpenteur Alliance, Kim O'Brien, to learn more about the organization.
Roseville Reader: “What is the Rice and Larpenteur Alliance?”
Kim O'Brien: "The Rice and Larpenteur Alliance is a collaboration between the cities of Roseville, Maplewood, and St. Paul, as well as Ramsey County, that meet up at the intersection of Rice Street and Larpenteur Avenue. The cities came together in 2016 with the community to build a vision for the future, recognizing years of disinvestment and inattention because it was on the border of these three cities."
"Since then, the Alliance was formed, and we are a community-driven board of directors and group of volunteers with support from the cities and the county to continue supporting and revitalizing this area."
RR: “And how did you get involved with the Alliance?”
O'Brien: "I started working on Rice Street when I worked for the City of St. Paul in Councilmember Amy Brendmoen's office back in 2012. And I got to know and love the Rice Street community in St. Paul. At the time, my boss, Amy, Mayor Dan Roe of Roseville, and then Mayor Nora Slowick from Maplewood started talking about regular issues cropping up in the intersection of Rice Street and Larpenteur Avenue."
“There were frequent pedestrian crashes, some tragically fatal. There were frequent reports of violence in the community, including gun violence happening in the mall areas around the intersection, usually stemming from local nightclubs.”
“There was obvious neglect in the public transportation infrastructure. Deteriorating roads, deteriorating private spaces, and a significant lack of pedestrian infrastructure. And you kind of pair that up with the fact that the neighborhood is very densely populated with community members because there is a large amount of naturally occurring affordable housing in the Rice and Larpenteur neighborhood with lots of families, lots of young kids living in the area, and no real infrastructure to properly support a healthy and high quality of life."
“I got to be in on those early conversations about a collaboration. In 2018, after the vision was adopted by all three cities, the community generated a plan for the future of the Rice and Larpenteur area. The cities did something really innovative: they pulled together resources to implement the plan, and put out a request for proposals for organizations or individuals who wanted to be part of that implementation. I joined forces with the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce to apply for that opportunity to build the Alliance and lead the implementation of the vision plan. And that was in 2019."
RR: “What is the composition of your board?”
O'Brien: "We have recently transitioned from a large community-based advisory board to an actual board of 14 seats. We ensure that there is an elected official from each of the three cities and the county serving in a board position. There are seats dedicated for neighborhood residents and local businesses. And we also fill seats with others who represent expertise in real estate development or expertise in housing, expertise in public safety, or community support services.”
“We just launched our new board of directors this year, and it's going really well. And to complement that, to ensure that we have a really broad group of individuals continuing to support the Alliance, we've also created a new membership program this year where individual residents, businesses, and institutions can opt in to become a member of the Rice & Larpenteur Alliance."
RR: What are some of the Alliance's community projects and actions you are most proud of?
O'Brien: "When I think about the Alliance, I think it's important to realize that it's not just our small organization, but an alliance of the three cities, community members, and businesses. I think of the successes of the cities, private industry, and the county. I'm proud that before the Rice and Larpenteur Alliance was founded officially in 2019, there was no identifying language for the area."
“Given its geography, Maplewood just had this small sliver of the neighborhood, which felt disjointed. And from a high-level perspective, I'm most proud of asking any business or any community member in the area what their neighborhood is known as, and they will call it the Rice and Larpenteur area.”
“That unifying brand, language, and sense of pride and place have led to so many improvements, both in the social environment and in the built environment. I'm most proud of that sense of identity and of the local leaders we've been able to develop and support. We have senior citizens, we have small business owners, we have major corporations, and of course, our city partners and county partners. I'm really proud of that."
"Also, working with private property owners to improve the southwest corner of Rice and Larpenter. The significant improvements in that major property include improving the parking lot's safety and appearance and even installing our neighborhood wayfinding signage at Rice and Larpenter."
“In addition to the traffic improvements on Larpenteur Avenue, a major reconstruction of Rice Street is under construction right now. It will include several elements of what our original vision plan included in it, like pedestrian scale lighting, and a shared use path."
"There will be more tree coverage, safer crossings, and a better environment for small businesses to attract customers and ensure the safety of community members walking to and from our local businesses.”
RR: “I'd be remiss if I didn't ask you about the community and the Alliance's efforts in working with city officials to get the last adult entertainment location in St. Paul closed. Can you tell me about that?”
O'Brien: "Yes, you're 100% right. The Lamplighter Lounge was closed three years ago now. It had been a nuisance to the community for decades, not because of what type of business it was, but because of the clear lack of regard for community safety stemming from that business. We heard reports of nightly police interventions, nightly fights, street brawls, shots fired, etc. The location was just a stone's throw from apartment buildings that house many young families and a laundromat where people come to do their laundry."
“And tragically, in 2020, a young woman named Nia Black lost her life due to gun violence stemming from the Lamplighter Lounge. And her mother is my hero still to this day because, in her tragedy, she started an organization called Mothers Against Community Gun Violence.”
“You asked me about proud moments, and this is one of them. Mothers Against Community Gun Violence trusted our organization, the Rice and Larpenteur Alliance, to stand by them and demand justice for their daughter and demand a better future for all of our community members who should be able to attend a nightclub or a business locally and not fear that their life is in danger."
Zoë Jackson
"And we worked together with Mothers Against Community Gun Violence, activated with the city of St. Paul and local leaders who also demanded answers and action. We supported peaceful protests and marches for peace. The end result was that the Lamplighter Lounge officially closed down, and since then, in its place has been that ethnic community grocery store, primarily serving the Karen and Nepali community.”
“And that little grocery store is a tremendous amenity to our neighborhood, with a young entrepreneur making a difference. So the transformation of that business is certainly a huge positive improvement and has positively impacted the livability of the entire community.”
“Previously, the city of Maplewood was instrumental in working together with the community to close down the Stargate nightclub. The improvement in safety is undeniable since those establishments have closed, and the community decided that this is a place that we care about, that people call home, and that we need to band together and demand better for our community.”
Nick Ferraro
RR: Now, tell me about some of your annual events.
O'Brien: "The Rice & Larpenteur Alliance has created a series of community events every year, at least one in each of our three cities. We start our year early with an annual community gathering, a dinner, and a community space for people to come and talk about our shared vision: To share a meal and celebrate our community champions.”
"Then we have a spring cleanup event that attracts nearly 60 people each year. We are coming together around Earth Day to clean up litter in the neighborhood and partner with our communities and our local businesses to support those volunteers."
“Our spring event, Community in Bloom, is held at Lake McCarron's County Park in Roseville, highlighting that beautiful park space. It's meant to celebrate art, our environment, and our natural resources, and just bring the community together for a barbecue in the park. The vision plan has identified this park as an important resource that we should be promoting and supporting."
“Then the event we have coming up here this weekend* is the Summer Block Party, and I call this our signature event of the year. This will be the event's seventh year at the southwest corner of Rice and Larpenteur in the My Thrift Store parking lot. And we started holding the event in the neighborhood long before the physical safety improvements to the parking and long before the Lamplighter Lounge finally exited the complex."
"We held that first event in that parking lot to declare that this neighborhood had a lot of positive strength, and we weren't going to let negative attention be the narrative any longer. So we started celebrating the strengths of the community. The area where we hold this event has changed so much since then, and the event has also continued to grow."
"We feature a lot of local businesses and vendors; we have some free food to share from local restaurants and food trucks. We always have a live band from the Blues Saloon, which is right across the street, who also donates the stage and sound equipment.”
"We have a Hmong dance team from the Community School of Excellence perform. We have activities for kids. This year, we will have a climbing wall from the St. Paul Parks and Recreation Department. We will have the mobile library from the St. Paul Public Library team."
“The point of the event is to highlight all of our neighborhood's strengths, bring the community together, and identify our brand as we move toward our vision . . . And for the third year in a row, the event will be sponsored by M Health Fairview, which has a clinic on Rice Street and has given back to the community in significant ways. They will again provide free fitted bike helmets for all kids who attend our events.”
*editorial note: The Summer Block Party took place on August 16
"Finally, there is our winter warm-up every year on the Maplewood corner, a really special, fun event. We hold it outdoors because we're Minnesotans and we're hardy, and we celebrate the winter season.”
"We highlight local businesses and serve hot food donated from local businesses. Like Caribou Coffee and Asia Fusion Kitchen, we also have bonfires and a llama petting zoo, and we'll have local high school choirs come and do some caroling."
“Another important part of this event is the winter wear clothing exchange. People can donate their gently used or new jackets, snow pants, hats, gloves, and whatever else they have. And we'll put them out on racks, and people can give what they don't need and take what they need. And it's a wonderful way to share with each other in the cold winter season."
RR: “What does the future look like for the Rice & Larpenteur Alliance?”
O'Brien: "I think the future is very bright for the neighborhood. I think that for the Rice & Larpenteur Alliance to continue to succeed in achieving our shared vision for a safe and inviting neighborhood center, we need continued investments from all three cities that have supported us in the beginning."
“However, we must also find sustainable ways to fund the organization's efforts through business sponsorships, our membership program, and individual giving. And it is time for the community to continue taking more ownership over the organization if they want to see these investments continue.”
"I'm excited for the future. We have some amazing leaders, some amazing supporters, and unwavering support from our local government."
RR: “And I understand you've had significant youth involvement, too. Is that correct?”
O'Brien: "Yes. We have high school students who are contributing to the Alliance's work every year. Through support from the City of St Paul's Right Track Internship Program, we have had a spring and summer youth ambassador program for the last four years, where local high school students are paid through the program to work with us on community engagement events, community surveys, and neighborhood activations. And through that program, we've employed six to eight students every year.”
“They care about their futures and are excited for them. And the internship gives them the opportunity to hone their skills in public speaking and community engagement, and also shows them that there are careers and work in giving back to their community. So it's been a wonderful program and partnership. And hats off to my colleague Maichee Xiong, who has led our youth ambassador program over the last several years. And it continues to grow."
RR: “And finally, if someone wants to volunteer or get more involved with the Alliance, is there anything they should know? And who should they contact?’
O'Brien: "I encourage everybody to come and volunteer and get involved. We definitely need you. To start, you can visit our website riceandlarpenteur.com. We also have a new supporter page where you can sign up to be a member. And that membership ensures you receive direct invitations and information to join our Alliance and help move the vision forward. So visit riceandlarpenteur.com/support to sign up."
"And also, we post volunteer opportunities regularly on our social media accounts and in our quarterly newsletter. You will definitely want to follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram, and subscribe to our newsletter as well. If you have an idea or want to invest further in the Rice & Larpenteur neighborhood through service, you can contact me or Maichee [Xiong]. Our contact information is also on the website.”
RR:
“As someone who's volunteered for your events and your programs in the past, it's a really fun, rewarding experience. I encourage more people to come out and do that. I want to thank Kim O'Brien, Executive Director of the Rice & Larpenteur Alliance, for meeting with me today.”
Editorial note: This interview has been edited for length.
Greg Simbeck is a freelance writer who lives in Roseville, Minnesota. He has had 200 articles published on national sites including Yardbarker, WhoWhatWhy, and New Leaf News. He and his wife Mary Jo have lived in Roseville for over 17 years. He was previously a commissioner on the Roseville Parks and Recreation Commission and a board member of the Rice-Larpenteur Alliance.
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