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)

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

Utility Crews A Sign of Progress on Tucker Boulevard

Work continues on rebuilding Tucker Blvd (12th), continuing southward in phases. Now that work on removing the old road built over a railroad tunnel is getting closer to Washington Ave utility crews can be seen more frequently.

As with most construction there have been inconveniences but soon Tucker will play a new role as a major in/out route for downtown from the north.

– Steve Patterson

Former City Hospital Power Plant to Include Rock Climbing Gym, Banquet Hall, Rooftop Dining

An interesting new concept will open for business next month:

Is St. Louis ready for one of the tallest bouldering walls in the nation? Or a banquet facility where attendees can watch rock climbers scale a 55-foot wall? Or a corporate party that includes rock climbing? Ready or not, Climb So iLL will be opening in the historic City Hospital Power Plant in mid-March. (St. Louis Business Journal)

You’ll be able to grab lunch at a restaurant while viewing the climbing space.

This is a creative  use of a difficult building:

Listed on the city’s historical registry, the Power Plant supplied power to the St. Louis City Hospital for nearly 50 years. The City Hospital complex is made up of several buildings including the Laundry Building, the Administrative Complex, the City Hospital itself, and the Power Plant.

 The once abandoned City Hospital has been renovated into the Georgian Condominiums, and the Laundry Building is now home to the Palladium Banquet Center. Several other construction projects are underway on the site. Phase two of construction hopes to bring with it a bakery, a micro-brewery, a locally-grown food processing distribution center, and a hotel. (climbsoill.com)

It has been nice seeing the City Hospital site develop over time. The streets and sidewalks have been in place and one by one the development is filling in between.

This is an example of what I was talking about the other day regarding The Bottle District — the planning was done and the infrastructure (streets & sidewalks) to connect development parcels within the site and to the adjacent neighborhoods. As demand and financing becomes available vacant buildings are renovated and occupied and new construction is built to fill in other areas.

We need more of this — plan the site, put the infrastructure in place and build/renovate over time. The developer of the site isn’t responsible for financing all the future renovations and new construction at the beginning. For more info and artist renderings of the rock climbing gym see climbsoill.com.

– Steve Patterson

Readers: Remove Cannabis From Missouri’s List of Controlled Substances

If enough signatures are collected by May 6th, Missouri voters will be asked to support a constitutional amendment to decriminalize cannabis. Seemed like an interesting topic so it was the poll topic last week:

Q: Should cannabis be removed from the Missouri Statutes list of controlled substances

1. Yes, a constitutional amend would keep the legislature from changing the vote of the people 124 [64.25%]
2. Yes, but not as a constitutional amendment 41 [21.24%]
3. No 15 [7.77%]
4. Unsure/No Opinion 5 [2.59%]
5. Other: 5 [2.59%]
6. Maybe 3 [1.55%]

More than 85% support decriminalization but they split on making it a constitutional amendment. Three-qurarters of those who support removal from the controlled substance list  support an amendment.  It should be noted the total number of votes was higher than a typical week, but the results as a percentage stayed consistent throughout the week.

– Steve Patterson

‘Schoemehl Pots’ Need To Be Maintained Or Removed

When I voted last week I walked by this pot in the center of a walkway near 10th Street, next to Henry School. The walkway was once a public street.

Attractive huh? I’m sure these have a proper name but I’ve always liked the term “Schoemehl Pot,” a name based on their use starting during the administration of former mayor Vincent Schoemehl.

Most often they are used to destroy our street grid. Sometimes they are planted nicely but most often I see them full of trash, weeds, or both. In these cases they are not a positive part of the community but just another symbol of failed urban policies.

I’d like to see a study done of how many of these are scattered around the city and in what condition they are in. Just like broken windows or boarded up buildings, these foster negative behavior. I’d like to many, if not most, removed.

 – Steve Patterson