General Membership Meeting Minutes, October 1, 2025 (Draft)

Nov 5

Written By Andrew Paniello

Soulard Restoration Group
General Membership Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, October 1, 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 7:02pm.

Committee Roundup

Safety: National Night Out is scheduled for October 7th; Soulard plans to have 3-4 gatherings, creating spaces for people to meet and mingle with their neighbors.
Beautification: Jeff Weitzel, chair of the Beautification Committee, noted that both the Patio Crawl and the Ghost Tour were major successes. Jeff also announced that there will be an Oktoberfest celebration and silent auction at Molly’s on October 9th.
Communications: Brenton Henry, Communications chair, kindly introduced the committee to the new members. He also mentioned that the committee is making revisions to the Soulard Star directory and that they are finalizing the new payment system.
Development: the development committee is looking for two additional volunteers at the Oktoberfest celebration on 10/11.
Membership: Christina Del Azodi, chair of the Membership Committee, announced that the social would take place after the meeting at Protagonist Cafe. She also mentioned that the new membership roster is available, the committee is exploring new membership database options, and enthusiastically introduced our five new members.
Communications: Brenton Henry, chair of the Communications Committee, stated that the committee was successfully able to use Stripe, our new payment processing platform, at the Patio Crawl. Brenton also briefly explained the role of his committee and said they were looking for some help with the newsletter.
Community Involvement & Events: Brad Pitlyk, CI&E chair, discussed the upcoming movie nights at Pontiac Square Park. The first will be the Nightmare Before Christmas, scheduled for 10/12 at 6:45. The second will likely be Lilo and Stitch, scheduled for 11/15 at 5:45.
Historical: the Ghost Tour was a major success! Veronica Putz shared that we have received a lot of positive feedback and people are already looking forward to the next edition. Veronica also mentioned that progress is being made with the time capsule, including getting quotes and making additional plans.
Parlour: the Parlour Tour will take place on 12/6-7 this year–two days to celebrate 50 years–and tickets will go on sale 12/1, for $50 each. Allyson Whipple mentioned they are looking for additional volunteers.
PRT: development has been somewhat slow in the neighborhood, likely due to seasonal changes and the increased cost of building materials.
Station: Bonita set a seasonal mood by playing the “Ghostbusters” theme. She made several announcements, including an upcoming ladies night on 10/14, candy at The Station on Halloween, and inflatable parade on National Night Out. She also mentioned that 22 people came, and enjoyed, the recent gathering of Soulard lifers (30+ years).

Treasurer’s Report

Neil Putz, Treasurer, announced that our asset accounts have decreased, as expected, to about $74,000. This was largely due to expenses from the Development and CI&E committees. Financially, the SRG is in great shape.

Secretary’s Report

Andrew Paniello, Secretary, announced that the most recent meeting minutes (from September) have been posted. He then asked for a vote to approve the minutes, which membership approved.

Organization Roundup

SBA: Shawn Caruso, representing the SBA, announced that they had received a lot of Mardi Gras poster submissions and that a winner will be announced on 10/10. He also said that anyone welcoming trick-or-treaters this year should email soulardhalloween25@gmail.com
SSBD: no updates.
CID: John Durnell was proud to announce that the CID-related trash cans had been successfully delivered. We also briefly discussed illegal dumping and that reports can be made via the CID website (soulardCID.org). Furthermore, John discussed the upcoming economic plan, historic scripting, and other CID-specific issues.
MGI: no updates.
Legion: the Legion will be hosting a third friday chili cookoff on 10/17. There will also be an early Thanksgiving celebration in November.
STLPD: no updates.
Neighborhood Stabilization: National Night Out is scheduled for October 7th. The Fairgrounds neighborhood association has scheduled a workday for 10/18.
SLDC: Lisa Otke provided a detailed update for the SLDC. Topics of discussion included the resources available for businesses and individuals, the benefits of the Northside Economic Empowerment Center (which can be used by Soulard residents), ConnectSTL, and the city landbank. More information can be found at developstlouis.org

President’s Report

Amanda made several announcements on behalf of the board. Ongoing topics of discussion included the SRG sponsoring a session at the Missouri Preservation Conference, as well as the lawsuit filed against the property owner of 1222 Allen. There are no buyers for the church yet, so the lawsuit is gradually moving along.

New topics for discussion included possible changes to our SRG liaison to the CID board, added insurance coverage for event volunteers, and a letter of support for MGI’s proposed tent near Social House. Beth Bennett will be stepping down from the board, with a replacement to be named soon; we are very grateful for the work she has done for our neighborhood.

The meeting adjourned at 7:51.