Poll: Will the Cardinals Winning the 2011 World Series Help Get Ballpark Village Built?

Before I start this post let me first congratulate the Cardinals on doing what few thought was possible a month ago. The boost to our civic pride will hopefully last a while. I also hope winning the World Series will help get something built at the long-stalled Ballpark Village.

The day the St. Louis Cardinals won the 2006 World Series they unveiled plans (see post) to build “Ballpark Village” on the site of the old Busch Memorial Stadium (1966-2005). Today the site is parking and a softball field.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-MS5l-S8yc

Yes the bottom fell out of the economy in 2008 and there have been times when it looked like it would start. I’ve lost track on the current status.

I’m just afraid it will still be vacant in another 5-15 years. It took 20 years for the Blues ownership to restore the Kiel Opera House. It was worth the wait but it also wasn’t a vacant hole in the urbn fabric all those years. Still, I’d rather Ballpark Village get built right rather than be rushed.

The poll question this week is: Will the Cardinals winning the 2011 World Series help get the proposed Ballpark Village built sooner? The poll is in the right sidebar.

– Steve Patterson

Poll: How Would You Solve the Post Office Budget Shortfall?

The United States Postal Service (USPS) is facing financial difficulties due to declining use and rising costs.

The USPS has an idea to address their budget shortfall:

Under the Postal Service plan for five-day delivery:

• Mail will not be delivered to street addresses on Saturday, and mail will not be collected from blue street collection boxes or Post Offices on Saturday. Also, there will be no Saturday pickup of mail from homes and businesses.
• Mail addressed to Post Office Boxes will continue to be delivered on Saturday.
• Post Offices will remain open on Saturdays. No Post Office will be closed as a result of the change to five-day delivery.
• Express Mail will continue to be delivered seven days a week.
• Outgoing mail may still be dropped off at a Post Office or in a collection box on Saturday, and will be canceled and processed on Monday.
• Bulk mail acceptance that now takes place on Saturday and Sunday will continue.

The Postal Service does not take this change lightly and woud not propose it if six-day service could be supported by current volumes. However, there is no longer enough mail to sustain six days of delivery. Ten years ago the average household received five pieces of mail every day. Today it receives four pieces, and by 2020 that number will fall to three. Reducing street delivery to five days will help rebalance postal operations with the needs of today’s customers. It also will save about $3 billion a year, including reductions in energy use and carbon emissions. (USPS Five-Day Plan)

Postal delivery is the subject of the poll this week. I ask what should be done to solve the crisis. I rarely send/receive mail anymore so if it were up to me it would be delivered once a week and cost more. The poll is in the right sidebar.

– Steve Patterson

Readers: Open Streets is a Good Idea

Readers think St. Louis’ “Open Streets” is a good idea, I personally fall into the second group on last week’s poll:

Q: St. Louis’ “Open Streets” events a good idea?

1. Yes, it gets people outdoors 44 [61.11%]
2. Yes, in theory more than practice 19 [26.39%]
3. No 4 [5.56%]
4. Unsure/no opinion 4 [5.56%]
5. Other: 1 [1.39%] “Yes, it lets people see urban STL from a different view.“

If these continue hopefully the city will learn and improve. Some of the crew hired to work the last one didn’t even know what the event was — I had to explain it.

The next event, the last for 2011, will be held on Saturday October 29th. This will differ from past events by being held from 3pm-9pm, rather than in the morning. As you might expect, it will have a Halloween theme.

Closing the street in front of numerous gay bars on the Saturday before Halloween? That’s like closing roads to the mall the day after Thanksgiving. Open Streets is over at 9pm so hopefully Manchester will be opened quickly — and barricades won’t block pedestrian access.

Weather permitting, I will do this event.

– Steve Patterson

Poll: Does Retailing Have a Future at St. Louis Union Station?

When St. Louis Union Station reopened in 1985 the festival marketplace retail concept was all the rage.

But early optimism about retail at St. Louis Union Station faded as national chains gave way to smaller and smaller retailers, now many of those have left as well:

Visitors to St. Louis Union Station can still get a caricature drawn of their likeness, buy various Arch-themed tchotchkes and get a free sample of fudge and a song to go along with it.

But two longtime fixtures in the historic landmark — Houlihan’s and Key West Cafe — recently left the station. And the Bud Shop, which peddles an assortment of Budweiser-related mugs and memorabilia, is on its way out, too.

[snip]

The departures add to the uncertainty about the future of the venue — most notably the question of who will own it. The current owner, Union Station Holdings LLC, is seeking to sell the property. Bids are due Nov. 10.

“There’s no question it has fallen on harder times,” said St. Louis-based consultant Richard Ward with Zimmer Real Estate Services. “I think it’s in for some serious change, but I don’t know what the change might be.” (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

Union Station’s retail has been continuously falling on “hard times” the entire twenty-one years I’ve been in St. Louis! I missed the first five years, likely the best years.

I have to wonder the future of such retail venues. The Marriott Hotel is doing well though — expanding into the midway space. The Grand Hall is a stunning space.

I’ve made Union Station the poll topic this week, see right sidebar.

– Steve Patterson

Readers Supportive of Lyda Krewson’s Pet Bill, Disagree on Specifics

Last week readers were supportive of a proposed bill:

Q: Should St. Louis require pet owners to spay, neuter & microchip their pets?

1. Yes on spay/neuter & microchip 40 [42.11%]
2. No! 18 [18.95%]
3. Yes on spay/neuter but no on microchip 16 [16.84%]
4. Yes on microchip but no on spay/neuter 13 [13.68%]
5. unsure/no opinion 4 [4.21%]
6. Other: 4 [4.21%]

Readers weren’t in agreement on the requirements as the above show. The following are the four other answers:

1. How about the strict regulations on rampant dog breeders?…Oh wait
2. Microchip or collar required, spay/neuter any pet that goes outdoors.
3. yes, spay/neuter & microchip however, spay/neuter waiver for licensed breeders
4. I support the requirment and the fee option.

Yesterday I began the process of getting a cat, the last time was 23 years ago. I’ve been without Felix now for 6-7 years and much has changed. Last time I got a young kitten from a vet — he was neutered but not microchipped. Did they even have microchips in the 1980s?

My next cat will be from The Animal House Fund and for $125 will be spayed/neutered and will be microchipped. I will spend the rest of 2011 getting all the supplies I need to have the proper conditions for a cat before I make a final decision on a cat to adopt in early 2012.

Twenty-three years ago I just took a kitten home without any prep.  Now AHF will actually  make a visit to my home before the adoption is finalized, a very good practice.

– Steve Patterson