There has been some talk recently about coaches in high school sports. And this weekend St. Paul Academy and Summit School’s (SPA) new Athletics Hall of Fame will induct one of the greatest to ever do it anywhere. So, it seems right to share with the world the extraordinary gift to so many that was the late Coach Mike Foley.

West Siders in St. Paul from the 1960s will remember him as the kid from Baker Playground whose leadership earned him a scholarship to the rarefied air of Colgate University.

Minnesota high school hockey fans were enthralled by his sublime 31-1 1973 juggernaut and 1974 Independent State Champions at SPA.

Gopher fans from the 1970s and ’80s recall his low-profile and invaluable supporting role on the bench for Herbie and then with Brad Buetow, including an NCAA National Championship team in 1979.

Thousands more learned from him in his Shakespeare classroom and his exceptional summer hockey school.

Mike Foley felt a humble pride in having grown up in a working-class neighborhood in a blue-collar city. He carried that work ethic, humility and integrity over to his teaching and coaching. He was as at home with the engineers in the school’s boiler room as he was quoting Shakespeare in teaching the meaning of life. Late into countless nights, stacks of students’ papers could routinely be found in his tiny den at home as he read and marked up each with instructive feedback; always teaching. He was often seen sprinting up and down the ice with his players during his infamous “hurt, pain, agony” drills as they worked tirelessly to be the best-conditioned teams in the state. At a time when summer hockey schools were proliferating with the star power of big-name athletes who made episodic appearances, Mike Foley committed to leading the coaching work personally in each and every session.

In any discussion with or about Coach Foley and in sharing our memories of him, we hear two themes clearly: Love and Learning.
In the classroom and the rink, Coach made us hungry for learning — about hockey, Shakespeare and most of all, life.

Why?

Because he loved us. We were all so different. And he was different, too. And he loved all of us.

How did we know that? You know how you can just feel it sometimes? It’s in how someone speaks to you — he called us all by our full names. Every time. He never cursed. Ever. And he didn’t yell at us like all the other coaches did at the time.

And then there were times like the day Mike Dosdall and Joth Lindeke collided at top speed during practice. They both went down hard and Joth started convulsing violently. While the rest of us all stood paralyzed, Coach was shot out of a cannon from across the rink. He hit the ice and reached into Joth’s mouth to pull up his tongue, quite possibly saving his life. Still on his knees, Coach checked on Dos, who was dazed but OK, and then cradled Joth like a baby in his arms until the ambulance arrived. It was a profound act of love.

We learned from Coach that love opens both our hearts and our minds. When we feel safe, we listen more and hear differently. We ask more questions. Coach used the Socratic method — always asking. Opening our young minds to the boundless possibilities he saw in and for us. We were too young to really believe in ourselves yet. He saw the worlds of potential in all of us. And he helped us begin to see it for ourselves.

As a result, we learned from Coach to love each other and see the best in each other. All of that lives on in us to this day.

Coach always had a purpose, and he shared that with us. It was his way of helping us learn the importance of purpose and values — in hockey and in life … Preparation. Sacrifice. Selflessness. Humility. Teamwork. On and off the ice. Gratitude. So often he would say when he heard a story of misfortune, “There but for the Grace of God. That could be you or me.”

One of Coach’s many go-to sayings — “Life is 200 by 85, boys” — the rink measurements. He used the game to teach us about life.

Coach would often tell us, “These are the best years of your lives, boys. Enjoy them while you’ve got them. It won’t be long … Things get complicated.” Then he and his beloved wife invited us into their home for their world-famous, season-end taco parties. The love in their family was palpable when we hit the door. We saw that he was living his very best life ~ and we learned again from his example.

A young leader at one of the world’s most popular media companies heard the news about Coach Foley’s passing last fall. Her first words were about how she had just recently been sharing with her own team, scattered all over the planet, what she learned from Coach Foley through her own father — “Do your best; be your best in every situation. And let God take care of the rest.” She said she felt so thankful for the gifts of time and learning she received with Coach Foley.

On behalf of the hundreds and thousands of souls you touched and the lives you made infinitely better … Thank you, Coach. Thank you, all of the extraordinary Foley family.

John Thomas, Sacramento, grew up in St. Paul and was the student manager for Coach Foley’s 1969-70 SPA hockey team. Thomas later served in business leadership roles with the Timberwolves NBA expansion franchise and the NHL Stanley Cup Finalist North Stars as well as the back-to-back NBA Champion Houston Rockets, inaugural WNBA Champion Houston Comets, the WNBA Champion Sacramento Monarchs and the Sacramento Kings.

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The St. Paul City Council is likely to allow cannabis shops as close as 300 feet away from schools, with no buffer at all required downtown.

“That mirrors liquor rules,” council member Rebecca Noecker, who represents downtown, said in a brief interview Wednesday. “The more we can make this mirror existing retail ordinances, the better. Hopefully that avoids confusion for business owners. Cannabis is a form of retail.”

A public hearing before the council Wednesday on the city’s proposed cannabis ordinance drew three individuals expressing a range of views, including one in favor of the rules as suggested. There were a handful of written comments but little in the way of organized opposition.

Under state law, cities are to establish their own zoning conditions for locating cannabis retailers, provided the ordinances don’t create a buffer greater than 1,000 feet from schools or 500 feet from day cares, residential treatment facilities, playgrounds or athletic fields.

Based on the recommendations of city planning staff, the St. Paul Planning Commission held a public hearing in June on less restrictive rules, including the 300-foot buffer from schools. A retailer spanning more than 15,000 square feet would be required to obtain a conditional-use permit, except in industrial districts.

City staff studied the experience of 29 cities that already have legalized cannabis sales and found that a 1,000-foot buffer would leave about 63% of the city off-limits, concentrating cannabis retailers in just a handful of neighborhoods. Most of that would fall within industrial zones like Energy Park Drive and some areas along Seventh Street. Sales would be prohibited from most major commercial corridors.

Rejecting that idea, the Planning Commission voted unanimously Aug. 2 to support the softer cannabis restrictions as proposed.

16 license types

The state licenses 16 different types of cannabis manufacture, cultivation and sale, including micro-businesses, growers, retailers, testers, transporters and non-cannabis retailers that sell low-potency, hemp-derived edible products. The Planning Commission found 178 St. Paul bars, restaurants and other shops that would fall into that latter category because they already sell low-potency gummies and other goods at the register.

St. Paul’s proposed rules would allow limited cannabis cultivation and manufacturing in facilities spanning less than 15,000 square feet on most commercial corridors. Industrial-scale production in facilities spanning more than 15,000 square feet would be allowed in industrial districts.

Outdoor cultivation — such as backyard and rooftop growing operations — would require a conditional-use permit and would be regulated like other agriculture.

The question of where cultivators will be allowed to grow and process cannabis drew a letter of concern from the St. Anthony Park Community Council, which noted some Denver and Santa Barbara County neighborhoods have reported a “skunky odor” and other documented issues with odor control. The city, they wrote, lacks “clear standards for measuring air quality and requiring effective odor control technologies and odor abatement plans.”

The St. Paul City Council will continue its public hearing next Wednesday, Sept. 11, and could vote to adopt the rules at that time.

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A transportation advocacy organization has been organizing events this summer to encourage community members to rethink their streets.

The organization, Our Streets, formerly known as Our Streets Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition, hosted their first event July 14 at Central Village Park in St. Paul’s Rondo neighborhood. In addition to having attendees envision how their neighborhoods could look without Interstate 94, event organizers also wanted to celebrate those who comprise the heart and soul of the Frogtown and Rondo neighborhoods.

The event occurred as the Minnesota Department of Transportation determines what to do about I-94’s future.

The organization hosted a similar event Aug. 10 in North Minneapolis, focusing on Olson Memorial Highway. MnDOT is determining what to do about that highway’s future, too.

The next Imagine event in the series will again focus on I-94 and be held Sunday in Minneapolis’ Cedar-Riverside neighborhood (learn more at ourstreetsmn.org).

All three events included performances that were curated by local artists, community groups and business owners.

The event series differs from Open Streets Minneapolis. For years, Our Streets closed miles of roadway in Minneapolis throughout the summer for people to walk, bike, shop and eat on. Last year, as the organization sought funding from the city of Minneapolis to organize the Open Streets series, the city instead put those events out to bid to different organizations.

The Pioneer Press interviewed Our Streets executive director José Antonio Zayas Cabán (JC), community development and events senior manager Ember Rasmussen (ER), as well as artist Hawona Sullivan Janzen (HSJ), to understand the planning and purpose behind the events. Their responses were edited for clarity.

Q: What is the purpose of the Imagine series?

José Antonio Zayas Cabán: This event series is much more closely tied to our advocacy work. The Imagine series is basically our commitment to the community. We’re thinking about the idea of block parties with a purpose, to put it together in areas that have been impacted by major construction projects like the interstate. And also put a twist on it so that people could come in and imagine what it could feel like if we replaced the highway with, or imagine what it could feel like if we had, a car-free corridor.

The best way to build trust and get people to ideate and imagine what’s possible is to come to them and make it accessible, make it welcoming and make it interesting for them. So the idea of having food, music, artists and makers gives people a reason to gather together. And when they gather together, then they also have the opportunity to engage with new information, engage with new ideas, provide feedback, ask a lot of questions.

It also allows us to build that trust and take all of that engagement and help shape it into something that we can advocate for.

When the Minnesota Department of Transportation creates a project, they have very limited, inaccessible engagement and then move through fairly quickly, and sometimes people don’t even know what’s going on, they don’t know that I-94 is being reconstructed, even though the project has been going on for over a decade.

They don’t know what’s possible with a highway other than rebuilding a highway. So we introduced the idea of highway removal. We tried to kind of think about the gaps in the agency’s process. And we try to address those gaps by making it as meaningful and as impactful as possible.

Q: How does it differ from Open Streets?

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JC: Open Streets is a little bit more of an invitation for people to come out and see, experience a certain part of the city. Open Streets is by and large a street festival where people can come down a corridor and engage with anything that we can fill it with, and ideally it’s representative of the neighborhood that we’re in. But it’s not necessarily a corridor that is connected to a particular Our Streets advocacy project.

The Imagine series is a bit more neighborhood-centric, because it’s smaller scale. And the events don’t necessarily have to take place on a street closure, like this one is in a park. It’s more about being embedded within the community  and really kind of to engage with the community.

Open Streets festivals are awesome, and they’re generally really well attended. But we felt like we needed a community engagement event series that really touched on the idea of ‘what could be,’ so that we could add to the dimension of how we get people on top of door knocking and forums, and of course, surveys and action steps. There’s still some activism behind the Imagine series, it’s just embedded in a community event.

Q: How can people participate in the series?

Children create screen printed tote bags at an Imagine Rondo event at Central Village Park in St. Paul on July 14, 2024. (H. Jiahong Pan / Special To The Pioneer Press)

Ember Rasmussen: At the Rondo event, we had screen printing that was designed by Ain Dai Yung indigenous youth, and then also in partnership with Courtney Cochran, who’s an Anishinaabe artist, and so she’s doing live screen printing. We’ve got Broderick Poole, who’s a Rondo resident and he was doing a ‘build your own neighborhood hero activity,’ where folks can build the Rondo or Frogtown hero of the past, present, or future using textiles and markers and a bunch of other materials. And then Michele Spaise was doing what she’s calling ‘Reforesting Rondo,’ and it’s an open space where folks can tell their stories and thoughts and memories through just like open mic or through shadow puppetry, and just a creative space to share their thoughts.

At the Imagine 6th Avenue North event on Aug. 10, attendees enjoyed music from Near North musicians, including Traveion, Se’Anna, and Casual Confusion. The event also featured a Northside vendor market in partnership with the Dream Shop. Attendees could view the Bring Back 6th mobile history museum and leave a message sharing their experiences with Olson Memorial and dreams for the future on the Imagine Dream phone.

At Cedarfest, attendees will be able to enjoy free performances on four different stages. There will be lots of free, family friendly activities including Adventures in Cardboard open melee (cardboard swords, intersection of Cedar & Riverside), Camel Rides (Dania Hall lot, $5 suggested donation), a dunk tank, a Wienie Dog Race (2 p.m. in front of the Wienery), Roller Skating by Twin Cities Skaters, a sound equipment “petting zoo” by KFAI, face painting, tie dye and Southside Battletrain’s mobile jungle gym. There will be a pop-up Flea Market & Makers Market in front of Palmer’s Bar featuring West Bank vendors and artists. Local restaurants, including Cafe Jote, Segal Somali Cuisine, Lucky Dragon Chinese and others will be vending on the street and share flavors from around the world.

Q: You all distributed $10 vouchers for people to use at the Rondo event. How come?

JC: Our goal ultimately is to make sure that everything at these events is as free as possible. We have food vouchers, so that people can basically go around and get $10 put towards their food.

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In an ideal world, if we continue to grow this program and more resources come our way, we’re basically working toward removing financial barriers. That’s really important to us as an organization, that we’re uplifting communities that have been deeply harmed by infrastructure decisions, and highlighting some of the richness and diversity in those communities in a way that’s welcoming and inclusive.

Q: How did you all source the vendors and performers?

Hawona Sullivan Janzen: I wanted to try to do it as grassroots as possible. I literally went into neighborhood groups and asked, invited people, ‘Hey, do you have a talent that you’d want to share at this festival? Go to this place and fill out a form.’ Then I started to look at what was coming in, and then I would give them a call and ask them to do it. It all just sort of became who could do it on this day. And this time, we waited to be sure that people were from this community, unlike me, who just adopted it.

One of St. Paul’s oldest office towers — the 13-story St. Paul Athletic Club on Cedar Street — will go to online auction next week, with starting bids advertised at $750,000.

The neoclassical structure, with a multi-level gymnasium, pool and ballroom, was built in 1917 for $1 million and saved from demolition in 1995 by downtown developer John Rupp.

For 50 years, Rupp has specialized in acquiring and maintaining historic structures that once were among the most celebrated office buildings and mansions in St. Paul, as well as century-old structures elsewhere throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin. Rupp’s specialties — Gilded Age-style restaurants and buildings — have put him front and center in two industries, hospitality and commercial real estate, that have faced special challenges since the start of the pandemic.

John Rupp is shown in a 2015 file photo. (Andy Rathbun / Pioneer Press)

Like his late peer, Madison Equities Principal Jim Crockarell, Rupp maintains a downtown-based property empire that hasn’t always had sufficient tenants and foot traffic to support it, especially in the era of remote work, online retail and sluggish restaurant sales.

Crockarell died in January, and his widow quickly placed at least 11 sizable Madison Equities properties on the market, several of them empty downtown office buildings she hopes to sell as a package.

As recently as 2019, Rupp and his company, Commonwealth Properties, were honored by Finance & Commerce business newspaper with a “Progress Minnesota” award for saving historic properties from possible demolition. But some of his properties have hit tough times. One downtown St. Paul building in particular — the St. Paul Athletic Club at 340 Cedar St. — has been on the market for five years and has no remaining tenants, despite having a pool, ballroom and other large common spaces designed more than a century ago.

The online auction runs Monday through Wednesday.

“That building’s a difficult puzzle to solve,” said Joe Spencer, president of the St. Paul Downtown Alliance, a business coalition. “People have looked at it. It’s a beautiful building, there’s no question about that. But it’s a purpose-built building that I think is difficult to potentially repurpose.”

Building might need ‘a village’

Meghan Elliott, founder of the Minneapolis-based historic preservation consulting firm New History, said Rupp has taken pains to maintain 340 Cedar St., but the site does not sit on the National Register of Historic Places, though it would likely qualify. That would be a necessary step to line it up for state and national historic tax credits that, combined with other public and private support, could be key to reviving it.

The St. Paul Athletic Club in St. Paul, photographed on May 3, 2022. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Otherwise, she said, 340 Cedar St. is surrounded by a “half-dozen uncertainties,” including the city’s residential rent-control policy, which the mayor soon hopes to eliminate for housing built after 2004. In addition, the city and Metropolitan Council issued a request for proposals this year for the potential redevelopment of 1.66 acres of vacant land surrounding the downtown Central Station light-rail stop, which borders the athletic club building. Responses were due in late July.

“This is going to be one of those projects that takes a village, literally,” Elliott said. “When it comes to real estate and real estate development around historic building re-use, the more certainty you can bring to a project, the more you’ll find a buyer with good intentions. You know there are buyers out there who will buy it at a rock-bottom price and just sit on it. Eventually, it gets demolished, or sold to another developer at a rock-bottom price, and that’s not what downtown St. Paul needs right now.”

Rupp also holds a major stake in the 60-acre Villa Maria destination wedding venue in Frontenac, which is under financial pressure from a Wisconsin bank lender.

“I’m going to make no comment formally,” Rupp said Aug. 29. “I don’t want my business to be played out in the newspapers.”

Rupp’s more successful St. Paul holdings include the celebrated W.A. Frost restaurant and bar on Selby Avenue, the Commodore Bar & Restaurant on Western Avenue and the Davidson, an eight-unit hotel that opened in 2019 within the Davidson Mansion (a former College of Visual Arts building) on Summit Avenue. Commonwealth Properties wedding destinations include the University Club on Summit Avenue and the Stout’s Island Resort, which sits on an island in Red Cedar Lake in western Wisconsin.

John Rupp’s portfolio troubles

St. Paul Athletic Club, 340 Cedar St.: One of Rupp’s showcase holdings, the St. Paul Athletic Club has been for sale since at least the early days of the pandemic. Marketing materials note the possibility of “numerous potential sale, lease and partnership structures.” Built in 1917, the building was designed by the architecture firm Reed and Stem, known for their work on New York City’s Union Station and Seattle’s King Street Station. It has a marble lobby, grand ballroom and various banquet spaces, as well as a swimming pool. Previously home to Life Time Fitness, the Hotel 340 and the College of St. Scholastica, the 13-story building now is empty of lease-holders and scheduled for online auction next week, unless a buyer steps forward sooner.

The St. Paul Building, 6 W. Fifth St.: In May, the Minnesota Court of Appeals supported a Ramsey County District Court decision to add Rupp as a debtor in a judgment against Commonwealth Properties over a broken commercial lease at the historic St. Paul Building at Fifth and Wabasha streets. Rupp, who once owned the 1890s-era office building, sold it in 2018 to St. Paul Building LLC, while Commonwealth Properties maintained a lease there on two floors.

Rupp’s company fell behind on rent and was evicted in July 2020, according to court filings. A Ramsey County District Court judge later entered judgment against Commonwealth for $443,000 as part of a settlement agreement, but St. Paul Building LLC accused Rupp of failing to follow through with payment and had him added to the legal case as an individual debtor. Rupp has filed a further appeal to the state Supreme Court.

Villa Maria in Frontenac, Wis.: Commonwealth Properties also owns Villa Maria, formerly known as the Villa Maria Academy, which was constructed in the 1890s as a school for the Ursuline Sisters of the Central Province, a group of Catholic nuns. Purchased in 2018, the 60-acre former retreat center overlooks Lake Pepin, about an hour south of St. Paul, in Frontenac.

On July 29, lender Pillar Bank of Baldwin, Wis., was granted a $1.4 million default judgment against Rupp, Villa Maria Ventures, Winona Controls mechanical systems and two unnamed defendants.

Burbank-Livingston-Griggs House, 432 Summit Ave.: On June 28, a Cottage Grove-based heating, ventilation and air conditioning company — Guardian Mechanical Services Inc. — filed a claim against Commonwealth Properties for $1,298 in unpaid balances for HVAC work performed at 432 Summit Ave. in St. Paul, the James C. Burbank house. Also known as the Burbank-Livingston-Griggs House, the gray limestone mansion has its own entry in the Library of Congress and is thought to be the second-oldest structure still standing on Summit Avenue.

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