When construction of Interstate 94 ran through St. Paul, it upended more than 600 families and 300 businesses in the historically-Black Rondo community, many of whom never saw just compensation for their property loss.

Marvin Anderson, a retired state law librarian, remembers the haunting day in his childhood when he saw his father’s face crumple as he learned he would receive a fraction of the value for the 12 apartment homes he built with a group of fellow railroad chefs.

It was the first and last time he ever saw his father cry.

In addition to the loss of property came a change in street signs, which Anderson and other Rondo residents recalled as another visible piece of the neighborhood’s identity stripped away. Much of the former Rondo Avenue that remained after I-94 was completed was renamed Concordia Avenue in 1964.

Dignitaries hold soon-to-be-installed Rondo Avenue signs at a ceremony celebrating the renaming of Concordia and St. Anthony Aves. to Rondo Avenue at the Rondo Commemorative Plaza in St. Paul on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

A new sign

On Tuesday, Anderson joined dozens of current and former Rondo residents — including St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter and four other officials who have sat on the St. Paul City Council — for a reconnection of sorts.

Carter, whose great-grandparents moved to Rondo a century ago, was lifted by a public works truck to the top of the street sign at the former intersection of Concordia Avenue and Fisk Street, which now bears a different name. With a flick of the wrist, the mayor unveiled a new street sign returning the name Rondo Avenue to the block.

The name change, made official this week, will apply to all of Concordia Avenue between Griggs Street and Mackubin Street, as well as a block of St. Anthony Avenue, north of Interstate 94, from Western Avenue to Rice Street. Areas east and west of the designated cross streets will keep the names Concordia and St. Anthony avenues.

Address changes

For residents and business owners, the renaming may come with some paperwork.

St. Paul Public Works will reimburse residential residents up to $100 and business owners up to $300 to update driver’s licenses, business licenses and other important documents, provided they get their receipts into the city by Nov. 1.

The city has already initiated address changes with the U.S. Postal Service, so that part is already taken care of. Visit StPaul.gov/RondoAvenue for more information.

The street sign unveiling was attended by City Council Member Anika Bowie and former council members Debbie Montgomery, Nick Khaliq and Russel Balenger, who initiated the street name change last year.

Carter, in remarks to the crowd, noted that the city has invested in an “Inheritance Fund,” aimed in part at helping former Rondo residents buy and maintain homes in the neighborhood through downpayment assistance and funds for property rehab.

Through a separate effort, dubbed Reconnect Rondo, Anderson and other neighborhood advocates have urged the state Legislature to build a land bridge over several blocks of I-94, creating a reconnective lid of sorts that could host new housing, parkland and commercial structures while stitching together streets long split by the deep trench of the interstate.

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CHICAGO >> Jhoan Duran frequently described his time spent rehabbing over the past month-plus as “boring.”

The Twins reliever was forced off the field for the first month of the season by an oblique strain that he suffered during spring training. But, finally, the Twins activated him from the injured list on Tuesday, which should provide a cure for his boredom.

Minnesota’s bullpen has been a strength during the first month of the season — it entered Tuesday’s game with a 2.54 earned-run average, which was third in the majors — and that was without one of the best relievers on the planet.

“Our bullpen has been doing a great job. Our pitchers have been doing a great job,” center fielder Byron Buxton said. “To add Duran back to that mix is a big piece of getting our team back together.”

The Twins built Duran up slowly over the course of the last month and a half. They had him throw a pair of innings on rehab with St. Paul before activating him. His fastball touched 103 miles per hour in his second outing, a positive sign after his velocity was slightly lower his first time out.

“When I see that velocity, I feel more good,” Duran said. “It’s like, ‘OK, you see it. Let’s go.’”

He also expressed confidence in where his mechanics were at, saying he was opening up early during spring training, leading to a dip into his velocity.

“Right now, it’s great,” he said. I’m in the best spot right now.”

And that’s great news for the Twins.

While Griffin Jax (2.25 ERA entering Tuesday) and Brock Stewart (0.00 ERA), were among those that stepped up in Duran’s absence, adding him back to the group — and shortstop Carlos Correa back to the roster a day earlier — will allow the Twins to put players back into roles they are more familiar with.

“I think this puts a lot of people back into some more comfortable spots, into some other spots where we can better utilize our roster,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “Our guys have been doing really a heck of a job and a lot of the guys that have been playing over these last couple weeks, we’ve challenged them and they’re coming through and that’s the pitchers and the position players.”

Bullpen shuffle

To make room for Duran on the roster, the Twins designated Matt Bowman, who was out of minor league options, for assignment. In five games pitched with Minnesota this season, Bowman had given up two runs across 7⅔ innings pitched.

“We gave Matt a good opportunity. He took advantage of the opportunity,” Baldelli said. “He was ready for everything we asked him to do. I really hope we get to keep Matt in the organization.”

The Twins will likely need to make room for another reliever in a matter of days with right-hander Justin Topa (knee) currently on a rehab assignment. Topa gave up three runs (two earned) in the Saints’ game on Tuesday.

Briefly

The Twins will send Bailey Ober to the mound on Wednesday in the series finale in Chicago. After giving up eight runs in his season debut, Ober has given up just a combined four runs in his last four outings, posting a 1.48 ERA across those starts.

An informant, police tracking of vehicles and an undercover officer helped lead to five people who are now charged with copper wire theft from St. Paul streetlights with an estimated repair cost to the city of more than $200,000, according to recently filed criminal complaints.

In another case charged Friday, St. Paul police discovered 45 damaged streetlights with an estimated repair cost of $225,000.

St. Paul spent $1.2 million last year on repair and replacement due to wire theft and accompanying damage to streetlights and traffic signals, compared with $250,000 in 2019, according to the city. Electric car chargers, window air-conditioning systems and other infrastructure has also been targeted.

The Ramsey County attorney’s office made accusations against six St. Paul residents in charges filed Friday. The criminal complaints give the following information from prosecutors:

Police received information in January from an informant that Kyaw Klay, 40, organized a crew who went out and damaged streetlights, removing wire from them. An attorney for Kyaw Klay couldn’t be reached Tuesday.

Kyaw Klay and Paw Hkee La, 21, then sold the wire to recycling facilities, including Dem-Con Metal Recycling in Blaine, the informant said.

Dem-Con paid about $3 per pound for copper wiring that had been removed from its insulation and $2 per pound for such wiring that was stamped with “City of St. Paul Public Works” on its insulation.

Dem-Con Metal Recycling is part of the scrap alert network “and we take it very seriously,” said Erik Schuck, the company’s chief operating officer, on Tuesday. “In particular, we were working with the authorities … on this and we are glad to see that these individuals have been apprehended.”

Officers conducted surveillance and saw Kyaw Klay and two others went to Dem-Con on Feb. 5 and sold 127 pounds of copper for $387.

“Kyaw Klay was so familiar to employees at Dem-Con that they no longer asked him for his identification when he brought copper in to sell to them,” the complaint said. State law specifies that scrap metal dealers must make a record of every purchase of scrap metal, which includes getting a copy of the seller’s ID.

Schuck said he couldn’t comment on specific allegations in the complaint.

Kyaw Klay completed 31 transactions with Dem-Con between Nov. 10 and Jan. 15, receiving $12,169 in total.

Undercover officer, vehicle tracking

An undercover officer made arrangements for Kyaw Klay to sell “stolen” copper wire to Dem-Con on his behalf, with the officer telling the man he would get half the money from the sale. The officer was provided with copper wire from the department’s property room that had “City of St. Paul Public Works” stamped on its insulation.

Kyaw Klay and Paw Hkee La (Courtesy of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office)

The officer went with Kyaw Klay and Paw La on Feb. 7 to Dem-Con. An employee accepted stripped copper wires that Kyaw Klay brought and the undercover officer’s wire marked with “City of St. Paul,” and Kyaw Klay wasn’t asked to show his ID.

The informant previously told police that Kyaw Klay collected the stolen wire in a Toyota Camry and police obtained a warrant to put a tracking device on the car. On Feb. 16 about 12:45 a.m., officers tracked the car to the area of Mississippi River Boulevard and Dayton Avenue.

Officers on surveillance saw several people cutting wire from streetlights on the Marshall Avenue-Lake Street Bridge and later from streetlights near Marshall Avenue and Mississippi River Boulevard. About 25 streetlights were found damaged, with wires cut and removed, in the area of the Marshall Avenue-Lake Street Bridge. The estimate to repair them is about $125,000.

Eh Tha Blay and Aye Mae (Courtesy of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office)

Police stopped the Toyota Camry and identified Kyaw Klay as the driver and Paw La as the front seat passenger. Eh Tha Blay, 25, and Aye Mae, 42, were the backseat passengers.

Police obtained another tracker warrant for a different Toyota Camry. Officers saw that car parked near the Highland Aquatic Center at 12:20 a.m. Feb. 23 and found 17 damaged streetlights around the pool with the wire cut from them. It’s an estimated $85,000 to repair those lights.

Nay Thar (Courtesy of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office)

Police pulled over the Camry, and identified the driver as Nay Thar, 36, and the passenger as Eh Tha Blay, 25.

There was cut copper wire at Eh Blay’s feet. Police arrested the pair and Eh Blay told investigators he makes money by following friends who pull copper wire from light poles. He said no one in the car stole wire that night and he had tools because he fixes vehicles.

The Ramsey County attorney’s office charged Eh Blay, Kyaw Klay, Paw La, Aye Mae and Nay Thar on Friday with aiding and abetting energy or telecom damage, first-degree criminal damage to property and possession of burglary of theft tools.

Warner Road lights

Also charged Friday with the same offenses was Gay Gay, 44. Officers conducting surveillance on Feb. 23 saw Gay Gay walking by the Mississippi River, carrying a large bag and stopping near inoperable streetlights, according to the complaint against him.

Gay Gay (Courtesy of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office)

Police found him parked in Lower Landing Park on Warner Road at 2:25 a.m. There was a large amount of cut copper wire in the vehicle, the complaint said.

Investigators found more than 45 streetlights along Warner Road had fresh damage and copper wire stripped from them. It’s an estimated $225,000 to repair them.

Five of the six people, with the exception of Aye Mae, have been charged with similar offenses this year.

Two St. Paul legislators are sponsoring bills that would require anyone selling copper metal to have a state-issued license. Construction contractors, people who work in residential trades and other licensed workers would continue to be allowed to sell copper and wouldn’t need a separate license. The bills would still allow residents and businesses to recycle copper materials with scrap metal companies for free.

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Madison Equities, believed to be the largest property owner in downtown St. Paul, has put its entire downtown portfolio up for sale, as well as the Handsome Hog restaurant on Selby Avenue.

Spanning 1.6 million square feet, the 10 properties include six of the oldest and most prominent commercial buildings in the capital city, including the iconic First National Bank Building, the Alliance Center and the U.S. Bank Center, as well as two downtown parking ramps.

“That is the sum total of their whole portfolio of downtown office buildings,” said Steve Lysen, a broker with CBRE, which is soliciting all-cash offers for the properties without a formal asking price but “well below replacement cost,” according to marketing materials.

“The preference is to sell it to one buyer,” Lysen said. “That may or may not be possible. We may have to look at breaking it up. We just started the process, so we’ll see. If we had a full offer that worked for us, that would be the preference.”

Crockarell left large property holdings

Madison Equities had been led for decades by Jim Crockarell, a sometimes cantankerous real estate developer whose love of old downtown buildings was often overshadowed by his clashes with City Hall, labor interests, lenders and even tenants. Crockarell died in January at the age of 79, leaving his wife Rosemary Kortgard in charge of a large swathe of the capital city’s office market, including commercial properties around Mears Park in Lowertown.

Kortgard has shown no interest in running the real estate holdings herself.

“She just wants to be on her way,” said Lysen, who said the hope is that a single buyer comes forward with an interest in filling the properties as best as they can despite a slump in the downtown office market.

“Part of the preference for selling it to one buyer would be to have a cohesive plan,” he said. “There’s a hotel that is approved and ready to be built in the Park Square Court building. Our hope is that people do things that add value. If we sell it to individual users, they might lease it up to 25% and it just sort of stagnates. That’s not good for the city. That’s not good for anybody.”

The properties

The properties include: the First National Bank Building on Minnesota Street, the Alliance Center on Fifth Street, 375 Jackson Square, U.S. Bank Center on Fifth Street, the Empire Building/Endicott Arcade on Robert Street, the Park Square Court building on Sibley Street, the Stadium Ramp on Sixth Street, the Capital City Ramp on Fourth Street, the building occupied by the Handsome Hog restaurant at 173 Western Ave. N. and the adjoining surface parking lot at 401 Selby Ave.

Occupancies range from nothing at all in the Park Square Court and Empire Building to 57% at the U.S. Bank Center, which is losing nine floors of tenancy when U.S. Bank’s office lease expires in October.

The Alliance Center and First National Bank buildings are 44% occupied, according to CBRE’s 49-page offering memorandum.

“Buyers have the ability to add value and improve financial returns by increasing occupancy through leasing and repositioning the properties through redevelopment,” reads the marketing materials. “The portfolio offers unprecedented scale. The owner is and subsequent buyer will be the largest land owner in Downtown St. Paul.”

The portfolio is being offered without a formal asking price, according to the marketing materials, and “although a call for offers and bid due date may be set at a later date, ownership reserves the right to respond to offers as they are received. Buyers are encouraged to make offers on an all cash basis on the entire portfolio, sub-portfolios or individual properties.”

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