Rondo Avenue Inc University Ave W, Suite 140 St Paul, MN CIB - Community Task Force Presentation March 30, 2015 Prepared by: 275 East 4th Street, Suite 400 St Paul, MN “A space to give a sense of renewal and signify the rebirth of the spirit of Rondo!”

Rondo Community Interpretive Plaza Scope: Rondo Avenue, Inc., (RAI) Mission: RAI is dedicated to preserving the core values of the former predominately African- American Rondo neighborhood and accurately interpreting the contributions of the residents to the City of St. Paul. This community was destroyed by the construction of Interstate I-94 in the late 1960’s. Each July, for the past 30 years, RAI has sponsored the “Rondo Days” festival as a means to transmit the history and rich cultural traditions of old Rondo neighborhood and connect them with the new generations of an ever-evolving community. The Rondo Community Interpretive Space Project: RAI is leading the effort to raise funds for the construction of an interpretive space commemorating the historical contributions of African Americans to the City of St. Paul, Ramsey County and the State of Minnesota. This space has the opportunity to create interactive programs of sight and sound that educate, inspire and demonstrate the core values of the former Rondo neighborhood. These core values are: 1.The dignity of work, 2.The value of education, 3.The importance of religion, 4.The pride of home ownership, 5.The necessity of social interaction, and 6.Respect for self and others March 30, 2015 | Page 2 This space will provide a foundation for the formation of a lively, complex community that will draw upon the wisdom of old Rondo to empower the residents to improve their own lives with a special emphasis on inspiring today’s youth for tomorrow challenges. The Rondo Commemorative Plaza and Gardens: This plaza will incorporate interactive historical displays that provide visual, written and oral information, signage, images, music and art representative of the old Rondo community before the freeway was built in the early 1960s. The interactive displays will be outfitted with Quick References (QR) codes that will connect the user with other institutions holding information on Rondo. The Plaza will also serve as a social center for gatherings where youth, young adults and tourists can celebrate and learn about Rondo from dialogues and exchanges with older citizens who grew up in Rondo. There will be comfortable benches and chairs, a small stage with a sound system when there are live lectures and musical presentations.

Rondo Community Interpretive Plaza Site Info: Address: Concordia Ave/Old Rondo Ave Site Area: 5,662.8 sf (0.13 Acres) Zoning: RT-1 Two-Family Page 3 | March 30, 2015 Site: SITE INTERSTATE 94

March 30, 2015 | Page 4 V i c t oria Fisk A v on Carroll Rondo Community Interpretive Plaza Site Historic circa 1950: Rondo St. Anthony SITE LOCATION OF INTERSTATE 94

Rondo Community Interpretive Plaza Page 5 | March 30, 2015 Site Photos: Historic Photo from Rondo AvenueCurrent Photo from Old Rondo Avenue Historic Photo from Old Rondo AvenueCurrent Photo from Fisk

Rondo Community Interpretive Plaza Precedent Examples March 30, 2015 | Page 6 Reflective Civil Rights Memorial, Montgomery, AL Interactive Civil Rights Memorial, Montgomery, AL Informational Scholar’s Walk (U of M), Minneapolis, MN Artistic Scholar’s Walk (U of M), Minneapolis, MN Contemplative Pocket Park, San Francisco, CA Community Gathering Lincoln Park, Chicago, IL

Rondo Community Interpretive Plaza Page 7 | March 30, 2015 Plaza looking towards Old Rondo Avenue

Rondo Community Interpretive Plaza Plaza from Old Rondo Avenue March 30, 2015 | Page 8

Page 9 | March 30, 2015 Sources & Uses Rondo Community Interpretive Plaza Sources CIB Funding Ask Dollar Amount $288,000 Capital Campaign GoFundMe, Other Private Donations $ 50,000 Other Requests (Anticipated or Pending) Green Line Challenge, Legacy Grants $100,000 Current Expenditures$ 13,000 Total$451,000 Uses CIB Funding Ask Dollar Amount $288,000 Design$ 15,000 Construction Plans/ Specifications$ 15,000 Construction/ Rehabilitation$250,000 Inspection/ Construction Management$8,000 Capital Campaign Ongoing Maintenance Fund, Enhanced Interpretive Displays $ 50,000 Green Line Challenge Enhanced Interpretive Displays, Plaza Programming $ 75,000 Total$451,000