Rams Proposal For Edward Jones Dome Calls For Significant Changes To Structure And Broadway

As promised, Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster released the confidential proposal from the St. Louis Rams to the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission (CVC).

To Whom It May Concern:

In compliance with Chapter 610, the Missouri Sunshine Law, Attorney General Chris Koster made the following documents publicly available in response to various media inquiries and Sunshine requests regarding ongoing negotiations between the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission and its lessee.

Respectfully,

CHRIS KOSTER

Attorney General

Their proposal is significantly different than what the CVC had proposed. To me it seems like a new facility given how much would be entirely new.

This means the dome is getting significantly larger than it is currently. The near corner of the drawing above includes access to the casino tunnel. The 2010 image below shows you where that is currently:

As you can see that’s a lot of new building. Clearly the Rams want more than the lipstick the CVC proposed (see CVC Plan To Improve Dome Improves Broadway).

This brings up several thoughts:

1. Perfect excuse to make 4th & Broadway each two-way rather than the current one-way configurations
2. This would work well with the boulevard replacement of the I-70 elevated lanes, see CitytoRiver.org
3. Unlikely the St, Louis region is going to pony up the money for this.

I haven’t read the proposal in detail yet. You can read the proposal here.

– Steve Patterson

Missouri Transportation Meetings Not Accessible Via Transit

Missouri wants your input into our future transportation needs:

Missouri House Speaker Steve Tilley recently formed a Blue Ribbon Citizens Committe on Missouri’s Transportation needs which will be holding public meetings across the state in the next several weeks. The committee is being chaired by Rod Jetton and Bill McKenna, and they will be looking at total transportation needs in the state. (Source: CMT-STL)

The first such meeting is at 1pm today at 14301 South Outer 40 Road, Chesterfield, MO 63017. I’d like to attend but guess what, I can’t physically get there — at least not safely. I can get close after an hour or so ride on MetroBus but getting from the bus stop into the building safely looks impossible. The following is from a MoDOT Customer Relations Manager:

“One of the presenters at this meeting also uses a wheelchair and I know he will address the importance of access as the committee considers the transportation needs of Missourians. The area that you’re referencing is not a state road but I am familiar with it. I believe the bus stops at a paved shoulder then there’s a sidewalk and crosswalk across the street from the meeting site.”

Most likely the presenter will drive, or be driven, to the meeting. A shoulder? They expect me to get off the bus onto the shoulder of Woods Mill Rd? The few sidewalks that exist don’t have  curb cuts and their scarcity means I’d be a sitting target on the roads or in parking lots. I don’t expect the Blue Ribbon Panel to understand since most represent businesses/industries that profit from keeping Missouri locked into the auto culture:

Committee members include:

• Mr. Ben Jones, Union Pacific Railroad
• Mr. Blake Hurst, Missouri Farm Bureau
• Mr. Estil Fretwell, Missouri Farm Bureau
• Mr. Brian Meisel, Lake of the Ozarks Economic Development Council
• Mr. Duane Michie, First State Bank and Trust
• Mr. Joe DeLong, DeLong’s Inc.
• Mr. Len Toenjes, AGC of St. Louis
• Mr. Neal St. ONge, Coldwell BAnker
• Mr. Rick Neubert, Delta Concrete Inc.
• MR. Tom Crawford, Missouri Trucking Association
• Mr. Tony Thompson, Kwame Construction
• Mr. Dan Mehan, Missouri Chamber of Commerce
• Mr. Ed DeSoignie, The Heavy Constructors Association of Greater Kansas City
• Mr. Jim Anderson, Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce
• Mr. John Nations, Metro
• Mr. MArk Stidham, Dexter City Adminstrator
• Mr. Randy Verkamp, Phelps County Presiding Commissioner
• Mr. Scott Smith, HNTB Corporation
• Mr. Tom Dunne, Fred Weber, Inc.

The list is from CMT.

The other meetings are:

• May 21 – MoDOT Northwest District Office, St. Joseph, MO
• June 1 – Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, Springfield, MO
• June 29 – Show-Me Center, Cape Girardeau, MO
• July 9 – ARC City Activity Center, Columbia, MO
• July 23 – MoDOT Northeast District Office, Hannibal, MO
• August 6 – Gamber Center, Lee’s Summit, MO

I doubt I could get to any of these safely.

– Steve Patterson

Poll: City Justified In Clearing Out Homeless Camps?

For a couple of years some homeless had set up camp near the riverfront. But that’s changing:

Hopeville was the second of three riverfront camps that the city plans to clear by May 18. The first, Dignity Harbor, was bulldozed last week. Officials said they have offered housing vouchers to residents of all the camps so they can stay in hotels and apartments. (STLtoday.com on 5/11/2012)

I visited Hopeville last year and while I was sympathetic to their situation I was also repulsed by what I saw.

The poll this week asks if the city was justified in clearing out these camps. The poll is in the right sidebar below the advertisement.

– 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