Mayor Slay To Address Downtown Residents on Thursday 10/9/08

Mayor Slay will attend and speak to downtown residents at the annual meeting of the Downtown Residents Association (DSLRA) this coming Thursday evening (10/9/08) at 7pm. The meeting will be upstairs at the Schlafly Tap Room at 2100 Locust Street.

No doubt Lucas Park and homelessness will come up at the meeting. Ald Kacie Starr Triplett recently announced that she had met with Mayor Slay and got his commitment for funds for improvements to Lucas Park. Triplett issued the following on October 1st:

(ST. LOUIS) – This morning, Alderman Kacie Starr Triplett (D-6th Ward) met with Mayor Francis Slay to discuss issues facing many of her downtown constituents. During the meeting, Mayor Slay committed to supporting additional funds for the maintenance and renovation of Lucas Park and promised to join Triplett at an upcoming public forum to discuss homelessness and hear from downtown residents.

“I am grateful to Mayor Slay for meeting with me. It is extremely important for the mayor to understand how critical these issues are to my constituents.”

“Homelessness is a regional problem. Yet, as a city we must take responsibility to ensure that appropriate services and resources are provided to our residents who are most in need. It is equally important that we continue to make downtown living the best it can be by promoting a safe, clean and pleasant environment for the residents who have chosen to invest in the revitalization and resurgence of Saint Louis’ city center.”

As sixth ward alderman, Triplett represents the heavily revitalized downtown loft district. Final details regarding the date, time and location of the community forum will be released at a later date.

People are taking notice. Jake Wagman over at the Post-Dispatch Political Fix noted:

When freshman Alderman Kacie Starr Triplett took office last year, she inherited a diverse ward with new construction, trendy restaurants and funky boutiques.

But her predecessor also left her an intractable problem that nobody at City Hall has so far been able to crack: Homelessness downtown.

For Triplett, the concern is focused on a specific area, Lucas Park, a one-acre oasis that sits parallel to the burgeoning Washington Avenue loft district. (full post with great picture)

As an aside, I’ll drive the four blocks from my house to the meeting as I cannot get from my house to the Tap Room in my wheelchair without having to go in the street due to frequently missing curb cuts. Sad being forced to drive a lousy four blocks.