With copper wire theft costing St. Paul more than $1 million last year and leaving darkened streets dangerous for pedestrians and drivers, city and county officials are holding a community meeting Tuesday.

Public Works Director Sean Kershaw said they’ve been seeing results from members of the public calling in suspicious activity around street lights and he’s encouraging people to continue. “Keeping eyes on the streets is really important,” he said Monday.

The Ramsey County attorney’s office has charged 19 people so far this year in copper wire theft cases, compared to seven throughout last year and two in 2022. Fourteen of the 19 cases this year were “prompted by citizen observations — something they viewed as suspicious — so they called it in,” said Ramsey County Attorney John Choi.

State legislators have introduced bills this session that would require people to have a specific license for buying or selling copper scrap metal. They would have to acknowledge they obtained the copper by lawful means through their business, trade or authorized construction work. The bills haven’t yet had hearings in the House or Senate committees.

Warm winter meant wire thefts continued

During most winters, the frozen ground makes it difficult to steal wire, “however, with the warmer winter we have seen wire theft continue all year round,” said Lisa Hiebert, St. Paul Public Works spokesperson. “The challenge is that city crews cannot rewire street lights until the ground and conduits have fully thawed. This has led to quite a long list of areas throughout the city that need to be rewired in the spring.”

The St. Paul City Council approved $500,000 for this year’s budget to address wire theft, a portion of which will be used to hire two seasonal full-time electricians who will be dedicated to replacing wires stolen during theft.

The thefts continue to be a citywide problem, “but there’s no question that Como Park and Phalen as regional parks have been hit really badly,” Kershaw said. “That was the case previously and it’s still the case.”

Jenne Nelson, Como Community Council board chair, enjoys running around Como Lake, but darkened streetlights from wire thefts have caused her to readjust her schedule to go when it’s light out or run on a treadmill.

“The neighborhood is noticeably dark around the lake in a way that makes it feel completely unsafe” for visibility, she said. “I drive in the neighborhood after dark and it’s really hard to see pedestrians.”

In St. Paul’s North End, a 64-year-old pedestrian died on Christmas Eve in an area his widow said she’d called the city about being “pitch black.” A contractor had installed a new streetlight at the intersection on Dec. 15, but they hadn’t been able to connect it because of copper wire theft, Kershaw said at the time.

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The Como Community Council has been hearing from concerned residents.

“It’s clear there’s a lot of frustration around it and I think some of that does stem from feeling a little helpless, like ‘How are we going to fix this problem?’ ” Nelson said. “It feels like a long time to get the lights fixed and then they’re just immediately targeted again. It feels like an impossible game of Whac-A-Mole.”

In the community council’s communications with city staff and City Council, Nelson said she’s felt reassured that wire theft is also on their minds and that they’re working on it, but it “feels to me that in the short term, there’s not a lot we can do.”

Not only streetlights targeted

Thieves are targeting all different styles of streetlights, according to Hiebert.

The problem continues to extend to other sources — “they’re going after traffic signals, which is incredibly dangerous,” Kershaw said. “They’re going after phone systems, they’re going after utility vaults, they’re going after HVAC systems” and charging stations for electric vehicles.

Someone called police “just the other day because they found three large garbage bags of wire” marked with “city of St. Paul” in their backyard, said Deputy Police Chief Kurt Hallstrom.

St. Paul’s street lights are mostly owned and maintained by the city, so anyone who sees people “working” on lights without a city of St. Paul vehicle within view are asked to immediately call 911.

“We need to interrupt the flow of theft and sale,” Hallstrom said. “We need the community’s help and they’re stepping up and they’re making calls and we’re making arrests.”

In addition to the cases recently charged, another three are under review for potential charges, Choi said.

10 times the cost from 2019

Last year, wire theft cost to Public Works was more than $1 million to fix damaged street lights and traffic signals. That’s 10 times the amount from 2019, when the cost to Public Works was just over $100,000.

Public Works has tried various methods to deter wire theft from street lights, including welding and banding access panels, using security bolts and screws to secure access panels, keeping streetlights on to keep the wires electrified during the daytime, using smaller gauge wire to be less valuable for theft and resale, and silent alarms.

“All of these efforts have not prevented wire theft from street lights in St. Paul,” Public Works says on a website dedicated to wire theft information. “Some efforts have resulted in additional damage to the street light fixtures and/or just temporarily ‘moved’ the thefts to another part of the city.”

Public Works has explored changing street light fixtures to solar and plans a pilot program for this spring that will have access panels high on light poles.

“We found that when the public hears all of the things that we are currently doing to try and address it, they have a better sense of how complex the problem is,” Kershaw said.

Community meeting about copper wire theft

When: Tuesday, March 19, 6-8 p.m.
Where: St. Paul police department’s Western District office, 389 N. Hamline Ave.
What: St. Paul police and public works, the Ramsey County attorney and other elected officials will talk about what’s being done about copper wire theft and take questions.

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Take a gander at the Minnesota State Capitol Mall and you’ll find a lot of greenery, scattered statues and memorials, and a whole lot of quiet, but not much indication that its open space is actually open to the public.

Now imagine a reworked common area along the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., with gardens and symbolic plantings reflective of the state’s flora surrounding added tree canopy and more benches and picnic tables, the kind of gathering spot where a civic group might host a tour or gather for a demonstration. On the other side of the State Capitol building, a new pedestrian bridge could take visitors across University Avenue.

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. “Community Commons” could be the first phase of what’s being advertised as “10 Bold Moves” at the Capitol Mall under the supervision of the Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board, which has zoning and planning control over the area around the State Capitol.

With $5 million already in hand, the board is working with some 18 partners, including the governor’s office, the city of St. Paul, the Capitol Region Watershed District, the Minnesota Historical Society and private planners.

‘Bold moves’

Those “bold moves” — which include both aesthetic and traffic changes to Rice Street, University Avenue and John Ireland Boulevard — build off a survey that drew some 1,400 responses, as well as pop-up presentations that took place from mid-January through mid-February.

The responses have been incorporated into a 179-page “Capitol Mall Design Framework” fashioned by the design firm of Sasaki Associates, Inc., available online at mncapitolmall.engage.sasaki.com. A “virtual town hall” on the framework took place last Thursday, and a second online survey closes April 5.

“We’re really looking for people to give us feedback on that phase one and the overall Capitol Mall Design Framework,” said Erik Dahl, executive secretary of the Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board. “This is the people of Minnesota’s front lawn. What do people want to see?”

After that, the design could be ready for public showcase and final comments this June, and then rolled out at the end of the year. The installation of the Community Commons and tree additions in the Upper Mall would cost $4.5 million to $6.5 million, not including major utility changes or storm water improvements under Rev. MLK Jr. Blvd.

The state appropriated $5 million toward the project last year when it approved the $450 million renovation to the Minnesota House office building, and partners like the Capitol Regional Watershed could provide additional funds.

The goal, according to planners, is to make the Capitol Mall more inviting. In surveys, many respondents said they didn’t think they were welcome on the mall if they weren’t there for official business.

A year ago, the urban planner behind the YouTube show “CityNerd” listed the Minnesota State Capitol’s low-rise, “extremely low density” campus as one of the nation’s 10 worst state capitol layouts, given how little vitality it contributes to the area.

The 12-member Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board is seeking feedback on a proposed “Community Commons” that could sit in front of the Minnesota State Capitol Mall along the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. in St. Paul. (Courtesy of the CAAPB)

History, gathering spaces above quiet reflection

Changing that perception likely would entail creating a space that’s more comfortable and fully accessible, according to planners, with the MLK “Community Commons” serving as its “nexus.” The mall also could be a model for Minnesota, showcasing best practices in environmentally-conscious design, while boosting the local economy by offering better connections to the surrounding area. More than a third of survey respondents listed adding food and beverage options as a priority.

For inspiration, designers with Sasaki looked to Boston City Hall Plaza and Boston’s Copley Plaza, Moore Square in Raleigh, North Carolina, the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder, Colorado, the Chicago Riverwalk and the Texas State Capitol.

Most survey respondents scored priorities like having a place to learn about government and history or exercise first amendment rights to civic expression above maintaining the Capitol Mall as a place for quiet reflection or to honor the past. To that end, a cultural walk installed in the existing horseshoe-shaped path around the Capitol building itself could highlight the branches of government and the history of the people that have shaped Minnesota.

Planners noted that the Upper Mall and Lower Mall have notably different topography, with slopes along the Upper Mall exceeding a 5% incline and some exceeding 10%, a challenge for wheelchair users. They suggested “strategically sculpting” the Upper Mall to create new pedestrian routes, which would be accessible to the disabled and flow into the topography of the Lower Mall.

Survey respondents were fairly torn on how well-connected the existing Capitol Mall is to the surrounding city, with a fair number of respondents neutral on the subject. They had stronger feelings about the streetside perimeter on all sides of the State Capitol area, which many said felt unsafe due in part to cars and traffic.

Street improvements, connections to the neighborhoods

Planners noted that on the street surrounding the Capitol Mall, 77% of the public right-of-way is dedicated to cars. More than 80% of the Capitol grounds is covered in lawn, and tree loss has created less shade. More than a fourth of respondents urged designers to integrate dedicated spaces for security, as well as public safety enhancements such as lighting.

Reducing John Ireland Boulevard to two lanes and creating wider pedestrian pathways could be one improvement, and adding more of a plaza-like feel around the transit stops at Rice and University could be another.

A pedestrian bridge over University Avenue could serve as a link between the State Capitol campus and the neighborhood to the north. Between University and Charles avenues, northeast of the State Capitol building, the underused Cass Gilbert Memorial Park could be transformed into more of a destination, featuring a children’s play area, tree groves and perhaps even a coffee shop and restroom.

Chaired by Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, the 12-member Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board has zoning and planning control over the 60-block area surrounding the State Capitol. The “Capitol Mall Design Framework” process grew out of both the 2040 Comprehensive Plan for the Capitol area, as well as a public engagement task force, which convened in 2021.

Other major projects

Other changes to the State Capitol campus in the works include $20 million in upgrades to upwards of seven state buildings, readying them for a hybrid workforce. Planning is currently focused on four buildings on the Capitol campus. The former Ford Motor Co. building at Rice Street and University Avenue was demolished in early February to make room for new landscaping.

Directly to the west of the Capitol complex, the State Office Building that hosts the offices of the Minnesota House of Representatives is undergoing a $450 million renovation.

The legislation that made that renovation possible opened the door to the Capitol Mall Design Framework, among other community benefits. Working with the city of St. Paul, the Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board plans to administer a $5 million “Capitol Area Community Vitality Account” to back a range of projects over time.

In the area of the Capitol building, “we have a lot of vulnerable renters, commercial and residential,” said Peter Musty, principal planner with the Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board.

Also in the early planning stages, the redesign of Rice Street from Pennsylvania Avenue to John Ireland Boulevard would cost another $25 million, which has already been appropriated by the Minnesota Department of Transportation. “That’s exciting because it impacts so many things, including the (G Line/Robert Street Corridor) Bus Rapid Transit planned there and the Sears site development,” Musty said.

More information is online at tinyurl.com/MNCapitolMall2024.

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The Chicago Cubs announced one of their most important offseason decisions Monday, naming John Steinmiller, formerly with the Blackhawks, as their new senior director of media relations.

It’s not exactly bringing back Cody Bellinger, but it’s newsworthy, and that counts for something during this Cubs offseason, where President Jed Hoyer has been biding his time while waiting for the prices of free agents to drop.

At least the Rickettses aren’t messing around in this key position, which serves as the bridge between the local media and manager Craig Counsell and his players.

Steinmiller, who replaces veteran Jason Carr, has been in the business since 2005 when he began with the Milwaukee Brewers. His relationship with Counsell should serve him well, and he has a familiarity with most of the Chicago media, including me.

Steinmiller still took the job, which is commendable.

There may be no more thankless job than that of media relations for a professional sports team, especially a major market team like the Cubs. You’re dealing with managers who might be in a cranky mood after a crushing loss, players who decide to leave the clubhouse without talking to the media after hitting a game-winning home run, and writers constantly asking: “Is Jed talking today?”

The relationship between the media and athletes has changed dramatically over the last 20 years, with less access for reporters, fewer stars who feel the need to talk before or after games, and front-office executives who only deal with national writers at the expense of their beat writers.

The main responsibility of a media relations boss is to make sure the team always comes out in the best light, or if it’s a particularly controversial news story to perform some damage control. Steinmiller should be well-prepared after working for the Blackhawks, where damage control has become an art form in the last few years.

The last time I saw Steinmiller at a Blackhawks game, I accidentally stepped on the Blackhawks logo in the postgame locker room, which drew a much-deserved reprimand from one of his media relations assistants: “Hey, get off the logo!” Instead of a lifetime ban, I got off with a warning to watch my step.

Everyone deserves a second chance, though I’ve avoided the Blackhawks locker room since. Fortunately, the floor of the Cubs’ clubhouse is simply a weathered carpet without any logo, so there will be no worries about a repeat offense unless stepping on Clark the Cub counts.

Steinmiller also reminded me that day of the time I wrote in the Chicago Tribune that Counsell was “tragically unhip,” apparently making fun of the new Cubs manager back when he was running the Brewers. I couldn’t remember writing anything like that, but a quick Google search revealed Steinmiller’s memory was accurate.

While writing a Cubs-Brewers series preview in August 2018, I wrote of the competing managers: ”Hipster Joe Maddon matches wits with the tragically unhip Craig Counsell.” Oof. I have no reason to believe Counsell is unhip, tragically or otherwise. The Tribune regrets the error.

Counsell has been around for a long time. He probably doesn’t need any assistance from Steinmiller on how to deal with the Chicago baseball media, which is much larger — and a bit snarkier — than our peers in Milwaukee, except for the Marquee Sports Network, the Cubs-owned outlet that treated former manager David Ross like he was part of the network and thus blameless during the team’s end-of-season collapse.

Hoyer obviously saw otherwise and made the right call on replacing Ross with Counsell, whose $40 million contract is the largest of any manager in MLB history.

Counsell seems to have a quirky sense of humor, which will likely be necessary as he begins the long grind when spring training starts in two weeks in Mesa, Ariz. As former manager Lou Piniella said in spring training 2007: “This is no push-button operation, I can tell you that.”

After an uneventful start to the offseason, the Cubs have made a couple of big moves since the calendar turned, signing Japanese starter Shota Imanaga and reliever Héctor Neris. Everyone still expects Hoyer to re-sign Bellinger, but until he’s in camp it’s mere guesswork.

“Anyone can do a deal,” Hoyer told fans at the Cubs Convention. “Anyone can say yes to an agent’s asking price. If you do that, you’re going to run out of money really quickly.”

I doubt the Rickettses will ever run out of money, no matter how much they give Bellinger or anyone else. But if Hoyer signs Bellinger at a bargain price, his strategy will have worked and most fans will be satisfied. If Bellinger signs elsewhere, the Cubs could be looking at another 80-win season.

Everything really hinges on one decision.

The 2024 season is almost here, but there’s still time to make a move or two. Hopefully Hoyer gives his new media relations director something to do as Steinmiller begins his new job on Feb. 5.

Those press releases don’t write themselves.

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