SRG GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING JANUARY 2024

January 3, 2024

January 3, 2024

by Elizabeth Henry

At 7:01 p.m. Abbey Bethel, President, called the meeting to order.

1. Office of Violence Prevention Presentation

Abbey immediately gave the floor to Wilford Pinkney, Jr. from the Office of Violence Prevention. It is a new division within the City's Department of Public Safety.

Officer Pinkney described sources of violence in the City and the generational issues impacting its communities. Their priority focus is dealing with homicides and gun violence and spreading awareness about the range of services available to city residents.

If Soulard residents witness violence in the neighborhood and need something beyond 911, reach out to his office: STLouis-mo.gov/OVP

Abbey added that Officer Pinkney spent time with the SRG Safety Committee as well.

2. President’s Opening Remarks

Abbey Bethel introduced herself and the Board members present.

3. Committee Updates

Membership Committee

Julie Price, Chair of Membership, said their goal for the new year is to get to 500 SRG members. She reminded general membership that we are all ambassadors of the organization and are encouraged to recruit neighbors to join a meeting or neighborhood event. And welcomed new members to introduce themselves.

Throughout the year, the Membership Committee will be accepting clothing donations for the Saint Peter & Paul shelter.

Beautification

Jeff Weitzel, Chair of Beautification, plugged his Adopt-a-Pot program. The Communications Committee set up a website so SRG residents can view the 14 pots online and vote for the favorite. It's not too late to participate! Email Beautification@soulard.org.

Development

Margi Koors, Committee member and Board Liaison, thanked all the volunteers who raised over $11,000 at the Oktoberfest beer booth. Chris Currington joined her to present the return of the brick program to lay in custom engraved bricks at Soulard Station. Each engraved brick is $100: engraving allows for three lines of text with 20 characters per line. They need at least ten reserved bricks before orders will be submitted for engraving.

The SRG home plaques program is being reinstated as well for $100 each. Margi noted that these signs are made with higher quality materials than the last iteration and are not expected to show signs of rust. She encouraged members to enlist the services of the Historical Committee to confirm the circa date is accurate (Margi quoted $50, which Neil Putz subsequently reduced to $25 during his presentation). The City will want to receive an application if any sign is being mounted to the front of a house.

CI&E

Brad Pitlyk, Committee Chair, presented on the committee’s upcoming kickball tournament on January 13th. He also promoted the Yard Sale being held in the spring and noted that an article about it will be in the upcoming issue of The Renaissance. He said it is a small group and looking to recruit more members!

Historical Committee

Neil Putz echoed the encouragement to purchase the $50 home research for SRG plaques and then offered to cut the price in half to $25. "How inaccurate could City records be?" The general membership erupted in laughter.

PRT

Jay Gibbs, Committee Member, announced that a proposal has been submitted to the committee for development of an apartment complex on the lot at 18th and Barton. They will have to vote on it because opinions vary.

Jay shared what he knew of some neighborhood business licensing updates as well.

4. Treasurer's Report

Debby Brown, Treasurer, reported that six months into the fiscal year, the SRG has seen $31,000 in net income and has $111,000 cash on hand.

5. Secretary's Report

Abbey requested a motion be made on behalf of Secretary Elizabeth Henry to approve the minutes from the December 2023 meeting. Chris Currington made the motion, and Allyson Whipple seconded. The motion passed unanimously, and the December minutes were approved.

6. Neighborhood Organizations

Soulard Business Association (SBA)

Shawn Caruso modeled this year's Mardis Gras sweatshirt and informed the SRG that businesses around the neighborhood are selling their own specific branded versions.

The business passports just expired at year-end. Once funds are in from business, the SBA will be able to report on the program's success.

Community Improvement District (CID)

John Durnell surveyed the SRG general membership and confirmed there were no questions in Terry Hoffman's absence.

Mardis Gras, Inc. (MGI)

Nancy Lambert declared it's time to start busting out your purple, gold, and green. She also shared this year's activity schedule. January 6th to February 13th is the Mardis Gras Season. There is no official Fat Tuesday event organized by MGI.

She walked the membership through the MGI-organized events.

Abbey encouraged general membership to visit STLMardisGras.org to volunteer and help run the scavenger hunt or the 5k. Help for a few hours!

7. Alderperson Update

Cara Spencer has a hearing on the 10th. They are considering additional legislation regarding homeless shelters generally but also specifically regarding the new Saint Peter and Paul shelter. She commended Soulard for its thoughtful approach toward the homeless and encouraged members of this community to weigh in. 314-556-7379.

Cara also acknowledged a couple of cannabis dispensaries coming in to the neighborhood and remarked that they generate significant revenue. John Durnell from the CID noted the dispensaries are within the CID so "buy local."

8. Police Liaison Report

Officer Kevin Dilg reviewed his crime report from the past month, which included an uptick on robberies. A couple of carjackings saw cars recovered in Illinois.

9. President's Final Remarks

The SRG Board Nominating Committee is meeting next week. If anyone is interested in getting involved in the SRG Board, contact Abbey or Adriano.

Abbey requested a motion to adjourn. Brad Pitlyk made the motion, and Dillon Goodson seconded. With unanimous approval, the motion passed, and the SRG meeting adjourned at 8:21 pm.

Comment

SRG GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING DECEMBER 2023

December 6, 2023

SRG GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING DECEMBER 2023

December 6, 2023

by Elizabeth Henry

At 7:05 p.m. Abbey Bethel, President, called the meeting to order.

1. Opening Remarks

Abbey greeted the general membership and introduced herself along with the Board Members present. Officer Dilg and Cara Spencer were not in attendance, so there will not be a Police Liaison report or Alderperson report at this meeting.

2. Committee Updates

Membership Committee

Julie Price, Chair of Membership, commented on the excellent turnout at the meeting. She invited new members to come to the front to introduce themselves. The SRG has 438 members currently, so very close to the goal of 450 by year-end.

Please let Julie know if you are interested in hosting any after-meeting socials. In the spring, the committee might host a Fox Theater tour or a booze cruise on the river; they are open to ideas.

Abbey took the opportunity to remind members that non-residents can still participate in the SRG as "Friends of Soulard."

Safety Committee

Aaron Terry, Board Liaison for the Committee, said a map is coming together with GroupMe block/zone groups for the Neighborhood Watch plan. The Committee is testing out several different lightbulbs for the new Dusk-to-Dawn lights.

They hope to recruit more renters to get involved with the committee.

Beautification Committee

Jeff Weitzel, Committee Chair, presented updates including that a cleaning service has been enlisted to clean up the triangle park.

He echoed the announcement in the latest Soulard Blaster about the winter Adopt-a-Pot program for neighborhood flower pots. Adopted pots can have photos online for a contest where residents can vote. There will be a cash prize in February!

Communications Committee

Abby Goodsoon, Board Liaison for the Committee, gave a big thank you to Allyson Whipple for her first Renaissance edition.

Last month, the committee met for three hours and wrote 85% of the new content for the new website. The goal is to have the website ready to launch in the spring. Committee chairs will have an opportunity to review content before the website goes live.

The SRG Event Calendar has been in the last three blaster with instructions to import it to your preferred app. 2024 SRG events have just been added, including general membership meetings and Mardis Gras events. Please make sure CommComm is aware of new events so that they get added to the calendar.

Community Involvement & Events Committee (CI&E)

Brad Pitlyk, Chair of the Committee, said January will have their first event. Later in 2024, a movie series will start in early May as well as a yard sale event - a map will get put together for that.

They are recruiting new members!

Historical Committee

The committee did not present, but Abbey remarked on the success of the Parlour Tour event.

PRT

Walker Hamilton, Chair of the Committee, noted an Insomnia Cookies is coming to Russell. Two other development plans in the neighborhood are stalled at the moment.

He informed the SRG that an abandoned building caught fire recently and advised that we keep an eye on abandoned buildings, as unhoused people seek shelter in them and start fires to keep warm.

Soulard Station

Bonita, Chair of the Committee, noted the fence installation is coming soon. The Station open for rental to anyone who wants to use it.

Bonita said she also coordinates the Mardis Gras parade, and there are lots of ways to get involved, so please join her group if interested.

3. Treasurer's Report

Debby Brown, Treasurer, reported a $14,000 net income year-to-date with $95,000 in cash on hand. Those figures do not include earnings on beer sales at Oktoberfest, which have not yet come in.

4. Secretary's Update

Elizabeth Henry, Secretary, requested a motion to approve the October and November SRG meeting minutes. Becca Gilberg made the motion. Multiple members seconded. With one abstention, the motion passed.

John Haas inquired about Board Meeting minutes going up on the website [secretary's note: they were uploaded immediately afterward – very sorry for the oversight].

5. Neighborhood Organizations

Soulard Business Assocation (SBA)

Mardis Gras shirts and posters are being printed for 2024 and will be available for sale soon.

Community Improvement District (CID)

Terry Hoffman said the next round of speed humps (sixty) will be installed in summer 2024. He recounted progress on planting hundreds of trees in the neighborhood and noted the importance of maintenance pruning for baby trees.

Alan Jankowski, Commissioner of Forestry, is working with the CID to select trees conducive to growing in urban environments.

For the Historical Signage project, they are still collecting information before they can bid out fabrication installation.

John Durnell noted with appreciation that the light poles in the parks are painted and ready for historical lightheads to come in. Terry confirmed they got that done and said if anyone wants one of the old light heads being replaced, let him know.

To address trash overflowing from trashcans or in alleyways, email cleanstreets@soulardCID.org.

Special Business District (SBD)

Terry also presented for the SBD. The organization is pruning trees currently obstructing sixty lights as reported by the Safety Committee. The SBD has agreed to enter into a pilot program (2-3 block perimeter) that links camera feeds to a surveillance system used by city police.

Mardis Gras Inc. (MGI)

Twelfth Night is the official kick-off for the Mardis Gras season! Rain or shine, come on out!

Parlour Tour Committee

Neil Putz recognized Mark Lambert for his contribution as this year's artist for the poster and merchandise.

Neighborhood Improvement

Larry Isom, Soulard's Neighborhood Improvement Specialist and point of contact for City Services, said he can be contacted for animal control, zoning issues, all kinds of things.

6. President's Remarks

A new Nomination Committee has been appointed:

Abbey Bethel

Adriano Martinez

Debby Brown (term-limited, helping to replace Treasurer position)

Billy Tomber

Veronica Putz

Neil Putz

Abbey asks that anyone interested in joining the SRG Board in 2024 contact one of the Nomination Committee members.

Additionally, Abbey advised that at the next meeting (January 3, 2024), Wilford Pinkney, Director of the St. Louis Office of Violence Prevention, will speak for the first 15 minutes.

With that said, Abbey requested a motion to adjourn. Walker Hamilton so moved, and Craig Markham seconded.

The motion passed with a unanimous vote, and the meeting adjourned at 7:49pm.

Comment

SRG GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING NOVEMBER 2023 DRAFT

November 1, 2023

SRG GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING NOVEMBER 2023

November 1, 2023

by Elizabeth Henry

At 7:04 p.m. Abbey Bethel, President, called the meeting to order.

1. Opening Remarks

Abbey introduced Board Members present including President-Elect Adriano Martinez, Treasurer Debby Brown, Secretary Liz Henry, Stephen Shuman, Connie Suydam, Craig Markham, and Abby Goodson.

Abbey reminded the Membership that best practice during meetings is to only bring forward questions that are for the good of the whole and relevant to other attendees.

2. Committee Updates

Membership Committee

Julie Price, Chair of the Membership Committee, invited new members to come to the front to introduce themselves. The owners of a new Asian-Fusion restaurant coming to the old Woodshack location took the opportunity to provide updates on their plans and that they hope to open by year-end.

Julie updated the SRG that their total roster was up to 420 members. Any updates or corrections to the Membership Roster should be directed to committee member Veronica Putz. The October Off-the-Island members event was postponed and rescheduled to Sunday, November 5th.

Safety Committee

Andrea Maddox-Dallas, Chair of the Safety Committee, reminded membership that the second annual First Responders Breakfast will be this Saturday. It is a joint effort between the SRG and the American Legion – donations will be welcome. Andrea encouraged members to attend and meet these first responders before they are first-responding! Andrea also reminded general membership about the GroupMe app, and if anyone would like to be a Zone Captain on the app, please email Safety@soulard.org.

Beautification Committee

Richard Eaton, long-time chair of the Beautification Committee, asked committee members to stand up for recognition. In particular, Richard recognized John Durnell for his 25 years of service on committee and shared some personal events through which John remained a consistent member.

Richard then invited Jeff Weitzel, Susan Wiegand, and Phillip Hanley to the front and announced that these three individuals will take over leadership on the committee. Jeff is the new chair, and Susan and Phillip will support his efforts as deputy chairs.

Jeff remarked that he has big shoes to fill. He thanked both Richard and John. His big news to share was regarding the latest fundraiser: it was a great success and made nearly $17,000 after expenses. He noted we could not have done it without the support from Luke (of Molly's).

Development Committee

The Development Committee did not present tonight, but Abbey noted that their Oktoberfest fundraiser was a success. She gave a shout-out to Jim Dallas, committee chair, for organizing and supporting the 70-75 volunteers who ran the beer booth. We won't know the SRG’s portion of beer sale collections until January, but Abbey invited Jim to share what was in earned in tips alone. Jim noted that last year, collecting tips on credit cards was not an option, so those earnings were entirely new revenue for us this year. In addition to $300 in cash tips, credit card tips totaled about $2,500.

Communications Committee

Brenton Henry, chair of the Communications Committee, listed what all the committee covers, including the email newsletter and the newspaper. The committee’s latest meeting focused on the new SRG website. Brenton says the committee’s thorough planning is paying off as the elements are now coming together quickly.

CI&E

For the Community Involvement & Events Committee (CI&E), Abbey presented on Brad Pitlyk's behalf and noted that the committee’s first event, a neighborhood kickball tournament, was announced in the email blaster today. Save the Date: January 13, 2024 at 12 noon. More details to come.

Historical Committee

For the Historical Committee, Neil and Veronica Putz presented together. December 2nd Parlour Tour tickets are now available for purchase. This year’s theme is “Meet Me in Soulard.” Jaimeson Fredericks is coordinating volunteers.

PRT

Walker Hamilton, Chair for PRT/ "Code & Zoning," reminded renters to call the City’s Building Division for issues they are experiencing with their homes. The PRT is not the correct resource for safety issues, health of structures, or occupancy concerns (e.g., AirBNB). He also shared some of the plans submitted for review.

3. Treasurer's Report

Debby Brown, Treasurer, reported that the current net income is $12,000 and we have $92,000 cash on hand.

4. Neighborhood Organizations

Soulard Business Association (SBA) – Laura Leibert said that the life of the SBA Passport has been extended to 12/31, and the new bagel shop will participate with a buy-one get-one offer. The SBA is also sponsoring a new water fountain going into Soulard Market Park.

Community Improvement District (CID) – John Durnell announced that more speed humps coming in, and lights and water bubblers are getting replaced in areas within the CID. In order to avoid issues associated with water freezing, the bubblers will not look historical, but they will have a bottle filler and a bowl at the bottom for dogs.

Mardis Gras, Inc. (MGI) – STLMardisGras.org will have a lot of information about all the events starting January 6th and on into February.

6. Crime Report

Officer Kevin Dilg of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, Third District Police Liaison, reported crimes from the past month. There was a collective groan when he noted a stolen firearm was taken from the glove compartment of a victim's golf cart. He advised not to leave things in your golf cart, particularly firearms.

Generally, Kias and Hyundais are still being stolen but not at the rate they were last summer. He advised that owners of these vehicles take them to the dealership to get software updates as soon as possible.

A conversation and Q&A session ensued regarding the 911 dispatch response time. Officer Dilg confirmed there are vacancies on staff. The EMS, Fire, and Police dispatchers are currently housed separately but will eventually be centralized.

Related, it was clarified that the Soulard Special Business District base property tax pay for The City's Finest (TCF) secondary patrol.

Additionally, the homeless encampment discussed in recent SRG meetings has been "decommissioned" and is now building itself back out on MODOT property. Officer Dilg advises the SRG to communicate with our alderperson about the issue.

7. Alderperson Update

Ward 8 Alderwoman Cara Spencer presented on three live bills: one is a Homeless Bill of Rights. The other two are Zoning Bills. Cara does not agree with the Homeless Bill of Rights because it is not a comprehensive plan compared to how other cities have successfully handled homelessness and does not take into consideration a long-term approach of getting people into homes.

Cara Spencer remarked that Soulard approaches homelessness with a kind heart but rational perspective. The neighborhood offers services and is conscientious but also wants to protect people and businesses here.

Cara is concerned that the City has only spent about $84 million of the $500 million ARPA funds received during the COVID pandemic. About $35 million is needed to get the 911 dispatch where it should be.

She also flagged that there could be a 32% increase coming in sewer services from the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD). The MSD has a board of commissioners that make these decisions and should be contacted by any citizens wishing for them to consider a lower increase option. Concerns regarding the fact that the MSD board is appointed and not overseen by any public service commission should go to the Mayor and County executives.

She also remarked on all the speed humps getting approved: “Y'all are getting humped!”

The old Jimmy Johns and Quiznos on South Broadway are becoming marijuana dispensaries. Both have the right under current law, though the drive-thru option in each location is not by right.

8. President's Update

The next SRG election is approaching. By December 1st, this year’s nominating committee will be appointed. For nominations, please contact Abbey at President@soulard.org.

After summarizing some key takeaways from this meeting, Abbey requested a motion to adjourn.

Brenton Henry made the motion, and Richard Eaton seconded. John Durnell thirded. The motion passed, and the meeting adjourned at 8:14 p.m.

Comment

OCTOBER 2023 SRG BOARD MEETING MINUTES

October 18, 2023

OCTOBER 2023 SRG BOARD MEETING MINUTES

October 18, 2023

By Elizabeth Henry

Board Members Present:

Adriano Martinez, President-Elect

Elizabeth Henry, Secretary

Connie Suydam, Director

Margi Koors, Director

Stephen Shuman, Director

Amanda Ramcharan, Director

President-Elect Adriano Martinez called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m.

1. Opening Remarks

Adriano commented that with six members present, the Board reached quorum and could move forward with conducting its business.

2. Committee Updates

Connie Suydam, liaison for the Beautification Committe, gave the floor to Margi Koors to report on the recent Oktoberfest fundraiser at Mollys. Margi said the event was a huge success and expressed gratitude for the generosity of Molly’s, which included free food. She also recognized new Committee Chair Jeff Weitzel for stepping into his new role.

Margi continued to present for Development and Membership Committees. For Development, Margi shared the new plaque mock-up. The Board gave feedback on text to provide clarity around home build dates. The brick program is returning as well. Merchandise will include a shirt using the new lettering featured on the CID signage in addition to shirts with the classic Soulard logo.

For Membership, the Off the Island event is fully booked with forty attendees.

Stephen Shuman presented for CI&E said their next meeting is Monday. No events are on the calendar yet, but this will only be their second meeting ever.

For Parlour Tour, Stephen said we will likely begin the tour from South Broadway Athletic Club to accommodate transport logistics, so that will be a change to communicate well. They are also looking to recruit another home for the tour.

Amanda Ramcharan presented for PRT and said a request for a pilates studio came through.

The Board recognized emailed updates from members who were not present: Abby Goodson shared for the Commuications Committee that the new SRG calendar was distributed via email blaster. Aaron Terry noted from the Safety Committee that the Safety Walk is tomorrow at 8 p.m. and a trial batch of dusk-to-dawn lights are coming in soon.

3. Old Business

Adriano noted the ongoing conversation about the Soulard Station Insurance Policy for Soulard Non-Profit Organizations. The hope is to revisit in November to discuss specific risks and costs for different options.

4. New Business

The Board needs to put together a Nominating Committee for Elections (secretary note: Article IX, Section 3.1 of the ByLaws)

Central Patrol Trivia Night - The Board would like to support this fundraiser and decided to task the Safety Committee Chair with sourcing attendees. Adriano requested a motion to approve the expense of $280 for a table. Stephen so moved, and Margi seconded. All voted in favor, and the motion passed.

Unhoused Bill of Rights - the Board discussed this piece of legislation that has been submitted to the Board of Aldermen and is currently in committee. Margi made a motion to write a letter stating the SRG’s position on the matter. Opening the topic for conversation, Adriano and Stephen opined it might be too soon to chime in and perhaps the matter should be tabled until more members are present. Margi agreed and rescinded her motion.

5. Closing Remarks

Adriano suggested the meeting had reached its conclusion.

Margi then made the motion to adjourn. Connie second. All voted in favor. The motion passed, and the Board meeting adjourned at 7:51 p.m.

Comment

OCTOBER 2023 SRG GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING DRAFT

October 4, 2023

OCTOBER 2023 SRG GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

October 4, 2023

by Elizabeth Henry

Abbey Bethel, President, called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.

1. Opening Remarks

Abbey Bethel introduced herself to General Membership along with present Board Members: President-Elect Adriano Martinez, Treasurer Debby Brown, Secretary Elizabeth Henry, and Directors Amanda Ramcharan, Aaron Terry, Margi Koors, Stephen Shuman, and Connie Suydam.

2. Committee Reports

Membership

Julie Price, Membership Committee Chair, started her presentation by inviting new members to come to the front and introduce themselves. Julie reminded the general membership that they are all ambassadors of the SRG and to recruit new neighbors.

She announced a Halloween party October 29th "off the Island" 2-8pm roundtrip by motor coach. If you sign up, you will need to commit to the whole time - you may only travel with the group. Bring a lawn chair, cooler with drinks, and prepare to win a costume contest! 39 seats available.

Safety

Andrea Maddox-Dallas, Safety Committee Chair, thanks the hosts of the recent National Night Out block parties. She remarked on the fun and great weather and encouraged members to host next year. In the upcoming annual fall safety walk (or golf cart parade), they will look for lights that are out, overgrowth, other possible safety issues. Andrea will then submit the discoveries to the City and Ameren to be addressed. November 4th will be second annual First Responders Appreciation Brunch.

Subcommittees for Social Issues and Education Awareness have combined into one. Dusk to Dawn lights are coming to Soulard soon.

Beautification

Richard Eaton, Beautification Committee Chair, announced that Wednesday will be the biggest Beautification fundraiser of the year. They will kick off Oktoberest at Molly's at 6 p.m. - suggested donation is $20 - and after some drinks and food, there will be activities such as the balloon pop, wine grab, silent auction, live auction, and a home research courtesy of the Historical Committee.

In response to Richard’s announcement that Jeff Weitzel will be the new chair of the committee, Abbey Bethel recognized Richard's service as Chair. The General Membership applauded Richard in a standing ovation!

Development

Jim Dallas, Development Committee Chair, reminded the membership that the Oktoberfest beer booths are a big fundraiser for the SRG and that he still needs some more volunteers. He also hopes current volunteers reach out to him if their time slot no longer works as he will be happy to move timeslots around.

Communications

Brenton Henry, Communications Committee Chair, thanked all the contributors to the SRG Email Blaster. The email that went out today had a link to the SRG calendar. It is a subscription calendar with all SRG committee meetings, SRG fundraisers, big neighborhood events the SRG sponsors or is involved with, will populate into the calendars.

The committee has made significant progress on the new website. As that comes together, he will keep them posted. He also thanked Allyson for stepping up to take over as Managing Editor for the Renaissance newspaper.

Community Involvement & Events

Brad Pitlyk, CI&E Committee Chair, shared ideas from the first meeting's brainstorm session. Ideas include: dog walks, yoga, bocce ball, spring yard sale, and hay rides possibly for next fall.

Historical

Veronica Putz, joined by Neil Putz, described the presentation from Mitch Goist about how bricks were manufactured for the homes in Soulard. They have coordinated a class to learn how to date a home based on the materials.

Neil also presented on the 48th annual Parlour Tour, which will take place on December 2nd and show seven homes. They have determined a theme: Meet Me in Soulard. They will have trolleys this year instead of buses for tours, and there will be costumes. The celebratory party after the tour will be held at South Broadway Athletic Club.

Plan Review Team

Walker Hamilton, PRT Chair, said plans for 1000 Barton were approved. If residents want to do work on the exterior of their homes in Soulard, email PRT@soulard.org so they can have their plans reviewed by the committee. A large apartment building will attempt to go up at Barton and old 18th street, but plans are not finalized.

Soulard Station

Bonita Leiber, Committee Chair, had a public service announcement: trash begets trash. She cleaned up 100 feet of Gravois and it has been pretty clean since, so she believes that proves her theory is right. So she is looking for volunteers to help clean up trash!

3. Treasurer's Report

Debby Brown, Treasurer, reported $71,000 in cash on hand. The operating capital is fluctuating in advance of several large fundraisers, so with that context, right now the SRG is netting a loss of $6,700 year to date.

4. Secretary's Report

Liz Henry, Secretary, requested the motion to approve meeting minutes from June through September, 2023. Walker Hamilton made the motion. Margi Koors seconded. With two abstentions, the membership voted to approve the minutes with none opposed. The motion passed.

5. Alderperson Update

Isaiah Pasek-Santiago presented for Cara Spencer. He reviewed the CID's recent bill for speed humps and confirmed eight new humps were approved; two will be paid for out of Board capital, and six will be paid for by the CID.

Separately, he encourages complaints about nuisance properties in the neighborhood to keep coming because reports via CSV support their efforts to address problems. The AirBNB/short term rental bill is getting modified as conversations continue. A third reading will be later this month.

A homeless shelter might be coming to Kosciusko. Isaiah surveyed membership about recent experiences with their 911 calls and fielded questions about recruitment issues with 911 dispatchers.

He said complaints for trees were recently addressed. Complaints for dumpsters are coming in.

6. Crime Report

Officer Kevin Dilg of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, Third District Police Liaison, announced that he now has access to more data than he has in the past, so his reports now contain a table with a bit more detail. Officer Dilg reviewed notable incidents. There is a city ordinance that allows officers to summon individuals who leave firearms unsecured in their vehicles.

His new form of report also included a map of 911 calls in the past month, with a carve-out map of “self-initiated” (meaning officer-initiated) reports.

Officer Dilg answered questions from membership about specific concerns around the neighborhood.

Regarding the homeless, Officer Dilg remarked that communities, their police, the unhoused and their advocates, and the people who provide services ALL have to get together to solve this problem together. He said that until that happens, homelessness is not going to improve.

7. Neighborhood Organizations

A. Soulard Business Association (SBA)

Shawn Caruso presented for the SBA: Sign up for the Halloween 2023 Trick Or Treating Map!

B. Soulard CID

Terry Hoffman presented and said if you see trash anywhere in Soulard, email cleanstreets@soulardCID.org. He will help coordinate trash clean-up. He also echoed the speed hump approval update.

Additionally, the CID has identified hundreds of spots for trees, including cut-outs that have dead trees, blocks with no trees, etc. The goal is to plant 100 trees in the fall and another 100 in the spring. He hopes alderwoman Cara Spencer will help with non-CID areas, including getting stumps removed.

Historic lights have been ordered. Supplier says ETA is year-end, so new installation goal is mid-January. They have started to paint the poles.

Getting permits for permanent banners before moving forward. With current timing, the first seasonal portion will be for Mardis Gras.

C. Soulard Business District (SBD)

Terry Hoffman reminded the general membership about the free car clubs.

Closing Remarks

Abbey Bethel requested a motion to adjourn the meeting. Brenton Henry so moved. John Durnell seconded. The motion passed, and the meeting adjourned at 8:29 pm.

Comment

SEPTEMBER 2023 SRG BOARD MEETING MINUTES

September 20, 2023

SEPTEMBER 2023 SRG BOARD MEETING MINUTES

September 20, 2023

By Elizabeth Henry

Board Members Present:

Abbey Bethel, President

Adriano Martinez, President-Elect

Elizabeth Henry, Secretary

Abby Goodson, Director

Margi Koors, Director

Craig Markham, Director

Stephen Shuman, Director

Aaron Terry, Director

Abbey Bethel, President, called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m.

Presentation from Project Review Team (PRT)

Walker Hamilton, PRT Chair, explained the role of the PRT is to provide review of residential and commercial properties in Soulard through a technical and historical lens. He noted that due to current economic conditions, people are choosing to build instead of purchase, and so the bulk of the plans coming through PRT are for new builds.

Specific plans for very large builds would need to be presented to the Board. The Board does not anticipate assuming control from the PRT for multi-family housing plans but would assume responsibility for communicating updates to General Membership, particularly if feedback is to be solicited. Walker shared that PRT is often asked for the opinions of the neighborhood, but collecting this information is outside the scope of the committee’s role.

The presentation concluded with a conversation about parking and public transit/walkability improvements. There was consensus that sidewalks under the highway overpasses need attention.

Secretary’s Report

After a request from Secretary Liz Henry, Margi made a motion to approve the July and August minutes that incorporate comments from Abbey Bethel and Aaron Terry. Stephen seconded the motion. The Board approved with unanimous approval.

Committee Updates

Abby Goodson, Communications Committee Liaison, updated the group on the SRG shared calendar, which will include SRG events (or events where SRG partners with other organizations) and will be shared in the next email blaster. Megan Merhle is stepping back from her role as editor of the Renaissance, and Allyson Whipple will step up as her replacement.

Stephen Shuman, liaison to both the CI&E & Parlour Tour committees, announced that the CI&E team met for the first time. New Chair Brad Pitlyk is focused on small, achievable events. The Parlour Tour has locked in seven houses and will be using trolleys this year. Stephen will determine the route, and research is underway in concert with the Historical Committee.

Aaron Terry, Liaison to the Safety Committee, noted that Dusk-to-Dawn lights are going to be ordered soon. The next Safety Walk will be October 19, kicked off with block captain training for National Night Out.

Margi Koors, Liaison for Development, announced that volunteers are needed for the Oktoberfest Beer Booth. The merchandise project is on hold. Development will be taking over the brick program from the Soulard Station committee. And finally, the team is pricing out house plaques to sell, and a new feature will be the option to include the year the home was built.

Also Liaison for the Membership Committee, Margi announced the SRG closer to its goal of having 500 active members. The next event will be an Off the Island Adventure on Sunday, October 29th from 2-8pm. With a $2,000 budget, they are contracting a $1,000 coach bus (Abbey will review the contract first).

Margi also presented for the Beautification Committee in Connie’s absence. They have found a new chair!

As such, Abbey requested a motion to appoint Jeff Weitzel as the new Chair of the Beautification Committee. Margi Koors so moved. Craig seconded the motion. All voted unanimously in favor. The motion passed.

Craig Markham, Historical Committee Chair, said he had big news: the committee has twenty members now! Craig credits the terrific agendas Neil and Veronica Putz put together that bring in people who love the neighborhood. He noted the first Annual Historical Recognition Award went to Phyllis Young at the General Membership Meeting earlier in the month. The next featured presentation will be given by Mitch Goist on the history of brick-making, a vital part of Soulard. All are welcome to join.

Old Business

8th Ward Consortium

The most recent meeting was at Squire’s in Lafayette Square. Abbey represented Soulard. There was decent attendance from other neighborhoods as well as alderwoman Cara Spencer. The next meeting will be November 14th - Abbey will offer the Soulard Station as a meeting location.

Board Activity via Email

Abbey recognized three motions passed via email.

First, the Development Committee requested an additional $250 to their budget for the 2022 Oktoberfest Volunteer Party to accommodate any plus-ones that might wish to attend. They also requested $250 for food for the 2023 volunteers during their shifts. These adjustments would bring the net revenue from $9,500 to $9,000 for the fiscal year. Stephen Shuman made the motion, and Adriano Martinez seconded. The motion passed with no objections.

Second, Abbey requested Board approval to provide the budgeted $5,000 for the CID Clean Streets Program. Margi made the motion to approve, and Abby Goodson seconded. The motion passed with no objections.

Third, the Parlour Tour Committee needed Board approval on a contract for the trolleys. The quote was under budget. Craig made the motion to approve, and Connie seconded. The motion passed with no objections. A second payment request is forthcoming.

Soulard Station Fence

After reviewing three bids, the Committee has selected a vendor for the fence, which the SRG will need to finance fully because the grant application will not be funded.

Abbey requested a motion to approve the most competitive quote for $10,580. Margi made the motion, Adriano seconded. With no abstentions, the seven board members present voted unanimously in favor. The motion passed.

Final Thoughts

Upon reflection of all the recent budget changes, Stephen recommended the Board review the current adjusted budget.

The Board decided it would also like to revisit the terms of the Soulard Station’s insurance requirements for users/borrowers of the space.

Abbey requested a motion to adjourn. Adriano made the motion. Craig seconded. All voted in favor, and the motion passed. The meeting adjourned at 8:43 p.m.

Comment

SEPTEMBER 2023 SRG GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

September 6, 2023

SEPTEMBER 2023 SRG GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

September 6, 2023

By Elizabeth Henry

Abbey Bethel, President, called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m.

1. Opening Remarks

Abbey introduced herself to the General Membership along with the Board Members.

2. Committee Reports

A. Membership

Julie Price, Membership Committee Chair, summoned all new members to the front of the

room to introduce themselves.

She then announced that the SRG has 409 members currently and encouraged everyone to

recruit new neighbors. Julie noted that a goal of the Committee is to create a brochure.

Also, an Off-the-island adventure is in planning stage; ideas are welcome.

B. Historical

Veronica Putz, Historical Committee Chair, was joined by Neil Putz to announce the First

SRG Historical Award, which recognizes study and preservation of Soulard History, to Phyllis

Young. Veronica recounted the impressive ways Phyllis has served the neighborhood,

including the Historical Committee specifically. In her acceptance of the award, Phyllis

remarked on the changes since she moved to Soulard in 1978 and encouraged attendees to

visit the Pulitzer Arts Foundation to see an exhibit honoring the legacy of homes that have

been demolished in our city.

C. Safety

Andrea Maddox-Dallas, Safety Committee Chair, reminded the general membership that

Nation Night Out is October 3 rd . She is looking forward to neighbors getting signed up for the

GroupMe app for neighborhood communication.

D. Beautification

Richard Eaton, Beautification Committee Chair, thanks all who helped with the Art and

Garden Fundraiser in August, which raised $3,323.33. The next fundraiser will be the annual

Oktoberfest kick-off at Molly’s on Wednesday, October 11 th . The suggested donation is $20.

E. Development

Jim Dallas, Development Committee Chair, was joined by Cathy Weldon. Jim remarked that

the beer booths at Oktoberfest are his committee’s biggest fundraisers of the year and

requested volunteers. Then, Cathy shared details for the 2023 Oktoberfest. This year they

hope to address feedback that lines for beer have been too long and will include a history

booth to bring in more German culture. She also described the perks of a $30 VIP tent ticket,

which will include German food cooked by the Woodshack, specialty beers exclusive to the

tent, and, in coordination with the SBA, a Soulard Business passport.

F. Communications

Brenton Henry, Communications Chair, reviewed the scope of the committee, including the

email blaster, the SRG website, the Renaissance newspaper, and photo archives. He said

Oktoberfest volunteer sign-ups are on the website now. He updated the general

membership that email security has been a project and should be improved. He also

announced they need a new coordinator for the Renaissance.

G. Community Involvement & Events

Brad Pitnyk, the new Chair of the CI&E Committee, introduced himself to the SRG. He said

his primary focus is to increase engagement of all residents, including renters. Events will be

low-cost and recurring. He would like help brainstorming and would also like to partner with

business owners – not for freebies, but to team up for places to host events.

H. Parlour Tour

Jeanne Kirby, Parlour Tour Committee Chair, said this year will mark the 48 th year of the

Soulard Parlour Tour, and it will take place on Saturday, December 2 nd . There will be a festive

party afterward at South Broadway Athletic Club. Jeanne acknowledged the work being

done by Neil and Veronica Putz in preparation of the annual event.

I. Plan Review Team

Walker Hamilton, PRT Chair, provided some updates on specific properties, namely a Stop

Order put in place on development at Shenandoah. Unauthorized development should be

reported to the Citizen Service Bureau (CSB) at 314-622-4800. This number is also available

in the SRG email blaster and on the website.

Walker also noted that his committee is happy to help residents with questions about how

to care for their historical home.

J. Soulard Station

Bonita Leiber, Soulard Station Chair, said a contract is coming in for the new fence.

3. Treasurer’s Report

Debby Brown, Treasurer, noted that year-to-date, the SRG has earned a net income of $1,644

with approximately $82,000 cash on deposit.

4. Secretary’s Report

Elizabeth Henry, Secretary, said she would request a motion in October to approve meeting

minutes from June through September.

5. Alderwoman Update

In Cara Spencer’s absence, Isaiah ___ provided updates. He said the gun bill regulating

brandished weapons passed and was signed into law. Short Term Rentals (AirBNBs) will be a big

topic for the upcoming session later this month. He also reported that 911 dispatchers are short-

staffed and efforts are being made to fill gaps. SRG members had questions about this issue.

6. Soulard Neighborhood Organizations

A. Crime Report

Officer Kevin Dilg of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, Third District Police

Liaison Reviewed crimes since the last membership meeting.

He circulated a Special Bulletin that’s been provided to Soulard businesses to remind

patrons of the risk of gun theft – specifically larceny from their vehicles.

Officer Dilg explained for the general membership how it is addressing homeless camps.

MODOT usually brings the encampments to their attention, and the first step is to offer

resources to the homeless. But if the homeless refuse and do not vacate, then they are

given a 10-day period to essentially be evicted. They will still be offered resources up until

10-day period is up, and then it gets cleared out.

One other announcement: November 11 th is Trivia Night, a fundraiser for Police Districts 3

and 4 on 7 th patrol. $280 for a table of 8.

B. Soulard Business Association (SBA)

Shawn Caruso clarified for general membership that the Soulard Business Passports have an

extended expiration of December 31 st . He also said there is an art contest for the Mardis

Gras Poster Design.

C. Community Improvement District (CID)

Terry Hoffman, Soulard CID Chairman, said that they will be ordering the new historical

street lights once technical specifications are received from the street department.

He announced that power will be installed in Pontiac Park in the next couple of months.

He also mentioned a prototype skyscraper banner is temporarily up on Geyer if anyone

wanted to take a look.

With no other announcements, Abbey Bethel requested a motion to adjourn. Brenton Henry made the

motion. Richard Eaton seconded. All voted in favor. The motion passed, and the meeting adjourned at

8:39 p.m.

Comment

AUGUST 2023 BOARD MEETING MINUTES

August 16, 2023

AUGUST 2023 BOARD MEETING MINUTES

August 16, 2023

By Elizabeth Henry

Board Members present:
Abbey Bethel, President Abby Goodson, Director Stephen Shuman, Director
Adriano Martinez, President-Elect Margi Koors, Director Connie Suydam, Director
Debby Brown, Treasurer Craig Markham, Director Amanda Ramcharan, Director
Elizabeth Henry, Secretary Aaron Terry, Director

Abbey Bethel called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m.

Soulard Performers Foundation Presentation

Tommy Wishhouse introduced the Soulard Performers Foundation to the Board and described the vision for a Summer Concert Series. He presented conservatively high per-event cost estimates for a recurring Music Festival in Soulard Market Park.

The ask of the SRG is for contacts in the community to share experience, knowledge, and help securing co-sponsors. More broadly, the goal is to create a national following for St. Louis artists. Abbey Bethel suggested some names for him to contact.

Secretary’s Report

Elizabeth Henry requested a motion to approve June minutes. Adriano Martinez made the motion. Stephen Shuman seconded. Margi abstained while unable to review hard copies of the minutes. The rest of the Board voted unanimously to approve. The motion passed.

The Treasurer’s Report

Debby Brown reviewed income and expenses year to date. The SRG has $81,000 in cash on deposit.

Committee Updates

Margi Koors, liaison to Membership, reported the SRG might reach the goal of 500 members this year. One snag in the budget: rosters were more expensive this year. Margi requested a motion to raise the allocated budget from $500 to $709 to accommodate the real costs already incurred. Stephen made the motion, Adriano seconded. All voted in favor, and the motion passed. Margi noted that the committee will be more careful before incurring expenses going forward.

As liaison to Development as well, Margi noted the Oktoberfest volunteer sign-up is coming soon.

Craig, liaison to the Historical Committee, reported on recent neighbor presentations. They were approached by the CID regarding their sign project, including the skyscraper banners. The Board discussed how feedback might be facilitated to the CID and ultimately determined they would like to encourage a channel for all Soulard residents to provide feedback before designs are finalized.

Amanda, liaison to PRT, said there is a stop work order from the City for a property on Shenandoah for not complying with historic requirements.

Abbey, liaison to Properties, noted she has a meeting with the Committee Chair this month.

Aaron Terry, liaison to the Safety Committee, said representatives from the City were present at the most recent meeting. They are receiving engagement via Safety@Soulard.org.

Stephen, liaison to CI&E, reported on some Bastille Day follow-ups to address issues - first, a lack of police escorting. Stephen will follow up with Officer Dilg to see how to avoid similar issues going forward. He also commented on needing more volunteers next time. And finally, the guillotine was stuck because of the lock – lesson learned! Stephen is open to feedback and lessons learned. Budget-wise, of the allotted $1,200, the Committee contributed about $1,000.

He also noted that they have a candidate for CI&E Committee Chair.

Connie, liaison for Beautification, said the Art and Floral Show fundraiser had so many contributions that excess art will be used for the Oktoberfest auction. While the event earned more money this year, participation numbers were down. Connie attributed this decline to it taking place in August instead of September, and they may consider another time of year for the next one. The event’s budget was $3,000, and it made $3,224.

Abby Goodson, liaison for Communication, explained that best practice for email blasters is to limit the number of dedicated off-schedule distributions. That said, the Midnight Ramble got a dedicated blaster because the route will impact residents and where their cars are parked. In other Committee news, the SRG website development ongoing.

Executive Session

7:58 p.m.: Abbey requested a motion to enter Executive Session. Abby Goodson made the motion. Aaron Terry seconded. The Board entered Executive Session.

8:18 p.m.: Abbey requested the motion to end Executive Session. Stephen Shuman so moved, and Craig Markham seconded. The Board exited Executive Session.

CI&E Committee Chair Appointment

Abbey requested a motion to appoint Brad Pitlik to lead the Community Involvement and Events Committee. Craig made the motion, and multiple board members seconded simultaneously. Stephen abstained. The rest of the Board voted to approve, and the motion passed.

Air Monitoring Data

The group wishing to present Air Monitoring Data to the SRG has declined the Board’s offer to let them host their own event at Soulard Station and has insisted on time with General Membership. Abbey will ask other neighborhoods about their experience with this group before moving forward.

Unhoused Encampment

Craig recognized an email received by the Board from Neil Putz regarding unhoused individuals in the neighborhood. The area in question is owned by the State. Abbey confirmed law enforcement will take next steps with offering resources and eventually clearing the area.

Adriano made a motion to adjourn, and Craig seconded the motion. With a unanimous vote, the motion passed, and the Board adjourned at 8:27 p.m.

Comment

AUGUST 2023 SRG GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

August 2, 2023

AUGUST 2023 SRG GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

August 2, 2023

By Elizabeth Henry

Abbey Bethel, President, called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m.

1. Opening Remarks

Abbey introduced herself to General Membership as well as the Board members present.

2. Committee Reports

A. Membership

Julie Price, Membership Committee Chair, asked new members to introduce themselves.

She mentioned the membership roster and the SRG magnets, which are nice to hand out to

new neighbors. She encouraged members to recruit and announced special events are

coming back post-COVID.

B. Safety

Andrea Maddox-Dallas, Safety Committee Chair, noted that four subcommittees are tackling

dedicated issues identified back in March. The Social Issues subcommittee met with the St.

Louis Area Violence Prevention Commission, who helps interface with homeless, youth, et

cetera. The Infrastructures, Streets & Lighting Team is working to provide dusk-to-dawn

lights to Soulard residents. The Education & Awareness Team is working with the

Communications Committee and developing content to put on the new SRG website.

National Night Out will be an opportunity to develop neighborhood watch text groups with

an app called GroupMe.

Andrea noted that committee has accomplished more in the past five months than it has in

the past two years.

C. Beautification

Richard Eaton, Beautification Committee Chair, invited Margi Koors and Veronica Putz to

share details about the upcoming Art & Floral Auction. They reminded everyone it will be at

the Soulard Station on Saturday, August 5 th , 3-6 p.m.

D. Historical

Veronica Putz, Historical Committee Chair, invited members to please let them know if they

would like home research done. In the fall, they will become busy researching for homes in

the Parlour Tour.

E. Community Involvement & Events

Abbey Bethel thanked general membership for attending Bastille Day.

F. Development

Jim Dallas, Development Committee Chair, had two updates. 1) Merchandise program is

moving along. 2) Oktoberfest is the 13 th and 14 th , and the beer booths are one of the SRG’s

biggest fundraisers, so volunteers are needed.

G. Parlour Tour

Nancy Lambert presented for the Parlour Tour. She said it will likely take place the first

Saturday of December.

H. Mardis Gras

While she had the floor, Nancy presented for Mardis Gras, Inc. as well. She noted we are

halfway to 2024 Mardis Gras, which will take place February 10 th , and the theme will be BY

THE NUMBERS.

I. Plan Review Team

Walker Hamilton, PRT Committee Chair, said he had no updates for this meeting.

J. Soulard Station

Bonita Leiber, Soulard Station Chair, mentioned the upcoming Beautification Committee

fundraiser and noted that the Soulard Station loves to host events and be rented out. She

requested help for any volunteers interested in joining the work.

3. Treasurer’s Report

Debby Brown, Treasurer, noted that the SRG has $78,000 in cash presently and hasn’t seen a lot

of activity so far this fiscal year.

4. Soulard Neighborhood Organizations

A. Community Improvement District (CID)

Terry Hoffman of the CID said requests for Phase 2 of the speed hump installation should be

sent to info@soulardCID.org.

The trash pick-up update is that a street clean-up crew is contracted to work 8 hours a day,

4 days per week to cover streets and alleyways. Bulk trash pick-up will supplement the city’s

monthly pick-ups as well. Please notify cleanstreets@soulardCID.org regarding overflowing

trashcans and other similar clean-up needs.

The CID has planted 80 trees and pays to maintain them. 250-300 more trees are coming in

the fall and spring, and stump removal will be part of that next phase.

Historic lighting will be installed in Pontiac Park and Soulard Market park. The goal is to have

them all installed by Thanksgiving.

B. Soulard Special Business District (SSBD)

Billy Tomber, Commissioner on the SSBD, noted that the SSBD purchased steering wheel

clubs for the neighborhood and encouraged residents to pick up one for themselves from

Julie Price’s office.

C. Soulard Business Association (SBA)

Abbey Bethel noted on the SBA’s behalf that they are running a school supply drive.

D. Crime Report

Officer Kevin Dilg of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, Third District Police

Liaison, reviewed his crime report. He noted that crime is up both year over year and month

over month, largely related to vehicles. There were fourteen vehicle thefts, and 21 of the

recorded 22 larcenies were from vehicles. He reminded general membership that visitors to

this neighborhood need to stop bringing and leaving firearms in their cars.

E. Alderwoman Update

Cara Spencer noted that the Board is on legislative break. She hopes to have updates soon

on firearms proposals and AirBNB regulations. She announced water rates will go up

significantly in the near future to address infrastructure needs. She said she is meeting with

the Soulard CID soon to collaborate with the City.

5. President Remarks

Abbey Bethel noted that the approved annual SRG budget is now up on the website. She also

had two bike related announcements: 1, the Naked Bike Ride is coming through Soulard August

5 th . And 2, the Midnight Ramble Bike Race is scheduled for August 26 th .

Abbey also informed the general membership that the Metro Toxic Air Force is looking to speak

to the them about their findings regarding fumes from the Illinois side of the river.

Abbey requested a motion to adjourn the meeting. Julie Price made the motion. Margi Koors seconded.

All voted in favor. The motion passed, and the meeting adjourned at 8:14 pm.

Comment

JULY 2023 BOARD MEETING MINUTES

July 19, 2023

JULY 2023 BOARD MEETING MINUTES

July 19, 2023

By Elizabeth Henry

Abbey Bethel called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m.

CID Presentation

John Durnell and Terry Hoffman from the Soulard Community Improvement District shared their progress on planning signage for the neighborhood. In their presentation to the Board, they emphasized the desire to have consistent branding and effectively signal to visitors that they have entered Soulard. They shared mock-ups for skyscraper banners and street signs and discussed historic plaques. The CID will meet with the SRG’s Historic Committee to review these plans as well.

Executive Session

7:55 p.m.: Abbey Bethel requested a motion to enter Executive Session. Margi Koors made the motion, and Craig Markham seconded. The Board entered Executive Session.

8:02 p.m.: Abbey requested the motion to end Executive Session. Abby Goodson so moved, and Connie Suydam seconded. The Board exited Executive Session.

Secretary’s Report

Elizabeth Henry requested a motion to approve the May 2023 Board Meeting Minutes. Margi made the motion, and Stephen Shuman seconded. The Board voted to approve the minutes.

Treasurer’s Report

Debby Brown noted that we have just entered a new fiscal year so not much to report this month. The SRG’s net income year-to-date was $5,000.

Committee Updates

Connie, liaison to the Beautification Committee, invited Margi to speak on the upcoming fundraiser. Margi reminded the Board of the Art and Floral Auction to take place August 5th.

Stephen, liaison to the CI&E Committee, reported on Bastille Day. Regarding costs, he noted the SRG spent $1,000, while the Soulard Business Association contributed $2,000-$2,500. This year the parade started an hour later, and the shift worked well. He’d like to see more volunteers for day-of next year. Abbey recognized Stephen for all of his hard work for Bastille Day.

Abby, liaison for the Communications Committee, noted wireframing work has been done for the new website. The Committee would like to distribute a link to the general membership that would populate SRG meetings, events, and fundraisers into SRG members’ calendars.

Margi, liaison for the Development Committee, presented sample merchandise that the Committee intends to sell. She reported that for now, they will re-order merchandise that has been popular in the past. They have ideas for contests and working with local artists for future designs.

Craig, liaison to the Historical Committee, spoke on recent neighborhood presentations and additions to photo archives. He took the opportunity to remind the Board that the History Committee is open for business to do research on homes.

Margi spoke for the Membership Committee and encouraged the Board to engage with new members. She also passed along a request that Committee Chair notebooks be updated. Abbey accepted the outdated notebook to take home to review.

Abbey, speaking for the Soulard Station, recognized Amanda Ramcharan for her efforts to optimize their resources and get competitive quotes for the roof and a new fence.

Old Business

8th Ward Consortium

Abbey attended the 8th Ward Consortium meeting in mid-June and reported a lot of involvement and representation from other neighborhoods. Safety was a big theme. Soulard will host the next quarterly meeting at the Soulard Station on September 12th. Abbey hopes the Ward’s representative Cara Spencer will join one of these meetings so they can communicate with her as a unified group.

CI&E Chair Appointment

Abbey shared that there are two candidates to chair the Community Involvement & Events committee. She asked if we would like to invite them to speak for a few minutes at the August Board Meeting, and the Board agreed.

New Business

Budget Amendment

Debby brought it to the Board’s attention that the Board must have a review performed by a CPA every two years or when a treasurer is new (secretary note: this requirement is in the bylaws section 3b4). As such, Abbey requested a motion to increase the budget line to reflect the expense from $1,500 to $4,400. Margi made the motion, Craig seconded, and the Board voted to approve unanimously. The motion passed.

Air Monitoring Data

The Board received a request to present Air Monitoring Data to the general membership. Abbey invited thoughts from the Board on this.

10. Final Thoughts from the Board

The Board discussed getting Committee Chairs together with the Board to discuss working together on branding and other ongoing projects that overlap. A retreat might make sense, or perhaps a Board Meeting is dedicated for this purpose (participation optional).

Abbey requested a motion to adjourn. Adriano made the motion. Margi seconded. The motion passed, and the Board adjourned at 8:58 p.m.

Comment

JULY 2023 SRG GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

July 12, 2023

JULY 2023 SRG GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

July 12, 2023

By Elizabeth Henry

Abbey Bethel, President, called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m.

1. Opening Remarks

Abbey introduced herself along with the other present SRG Board Members: President-Elect

Adriano Martinez, Secretary Liz Henry, and directors Aaron Terry, Craig Markham, Margi Koors,

Stephen Shuman, and Abby Goodson.

2. Committee Reports

A. Membership

Julie Price, Membership Committee Chair, asked new members to come forward and

introduce themselves. Julie remarked that they have over 300 registered members currently

and encouraged membership to participate in the SBA’s Soulard Business passport.

B. Safety

Aaron Terry, Board member and liaison to the Safety Committee, presented for the Safety

Committee. He shared information for participating in the Committee’s security camera

program. He also reminded general membership about National Night Out on October 3 rd .

C. Beautification

Richard Eaton, Beautification Committee Chair, announced the Art and Floral Auction

fundraiser on Saturday, August 5t, 3-6 p.m. at the Soulard Station.

D. Communication

Brenton Henry, CommComm Chair, noted that mock-ups are ready for the new website. He

will be reaching out to other committee chairs to review content in the coming weeks.

E. Community Involvement & Events

Stephen Shuman, Board Member and Liaison to the CI&E Committee, noted that they are

looking at some recruits to lead the committee. He updated membership on Bastille Day

festivities, which would be held on July 15 th and requested volunteers. He also echoed

encouragement to purchase SBA Soulard Business Passports.

F. Development

Margi Koors, Board member and Liaison to the Development Committee, noted that they

are developming a merchandise program. Also, the Oktoberfest Beer Booth will need

volunteers on October 13 th and October 14 th .

G. Historical

Craig Markham, Board member and Liaison to the Historical Committee, presented. He said

in the Committee’s June meeting, Joy Christenson shared updates on their restoration

project. He also provided updates on their interview series and home research books.

H. Soulard Station

Abbey Bethel, Liaison for the Committee, noted some projects and maintenance line items

in the proposed budget.

3. Annual Budget

Abbey provided some high level remarks on the proposed budget for FY24. Multiple members

made the motion to approve the budget, and then multiple members seconded. One member

voted to oppose approval. Three members abstained. The rest of the membership voted to

approve the budget. The motion passed.

4. Soulard Neighborhood Organizations

A. Community Improvement District (CID)

John Durnell of the CID announced that Phase 1 of the speed hump installation was complete.

Phase 2 would be a nine-month process, so members are encouraged to reach out to get a

hump. The CID is also replacing sixteen lights at Pontiac Park to the tune of $2,000 each. Luke

Reynolds will paint existing fixtures so that everything matches. They are also getting prices for

street signs and plaques.

B. Crime Report

Officer Kevin Dilg of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, Third District Police Liaison,

reviewed his crime report. He said his Captain asked him to stress what they know about

firearms: that criminals are getting their firearms exclusively from breaking into cars. Please tell

visitors to the neighborhood to not bring / leave firearms in their vehicles.

General membership had concerns about unauthorized fireworks going off in the neighborhood

around July 4 th . Officer Dilg noted that regulating that is simply a manpower issue and

considered Code 4 (lowest priority). The number to call for low level crime with no suspect

information is 314-231-1212, prompt 1.

Officer Dilg also provided an update that the homeless who usually slept at St. Vincents have

been spreading out around the neighborhood after experiencing crime there. Being homeless is

not a crime, so the best they can do is offer resources to the homeless.

C. Alderwoman Update

Cara Spencer noted there is a special session coming up. She plans to advocate for AirBNB

regulations. She agrees with the sentiment that the pathway to securing liquor licenses could be

smoother but with the caveat that it also needs to be easier to revoke those licenses. She agrees

with remarks that fumes coming from Illinois are a big problem. A small working group is coming

together around the fume issue and engaging Cori Bush.

D. Neighborhood Improvement Specialist

Qiana Baxton introduced herself to SRG members who may not know her and made the general

membership aware of the services her group provides.

Abbey requested a motion to adjourn the meeting. Brenton Henry made the motion. Craig Markham

seconded. All voted in favor. The motion passed, and the meeting adjourned at 8:17 pm.

Comment

JUNE 2023 BOARD MEETING MINUTES

June 21, 2023

JUNE 2023 BOARD MEETING MINUTES

June 21, 2023

By Elizabeth Henry

Abbey Bethel called the meeting to order at 6:05 p.m.

Committee Budget Presentations

The Board meeting kicked off with a series of presentations from Committee Chairs describing their proposed annual budgets and committee goals. The Board asked questions after each presentation.

Jim Dallas presented for the Development committee.
Richard Eaton presented for the Beautification committee.
Veronica Putz presented for the Historical committee.
Walker Hamilton presented for the PRT committee.
Stephen Shuman presented for the Parlour Tour committee.
Andrea Maddox-Dallas presented for the Safety committee.
Julie Price presented for the Membership committee.
Brenton Henry presented for the Communications Committee.
Bonita Leiber presented for the Properties Committee.
Stephen Shuman presented on behalf of CI&E.
Abbey Bethel presented for the Board.

Bastille Day Royals

Stephen Shuman held a drawing for the Royals to be featured in Soulard’s 2023 Bastille Day. The winners of the drawing were Laura Leister and Jim Lettau.

Final thoughts from the Board

The Board discussed the budgets as presented and amended as well as the goals of the committees.

Adriano moved to adjourn the meeting. Multiple members seconded. The motion passed unanimously, and the Board adjourned at 9:52 p.m.

Comment

JUNE 2023 SRG GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

June 7, 2023

JUNE 2023 SRG GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

June 7, 2023

By Elizabeth Henry

Abbey Bethel, President, called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m.

1. Opening Remarks

Abbey introduced herself to General Membership along with the new Board: President-Elect

Adriano Martinez, Treasurer Debby Brown, Secretary Liz Henry, and 7 directors: Margi Koors,

Stephen Shuman, Craig Markham, Abby Goodson, Amanda Ramcharan, Aaron Terry, and Connie

Suydam.

Abbey also recognized Officer Dilg and Qiana Baxton who were in attendance. [Secretary Note:

Alderwoman Cara Spencer arrived during the meeting.]

2. Committee Reports

A. Membership

Julie Price, Membership Committee Chair, asked new members to come forward and

introduce themselves. Julie noted membership rosters would be distributed in July and to

contact Veronica Putz in order to opt out. She also requested that people leave the yard

signs in place, and if they picked them up in an effort to be helpful to please give them to

Julie Dinkleman.

B. Safety

Andrea Maddox-Dallas, Safety Committee Chair, noted that much had been accomplished

to date. Subcommittees have been created and new recruits are welcome, particularly

tech-savvy members. During the committee’s most recent safety walk, over forty

streetlights were discovered to be out, and Ameren fixed them.

Andrea noted that steering wheel locks (“clubs”) are encouraged and available courtesy of

the SSBD. Two clubs are permitted per household.

National Night Out is October 3 rd . There will be a First Responder Brunch in the fall, too.

C. Beautification

Richard Eaton, Beautification Committee Chair, recognized Margi Koors and Veronica Putz

for their efforts coordinating the upcoming Art & Floral Auction fundraiser to take place

August 5 th . He also noted that the Committee has finished planting all forty three pots in

their jurisdiction and will be receiving assistance from the CID for watering them.

D. Communications

Meghan Merle, Committee Member, presented that they had been making progress on the

new SRG website. They are partnering with other committees on the content.

E. Community Involvement & Events

Stephen Shuman, Board Member and Liaison to the CI&E committee, announced that they

are still seeking a committee chair. In the meantime, he encouraged the general

membership to nominate fellow SRG members for this year’s royalty for Bastille Day. At the

next Board Meeting, the name will be selected from the nominations at random.

F. Development

Jim Dallas, Development Committee Chair, noted that his committee was formerly known

as the Fundraising Committee. His mission is to raise money and hopes to learn more about

grants and merchandise to take pressure off of events for fundraising. He encouraged

members to contact him if they would like to join him in these efforts, particularly for the

upcoming beer booths to be set up at Oktoberfest and Mardis Gras.

G. Historical

Veronica Putz, Historical Committee Chair, announced that the house history research

services are underway, with two books recently delivered, two more to be delivered this

month, and two more on deck. She also noted that they met with former Soulard residents

to discuss their experiences growing up in the neighborhood; her notes from these

conversations will be in a future Renaissance article.

A new initiative to be included in the FY24 budget will be a photosharing project pairing

photos from the 1900s with current photos of the same location. The index will be

organized by city block.

H. Parlour Tour

Stephen Shuman, liaison to the Parlour Tour as well, confirmed that they would continue

the new format of limiting the Tour to just one day.

I. Plan Review Team

Walker Hamilton, PRT Committee Chair, acknowledged the fire at the Allen Street church.

He noted that the church is not in danger of collapsing. He reviewed some properties with

development activity on his radar. The property on 1002 was split into two parcels (now

1000 and 1002 Barton).

J. Soulard Station

Bonita Leiber, Soulard Station Chair, recognized Chris Koehler for his work on the property

and expressed appreciation as well to Tom Murphy. Bonita recalled the words of Arlo

Guthrie: Inch by inch, row by row, gonna make this garden grow.

Her big update is that with approval from the Board, an extended fence will be installed to

help protect the property. She also appealed to membership for committee help with

electronics in particular: cameras, thermostats.

3. Treasurer’s Report

Debby Brown, Treasurer, noted that going into fiscal year-end, the SRG has $81,000 in cash.

4. Secretary’s Report

Abbey Bethel requested a motion to approve the April meeting minutes drafted by previous

Secretary Chris Currington. Becca so moved, and Julie Price seconded. With no opposition or

abstentions, the motion passed unanimously.

5. Soulard Neighborhood Organizations

A. Soulard Business Association (SBA)

New member Levi stepped up to present details on Soulard Pride activities.

Laura Leister, along with Jim Lettau and Shawn Caruso, presented the Business Passport.

Each business gets a cut of the $35 purchase price. If you get all 41 stamps from the 41

businesses participating, you enter a raffle for VIP tickets to Ocktoberfest.

B. Community Improvement District (CID)

Terry Hoffman, Soulard CID Chairman, presented that speed humps are coming. The traffic

calming plan is being adjusted to incorporate protections for cyclists. He recognized Nancy

Lambert and Jim Dallas for spearheading the work needed to bring the whole neighborhood

into the CID boundaries. Visit SoulardCID.org for more information.

C. Soulard Special Business District (SSBD)

Shawn Caruso presented for the SSBD. He noted that the car steering wheel clubs are paid

for and available and to please pick some up for yourself. He noted that if every car has a

club, thieves will stop coming to the neighborhood to steal cars. He also encouraged

members with security cameras to opt in to the safety committee’s camera program.

D. Mardis Gras, Inc. (MGI)

Nancy Lambert presented for the MGI. She noted Margi Koors is the newest SRG-appointed

member and recognized Gary Toribio for his twelve years of service on the MGI Board.

Nancy encouraged members to submit ideas to improve the Mardis Gras experience for

next year.

E. Crime Report

Officer Kevin Dilg of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, Third District Police

Liaison, reviewed a crime report. He noted that year to date, crime is down 26%. Video

submissions from neighborhood cameras helped identify suspects in crimes committed,

reiterating the Safety Committee’s camera program. He also echoed earlier messaging to

please pick up a steering wheel club. Additionally, he wants residents to be strategic about

package deliveries.

Officer Dilg fielded questions from membership about when to call 911. Ultimately, he asks

that Soulard residents always call 911 if they hear gunshots or believe a crime is being

committed – not just for life or death. It also creates a record of the crime.

F. Alderwoman Update

Cara Spencer provided updates from her Board. In the City budget, she is advocating for

filling potholes, maintaining city lights, and increasing tows. AirBNB regulation is on her

radar, and she welcomes neighborhood involvement. She also has an ordinance to address

brandished weapons in an open carry state.

6. President Remarks

Abbey Bethel noted that the SRG budgeting process is underway for FY24. The Board will review

Committee budgets in its June meeting and will ask general membership to approve the annual

budget in July.

Abbey also noted that the July general membership meeting would be held on July 12 th to

accommodate the July 4 th holiday.

Abbey requested a motion to adjourn the meeting. Stephen Shuman made the motion. Jeremy Merhle

seconded. All voted in favor. The motion passed, and the meeting adjourned at 8:39 pm.

Comment

APRIL 2023 GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES

June 7, 2023

SRG General Membership Meeting

April 5, 2023

DRAFT Minutes

Board Members present included: Abbey Bethel, President; Debby Brown, Secretary; Chris Currington, Secretary; Jim Dallas, Past President; Nancy Lambert; Karen Moske; and Gary Toribio.

Committee Chairs present included: John Eaton, Beautification; Brenton Henry, Communications; Veronica Putz, Historical; Julie Price, Membership; Walker Hamilton, Plan Review Team; and Andrea Maddox-Dallas, Safety.

Special Guests and Elected Officials included: Officer Kevin Dilg, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department; Dan Guenther, Alderman, Ward 9 (previous); Cara Spencer, Alderwoman, Ward 8 (new).

1. Call to Order + Opening Remarks

Abbey Bethel, President, called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. She recognized elected officials and Officer Kevin Dilg. The Neighborhood Improvement Specialist was also present at the meeting. Abbey also recognized the SRG Board members in attendance.

Abbey said that she had an update for the SRG General Membership. As of March 3, 2023, Michael Pastore was no longer President of the SRG Board. The President Elect position will remain open for the rest of the term. For the last three weeks of the term, Abbey will assume the position as President of SRG and the Board.

Abbey said that the election for the next SRG Board would close at the end of this meeting. There was a QR code on the tables for anyone wanting to vote at the meeting. After this meeting, votes will be tallied, and then the next Monday, the announcement of the official 2023/2024 SRG Board will be announced in The Blaster.

2. Committee Reports

A. Membership

Julie Price, Membership Committee Chair, asked new members to join her at the front of the meeting and introduce themselves.

Julie said that membership is currently ~380 members and always growing. There were business cards on the back table to hand out to any new residents in the neighborhood. The committee is keeping track of SRG General Members who bring in new members, and the General Member who brings in the most new members will be recognized at the next Membership Drive (May General Membership meeting).

The Membership Drive will be May 3 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the South Broadway Athletic Club. It will be all you can drink and eat. They’ll be asking everyone to pay their dues. Julie then went over the dues and costs. The theme for the Membership Drive will be Italian and there will be entertainment. Any members who pay their dues online can fast-pass the line at the door.

The social after this meeting would be at Hi-Hat. There was also a signup sheet going around for members who wanted to volunteer their homes for the social.

Julie discussed the bingo game at this meeting. Typically, the prize is a $25 gift card. At this meeting, though, there were four Cardinals tickets, thanks to Officer Kevin Dilg of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. The tickets are for the Community Night at the Ballpark where Officers of the Year are announced for the neighborhood associations.

B. Safety

Andrea Maddox-Dallas, Safety Committee Chair, said they had a great meeting March 22 at iTap. In an hour and half, the attendees divided into small groups and brainstormed. On the tables were handouts with a synopsis of what the ideas were.

The next Safety Committee meeting is set for April 18.

Andrea reminded attendees not to leave any items in their cars. She also reminded everyone about the security camera program. On the tables were QR codes for anyone who wanted to volunteer for the program.

In May, the committee will do a Safety Walk. Participants will identify lights in alleys and on streets that are out. They will also identify trees that are blocking signs.

For the National Night Out, in 2022, there were six block parties. This year, the Safety Committee hopes to have 10 block parties. The committee will budget for them.

Another thing Andrea and the Safety Committee would like to start is a “text chain.” On Andrea’s block, the residents have assisted police in solving two crimes by communicating quickly via texts.

Finally, last October, the Safety Committee helped with a first-responders lunch. The committee is going to try and have it on Veterans’ Weekend and include veterans as well as first responders. It will be in November.

C. Beautification

Richard Eaton, Beautification Committee Chair, called attention to Pontiac Square Park and how great it looked with the daffodils. About a month ago, the Beautification Committee had a volunteer group come into the park to clean up cigarette butts. They picked up about 240 butts. This week, the committee put containers at each of the benches. Hopefully, they’ll keep the park a little nicer.

Next, the committee will be mulching at the park. In April, the committee will distribute plants for the planting pots. There are about 40 pots around the neighborhood.

D. Communications

Brenton Henry, Communications Committee Chair, said that after months of work, the committee finally migrated the email system from where it’s been since the 90s. This should help cut down on spam on the soulard.org email address. A bonus of the migration is the committee/SRG now has 60 times the storage and can keep historical emails. Recipients of soulard.org emails will also see where the emails are coming from (“You’re receiving this email from…”)

In the next couple of days, the committee will be changing something that will make delivery of The Blaster better. The most exciting part aside from emails, however, is the committee is now moving full steam ahead with the website. They recently met, took a bunch of notes, covered windows with ideas, and they got organized about what the website could be. It will take a while to redesign, but when they have something more concrete, they’ll get the other committees involved with reviews.

Brenton commended Billy and Constantine for their help with the email migration. Everyone applauded.

E. Plan Review Team (PRT)

Walker Hamilton, PRT Committee Chair, said that there hasn’t been a lot of movement going on. There are a lot of buildings in process, and he asked residents to be the “eyes for the neighborhood.” Walker discussed a property on Barton and a property that the Cultural Resources Office is working with to bring up to code. Walker also asked that anyone considering renovating reach out to the PRT Committee; they can help recommend builders and tradesmen, whereas CRO cannot.

There was a discussion about permits for hot water heaters and faucets.

F. Historical Committee

Veronica Putz, Historical Committee Chair, said the committee has been learning a lot about house history, writing articles, etc. She and Neil Putz went on a tour downtown where they learned a lot about what’s happening.

They’re finishing the last of the four historical house research projects. They also recently saw a presentation about some of the caves that are underground Soulard. There were a lot of maps presented.

G. Soulard Station

Gary Toribio, Board Liaison to the Soulard Station, reminded everyone that the Station is available for members to rent or use. If anyone is interested, they should email the Soulard Station Committee at station@soulard.org.

The Board has decided to proceed with finishing the fence at the Station. It will match what’s already along Gravois, to run along 12th Street. It will keep people from wandering onto the property. The committee still needs to get quotes, and the Board has to approve the contract, but it will probably happen this summer.

Brenton Henry said that the Communications Committee will soon transition the Soulard Station calendar. They’re figuring out the logistics about how to do that.

H. Parlour Tour

Nancy Lambert, Board Liaison to the Parlour Tour Committee, discussed the Parlour Tour and how to volunteer. She also asked people to consider volunteering their homes for the Parlour Tour. The committee is looking for new members because they’d like to start training some other people. If anyone is interested in serving on the Parlour Tour Committee, they should email parlourtour@soulard.org.

3. Treasurer’s Report

Debby Brown, Treasurer, said that the fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30, and for this fiscal year, revenue is around ~$54,000, with net income of ~$13,000, and cash at ~$87,000. There’s the upcoming Membership Drive, but other than that, there are no fundraising events.

4. Soulard Neighborhood Organizations

A. Soulard Business Association (SBA)

Laura Leister, {ABBEY PLEASE CONFIRM THE NAME AND SPELLING}, from the SBA, thanked everyone who attended the recent Easter Egg Hunt, held for kids under 12. There was a photographer and Easter Bunny for photos. There were about 55 kids and 1,000 eggs, some with $2 bills. This will be an annual event.

SBA is also working on a “Passport Program.” This is a “Buy One Get One” (bogo) free at all of the favorite establishments in Soulard. There are currently 38 participants with 38 stamp spots. At the end, if you complete all 38 stamps, you’ll get a chance for four tickets to Oktoberfest VIP and other gift cards. These will start selling in May.

B. Community Improvement District

Terry Hoffman, Chair of the Soulard CID, discussed the plans for speed humps. They’ve been financially secured through capital funds and from CID money. They should be installed between the spring and summer of 2023. However, there can’t be any speedhumps on 7th Street, 12th Street, or Russell Boulevard.

The CID also entered into a contract with an engineering company to do a detailed drawing of where the bump outs, islands, and compressed intersections (to slow motorists) will be. It is hoped that the drawing(s) will be submitted to the city in late summer, and there may be construction activity in the fall.

The CID signed a contract with an experiential signage company that will come up with a skyscraper banner design. The major streets will be Broadway, 7th, Geyer, 12th, etc. One side of the sign will be permanent; the other side will be for vinyl.

The CID has also increased its frequency of supplemental bulk-trash pickup. There was a discussion of who to contact and how to contact about bulk-trash pickup and nuisances (i.e., reach out to the leasing companies and landlords).

C. Mardi Gras, Inc.

Gary Toribio mentioned that there was a neighborhood forum to discuss questions, concerns, complaints, and suggestions about and for Mardi Gras. If anyone missed that forum, they were encouraged to reach out to Tim Lorson, Director of Mardi Gras, Inc.

5. Crime Report

Officer Kevin Dilg of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, Third District Police Liaison, gave the crime report. He went over crimes, including robberies, thefts, violations, and 911 calls.

There was a discussion about cameras around the neighborhood, at intersections, if they work, access to data, etc.

6. Aldermen Update

Cara Spencer, the newly elected alderwoman for Ward 8, thanked everyone who turned out to vote. Turnout was low, but she said she remembers seeing most in the room voting. She’s excited to represent Soulard as part of the new Ward 8.

7. Remarks

Abbey Bethel reminded everyone that voting for the new Board was ending at the end of the meeting.

Abbey thanked outgoing Alderman Dan Guenther.

Abbey thanked outgoing Board Members Chris Currington, Nancy Lambert, Karen Moske, and Gary Toribio. She also gave a special thank you to Jim Dallas, who had served as President-Elect, President, and Past President, and gave him a gift.

8. Adjourn

Brenton Henry made the motion to adjourn the meeting. Richard Eaton seconded the motion.

All voted in favor of adjourning the meeting at 8:26 p.m.

Comment

MARCH 2023 GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES - DRAFT

June 7, 2023

March General Membership Meeting

March 1, 2023

DRAFT Minutes

Board Members present included: Michael Pastore, President; Abbey Bethel, President-Elect; Chris Currington, Secretary; Craig Markham, and Karen Moske.

Committee Chairs present included: Richard Eaton, Beautification; Brenton Henry, Communications; Julie Price, Historical; and Julie Price, Membership.

Elected Officials and Special Guests included: Officer Kevin Dilg, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and Soulard Liaison; and Dan Guenther, Alderman, Ward 9.

Michael Pastore called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. and thanked everyone for attending.

1. Membership Committee

Julie Price, Membership Committee Chair, welcomed new members and visitors. She explained the bingo game (numbers would be drawn after each chair’s report) and how the membership fees work. There are currently ~370 active SRG members. Julie then reminded attendees to check to make sure they’re dues are paid.

Julie said there was information about the Star (award) nominations on each of the tables. The Membership Committee recognizes members who go above and beyond as volunteers. However, SRG members can only receive the Star award once. The deadline for nominations is March 24.

Julie said the social (gatherings after the General Membership Meeting) would be at Bob and Karen Moske’s house. If anyone is interested in hosting a social, they should talk to the Membership Committee. Michael thanked Julie.

2. Upcoming Board Elections

Michael Pastore turned the meeting over to Abbey Bethel, President-Elect, to discuss the upcoming SRG Board election. Abbey said that the election will open in April, and people can vote at the April General Membership Meeting. The election is going to be electronic. Only members in good standing can vote, and the electronic election will help ensure that only those members vote.

Abbey then went through the list of candidates. She also discussed how many votes per household (if anyone is a member in good standing, then they get one vote; households get two votes; seniors get one vote; and Friends of Soulard are not eligible to vote). For the electronic voting, the link will only be sent to those members in good standing.

3. Mardi Gras Beer Booth

Michael Pastore said that SRG had the beer booth after this year’s Mardi Gras Grand Parade. It was a phenomenal success, and there were a bunch of young people there who were busy and worked very hard. Michael thanked everyone who volunteered.

4. Soulard Community Garden

Abbey Bethel said that there would be a meeting coming up March 8, and John Hamilton would be discussing the plots at the Soulard Community Garden.

5. Board of Alderman

Michael Pastore said that the election for the St. Louis Board of Alderman was coming up. Soulard is incorporated into one ward now, and while SRG does not endorse one candidate, it does endorse people going out and voting. Dan Guenther, Alderman, Ward 9 (not running for election) said it was important to note that Soulard would be part of the new Ward 8, and he discussed the boundaries.

Abbey Bethel said there was a forum scheduled for the next evening from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Information was sent in The Blaster (SRG newsletter).

6. Committee Reports

a. Beautification

Richard Eaton, Beautification Committee Chair, said he had three things:

i. Last fall, students from Principia School planted many hundred daffodils at Pontiac Square Park and those daffodils are coming up.

ii. The committee is working with volunteers on opportunities at Pontiac Square Park.

iii. There have been conversations about the signage in the park and the planting pots on the corners. Some of the pots are disappearing, so the committee is discussing how to mark them (signage) with decals.

b. Communications

Brenton Henry, Communications Committee Chair, reminded everyone where to find the bios of the candidates running for the SRG Board. If people don’t receive the ballot, they were encouraged to email communication@soulard.org, or attend the April SRG General Membership Meeting and vote.

Brenton discussed moving the Google Workspace, and for anyone who receives email from a soulard.org address, everything will be the same.

There was a discussion about sending/dropping photos of Soulard events. There was also a discussion about a public forum for anyone who had comments, questions, complaints, and suggestions about Mardi Gras. Michael Pastore said it would be good for members to show up.

c. Plan Review Team

Jay Gibbs, former Plan Review Team Committee Chair, said that he received a message from Walker Hamilton, Plan Review Team Committee Chair, that he would not be able to attend. Jay said there’s one big project being talked about – a large apartment complex outside of the SRG’s boundaries. The Soulard School also needs a Conditional Use Permit for its kitchen.

d. Historical

Veronica Putz, Historical Committee Chair, said all updates from the committee were in The Blaster.

7. Crime Report

Officer Kevin Dilg, from the St. Louis Police Department, gave the crime report. Officer Dilg said there were only seven arrests at Mardi Gras for minors-in-possession. The neighborhood crime reports were printed and put on the tables. Officer Dilg also reminded attendees that Hyundai is offering free upgrades to their antitheft system.

8. Adjourn

Brenton Henry made the motion to adjourn the meeting. Craig Markham seconded the motion.

All voted in favor of adjourning the meeting at 8:11 p.m.

Comment

MAY 2023 BOARD MEETING MINUTES

May 17, 2023

MAY 2023 BOARD MEETING MINUTES

May 17, 2023

By Elizabeth Henry

Abbey Bethel called the meeting to order at 7:10 p.m. John Haas, General Member, was in attendance.

Board Introduction

Abbey Bethel introduced the Board’s newest member, Aaron Terry, who has accepted the position as seventh Director of the Board.

Secretary’s Report

Elizabeth requested a motion to approve the April 2023 Board Meeting Minutes. Aaron Terry abstained. All other members voted in favor. The motion passed, and minutes were approved.

Treasurer’s Report

Debby Brown reported on the status of SRG financials. With one month remaining in the fiscal year, the SRG has Revenues year-to-date of about $56,000 and $46,000 in expenses. Cash balances total approximately $82,000 – expected to be more like $85,000 once membership dues are in. This does not include the $10,000 donation pledged to the Beautification Committee.

Committee Updates

Margi Koors, Membership Committee liaison, presented on the recent Membership Drive, which saw 24 new members. The budget for the party was $7,500, and the Committee spent $4,025.

Stephen Shuman, liaison for both CI&E and the Parlour Tour Committees, said the CI&E committee is recruiting and looking to partner with other organizations. Stephen will be taking the helm for Bastille Day and will press general membership for Royals nominations. The update for the Parlour Tour is that there will not be a Fete de Noel this year.

Aaron Terry, Safety Committee liaison, noted that the Spring Safety Walk would take place immediately after the Board meeting. He said the Kickoff Meeting was very successful with 40 people in attendance. There will be a meeting with Cara Spencer about possibly installing ShotSpotter Gunshot Detection. Aaron also noted that Andrea, the committee chair, has put a tremendous amount of work into the Safety Walk and, after logging issues, will report and follow up with Ameren for street light replacements.

Connie Suydam, Beautification Committee liaison, commented on the institutional knowledge that needs to be downloaded to new members and future committee chairs. The committee received feedback on the neighborhood pots – 12 pots are actively being addressed.

Craig Markham, Historical Committee liaison, is coordinating with the Community Improvement District on historical signage.

Abby Goodson, Communication Committee liaison, mentioned the positive response to the new emails blasters since the email system migration. The website is the committee’s next major priority.

Abbey and Adriano presented for Properties and noted they are receiving bids for a fence to surround Soulard Station. Margi recommended they budget for a removable canvas canopy, perhaps in black.

Old Business

FY 2024 Budget Presentations

Abbey asked the Board if there were any questions or concerns before the budget presentations taking place in June. She also shared that the Mardis Gras Foundation wishes to support projects that are permanent and visible in the neighborhood.

Budget Increase Requests

Abbey requested a motion to approve increasing the budget for the Paul Kjorklie Memorial from $200 to $300 to better reflect actual expenses. Margi so moves. Connie seconds. All voted in favor. The motion passed.

Abbey requested a motion to approve increasing the budget for Soulard Station’s utilities from $5,100 to $7,500. The Board reviewed the property’s utility expenses and why the bills might have gone up and steps the Soulard Station committee might take to rein in cost increases. Margi made the motion to increase the budget. Craig seconded. All voted in favor. The motion passed.

The Communications Committee requested a budget increase for web hosting from $200 to $300. Abbey requests a motion for $400. Adriano made the motion. Craig seconded. All approved a budget increase to $400. The motion passed.

Discussion: Candidates to MGI Board

Abbey said her appointment to the Mardis Gras Inc Board would begin their term in July. Margi volunteered for consideration and exited the room for discussion. Abbey requests the motion to approve Margi Koors to be appointed to the MGI Board. Connie so moves to appoint Margi. Aaron seconded. The motion passed with unanimous approval.

New Business

Development Committee Chair

The Board recognized the vote held previously over email to approve the appointment of Jim Dallas to chair the Development Committee. The electronic vote showed no objections.

Soulard “Clean Streets” Program

Abbey shared that the Soulard Community Improvement District is taking on the Clean Streets initiative. The Board has been asked to reinstate a $5,00 budget line item to contribute to this effort (it was noted that other entities also contribute $5,000). This request will be revisited during budget discussions.

8th Ward Consortium

The Board discussed emails received about a new 8th Ward Consortium and agreed to participate.

Debby made the motion to adjourn. Abby Goodson seconded. With unanimous approval, the motion passed. The Board adjourned at 8:29 p.m.

Comment

APRIL 2023 BOARD MEETING MINUTES

April 19, 2023

APRIL 2023 BOARD MEETING MINUTES

April 19, 2023

By Elizabeth Henry

Board Members present:
Abbey Bethel, President Abby Goodson, Director Stephen Shuman, Director
Adriano Martinez, President-Elect Margi Koors, Director Connie Suydam, Director
Debby Brown, Treasurer Craig Markham, Director
Elizabeth Henry, Secretary Amanda Ramcharan, Director

Abbey Bethel called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. John Haas, General Member, was in attendance.

Board Introductions

Secretary’s Report

Elizabeth Henry reviewed her understanding of the Secretary role and informed other new Board Members about the procedure for publishing meeting minutes.

Treasurer’s Report

Debby Brown reported on the status of SRG financials as fiscal year-end approaches. The SRG has Revenues year-to-date of almost $52,000 and Expenses to date of approximately $43,000 (net ~$8,800). Cash balances total approximately $84,000, not including a separately held account with a $10,000 donation pledged to the Beautification Committee.

4. Committee Updates

Margi Koors presented as the Membership Committee Liaison:

The annual Membership Drive will take place May 3, 2023, 6 – 9 p.m. Budget is $7,500.
Two contracts were presented for approval by the Board: one to the South Broadway Athletic Club (venue) for $400 and one to musicians to provide entertainment for $100.
All check requests will need to be processed in time for presentment on May 3, 2023.

Margi Koors made the motion to approve the contracts. Seconded by Abby Goodson. All voted in favor.

The motion passed.

Margi Koors also provided STAR Award nominations to the Board. No objections to any presented. A change in membership dues was discussed to streamline and simplify processing as well as improve membership record-keeping and vote counting. The Board agreed to revisit in May for presentment to General Membership.

Old Business

SRG Committee Chair Appointment

Abbey Bethel selected Chris Currington for Chair of Community Involvement and Events.

Connie Suydam made the motion to approve the appointment. Craig Markham seconded. Margi Koors requested her enthusiasm be noted for the record. All voted to approve.

The motion passed.

Mardis Gras, Inc. – SRG Representative Seat

The SRG President is to appoint representatives to the Mardis Gras, Inc. Board, and one of the three SRG seats is term-limited June 2023. Members discussed potential recruits as well as how best to communicate the opportunity more broadly to the neighborhood, including having an MGI Board Member present at the upcoming Membership Drive and detailing the job description in the SRG email blaster.

New Business

Seventh Director Position

Abbey Bethel proposed appointing a Director to the Board with a one-year term because the seventh Director position is not currently filled by an immediate Past President (Secretary note: the Bylaws reference this position in Article VII). It was discussed that in the recent election, Aaron Terry had the most votes for Director of anyone who had not been elected to the Board.

As such, Margi Koors made the motion to install Aaron Terry to the position of Board Director. Adriano Martinez seconded. All voted to approve.

The motion passed.

Board Liaison Assignments for 2023- 2024

Beautification Committee – Connie Suydam

Communications Committee – Abby Goodson

Community Involvement & Events – Stephen Shuman

Development Committee – (open)

Historical Committee – Craig Markham

Membership Committee – Margi Koors

Parlour Tour Committee – Stephen Shuman

Plan Review Team – Amanda Ramcharan

Properties (Soulard Station) – (open)

Safety Committee – Aaron Terry

FY 2024 Budget

The Board discussed how it would receive and review FY 2024 budgets and/or presentations from Committees. Abbey to reach out to committee chairs to communicate the timeline. Budgets will be due June 1. Any presentations will be held on June 21 in lieu of a Board meeting. General membership will have the opportunity to approve committee budgets in July.

It was discussed if there were sufficient funds to reimburse food and beverage expenses for monthly meetings. Abby Goodson made the motion to approve incurring such expenses. Craig Markham seconded. All voted to approve.

The motion passed. Margi Koors will provide food and beverage for the meeting in May.

Board Retreat

Abbey Bethel provided an overview of the purpose of a Board Retreat. The hope is to have an established list of goals to share with general membership so the Board may provide updates on progress throughout the year. Some new members were in favor of having the retreat this summer while others felt they needed more time in their new position first.

The Board ultimately determined that it is in a unique position to synthesize goals presented from the various committees during the budget proposal period, so it will plan to align its vision with those of the committees.

When the committees are presenting their budgets, they will be tasked with clarifying their goals for the year, and those goals will inform the Board’s own big-picture goals.

Margi Koors made the motion to adjourn at approximately 8:35 p.m. Adriano Martinez seconded. Unanimous approval.

The motion passed.

Comment

MARCH 2023 BOARD MEETING MINUTES

March 15, 2023

March Board Meeting

March 15, 2023

Board Members present included: Abbey Bethel, President; Debby Brown, Treasurer; Chris Currington, Secretary; Nancy Lambert; Craig Markhan; Karen Moske; and Gary Toribio.

Abbey Bethel called the meeting to order at 7:34 p.m. and welcomed attendees.

1. Secretary’s updates

Chris Currington discussed the procedure for approving General Membership and Board Meeting minutes to the end of his term as secretary. The minutes from the recent Special Board Meeting will take precedence over the others for bookkeeping reasons.

2. Treasurer’s report

Debby Brown said that she ran a financial report and SRG currently has ~$87,000, which does not include the $10,000 donation to the Beautification Committee for a special art installation in the neighborhood.

As for Mardi Gras and the SRG beer booth, there hasn’t been a check received from Mardi Gras Inc. yet for the portion of the booth’s beer sales, but additional money has been received from tips.

Abbey Bethel said that there will be opportunities for the Community Involvement & Events Committee to budget and put money back into the neighborhood. There will also be recruiting opportunities (dues) at the upcoming Membership Drive.

3. Retreat and follow-on activities

Craig Markham said that the next Board should focus on how to engage younger members. He’s held conversations, and there may be an opportunity to have a “mixer” (perhaps at Molly’s) with an hour of free drinks and appetizers with an opportunity to talk about SRG and make connections.

There was a discussion about conversations that Board members have had with various apartments and residents in the neighborhood. Craig added that the owner of the Lemp Mansion expressed that they’d rather be a part of Soulard, so there may be opportunities to expand SRG. Gary said that there may be opportunities to reenergize SRG, and that the bylaws can be revisited to expand the area.

There was a discussion about changing or not changing the name of SRG. If there would be any changes, it would be up to the General Membership to vote on it.

4. Beautification Committee

Karen Moske, Board Liaison to the Beautification Committee, discussed the following:

a. Richard Eaton, Chair of the Beautification Committee, had people come through Pontiac Square Park to work on flower beds, and they had to pick up hundreds of cigarette butts. Richard wants to get ash tray/cigarette butt containers by the benches. The Board discussed and said it would have no problem with this.

b. Previously, Jim Dallas and Michael Pastore wanted reassurance about any approvals for the sculpture (special $10,000 donation from Luke/Molly’s for a piece of art in Soulard). Richard wants to talk with Luke about where the art could/should go, and Richard wants the Board to be assured that it will know about the art selection and installation.

c. The Beautification Committee was asked if it could do anything about the homeless at Highway 44 and Gravois. Richard asked the neighborhood alderman, and the response was that nothing can be done because they’re not under an overpass, which is dangerous.

d. The pots (planters) on neighborhood corners haven’t been assigned watering responsibilities yet. Gary Toribio said that a lot of money comes in for neighborhood beautification, and that the next SRG Board should look at how to spend that money for beautification. The committee should be encouraged to spend more.

5. Fence at the Soulard Station

Karen Moske made the motion regarding the fence at the Soulard Station and moved to approve up to $12,000 for the fence, plus determining which of the three bids to approve from the Soulard Station Committee and the SRG Board. Craig Markham seconded the motion.

All voted in favor of approving $12,000 for the fence at the Soulard Station, plus determination by the Soulard Station Committee and SRG Board which of the three bids to approve.

The motion passed.

6. Historical Committee

Craig Markham, Board Liaison to the Historical Committee, said that the Historical Committee would like to sponsor the Landmark Association’s Trivia Night. The sponsorship will be $200. Abbey Bethel said this amount could fall under the Board’s charitable giving budget.

Craig Markham made the motion for the $200 sponsorship, to come from charitable giving, for the Landmark Association’s Trivia Night. Karen Moske seconded the motion.

All voted in favor of the $200 sponsorship.

The motion passed.

7. Safety Committee

Nancy Lambert, Board Liaison to the Safety Committee, reminded the Board members about the Safety Committee’s upcoming event at iTap and Epic. This will be a brainstorming event about what needs/can be done to improve neighborhood safety.

8. Adjourn

Karen Moske made the motion to adjourn the meeting. Craig Markham seconded.

All voted to adjourn the meeting at 8:07 p.m.

Comment

MARCH 2023 SPECIAL BOARD MEETING MINUTES

March 9, 2023

Soulard Restoration Group

Special Board Meeting

March 8, 2023

Board Members present included: Abbey Bethel, President-Elect; Debby Brown, Treasurer; Chris Currington, Secretary; Margi Koors; Nancy Lambert; Stephen Shuman; and Gary Toribio.

Abbey Bethel called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. The meeting was conducted via Zoom. Abbey said she wanted to convene the Board so it could formalize the resignation of Michael Pastore, President; communications; and not appointing a President-Elect.

Chris Currington made the motion for the Board to enter Executive Session. Margi Koors seconded the motion. All voted to enter Executive Session at 7:07 p.m.

Margi Koors made the motion to exit Executive Session. Steven Shuman seconded the motion. All voted in favor of exiting Executive Session at 7:48 p.m.

After exiting Executive Session, Abbey Bethel said that Friday, March 3, Michael Pastore submitted his resignation to Abbey and the SRG Board. Michael is no longer SRG’s President. Abbey Bethel will assume the position as SRG’s President and carry out the remainder of Michael’s term. There will not be a President-Elect appointed due to the upcoming SRG Board elections March 27. Communications will be shared verbally with General Membership, Committee Chairs, and the slate of SRG Board candidates ahead of the upcoming General Membership Meeting.

Gary Toribio made the motion to adjourn the special meeting. Margi Koors seconded.

All voted in favor of adjourning the special meeting at 8:06 p.m.

Comment

FEBRUARY 2023 BOARD MEETING MINUTES

February 15, 2023

February Board Meeting

Feb. 15, 2023

DRAFT Minutes

Board Members present included: Michael Pastore, President; Abbey Bethel, President-Elect; Debby Brown, Secretary; Chris Currington, Secretary; Jim Dallas, Past President; Margi Koors (via Zoom); Nancy Lambert; Craig Markham; Karen Moske; Stephen Shuman; and Gary Toribio.

Special Guest included: Walker Hamilton, Chair of SRG’s Plan Review Team Committee; and Peter Hoffman, Managing Attorney, Legal Services of Eastern Missouri.

Michael Pastore called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. and thanked attendees. Michael turned the meeting over to Abbey Bethel, President Elect, to run the agenda.

1. Legal Services of Eastern Missouri

Abbey introduced Walker Hamilton and Peter Hoffman. Walker is the chair of the PRT Committee, and also works for the city. He works with Peter Hoffman, Managing Attorney for Legal Services of Eastern Missouri (Legal Services), a nonprofit that serves 21 counties and provides assistance to low-income residents in civil matters such as evictions, public benefits, protections from the social safety net, domestic violence, and orders of protection.

Peter said that his team manages the neighborhood vacancy initiatives. There are about two dozen of them in the city and one outside of the city. The organization helps them improve the quality of life; one of the more persistent problems is a large number of vacant and abandoned properties. Soulard has been revitalized, but not all neighborhoods are in a similar position. Legal Services works on the vacancy prevention side, but then helps organizations deal with abandoned properties. Some neighborhoods have more power than they realize.

Legal Services has a program dedicated to vacant and abandoned properties, but it costs a lot to take care of abandoned properties. When properties reach a certain condition, such as a number of citizen complaints, then there are routes the city can go through to issue fines and citations. However, there are some caps of what the city can do with the fines and other fees. Some properties are owned by an LLC or a shell company, or the owner is deceased and heirs cannot be found, requiring other interventions.

SRG has the ability under the law to enforce code, and some claims can compel an owner to fix a property and bring it up to code.

There was a question about who files suits. Peter said it would be a neighborhood or nonprofit specific to preserving property values. There was a question about how successful suits have been. Peter said this is all he’s ever done; probably handled 1,000 cases at this point and every single property has been brought to minimum code compliance. Sometimes relief goes beyond this, like when owners are shell companies. There are receivership and expedited receiverships. But those suits are different than nuisance lawsuits. For receivership, the suit wants to take control away from the owner and give it to the neighborhood or third-party receiver to make sure the property is taken care of. However, the owner can come back – quite often, when the owner knows the property can be lost, they show up. Often, the cases settle, and the owner agrees to fix or sell the property. If a property is truly abandoned, then there is course to transfer title after the association has made changes. The property has to be abandoned for six months and no taxes paid for 12 months. With abandonment cases, Legal Services has brought more than $5 million in investment.

There was a question about a property that looks like it’s been abandoned for well over eight years. The owner pays his taxes, has been to court twice, pays the fines and walks away. Peter said this is a stalling point for the city. The fact that the property is current on taxes is not the basis for any of the lawsuits. The code violations are what gets the case to court. There needs to be a way to site the code violations on these properties.

Jim Dallas said that he appreciated Peter coming to the meeting, but asked Walker what he has in mind specific to Soulard and SRG and how we work with Peter. Walker said that he wanted to have Peter introduce himself and Legal Services so SRG knows there are options to fight blight or speculators. In Walker’s opinion, the most egregious issues aren’t necessarily housing related; they’re vacant lots that the city can’t maintain often enough. There are few properties left in Soulard that are truly vacant, and the neighborhood has tools to use to see them at least maintained and reflect well on Soulard.

Jim asked Walker if there were projects for the Board to work on with Peter, or would those projects be for Peter and the PRT. Walker said he’d talked to a couple people in other associations that had done an audit of properties, and he wanted to see what Soulard had. He doesn’t think PRT has a role other than reviewing construction plans if they were to come from any of the work with abandoned properties or those that don’t meet code. The SRG Board has to be the one to agree to take the legal routes.

Michael asked if SRG would contact Peter (Legal Services), given the address, and say how long the property had been abandoned. Peter said addresses are good, but then they have to research any conflicts of interest, who has legal interest in the case, and other matters. Peter said that Soulard is not a focus area for Legal Services; they go where the need is. Soulard is not in high need. Legal Services would look at the case, determine if there are funds to pay the lawyer (by knowing what money SRG has) before taking the case.

Abbey Bethel asked what the typical cost would be. Peter said a private attorney will give a range; he knows one attorney who started to take cases on a fee basis. Walker said that, if there was a property, SRG would pay based on its wherewithal. Karen Moske asked if there was a sliding scale. Peter said no. Debby Brown asked, for properties that are in receivership or abandoned, who the title transfers to. Peter said the court is taking away control, but the title remains in the name of the owner, control transfers to the HOA or receiver, and once improvements are made, then the title is severed.

Walker said that, based on personal experience, he has gone to meetings of another association that has assigned properties and tried to find people in the community who are vetted, fixes up the property and acts as the receiver, and end up with the property at the end of the two-year period.

Walker said he wasn’t sure what the next steps are, but Soulard has a vacancy problem with 62 parcels with varying degrees of problems. There are tools at SRG’s disposal, but beyond that, he’s not sure what the next steps are other than making sure the Board is aware.

Gary Toribio asked if this is something that PRT would want to take on and come back to the Board with recommendations. Walker said maybe, or there could be a separate working group. Stephen Shuman thanked Walker for bringing this up and having Peter at the meeting to explain. Perhaps this can be done on an ad hoc basis, such as finding the first property and see what can be done.

Abbey asked if there were any final questions. There weren’t any. Everyone thanked Peter and Walker.

There was a brief discussion about other properties (pergola at the The Doghaus; driveway across from the Great Grizzly). Walker said that timely notification is very important; if two years goes by and SRG decides there’s an issue, there’s nothing that can be done. Walker said to file a Citizen Service Bureau Request on the city’s website. There are situations where Walker knows the requests go to the right person and are handled the right way. Karen asked if this is something that should be promoted in The Renaissance (SRG newspaper) – how the process works. Walker said it could also be promoted on the SRG website.

Walker and Peter left the meeting.

Abbey asked the Board if it wanted to discuss this any further. It was decided to table and leave these issues with the future SRG Board.

2. Mardi Gras Beer Booth Update

Jim Dallas said that it looks like the weather will be good for Mardi Gras (to be held the coming Saturday), so good sales at the SRG beer booth are anticipated. SRG will use Julie Price’s location at 11th and Russell; volunteers will have access to her apartment for breaks and to get warm. Thirty-seven people to this point have signed up to volunteer, plus Michael Pastore and himself. There have been two training sessions: 1) tips, and 2) how to handle inebriated patrons. There were 10 others in the training, plus Michael and Jim. Michael also went to Horseshoe Casino for the Mardi Gras Inc. (MGI) training (when beer will be delivered, how to run the iPads, etc.).

Karen Moske asked if the booth will accept cash payments. Jim said it will. There will also be a limited selection of drinks.

Michael said that MGI is coming in and setting up for the beer booth. This is a lot less work but will result in less profit and less stress. Karen asked about the tips and if SRG keeps all or a percentage. Michael said SRG keeps all the tips. Karen asked if MGI will send a check for the tips received on the iPad. Jim said yes; tips are recorded on the iPad and MGI will send SRG the tip money. Margi asked about tip jars. Jim said he bought them that day.

There was a discussion about volunteer t-shirts, the limited quantity on hand, and how to handle additional shirts. There will be a sign-up sheet for volunteer t-shirts. There’s $700 left over in the budget for t-shirts. There doesn’t need to be approval of any additional budget at this point.

3. Community Involvement and Events (CI&E)

Abbey Bethel asked Stephen Shuman, Board Liaison to the CI&E Committee, to give an update. Steven said that there was inaccurate information about someone who was potentially interested in chairing this committee. This person is very interested in participating on the committee, but not chairing the committee. Chris Currington has expressed interest in being chair of this committee after his Board position as Secretary is completed. Abbey, as President of SRG, could pursue this and Chris would be the chair. Stephen said he wanted to bring this up as a path forward; we’re getting to a point where we need to get people’s attention so we have coordinated action in May, June, July and forward.

Chris said he’s very interested in chairing the committee and because he was a part of forming the mission for the current committee, he has a good vision about what it could be.

4. Treasurer’s Report

Debby Brown said that more than $10,000 was deposited as a result of SRG’s participation in Oktoberfest. However, SRG has ~$88,000 and having trouble using it. This does not include The $10,000 received from Luke Reynolds (co-owner, Molly’s in Soulard) for the Beautification Committee’s art installment (TBD). There was a discussion about the interest earned on the $10,000 received by Luke. For tax-reporting purposes, it needs to be included as income.

Jim Dallas asked if the taxes (2021/2022) had been filed. Debby said they were filed in September.

Michael Pastore said that, in the current issue of The Renaissance, there’s the Lift for Life Academy’s Profit and Loss, and asked why they’re putting their financials out but SRG isn’t putting anything in The Renaissance. He suggested that SRG do the same thing. Craig Markham said this was an excellent idea. Debby said she had no problem putting that information in The Renaissance.

5. General Membership Meeting Minutes

Gary Toribio said that Chris Currington mentioned something last month and asked if the General Membership Meeting minutes are approved by the General Membership at the meetings. Karen said that years ago, at General Membership meetings, the minutes would be printed and put on the tables. Then there would be a motion at the meeting to approve the minutes. Michael said he thought that was a waste of resources (paper). Stephen Shuman said he was looking at the bylaws, and they don’t say that minutes need to be approved. If there’s a Policy & Procedure in the manual that states they need to be approved, then they should be, but this doesn’t appear to be so. Abbey suggested this conversation be tabled for the moment and the approval of General Meeting minutes be confirmed at the next Board meeting. Karen said there’s a difference between publishing minutes, voting on minutes, and approving minutes. As long as the minutes are published to the membership, then the obligation has been met. Abbey said she would research this and validate it at the next meeting.

6. Soulard Station

Gary Toribio said that Bonita Leiber, Soulard Station Committee co-chair, is retiring from her profession and will soon be going on an extended vacation for a month. Laura Grace, co-chair, will fill in for Bonita.

Jim Dallas asked if there were any solid bids on the fence (extending the fence at the Station to create a safer yard area). Gary said there were a couple bids, but he’d have to check his email and texts. Margi Koors asked if SRG has any idea of the fence expense. Jim said that the grant to the Mardi Gras Foundation (MGF) asked for $10,000, but the cost will more likely be $13,000-$15,000. Gary said that on Jan. 18, Bonita sent a note that the amount would be ~$12,000 for the fence. Margi asked why SRG couldn’t do the project itself and wait for the MGF grant. Gary advised not to “jump the gun” right now, but SRG can check on this. MGF is going out with another grant request because there were projects approved pre-pandemic that weren’t accomplished. Michael said he doesn’t think SRG should spend the money and then hope it gets it. Abbey said the Board needs to receive one more quote, but the current quotes will expire the first week of February. Action will probably be after June and the new Board’s budget approvals.

7. Parlour Tour

Nancy Lambert, Board Liaison to the Parlour Tour Committee, said the committee held their post-Parlour Tour meeting. The committee may be looking for new members, and perhaps new successors for the responsibilities. The Parlour Tour is a lot of work for a small group of people. The committee is also discussing what to do next year, and they will be looking for a new volunteer coordinator. Michael said that limiting the event to one day has been positive and takes a lot of stress off the homeowners. Nancy said that going forward, the party afterward (Fete de Noel) will be limited to volunteers only. The Franklin Room is already booked for 2023.

8. Board Candidates

Abbey said that the slate of candidates for the upcoming Board election has been announced. The bios have been sent to Brenton Henry, Communications Committee chair, to be posted on the SRG website. There will also be information in the Blaster (email newsletter/communication) before the March meeting. Abbey needs to contact Billy Tomber about managing the electronic election.

Stephen Shuman said he noted that in the bylaws, electronic voting is clear, but in the Policy & Procedure, there’s a stipulation that electronic voting is tied to the pandemic. The Board may need to come with something and pass it to allow electronic voting. Karen Moske said there are still many things related to the pandemic under federal guidelines. Abbey said she would take on reviewing the existing Policy & Procedure, make suggestions, and send out in the next couple weeks. It will then be addressed at the next Board meeting. Michael asked about the timing allowed for electronic voting. Stephen said there’s no hard and fast rule, but about 10 days. There was a discussion about when to open the voting. Abbey said we could potentially open it March 29, the Wednesday before the April meeting, and then close voting by 8:15 p.m. at the April meeting; close the meeting; tally the votes; and communicate the new Board.

9. Departing Board

Gary Toribio asked if at the April Board meeting, there would be outgoing Board members and new Board members. Abbey suggested that at the March Board meeting, there be a brief business session, and then dinner as a Board one last time. The Board can decide by email where we meet and eat; March 15 is the next Board meeting.

10. Adjourn

Abbey Bethel made the motion to adjourn the meeting. Craig Markham seconded the motion.

All voted to adjourn the meeting at 8:41 p.m.

Comment

SRG Meeting Minutes

SRG GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING JANUARY 2024

SRG GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING DECEMBER 2023

SRG GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING NOVEMBER 2023 DRAFT

OCTOBER 2023 SRG BOARD MEETING MINUTES

OCTOBER 2023 SRG GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING DRAFT

SEPTEMBER 2023 SRG BOARD MEETING MINUTES

SEPTEMBER 2023 SRG GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

AUGUST 2023 BOARD MEETING MINUTES

AUGUST 2023 SRG GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

JULY 2023 BOARD MEETING MINUTES

JULY 2023 SRG GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

JUNE 2023 BOARD MEETING MINUTES

JUNE 2023 SRG GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

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MARCH 2023 GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES - DRAFT

MAY 2023 BOARD MEETING MINUTES

APRIL 2023 BOARD MEETING MINUTES

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