As part of our concerted effort to stay safe, our April meeting is cancelled. Should there be any urgent neighborhood concerns, please bring them to our attention by phone or email (see our web page for contact information).
Minutes from our March meeting are below for your review. Please consider them as a draft until they can be approved by membership at a future meeting.
Minutes: 03.10.2020 – Consider this a draft until approved at upcoming meeting
President Harold Karabell called the meeting to order at 7:05 pm.
MINUTES from the February meeting were reviewed but could not be approved until a quorum was present. Later in the meeting we achieved a quorum and the minutes were unanimously approved as written.
TREASURER’S REPORT – Terry Werner – No change from February
- $7,327.64 – time deposit account
- $2,027.98 – checking
- $1,061.52 – savings
March activity, debits and credits, will be reflected in next month’s report.
Reminder: annual dues are due. See note at the end of these minutes for options to enroll or renew membership.
BEAUTIFICATION:
Replacement arbor gates for the community garden: lumber has been procured and assembled. The WPLNA provided half of the funds ($175) and the community garden reserves covered the balance.
Update on the median planters on Forest Park Avenue: Diana Gualdoni: We are still waiting to hear from the Parks Department on quotes to bring water and a basic irrigation system to each of the 5 planters. Tentative approval to fund this proposal has been received from the Central West End East Special Business District, the 17th Ward and the Cortex Innovation District.
Lorraine Simpson noted the dirty leaves on the stairwell into the voting area at the Park Place Apartments. She made a complaint to the maintenance office there and helped to clean up.
DEVELOPMENT
Joe Roddy, Alderman
Washington University plans to build a new $680M Neuroscience Research Building on Duncan and Newstead, including space for employee parking. https://medicine.wustl.edu/news/washington-university-to-break-ground-on-major-neuroscience-research-hub/
A new 262 unit apartment building is planned in the Cortex Innovation District at Duncan & Boyle.
There are concerns about the loss of surface parking lots with construction of new buildings. Mr. Roddy pointed out that surface lots are often just placeholders. Other parking lots and garages are being planned as development occurs, as part of long range plans for the area.
City Foundry anchor tenants will include Fresh Thyme grocery, Great Rivers Greenway offices, Orion Genomics, SLU offices, Alamo Drafthouse and Cinema, Punchbowl Social, and others. See more detailed information athttp://cityfoundrystl.com.
Joe made a few comments in response to issues raised by a resident of Forest Park Southeast neighborhood last month, saying the ward has a robust program which has provided hundreds of affordable housing options and offers a revolving loan program (which is often underfunded).
SECURITY – Marshall Michener referred members to the Neighborhood Security Initiative annual report for 2019 at: https://www.cwensi.com/annual-reports
There was a hit and run on Boyle between Laclede and West Pine. A bicyclist was hit, fortunately suffering non-life threatening injuries. NSI officers were able to identify the car using local camera footage and an arrest was made.
NEW BUSINESS:
Alfred Montgomery, candidate for the Sheriff of the City of St. Louis, was scheduled to present this evening. However, as he was working the polls for the Missouri primary elections, he arrived as the meeting was adjourning. We thanked him for his work and said we hope to see him at a future meeting.
Ron Coleman reminded us that the U.S. Census begins this month. Much is at stake, including federal funding and representation in the US House of Representatives. Residents are encouraged to respond. The first option will be an on-line response using a special code provided on a postcard to be mailed to each home address. Following that will be an opportunity to reply on paper ballots. Failing that, census workers will knock on the doors of residents who do not respond.
There are plans to build a new single-family home on the vacant lot at 4157 Laclede.
The meeting adjourned at 7:54 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Diana Gualdoni
Secretary