September 2019 ENA General Meeting Notes
Approval of Minutes, July Meeting
Clarification from last meeting, Chemisphere company is not planning on expanding their operations near Knox Industrial. They are only constructing a new parking lot, as discussed at previous meetings.
Motion to approve notes as formal meeting minutes made by Robert Morrissey and seconded by Alan Arky. Approved by voice vote.
Community Reports
Alderman Bret Narayan (24th Ward)
Gun violence is an important issue and Bret is meeting with various city stakeholders to come up with solutions.
Currently there are not enough parks employees to hand the maintenance needs throughout city parks, so pending work is very behind schedule. Also, Forestry Department still behind on grass cuttings.
Pushing for a vote to waive the residency work requirement to encourage more people to apply for the many openings in city service jobs.
Q: If the vote passes could people currently working for the city move out to the county and keep their job?
A: Yes
Q: Is there enough money to pay for the roughly 150 police officer positions in the city?
A: Yes, per recent local legislation. However, there are many unfilled police officer positions. Anyone who meets the basic law enforcement qualifications are encouraged to apply. Contact Ald. Narayan for specifics.
Q: Is there a way for the City to pay more to compete with the County wages which are higher?
A: St. Louis Metropolitan Police (City) gross salary pay is less than in some County municipalities, however the pension in the City is significantly better than most police departments in St. Louis County.
In Forest Park there is a plan to improve the waterways with hopes to retain more of the water in the park and to reduce the flow of additional water into River des Peres with hopes of lessening flooding downstream during storm events.
Many trees will be planted and fishing docks will be improved.
Construction timeline July 2020 to July 2021
On September 21, Dogtown United is hosting a family-friendly pet parade with bean-bags tournament to follow.
Canvas Medical Dispensary has applied to be a medical marijuana dispensary. Proposed location is 7168 Manchester in Ellendale, at the City line with Maplewood. Appears to be affiliated with CBD store at adjacent address. Should require a variance from Board of Adjustment in order to proceed.
A special hearing has been scheduled for September 19th at 8:30AM in Room 208 at City Hall to consider this application. Matt Sisul will attend and will request a deferral in an effort to give the neighborhood association an opportunity to review plans & comment with any conditions. Matt will also invite the applicant to present at our November meeting.
Q: What is going on with house on Canterbury completely covered with overgrowth?
A: Matt Sisul has been working with Building Division and Citizens Service Bureau to get the problems at 7042 Canterbury remedied. Building owner was rehabbing the home for his brother. When the brother passed away, rehab stopped. Ald. Narayan has been updated as well and will help us filed report with CSB, the report was listed as close.
A new neighborhood improvement specialist (NIS) has been assigned to the 24th Ward. Hopefully this new person will have a positive effect on problem properties.
UPDATE: New NIS from Citizens Service Bureau is Steve LaRosa. Matt will invite him to attend November ENA general meeting.
Resident concern on Hermitage regarding tow truck parked on the street in residential area. Ald. Narayan is aware of an unlicensed auto repair business on this street, who probably owns & operates this tow truck. He has put this on his task list and is hopeful that new NIS will help City better track issues such as this.
Matt Sisul thanked Alderman Narayan for driving the neighborhood with him recently looking at many of the issues within the Ellendale neighborhood that are frequent topics of concern at our ENA general meetings. Matt also pointed out that some issues have already been resolved since this tour, and thanked Ald. Narayan for his assistance with getting those matters attended to.
VACANT (NIS, 24th Ward) - no report
New NIS coming soon.
Officer Don Veile (2nd District)
Unable to attend; no report
Board Report
Treasurer’s Report (Matt Sisul for Joe Nea)
Excused absence for Joe Nea. Treasurer’s report will be deferred until November meeting
Housing Committee Report (Matt Sisul for Linda Boyd-Shell)
Resident concern about Wilkinson School and requested status update.
Property still owned by Advantes Group and they still plan to go ahead with the development.
Tax abatement was approved by the city.
Building owners have applied to the Missouri State Historic Preservation Office for the property to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This will allow the development to be eligible for state rehabilitation tax credits, which will be needed to finance the complete development. This application is anticipated to be approved in November. Construction really should not occur before any such approvals issued, as any work prior to approval may jeopardize the historic application.
Matt Sisul invited anyone with additional questions or concerns about this development to contact him directly.
Additional/Miscellaneous
Question regarding fiber optics cable work throughout McCausland, Canterbury and other locations. The concrete streets and sidewalks are not being re-poured when work is completed. Pipes are protruding out of the ground and look unsightly. Open holes in ground are dangerous.
Alderman Narayan will follow-up with City Streets Department for repaving schedules related to this work.
Annual Officer Elections (President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Communications Officer)
Reminder that Treasurer and Communications Officer positions are two-year terms. The other positions are one-year terms. This year, all five officer positions are expiring. Reminder that members must be in good-standing with ENA and dues current in order to serve as association officer.
Jim Howard made a motion to nominate Matt Sisul as President, Jacqi Kamp as Vice President, and Joe Nea as Treasurer. Seconded by Robert Morrisey. There were no other candidates that volunteered or were nominated. Approved by voice vote.
Matt Sisul nominated Susan Moody for Secretary, who was not present but who volunteered to serve. Alan Arky seconded. There were no other candidates that volunteered or were nominated. Approved by voice vote.
Communications Officer position is currently vacant and interested persons are encouraged to volunteer. Until position is filled, Matt Sisul will fulfill the position’s duties.
New Business
2019/20 Dues (Matt Sisul)
These general meetings of Ellendale Neighborhood Association are open to the general public. Ellendale residents and business owners and other community stakeholders are encouraged to attend. However, and per ENA by-laws, in order to be considered a member in good standing, one’s dues must be current.
Per ENA by-laws, dues for the calendar year are due on January 1 of each year.
Also, per ENA by-laws, new members paying dues September or later will be granted paid membership status through the end of the following year.
Volunteers are still needed for ENA pollinator garden, located on Ellendale Avenue overlooking Southwest Avenue. Fall season work will include general cleanup of trash, end-of-season weeding, and removal of all dead growth. Please contact Matt Sisul if interested in helping.
Neighborhood Ownership Model (Matt Sisul)
Request for Block Captains: brief overview of the programs is to help distribute information to residents who are unable to attend semi-monthly ENA meetings; to help communicate neighborhood issues to ENA officers, alderman, NIS, and police more frequently than every other month. Several volunteers offered to serve their blocks. Matt Sisul will coordinate these efforts.
Handouts about Neighborhood Ownership Model (NOM) were available at this meeting. Summary is as follows:
Improved safety exists when residents work together, take charge and partner with the police, prosecutors, judges, and other community stakeholders. NOM is the framework to help neighborhoods plan crime-reduction efforts in their neighborhoods. Opportunities are plenty but volunteers are essential.
Khatib Waheed from Circuit Attorney’s Office has offered to attend an upcoming ENA meeting and provide additional details regarding the NOM. Will be invited to attend either November or January meeting, as his schedule allows.
River des Peres Trash Bash will be held on Saturday, October 19th at Wilmore Park
Registration 8 to 9am.
Clean-up 9am to Noon
Celebration including lunch and music to follow
Motion to adjourn made by Jim Howard, seconded by Lesley Wilson. Approved by voice vote.
Meeting adjourned.