Plaintiffs Delay Century Case Again

After demolition of the historic Century Building began in the Fall of 2004, the lawsuits by two downtown residents seeking to prevent the demolition became a moot point.  On April 19, 2005 the State of Missouri and the City of St. Louis, through entities, joined with the developer of the Ninth Street Parking Garage and filed a Malicious Prosecution claim against Marcia Behrendt & Roger Plackemeier. The plaintiffs are seeking $1,000,000.

After numerous delays the trial was scheduled to finally get underway tomorrow ( 9/14/2009) at 9am.  But last Friday, at the request of the Plaintiffs, the case was again delayed.  The parties have a new date of 10/26/2009 — that date is just to determine the future trial date.  Most likely we are looking at 2010 for the trial.   When your motivation is to discourage public participation it makes sense to drag these things out.

I should disclose that I personally know both Marcia Behrendt & Roger Plackemeier.  Marcia was the person that found me after my stroke on 2/1/2008.  So I’m not an impartial observer in this issue.  To file such a claim and then delay for years is just wrong.

MISSOURI DEVELOPMENT FINANCE BOARD VS BEHRENDT, Case #22052-01373, can be viewed at http://www.courts.mo.gov/casenet.  The poll this week asks your view on the city & state suing these two for the last four + years.   Right or wrong?

– Steve Patterson

Faded Glory or a Glorious Future?

As most frequent visitors know, I’m not from around here (I’ve “only” lived in St. Louis for about 5 years). I don’t remember Sportsman Park or where the Blues used to play. I never went to Gaslight Square or the Highlands amusement park. I never rode on a streetcar here, nor do I have any irrational cravings for a concrete or for Provel cheese. I’m an outsider, and I’m still learning a lot about my new hometown.

Earlier this year, Forbes Magazine did a special series on the State of the City, and unlike many series, focused on the whys cities are the way they are, instead of just creating another list. I found many points that crystallized more than a few of my perceptions and observations about St. Louis, both the city and the region, and offered more than a few insights about what the future may hold for us and how we may or may not get there.

In an effort to be succinct, I’m purposely not going to quote from any of the articles – it would be best if you explored them on your own – but I think there are multiple topics worth further, local discussion, everything from the role suburbia plays to discussions on parks, public art and high-speed rail. Many of the issues raised aren’t new – crime, schools, sprawl, taxes, jobs – but the spin is not always what we’ve come to expect. I’d encourage you to take the time to look at one or more in depth, and then to come back and post your thoughts on the issues that seem most relevant.

– Jim Zavist

Stop the Dust

Many fought hard to keep the 1960s San Luis Apartments at Lindell and N. Taylor (map link).  The battle, however, was lost and the demolition crews have been busy razing the structure.  Little remained on Thursday:

Above: we can see the spray of water as the building was being wrecked.  The water spray didn’t appear to be effective in other directions.  Driving through the area you could see dust everywhere.

Neighbors (presumably) expressed their view on the alley side of the old garage being razed.

The dust will end once the building is fully razed.  And just think, they won’t need any help from construction noise since the St. Louis Archdiocese is paving the prominent corner to store cars.

– Steve Patterson

A Grand Test

A few days ago a big change was made to a small section of South Grand, Arsenal (link) to Utah. What had been four lanes (2 per direction) was now 2 with a center turn lane.  No, the streetscape was not done overnight.  Paint and Jersey barriers are the visible techniques in this short-term test:

GREAT STREETS TEST PROJECT ON SOUTH GRAND
St. Louis, MO, September 8, 2009 — On Tuesday, September 8, 2009, East-West Gateway Council of Governments and the City of St. Louis will begin a 30-day test on South Grand from Arsenal to Utah. The test, part of the South Grand Great Streets project, will change the timing of traffic signals, reduce the number of traffic lanes from four to three, simulate curb extensions at intersections, and close the two alleys on the west side of Grand between Arsenal and Juniata. The purpose is to test the viability of these proposed changes under real traffic conditions for 30 days before committing to a final preferred alternative for the corridor.
At a series of public meetings in August, members of the public and business community favored an option to reconfigure South Grand from Arsenal to Utah from four through lanes to two through lanes and a center turn lane. If the 30-day test shows that the lane reduction will not handle the traffic volumes adequately, the project will keep the existing four-lane configuration and focus on retiming signals and adding curb extensions.
The goals of the South Grand Great Streets project are to improve pedestrian safety while maintaining traffic flow; enhance the appearance and functionality of the corridor through lighting, signage, and landscaping; and provide opportunities for continued economic development. Approximately $2.7 million for design and construction have been secured through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) by East-West Gateway Council of Governments.
For additional information on the 30-day test, please contact (314) 776-2423. For more information on the South Grand Great Streets project, visit http://www.ewgateway.org/GreatStreets/greatstreets.htm.

Anytime you do a test you should ideally design the test to create successful outcomes.  But this test was designed with failure in mind.

The blue section of Grand above shows the 6-block test area that for the next month is two lanes with a center turn lane.  The red above and below are four lane sections of Grand and the green at the bottom has been two lanes for a while.  So the first problem is 4-lane section between Utah and Chippewa.  At a minimum the section from Utah to Gravois should have also been tested at 2 + center.  I know the funding for the street improvements is limited to the 6-block area but the bottleneck created for only six blocks is going to turn everyone off.

The second problem is the lack of notice.  Drivers are already upon the change before they are told of the change. The first lighted sign should have been 3-4 blocks prior.

The above is looking South on Grand.  The intersection ahead is Arsenal. You can see the changing in the stripes causing the former right through lane to now be a right turn only lane.  In the right side of the image you see the first sign indicating the change.  Too late!  By the time you see the sign you are already upon the change.  Fail #1.

Heading Northbound you have the same late notice situation.  You can see the sign in the distance but that is after you need to be in the correct lane.  Fail #2.

I’d say someone wants to make sure drivers call the flashing phone number to complain about the change so that after the test ends they can say the reduced lanes were problematic.  The only way I see the Grand district improving is to have only two total through lanes of traffic.

The other failure is the brevity.  Only six blocks.  A branch library is just beyond the end of the test area.  Heading North from Meramec you have a single Northbound lane.  Then you have two.  Then suddenly one again.  The back to two after Arsenal.  Geez.

Pick the number of lanes and stick to it for more than six blocks.  The other failure is the simulated curb bulb outs:

Yikes, ugly.  Who is going to call the number and proclaim, “I love it!”  Nobody.  Well, but me.  And hopefully you.  The goal is to lesson the impact of the traffic. Those that want to get through the area faster will find alternate routes: Kingshighway, Gustine, Compton, Jefferson, or I-55.  I say skip the planned bike lanes and make the sidewalks wider.  Bicyclists seem to prefer Gustine and Compton anyway.  I suspect that will still be the case even if Grand receives bike lanes for these additional six blocks.  Continue the bike lanes past Gravois, Chippewa and Meramec and connect with the bike lanes on Holly Hills at Carondelet Park and then you’ve got something worth considering.  Six blocks?  Not so much.

– Steve Patterson

Tour of Missouri Worth the Expense?

Budgets are tight at all levels of government.  Monday I was part of an estimated 75,000 spectators along the 7.5 mile route of stage 1 of the Tour of Missouri:

The tour came close to not happening this year.  The tour, in its 3rd year, is a project of Republican Lt Governor Peter Kinder.  Governor Jay Nixon wanted to cut the tour to help balance the state budget:

Gov. Jay Nixon has made public the specifics of $60 million in budget cuts he had previously announced in June.

The Department of Social Services took the biggest hit at $16 million.

In June, Nixon vetoed $105 million in spending as he looked to balance a state budget suffering from declining revenue in the wake of the recession. He also held back $325 million in spending on other projects, and directed his department heads to propose additional cuts totalling $60 million.

An early memo suggesting money for the Tour of Missouri be cut touched off a storm of controversy over the proposed cuts. The money for the Tour was saved. So, too, were some of the proposed cuts to the state Water Patrol that would have left parts of the Missouri River and Mississippi river without enforcement coverage.  (Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch 08.20.2009)

I’ve yet to find the cost to the state or the estimated benefits to local governments and the state.

Like the folks hanging out at Citygarden watching the race, above, I really enjoy the tour each year.  But does the tour make fiscal sense?  The prior two years the tour ended in St. Louis.  This year St. Louis was the location of the first stage of the week-long race across the state. Competitors, crew and even TV announcers were hear from all over the world.  Amateur racers in town for the Gateway Cup finished on Monday just before the pros got started.  The synergy  was great.  But that alone doesn’t justify the cost to taxpayers.

All states have a tourism budget.  Some run TV ads in neighboring states to attract nearby visitors.  All seem to have free state maps available. Seldom can you see and feel the direct benefit of a tourism expenditure.  Hopefully in the coming 6-12 months we’ll see some discussion at the state level about any return on our continued investment in the Tour of Missouri.  My suspicion is the partisan battle is mostly centered on the fact the tour is a project of a Republican and a Democrat now occupies the Governor’s Mansion.  It the situation were reversed we’d probably see Republicans opposing the same tour if championed by a Democrat.

– Steve Patterson