General Membership Minutes, September 3rd, 2025 (Draft)

Sep 30

Written By Andrew Paniello

Wednesday, September 3, 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-Elect April Flores, filling in for President Amanda Ramcharan, called the meeting to order at 7:02pm.

50/50 Sidewalk Program

Sean Hadley, the city streets liaison, came to speak about the 50/50 sidewalk program and other efforts the city is undertaking to improve our streets. There have been a considerable number of improvements made in the 8th Ward, with additional funds set aside for later. The expansion of the CID will aid in the sidewalk improvement efforts. Moving forward, the city will pay 50% of the cost to replace sidewalks, but these replacements will be concrete, not brick.

Police Office Update

The Membership welcomed Officer McClendon, who was happy to report that crime in Soulard has considerably decreased compared to last year. Officer McClendon also fielded questions about issues in the neighborhood, including an abandoned green car, illegal dumping, and active encampments. There are rumors that there will be a crackdown on golf carts but this crackdown has not started yet.

Committee Roundup

Membership: Christina Del Azodi, chair of the Membership Committee, announced that there are new print rosters available for distribution. We also welcomed several new members. Christina then announced that the social would take place at RKM.
Safety: April Flores represented the safety committee; National Night Out is scheduled to take place on October 7th. The SRG has budgeted to support several block-based gatherings. April also noted that there are dusk to dawn porch lights available and that the Safety Committee is still looking for a new chair.
Beautification: Jeff Weitzel, chair of the Beautification Committee, reminded membership of the upcoming Patio Crawl, which will take place on 9/20 from 4-8pm. 7 houses will be featured on the tour. The crawl coincides with the Soulard Community Garden Party, which will help raise money for our beloved garden. Furthermore, the Beautification Committee will be having a fundraiser at Molly’s on 10/9.
Communications: Brenton Henry, Communications chair, discussed how we are moving ahead with the switch to Stripe and that the payment platform is being integrated into our committees. Additionally, issues of the Restorationist are being uploaded on to the website. Moving forward, we are looking at new membership platforms that will be better for reporting/communicating.
Community Involvement & Events: Brad Pitlyk, CI&E chair, announced that there will be a showing of The Nightmare Before Christmas on October 12th. There will also be another movie shown in November. Additionally, the committee is considering organizing a Halloween decorating contest in 2026.
Development: Chris Currington represented the Development Committee. Chris asked for volunteers at the upcoming concert, as well as volunteers at Oktoberfest, scheduled for October 10th and 11th.
Historical: the committee proudly announced that the first ever Historic Ghost Tour had sold out! With 100 tickets sold at $40 each, the tour generated about $4,000 in revenue for SRG. The tour is scheduled to take place on 9/27. Additionally, the committee is working on the time capsule, which will be kept at Soulard Station. The box will be about two cubic feet and will include letters, photographs, and items dated 2018-present.
Parlour: the Parlour Tour is generally looking for some additional help as it moves into its busier season.
PRT: Walker reminded us to ask committee questions about the historic code.
Station: Bonita had several positive announcements for the station, including a celebration for those who have been in the neighborhood for 30+ years, a sound system update, a reduction of our trash bill, and the receiving of $500 for our marathon cheering.

Alderperson Update

Jamie Cox Antwi, the Ward 8 Alderwoman, came to address the membership. Jamie briefly discussed a listening session she hosted at Pontiac Park and also mentioned that the session will resume on September 12th. A major focus of this session will be golf cart legislation.

Treasurer’s Report

Neil Putz, treasurer, updated us on our financial status. Our assets have slightly decreased and now sit at $83,030. This is largely due to the tornado relief donation ($5,000). Additionally, the SRG now has a debit card that can be used for subscriptions and a few other services.

Secretary’s Report

Andrew Paniello, secretary, announced that the August minutes had been posted. The membership then voted to approve the minutes.

Neighborhood Organizations

SBA: Shawn Caruso announced that the SBA will be accepting Mardi Gras art submissions–with a chance to win $500–up until 9/30. The theme for this year is Peace, Love, Mardi Gras.
CID: the CID was proud to put in some new banners, bringing the total to 90. A drinking fountain has been added to Pontiac Square Park. The CID is also working on contributing to the economic development plan for the neighborhood. This plan will cover every economic component of Soulard; the CID is actively looking for neighbor input.
KKV: the Krewe will host a trunk or treat event on October 12th, right before the planned showing of the Nightmare Before Christmas. We were also sad to hear about the passing of Lisa West.
Legion: the legion is hosting an appreciation event on 9/13, from 1-6, which will feature a pig roast, live music, food, and drink specials. There will also be a third friday happy hour, 9/19, and Drag Bingo at a date TBD.
Neighborhood Stabilization: fallout from the “Paint Louis” event this year was relatively limited. Additionally, a community help desk and digital literacy classes have been made available by the SLDC and Empower.
Coalition to Protect Cyclists and Pedestrians: the membership welcomed a traffic calming advocacy group. The group is particularly focusing on studying and initiating change along Gravois. The representative, Kyle, urged the members to ask Jamie to keep funding the study.

President’s Report

The board decided to file suit against 1222 Allen Avenue, with the blessing of the general membership.

Andrew Paniello and Maggie Teson will begin attending UMSL’s Neighborhood Leadership Academy.

The $5,000 scholarship from the Development Committee is still in the works. More details to come. We can also expect to hear more details soon about the Economic Plan.

April called the meeting to adjourn at 8:17pm.