General Meeting Minutes- February 2026

Mar 4

Written By Andrew Paniello

Soulard Restoration Group
General Membership Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, February 4, 2025 at 7PM

Minutes prepared by Andrew Paniello, Secretary

LOCATION
Saints Peter & Paul Parish Hall in the Rose Room | 816 Allen Ave

Call to Order/Opening Remarks

President Amanda Ramcharan called the meeting to order at 7:00pm sharp.

The Membership welcomed the Walshes, from the Franklin Room, who spoke about an upcoming mystery dinner series. Tickets are $55 per person, with $10 going to the SRG. The event, themed “Redneck Wedding”, will take place on 3/13. Everyone who comes will get to play a part in the mystery.

Tim Larson, Executive Director of MGI, came to speak about Mardi Gras plans. Tim stated that parking passes had been mailed on 1/23 but if you didn’t get one, you could grab it from MGI. Mardi Gras will be organized similarly to previous years, using a central command center. There will be more than 1,000 port-o-potties. The pet parade will take place on February 12th. Tim then fielded questions from the Membership, mostly related to cleaning and trash cans.

Donna Baringer, St. Louis City Comptroller, was a welcomed speaker. She briefly discussed Mardi Gras, the Mayor’s Ball, and the tornado fund. She thanked the neighborhood for the major financial contributions we generate for the City. She also mentioned the City’s records digitizing process, as well as the recently launched newsletter.

AJ, representing Jamie Cox-Antwi (our Ward 8 Alderwoman), gave a brief update about the City. It’s Mardi Gras season, meaning Soulard will be getting an increased amount of attention. The next aldermanic session begins in April; topics that will be covered include the now bus-oriented Green Line, water division changes, tornado relief, budgeting, taxes, and more. On 4/7, we will vote on whether to reauthorize the 1% payroll tax, which our alderwoman supports.

Committee Roundup

Membership: Christina Del Azodi, chair of the Membership Committee, announced that the social would take place after the meeting at the South Broadway Athletic Club (SBAC). She was also happy to announce that JoinIt, our new membership platform, is now live–the new platform has many benefits and will remind you seven days before your membership expires. Christina also welcomed three new members to the SRG.
Beautification: Jeff Weitzel, chair of the Beautification Committee, enthusiastically announced that Julie Price had, once again, won the pot decorating contest–in addition to bragging rights, she was awarded $100. There will be a meeting on 2/19 at 6pm, at Jeff & Susan’s spot.
Communications: Brenton Henry, Communications chair, spoke about how JoinIt will be used in our broader communications plan. He also announced that he is looking for a co-chair to help with communications.
Development/CI&E: Chris Currington spoke on behalf of both the Development and CI&E committees. He discussed the general structure of the committees, and how they have changed. He also discussed the upcoming trivia night, 4/25 at SBAC, which will raise funds for a neighborhood-based scholarship. Lastly, he mentioned that there are dusk to dawn bulbs available, just ask Jim Dallas.
Historical: Veronica Putz was thrilled to announce that on March 8th, there will be an open house for our upcoming Time Capsule. The event will take place at the Soulard Station from 1-5pm.
PRT: Walker Hamilton reminded the membership to please talk to him about any exterior changes you would like to make to your home.

Treasurer’s Report

Neil Putz, Treasurer, announced that our asset accounts have remained about the same, hovering around $96,000. The major revenue source for the month was the checks for the concert; the major expense was the $5,000 donation to the CID.

Secretary’s Report

Andrew Paniello, Secretary, announced that the January minutes had been posted; he asked for a vote to approve them, which was unanimous. We thanked Mary for her taking the minutes in his absence. He also noted that all board minutes were up to date.

Crime Report

Officer McClendon reported that crime was down overall. However, there was a murder, which resulted from a conflict at a restaurant (the case has been solved). The City is planning a strong police presence for Mardi Gras.

Organization Roundup

CID: Terry Hoffman discussed the CID’s contribution to salting prior to the recent snowstorm. He thanked the SRG for their $5,000 donation to the CID’s economic plan. The CID has received 23 responses to their request for proposal. Additionally, Terry announced that the CID is contracting John Cline and Bob Printz, two SRG Board Members, to help with scripting for its proposed signage project.
KVV: The Krewe of Vices and Virtues is hard at work on their Mardi Gras float. They will also begin planning for Soulard Pride on 2/17.
Neighborhood Stabilization: James Simpson reported that the city is working on adding handicap parking spots. He also answered questions about the short-term rental ordinance and wished everyone a Happy Mardi Gras!

President’s Report

Amanda was happy to announce that the lawsuit at 1222 Allen had finally been served. She also announced that the nomination committee is looking for candidates for treasurer, president, and director. The Board has approved electronic voting–more details to come.

Other recent changes include an expansion of the time capsule budget and organizing committee budget ideas. Additionally, Mary Schlesinger announced a seminar called Building Groups for Community Defense, organized in response to recent ICE raids across the country, which would take place on 2/21

The meeting adjourned at 8:17.