A Walk In The Park, Lucas Park Day Two

Last Saturday a team of volunteers descended on downtown’s Lucas Park and began cleaning up years of accumulated leaves, grass grown over the sidewalk and playground gravel no longer in the playgrounds. Neighbors have noticed the change. The Post-Dispatch took notice. The homeless also noticed.

Thursday I had lunch with the homeless man I met on Saturday. We had a great conversation. His job interview went well with a follow-up phone interview since.

Since last Saturday more and more downtown residents have used the park. I’ve been there a few times talking to friends as they are walking their dogs. Nobody is running the homeless out, we just want to feel like we can use the park too.

So this Saturday morning starting at 8am we will continue the park cleanup & beautification work started last week. We will finish the edging of the sidewalks, rake twigs and stuff from under the trees and paint the wood slats on the benches. At some point some of the wood slats will need replacement. All are welcome to join us.

At this point we are thinking we’ll have something each Saturday. Eventually that may turn to the creation of flower beds. Working with others we’ll need to get greater input to create a community-based plan for the park. For now we are sticking with taking care of deferred maintenance items.

Our small group met on Thursday evening to make plans for Saturday. After we met we all walked over to Lucas Park. Yes, all of us walked there. I had walked down from my place 2+ blocks away — took me more than a half hour. One homeless woman was upset by us being in the park, “You’ve got to be homeless to be here,” she said. We are invading their territory. Sorry but it is a public park, we all have the same right to be there.

Recognizing the growing number of kids downtown we thought a Halloween party would be a good idea. We are still working on the details but save the date of Saturday October 25th from 4pm-8pm. Face painting
is one of the items being planned. Stay tuned for more specifics as we get closer to that date.

This Saturday morning come join in the fun of helping clean a great little urban pocket park.

Prior posts:

• Sept. 14, 2008; A Great Morning at Lucas Park.
• Sept 10, 2008; Help Tidy Up Lucas Park Saturday Morning

Verizon Call Center Closing to Impact Downtown Chesterfield

Recently Verizon announced it was closing its call center in Chesterfield, consolidating the call volume in other call centers in the Midwest. The move will directly impact 340 jobs but the impact will be felt on the streets of downtown Chesterfield. The newsstand on the corner down the street, the hot dog vendor, and the sidewalk cafes will all be indirectly impacted. How will downtown survive?  The sidewalks will be less busy.

How is the Downtown Chesterfield Partnership spinning this?

I know what you are thinking, Chesterfield doesn’t have a downtown. Right you are, it is a big giant mass of sprawl. I feel for the folks whose jobs are going away — I’m not not making light of their situation.  The impact will be felt just not in the same way as a downtown.  We are used to seeing a for lease sign in front of the anonymous mirrored glass box set in a parking lot surrounded by the greenest of green grass.  Sadly Chesterfield will continue…

InterPlay, An Interactive Conference 9/19-20

The St Louis Bloggers’ Guild is putting on InterPLAY, an interactive conference this weekend in the loop. Also this weekend in the loop is PLAY:stl, a music festival.  Wristbands for the blogger conference get you into everything.  I’m on the last panel at 5pm on Saturday.

Here is some info as sent out by the St Louis Bloggers’ Guild:

We had so many wonderful ideas to choose from it was difficult narrowing things down to a range that we both afford to put on and manage. We opened it up to the community and asked ideas as well as talked to St. Louis area bloggers and social media participants. The feedback was phenomenal. We’re excited about the panels offered and our knowledgeable speakers and moderators.
Panels have been broken up into three tracks: Lifestyle, Geek Chic, and Bid’ness. Hey – we figured “bid’ness” was way better than plain ol’ “business.” We’re nerds, for crying out loud, come on.

Remember: the conference is part of the PLAY:stl festival; the interactive portion runs specifically on September 19-20th.
Locations:
Screenz – 6691 Delmar Blvd., University City, MO 63130 314.862.0009
Blueberry Hill (Elvis Room) – 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, MO 63130 314.727.4444
COCA – 524 Trinity Ave., University City, MO 63130 314.725.6555

Panels Friday, 9.19.08
Bidness – The Small Business and Social Media – Friday 4pm @Screenz
How prominent is your business’s online profile? Is it necessary to build relationships with bloggers and others in social media? Learn just how important social media is to your business – along with how to save your advertising budget dollars, build a viral marketing campaign, increase word of mouth, and other “guerilla marketing” techniques. Featuring Marianne Richmond, David Gray, Matt Homann, and Madalyn Sklar; moderated by Melody Meiners.
Geek Chic – Promoting Your Website – Ways to Increase Your Traffic presentation – Friday 5pm @Screenz
Learn how to use basic legitimate Search Engine Optimization techniques to increase your search engine ranking for relevant search terms. Discover how to use directories and aggregators to broaden your audience without cutting into your traffic and explore reputable ways to attract attention from metablogs. Featuring Will Hanke, Ellen Gooch; moderated by Jaelithe Judy.

Lifestyle – Sprout’s Invasion of the Mommybloggers – Friday 5pm @Blueberry Hill’s Elvis Room
Discuss the growing, powerful community of mothers who write about the joys and trials parenting on the internet and why they’re so attractive to corporate America. What defines a so-called “Mommyblogger” and how are mothers in a world increasingly lacking in in-person social connections benefiting from relationships with other parents online? Is there a way to parlay this social connection into “meatspace?” And how does privacy figure into it? Featuring Angela Reiner Downing, Kelly Wickham, and Lisa Bertrand; moderated by Dana Loesch.

Panels Saturday, 9.20.08
Geek Chic – CSS for Rest of Us – Saturday 11am @Screenz
Consult with web programming pros in this workshop and learn how to use cascading style sheets to create a unified, professional look for your site. Featuring John Judy, Craig Mayhem, moderated by Melody Meiners.

Lifestyle – Blogging and Social Media 101 – Saturday 11am @Blueberry Hill’s Elvis Room
An introduction to the world of blogging and social media. What is social media? What is Web 2.0? Learn that and more from those who were there when it all began. Featuring Ben Vierck, Tanner Hobin, and Mike Flynn; moderated by Todd Jordan.

Bid’ness – Bloggers’ Rights: Protecting Your Intellectual Property – Saturday 12pm @Blueberry Hill’s Elvis Room
A brief introduction to basic copyright and trademark law and the Creative Commons copyright system, plus discussion on ways to confront and combat sploggers (spam bloggers) who take your work without permission. Pick the brains of prominent regional intellectual property and internet attorneys. Featuring Erick Kayira, Danica Mathes of Kayira Law, LLP; and Kim Dorsey of Senniger Powers; moderated by Dana Loesch.

Geek Chic – Multi-media panel: Podcasting & Vlogging – Saturday 1pm @Screenz
Learn the basics of creating a successful internet radio or digital video show. Talk with successful podcasters and explore different hosting options, ways to market your new show, and techniques to attract and keep loyal listeners. Featuring Craig Mayhem, Mutha Mae; moderated by Bill Streeter of LoFi St. Louis.

Bid’ness – The Emerging Ethics of Social Media – Saturday 1pm @Blueberry Hill’s Elvis Room
A roundtable discussion on the ethical questions surrounding the world of social media. Topics addressed may include: privacy of bloggers and those whom bloggers write about; truthfulness v. artistic license; email and comment etiquette; and more. Featuring Todd Jordan, Jaelithe Judy, moderated by Matt Homann.

Bid’ness – If You Build It, Will They Come? Branding Yourself Online – Saturday 2pm @Screenz
Learn how to create and maintain a unique, instantly recognizable brand identity for all of your online endeavors from successful bloggers who have done it themselves. Featuring Bill Streeter, Kristie Love, Dana Loesch, moderated by Marianne Richmond.

Lifestyle – Cyberbullying – Saturday 2pm @Blueberry Hill’s Elvis Room
An apropos topic in our state of Missouri – which became the first to outlaw “cyberbullying” with a controversial new law. This panel will host an open discussion on online safety and privacy issues that all internet users face. Explore ways to protect yourself and your family while still participating in online communities. Featuring Elizabeth Helfant, Matt Homann, Kim Dorsey, Dana Loesch; moderated by Lisa Bertrand.

Geek Chic – Beyond Point and Shoot: Taking Better Photos – Saturday 3pm @Screenz
Learn techniques to take a better photo as well as ways to bring out the best in your photography from some of the most popular photo-bloggers in the area. Featuring Raquita, David Gray, moderated by Jonathan Pollack.

Bid’ness – Beyond Banner Ads: Monetizing Your Website – Saturday 9/20 @ 3pm
Meet with bloggers who have successfully transitioned from amateur blogging to the professional blogging world. Learn basic, reputable ways you can begin to earn some monetary compensation for all the work you put into blogging, and discover pitfalls to avoid when seeking ways to turn your hobby into a source of income. Featuring Alanna Kellogg, Lisa Bertrand, Dana Loesch; moderated by Kristie Steinlage.

Bid’ness – Thinking Outside the Jewel Box: Using Social Media to Promote Your Music – Saturday 4pm @Blueberry Hill’s Elvis Room
A special panel celebrating the new relationship between PLAYBACK:stl and the St. Louis Bloggers’ Guild! Explore ways musicians can tap into the power of social networking and blogging to promote their work, connect with fellow musicians, producers, and promoters, and engage directly with fans. Featuring Chris Loesch of Shock City Music Works, Kurt Kerns of New Tune of the Week, Ken Williams of iChannel, moderated by Bill Streeter.

Lifestyle – Webroots: Political/ Activist Blogging – Saturday 5pm @Screenz
As blogs are becoming the new penny presses, so are they now also the hottest grassroots tool for campaigns and for other political issues. Discuss impact “Webroots” blogs have on a community, the successes and failures of this medium, and the reason that compels these mavericks to do what they do. Featuring John Combest, Arch City Chronicle’s Dave Drebes, Steve Patterson of Urban Review STL, and Momocrats’ Jaelithe Judy; moderated by Dana Loesch (also of KFTK 97.1 FM Talk’s “The Dana Show”).

How Affordable is Affordable?

A few weeks ago I did a post called Food, Clothing & Shelter on the issue of a decent home for all. One comment from reader & frequent guest blogger Jim Zavist read:

What’s particularly interesting locally is the perception that there’s actually a lack of affordable housing around here. Go to realtor.com, put in St. Louis and a $20,000 maximum cost and you get 298 possibilities. Do the same thing with Denver (a similar-sized metro area) and you get 1 condo for $18,450! Increase the threshold to $50,000 and you increase the total pool in Denver to 93. In either city, are some money pits? Of course! And are some in crime-ridden neighborhoods? Yes. But if the choice is between under a bridge or a roof over one’s head, the choice should be pretty obvious. And the math is pretty easy – for a $25,000 property, 10% down is $2500 and the monthly payments should be less than $200, less than many car payments! So, yeah, you can’t fix stupid/undo bad choices, but if you can find and keep a job, even a minimum wage one, you can find a place to live – the whole trick is in the job part.

That comment was followed by:

Jim Zavist: Excellent, EXCELLENT, point you raised. To talk about a lack of ‘affordable housing’ in St. Louis is a joke. A quick scan of CraigsList or Riverfront Times reveals many apartments in decent areas such as one-bedroom units in south city…while in Boston $400 can’t hardly rent a cardboard box in an alley. Actually I was told by a Boston realtor that anything less than $1,000 will be a studio in a rough area. St. Louis has some of the most affordable housing stock in America.

So what can that person making minimum wage afford? Missouri’s Minimum Wage is $6.65 an hour. Work 52 40-hour weeks and that gives you a gross income of $13,832 or $1,152.67 per month. Thirty percent of your gross income is considered the maximum amount to pay for housing – rent & utilities – and still have money for food and other living expenses. That is $345.80 for rent/mortgage & utilities. I’m doubting such places are going to have highly efficient heating & cooling systems or good thermal windows or insulation in the attic. I’d estimate at least $200/month for gas & electric, on average. So that leaves $145.80 for rent/mortgage. I’ve not seen too many places out there with that kind of rent. This also hasn’t made any provisions for renters/property insurance.

What about the person starting off as say an armed Park Ranger for the City Of St Louis with initial pay of $26,988 per year? Thirty percent of this monthly income is $647.70. If we assume the same $200/month in utilities that leaves $447.70 for rent/mortgage/insurance. This Park Ranger can probably find a place to live, good thing they already have a gun.

I’ve been in a number of sub-$50K places. Scary. Most would not be habitable by most standards, certainly not the city’s housing conservation standards. Most need further investment to get them to a very minimum level of acceptability. Getting a mortgage on such places was difficult even in the most liberal of lending times. Those days are over.

Getting a lender to do a mortgage for under $40K is unlikely.

I’ve sold one two-family building with one unit rented to a Section 8 family. While they were working they could not afford market rate rents. This place was safe and in an OK location by my standards — others would be afraid to be there. I think they paid less than $100/month with the Section 8 program making up the difference – roughly $400/month.

Affordability is a relative standard. When you can’t afford gas & insurance on an old clunker, mortgage payments relative to a car payment is meaningless. When you are looking down from a comfortable middle-class position it easy to consider those below as being stupid or the victim of bad decisions.

The fact is we have many hard working individuals & families doing jobs that simply don’t pay that well. What if all these people suddenly got better paying jobs? Who would clean your office at night? Who would serve you that latte at the drive-thru? Who would stock the shelves where you shop? We all rely heavily on the work done by many people who make low wages.  Income is not a measure of intellect.

Further complicating matters is the fact that the housing they might be able to afford is often located many miles from available work. Housing near work is probably not affordable. The bus may take them 60-90 minutes or more each way.

We do have an affordable housing issue. Few jobs exist around what affordable housing we do have. When municipalities zone out small apartments & houses it is done to keep the price so that it is not affordable to the lowest income among us.  Without concerted efforts we would not have the more affordable options that we do have.

Universal Design Summit III – Creating Livable Communities, Sept 21-23

Universal design is not about going all urban renewal on the universe. Instead it is about designs that can serve the maximum number of potential users. The idea is to create spaces, be they private homes or public spaces, that serve all universally. A major summit on Universal Design begins Sunday at St Louis University.

Universal Design Summit III – Creating Livable Communities, Sept 21-23 brings together architects & developers to talk about efforts to reduce barriers to universal access.  If you are in the design field you need to consider attending.

Links:

• Official Website with online registration
• Agenda (PDF)
• Wiki on Universal Design

I’ll be attending this event so I plan a summary post on the three days of tours & sessions.