Nineteen year ago I started this blog as a distraction from my father’s heart attack and slow recovery. It was late 2004 and social media & video streaming apps didn’t exist yet — or at least not widely available to the general public. Blogs were the newest means of …
The new NGA West campus , Jefferson & Cass, has been under construction for a few years now. Next NGA West is a large-scale construction project that will build a new facility for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency in St. Louis, Missouri.This $1.7B project is managed by the U.S. Army …
Book publisher Island Press always impresses me with thoughtful new books written by people working to solve current problems — the subjects are important ones for urbanists and policy makers to be familiar and actively discussing. These four books are presented in the order I received them. ‘Justice and …
This post is about two indirectly related topics: the new Siteman Cancer Center building under construction on the Washington University School of Medicine/BJC campus and an update on my stage 4 kidney cancer. Let’s deal with the latter first. You may have noticed I’ve not posted in three months, …
May 7, 2017Featured, Sunday PollComments Off on Sunday Poll: Was Recent Flooding An “Act of God”?
Please vote below
Many in the St. Louis region have been affected by the recent flooding. People have died, lives disrupted, property damaged, etc.
Flooding, like tornados. are often called an “Act of God.”
“Acts of God,” for insurance purposes, are defined as events that occur through natural causes and could not be avoided through the use of caution and preventative measures. In essence, the phrase “Acts of God” refers to natural disasters.
The phrase generally brings to mind hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, hail, or floods. However, the lines can be fuzzier than most people realize. (CBS News)
Two Board Bills were introduced a week ago that weren’t listed on last week’s agenda posted the day before. Number 9 is on the agenda posted online, perhaps I missed it. However, #10 isn’t on any agenda:
BOARD BILL NO. 9 INTRODUCED BY ALDERMAN JOSEPH VACCARO, PRESIDENT LEWIS REED An ordinance requiring the corrections commissioner to post a quarterly report on the City’s Division of Corrections website regarding administrative segregation of inmates at city detention centers; and containing a severability and an emergency clause.
BOARD BILL NO. 10 INTRODUCED BY ALDERWOMAN SHARON TYUS An ordinance prohibiting the issuance of any package or drink liquor licenses for any currently unlicensed premises within the boundaries of the First Ward, for a period of three years from the effective date hereof; containing an exception allowing, during the moratorium period, for the transfer of existing licenses, under certain circumstances, and containing an emergency clause.
Since the agendas don’t indicate if they been updated after first being posted online it’s impossible to know if an official posted agenda is changed after being initially posted. To keep track of bills & agendas I’ll be downloading the PDF as soon as it’s available — usually Wednesday afternoon. Bill pages with the actual bill text via PDF is usually posted Thursday afternoon.
Last week’s meeting can be viewed here (under 20 minutes). Mayor Krewson introduces four of her staff.
The following bills are listed on agenda #3 as of yesterday at 7am:
B.B.#1 – Pres. Reed/Conway – An ordinance making appropriation for payment of Interest, Expenses and Principal of the City’s Bonded Indebtedness, establishing City tax rates, and making appropriation for current year expenses of the City Government; for the Fiscal Year beginning July 1, 2017 and ending June 30, 2018, amounting in the aggregate to the sum of One Billion, Fifty? one Million, Three Hundred Ninety One Thousand, Six Hundred Sixty?Six Dollars ($1,051,391,666) which sum is hereby appropriated from Revenue and Special Funds named for the purposes hereinafter enumerated and containing an emergency clause.
B.B.#11 – Pres. Reed – An ordinance requiring that any proposed board bill that seeks a tax incentive for real estate development requires the potential developer to provide a Community Benefits Agreement.
B.B.#12 – Co6way/Pres. Reed – An Ordinance to provide for the borrowing of funds in anticipation of the collection of tax payments levied by The City, for deposit in its General Revenue Fund for the calendar year ending December 31, 2017, and remaining uncollected and other revenues remaining to be collected and deposited in the General Revenue Fund for fiscal year ending June 30, 2018, all such revenues for the General Revenue Fund in the Treasury, through the issuance by the City of its Tax and Revenue Anticipation Notes, and the acquiring of credit enhancement, if necessary, in order to lower the cost of such borrowing; prescribing the form and details of such Notes; authorizing and approving certain documents and other actions; and containing an emergency clause.
B.B.#13 – Howard – An Ordinance establishing a three?way stop site at the intersection of Neosho and Adkins by regulating all northwest? bound and southeast?bound traffic traveling on Neosho at Adkins and regulating all northeast?bound traffic traveling on Adkins at Neosho; and containing an emergency clause.
B.B.#14 – Cohn – An ordinance adopted to establish a Citizen Commission to be known as “The Citizen Commission on the Reduction and Reformation of the Board of Aldermen” which Commission’s purpose shall be to collect community input, gather information, conduct community outreach, study and provide advisory opinion/s to the Board of Aldermen on the implementation of Ordinance #69185, which measure was passed by the electorate of the City, and calls for a restructuring of the Board of Aldermen from a body of twenty? eight aldermen representing twenty?eight wards to a body of fourteen aldermen representing fourteen wards, and provides for a transition schedule to implement the restructuring.
B.B.#15 – Ogilvie – An Ordinance establishing a three?way stop site at the intersection of Hoffman and Clifton by regulating all northbound and southbound traffic traveling on Clifton at Hoffman and regulating all eastbound traffic traveling on Hoffman at Clifton, and containing an emergency clause.
B.B.#16 – Ogilvie – An Ordinance establishing a three?way stop site at the intersection of Berthold and Graham by regulating all southbound traffic traveling on Graham at Berthold and regulating all eastbound and westbound traffic traveling on Berthold at Graham, and containing an emergency clause.
B.B.#17 – Boyd – An ordinance authorizing and directing the Street Commissioner to take all necessary actions to honorarily designate the section of St. Louis Avenue between Semple and Arlington as Rev. Reginald D. Rogers, Sr. Avenue.
B.B.#18 – Roddy – An Ordinance recommended by the Board of Estimate and Apportionment authorizing and directing the issuance and delivery of not to exceed $19,400,000 plus issuance costs principal amount of tax increment revenue notes (City Foundry Saint Louis TIF) Series 20__? A/B, of The City; prescribing the form and details of such notes and the covenants and agreements made by the City to facilitate and protect the payment thereof; prescribing other matters relating thereto, and containing a severability clause.
B.B.#19 – Davis – An ordinance approving a Redevelopment Plan for 3827 Shaw.
B.B.#20 – Roddy – An ordinance approving a Redevelopment Plan for the 1301-03 S. Boyle.
B.B.#21 – Roddy – An ordinance approving a Redevelopment Plan for the 4427 Chouteau.
B.B.#22 – Roddy – An ordinance approving a Redevelopment Plan for the 4401 Gibson.
B.B.#23 – Roddy – An ordinance approving a Redevelopment Plan for the 4443 Oakland.
B.B.#24 – Flowers – An ordinance recommended by the Board of Public Service to vacate travel in 20 foot wide east/west and 15 foot wide north/south unimproved alleys in City Block 1228?E as bounded by Penrose, Broadway, Angelica and I?70 in the City.
Today’s meeting should be short since there are no bills out of committee for a 2nd reading and debate. The agenda indicates there are no committee meetings are scheduled for next week.
Our vehicles are getting bigger, but they use less fuel than just a few years ago. How is this possible? Because of fuel economy regulations manufacturers are making cars lighter, engines more efficient.
Though cars shrank in the 70s & 80s, they’ve been growing again:
Technological progress in the automobile has come with certain tradeoffs, one being an increase in size. Perhaps cars have inflated in size to better fit their occupants. Anyone who’s ridden three across in the back seat of a 1990s compact knows what we’re talking about. Safety standards and packaging even more airbags into each car have also contributed to the growth of the modern automobile.
The EPA places cars into specific size classes from minicompact (less than 85 cubic feet) to large (120 or more cubic feet) based on the combination of passenger and cargo volume. In the interest of consistency, all volume figures quoted are from the EPA. (Motor Trend)
Our 2007 Honda Civic is a prime example. A new Civic has more interior volume yet has a higher fuel rating from the EPA:
In the last decade the Civic has grown from a subcompact to a midsize, yet the fuel economy has increased. Source: fuel economy.gov
The even larger 2017 Honda Accord has a higher EPA rating than our 10 year-old Civic. The “small” 2017 Honda Fit has more interior volume that our Civic — also more than a 1992 Accord! Better fuel economy too — 22 combined for the ’92 Accord but 36 for the new Fit. Worldwide regulations have pushed manufacturers to make cars better.
In March President Trump expressed an interest in slowing down coming regulations:
Originally, regulators mandated that automakers achieve an average 54.5 mpg by 2025, but they relaxed that target to between 50.8 mpg and 52.6 mpg last year. Now, automakers will have more time to fight the standards, as the review process could take about a year.
The review is not set to impact California’s right to impose fuel economy rules that are stricter than federal standards, a White House official told Reuters. However, the official wouldn’t rule out the possibility of that changing in the future. (Motor Trend)
A proposed budget would render any review mute — from last month:
The Trump administration would virtually eliminate federal funding for the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget for vehicle emissions and fuel economy testing but will seek to raise fees on industry to pay for some testing, a government document shows.
The cuts would slash by more than half the staff of the EPA department that conducts vehicle, engine, and fuel testing to verify emissions standards are met and mileage stickers are accurate. Its work helped lead to Volkswagen AG’s (VOWG_p.DE) 2015 admission that it violated vehicle emissions rules for years. (Reuters)
California isn’t backing down on emissions regulations to cut smog, from March:
California will move forward with vehicle pollution targets set forth by the Obama administration, despite a move by current President Donald Trump to put those targets on hold.
On Friday, the California Air Resources Board voted to uphold Obama’s stricter emissions rules for the state. It also established a target for 15 percent of new vehicles to be powered by battery, fuel cell, or plug-in hybrid powertrains by 2025, up from about 3 percent today. The rules are part of CARB’s larger plan to bring greenhouse gas emissions down to 1990 levels by 2030. (Motor Trend)
Don’t be surprised if the Trump administration tries to take away California’s right to set their own auto emissions standards.
Most of those who voted in the most recent non-scientific Sunday Poll agree regulations shouldn’t be eased:
Q: Agree or disagree: With falling gas prices & buyer preference for bigger vehicles, upcoming stricter emissions/fuel economy regs should be relaxed
May 1, 2017Downtown, Featured, Popular CultureComments Off on Richard Serra’s ‘Twain’ Is 35, Remains Unloved By Most St. Louisans…Including Arts Patrons
I had a lighting company interested in setting up a temporary display at no cost to taxpayers — money was needed to pay for security to make sure the lighting equipment wasn’t stolen, My attempts to get art patrons, such as Twain’s original benefactor Emily Pulitzer, to pay a couple of thousand dollars were unsuccessful.
Five years later the city block, across 10th Street from Citygarden, remains largely unused.
Once you pass through one of the narrow openings the inside is spacious.
Water collects at the east point of the sculpture
I contacted the Gateway Foundation last week. Hopefully I can interest them in making minimal improvements to the block, addressing the mud at Twain’s entrances, and funding new lighting.
Stricter emissions & corporate fuel economy (CAFE) regulations established by the previous administration, seen as too cumbersome, may not be funded. From last month:
In a March 21 budget document posted online by the Washington Post, the Trump administration proposed eliminating $48 million in federal funding for EPA vehicle and fuel testing and certification.
It represents a 99 percent federal cut to the vehicle testing budget and would require “pretty much shutting down the testing lab,” said Margo Oge, who headed the EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality under President Barack Obama. (Reuters)
Some argue the regulatory goals are attainable while others say they’re hurting manufacturing jobs. Today’s unscientific poll seeks to find out reader views on the issue.
AARP Livibility Index
The Livability Index scores neighborhoods and communities across the U.S. for the services and amenities that impact your life the most
Built St. Louis
historic architecture of St. Louis, Missouri – mourning the losses, celebrating the survivors.
Geo St. Louis
a guide to geospatial data about the City of St. Louis
