I will be one of five panelists for the final event of Historic Saint Paul’s Green Retrofit series. Join us for what is sure to be a lively discussion at the SPNN studios on Tuesday, Jan. 26, from 5:00-7:30. An hour-long open house precedes the program, which will begin at 6:00. While the event will be taped for later broadcast on SPNN (cable channels 14, 15, 16, or 19), a live, studio audience is welcome to attend and get the information well ahead of the general viewing public.

The panelists will talking about insulation, energy efficiency, windows, the Minnesota Green Star program, and other topics related to making older residential buildings more “green.” I’ll post an update after the event, both to summarize the panel discussion, and to let you know when it will be broadcast. Stay tuned!

Minnesota Public Radio has reported that Gov. Pawlenty has announced a deal for the state to $18 million for 10 miles of Lake Vermilion shoreline to create a new state park. The property, owned by U.S. Steel and adjacent to the Soudan Underground Mine State Park, would have been developed for residential lots, if the state park proposal had not come through. I had recently approached someone in the area about submitting a 10 Most Endangered Historic Places nomination for the area. Lake Vermilion is spectacular (and the Stuntz Bay boathouses are really cool)—definitely a place worth preserving for all of us to enjoy. I am relieved that the state park proposal may actually pan out.

More recent coverage on the Lake Vermilion State Park proposal:

Star Tribune editorial, Jan. 21, 2010

Timberjay editorial, Jan. 19, 2010

MPR story, Jan. 15, 2010

Timberjay story, Jan. 14, 2010

For purchasing a ticket to the 2010 Minnesota Preservation Awards. We look forward to seeing you on September 16th in Winona.

I recently wrote a letter to the editor of the Arrowhead Leader, a newspaper in Moose Lake, Minnesota. Since I suspect that the newspaper’s circulation is rather small, and an online version is not available, I am printing my letter here, with a link to a PDF copy of the original article. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Dear Ms. Johnson:

I am writing to tell you how much I enjoyed reading John Schwoch’s article about the Moody Barn, printed in the Dec. 24, 2009 issue of the Arrowhead Leader. Here at the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota, we subscribe to a clipping service so we can keep tabs on historic preservation activity throughout the state. Most of the time, the articles that are sent tell us of buildings that are threatened with demolition, or are the subject of local political battles, or have been victims of a devastating fire. Mr. Schoch’s article reflecting on first finding this unique, historic barn, and then searching it out again and considering another pilgrimage to the site on Christmas Eve, warmed my heart and inspired my daily work to save other important historic places throughout the state. Thank you for publishing this piece.

To all of you, best wishes for 2010.