Charless Home To Close, Future Uncertain

A longtime St. Louis institution won’t reach its 160th anniversary:

The Charless Home, which opened in 1853 as the “Home of the Friendless,” will soon be the home of no one.

Bethesda Health Group, which bought the facility in 2006, said Monday [3/19/2012] it will close the home by June 30. Low occupancy and financial losses are the culprits, said Ken Bass, Bethesda’s senior vice president of senior living. (STLtoday.com)

If you’ve been a longtime reader here you might recall my post from June 6, 2006:

Despite the spin in the Post-Dispatch back in April the Charless Home, founded in 1853, is not “merging” with or being “acquired” by Bethesda Health Group. The folks I talked to tell me Charless’ Board is essentially paying Bethesda to take the south side landmark. The Charless Home has prime real estate at I-55 and South Broadway (map) yet the board has voted to give the real estate and millions of dollars to Bethesda in exchange for… well, nothing.

The board, comprised mainly of Clayton & Ladue socialites, is making a huge mistake. I’m told the Charless Home has nearly $17 million in the bank, hardly a distressed non-profit. A few board members voted against giving Charless to Bethesda and instead suggested they take on medicaid patients and consider constructing independent living housing on their grounds. (Full post)

Monday’s article says “ownership will revert to the non-profit Charless Foundation.” The Foundation does have active registration with the Secretary of State (view) but it’s unclear what will become of the property. The property, located in the 9th ward, is in a “preservation review” area so any proposed demolition would be reviewed by the Cultural Resources Office.

I sent an inquiry to the official board contact and received a reply indicating committees have been set up to gather information to help them asses their options.

– Steve Patterson

Readers: Seniors Need To Retake The Driving Exam — No Consensus At What Age, How Frequently

Less than 15% of readers indicated “no” in the poll last week regarding seniors having to retake their driving test. Answers regarding at what age and how often were all over the board:

Q: Should seniors have to retake the driving test?

1. Yes, all drivers should have to retake the driving test, more frequently as they age: 22 [23.4%]
2. Yes, every five years starting at age 65: 21 [22.34%]
3. Yes, every two years starting at age 65: 8 [8.51%]
4. Yes but at a higher age than 65, like 75+: 20 [21.28%]
5. No: 13 [13.83%]
6. Yes, every ten years starting at age 65: 3 [3.19%]
7. Other: 6 [6.38%]
8. Unsure/no opinion: 1 [1.06%]

I was glad to see the top answer was everyone should retake the driving test. I think I’m a good driver but it’s been 29 years since I took the driving test. I’m sure many of us have encountered drivers of all ages that we thought were poor drivers. Here were the “other” answers supplied by readers:

1. Stop discriminating against the elderly. Old people need to drive too.
2. Eye exams every 2 yrs starting at 65, driving every 2 yrs at 80 or earlier
3. All drivers should be tested after insurance-involved accidents.
4. All drivers, full comprehensive test every five years
5. All drivers should retake the test every 5 years – regardless of age
6. Yes. all drivers every renewal.

The 2nd half of the first other answer (“Old people need to drive too.”) is my point for this post. We’ve created places where most people must drive to function. Driving shouldn’t be the only alternative to function in society.

– Steve Patterson

Pedestrian Expert Killed Crossing St. Louis Street A Decade Ago

Ten years ago today was a sad day for all of us who fight for pedestrian safety:

ST. LOUIS — A Washington state woman who was one of the country’s top experts on bicycle and pedestrian safety was killed yesterday morning when she was struck by a tour bus while crossing a downtown intersection here.

Susie Stephens, 36, of Winthrop, Wash., was struck shortly after 8:30 a.m.

The driver of the Vandalia Bus Lines vehicle told police he did not see Stephens as he made a left turn.

Stephens, a consultant, was in St. Louis to help stage a conference on innovative approaches to transportation sponsored by the Forest Service, said William “Bill” Wilkinson of the National Center for Bicycling and Walking in Washington. (seattlepi.com)

Susie was a year older than me at the time she was killed:

The Susie Forest is a living, growing, legacy to my daughter Susie and her commitment to creating livable communities. Susie was a bicyclist, an environmentalist, an activist, and a world traveler. She was dedicated to educating others about bicyclist and pedestrian safety, and she was killed in 2002 after being struck by a bus while legally walking across the street in St. Louis. (The Susie Forest)

For details of the accident at 4th & Chestnut click here.

– Steve Patterson

Food Trucks Welcomed At Wells Fargo Restaurant Desert

You’re likely familiar with the term Food Desert (“any area in the industrialized world where healthy, affordable food is difficult to obtain”), but what about “restaurant desert” for areas where restaurants are hard to find? One such restaurant desert is the area surrounding Wells Fargo Financial Advisors.

I arrived at 11am on Tuesday March 6th and found three food trucks set up on Pine St between Beaumont St and Leffingwell Ave. Even with three bright trucks the street felt totally lifeless.

As I took the above picture a couple drove up in the red car to get pizza. Unlike the Central Business District, there are no restaurants in this area to complain about competition from the mobile food trucks. Here’s an idea, why not begin to rethink the space surrounding Wells Fargo and create small commercial storefronts serving workers and others in this area, perhaps creating a destination for other to visit?

– Steve Patterson

2011: MetroBus Growth Rate Double MetroLink

Ridership on the region’s bus service (MetroBus) grew at more than twice the rate of the region’s light rail service (MetroLink), according to figures in a new report by the American Public Transportation Association. Looking at 2011 compared to 2010 the light rail service increased ridership a below average  4.62% while bus ridership increased a whooping 10.04%, way above average for the report.

APTA reported large bus systems like MetroBus in St. Louis grew by 0.4 percent nationally. Columbus, Ohio at 10.1 percent showed the strongest bus ridership growth in the nation while St. Louis at 10 percent experienced the second largest growth, and Orlando, Florida at 8.4 percent, the third strongest bus ridership growth in the nation. (Metro Press Release)

Outstanding!

As a result of the substantial increase the humble bus is carrying an even greater percentage of the region’s transit riders. MetroBus carried 61% of Metro’s passengers in 2010 but that increased to 62% for 2011. Conversely the light rail service dropped from 38% to 37% from 2010 to 2011, see pie charts below.

It’s no wonder since MetroBus service covers so much more of the metropolitan area. MetroBus likely has a stop near your home and work/school whereas light rail isn’t as convenient. I can catch three different MetroBus lines within a block of my house (3min) but the nearest MetroLink station is 12 minutes away! Sure the MetroLink is faster than MetroBus but when I factor in time getting to/from each mode the bus usually wins if both are a choice.

Some will point out that MetroLink has a higher farebox recovery than MetroBus (27.8% vs 19.9%; source page viii). True enough, but MetroBus covered 5.7 times as many “revenue miles” as MetroLink in FY2011 (18,198,927 vs 3,147,407; same source). Naturally bus service isn’t going to have the same farebox recovery rate given how much of the region the service covers — those routes to low density areas just aren’t as efficient as other routes. We could never afford to provide light rail service to all parts of the region now served by bus.

St. Louis bus & rail ridership was down in 2011 from what it was in 2008, but current gas prices might push ridership levels for 2012.

– Steve Patterson