On Sunday morning, October 26th, the City of Saint Paul and CommonBond Communities managed the evacuation of about 1,500 residents from the Skyline Tower apartment building in our district due to an electrical failure following a small fire.
The Saint Paul Fire Department first responded to a fire on the 12th floor (1247 St. Anthony Ave) at 12:23 a.m. After extinguishing it safely, a subsequent failure of the 3,000-AMP electrical system triggered sprinklers on three floors, leading to a total power loss. This loss disabled essential services, including heat, water, elevators, and alarms.
Please review the joint press release from Common Bond Communities and the City of Saint Paul here for full details.
I am grateful to the Saint Paul Fire Department for their swift and expert response, which ensured the immediate safety of all 1,500 residents at Skyline Towers. What could have been a major tragedy resulted, remarkably, in zero injuries.
Now, our immediate and singular focus shifts to the impacted families. They face the daunting uncertainty of temporary displacement while critical safety and utility systems are restored.
I am working closely and urgently with Common Bond Communities, the Mayor’s Office, and city partners to ensure every resident has secure, interim housing for the duration of the evacuation. We are absolutely committed to preventing permanent displacement.
Our neighbors, who are already scared and uncertain, should not have to worry about their living situation. I am determined to leverage every resource necessary to ensure that every Skyline Towers resident will remain housed and can move forward with their lives, continuing to stay in our wonderful neighborhood for generations to come.
Upcoming Town Hall on Public Safety
Join me for the next Town Hall meeting focused on public safety in our district and exploring tangible, actionable improvements. The meeting will take place at the Liberty Plaza Townhomes on Wednesday, October 29, from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM. I look forward to hearing directly from you, giving space for neighbors and community members to voice concerns, and collaboratively shaping our community's future.
Thank you to everyone who joined our Coffee and Conversation event last Friday! It was truly a joy to see so many of you there, and we were especially honored to have Senator Sandy Pappas with us to share in the discussion.
One of the most inspiring parts of our conversation was uplifting the incredible work of the Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board (CAAPB) Vitality program. It’s fantastic to see the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office taking such proactive steps to improve our Capitol area. Their initiatives are making a real difference, from hosting great community events like BBQs, Movie in the Park nights, and neighborhood clean-ups, to having Community Service Officers actively engaging with our youth. A particularly exciting plan is their push for commercial revitalization, which includes procuring space for a satellite, community-centric office and using their funding to actively support local businesses. I encourage you to visit their website to stay informed on upcoming events and projects.
 Following last week's great turnout, let's keep the conversation going! We’ll be back at Flava Café this Friday and I’m happy to share Sen. Pappas will be joining us again.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out anytime with input, or questions, or to let me know how I can be of assistance at [email protected] or 651-296-5158. Be sure to ‘like’ and follow my new Facebook page.
Thank you for the honor of serving our community.
Minnesota State Representative (65A)
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