December 2017 General Meeting Minutes

Minutes December 2017 SRG General Meeting

Date:                         December 6, 2017

Location:                  Sts. Peter and Paul Parish Hall

The meeting was called to order at 7:05 P.M by President Wade Weistreich

Officers and Directors in Attendance: Beth Bennett, Luann Denten, Scott Plackemeier, Neil Putz, Christopher Schwarz, Venessa Kobrin, Wade Weistreich, Billy Tomber, Taylor Bodine

Officers and Directors Absent:      Bill Clendenin, Stephen Shuman

Aldermen Present:                          None

Committeeman Present:                 None

Other Officials:                                Captain Shawn Dace and Officer Sherdon Douglas

Board and General Meeting Minutes

- The Treasury Report was available for review

- Christopher Schwarz noted that there were repairs needed including minor leaks, cracks, waterproofing and fixing of the fence at the Soulard Station. He confirmed that the the Station is paid off and payments are no longer being made.

- The November General Membership and Board meetings were available for review. Neil Putz moved to approve the minutes and Jim Rick seconded. The Board meeting minutes were approved.

Police Report (Sherdon Douglas)

- 19 total crimes for the month of November

- 4 Robberies: 2 arrests have been made

- 1 Aggravated Assault: Occurred on November 18th at the bus stop on 13th and Allen Street. The victim was not a resident of Soulard and sustained injuries to his leg and head.

- 14 Larcenies: 6 were residents of Soulard, and 2 were businesses. 4 were from vehicles each stealing under $500 and 2 vehicle larcenies were over $500. The last 3 were attempts to steal, breaking the windows of cars but not taking anything.

Old Business

Memorandum to clarify Soulard Restoration Group By-Laws

- President Wade W. presented a written memo. Please see attached for reference.

- Questions were asked by the general membership to clarify the memo and by-laws. President Wade W. addressed concerns over general members not having a voice.  He assured that any member could bring an idea or concern to the board at any time and that the appropriate action would be taken through scheduled board meetings. 

- If need be, the board can convene via email or in person should the situation warrant an immediate response. 

- The general membership has the ability to motion to have a board decision overturned by a motion from the floor.  A vote would be taken by the GM at the following meeting.

Committee Reports

Parlor Tour (Neil Putz)

- Thank you to all volunteers that helped make the Parlor Tour a success this year

- Income was $17,070 with 850 tickets sold and expenses totaling $3,806.

- Other than a few issues with the radios and longer distances between houses causing longer bus wait times, the Parlor Tour had great feedback. Those issues will be addressed for next year.

SBA/SRG Market Agreement (Wade Weistreich)

- States that SBA will be handling the majority of duties.

- It is important to note that this is a working agreement and could easily be revoked by either parties and ultimately, the City controls the park.

- The Butterfly Garden will be moved from the Market to Pontiac Square Park.

New Business

- Taylor Bodine will be the new Secretary for the Board

- Chad Graham, our Registered Agent for approximately 17 years, will be retiring. A registered agent is required by the board to responsible to ensure we file to the city for the board on a regular basis and will be contacted if any legal action is required by or taken against the board. If you are interested in being the Registered Agent, please contact President Wade W.

Committee Reports

Safety (Scott Plackemeier/Sergio Sevillano)

No report given.

Beautification (Richard Eaton)

No report given.

Residential Promotion (Luann Denten)

Historical Signage

Signage will be created along with brochures for a walking tour and an audio tour. This will be one-of-a-kind in the St. Louis area. This has been approved by Cultural Resources. There will be 30 houses on the tour and we will be contacting home owners soon to participate.

- Santa is coming to Soulard! On Friday, December 15th from 6-9PM at the Soulard Station.

- Merchandise is moving along. Once approval for financing is given, it will be posted online.

- Vices and Virtues is January 27th! If you attended last year and want to guarantee your spot or table for this year, you must claim them now or they will be posted for general sale. We are changing venues to the Lemp Grand Hall.  Be prepared to nominate royalty for only $5! Nominees must be from Soulard.

Communications (Jeremy Mehrle)

- We need your Soulard pets of the week! Nominate through Facebook at Soulard.org

- The deadline for the Mardi Gras issue of the Renaissance is January 5th. If you have an article or an idea for one, please submit it!

- Thank you to everyone who helped deliver the Renaissance and the Soulard Directories last Monday.

PRT/Code and Zoning (Jay Gibbs)

- The committee met with the 1001 Russell developer for the vacant lot just east of The Island Frozen Yogurt. They presented their plans for a 3 story building with retail on the first floor and apartments on the second and third. The committee and the City of St. Louis have approved the plan and will be breaking ground in February.

- The Union Barbershop wanted to put up a beer sign but the committee did not approve.

- Henry’s Bar purchased the building next door and wanted to add to their backdoor area. They built a pergola, which was inspected and approved by the committee. They were asked to fix their fence and they have complied.

- A developer from Los Angeles who has done work in Soulard previously has purchased the 2325 Menard Street open lot.  He wants to build two townhouses with garages facing Lami. Those would take two spots away from street parking so that request has been denied. The committee will be setting up a meeting with him to work on further development plans.

Fundraising (Chris Schwarz)

- Smardi Gras Trivia event will be on February 24th held in the Franklin Room. Volunteer sign ups will begin next month.

Membership (Julie Price)

- We need socials! If you would like to host a social please contact Julie

- January 13th Saturday is the wrestling at the Broadway Athletic Club. There is a possible conflict with another event, and more details will be announced at a later date.

- The welcome wagon baskets have been bought. Current residents can purchase these for $3 at the Tour Center and new residents will be gifted them.

- The Social is on the corner of 10th Street and Anne. Thank you to Allen and LeRoy for hosting.

Holiday Decorating (Venessa Kobrin)

- The lights are up at the Soulard Station. Thank you  to Allison and Leah for helping.

- Thank you to Julie Price for stepping up for the Star awards and the membership committee.

Partner Organizations

The Legion Report (Bill Wirtel)

- Fish Frys will be held:  February 16th, March 2nd, March 16th, and March 30th.

- Mr. Bill is a Korean Veteran and has been asked to go on the Honor Flight in this summer!

- The Legion’s number one fundraising, the Mouse Races, is approaching. It will be hosted at the St. Vincent de Paul on January 13, 2018 at 7:00 p.m.

Soulard Business Association (Tom Gullickson)

No report given.

Mardi Gras Inc. (Gary Toribio, Billy Tomber, Michael Pastore)

- Saturday night January 6th there will be a street parade. Details are TBD. Start time is around 6PM. Check your email blaster and social media for more details.

Star Award Presentations

- 8 were awarded and 5 are present tonight.

- The Star Award recipients were: Marybeth Wallace, Nancy Kelly, David Cornelius, Jim Rick, Dave Simmons. Neil Putz accepted an award on behalf of Veronica Putz. 

-Thank you to Joe Denten for the creating the Star Award plaques.

Adjournment

Motion to adjourn was made by Jeremy Mehrle and Jim Price seconded. The meeting was adjourned at 8:17 p.m.