Reuse Potential If The USPS Ever Moved Processing Out Of St. Louis’ Main Post Office

A week ago I posted some Historical Background on St. Louis’ Main Post Office, today I want to talk about the current building and options should the USPS ever decide to move processing to a newer, larger, facility. I have no idea if such a move is even being considered — this is a hypothetical exercise.

Let’s start in front and walk around…

Everything from 1909 is long gone, including 17th & Walnut streets.

There are a couple of ways to go with the post office, keep the 1070s addition or remove it. What could be another use for the windowless addition? One thought is an indoor grow from for produce or marijuana (medical or recreational). With LED lighting it might do well. The truck access could aid in distribution.

But I like the idea of razing every bit of the 1970s addition.

I picture a restaurant in the lobby of the post office, with outdoor seating on the raised terrace out front. Perhaps residential in the back portion?

Seventeenth & Walnut streets could both be continued through, 17th South to Clark and Walnut West to the new 17th. New buildings could front onto Market, 16th, 17th, and Clark. New building(s) facing Clark between 16th-17th and the 1939 building a 18th could begin to transform Clark. This could help with ideas I’ve stared before:

• November 2011: TOD Needed at Civic Center Transit Center
• October 2012: Building Over Light Rail
• May 2014: Connecting St. Louis’ Downtown Sports Facilities Via 7th & Clark

This could lead to filling in the wasteland of parking lots between the light rail line and the elevated I-64.  Again, this is hypothetical in case the USPS moves mail processing in the future.

— Steve Patterson

Our Sprawl Means Lots Of Grass To Cut, Room For Urban Food Production

During the recent Board of Aldermen session where the budget was passed, a lot of time was spent discussing the cost of grass cutting. The discussion mostly focused on city/LRA-owned lots. We’re fortunate enough to have many parks throughout the city, but we also have many useless patches of grass that require regular cutting for months.

One example:

Throughout the city we have areas like the one shown above, a result of decades of suburban planning. The state mows the grass in the highway right-of-ways, but the city must cut it elsewhere. Before moving downtown I’d see Forestry cutting grass at Minnesota & Delor — see Google Street View. No telling how many total acres areas like this we’re cutting.

For the vacant lots the city has a new mow to own program, but there’s no easy solution to these scattered strips throughout the city. Some might work for food production, crops or fruit trees. In 2014, Seattle harvested almost 14 tons of fruit from public trees.

St. Louisans will come up with a laundry list of reasons why public land can’t be used to produce food.

— Steve Patterson

Sunday Poll: Which GOP Candidate for Missouri Governor Do You Think Will Win Their August Primary?

A big primary is coming up on Tuesday August 2nd. Among the many offices up for grabs is that of Missouri governor. There are four candidates on both the Democratic & Republican ballots, but it’s almost certain AG Koster will win the 4-way Democratic primary. Who he will face in the November 8th general election is anybody’s guess.

From the Washington Post back in April:

2. Missouri (D) OPEN: Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon is term-limited, and Democrats are turning to state Attorney General Chris Koster, a former Republican, to keep the mansion in Democratic hands. It’s going to be tough, given Missouri’s governor’s race is a toss-up in a state that, notably, has voted for the Republican candidate for president since 2000. But Koster’s chances are getting better with each passing day that Republicans muddle through a primary with four solid candidates, all of them viable: Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, former state House speaker Catherine Hanaway, former Navy SEAL Eric Greitens, and businessman and former Senate candidate John Brunner. Each has their own advantage, whether it be money or résumé. As such, the August Republican primary risks damaging the eventual nominee just two months before the general election. In addition, all of them have to be careful to avoid any political third rails when it comes to controversial legislation to give businesses and individuals the right to refuse service to same-sex couples. (Some of Missouri’s biggest businesses are opposed to the law.) If this seat does go red, Republicans have good reason to think it will stay that way for a while. But Missouri voters are famously hard to pin down, and they have a few more months to watch Republicans battle it out. (Washington Post: The top 5 governors races in 2016)

If you’ve watched any television in the last month you’ve been bombarded by ad after ad. But if you’ve missed the ads, here are the most recent for each, in ballot order:

Not that I’m a fan of Koster, but I want the least electable GOP candidate to win the primary. But my want is different than who I think will actually win. So I’m putting the question to you:

The responses are shown in random order, the non-scientific poll will close at 8pm tonight. If I see evidence of a campaign to significantly alter the results I’ll close the poll early.

— Steve Patterson

St. Louis Board of Aldermen: Two Month Break After Tomorrow

The St. Louis Board of Aldermen usually meet at 10am on Fridays, but last week they met on Thursday June 30 — off the Friday before the July 4th holiday.

Though no new bills were introduced, the meeting was nearly three hours long. See the agenda here.

They will meet tomorrow morning, but will then have a 2-month summer break. They’ll resume regular meetings on Friday September 9, 2016. It should be noted the chambers where their meetings are held are not air conditioned,

The Engrossment Rules, Resolutions and Credentials committee, chaired by Marlene Davis, met last week — they killed a bill to keep lobbyists out of their chambers:

Do not fear, lobbyists — your place on the floor of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen is safe for the foreseeable future.

The city’s rules committee on Wednesday voted down a piece of legislation sponsored by Alderman Megan-Ellyia Green, D-15th Ward, that would have banished lobbyists to the hall, the galleries, or the side rooms at City Hall. Just one committee member, Alderman Christine Ingrassia, D-6th Ward, voted yes. (St. Louis Public Radio)

The committee members are:

• Marlene E Davis, Chair
• Christine Ingrassia — the one who voted yes
• Terry Kennedy
• Joseph D Roddy
• Joseph Vaccaro
• Joseph Vollmer

They’ve got a cozy arrangement — they don’t want to change it. They like having the people they work for right there on the floor of the chambers.

— Steve Patterson

Transgender Persons Should Be Free To Use The Public Restroom That Matches Their Gender Identity

Some of the comments in the recent non-scientific Sunday Poll illustrate the lack of understanding and compassion for those people with gender identity dysphoria. Just like my farther knew in the 1930s that he was left-handed, and I knew in the 1970s I was gay, those with gender identity dysphoria know from an early age their physical body doesn’t match who they are.

Here are some excellent news stories:

Just a decade or so ago kids were told to accept the gender they were born with. Years later, as adults, they might eventually transition — if they didn’t kill themselves first. Thankfully, most parents today are helping their kids be themselves.

So-called “bathroom bills” introduced by social conservatives in states such as Arizona, Maryland, Kentucky and Florida typically mandate that people use the bathroom that matches the sex on their birth certificate. That’s a marker that is difficult for most transgender people to change, as well as one that, for them, is a bureaucratic indicator decided by someone else that should not be weighed against their innate sense of self. Just a handful of states have “modernization” processes that make it easier for transgender people to change their birth certificates. Some in the community have protested by taking selfies in the bathrooms that they would have to use under such laws, highlighting how those spaces don’t jibe with their appearance or their feelings. (Time: Everything You Need to Know About the Debate Over Transgender People and Bathrooms)

As I indicated in the post on Sunday, a century ago society was worried about men & women being in a swimming pool at the same time. Today we realize just how silly that was. It’s also silly to male these kids use the bathroom for the gender they were born with. The U.S, population is over 323 million people — less than 700k are transgender. They just want to live their lives.

The irrational fear than a transgender person is going to molest anyone in a bathroom is just ridiculous. The ones to watch are often clergy:

• NPR: Protestant Churches Grapple With Growing Sexual Abuse Crisis
• Post-Dispatch: New suit alleges another case of abuse by former St. Louis priest
• Riverfront Times: St. Louis Priest Father William Vatterott Indicted on Child Pornography Charge
• New York Times: Cardinal Dolan and the Sexual Abuse Scandal

The poll was far more popular than usual, but the percentages stayed roughly the same throughout the 12-hour voting period.

Q: Agree or disagree: Transgender persons should be free to use the public restroom that matches their gender identity.

• Strongly agree 81 [71.05%]
• Agree 13 [11.4%]
• Somewhat agree 2 [1.75%]
• Neither agree or disagree 1 [0.88%]
• Somewhat disagree 1 [0.88%]
• Disagree 4 [3.51%]
• Strongly disagree 10 [8.77%]
• Unsure/No Answer 2 [1.75%]

Just she of 3/4 agree, while less than 15% disagreed.

In my 30+ years as an out gay man I’ve met many who are transgender. When I was younger I didn’t fully understand it. Back then they had transitioned well past puberty, not always convincing — but they were happy being themselves finally. Others, like Chaz Bono and Caitlyn Jenner, also transitioned post-puberty but medical advancements are giving them the body/appearance they’ve always wanted.

Expecting parents — just because the ultrasound tells you a gender, please consider a gender-neutral nursery. Your child will know his/her own gender.

— Steve Patterson