ENA Meeting Notes - January 8th 2024
Meeting Notes – January 8th, 2024
The Ellendale Neighborhood Association held its general meeting at Abbott EMS (2500 Abbott Place). The meeting announcement and joining/participating information were provided in advance, consistent with the organization’s bylaws (revised July 2015 and adopted November 9, 2015). Additionally, the meeting was livestreamed & recorded via Facebook Live.
The full meeting broadcast can be viewed on the Ellendale Neighborhood Association group Facebook page:
Meeting opened at 7:06PM
· Welcome & Facebook Live Overview
o Matt Sisul outlined the meeting procedures for the session so that online participants could submit questions via Facebook chat, or by email, or by text.
o Streaming our meetings via Facebook Live remains quite popular and will be continued indefinitely for future meetings.
o Matt Sisul shared the following courtesy rules for those attending the meeting in-person:
§ Limit questions to one per person until others have a chance to speak;
§ If reporting service requests, please provide the address;
· If you do not have the address, please discuss with Matt Sisul after the meeting so that he can assist;
§ No side conversations during the meeting, please step outside the room for any such discussions.
· Approval of Minutes, November 2023 Meeting
o Hard copies of the November 2023 meeting notes were distributed to those attending the meeting in-person. Meeting notes are available on the ENA website. Notices are posted to social media channels & to the ENA email list serv.
o Motion to approve November 2023 meeting notes as formal meeting minutes made by Lesley Wilson and seconded by Karen Hecker. Approved by voice vote.
· Community Reports
o Alderman Bret Narayan (4th Ward)
§ Not able to attend due to cough sickness. (The below report was submitted by email.)
§ Board of Aldermen has been on a legislative break since the end of December. They go back into session this week. As a result, there has not been any legislative activity since the last Ellendale meeting in November.
§ There were some promising crime statistics in the City for the end of 2023. The City was down 42 homicides compared to 2022. To put this in perspective, Kansas City (which is under state control) is up in murders; and regionally, Memphis is also higher than their previous year’s. St. Louis City is now down below its pre-pandemic numbers in violent crime. We have seen an overall crime reduction of 22%. And this year we have a 75% homicide clearance rate. To put into perspective, the national average hovers around 60%. And in urban areas, it is typically around 40%. Ald. Narayan believes that the reduction in crime across the board is attributable both to the new police chief Robert Tracy’s policies and to the turnover at the Circuit Attorney’s office.
§ Ald. Narayan expects to see many additional board bills filed, as there have been many people working on drafts during the last couple of weeks the Board of Aldermen have been out of session. If anyone has any questions relating to any legislation to be considered, please reach out to him at:
· (314) 622-3287
§ Requests for service (such as street lights out, potholes, etc.) can be made directly to Ald. Narayan, or to Brian Kolde (NIS, Ellendale), or through social media channels.
· “24th Ward Citizen Services” on Facebook
· Handouts outlining what to report & the CSB process are brought to every meeting.
o Officer Robert Skaggs; Officer Jon Amesquita (2nd District)
§ Crime in the Second District has been pretty minimal. 2023 year-end statistics in our area was down 49% from 2022 year-end.
· 6700-block of Manchester: two individuals attempted to steal copper from a building; officers responded to the call quickly & made arrest
· 7100-block of Wilmington: propane tank stolen
· Manchester & Southwest: four storage units broken into
§ Officer Skaggs is retiring next week. Officer Amesquita will be our new community liaison and introduced himself.
o Samuel Kippen, for Brian Kolde (Neighborhood Stabilization Team)
§ No yard waste collection until March 13th.
§ For the week of January 15-19, Refuse Division is on holiday schedule (Martin Luther King Jr Day).
· Monday/Thursday roll cart pickup will be collected on Tuesday, January 15
· Friday roll cart pickup will be collected on Wednesday, January 16
§ Contact Brian (koldeb@stlouis-mo.gov) about quality-of-life items, such as potholes/tree limbs/street lights out. Submitting requests by email works best.
· Guest Speaker(s)
o Frank Oswald (Commissioner, Building Division)
§ Retiring soon. Also accompanying him is Dillon Moser, deputy commissioner.
§ Regarding the three problem properties on Hermitage Ave:
· 2750 Hermitage: owner applied for an occupancy permit, including housing conservation inspection; building inspector was there earlier today
· 2754 Hermitage: there is currently a stop-work order for this address; a building permit was issued previously; trying to get cooperation from owner
· 2777 Hermitage: remains condemned for occupancy; utilities have been shutoff; owner applied for housing conservation inspection (scheduled for January 11); however because utilities are off an occupancy permit cannot be issued
§ There have been a lot of completed building permits for the properties affected by flooding & sewer backups. The City has been working with the State of Missouri. There were many instances of flooding/backups in basements that did not affect the structural integrity of buildings or the building’s electric. In those cases, the City does not require a permit. Building Division is processing those at no cost to the property owner.
o Nahuel Fefer (Executive Director, Community Development Administration)
§ Community Development Administration serves as the clearing house for federal funding awarded to the City of St. Louis, with a particular focus on managing HUD-funds.
§ City was awarded $25.8 Million CDBG-Disaster Recovery grant in May 2023. Here to share information about the process & how to apply/participate. A flyer & a resident survey were distributed to those attending the meeting in-person.
· 6-month planning process, with community engagement. Public is invited to comment & make recommendations/suggestions on how these funds are spent.
· These are recovery funds (“funding of last resort”). The grant requires an unmet-needs analysis. These funds can be used for those purposes. Mayor’s Office has prioritized direct relief to households in an expeditious manner.
o For the Ellendale neighborhood, that means evaluating the impact of the flood and taking all other resources into account (FEMA, private insurance, etc.) and determining the unmet needs (a “gap” in available assistance).
§ Eligible uses for the Ellendale neighborhood may include direct reimbursement for loss; home repair; buyouts.
§ Question: Ellendale had both flooding & sewer backups that affected residents during the events of late-July/early-August 2022. Are these funds only for those affected by flooding, or can those whose basements backed up apply also?
· Nahuel Fefer: Will ask HUD for clarification. However, his understanding is that this grant relief is for both severe storms and flooding. In his opinion, as long as the unmet need is directly related to the disaster, then assistance to both flooding & sewer backups should be eligible.
· Other eligible uses of funds include floodplain mitigation, infrastructure, planning, and facilities to help the City respond to future flooding events.
· These are HUD funds (US Dept of Housing & Urban Development). There are many regulations that need to be followed.
· If/when HUD approves the City’s expenditure plan, the next step is for the appropriation to be approved by the City’s Board of Aldermen. The goal is to start disbursing funds by the end of 2024.
· CDA staff is also present to answer any questions.
o Online survey form: https://bit.ly/3TPdh0L
o Website: www.stlouis-mo.gov/cda
o Email: CDBG_DR@stlouis-mo.gov
o Phone: (314) 657-6700
· ENA executive board will make sure the handouts will be shared on its website & social media channels & to email list serv.
o Nancy Cross; Angela Pearson (Mayor’s Office)
§ Attending the meeting in support of the CDBG-DR efforts by the Community Development Administration.
§ Both have been working directly with Matt Sisul to coordinate with SLMPD, Building Division, MSD, and related entities to help with Ellendale issues.
o Sarah Russell (Commissioner, City of St. Louis Emergency Management Agency)
§ Registration opened on January 4th for the St. Louis Community College continuing education catalog of classes. CEMA helps administer the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) class. It is a basic emergency preparedness workshop that teaches skills to volunteers. The class at the Forest Park campus will be held on Wednesday nights. Eventual goal is to have organized independent workshops in the City.
o Nick Kimble, for State Representative Donna Baringer (82nd District)
§ Rep. Baringer is in Jefferson City between January and May, Monday through Thursday, working on legislation. Her current focus is on crime reduction, growing the City, and regional cooperation. Constituents are encouraged to reach out to by email (Donna.Baringer@house.mo.gov).
· When she is not in St. Louis during state legislative sessions, her volunteer (Nick Kimble) will attend neighborhood meetings.
§ State legislature is back in session, until their spring break in March. Items have to be approved by both state house & senate and then approved by governor before becoming state law. There is quite a bit of newly proposed legislation on the horizon. Feel free to reach out with questions & comments.
· Board Reports
o Treasurer’s Report (Joe Nea)
§ Balance as of 11/13/2023: $ 995.70
§ Deposits: $78.00 (dues paid); $ 0.30 (donations)
§ Balance as of 01/08/2024: $ 1,074.00
§ Annual dues are $6 per person, per household; $3 per person 65+; Business dues are $24. 2024 ENA Membership Application forms are available.
· Venmo @Joey-Nea; be sure to specify “ENA dues” in transaction notes
o Housing Committee Report (John Yarish)
§ Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) is planning a repaving/resurfacing of Manchester Avenue from approximately I-55 west to City limits. A preliminary community meeting will be held on January 22. John plans to attend. If anyone has questions or would like to join, please reach out to him.
· A large section of this project will be located in the Ellendale neighborhood.
· When project specifics are available, ENA executive board hopes to have MoDOT present at a future meeting.
o Beautification Committee Report (Matt Sisul, for Kimberly Hanvy)
§ ENA participated in Great Rivers Greenway “Adopt-A-Greenway” pilot program that ended December 31st. We have been invited to participate again as a long-term partner.
· 2 cleanup events (Slay Park to Wellington Bridge)
· 1 planting event (50-60 plants and approximately 100 spring bulbs in trailhead garden)
§ ENA signage & new trash cans have arrived for “Adopt-A-Stop” program with METRO Transit.
· Trash collection at bus stop on north side of Southwest Ave (westbound) will be collected by Landscape St. Louis (Ellendale business)
· Volunteers needed to help with trash collection at bus stop on south side of Southwest Ave (eastbound).
§ Looking for volunteers to help with Ellendale Neighborhood Pollinator Garden this spring.
· Completed weed & honeysuckle removal a few weeks ago.
· Old & damaged chain link fencing replaced with decorative fencing as a donation from the home builder at 2703 Ellendale Ave.
· Miscellaneous
o Comment: Resident thanked all those from the community that were not affected by flooding & sewer backups for their compassion and for listening during meetings and for helping with their needs.
o Question: Is there any update yet from MSD about the demolition of the Odell buyouts?
§ Matt Sisul: He will reach out to MSD for an update. It is his understanding that MSD plans to wait until the buyouts of all five homes are completed, then demo all buildings at once. Could be as early as this spring.
Motion to adjourn made by Steve Gibson and seconded by John Yarish. Approved by voice vote.
Meeting adjourned at 7:45PM