ENA Meeting Notes - Nov 13th, 2023
Meeting Notes – November 13th, 2023
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, September 2023 Meeting
o Hard copies of the September 2023 meeting notes were distributed to those attending the meeting in-person. A weblink to the online document was previously shared on the ENA Facebook page.
o Motion to approve September 2023 meeting notes as formal meeting minutes made by Steve Gibson and seconded by Ernie Carr. Approved by voice vote.
· Community Reports
o Alderman Bret Narayan (4th Ward)
§ Board of Alderman passed legislation governing short-term rentals (Board Bills #33 and #34). The City’s Building Division will have approximately one year to establish the relevant program.
· Matt Sisul: Mentioned the two homes on Hermitage Avenue that were damaged by flooding in July of 2022 and condemned for occupancy, as mentioned at previous meetings. They are currently being used as short-term rentals, even though no occupancy permits have been issued.
o Ald. Narayan: The legislation does not include any “grandfather” clauses. All short-term rentals will be subject to the new regulations. Depending on the zoning, a short-term rental property may also need to obtain a conditional use permit, which involves a hearing at the Board of Adjustment.
§ Proposed legislation regarding a “Homeless Bill of Rights” has been withdrawn.
· Question: Would the City consider using the recently closed Minimum Security Institution (MSI) “Workhouse” as a shelter for the unhoused?
o Ald. Narayan: The former MSI is located on Hall Street, which makes it a difficult location to provide unhoused persons with the other resources they need. There are many ideas for what that building will become.
§ There are currently nine vacancies in the police’s 911-emergency dispatch. This is down from about forty earlier a few months ago. The goal is to be fully staffed & trained by February 2024 so that dispatch can answer every 911-call within fifteen seconds.
§ The clearance rate of homicide cases through the Circuit Attorney’s Office with help from police department is currently at 73%. The national average for an urban city is about 50%.
· Question: Is the Circuit Attorney’s Office fully staffed?
o Ald. Narayan: Not yet, but the office is close. A lot of attorneys did return, even if only temporary.
§ Crime overall in the City is down. Police have resumed regular patrols of neighborhoods.
§ Construction has begun for new basketball courts in Forest Park. They will be located near the north entrance, near the current racquetball courts.
§ 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 Acting Captain/Lieutenant Dan Zarrick; Officer Robert Skaggs (2nd District)
§ Crime in the SLMPD Second District is down 26% year-to-date, compared to 2022 YTD, and down 45% in the Ellendale neighborhood (mostly car break-ins).
· Kias and Hyundais are still theft targets, City-wide.
§ There are some flyers available for those attending in-person that has good information about cold-weather safety tips and other guides on crime prevention & precautions.
· Don’t check your phone or text when you are alone in your car, especially late at night. Be aware of your surroundings at all times.
§ SLMPD still has many vacancies. Unfortunately, the number of officers may fall below 900 by the end of the year.
§ Lt. Zarrick volunteers his time for traffic control on Sundays at The Gathering church in the Ellendale neighborhood (located at Manchester & McCausland).
§ SLMPD Second District really promotes community. They recently held a Trunk-or-Treat event on the Schnucks on Gravois. They also conducted a Back-to-School giveaway of school supplies at Berra Park. Reach out if there is a neighborhood or other community event planned, and they will be happy to attend & participate.
o Brian Kolde (Citizens Service Bureau)
§ The Citizens Service Bureau has implemented a new system designed to help the high volume of service request intake. Because their department is so short-staffed, the new system involves virtual assistant message answering.
§ Contact Brian (koldeb@stlouis-mo.gov) about problem properties. Submitting requests by email works best.
· Please also forward any reports or photos to Matt Sisul (314-606-3427 cell or Matthew.Sisul@gmail.com) so that the neighborhood association can also followup.
§ The CSB staff meets monthly with the Problem Properties staff of the City Counselors Office (meeting tomorrow). Plan actions to take with nuisance property owners. It is very important to report problem properties with police call; need to make sure you have the correct address. Rentals, whether long-term or short-term, are still required to obtain regular occupancy permits. Brian is working with the building inspector on those addresses reported at previous meetings that are occupied while permitted work of condemned buildings are occurring.
· Properties located in a Housing Conservation District require a new inspection before each new tenant/occupant moves in.
§ Calls for service about trash not picked up during the week of the Veterans Day holiday, which affected the regular schedule, led the City to release notification reminders in advance of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. There are hand-out flyers available for those attending in-person. Updated holiday trash/recycle schedules are also brought to every meeting.
· Reminder that regular Monday/Thursday roll cart schedule will temporarily change to a Monday/Wednesday holiday pickup schedule. The normal Wednesday yard waste pickup is cancelled during the holiday week.
· ENA will post this flyer to its website and social media channels & email to those on its list service.
o The flyer also includes information on Christmas tree disposal.
§ There are many ways to reach CSB:
o 314-622-4800, main CSB hotline
o Twitter: @stlcsb
o Brian Kolde: by phone at 314-657-1364 or by email (preferred) at KoldeB@stlouis-mo.gov
§ Service request: Street cleaning needed for the 2700-block of Hermitage.
§ Service request: There are several derelict cars on the 2700-block of Hermitage, whose front license plates don’t match the rear license plates if they have either. These need to be ticketed & towed.
§ Question: City Refuse picked up recycling on a Saturday. Is that because of a staffing shortage or a different reason?
· Brian Kolde: The City has authorized Refuse to make special pickups in order to catch up on the service backlog. These are typically only for City-owned dumpsters located in alleys. There are also recycle containers located adjacent to the firehouse on Sublette (at Arsenal). These drop-off locations also help the City manage a lower percentage of non-recyclable material mixed with the recycling processing.
§ Question: Are there any updates regarding 3118 Ellendale?
· Brian Kolde: The taxes are current, paid through 2022. The grounds have been added to Forestry’s maintenance rotation. The owners are deceased, and the property is likely headed to probate for reconciliation.
· Matt Sisul: Will followup with probate court. He has been told that the address is not yet listed with them. He is requesting that the City perform an emergency demolition.
§ Question: Are there any updates on the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD) buyouts of the homes on the 6900-block of Odell Street?
· Matt Sisul: MSD has closed on/acquired some of the houses already. It is his understanding that all the properties are at least under contract.
· Question: Who is responsible for the maintenance of the open/unsecured buildings and the front yards?
o Matt Sisul: The property owners are still responsible for the conditions of the properties. MSD is the entity responsible for those properties it has already acquired.
· Guest Speaker(s)
o 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.
§ Rep. Baringer was a City alderman for about 15 years. She still has a good relationship with heads of City departments.
§ Starting on January 1st, car buyers will have to pay their sales tax at the dealership when obtaining their temporary tags.
· License plate renewal has recently seen similar state-wide delinquency. Stickers are color-coded for different expiration years, which does help for enforcement.
§ As of August 28th, some City jobs no longer require City residents. That has helped staff needs like those at the airport.
§ Requesting more Missouri state funding for the City’s diversion program. Met with judges over the summer for a review & cost breakdown. According to Judge Mullin, 40% of the City arrests this year have been from North Saint Louis County. Since such a large percentage of the City’s diversion program costs are directly benefiting County residents, she is working on various ways to reimburse the City for those expenses.
· Board Reports
o Treasurer’s Report (Matt Sisul, for Joe Nea)
§ Balance as of 09/11/2023: $ 989.70
§ Deposits: $6.00 (dues paid)
§ Balance as of 11/13/2023: $ 995.70
§ Annual dues are $6 per person, per household; $3 per person 65+; Business dues are $24
· Venmo @Joey-Nea; be sure to specify “ENA dues” in transaction notes
· Per ENA bylaws, any dues collected September-December are also credited toward the following year.
o Housing Committee Report (John Yarish)
§ No report
o Beautification Committee Report (Kimberly Hanvy)
§ Held a kickoff event with Great Rivers Greenway staff for the “Adopt-A-Greenway” pilot program on Saturday, September 30th. Several Ellendale volunteers attended.
· New plantings for the GRG trailhead garden, located adjacent to the Ellendale/Slay Park restrooms. 250 bulbs planted that should bloom in the spring. Plant identification markers added to the garden. The event also included signage & giveaways donated by Great Rivers Greenway.
· Weed maintenance/honeysuckle removal and bulb plantings for the Ellendale Pollinator Garden, located adjacent to the Ellendale Avenue stairwell overlooking Southwest Avenue.
· Kimberly is keeping a volunteer list. Many helpers will be needed for these garden beds, starting in the spring. Please reach out to her if interested in signing up.
§ Kimberly organized the first Slow-Glow on the Greenway, also held on September 30th, involving bicycles decorated with lights for an evening ride at dusk. Plans to make this an annual event including other nearby neighborhoods, starting at the Ellendale trailhead.
· New Business
o None
· Miscellaneous
o Several sections of the Ellendale neighborhood still need block captains. Please reach out to one of the executive board members if interested/willing to serve for your block.
o Matt Sisul has “Ellendale Meeting Notice” yard signs available, to be placed in front yards the week before the next regularly scheduled ENA meeting. Please see him after the meeting if you want one for your home. You can also call/text him (314-606-3427) to have one delivered to you.
o Matt Sisul has community directories available for pickup. Brought to every meeting for those attending in-person. You can also reach out to him to have one delivered to you.
o Special thank you & happy birthday to Sue Moody, ENA Secretary.
Motion to adjourn made by Lynn Hartke and seconded by Neal Gilb. Approved by voice vote.
Meeting adjourned at 8:15PM