President Harold Karabell called the meeting to order and waived the normal order of business to allow visitor presentations.

SARA FEAGANS, Park Central Development, sara@parkcentraldevelopment.org, 314-535-5311

Ms. Feagans addressed the proposed CWE Mid-City Community Improvement District (CID) to replace the current CWE Southeast Special Business District (SBD) when it expires this year. The SBD has been providing safety and security services to the neighborhood since 1996. The District currently provides additional security patrols, maintains a security camera network, partners with the CWE Neighborhood Security Initiative, and has started upgrading pedestrian lighting in the neighborhood.

The new Community Improvement District would continue these efforts AND provide more services to the community including cleaning and landscaping, public infrastructure, economic development, and marketing.  Community approval is needed (51% of property owners representing at least 51% of assessed property values in district) to establish the new CID.  There have been multiple opportunities for the public to learn more about the new CID, ask questions of current Board members, and learn how they can become involved.  More events are planned and will be communicated via signs, emails and meetings. Property owners, please consider coming or contacting Sara directly.  If the CID fails, many of our current services will end when the SBD ends this year.

See the brochure: http://cwesoutheastsbd.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Brochure-FINAL.pdf

Signatures must be notarized.  Sara is a notary and happy to make arrangements to attend your group event to notarize property owner signatures.

MARC DANGERFIELD,Chief Awesomizer, EVNTUR

Mr. Dangerfield has coordinated several events for our neighborhood including the Sarah Street and celebration of 4101 Laclede event two years ago.  He asked for community input for a new event being planned for this summer.  The concept is:

• No entry fee
• Celebrate new residences and new and existing businesses in neighborhood.
• Food and drink (with wrist bands issued to guests of age to drink alcohol)
• Live music at Laclede and Sarah (from c. 5 or 6 pm until 8 pm)
• Inflatable movie screen will show a film selected by neighborhood after 8 pm
• Dates will be determined with Park Central Development in late September – early October
• Hopefully this will become an annual event

Mr. Dangerfield requested a letter of support from the neighborhood association.  Approval of this request was approved unanimously by those present.

LIZA FARR,  Associate Project Manager, Bi-State Development

Ms. Farr presented the Lime Bike bike-sharing project which started here on 4/16/18 under city regulations developed by Bi-State Development. The goal is to increase options for mobility.

How does it work?

• City regs allow Lime Bikes to start with 750 bikes and increase the number by a maximum of 350 bikes/month up to a max of 2,500 bikes.
• Users load an app onto their smartphone to locate bikes then scan the QR code on the bike to unlock it. Non-smart phone and cash options are available.
• Rides are $1 per half-hour
• Each bike is outfitted with GPS so no bike stations are needed.
• Users are asked to learn and follow policies for parking bikes when finished:
  • Park by sidewalk pavement, not on grass
  • Do not block pedestrian or wheelchair access on sidewalk, etc.
  • Avoid resident-maintained grassy strips between sidewalk and curb
  • Do not place bike on the ground
  • Do not park at bus stops or street corners
  • Do not park on campus (do park on public areas on fringe of campus)
  • See more at: https://www.limebike.com/how-to-lime
  • Lime Bike plans to introduce electric bikes in St. Louis this summer.
  • Contact info: support@limebike.com, call (888) LIME-345, text (888) 546-3345
  • A second bike service “ofo bike sharing” will be starting this week. Lime bikesare bright green, ofo bikesare yellow.

Questions/suggestions from the association:

• Are helmets part of plan? No, but some cities have addressed this with helmet give-aways.
• Bike parking stations are convenient – can local businesses be approached to provide them? This is currently being piloted and evaluated in Seattle and Dallas.
• Can a user unlock more than one bike at a time?  A user can unlock only one bike at a time.
• For low income membership options, see  LimeBike information copy

OFFICER ELECTIONS

Officer elections, usually held in April were deferred last month due to a full agenda. The following slate of un-opposed nominees was enthusiastically and unanimously approved:

Harold Karabell – President

Dug Feltch – Vice President

Terry Werner – Treasurer

Diana Gualdoni – Secretary

MINUTES

Minutes of April’s meeting were approved with one correction and the addition of this link with additional information on the proposed project at 4101 West Pine (at Sarah):

https://nextstl.com/2018/05/13-modern-townhomes-planned-for-w-pine-sarah/

 

BEAUTIFICATION REPORT

• Our beautification chair has moved from the neighborhood. Volunteers to replace her would be welcome!
• Dug Feltch and Nancy Lewandowski reported a good turnout for the May 5 neighborhood cleanup followed by a Cinco-de-Mayo party.Thanks to all who showed up.
• The median planter on Forest Park at Sarah is not being maintained. The association asked Ron Coleman, our Neighborhood Improvement Specialist, to contact CIC@CET to request they maintain that area, especially in light of the fact that trees on Sarah in front of their building were removed with no other plants or green space being provided in their stead.
• Ash trees have been removed from the Forest Park Southeast neighborhood and will soon be taken down in our neighborhood. The stumps will eventually be removed and new trees planted in those wells.

SECURITY REPORT– Marshall Michener

Crime in CWE is up 3% from April of last year due to vehicle thefts and robberies

Recent incidents include a car theft at 3962 West Pine last Thursday, 5/3 and an assault on the 4300 block of McPherson at c. 6 pm on 5/3.

DEVELOPMENT REPORT– Joe Roddy, Alderman

• Old Armory building development project will be announced soon
• Foundry project is proceeding and will include Alamo Beer, a movie theater, and Punchbowl Social.
• Cortex – new building on Duncan is almost finished and will house, among others, Square, creating about 300 new jobs and which could grow to 400-500 new jobs in the future.
• Plans are underway to develop the old Crescent Building on Duncan Avenue (the old Pulitzer Photo Gravure building at 4340-4350 Duncan Avenue) with subsidies from St. Louis, Washington University and other institutions.
• Motion to require protestors to respect an eight-foot limit from the Planned Parenthood driveway was defeated.
• Movement to repeal a reduction in the number of aldermen from 28 to 14, which was approved years ago to be effective in 10 years, is likely to be on the ballot again.
• Ron Coleman – the new Metro stop between Sarah and Boyle should be open this summer.
• Marshall Michener – plans are proceeding for the hotel on the 4200 block of Duncan as well as new plans for a hotel on Forest Park  at the site of the Habitat for Humanity ReStore building.   https://nextstl.com/2018/04/plans-progress-for-cortex-aloft/

Respectfully submitted,

Diana Gualdoni, Secretary