Success of SLU Arena Depends Upon Coachless Basketball Team

Today Saint Louis University fired head coach Brad Soderberg. SLU’s review of the team and lack of qualifiying for a tournament cost Soderberg the head coach job he has held for the last five years. But the disturbing part is how this relates to their new costly arena project, here is from a SLU statement:

Because the success of the new Chaifetz Arena is largely contingent on the success of the men’s basketball team, it is imperative that the team be led by a coach who we believe can establish a program that consistently vies for conference championships and engages in postseason play.

Wait a minute! SLU is building an $80 million dollar arena, just a couple of miles from the Scottrade Center downtown, with the success hinging on the men’s basketball team? Furthermore, at least $8 million in public subsidies in the form of TIF Financing (Tax Increment Financing) is going into this project resting in the hands of the team and an as yet to be hired new head coach. Well, I’m confident our “leaders” made the right decision.

Oh boy, has anybody told the bond holders on this project the old coach was fired because the team isn’t good enough to make the arena a success? That is kinda like all of SLU’s largely vacant parking garages — the success of them depends upon students, faculty and staff paying huge fees for parking passes. Ever wonder why SLU doesn’t support transit passes the way Washington University does? Follow the money, or debt in this case.

Mark my words folks, we’ve got another St. Louis boondoggle in the making!

April 17, 2007 – SLU Statement on Soderberg
February 19, 2007 – Urban Review Post on Legal Issues on TIF Financing
August 28, 2006 – SLU Press Release on Arena Ground Breaking

NY Times Blasts St. Louis on Population Decline and Crime

The NY Times has a highly negative article about St. Louis in their paper today.  From the article:

Population is a critical indicator of any city’s health, but the sinking numbers here are particularly unwelcome as the city has spiraled from one woe to the next.

In the past few months, the public schools were stripped of accreditation and taken over by the state; the city was designated the most dangerous in the country in a national crime survey; and 15 police officers and supervisors were disciplined for giving World Series tickets seized from scalpers to friends and family.

The writer got a few things wrong, including saying Lafayette Park rather than Lafayette Square.  Still, the message is the same.  Major population loss since the 1950s — old news really.  But she also looked at the dispute the city has had with the census since 2000.  In 2003 head city planner Rollin Stanley successfully argued that we had lost only 50 residents in the few years after the 2000 census.  Now the census is saying we are below where we were in 2000.  True or not?  Hard to say.  We’ll have a better clue after the 2010 census figures are released.

One thing is clear, and the NY Times article mentions this toward the end, we are not experiencing the massive losses of population as seen in prior decades.  The debate is if we have a small loss, breaking even or have a small gain.  Regardless, the question in my mind is why?  Have we simply hit rock bottom — that we’ve lost all we are going to lose?  Or have other factors such as shifting demographics, an influx of the “creative class”, or simply new immigrants helped offset continuing losses?  I don’t for a moment credit some great vision from city hall because they really don’t have one.

Read the full article here.

NRA Conference Attendees Didn’t Shoot Up the Streets

I joked to friends this weekend that if a car backfired downtown that you might get a bunch of NRA members to open fire down the street.  With concealed weapons allowed in Missouri and a major National Riffle Association convention in town you just never know what may happen.  Yes, I know that really wouldn’t happen but it was a fun way to joke about the NRA being in town.
As you might expect, I’m not a fan of guns. Still, I have to respect the 2nd Amendment:

“A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” 

Militia?  Oh, that doesn’t sound good.  I’m glad militia is preceeded by “well regulated.”   Of course, debate often centers on what sort of arms fall within the concept of well regulated.  Of course the NRA includes “rifle” in their name.  I don’t know that even the most hard core anti-gun activist has any objections to someone owning a rifle.  However, the fire power that is available today is so different than when the Bill of Rights was signed.  Where is that line between well regulated and not infringing on the rights of the people?

Even Governors Need to Wear Seat Belts

As you all likely know, last night New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine was critically injured as his SUV driven by state tropper was involved in an accident. From the NY Times:

Gov. Jon S. Corzine remained on a ventilator and was heavily sedated for pain today as he recovered in the hospital following a car accident Thursday in which it appears he was not wearing a seat belt, his spokesman and a doctor said.

New Jersey law requires the use of seat belts, but more importantly, so does common sense. Children often don’t know any better but adults should understand the risks. If you are traveling, unbelted, in a car (or big SUV) at 60mph and you are involved in an accident you will continue traveling in the original direction at 60mph until something stops you — the dash, the door, the windshield. And don’t count on those airbags to help you out, they are in fact a liability if you are not properly belted in.

Seat belts will not always prevent injury or death. At times, a seat belt will even cause some injuries. Overall, you and everyone in the vehicle is better off wearing a seatbelt. I know it is easy to overlook — I recently didn’t wear a seatbelt when I took a cab from the Civic Center MetroLink station to home when returning from an out of town trip. Perhaps you don’t want to ask a passenger in your car to wear their belt? We all need to remember that in a split second things can change dramatically giving you no time to react.

Please, buckle in those kids and yourself.  Best wishes to Gov. Corzine on a quick recovery.

DPZ To Hold Charette in Dardenne Prairie, MO

Dardenne Prairie, a largely bedroom suburb of St. Louis located in fast growing St. Charles County, is about to hold a week-long design charette with leading New Urbanist firm DPZ of Miami. Bringing DPZ to Dardenne Prairie has been a long effort of Mayor Pam Fogarty and 1st Ward Alderman Scott Kolbe, both seeking to create a sense of place in their community.

Dardenne Prairie originally designated 85 acres for a downtown. Ald. Kolbe on the initial stages:

“While we tested the waters – overall feedback has led to us creating a 285 acre site – I was pleasantly surprised by community feedback”

Ald. Kolbe continues on the feedback from residents, “They are craving that third place.”

The entire week is open to the public, the city has posted a schedule online here. Andres Duany, DPZ’s celebrity boss is not scheduled on the charette but will likely make an appearance at some point during the week.
Scheduled Presentations:

• Opening Presentation on Thursday 4/19/2007; 7pm-9pm
• “Pin-up” Review on Sunday 4/22/2007; 2pm-4pm
• Final Presentation on Wednesday 4/25/2007; 7pm-9pm

Again, the charette is open to the public from 4/19 – 4/25. Except for some tours to be held on the first day (4/18), the event will be held at the Knights of Columbus Hall located at 2199 Post Road, Dardenne Prairie, 63368 (see map).

So what do you think?  I personally love the idea of these residents (population estimate 7,000) creating a sense of place for themselves centered on a mixed-use downtown.  This has the potential to become an interesting and livable area.