1721 Hadley Street

The week between Christmas and New Year’s is always slow so I fill the days with odd little posts.

Last week driving around I spotted this gem. The detailing on the front porch, the proportions and the cute side entry caused me to stop the  car to get this picture. 1721 Hadley Street is a 1,714 sq foot house built in 1890. It’s owned by a couple on 13th Street. The main roof and back roof have both collapsed so this structure won’t be around long.

It faces the south end of the proposed Iron Horse Trestle:

The Trestle is an 1.5 mile abandoned railroad alignment purchased by Great Rivers Greenway. It is the same railroad alignment that connects from the McKinley Bridge to Branch Street and was renovated in 2007 as part of the McKinley Bridge Bikeway.

The Trestle project begins at Branch Street where it will connect with the Riverfront Trail and the existing McKinley Bridge Bikeway. The Trestle is elevated above North Market Street adjacent to Produce Row, the City’s fruit and vegetable wholesale district and continues as it crosses over Interstate 70. Offering views of downtown St. Louis, the Mississippi River and the adjacent neighborhoods. The Trestle touches down near the intersection of Howard and Hadley Avenues just north of the new Mississippi River Bridge.

Status:

Great Rivers Greenway purchased the Trestle in 2005 and in 2007 initiated work to develop a conceptual plan for developing the trestle into a linear public park and greenway. Over the past several years, detailed engineering plans have been prepared in anticipation of construction.

In 2010, Great Rivers Greenway hired a construction management firm to work with the design team to recommend strategies to construct the project in phases as well as identify construction methods for renovating the elevated deck. It was identified that the Trestle could be constructed in two phases and Great Rivers Greenway is determining the best strategy to move towards construction in the next several years.

In mid 2011, Great Rivers Greenway began work to develop plans to paint the portion of the Trestle over Interstate 70. The painting will occur in the 2013 or 2014 as permits are secured from the Missouri Department of Transportation. 

1721 Hadley Street is zoned industrial, not residential.

– Steve Patterson

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Getting to Underground Infrastructure

On December 16th I spotted work going on below street level at 7th & Washington Ave.

It seems Ameren Missouri is doing updates on the underground electrical grid. Traffic (and pedestrians) have been rerouted because of this work.  A small price to pay for having a reliable underground grid.

 – Steve Patterson

Readers Not Fully Prepared For A Catastrophe

No surprise that readers aren’t fully prepared for a catastrophe, I know I’m not prepared at all — unless you count a rechargeable LED flashlight. Here are the results from the poll last week:

Q: How prepared are you for a major catastrophe?

1. Not prepared at all 19 [41.3%]
2. Mildly prepared 13 [28.26%]
3. Somewhat prepared 12 [26.09%]
4. Very prepared 1 [2.17%]
5. Other: 1 [2.17%] (yes, I do have a zombie survival plan)

Our federal government has an informative site you might find helpful:

Ready.gov has a variety of publications for download covering various topics about planning and preparation for disasters and emergencies.

Check it out.

– Steve Patterson

Got Parking Tickets?

If you have outstanding parking tickets you might want to get those paid.

With municipal budgets tighter and tighter cities are looking to collect unpaid tickets. In North Carolina the city of Raleigh will be “intercepting” future state tax refunds to reduce the $1.6 million in unpaid parking tickets (story). In St. Louis other methods are usedL

A parking scofflaw is any violator who accumulates at least four outstanding parking tickets (i.e., tickets that are unpaid at least 16 days after the ticket issuance date). The Parking Division’s boot crews are authorized to immobilize (apply a booting device to) any vehicle that is on the current Parking Scofflaw File. Once a vehicle has been immobilized, it is subject to immediate tow. The City uses City-owned and contracted tow trucks to tow tow-eligible vehicles. Possible boot removal: After a vehicle has been immobilized, and until it has been towed, a motorist may have the boot removed once the Parking Division has received adequate proof that the parking scofflaw has paid all outstanding fines and fees for the booted vehicle. For the purpose of boot removal, a Payment Receipt from PVB or a Dismissal Form from PVB shall constitute proof of payment. This option is not available once the vehicle has been towed. Any motorist whose vehicle has been booted must pay the required booting fee, as approved by the Parking Commission. The booting fee of $50.00 must be paid at Parking Violations Bureau before a person can reclaim his or her vehicle. (source)

The penalty is similar in Clayton:

Vehicle will be subject to tow upon accumulation of six (6) or more unpaid tickets or over $150.00 in unpaid fines. Additional fees for towing, storage and impoundment will be imposed. (source)

Really people? Every time I’ve received a parking ticket I think of the 10-12 times I could have gotten a ticket but didn’t, then I pay the fine.

– Steve Patterson

Talking 2011 Tonight on KDHX

I’ll be DJ Wilson’s guest on Collateral Damage (KDHX 88.1FM) tonight from 8:30pm-9pm (CST), talking about stories from 2011. If you are outside KDHX listening  area you can tune in online.

– Steve Patterson