Floodwaters Draws Spectators, Park Service Vehicle Blocks Accessible Route
The Mississippi River is rising but so are the number of riverfront spectators. Saturday night I was among hundreds that found a spot along the Arch steps to take in the vastness of the river.
Some folks were playing in the water which doesn’t seem wise given what is likely in the water.
When I left I headed toward the makeshift ADA route over I-70 at Chestnut.
There in my path is a National Park Service truck. We saw no workers near the truck, just a truck parked between my wheelchair and the pathetic excuse for an accessible way over the highway. My friend pushed her grandson’s stroller through the grass and over a rut. I tested the off road ability of the wheelchair and went a bit wider to avoid the rut in the dirt.
You know the place might be a bit more inviting if they didn’t park three ton vehicles in the direct path of visitors! I can just see us spending hundreds of millions on a “lid” over the highway only to have the NPS screw it all up by parking vehicles as they did the other night. Brilliant!
The photo of the river is great.
Too bad you didn’t post a photo of the horrible cross walk at that exit from the Arch grounds. Of course a photo won’t do justice to the experience of crossing at street level with vehicles whizzing by, especially after dark when the lights on Memorial aren’t working.
Maybe the truck was parked there to keep people from using that dangerous crosswalk!
The Park Service is concerned with your safety and is attempting to scare off terrorists who threaten to divert the floods to the BPV pond.
…and they can detect which ones are the terrorists because they’re all giving each other fist bumps.
Mixed into that water is a lot of chemicals and sewage. I hope those people playing in the water took a hot shower when they got home.
That truck has been there all week.
They got rid of the hummer to the south that had been sitting there for a year, and replaced it with a truck full of gravel bedazzled trash cans.
I went by there on Saturday morning on a bicycle and had trouble swerving past the Hummer. I couldn’t imagine that in a chair. Has the park service been notified that they are not ADA compliant?
What is the purpose of the Hummer or any vehicle parked in that position at the entrance? I sometimes wondered that while going by or to the arch. I half expect a gunnery position at the top of it. Why not dig a few foxholes and surround them with the remaining flood water sandbags and place a pretty little machine gun manned by park rangers in funny little hats; while we are at it, let’s enforce the “stay off the grass” signs with a minefield, to really show we mean business. Or maybe the arch is quite possibly the best sniper nest in the area? “Welcome to St. Louis, we resist change with force!”
The official answer is that the arch needs to be protected from a terrorist attack, and apparently, those 12″ steel bollards simply aren’t up to the job . . .
Yeah, I figured that would be the answer or something along those lines. I absolutely despise the way this country responded to the events in 2001. You name it, we as a country, overreacted.
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The silver lining is that I became much more aware of things in my governement. It wasn’t as if I didn’t know things, I guess I internalized them more after I started seeing all sorts of things I disagreed with on “Protecting the Homefront.” I began to question more than I already had.
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Am I the only one that chuckles a bit as a St. Louis county police car rolls by in pursuit of a speeder, with a banner on the rear quarter stating the grandiose message “Protecting the Homeland.” Honestly with multiple friends as cops and having done ride-a-longs on the near north side, I am able to admire the job performed without going overboard in my perspective. it is a tough job, but I am not overwhelmed at the ethics involved with quite a few of the ones I have met. I know we are all human, and really that is my point without dragging out my possibly offensive remarks.
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As an example to my experience: I witnessed gunfire in the DT area around 2am or so on a tuesday morning some years ago. I promptly called 911 and reported the gunfire, the description of the vehicle speeding away, the description of the people on foot. I, being invincible, proceeded downstairs and kept the ones on foot within sight. I followed them keeping my distance without losing them.
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I rounded many blocks, at one point one of the individuals may or may not have spotted me. I called the police with updated information on the individuals and they didn’t know what I was talking about. They had lost my 911 call. I re-reported the orignal call. I returned to the sight of the incident and still waited another 30 minutes or almost 50 minutes from my original call.
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To say I was unimressed is a vast understatement. I filed a complaint and was left with a bad taste in my mouth for the St. Louis City Police department. Considering I was only 7-8 blocks from the main Police HQ, I felt it was inexcusable operations management and when meeting the lieutenant, was really suprised at how inept she appeared to me. Hopefully not a seen as a sexist remark. 4th district is a cushy assignment in the City, so I expected more should have happened.
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Wow, I sure can ramble, sorry about that.
From the local AIA newsletter:
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“Arch Grounds Public Hearing in STLMO
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Two public meetings are planned for interested individuals and organizations to learn about, and comment on, preliminary alternatives for the future management of the Gateway Arch and Old Courthouse. A new General Management Plan will be developed from these very preliminary alternatives over the next 18-24 months.
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The schedule for the meetings is:
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Wednesday, June 25, 5-8 pm Lindell Pavilion in Forest Park
Tuesday, July 1, 3-6:30 pm Old Courthouse in downtown STL
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A newsletter will be issued within the next 30 days that will outline in greater detail the identified potential management options for public review and comment.
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In addition, a riverfront/downtown academic exercise is being planned for late October or early November with schools of architecture, engineering and transportation exports participating to further explore options in connecting downtown, the Arch and the riverfront. You will hear more about that ambitious undertaking in the weeks ahead.”
FYI the truck with the trash containers is STILL there.