FEBRUARY 2022 APPROVED GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES
February General Membership Meeting
Feb. 2, 2022
Approved Minutes
1. Call to Order + Opening Remarks
Jim Dallas called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m.
Board Members present included: Jim Dallas, President; Michael Pastore, President-Elect; Debby Brown, Treasurer; Chris Currington, Secretary; Neil Putz, Past President; Nancy Kelly; Margi Koors; Nancy Lambert; Billy Tomber; and Gary Toribio.
Special Guests present included: Jack Coatar, St. Louis Alderman 7th Ward; and Dan Guenther, St. Louis Alderman 9th Ward.
Committee Chairs present included: Julie Price, Membership; Andrea Maddox-Dallas, Safety.
The meeting was conducted via Zoom, and there were about 40 in attendance. Jim asked if there was anyone calling in for the first time. Shawn Caruso, a new member, said he attended a couple meetings. He was just hired as the Soulard Business Association’s (SBA’s) executive director.
2. SLMPD Liaison Report
Jim Dallas said he had not heard from Officer Christopher Murray, the interim St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Liaison to the SRG. Things are up in the air about who the SRG Liaison will be. Officer Murray attended an SRG meeting about three months ago, but Jim hasn’t heard from him despite reaching out a couple of times.
3. Mardi Gras, Inc.
Jim Dallas introduced Tim Lorson, Executive Director for Mardi Gras, Inc. (MGI) to talk about what’s coming up with Mardi Gras over the next couple of months. Tim said he appreciated everyone’s time and that he is impressed with the commitment of Soulard residents.
Tim updated attendees about Mardi Gras celebrations including:
* There are three SRG Board Members who serve on MGI’s board: Gary Toribio, Nancy Lambert, and Billy Tomber.
* At this point, three events had been held: 12th Night; the online Soap Box Competition (since Family Winter Carnival was canceled due to COVID-19/omicron variant); and the Scavenger Hunt.
* PAL (Police Athletic League) Olympics is the weekend coming up; off-duty police officers volunteer and work the event giving youth something to do that’s positive. There will be a series of parlor games, karaoke, and drink specials for adults, all benefiting PAL.
* Feb. 12 is the Cajun Cookoff, an amateur cooking competition with demos from four well known chefs. Sugar Fire donated some items.
* The following weekend (Saturday) is the Missouri Lottery 5k Run for Your Beads from 9 a.m. to approximately 10 a.m., and will roll into the Taste of Soulard. Booklets of tickets are currently being sold, with a ticket for a cocktail and 6 tickets for signature dishes at participating locations. Sunday will be the Purina Pet Parade, with registration at 10 a.m., followed by the Tito’s Weiner Dog Race.
* Feb. 25 is the Mayor’s Ball, being held at St. Louis Union Station. There will be a cocktail stroll through the aquarium with some proceeds returning to Soulard for special projects. Tim referred to the full-page ad in The Renaissance that lists projects this effort has paid for in Soulard.
* Feb. 26 will be the Bud Light Grand Parade, stepping off at 11 a.m. near Ball Park Village and ending near the brewery.
Details for Mardi Gras can be found at www.stl.mardigras.org.
About the parking passes, they will go out the week of Feb. 14 to everyone whose address MGI knows. Everyone should receive two passes, and if they need more, they can call MGI and go to the MGI office to pick it (them) up. Tim also said that additional information would be included with the parking passes. Tim also reminded everyone they should not park where there are white signs (hanging on posts/trees in the neighborhood).
On the day of the Grand Parade, clean up teams will start in the yellow zone in the afternoon. At 7 p.m., when outdoor activities end in the red zone, cleaning will start (but not with a definite time, depends on snow, ice, etc.). MGI will continue cleaning for as long as it takes to get the trash picked up, which is usually 9 a.m. the next day. If anyone sees a trash problem, they’re encouraged to wait until Sunday to report it.
Tim said, the day of the parade, if there’s a non-life-threatening or non-property-threatening emergency, call the MGI office. It’s tied to the Command Center (teams of police and tow trucks). This is to avoid gumming up the 911 system. If there is a life-threatening or property-threatening emergency, then call 911.
There was a question if anything was being handled differently this year because of COVID. Tim said MGI is monitoring closely, and the requirements (masks/COVID tests) are currently listed on MGI’s website.
Jim asked if all the permits had been issued. Tim said they were, but that doesn’t mean that an emergency health order wouldn’t happen.
Tim thanked everyone for their time, and Jim thanked Tim for his Mardi Gras updates.
3. Secretary’s Report
Chris Currington said that the Board-approved minutes from the December Board Meeting and the Draft minutes from the January General Membership Meeting had been added to the SRG website the previous week. He hadn’t received any questions or comments about the January General Membership Meeting minutes and asked for a motion to approve the minutes.
Margi Koors made the motion to accept the Draft of the General Membership Meeting minutes as final. Michael Pastore seconded the motion.
The vote was taken.
All voted in favor. No votes opposed it.
The motion to accept the Draft of the General Membership Meeting Minutes as final passed.
4. Financial Report
Debby Brown gave the Treasurer’s report and mentioned that SRG is now several months into the fiscal year, which started July 1. To date, total revenue is ~$57,000 and expenses are ~$39,000. Current net income is ~$28,000, and as of Jan. 31, 2022, the cash balance was ~$86,000. At the last General Membership meeting, the cash balance was ~$94,000, but there have been some large expenses for the audit, tax preparation, and the Parlour Tour. These were expected.
Debby asked for questions. Hearing none, Jim moved to the next agenda item.
5. President’s Update
a. By-laws
Jim Dallas said the Board-approved revisions to the by-laws were presented at the December General Membership meeting. That version was posted on the website, along with a side-by-side PowerPoint comparison of the current to revised by-laws and instructions for submitting any questions or comments.
The previous month, Jim presented two slight changes to the Board-approved by-laws and the revised revisions on the website. Jim said that he has not received any emails, questions, or suggested changes (other than the two he posted last month).
The by-laws require SRG to post revisions two meetings ahead of the meeting that the vote is taken. This requirement has been met if the vote was to be taken at this meeting. Jim asked if someone present was willing to make a motion that the by-laws be put up for a vote this evening to accept the revised by-laws.
Billy Tomber made the motion to accept the by-laws revisions. Margi Koors seconded.
Jim said that for this motion to pass it would need 2/3 present voting yes. Jim asked if there was any discussion.
Lisa Otke asked if every member had been notified about the by-laws revisions, or if it was only announced at meetings. Jim said it was announced at meetings and included in three Blasters (SRG e-newsletter) that they had been posted and there would likely be a vote at the February General Membership meeting.
Lisa then asked if (since this meeting was via Zoom) if there could be a poll for voting instead of yeses and nos. Jim asked Lisa if she meant an anonymous vote. Gary Toribio asked if we could do a Zoom poll. Billy Tomber asked if it would be possible to ask for objections first. Lisa said she would abstain from the vote since she hadn’t read over the by-laws revisions for months, and that she was fine with the process.
Gary said that Lisa raised some good points and asked if the by-laws vote could take place in conjunction with the elections in April. Margi Koors suggested Jim go person to person on this current Zoom call and ask for their vote.
Jim went person by person on the Zoom call to tally the vote.
There were 27 yes votes and 6 abstentions.
The motion to approve the by-laws revisions passed, with more than 2/3 present voting yes.
Jim thanked everyone in the working group by name:
* Gary Toribio, who spearheaded the push in mid-2020, soon after Jim was elected President-Elect
* Lisa Otke
* Scott Plackemeier
* Wade Weistreich
* Luann Denten
* Venessa Kobrin
* Chris Schwarz
Jim also thanked the Board for the work they put into reviewing and considering various provisions over the past four to five months. Gary said that if it wasn’t for Jim Dallas, the by-laws revisions wouldn’t have happened.
b. April election
Jim said the nominating committee for the April election was formed in December and it has met three times. He’d hoped to announce the candidates who stepped forward, but the committee isn’t quite ready to do so yet. In particular, it doesn’t have any candidates for President-Elect, and he needs to get the Board’s approval of the slate of candidates. Jim said he should get approval prior to the Feb. 16 Board meeting, and the full slate should be ready by the March 2 General Membership meeting, if not prior to that point. The election will take place in April, either at an in-person General Membership meeting, or electronically as has been done the last couple of years.
Jim asked if there were any questions. There weren’t any.
c. Recent Board Meeting
Jim said that at the January Board meeting, the Board considered the following matters.
Audit
The auditor, Linda Howdeshell, presented her audit findings and follow-up recommendations to the Board. She also presented SRG’s 2020 tax form. The Board voted and approved the financial statements and the tax form. The 2020 tax form has been filed by Linda. Jim will post her report on the website in the near future.
Request from The Island
Jason Stump, owner of The Island, on Russell Ave, appeared before the Board to discuss his plans for a carry-out chicken restaurant in the currently unoccupied space just east of The Island in the 1000 block of Russell Ave. As Jason proceeds with his permitting process, the Board requested that he speak with Jay Gibbs, as head of the Plan Review Team. Jay has had a conversation with Jason. Jay looked at the space and has already given useful tips about what to do with space.
Lisa Otke asked if Jason is requesting a second liquor license. Jim said he is not. Julie Price said that, as she understands it, Jason will be moving the frozen ice cream to the new place, and The Island will only be frozen drinks.
Covid and live meeting protocols
The board discussed at a high level what the protocols should be regarding live meetings, in particular indoor meetings. At the previous Board meeting, the decision was made to hold this meeting via Zoom. Currently, there are no live events until April 30, which is Smarty Gras which will be held at the Franklin of Soulard. Other than that, we are still on a month-to-month basis on whether we continue with Zoom or go back to live meetings.
6. Committee Reports
a. Communications
Megan Mehrle said that at the January ComCom meeting, the committee welcomed William Knight, who has agreed to take over The Blaster. Billy Tomber is getting him up to speed on that, and William will make some fresh new templates. Megan also asked that anything needing to be included be sent to blaster@soulard.org, and that the more copy/details, the better.
ComCom is still welcoming new members, and it’s been great having Brenton Henry’s and William’s help. However, ComCom could still use more help, so anyone who is tech-savvy was asked to help.
Megan is still working on training for anyone not comfortable with the SRG Cloud Storage on Google Drive. If any committees have members that need access, Megan is ready to onboard them.
Neil Putz asked when the cloud storage training videos would be prepared. Megan said she’s trying to get them finished.
b. Fundraising
Margi Koors, Board Liaison to the Fundraising Committee, said she wanted to mention Smarty Gras coming up April 30. This is the perfect time to get tables while they’re $250 each. The price will be going up to $300 a table April 1. Margi thanked Billy Tomber for his work and extra effort for this event.
Julie asked how many people were at a table, eight or 10. Margi said it’s 10 per table, or $25 a person, but that price will go up to $30 a person.
Hearing no questions, Jim moved to the next committee.
c. Historical
Neil Putz, Board Liaison to the Historical Committee, gave the update in Veronica Putz’, Committee Chair’s, absence. Neil thanked Billy for getting items in The Blaster for the Historical Committee. Neil said he had four things to cover:
1. Interviews: the Committee is scheduling interviews with longtime (and former) Soulard residents to record their discussions for a body of knowledge and how Soulard grew from the 70s and 80s.
2. Posters: Working with Philip Hanley, the committee is archiving images of old posters. The committee is not selling posters. It’s capturing the beautiful images and artwork, which is often created by Soulard residents. SRG just had the Parlour Tour, where posters were displayed at the Fete de Noel. There are about 45 posters so far. If anyone has any information about old posters—before 1994—email history@soulard.org and let them know.
3. House Research: the committee is proud to support SRG members and one of their missions is to help discover who lived in their houses. If anyone has questions, or would like to dialogue, they’re encouraged to email the committee.
4. The committee received a flier from Sts. Peter & Paul about a free vaccine clinic being held in a week. No appointment is necessary. This is an opportunity for anyone who has missed a chance to complete their vaccines.
Margi Koors asked about purchasing the house research—history of their home—as a gift for someone. Neil said someone can certainly do that, and reminded everyone of the three-tiered structure, the modest charges, and the packet that is prepared. Neil said this may be good for The Blaster and The Renaissance.
Jim asked if there were any other questions. Hearing none, Jim moved to the next agenda item.
d. Membership
Julie Price, Membership Committee Chair, said there are currently 356 SRG members; 38 of whom are Friends of Soulard. If anyone has friends who come down here, or live in Benton Park, invite them to be members. All members of SRG are ambassadors. If anyone sees a new neighbor on NextDoor or Facebook, they’re encouraged to reach out to them and ask them to be members of SRG.
Julie discussed the Welcome Wagon—Veronica Putz delivers a bag to the new homeowners in the neighborhood. If anyone knows of a new resident, let Julie or Veronica know and they will deliver the welcome bag.
Julie said the Star Award nominations are open and the form is in The Blaster. There’s a fillable form. If someone was nominated in 2020 and didn’t get an award, then a new nomination will need to be completed. The deadline is Feb. 15, and forms should be sent to membership@soulard.org or delivered to Julie’s office at 1911 S. 12th Street. Julie also offered to pick up nomination forms.
The committee is working on new plans for the upcoming Membership Drive. They’re hoping to have the Membership Drive outdoors in May. There are more details to come.
Julie asked for questions. There weren’t any.
e. Safety
Andrea Maddox-Dallas, Safety Committee Chair, said the big thing is they’re now collecting information for the security camera database, and there was a description in The Blaster this past week. This database is confidential and can only be accessed by the Safety Committee Chair and the police liaison officer. If a crime happens in the neighborhood, a detective reaches out and says a crime has happened, and then outreach is made to the resident who volunteered the listing of their camera in the database. Andrea provided a personal example of a shooting that happened in her alley. The program allows the detective to reach out via email or cell phone and ask if the resident has any coverage on their camera. This program is patterned after a similar one in The Hill neighborhood. If anyone wants to be in the database, they’re encouraged to email safety@soulard.org. Andrea reminded everyone that this database is confidential and not available to anyone other than the committee chair and the police liaison.
Andrea also said there were a limited number of cameras available (3 boxes with 2 in each) if anyone was interested.
Neil Putz asked if the email and name of the police liaison could be provided. Jim said that Christopher Murray wasn’t the neighborhood’s liaison yet. But this shouldn’t stop us from going ahead and working with an officer.
Chris Currington asked if there were any recommendations about the type of camera to have. Andrea said there weren’t at present, but she offered to look into it further.
Nancy Lambert asked—with The Hill program—if it mattered what kind of camera they had. Andrea said it didn’t and said that when the shooting happened in their alley, they were given a time and then they reviewed their footage.
Hearing no more questions, Jim moved to the next agenda item.
7. Adjourn
Before adjourning, Megan Mehrle asked if there was a new committee chair yet for the Community Involvement & Events Committee. Jim Dallas said there wasn’t much to update here yet, there is no chair or staff, but hopefully there will be momentum as we go into the Spring.
Jim called for the motion to adjourn. Margi Koors seconded.
The vote was taken
All voted in favor to adjourn the meeting at 8:19 p.m.
From the Zoom Chat feature:
19:23:54 From Billy Tomber to Everyone:
Mardi Gras Inc: 314-771-5110
19:25:18 From Billy Tomber to Everyone:
2200 Dolman [at Ann]
19:30:56 From Jane Carriker to Everyone:
Is anything being handled differently this year for MG due to covid?
19:31:54 From Billy Tomber to Everyone:
19:32:00 From Shawn Caruso to Everyone:
https://stlmardigras.org/info-center/covid-19-related-plans-for-2022
19:57:36 From Billy Tomber to Everyone:
blaster@soulard.org
to submit any Blaster-worthy information.
Smarty Gras - Sat, April 30!
http://www.soulard.org/#smarty-gras
$250 for table of Ten until April 1;
$300 thereafter
20:03:50 From Billy Tomber to Everyone:
Want to reach the Historical Committee?
history@soulard.org
20:06:26 From Neil Putz to Everyone:
Sts Peter & Paul Vaccine Clinic
Wed, Feb 9, 4:30-6:15 pm
816 Allen Ave
no appointment required, and it's FREE
20:09:10 From Billy Tomber to Everyone:
Star Award Nominations -
http://www.soulard.org/#star-award
20:11:42 From Julie Price to Everyone:
Star nominations are open until FEB 15. You can send completed forms to membership@soulard.org
20:12:26 From Billy Tomber to Everyone:
Voluntary Camera database:
safety@soulard.org
20:17:23 From Megan Mehrle to Everyone:
Jeremy and I typically find this website very helpful in picking the best product for most people when there are many options. They have an article on outdoor security cameras. https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-wireless-outdoor-home-security-camera/