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North St. Paul HRA approves contract with Saint Paul College for student-built homes
Summary
The North St. Paul Housing and Redevelopment Authority approved a residential construction contract with Saint Paul College to continue a longstanding student-build program, add a $500-per-student scholarship contribution and use Procore for project management.
The North St. Paul Housing and Redevelopment Authority voted to approve a residential construction contract with Saint Paul College after college officials described plans for student-built homes and program operations.
VA Haman Barber, Dean of Trade and Tech at Saint Paul College, thanked the HRA for its ongoing partnership and said the college is ‘‘thrilled to be here’’ to support the project. Tom Liskow, instructor of the carpentry department at Saint Paul College, told the HRA the current class includes 21 students and that training runs from 7:30 a.m. to about 2 p.m., Monday through Thursday. ‘‘As VA mentioned, we have 21 students currently in class,’’ Liskow said.
Why it matters: The contract continues a long-running local partnership that trains carpentry students by building homes for the community, while adding a scholarship element intended to support students in the program. A commissioner told the board the HRA will contribute ‘‘$500 per student in the class’’ back into the program to help students and the program financially.
Details: Liskow outlined operational plans including on-site student work, a possible camera or still-image feed so the college and public can view progress, and use of Procore, a construction-management platform, to share schedules and project information with contractors. He also said CSA, an architectural firm in Arden Hills, donated time to prepare concept drawings included in the meeting packet. The pair of homes discussed are similar in square footage — one about 2,200 square feet and the other roughly 100 square feet larger — but intentionally differ in appearance due to site constraints.
Action taken: The chair called for approval of the residential construction contract; the motion was made and seconded and the board approved the contract by voice vote after members said ‘‘aye.’’ The motion documentation in the transcript did not specify who moved or seconded by name.
What’s next: College representatives said they hope to be on-site as soon as next Wednesday to begin work and will coordinate scheduling and contractor access through Procore. The HRA’s scholarship contribution will be applied to the class named in the contract.
Quotes: "I'm here to be a resource. I'm here to be a cheerleader," VA Haman Barber said. "We have 21 students currently in class," Tom Liskow said. A commissioner described the new scholarship component: "we are gonna put up $500 per student in the class that will then go back and be put into the program to help the program out and the kids, joining this program."
