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

The Short Life Of Some Street Trees

Last week workers replaced the dead street tree in front of my building, it was planted in 2008. Other trees in front of the building are older, but this spot is where dogs go as soon as their owners  take them outside. I’m not sure if that’s the cause of the short lifespan of the last tree or one of numerous reasons it didn’t survive.

ABOVE: Newly planted street tree in front of my building.

Hopefully this tree will last longer. I saw the workers digging out the old tree but I didn’t stick around to see how it had been planted or the conditions. I did snap a picture of a hole for a street tree around the corner just before the tree was planted.

ABOVE: Just before a street tree was planted on 16th next to the Leather Trades Lofts

Yes, the earth surrounding the hole is filled with bricks. How do we expect trees to survive when the root system has to compete with bricks and other debris?

- Steve Patterson

Readers: Global Warming Is Affecting The Weather In The United States

Most readers agreed that global warming is affecting the weather in the United States.The examples are numerous, too many to be a coincidence.

ABOVE: A May 22, 2011 tornado devastated much of Joplin MO. Looking west from Main & East 24th, click image for aerial. Photo date November 8, 2011

Take March:

Record and near-record breaking temperatures dominated the eastern two-thirds of the nation and contributed to the warmest March for the contiguous United States since records began in 1895. More than 15,000 warm temperature records were broken during the month. The average temperature of 51.1°F was 8.6 degrees above the 20th century average. In the past 117 years, only one month (January 2006) has ever been so much warmer than its average temperature. (It’s official: March 2012 warmth topped the charts)

Last month it got ugly:

The storm center determined that 75 tornadoes touched down in Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa and Nebraska during a 24-hour period beginning at 6 a.m. Saturday. Six people died as a result of an overnight tornado that hit Woodward, Okla., about 140 miles northwest of Oklahoma City. No other deaths were reported. (Huffington Post)

Then in the news on April 23:

BUFFALO, N.Y. — A nor’easter packing soaking rain and springtime snow churned up the Northeast on Monday, unleashing a burst of winter, closing some schools and triggering power outages in communities that were basking in record warmth a month ago. (Washington Post)

And Saturday:

One person is dead, five others critically injured after powerful winds upended a huge tent outside a downtown St. Louis bar, sending tent poles flying through the crowd. (KMOV)

The above was the first of two storm systems in the St. Louis area, just hours apart.

ABOVE: Hail from the second storm on Saturday ripped leaves from street trees downtown such as these on 15th

In the poll there were some votes from likely Climate Change Deniers but most agree man has managed to alter weather patterns.

The poll results are below, the question came from page 16 of this report from Yale. National averages are the second percentages shown below:

How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Global warming is affecting the weather in the United States.

1. Strongly agree 76 [61.29% / 26%]
2. Somewhat agree 27 [21.77% / 43%]
3. Somewhat disagree 11 [8.87% / 19%]
4. Strongly disagree 10 [8.06% / 11%]

The original post introducing the poll is here.

- Steve Patterson

St. Louis Earth Day Festival; Poll On Global Warming

Earth Day is recognized all over the world today, including here in St. Louis:

The St. Louis Earth Day Festival is the oldest Earth Day festival in the Midwest and the third largest celebration in the country! Attracting 30,000+ attendees annually, the Festival is a premier destination for the public to learn about a wide-range of environmental issues in an engaging and entertaining setting. 

The St. Louis Earth Day Festival is today, Sunday April 22nd, from 11am to 6pm in Forest Park. The event is free.

ABOVE: Forest Park

The organizers, naturally, would prefer you not drive to Forest Park for the event, their “Planning Your Visit” page offers directions on using public transit, bicycling, walking and carpooling. Unfortunately, like most local events they mention MetroLink but forgot about MetroBus — you know the part of our public transit that carries more people daily.

The number of bus lines around Forest Park are too numerous to list. Besides taking a bus to Forest Park you can take a bus to one of the MetroLink stations to get on the light rail system. Buy a transfer on the bus ($2.75 total) and the transfer will also cover your MetroLink trip for 2 hours.

ABOVE: From Metro's Missouri system map, click to view (large PDF)

WEEKLY POLL:

The poll this week seeks to see if readers see a connection between global warming and the weather in the US. The poll question was copied from a national poll that will be credited on Wednesday May 2, 2012 when the poll results are presented. The poll is in the right sidebar.

- Steve Patterson

Local Green Projects Received Awards

Green design is becoming more and more commonplace such that competition for awards among many green projects is now crowded. Last week I attended the Growing Green Awards hosted by the USGBC Gateway Chapter.

ABOVE: Cannon Design's St. Louis office

One award winner stood out to me because of the horrible condition the building was in prior to the renovation work. The 1928 building was a power house supplying heat to downtown buildings until 1980, when it was abandoned.

AWARDEE: Cannon Design

When Cannon Design chose to relocate their office – they were presented with an opportunity that allowed them not only to reuse and restore a unique and historic structure in the City of St. Louis but also redevelop a Brownfield site and develop an interior space that supports the most forward-thinking workplace while still maintaining the historic integrity of the architectural features. Almost 99% of the existing walls, floors and roof structure were reused while 92% of the construction waste was recycled. While many sustainability measures were taken during the restoration of the former steam generation plant, the one with arguably the biggest impact was Cannon’s commitment to reusing an existing building and identifying the reuse as an opportunity for creation rather than an hindrance of a vision.

Operational Excellence Nominees: Joe Abernathy – St. Louis Cardinals; Barnes-Jewish Hospital; Cannon Design; Graybar; Novus International; Tarlton

For more information on their office click here. Read about all those who received awards here. Congrats to all the nominees and winners.

- Steve Patterson

Readers Resist Transit As Gas Prices Rise

I’m not sure if its a love of cars/driving or a dislike of transit but readers in the poll last week indicated it will take a lot to get them to give up driving and use transit.

ABOVE: A large crowd waits to board the #70 Grand MetroBus at Union Station

Q: How Expensive Must Gas Get Before You Take Transit Instead of Drive?

1. I already take transit and/or bike: 39 [33.05%]
2. I’ll never take transit: 17 [14.41%]
3. Other: 16 [13.56%]
4. $10+ 14 [11.86%]
5. $6 – $6.99: 13 [11.02%]
6. $5 – $5.99: 10 [8.47%]
7. $7 – $9.99: 6 [5.08%]
8. $4 – $4.99: 3 [2.54%]

Wow, really? This tells me we can jack up taxes on gasoline to fund dramatically better transit and most of you will keep driving. Missouri should raise fuel taxes to be on par with neighboring states like Illinois (41.2¢/gallon). The average for the 50 states is 30.5¢/gallon but Missouri is at 17.3¢/gallon, slightly above Oklahoma (Source).

The high number of “other” answers were mostly those feeling guilty and/or defensive about driving:

1. I can’t take transit to work, not a choice
2. When I can get from St. Louis County to St. Charles County
3. I will just work from home
4. It rarely goes where I need it to – despite proximity to multiple bus routes!
5. I take transit and walk.
6. I’ll be riding my scooter
7. When it doesnt take 2 hrs to travel, the same distance I can drive in 20 minutes
8. When it’s cleaner and safer, maybe I’ll consider transit.
9. i live 3 miles from work, it’s still not an issue for me.
10. Tranist is not an option in my current job.
11. I’d take transit now if there was better coverage near my home.
12. I don’t have convenient transit access
13. My job requires me to have a car.
14. transit is not an option for my commute
15. i’ll take it when it runs 24/7b

Do people only go from home to work and back? No, we don’t. We go to events, shopping, dinner, etc. I’d imagine many of you have made changes to your routines:

Nationally, 84% of those responding to an AAA survey released earlier this month say they’ve changed their routines as a result of soaring fuel prices. Better planning — combining errands into a single trip — was the most common way cited. (USA Today)

It will be interesting to watch as prices continue to rise.

- Steve Patterson

Permeable Concrete Reduces Water Runoff

Permeable, or pervious, concrete is becoming more and more common around the region but what is it?

Pervious concrete is a special type of concrete with a high porosity used for concrete flatwork applications that allows water from precipitation and other sources to pass directly through, thereby reducing the runoff from a site and allowing groundwater recharge. The high porosity is attained by a highly interconnected void content. Typically pervious concrete has little or no fine aggregate and has just enough cementitious paste to coat the coarse aggregate particles while preserving the interconnectivity of the voids. Pervious concrete is traditionally used in parking areas, areas with light traffic, residential streets, pedestrian walkways, and greenhouses. It is an important application for sustainable construction and is one of many low impact development techniques used by builders to protect water quality. (Wikipedia)

Sounds good but what does it look like?

ABOVE: Permeable concrete on the left during construction on South Grand, May 2011

ABOVE: Pervious concrete under the parked cars on the left at Dardenne Prairie City Hall

The rough texture takes some getting used to although in a context like South Grand it’s a nice contrast with the smooth concrete of the sidewalk area.What’s your thought on this type of concrete?

- Steve Patterson

Downtown’s First Electric Vehicle Charging Station

Last month the first electric vehicle charging station opened in downtown St. Louis:

Microgrid Energy, based in Clayton, Missouri, unveiled its second charging station at its second hotel in less than a year, Thursday morning. Microgrid Energy spent a rainy Thursday morning celebrating the installation of the second station where customers can pay to charge their electric volt (or EV) cars.

The first was at the Moonrise on Delmar less than a year ago. (KPLR)

Earlier in the week I stopped by and saw it was being used.

ABOVE: Two Chevy Volts being charged on Lucas Ave just east of 7th

From the company’s website:

Microgrid is helping lead the transition to Electric Vehicles (EVs). An extensive shift in infrastructure from gas stations to EV Charging Stations is required to fulfill the potential that EVs hold. This transition will go hand in hand with the transition to locally generated energy from renewable sources. EVs result in lower carbon emissions, but when coupled with onsite solar power, the carbon footprint can go to zero. (Source: Microgrid)

As a city and country we are a long way from mass consumer adoption of electric vehicles, but early adopters will pave the way:

The climate will get kinder for electric cars.

 A prolonged spike in oil prices may send consumers scrambling toward electric. Wider adoption rates should result in lower battery and car prices down the line.

 We’re just not there yet. (Daily Finance: 3 Reasons Why You’re Not Buying an Electric Car)

This charging station is next to the former downtownDillard’s, now home to the Laurel Apartments (an advertiser here) and Embassy Suites Hotel.

- Steve Patterson

Spring Equinox is a Month Away

We may be buried under snow and have freezing temperatures but the Spring Equinox begins on March 20th — 31 days away.

An equinox occurs twice a year, when the tilt of the Earth’s axis is inclined neither away from nor towards the Sun, the center of the Sun being in the same plane as the Earth’s equator. The term equinox can also be used in a broader sense, meaning the date when such a passage happens. The name “equinox” is derived from the Latin aequus (equal) and nox (night), because around the equinox, the night and day have approximately equal length.

At an equinox, the Sun is at one of two opposite points on the celestial sphere where the celestial equator (i.e. declination 0) and ecliptic intersect. These points of intersection are called equinoctial points: classically, the vernal point and the autumnal point. By extension, the term equinox may denote an equinoctial point.

An equinox happens each year at two specific moments in time (rather than two whole days), when there is a location (the subsolar point) on the Earth’s equator, where the center of the Sun can be observed to be vertically overhead, occurring around March 20/21 and September 22/23 each year. (Wikipedia)

ABOVE: Forest Park

I don’t know about you but I’m ready for green grass and warmer temperatures.  As Winters go ours has been mild, hopefully our Summer will also be mild.

- Steve Patterson

New Thinking Was on Display at St. Louis Auto Show

In May 2008 I found myself car shopping. I could no longer ride my 90mpg scooter so I wanted a fuel efficient car. Gas prices had been climbing for months:

I was shopping for used a car but I found myself angered at the selection of new vehicles being offered:

Today Ford, GM and Chrysler are caught with too many trucks and SUV’s in showrooms as sales of these segments decline in the double digits. Toyota has passed Ford for the #2 sales position in the U.S. Honda is set to pass Chrysler for #3.

Why does it matter? Well the auto industry is an important part of our national economy. Many thousands of workers build the cars and many others work for suppliers to the industry. Until we can shift these people to other jobs a large part of the economy depends upon all of us doing our part and buying a new vehicle. But with the new reality of $4/gallon +/- gas consumers are finally rejecting trucks and SUVs. Frankly the U.S. economy is to reliant upon sales of autos and of new mostly suburban homes. (full post)

It wasn’t long before both GM & Chrysler were in bankruptcy and Ford was mortgaged to the roof and selling off brand after brand like Aston Martin & Volvo. All three were finally forced to rethink how the design, build and sell cars in a global economy. The government finally pushed the auto industry to higher standards:

The Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) mandate was first established in 1975 and until this past April 1 [2010] has changed little since. It’s been years of debate, but finally, the standards have been significantly updated. By model year 2016, the fuel efficiency of the new vehicle fleet sold in the United States will have to average at least 34.1 miles per gallon. [Popular Mechanics]

The fact is automakers had been making great improvements in efficiency for decades

Specifically, between 1980 and 2006, the average gas mileage of vehicles sold in the United States increased by slightly more than 15 percent — a relatively modest improvement. But during that time, Knittel has found, the average curb weight of those vehicles increased 26 percent, while their horsepower rose 107 percent. All factors being equal, fuel economy actually increased by 60 percent between 1980 and 2006, as Knittel shows in a new research paper, “Automobiles on Steroids,” just published in the American Economic Review (download PDF). [Source: MIT News]

If we still drove 1980 sized vehicles the automakers could exceed the 2016 CAFE requirement, per the above source. But with creative thinking and using technology used around the world the higher standard can be met:

The Hyundai brand has met the federal government’s Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards four years ahead of the 2016 deadline, achieving an average of 36 mpg across its model lineup, according to WardsAuto. But there are some who have taken issue with the EPA’s estimates of Hyundai vehicles, and have petitioned for a re-test of the 40- highway-mpg Elantra. Hyundai America CEO John Krafcik stands behind the Elantra’s mpg rating, however, saying the numbers are achievable in the real world. [Source: Motor Trend]

At the St. Louis Auto Show last week, new more efficient vehicles were on display. Click the image to see the official website for each vehicle.

ABOVE: Dodge Dart will replace the Caliber

ABOVE: The Fiat 500 wasn't at the 2011 show

ABOVE: Toyota will sell it's tiny iQ in the U.S. as a Scion

ABOVE: Chevrolet Spark micro-car

ABOVE: The new Ford Fusion now shares much with it's European siblings

For decades companies like Ford built models specifically for the U.S. market that had no resemblance to European models. This increased development costs and gave U.S. consumers subpar vehicles. Those days are gone.

2012 vs 2008 Ford Focus via FuelEconomy.gov

The 2012 Ford Focus is a global Ford, whereas the 2008 Ford Focus had nothing to do with European models. The gains in fuel economy speak for themselves. Over at GM a similar story is told.

ABOVE: 2012 Chevy Cruze vs 2008 Chevy Cobalt via FuelEconomy.gov

Chevrolet made strong gains with the Cruze that replaced the Cobalt.

President Obama has proposed a CAFE standard of 54.5mpg by 2025, coinciding with new regulations in California:

The Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have estimated that the improved technology would add $2,030 to the average vehicle purchase price, but that lifetime cost savings for fuel would exceed $6,000, for a net savings of more than $4,000 over the life of a new vehicle. The NADA disagrees with those figures and plans to release its own study next month that estimates a total price increase per vehicle of up to $5,000. [MSN]

With the economy rebounding fuel prices are expected to reach $4/gallon this summer. This time automakers will have vehicles that meet buyer expectations. When I’m ready to buy my next used car I’ll have better choices  than I had in 2008.

- Steve Patterson