1949
In February, a PTA was organized at Lee School with Mrs. James Walker as the first president. A card party, a KSTP Barn Dance at the high school, a square dancing party, paper sales, etc., raised money for school lunches and dental care for needy children, playground equipment, and Christmas baskets for needy families. Along with immunization clinics, a dish towel shower and a Mother’s Tea, it was an active year for a new school. By October, there were 1115 PTA members, 1141 students and 26 teachers. On February 16, there was an “open house” to show off the 20 classrooms, little theater, cafeteria and the latest features in design and convenience. Also, in February, the school nurse, June Sundt, sent notices to all parents because of several cases of scarlet fever, warning that severe complications could occur in one third of the cases.
In April, the new fire and police station on Hubbard Avenue was formally dedicated. At 2 p.m. the siren blew and the firemen marched from their old home in back of the City Hall on Broadway to the new quarters on Hubbard. Free coffee, doughnuts and ice cream were distributed to the public and the Robbinsdale and Anoka City Bands played. Mayor Charles Wallace handed over huge keys to Police Chief Matthew Spurzem and Fire Chief Frank Cherveny. Today the building is used as the Hubbard Transit Station.
The American Legion Post 251 built a new club house at 3600 France Avenue and the first meeting was held in the new building on December 8th, 1949. It was later.enlarged ,and today is a beautiful building for Legion activities. The dining facilities are used by the St. Petersburg Restaurant and frequently rented by other groups for wedding parties.
Dredging plans for Crystal Lake underwent several changes. This map show the work Hennepin county had completed and scheduled. The work areas are places where muck and sand where dredged out the disposal areas are where the material was piled up. The original plans called for complete feeling of an old swamp at the south end to become a playground. Another proposal would have left a small lagoon below Beard Avenue. The entire area was eventually filled to become Lakeview Terrace Park. By 1949 over $100,000 had already has been spent. The 1947 disposal area at the top of the map was a marshy place Robbinsdale used as a city dump. The site became Sanborn Park.
This post is part of a series loosely based on the book Robbinsdale Then and Now by Helen Blodgett.