A Great Morning at Lucas Park

This past Saturday morning I made my way two blocks East of my loft to Lucas Park, not sure what to expect. As I arrived so did others. It was just before 8am.

After the smoker was set up to start cooking lunch, volunteers began working. This was not about cleaning up daily trash from the homeless and others. This was about basic park cleaning — something that had been long ignored. We started with a mess:

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Lucas Park looks a thousand times better when we left vs. when we arrived. However much work remains.

Overall the infrastructure of the park, with a few exceptions, is in very good condition. There has been talk for years about major fund raising to do a major renovation of the park. I had supported such an effort. Had, but no longer. The park still needs things that require money, it just doesn’t need a major overhaul. A restoration is more in order. The Park’s page on the city’s website helps explain some of the history of the park which was deeded to the city in 1857:

The entire 6.25 acres was named Missouri Park and provided popular downtown breathing space until the erection of the St. Louis Exposition and Music Hall in 1883. Licensed to a private corporation for a period of 50 years, the ground was restored to use as a park in 1907 and designs for the Italian Renaissance inspired library building were drawn up by the famous architect Cass Gilbert. The library was completed in 1912.

Locust Street was reopened behind the Library from 13th to 14th Streets and the present sunken garden with its fountain was developed.

Sculptress Nancy Coonsman Hahn’s stone benches dot the landscape.

The park is beautifully laid out and is deserving of the renewed interest it is receiving. The old stone benches are a delight to view. These should not be removed/replaced. Some other benches are worn but they are equally as old, presumably. For them, a good coat of paint on the wood slats would do wonders.

I’m certainly a tree hugger but I think we need to evaluate the trees on the park’s perimeter. Photos from the 1920s & 1960s both show a park full of flowers but sans trees. A few of the trees are deciduous while most are like a cypress – not exactly my favorite. I’m not a fan of cutting down trees but again I’d like to get an opinion from a professional arborist on the specimens in the park.

The sidewalks, steps and such are all in very good condition and have a pleasant layout, no point changing that. An exception might be the West edge along 14th street — the sidewalk is very narrow there. If those trees come out we’d have room for a wider sidewalk with new trees planted next to the curb.

The fountain doesn’t need a major rebuild either. The spray is barely there — just clean/repair/replace the equipment. The basin is fine.

The grass areas have been built up over the years as thatch has increased. Most of the lawn areas could benefit from being reduced by 2″-6″ in height. Given the layout of the park this could be done a section at a time. As each section is done it could be fenced off so that new grass seed could take hold. Do one section per year for the new few?

Opening up the perimeter by cutting down some of the cypress trees would allow more light from adjacent streetlights to enter the center of the park. The fixtures in the center are newer and are likely adequate for the job.

Historic photos show flower beds arranged in the city’s fleur de lies pattern. Fancy shaped beds might be pushing it but I do think some planing areas are needed. Recent plantings in Kiener Plaza illustrate the impact some bold plantings can have on a public space. A start would be say four large squares — one per corner of the fountain. I’d like to see the beds started this Fall and planted out next Spring when other plantings are done downtown.

For a while now the East end of the park has been a playground area for a nearby day care center. But they’ve moved to the Motor Loft building at 22nd & Washington. The fenced area left behind is now serving as a unofficial downtown dog park. It is great to see dogs frolicking with other dogs while off leash. This needs to move to an official status.

Converting the old fenced playground to use as a dog park is not a major project either. A few old playground items remain. These need to be moved to the West end of the park, relocated elsewhere, or discarded. Grid wire needs to be attached to the interior of the existing metal fence to keep small dogs from getting out. Material cost would be under $200. A second gate needs to be added so that as someone new enters dogs are not able to escape. The issue of having the dog park open to any dog owner vs. having to be a member needs to be resolved. I like openness but I can understand dog owners wanting to ensure their dogs are playing with others that have proper shots and such.

Sprinkler lines are broken and keeping a portion of the park soggy. The fountain needs repair to work properly.

I learned that one of the loft residents volunteering was homeless twice when younger. Our volunteer group included both owners & renters. Renters are often not viewed as the type to get involved as they don’t have a financial stake where they live. However, downtown is a tight knit walkable neighborhood where most of the residents (owners, renters & homeless) care about the quality of the neighborhood.

Most of the park’s users are homeless. Some thanked our group for the effort put forward in the park — it is now more attractive for everyone. Some helped. We had a couple of the mentally unstable belligerent types that were being loud and acting all crazy, making everyone feel uncomfortable – they were a very small minority. One in our crew had a chat with one such man. I don’t know what she said to him but after their conversation he quieted down and did a great job helping us

I spent quite a bit of time talking with one homeless man now about six months into his second time being homeless. It always surprises me when I meet someone on the street that is so well spoken, is well read and such. This man, I’ll use his initials — FWC, goes to the Horizon Club on 23rd Street just South of Olive. The Horizon Club opened a year ago and is a 24/7 “safe haven” for the homeless (see article on opening). Members get to use the facility for up to six hours per day. Here the homeless can shower, do laundry, check email and store some possessions so they don’t have to carry everything on them.

FWC has a cell phone – one of those pre-paid types. This allows him to give out the number to prospective employers, he has a job interview on Tuesday. I emailed him to give him some encouragement and to thank him for our conversation. I got a nice reply back early Sunday morning.

Looking at him you’d have no idea he is homeless. His hair & beard are nicely trimmed and his clothes were clean and well fitting. The beard might be a giveaway — it is probably easier to keep a beard looking good than it is to stay clean shaven. Still just seeing him walking down the sidewalk he would not stand out as homeless.

At one point we were talking and a homeless couple he knew came up. They were eating some fried chicken being handed out out of a van by a church group. He had just asked me if I knew why the city was cracking down on that practice. I said the concern was about how the food was prepared & stored and also about the resulting trash. This couple, not hearing our conversation about trash, commented that with all the work going on to clean the park that some of the other homeless would still leave their trash on the ground despite an abundance of trash cans. It was great to be talking to three homeless individuals that were as equally put off by behavior of some of the other homeless. The homeless, like those of us with homes, are not all the same. A small minority often gives the larger group a bad rap.

The St Louis Post-Dispatch sent a reporter and photographer to cover the clean-up project, each was in the park for a good two hours. I’m looking forward to the story. I didn’t talk to the reporter. I probably could talked to her but I have my own venue here so I figured I’d just let her talk to whomever she wanted to.

My help was minimal on Saturday morning. What can I do from a wheelchair? Even if I hod gotten my cane out I still wouldn’t have been that useful as the cane would occupy my one good hand. So I took photos and went around to various groups giving them praise for the work they were doing. At one point I picked up a push broom while seated in my chair. I was able to sweep a bit of gravel using the broom one-handed but I quickly tired from that – a big push broom is heavy when held by one hand. But the positive energy in the park was exciting. We had probably 40 volunteers over the course of about 3 hours.

Later this week our small core group is meeting to plan out the next step. This will likely involve finishing the edging, power washing the sidewalks, painting the wooden benches, and other such details. Saturday morning proved to me that a small group of individuals with borrowed tools from Operation Brightside can make a big difference. While I want to work on long term planning for capital improvements in the park I also want to see how far we can get in the short term. As local residents begin using the park we’ll get a better idea of what improvements/changes are relevant to those who use the park. My goal is to take Lucas Park from a homeless-only park to a park enjoyed by all.

Looking Ahead To March 3, 2009

The November Presidential election is just around the corner but locally speculation is running high for the St Louis Democratic Primary on March 3, 2009. The general is in April but in our one party town the real election is the primary for the Democratic Party. While the local Democrats may all come together to elect President Obama they’ll be split apart by the beginning of March 2009.

The main buzz is about potential challengers to Mayor Francis Slay, who will be seeking a third 4-year term. Former Alderman and current License Collector Mike McMillan is mentioned often. Outgoing State Senator Maida Coleman is also thought to be considering a run. State Rep Tom Villa is term limited like Sen. Coleman. Villa — a former President of the Board of Alderman, is thought to be pondering a run as well. Each of these three would be formidable opposition for Slay — more so than frequent candidate Bill Haas.

Slay’s hefty campaign bank account is thought to discourage serious competition. Very likely that is the case. Which is unfortunate as competition is healthy. So getting someone fresh to run is very unlikely as the cost to get their name out there in front of the voters is more than a grass-roots campaign can overcome. With no limits to fund raising a wealthy candidate might be able to get the job done.

But for McMillan, Coleman & Villa they already have good name recognition. Each has won a city-wide or large district election at least once. Each is also a seasoned politician. Villa & Coleman are out of their current positions anyway due to term limits. What do they have to lose by running? McMillan was elected License Collector in 2007 so he could run for Mayor in 2009 without risking his current position.

Which brings us to Comptroller Darlene Green. Her office is up for re-election at the same time. For her to run for Mayor would mean not running for Comptroller. Green can probably very easily win re-election to the position of Comptroller but a run for Mayor wouldn’t be so easy. Giving up a pretty sure thing on the chance for a higher office is a tough decision.

Another former President of the Board of Aldermen that might run is Jim Shrewsbury, who was defeated by Lewis Reed in 2007. Reed is another name to watch although I don’t see him moving up just yet. Like McMillan, Reed could run and still retain his office if he lost.

Should be an interesting election if one or more people do try to limit Slay to two terms in office.

And then we have the election of half of the Board of Aldermen. The odd-numbered wards are up in 2009. It’s hard to believe its been nearly four years since I ran for Alderman in the 25th ward, and lost 44.1% to 55.9%.

I haven’t seen anything on the 1st. Anyone out there to challenge Troupe?

In the 3rd Ward look for a rematch of the 2005 race between incumbent Freeman Bosley Sr and Jeffry Hardin. In 2005 Hardin barely lost.

April Ford-Griffin wasn’t the Alderman back when I lived in the 5th Ward. She is the one that told me you don’t use zoning to communicate a community vision — you use zoning as a means of politically extracting something out of a developer. See post w/video here.

The 7th: No secrets here, I’d love to see someone more pro-active in this seat.  Someone to lead the ward to articulate a collective vision for future development rather than sponsor quickly closing coffee drive-thrus lacking pedestrian access and even faster closing furniture stores.  Someone that will work to get rid of the taxi stand from the sidewalk in front of the convention center.

Ken Ortmann, in the 9th, is a nice guy and less conventional than most.  You also can’t email him.  We are well into the 21st century, email is a must for anyone expecting to serve the public well.

In the 11th Matt “Loughborough Commons” Villa will probably be re-elected again simply based on the fact nobody is likely to run against him. Election to a 4-year office due to lack of an opponent is just mind boggling to me. This part of St Louis has been represented by a Villa for decades. Family legacies are hard to break.

Fred Wessels, in the 13th, was my alderman from 1994-2001 when redistricting meant I was then in the 25th – by one block.   Like most I just don’t see any progressive or pro-active action here.  Very old school.

Will he or won’t he? In 2001 Mike Daus lost the election for Alderman in the 15th by like 20 votes to Jennifer Florida. Daus is now termed out of office as a State Rep and is thought to be considering a rematch with Florida – this time with 8 years experience as a State Rep under his belt. I hope he runs, it would make the 15th one of the most interesting of aldermanic races in 2009.

17th: Joe Roddy had a strong challenge in 2005 from Rodney Burchfield.  Will he be back for a second round or will someone else go for the 17th

The 19th is McMillan’s former ward. Marlene Davis was elected to the aldermanic seat in a special election when McMillan resigned to take office as the License Collector. This election will be the first full term election for Ald. Davis.

I’m just guessing we’ll see a race in the 21st.  This ward likes a good race.

Kathleen Hanrahan is the 23rd Alderman.  With Mayor Slay leaving the ward when he moves to his new house this may change the dynamics, although his father is still the committeeman.  I’m just not inspired by Hanrahan anymore than I am by most of the others.

In the 25th we know only that I won’t be running as I did in 2005 as I moved to the 6th ward in late 2007. Presumably Dorothy Kirner will seek another term in office?

Like the 23rd I think we’ll see a challenge in the 27th.  Just a hunch.

And yes, we have too many seats on the Board of Aldermen.  Eliminating party affiliation for municipal/county offices, reducing the number of aldermen and setting term limits would do wonders to keep new blood in the system.

St Louis Woman on U.S. Paralympic Team in China

Kerri Morgan, an Occupational Therapist instructor from Washington University, is a member of the U.S. Paralympic team, currently in China for the 2008 games. I was first introduced to Kerri Morgan the same way many of you were, through a January 2007 cover story in the Riverfront Times (link). I met Morgan for the first time in person later in 2007 when I tagged along with a Washington University Architecture class as they visited Paraquad’s facility on Oakland Ave. Morgan was one of our guides. We spent the evening in various types of wheelchairs navigating their course which is used to train new wheelchair users how to deal with various surfaces and obstacles. Morgan was very impressive. Watching her maneuver her chair showed her pure athletic strength.

In November 2007 when I bought my downtown loft I ran into her again — in the hallway, she lives two doors down the hall from me! When I was in the hospital earlier this year (Feb 2-April 30, 2008) following my stroke she was an inspiration for me. When I came home knowing she was down the hall was a comfort. After I got a car and started driving again in July 2008 I’d see her in the parking garage too.

She’s much faster in her manual chair than I am in my power chair!

Paralyzed since one, Morgan is proof that the physically disabled can and should be as integrated into society as much as possible. Half a century ago paralyzed infants likely would have been placed in an institution. Instead she grew up with the support she needed to have a normal life – if you can call getting to go to China to compete with athletes from around the world “normal.”

More on Kerri Morgan over at the RFT Blog.

Go Kerri!

Muschany Was Wrong on 40, Resigns House Seat Amid Charges of Sexual Assault

Last December I attended a meeting downtown of a group attempting to halt the planned closing of highway 40 for reconstruction (see post). It was organized by a traffic engineer the predicted massive traffic problems as a result of shutting down the highway. One of the speakers was State Rep Scott Muschany (R-Huntleigh).

Muschany said on 12/17/07:

…Make no mistake about it, beginning January 3rd MoDOT is going to unleash the worst economic damage that this community could ever suffer, one of the worst public health crisis…

The highway involves hundreds of millions of dollars of tax payer money to support the auto culture.  It has been a headache to those in the immediate vicinity of the construction and access across the road will be worse than before after completion but the dire predictions of all roads in the central part of the county becoming parking lots just never materialized. The economic crisis will come not from the inability to get around but from the inability of the feds to pay the state for their share of the costs.  The federal highway trust fund is running out of money quickly.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s announcement Friday that it would curtail federal highway payments to the states could cause Missouri road and bridge projects to be delayed or even canceled, the state transportation department said. (source)

Today’s paper indicates Muschany has resigned his house seat.  He has pleaded not-guilty on charges of sexual assault against a 14 year-old girl.

I’m not going to speak to the charges he faces as all I know is what was in the paper.  I’m just glad he is out of office.  Fighting the highway on the merits of curtailing such expenses and what it means to be so auto focused —- that is a point I could support.  Good riddance Mr Muschany.

Help Tidy Up Lucas Park Saturday Morning

Lucas Park, located North of the Central Library downtown, has seen better days.  One a fancy Victorian pocket park serving private residences in the immediate vicinity.  As the houses were raised for factories and warehouses the park’s users changed.  With the Gateway Mall and the Arch grounds thiss small park got overlooked.  Maintenance is deferred like many city parks.

The day to day trash gets picked up but the less obvious does not.  Two playground areas have a small gravel that has spilled out of its areas onto the adjacent sidewalks.  Leaves, twigs and dirt have also collected in places such as around the steps to the sunken area.  These items all contribute to an unkempt look that discourages many residents from using the park.

The homeless are there too, which is fine by me.  I have no problems sitting in the same park as the homeless.  By improving the maintenance we hope to encourage more people to use this as what it has been since the start — a charming pocket park serving area residents.

This Saturday morning (9/13/08) at 8am we’ll begin the work.  We’ll have tools & brooms.  All are welcome to help.  We are thinking this will take a few hours but come for the time you can spare.  We are planning to BBQ when the work is done.  We’ll have stuff for burgers but bring what you like.