Irrigate

Springboard for the Arts

Funding Received: 2011
St. Paul, MN
$750,000
Funding Period: 1 year and 5 months
http://springboardforthearts.org/community-development/irrigate/
Dance, Design & Architecture, Film & Media, Folk & Traditional Arts, Literature, Music, Theater, Visual Arts, Other | Economic Development, Transportation | Urban
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August 20, 2013

Update

The Blue Ox team met with the Fort Road Federation Board of Directors to discuss the footprint of the land and our latest site plan. The primary reason for the delay in moving forward is the board is waiting on the sale of the keg house, a beautiful historic building. While the board reiterated their enthusiasm and support for Blue Ox Mini Golf, the keg house is key to the future of their organization.  Both the Blue Ox team and the board are hopeful that we will be able to move forward after Fort Road's September meeting.

Recent Wins

1. The Blue Ox team was invited to National Night Out in the West 7th neighborhood. We developed a FAQ that we distributed, and we had a wonderful time meeting more of our neighbors.  We truly love West 7th!

2. We were very fortunate to meet Phil Gagne, the last brewmaster for the Schmidt Brewery.  He generously offered to give us a tour of the entire 15 acre site. It was amazing.  Phil was joined by Dave Kreitzer, and together they provided us with a wealth of history, stories, and information about the brewery.  The Schmidt Artist Lofts look absolutely beautiful, and we are excited to meet the artists that will be our new neighbors.

3. St. Paul's Fire Station 1 is located on West 7th Street, a block from the Schmidt Brewery.  The Blue Ox team toured their new facility, which includes an amazing green roof that contains a garden of native plants, a small pond, a vegetable garden, and a picnic area. It is also a great place from which to view the Schmidt Brewery.

4. We were fortunate to receive some wonderful national coverage through a great article, "Creative Placemaking Changes Narrative About Cities," by Sheena Lyonnais. We were honored to be covered alongside some truly wonderful placemaking efforts across the country.

Insight

While the delay in breaking ground has been disappointing, there is also a silver lining.  The extra time has allowed us to flush out our plan for concessions more completely through meeting with various restaurant professionals as well as those within the city licensing department.  Everyone was very helpful and generous with their time, and we have all deepened our understanding and knowledge of what this will involve.