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Home > Our People > Contact Contact Union Park District Council The Union Park District Council serves as an important source of information of interest to our community. We share stories, photos, and information through a wide range of platforms including this website, our monthly eNewsletter, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Look for updates on neighborhood happenings in our regular column in the Villager Newspaper. We are active in other community discussion forums as well. If you are looking to get the word out about an event, project or anything else of interest to the community please let us know and we will share it with our networks. Come visit us in the office! Office Hours: Monday-Thursday 12 pm to 4 pm 1821 University Avenue W., S308 Saint Paul, MN 55104 info@unionparkdc.org (651) 645-6887 Sign up for our monthly eNewsletter Read articles and our column in the Villager, and follow it on Facebook Join the Merriam Park Neighbors Facebook Page Contact our Staff Fill out a barricade rental request here. Rent a tent for an event here

Home > Our Community > Neighborhoods > Our History Our History Have you ever wondered where the Union Park District name comes from? “In 1880, the Milwaukee Short Line Railroad opened up development in today’s Macalester, Groveland, and Merriam Park neighborhoods, then on the outskirts of St. Paul. Union Park, as it was called, was a thirty-acre site that contained Lake Iris. Land there was purchased by people for an entertainment area with a pavilion and bandstand that could be rented out by church groups and was soon opened to the public. One of the more exciting events at the park was theascensions. The site was eventually platted into lots for homeowners, with streets following the natural contours of the land.” (From the Winter 2005 Ramsey County History Magazine; article originally written by The Minnesota Junior Pioneers).

Join us for the 11th annual community party featuring free ice cream, peanut butter for the food shelf, and jamming to local musicians on September 21st, 2024 from 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm at Merriam Park Rec Center. More Info Here! What to expect: O'Shea Irish Dance Sambusa Express Urban Hillbilly Quartet Nellie's Ice Cream Husband Material Merriam Park

Home > News > News Updates > University Avenue Cleanup University Avenue Cleanup Sat Oct 15 2022 19:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

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Home > Our Work > Projects > Neighbors United Funding Collborative Neighbors United Funding Collborative The Neighbors United Funding Collaborative is a community-fund supporting the communities of Midway and Union Park. NUFC provides grants to residents, local businesses, and community organizations affected by the ongoing pandemic and civil unrest. NUFC is currently accepting grant applications from small busineses in the Midway and Union Park areas until funds are exhausted. Learn more and apply here . HISTORY OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD FUNDING COLLABORATIVE: In August 2016, the St. Paul City Council passed Resolution 16-1407 which created a task force to discuss the creation of a community benefits fund to support the neighborhoods adjacent to the Snelling-Midway Redevelopment Site. According to Midway United's account of the history, "for six months the Community Benefits Fund Task Force gathered from residents and business owners’ thoughts, ideas and aspirations for the creation of this community benefits fund and what it might support, including nearly 900 neighborhood comments during community outreach." Ideas ranged from façade improvements for local businesses to public art installations, such as sidewalk planters and artist-inspired benches. Ideas aimed to support business development, beautify streetscapes and encourage foot traffic and vibrancy. After community discussion and deliberation, The fund was named the Neighbors United Funding Collaborative (NUFC) and is the result of more than 2 years of community engagement, discussions, and outreach and officially "launched" in July 2019. NUFC has been shaped over time by community representatives from the Community Benefits Fund Task Force laid out in a 2016 City Council resolution authored by Thao. The fund is overseen by an advisory committee with community representatives from area neighborhoods, local businesses, soccer supporters groups, and those with expertise in development. To date, NUFC has helped over 20 small businesses through three different grant programs. < Previous Project Next Project >

Home > Our Work > Projects > Ten-Year Community Plan Ten-Year Community Plan Union Park created a new community plan in 2016. You can review the full plan here . The plan combines and revises the neighborhood plans of Merriam Park, Snelling-Hamline, and Lexington-Hamline, providing a ten-year vision that identifies priority policies and strategies for growth, investment, and development in our neighborhoods. The planning process allowed for full community participation to discuss and set priorities for the area. Why a create plan? What will it be used for? The plan will influence local decision-making by the city’s planning department and other public agencies. It will provide a vision for development and investment in our neighborhoods and influence rezoning. Government entities and private foundations also consider the plan when providing grants. How does the process work? We first submitted a work plan to the city’s department of Planning and Economic Development that outlined our primary goals, timeline, staff and financial resources, and anticipated outcomes for the plan. We were assigned a city planner to help guide us through the process and insure that our plan complements the city’s comprehensive plan. We established a Steering Committee and identified sub-committees of community volunteers to work on each section of the plan. Our staff reviewed and edited each section and insured that the language conformed with the community's input. Our board reviewed and approved the plan, and we then submitted it to the city. How has the community been involved? Broad-based representative community participation is a crucial part of the planning process. We started by crafting a survey to gather opinions on issues important to members of our community. Each section was drafted based on the survey data we collected. During the spring and summer of 2015, we brought elements of the plan to the community through a large number of community events and public meetings to get feedback on the draft plan and community priorities. We presented the plan at our annual meeting in October 2015. How does the plan get implemented? After receiving input from city staff, the plan went through a review process by the city’s Planning Commission . The Commission recommended the plan, to the City Council adopted it on November 16, 2016. The Met Council will also approve the plan, after which it becomes an official part of the city’s Comprehensive Plan . Union Park will use the plan to guide its work and inform the recommendations that it makes to the City. < Previous Project Next Project >

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Home > News > News Updates > University Avenue Clean-up University Avenue Clean-up Sat Jun 11 2022 15:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) We will provide: disposable gloves, trash bags, water for refilling your reusable bottle, and some snacks.