ENA Meeting Notes - May 13th 2024
Meeting Notes – May 13th, 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 7:03PM
· 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, March 2024 Meeting
o Hard copies of the March 2024 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.
o Motion to approve January 2024 meeting notes as formal meeting minutes made by Steve Gibson and seconded by Karen Hecker. Approved by voice vote.
· Community Reports
o Alderman Bret Narayan (4th Ward)
§ The Board of Aldermen just recently started their new session, about 3 weeks ago.
§ Mayor signed into law Board Bill #236, which now requires developers seeking tax incentives to disclose if that company has received incentives before and/or if the parcel of land has been incentivized before. Bret sponsored the board bill legislation.
§ Board Bill #231, which now requires fire and smoke dampers in large, high-rise buildings. These systems create positive and negative pressure when there is a fire, giving everyone inside more time to get out and providing first responders more time to combat it. Bret sponsored the board bill legislation and consulted with the fire department on the terms.
§ Board Bill #199 (Drone Surveillance Bill): Legislation created & passed. Ald. Narayan worked with other members of the Board of Aldermen on this bill to limit mass surveillance of citizens. Complex legislation involving First Amendment rights of personal privacy; FAA airspace traffic control; City Counselor’s Office. Board Bill resulted from a proposal from SMS Novel private company to conduct aerial surveillance in the City. The private surveillance company plan was not supported or approved by the SLMPD either.
§ Board Bill #60: Updating the Excise Division code to make it easier for restaurants to sell alcohol. Bret sponsored the board bill legislation. Recently signed into law. No changes for bars, nightclubs, packaged liquor store, etc. Eliminates plat & petition requirements for restaurants with more than 50 percent of their sales from food. Additionally, the Excise Commissioner now has unilateral authority to suspend a liquor license for 72 hours for problem establishments.
§ Board Bill #141 (Senior Citizens Property Tax Freeze): Legislation co-sponsored by Ald. Narayan. City residents aged 62 and older with at least 40 Social Security credits (using language that the State of Missouri allows the City to use) and your primary residence in the City assesses for under $500,000 then you can apply on the Assessor’s website for a freeze on your City portion of your real estate taxes. This application must be filed by June 30th each year. Designed to help City residents age-in-place while combating external factors such as inflation.
§ Alderwoman Sonnier intends to bring back some homeless bill of rights and/or shelter legislation this aldermanic session. Bret will be on top of for concerns in the future.
§ There have been some media reports that the St. Louis Cardinals intend to pursue public financing for Busch Stadium renovations. Bret is opposed unless constituents start advocating for him to support.
§ The issue of expired temporary vehicle permits is not a piece of legislation being considered by the Board of Aldermen. The Mayor has proposed a loan program by which the Board of Estimate & Apportionment (a three-person board comprised of the Mayor, the Comptroller, and the President of the Board of Aldermen) would allocate funds from the City budget on their own. The City Charter gives them that authority. Bret believes this is a bad idea, and if there were an aldermanic vote on the issue he would not support it.
§ Bret is working on proposed legislation for additional taxes on short-term rentals. There are some other cities that could serve as a model for this in St. Louis City. Could be similar to the taxes on hotel units, a per-night percentage.
§ There are conversations about possibly bringing back performance-based bonuses for City employees. Currently, their pay is based on seniority, with a percentage increase usually every year. The City eliminated performance-based bonuses around the 1980s.
§ A vacancy tax is being considered for underutilized parcels of land, taxing at higher rate rather than if they were being used or developed. Vacant properties are a drain on City resources: the City still has to maintain the infrastructure around them; many are fire hazards & other safety hazards; Forestry frequently cuts the grass of abandoned properties.
§ Service Request: Report of parking tickets being issued on wrong street cleaning days.
§ Question: Slay Park restrooms are in bad shape. Is there any possibility of getting them upgraded? Also, how could we get a covered pavilion installed in the park?
· Ald. Narayan: There are usually two ways to approach this. One possibility is creating a “friends of this park” nonprofit organization to raise funds. The other would be to allocate the ward’s capital funding to the Parks Division for those improvements. Would have to consult with Parks Division about cost & location for installation about any covered shelter.
o Question: Is it true that the State of Missouri is giving money to the Parks Division? And if so, is the City using those funds for upgrading playgrounds in City parks? We see a lot of parks in St. Louis County getting upgrades.
§ Ald. Narayan: There might be some confusion or misinformation about that. Both the City & the County were awarded ARPA funds. Each chose to allocate their funds in different ways The City did allocate some of its ARPA funds into its parks. Also, MSD is actively investing money into rainscaping projects to mitigate heavy storm water flow into our sewer systems. Bret will also discuss with Mayor’s Office about other possible state funding opportunities for City parks.
§ 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 Amesquita (2nd District)
§ He did not bring crime statistics to share this evening. “Crimes of opportunity” are starting to increase again. Carjackings and theft at gas stations are up. Helpful flyers from SLMPD at meeting for those attending in-person. Still problems with people stealing Hyundais and Kias.
§ The recent protests at Washington University are winding down. Officers able to return to regular patrol duty.
§ Working with ENA and Citizens Service Bureau (CSB) about a nuisance property on St. James Square. Recommends neighbors contact 314-231-1212 (SLMPD non-emergency number) to report suspicious activity there. He can’t promise regular patrols on the street, because it is a one-block dead-end. However, Officer Amesquita does drive here regularly when he is in the area.
§ Service Requests: Famous Avenue; St. James Square; Hermitage Avenue; Wilson Avenue
o Matt Sisul: Will followup with individuals regarding specific addresses of nuisance properties and work with SLMPD, CSB, and Mayors Office to resolve.
o Brian Kolde (Citizens Service Bureau)
§ Brian has been working with Officer Amesquita and with Matt Sisul about many of these reported nuisance properties. Some of the issues take time to resolve, as they may involve Housing Court and/or the City Counselor’s Office. Brian meets monthly with Problem Properties Division. Gave some examples:
· Public Nuisance notice/citation can be issued to owner.
· Building Division can issue citations for unlicensed auto repair on street.
· Contact Brian (koldeb@stlouis-mo.gov) for service requests, such as potholes/tree limbs/street lights out. Submitting requests by email works best.
· Guest Speakers(s)
NOTE: The Ellendale Neighborhood Association is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization. It does not endorse any candidates or positions for upcoming elections. However, the ENA executive board believes it is important that we have an opportunity to meet candidates who reach out to us & also to inform our members about upcoming elections that have the potential to directly impact our community.
o Vernon Betts, St. Louis City Sherriff: running for re-election
o Nick Kimble, candidate for State Representative (House District 82)
Additional presentations on upcoming community events.
o Cynthia Welch, Native Plant Garden Tour
§ Saturday, May 18th; 9 AM -4PM
§ Laura Barrett and David Clohessy (7234-36 Arsenal Street) will be hosting tours of their back & side yard. Free attendance for Ellendale residents.
o 2024 Sustainable Backyard Tour
§ Sunday, June 30th; 11 AM -4PM (free to attend; self-guided)
§ Explore eco-friendly spaces through the St. Louis Metro region.
· Board & Committees Reports
§ Treasurer’s Report (Matt Sisul, for Joe Nea)
· Balance as of 03/11/2024: $1,114.00
· Deposits: $150.00 (dues paid & donations)
· Balance as of 05/13/2024: $1,264.00
§ 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
§ Matt Sisul: ENA received a $100 donation to be used towards our 2024 dues to St. Louis Association of Community Organizations (SLACO).
· Motion to approve the expenditure made by Matt Sisul Steve Gibson and seconded by Steve Hamilton. Approved by voice vote.
§ Housing Committee Report (Matt Sisul, for John Yarish)
· Several neighbors were attending the meeting to express their concern over a proposed new construction development of single-family homes at 2740 Ellendale Avenue. The site is currently a vacant lot. The owner is Aleto Construction. Patti Aleto attended an ENA meeting in May 2017, and gave a presentation then. However, because that was so long ago, she has been in contact with the ENA board and has offered to share updated site plans & renderings with the neighborhood when available.
· Question: Are there any updates on the properties owned by QuikTrip at Arsenal & Jamieson?
o Matt Sisul: QuikTrip reached out to Ald. Bret Narayan regarding their plans for the parcels they acquired around the intersection of Arsenal St & Jamieson Ave. The ENA housing committee is working with the other two neighborhood associations of Clifton Heights and Lindenwood Park. They recently met in-person with QuikTrip representatives for an informal conversation about the site. Because several of the parcels are zoned “single-family residential” if anything other than residential housing is proposed, QuikTrip would be required to have a public hearing with the Board of Adjustment about such plans. Community input would be solicited. QuikTrip did mention that regardless of whatever site plans materialized, they do intend to demolish the vacant homes on Jamieson Ave & Smiley Ave to prevent break-ins, theft, illegal occupancy, etc.
o Ald. Narayan: He relayed to QuikTrip that this was a campaign issue and would not support a new station here unless there was overwhelming support from all three affected neighborhoods.
§ Beautification Committee Report (Kimberly Hanvy)
· Ellendale Neighborhood Association (ENA) conducted a joint cleanup with Clifton Heights Neighborhood Association (CHNA) along Southwest Ave at I-44, for Earth Day. Charlie Brennan at KMOX radio arranged for free Cardinals tickets for volunteers. We had many people help from all over the area, even outside of Ellendale & Clifton Heights, join that weekend.
· Steve Cavin, President of CHNA: Planning several invasive species removal projects for Slay Park. Gave an overview of his experience and information on plants & native species that are best for our parks, stormwater retention, and sustainability. At least two City departments are funded partially by the MO Department of Conservation. Some of these projects will be used as training sessions for their staff on their new equipment. The long-term goal is to get the invasive species removed from the Slay Park in five years. Will coordinate these sessions with Forestry for the disposal of vegetation removed.
o Kimberly Hanvy passed around a volunteer sign-up sheet for those attending the meeting in-person.
· ENA is working with a community advocate, Aaron Dohogne , on the watering of newly planted trees in Ellendale. Park trees as well as those planted on private property tree lawns. Most of these trees will need approximately 10 gallons of water for the next two/three years.
o Kimberly Hanvy passed around a volunteer sign-up sheet for those attending the meeting in-person.
o Question: Can we install an exterior water source at Slay Park bathrooms to help with the maintenance of the new park trees?
· Ellendale was recently awarded an artist’s grant by the Regional Arts Commission for the creation of a neighborhood mural along the Southwest Avenue retaining wall, just west of McCausland Avenue.
· Dates for next neighborhood trash cleanups:
o Saturday, June 1st; 9 AM -12PM
§ Cleanup area: east & west sides of McCausland Avenue, between Canterbury & Manhattan (meet at Slay Park parking lot area)
o Saturday, June 8th; 9 AM -12PM
§ Cleanup area: east & west sides of McCausland Avenue, between Manhattan & Wellington (meet at intersection of Ellendale Ave/Wellington Ave and Wellington Ct)
· Volunteers are needed for help with maintenance fo our community gardens: weeding, minor trash pick up, watering, etc. Please contact Kimberly Hanvy if interested.
o Ellendale Pollinator Garden
o River des Peres Greenway Trailhead Garden
· New Business
o Appointment of SLACO Representative (Matt Sisul)
§ As a member organization, ENA is invited to participate in SLACO community & board meetings. Typically, these positions are filled by executive board members of the neighborhood associations. However, ENA board members have had schedule conflicts and were unable to attend recent SLACO meetings. Therefore, Matt Sisul is appointing ENA member-in-good-standing Neal Gilb to serve as ENA’s representative to SLACO. Though not the creation of an official committee, this appointment is consistent with the organization’s bylaws (revised July 2015 and adopted November 9, 2015) and the duties described therein.
§ Neal Gilb introduced himself and will update ENA membership on SLACO meetings he will attend.
· SLACO’s recent meeting on April 22nd involved the election of officers & the assignment to committees from interested volunteers.
· At SLACO trivia night on April 20th, the Ellendale Neighborhood table tied for third place. Lindenwood Park won the event.
· Miscellaneous
o Check Ellendale website (https://ellendalena.wixsite.com/ellendale) and Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/EllendaleNA.StL) for communication and neighborhood updates.
o Thanks to Randy Munton at 7-11 (Southwest Ave & McCausland) for providing meeting refreshments.
Motion to adjourn made by John Yarish and seconded by Steve Hamilton. Approved by voice vote.
Meeting adjourned at 9:11PM
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