Neglected Aloe Plaza & Carl Milles Fountain Will Be 75 Years Old In Just Three Years

On October 28 2015 we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the final piece of the Gateway Arch.  The Arch didn’t open to the public until June 10, 1967.

On May 11, 2015 Aloe Plaza  across from Union Station will be 75 years old. Few seem to care.

I’d like to see CityArchRiver focus on the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Arch in 2017 rather than rush for a 2015 completion, although we should recognize the topping of the Arch in 2015. I’d also like us to renew Aloe Plaza for it’s 75th anniversary.

– Steve Paterson

Grand Ave MetroLink Station Taking Shape

The new Grand Ave Viaduct is moving along, it’ll open later this  year to vehicles first and then to MetroBus and MetroLink.

Originally I saw the graphics  pointing toward the platform and incorrectly assumed pedestrians would be able to cross Scott Ave and the westbound track at the center point under the new bridge, but the access point is the sidewalk to the west which I don’t think will offer much protection from rain.

Two tracks are located between the platform and Scott Ave — the westbound MetroLink and an additional track I thought was going to be removed. It’s unclear how pedestrians will get from the grade-level crossing up to platform height.

Before those transferring to/from the #70 (Grand) MetroBus & MetroLink had a flight of stairs or elevator ride. Now they’ll have to cross a plaza, Scott Ave and one or two tracks.  We shall see when it opens if this is an improvement or a fail.

– Steve Patterson

Readers Support Bill To Reduce The Board Of Aldermen From 28 To 12 Members

Readers overwhelmingly support Board Bill 31 before the St. Louis Board of Aldermen that would allow voters to decide in November if the board should be reduced to 12 from 28. If so they change would be effective on January 1, 2022:

Thoughts on the bill to reduce the number of aldermen from 28 to 12 by 2022 (pick up to 2 answers):

1. Great, way past due 88 [63.31%]
2. Won’t get the 60% of voters needed 17 [12.23%]
3. Voters will finally approve this charter change 14 [10.07%]
4. It’ll never get to voters for approval 12 [8.63%]
5. Bad, we need to keep 28 aldermen in city hall 5 [3.6%]
6. Other: 3 [2.16%]
7. unsure/no opinion 0 [0%]

Some did feel that either the bill won’t be approved by the Board of Aldermen or that city voters won’t approve the measure with the 60% required.

Three “other” answers were:

1. Iceland has about 320k people and 60+ members in its parliament. Nuff said.
2. The problem isn’t the number of wards — it’s aldermen not working together.
3. Why not go for total charter reform?

Iceland?

I know that reducing the number from 28 to 12 won’t magically fix all the city’s problems, but it’s a start. If approved by voters we might see work on other charter reforms such as reducing county offices, switching to nonpartisan elections  or even becoming one of the 90+ municipalities in St. Louis County. The original post introducing the poll is here.

Ald Young, the bill’s primary sponsor, was on St. Louis Public radio speaking in support of the bill and Ald Vaccaro was on speaking against. You can hear the 20 minute segment here.

– Steve Patterson

June 5th Special Election: Metropolitan Sewer District

Four weeks from today voters in St. Louis City & St. Louis County have identical June 5th special election ballots.  They contain the same nine items, each to be approved or rejected.  Eight of the items are changes to MSD’s charter:

The Charter Plan of the Metropolitan St Louis Sewer District is a blueprint for how MSD is operated. The plan was created when MSD was formed in 1954 and was amended and approved by voters in 2000. These amendments provided MSD with the necessary tools to continue providing quality service and to address additional water quality and stormwater needs that exist or may develop in the years ahead. (Source w/link to actual charter)

The first proposition is related to a recent settlement:

A judge approved the settlement of federal lawsuit against the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District, paving the way for $4.7 billion of work over the next 23 years to help clean up local rivers and streams and prevent backups into basements and yards.

The Environmental Protection Agency, state and Missouri Coalition for the Environment filed the lawsuit almost five years ago , citing more than 500 million gallons of raw sewage discharged into local rivers and streams between 2000 and 2006 in violation of the federal Clean Water Act. (stltoday.com — recommended reading)

The following are the ballot items:

PROPOSITION Y

To comply with federal and state clean water requirements, shall The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD) issue its sewer revenue bonds in the amount of Nine Hundred Forty-Five Million Dollars ($945,000,000) for the purpose of designing, constructing, improving, renovating, repairing, replacing and equipping new and existing MSD sewer and drainage facilities and systems, including sewage treatment and disposal plants, sanitary sewers, and acquisition of easements and real property related thereto, the cost of operation and maintenance of said facilities and systems and the principal of and interest on said revenue bonds to be payable solely from the revenues derived by MSD from the operation of its wastewater sewer system, including all future extensions and improvements thereto?

PROPOSITION 1

Shall Article 2 of the Plan (Charter) of The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District be amended to provide that the portion of the boundaries of the District that are located within St. Louis County shall be as described in records kept in the office of the Secretary-Treasurer of the District and no longer required to be contained in the text of the plan?

PROPOSITION 2

Shall Articles 3 and 9 of Plan (Charter) of The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District be amended to (a) establish procedural requirements relating to the formation of subdistricts within the District and the design, construction and funding of improvements in such subdistricts, and (b) establish the method for levying special benefit assessments, all subject to a vote of the property owners in the affected subdistricts?

PROPOSITION 3

Shall Article 3 of the Plan (Charter) of The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District relating to powers of the District be amended to (a) permit the District to establish environmentally sustainable standards and practices, and (b) clarify the existing authority of the District to enter into contracts pertaining to stormwater facilities?

PROPOSITION 4

Shall Articles 5, 7 and 10 of the Plan (Charter) of The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District be amended to provide that notice of the expiration of the term of office of a Director, notice of tax levy hearings, notice of proposed rate changes, and notice of elections under the Plan (Charter) shall be given by mail, publication or electronic media, or such other form of communication as may be permitted by Missouri law?

PROPOSITION 5

Shall Articles 7 and 9 of the Plan (Charter) of The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District relating to budget and finance be amended to (a) require the budget of the District to include a list of capital projects, (b) require a public hearing at least 21 days prior to adoption of the budget, and (c) provide that proceedings to make certain improvements shall be initiated by approval of a list of capital projects and a general appropriation ordinance rather than by resolution?

PROPOSITION 6

Shall Article 9 of the Plan (Charter) of The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District be amended to permit the District to use design-build and other alternative delivery methods to make improvements, as permitted by Missouri law?

PROPOSITION 7

Shall Article 11 of the Plan (Charter) of The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District be amended to provide that a District Plan Amendment Commission shall be appointed on or before July 1, 2019 and every ten years thereafter?

PROPOSITION 8

Shall the Plan (Charter) of The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District be amended to (a) make various typographical, grammatical and stylistic revisions to the text thereof, (b) correct outdated statutory citations and references, (c) change gender specific language to gender neutral language, and (d) eliminate the requirement that records of the Board of Trustees maintained by the Secretary-Treasurer be kept in bound or book form?

I’m just now starting the process to research these before election day so I’ll be curious to hear your thoughts.

– Steve Patterson

White Flight, Urban Renewal & Population Loss

It’s true that some of St. Louis’ population loss can be attributed to “white flight” which is defined as:

But we mustn’t forget other factors that contributed to population loss  and that reasons for loss from 1950-1960 are different than those from 2000-2010.

The 1939 World’s Fair in New York is a good glimpse on the views of what 1960 could become, part one sets up the vision as detailed in General Motors’ Futurama exhibit:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNlgfkE9nWA

Part two looks at the rebuilt city of 1960:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtU_jNheyrQ

By 1947 St. Louis Comprehensive Plan detailed how this could become a reality here by 1970. From the introduction:

 The Plan Commission confidently predicts that by 1970 barely a generation hence-the city proper can have 900,000 population. This would be an increase of only slightly more than 10 per cent since the 1940 census, but such a growth of 84,000 calls for making proper room for the new roofs, adequate traffic ways for the added automobiles, economical plans for all the additional public and semi-public facilities to be required. Furthermore, there must be a catching-up with all the improvements perforce neglected during the long war period.

With this mindset to rebuild the city to accommodate the expected 900,000 population by 1970 they proceeded to build vast highway networks and clear many dense neighborhoods.  Thousands of residents, businesses, churches, etc were taken by eminent domain to “improve” the city. For many who were displaced it was often easier to but a home in a suburb than to try to find a house in the city.

In 1950 many city residences were overcrowded. Floor boards were placed over dirt floors to create basement living quarters and others squeezed into flats. Yet thousands of housing units were razed to rebuild entire neighborhoods and highways. Even if your house remained your business might have been taken from you. With no where else to turn, those who could afford to do so left.

The population in 1970 was 622,236, down 234,560 from the 1950 peak of 856,796 just twenty years earlier. A far cry from the 900,000 they expected to occupy the rebuilt city by 1970!

Urban renewal forced many outside the city limits. By 1990, the year I moved to St. Louis, the population was down to 396,685. In the two decades from 1970-1990 the drop was 225,551, greater than the 1950-1970 drop and a much high percentage. But the reasons were different. The massive urban renewal projects were no more but the damage they caused lasting. You had white & black flight — the middle class got the hell out.

The drop from 1990-2010 was less in total numbers and percentages.

– Steve Patterson