Readers: Preservation Review Should be Citywide!

Readers who voted in the poll last week clearly support making preservation review citywide rather than allow some aldermen to exclude their wards:

Q: Should Preservation Review be Citywide or Continue Ward-by-Ward?

1. Citywide! 84 [87.5%]
2. Unsure/no opinion 4 [4.17%]
3. We shouldn’t have any preservation review districts 4 [4.17%]
4. Aldermen know what is best for their ward 2 [2.08%]
5. Other answer… 2 [2.08%]

Our aldermen, however, have a custom known as “aldermanic courtesy” where the interests of the city as a whole take backseat to the ruler of the ward. As a result I don’t expect this group of 28 to make a change for the better.

The two “other” answers were:

1. It should be regional.
2. It doesnt really matter, they will do what they want to anyway

True, they will what they want.

– Steve Patterson

Bosley Estates Designed to Fail?

Last week I was driving through North St Louis and I checked out the progress on Bosley Estates, named for 3rd ward alderman Freeman Bosley Sr. Only seven houses were ever started with four finished, sold, and occupied. The other three were never finished, including 3912 N. 22nd.  Of course, one could say this should be expected given the current economy.

When I visited Bosley Estates on June 27, 2007 it was clear to me the development was going to flop.  True, one of the finished houses had just sold for $155,200.00 on 02/07/2007.  Another would sell for $167k in October of 2007.

Ground was broken on Bosley Estates in December 2005, the project was to include 150 new homes. But nearly two years later it was clearly no longer a priority.

The street grid no longer functions as designed in much of the city, especially in the 3rd ward.

Interestingly, one of the four homes finally sold on 03/08/2010 for $133,500.00.  I’m shocked.

One of the biggest flaws of so many new homes built in the city is the attached garage and long driveway.  Proponents claim the attached garage is safer, not having to go outside to go from house to car.  But owners must still get out of their cars in the alley to open the fence gate. Rather than have a nice backyard enclosed by a detached garage, these houses have concrete.

The Comptroller’s office looked at the developer, Minority Developers and Builders Association, LLC, in December 2007 – see the report here.  St. Louis Patina blogged about this development in May 2009. When I first visited in June 2007, just 18 months after groundbreaking, it was clear to me it was sinking then. Now, more than four years after my original visit it would appear St. Louis has wasted money on another failed project.

– Steve Patterson

Speed Bump Bill Hits a Bump in the Political Road

Recently the humble speed bump was elevated to a political issue, from MayorSlay.com:

“Today, I vetoed an odd little bill that would have paid for the installation of speed bumps in one of the city’s 105 parks. The bill’s sponsor ignored the testimony of the Streets Department that there were better and more effective ways to slow traffic and the opinion of the city counselor that such constructions are legally questionable under state and Federal law.

At my direction, the city’s operations director will work with the directors of the Parks and Streets Departments, the city’s chief engineer, the park’s users, and the bill’s sponsor to find appropriate, effective, and legal measures to calm traffic along that stretch of park road. If the issue is safety, not aldermanic courtesy, that will solve the problem.”

The sponsor was 21st ward alderman, Antonio French, a personal friend of many years. The bill was BB43.

I visited O’Fallon Park to check out the places where French wanted speed bumps, namely two points where the newish jogging trail crossing the main internal road in the park. I can certainly see why he wanted something to slow traffic, neither crossing point is marked other than two faint crosswalk lines.

The phrase “speed bump” doesn’t really apply in the case of O’Fallon Park, speed hump is better:

Speed humps are rounded raised areas placed across the roadway. They are generally 10 to 14 feet long (in the direction of travel), making them distinct from the shorter “speed bumps” found in many parking lots, and are 3 to 4 inches high. The profile of a speed hump can be circular, parabolic, or sinusoidal. They are often tapered as they reach the curb on each end to allow unimpeded drainage.

They are both inexpensive and effective.  But the mayor questioned the legality in his blog post on the veto:

The mayor is referring to the recommendation he received from the city counselor’s office, which told him in a statement, “since speed bumps are not explicitly permitted in [Missouri Statutes section] 304.120, they logically fall under the category of prohibited obstructions in [section] 229.030.” The counselor’s office goes on to state that the speed bumps would create additional legal liability for the City. (RFT)

At the request of the Post-Dispatch, the local [MoDOT] office researched state law on the issue, and found no reference whatsoever to speed “bumps,” which are in parking lots, or “humps,” which are in streets, said Traffic Operations Engineer Brian Umfleet.

And the law, Umfleet said today, typically spells out what is illegal. Roundabouts, for instance, aren’t in state law either. Nor are some of the newer, fancier traffic-control methods, such as the “Diverging Diamond,” at Dorsett Road and Interstate 270 – yet MoDOT builds those, too. (STLtoday.com)

How could these crossings have only two narrow crosswalk lines and no signs at all? I wondered if this was the norm so at first I visited O’Fallon’s south side counterpart, Carondelet Park.

The crosswalks in Carondelet Park are significantly more visible than the standard crosswalk markings in O’Fallon Park.

I personally prefer the Zebra or Ladder styles of crosswalk markings.

It would appear the city skimped on pedestrian safety when the jogging path was completed in O’Fallon Park, relative to Carondelet Park at least.  Forest Park uses textured pavement near such crossings to slow traffic, in addition to warning signs. It amazes me French had to introduce a bill and have the mayor veto the bill over something that should have been included with the original installation of the jogging path.

– Steve Patterson

Poll: Missouri Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday a Good Idea?

Saturday Jubilee Food Drive July 30th

A week from today, Saturday July 30, 2011, is Saturday Jubilee:

“Together we can help area families through the toughest economic times we have known. We have the opportunity to be the change we are seeking. In an area of plenty, let us show our gratitude by giving back.”

Non-perishable food items will be collected (9am-5pm) at numerous grocery stores throughout the St. Louis region. Food collected at four stores will go directly to The Bridge St. Louis, which serves thousands of meals per month to the homeless.

I will be volunteering at Schnuck’s Culinaria (315 N. 9^th Street  63101) from 9am-11am. The other three locations benefitting The Bridge are:

• Schnuck’s Kirkwood (10233 Manchester  63122)
• Schnuck’s Twin Oaks (Ballwin: 1393 Big Bend  63021)
• Schnuck’s Woods Mill (Chesterfield: 1060 Woods Mill Plaza 63017)

Again, the drive is from 9am-5pm. Please plan to grocery shop that day, purchasing just one or two items on the provided list will be very helpful.

In the month of June The Bridge:

• Served 12,741 meals to 5,700 persons
• Provided mail service to 1,627 persons
• Had 271 volunteers provide 870 service hours.

That’s a lot of food! You can follow The Bridge on Facebook & Twitter.

– Steve Patterson