SRG GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING JUNE 2024

Jul 10

Wednesday, June 5, 2024

PRESENT
Officers: Abbey Bethel, Past President; Adriano Martinez, President; Amanda Ramcharan, President-Elect; Debby Brown, FY24 Treasurer; Neil Putz, FY25 Treasurer; Abby Goodson, Secretary

LOCATION
Saints Peter & Paul Parish Hall in the Rose Room | 816 Allen Ave

Call to Order/Opening Remarks

Meeting called to order at 7:03pm by Adriano Martinez

Round Table — Committee Updates

Membership

Margi Koors welcomed four new members to the front of the room for introductions; recapped that around 250 people attended the May membership drive/party; celebrated the Star Award recipients; noted the successful Fox Theatre Tour, reminded members to bring men’s clothing to donate at the next meeting; and announced that Julie Price will be resigning as Membership Committee Chair and thanked her for her service.
June’s social was hosted by John Durnell and Richard Eaton at 1842 South 9th Street. The committee is looking for a volunteer to host the social after the next membership meeting on July 10.

Safety

Andrea Maddox-Dallas, Safety Committee Chair, announced that the committee is always looking for new members; recapped the Spring Safety Walk event by noting that there were fewer items found (~20) compared to previous years; and encouraged members to pick up a free dusk-to-dawn porch light bulb for their “Light Up Soulard” campaign.

Communications Committee (ComCom)

Abby Goodson announced that the new SRG website went live on May 1, 2024 and that the committee is seeking feedback on content via email. Contact: communication@soulard.org.

Community Involvement & Events (CI&E)

Brad Pitlyk, CI&E Chair, announced that the second installment of the Movies in the Park series will be on Friday, June 14 at 9pm with a showing of Shrek; spoke about the Bastille Day Parade being pushed back to to Saturday, July 20 at 4pm (from July 13) to accommodate the STL sports schedule and allow attendees to head to the Soulard Summer Concert series at 6pm; and announced that Nancy and Mark Lambert were selected as royalty this year by the Soulard Business Association. Stephen Shuman added that volunteers are needed for craft night and on the day of the event to help the parade run smoothly. Contact: community@soulard.org

Development

Jim Dallas, Development Chair, presented the three dates for the Soulard Summer Concert series and noted that volunteers are needed for set-up, working the beverage booth, and clean-up. Contact: development@soulard.org

June 22: Captain Bulkhead and the Portholes (Yacht Rock)
July 20: Boogie Chyld (Party Favorites)
August 17: Sometimes A Fantasy (Billy Joel Cover Band)

New merchandise designs were released at the May membership party: T-shirts ($20–$25); hats ($25); and posters. Sales were successful. New orders will be placed so that we’re in supply by the June Summer Concert Series.

Historical

Veronica Putz, Historical Chair, notified the room of two upcoming neighborhood events:

Saints Peter and Paul Trivia Night on June 7 at 7pm
Impact for Life Blood Drive on June 25 from 2–6pm

Parlour Tour

Jeanne Kirby, Parlour Tour Chair, was not present and there was no update.

Properties (Station)

Bonita Leiber, Properties Chair, played Arlo Guthrie’s Garden Song to update everyone on the status of the garden. She thanked the Beautification Committee volunteers, a team of volunteers sent from Purina, Betty Hamilton, and Veronica Putz for helping to plant, weed, design, and clean up the garden this spring; noted that the garage door broke and thanked Chris Koehler for providing a temporary fix; announced that the wrought iron fence installation around the Station is complete; and shared the combination (1911) for the lock that will be installed on the gate to help with security.

Beautification

Jeff Weitzel, Beautification Chair, noted they completed three volunteer days this spring; thanked Phyllis Young and Betty Hamilton for pulling weeds at Pontiac Square Park; announced the completion of the Aboussie Park gazebo restoration project; shared that he has leftover plants at his house and to contact beautification@soulard.org if interested; and invited everyone to add these dates to their calendar:

Summer Solstice Cocktail Hour at Aboussie Park: June 20
Art and Floral Show: August 24
Soulard Patio Crawl: September 28
Molly’s Oktoberfest Date: October 10

Code & Zoning and Plan Review Team (PRT)

Walker Hamilton, PRT Chair, announced that Laura Leister and Jim Lettau (owners of Pieces Board Game Bar and Protagonist Cafe) are under contract on the old police station space at 2727 South 12th Street and shared that they will be seeking a zoning change from multi-family to commercial (which PRT supports) to allow for Pieces to move there and a second coffee shop (Antagonist) to open.

Crime Report

Angela Dickerson, 3rd District Police Captain, introduced our new liaison officer, Gregory McClendon, updated us on the Soulard crime report and shared some safety tips:

Soulard has seen a decrease in police incidents: 104 incidents in 2024 compared to 116 incidents in 2023 (compared to the same time frame as last year)
Auto-thefts are one of the largest issues in St. Louis, and thieves have new technology to make breaking into cars easy. They offered three tips: 1) Do not leave any valuables in your car. 2) Do not store firearms in your vehicle. 3) Use a car club to help keep your vehicle secure.
Keep your porch lights on; the light helps deter crime and if camera footage is needed, it provides a necessary light source to help identify suspects.
The Soulard Special Business Business District (SSBD) provides free car clubs to residents within the district. To pick one up, stop by The Star Agency at 2027 S 11th Street.
Never hesitate to call 911 during an emergency situation. It is important that all crimes can be reported and tracked.
If you have seen an uptick in crime in the same area of the neighborhood, contact them and they will work to get a Sky Camera moved to that area.

Guest Speaker

Gabe Gore, St. Louis Circuit Attorney who was appointed to the position last year, spoke about how he was concerned that the City of St. Louis wasn’t prosecuting crimes and how he is working to restore the office so that it can perform its vital role in the criminal justice system. He is running for the full, four-year term as St. Louis Circuit Attorney during this year’s election cycle. He shared some stats on the work his office has accomplished:

The office was understaffed and in the past year they have hired 33 attorneys (21 of whom are experienced prosecutors). Gore reported that he hired 26 support staff (paralegals and administrators).
There were 6,700 unreviewed incidents where police made an arrest, collected evidence, presented the crime to the office, and wanted the cases to be reviewed. Gore’s office has prioritized these cases (including 9 homicides and hundreds of violent felonies) and issued charges. The number of remaining incidents is around 2,600 and they’re all lower-level crimes.
Gore has worked to regain trust by attending community meetings across the city to reestablish the relationship and enhance cooperation and coordination.
Gore is building a diversion unit that works with first-time non-violent offenders to be diverted into being productive citizens. There are a total of 5 staff members (3 of whom are social workers), and it’s the largest diversion unit St. Louis has ever had.
Gore is working to restore integrity among the department by filing to vacate the murder conviction of Christopher Dunn.
Gore’s goal is to have the highest performing circuit attorney’s office in the country that every citizen is proud of.
When asked, Gore mentioned that Mayor Jones and the Board of Alderpersons are supportive of his office’s work, including approving their latest budget increase request.

Alderperson Update

Cara Spencer, Ward 8 Alderperson, announced that the Board of Alderpersons had just approved the $500,000 request for the circuit attorney’s budget.
Spencer announced that she is running for Mayor of St. Louis, and is focused on getting back to basics so the city can function properly by making sure the streets are repaired/maintained and trash is picked up. She also noted that she is looking to find a solution to the MSD water bill increases.
When asked about the new Narcan distribution box at Soulard Market Park and whether she had any input on the location, Spencer responded that Mayor Jones pushed through the initiative and did not consult with her or the neighborhood on the locations. Spencer confirmed her belief that Narcan distribution boxes should be located throughout the city to help combat opioid overdoses, but stated that the neighborhoods should have been notified in advance and had the ability to weigh in on their locations.
A comment was made about the vast number of sinkholes and potholes throughout the city and the high number of pedestrian injuries and fatalities, and Spencer responded that she has a plan to discourage reckless driving, and wants to see the city spending a good chunk of its budget to repair the sinkholes and potholes. She noted that she believes there needs to be a strategic plan provided by experts that can evaluate the existing condition of the roads and recommend improvements in a phased approach. She mentioned that one estimate to completely repair all of the roads throughout the city came in at around $12.5 million dollars, while the city is only spending $2–3 million dollars each year. She referenced that the city has had a population loss of about 20,000 people since the 2020 census, which puts a huge financial burden on the city’s budget.
A question was asked about what residents can do about vacant, nuisance properties in the neighborhood. Spencer responded by recommending that the resident reach out to the property owner first to see if the issue(s) can be resolved directly. Her second recommendation was to notify the Citizens Service Bureau (CSB) so that there is a record of complaints/issues filed. She mentioned that the more complaints filed on a specific property by different individuals increases the likeliness of the issue being resolved. As a last resort, she noted that she has seen success with neighborhood organizations filing lawsuits against negligent property owners.

President’s Report

Adriano Martinez noted that committee chairs are in the process of presenting their FY25 budgets to the Board for review. The general membership will vote on the budget during the next meeting (July 10).
The July membership meeting will be delayed one week to account for the Independence Day holiday. The meeting will occur July 10 instead of July 3.

Treasurer’s Report

Debby Brown reported on financials and mentioned it was the last month of the fiscal year.

Income: $85,000
Expenses: $83,000
Cash balance: $82,000
Neil Putz’ term will begin on July 1.

Secretary’s Report

Abby Goodson had no update.

Soulard Neighborhood Organizations

Soulard Business Association (SBA)

No update

Community Improvement District (CID)

Terry Hoffman reported that:

SRG + CID signed a contract to water all 45 pots around the neighborhood every Monday and Thursday through Labor Day.
100 trees planted last year will receive watering bladders so that they remain hydrated throughout the summer.
CID expansion will not include the far South side of the neighborhood because of Anheuser Busch’s hesitation. The new plan is to include everything north of Lynch street.
Soulard street banner installation will begin June 10 (starting with 7th street, then Russell, then throughout the neighborhood).
CID meetings have moved to the second Monday of each month at 5pm at Molly’s (816 Geyer Avenue).

Soulard Special Business District (SSBD)

Terry Hoffman reported that:

SSBD authorized allocation for the cleaning team to pick up bulk trash for the entire neighborhood (3 weeks out of the month). If you see bulk items in the alley, notify cleanstreets@soulardcid.org
Car clubs are free if you live within the SSBD boundaries. To pick one up, stop by The Star Agency (2027 S 11th Street).
SSBD meetings have moved to the second Monday of each month at 6:30pm at Molly’s (816 Geyer Avenue).

Mardi Gras Inc. (MGI)
- Nancy Lambert announced that MGI is hosting a golf tournament (4-person scramble) on July 19 in Forest Park and that they are looking for people/companies to sponsor a hole.
St. Louis Development Corporation