SRG Board Meeting Minutes Draft March 2026

Mar 21

Wednesday, March 18, 2026 at 7PM

Soulard Station | 1911 South 12th Street

Minutes prepared by Andrew Paniello, Secretary

Present

Officers: Amanda Ramcharan, President; April Flores, President-Elect; Adriano Martinez, Past President; Neil Putz, Treasurer; Andrew Paniello, Secretary

Directors: Joy Christensen, John Cline, Paula Dostal (joining remotely), Bob Printz, Mary Schlesinger, Wade Weistreich

Agenda

Call to Order/Opening Remarks

Amanda Ramcharan called the meeting to order at 7:03pm, announcing that additional meeting notes will be taken using Otter.AI. There were approximately twenty additional guests joining us in the audience.

Part One: Addressing Board Conduct/Concerns

President Amanda Ramcharan began the meeting by addressing some recent concerns that had arisen regarding conduct on the board. Specifically, she had received a call from City Hall that someone had been trying to dig up dirt on her using the City’s Sunshine Law (a law requiring the release of most communications involving public officials). Amanda Ramcharan brought copies of the sunshine law requests initiated by John Cline for her emails as a representative of the SRG Board to departments in city hall; these included emails to neighborhood stabilization team, planning commission, preservation review board, cultural resource office, the planning and urban design agency, and our alderwoman Jami Cox Antwi. She also shared a copy of all the sunshine law email results sent to John Cline, as well as her emails with Peter Hoffman (pro bono lawyer representing SRG for the lawsuit on 1222 Allen). Bob Printz was aware of these actions. Amanda characterized the actions as part of an ongoing pattern of disrespect and mistrust, noting Bob and John have repeatedly expressed views on how the Board should conduct business that are inconsistent with the bylaws.

Amanda highlighted that these criticisms started from the beginning of their terms on the Board in April 2025 and have been a consistent topic of every Board meeting. She summarized a few examples that were raised throughout the year. These included: 1. Amanda should not have been on a call with a lawsuit opponent in April 2025 without an additional Board member 2. In May, John Cline requested an emergency meeting to align on lawsuit communication and Adriano explained that there is no active lawsuit, therefore no liability to SRG in Amanda talking to the property owner 3. In July, John sent an email about changing the bylaws with respect to transparency, accountability, and democracy. The details of these changes were never shared. 4. In September, John raised a concern that the vote on the amendments should have been done differently. 5. In October, John and Bob stated that Amanda’s nomination of Mary Schlesinger to the Board followed the bylaws but in their opinion, Amanda should have reviewed a slate of candidates with the Board. This issue was raised in multiple Board meetings.

John claimed he took matters into his own hands after hearing complaints from a source he considered reliable regarding Amanda’s conduct related to a property. There was confusion since the Board has only been discussing the church at 1222 Allen. The property John referenced was the property on the opposite side of 12th street from the Soulard Station; properties the Board never discussed previously until this meeting. John, aided by Bob, suggested he had heard some neighbors state they worried the SRG was going to “pursue” their property (located across from Soulard Station). Amanda rebutted that the SRG has only focused on the burned church property at 1222 Allen, for a very specific reason, noting the SRG is not systematically doing anything, much less “going after” people.

Neil Putz spoke up, saying he recalls the Communication Committee identified a list of properties in disrepair, and they identified the church, so we as a Board targeted the church. Then the Communications Committee also identified the properties across from the station, but that was a while ago.

Wade summarized the accusation as follows: “So the accusation here that's been going around is that we, as an organization or individuals, are using this organization to acquire the buildings across the street for less than the market value. Is that correct?” John Cline acknowledged that this is what he heard and he brought it to Dan Guenther and provided April Flores’ contact info to Dan. He said he didn’t bring it to the Board as there was no information on it, nor did he believe the Board would take action.

Wade followed up, stating clearly that the Board has had lots of communication, emails, and at no point did anyone on the Board or SRG suggest that the doctor (owner of the church) needs to sell the church for less than market value. He emphasized the SRG never strong-armed anyone to do anything other than fix their building as we are not a real estate organization. Wade further noted that while Bob and John cited the mayor’s office as a reliable source of the allegation, that information itself originated from another, unknown source.

Mona Parsley gave a lengthy explanation for how this confusion may have arisen. The family of the property owner across from the station thought a law had been passed by the city about taking over derelict properties. The daughter of the owner alleged that she received a letter saying that the property will be seized beginning in June. A relative, who lives in Benton Park, was confused about whether this letter was from the city or from the SRG. Mona encouraged the family to either fix their buildings or sell them, as her experience in Benton Park was that the neighborhood association had seized buildings from negligent owners. The final conclusion from this portion of the discussion was that the SRG and Amanda had no involvement in sending a letter to the Cochran family (owners of the building across from Soulard Station), and never threatened the Cochran family, and that the general confusion was a product of misinformation and gossip.

The arguing continued, with Bob and John maintaining that the actions they took outside of the SRG were warranted due to their concern for the organization. Joy Christensen expressed intense concern about their agenda against Amanda and their conduct on the board throughout the year which was “anti-transparent”; this sentiment was backed up by other board members. Mary Schlesinger expressed her frustration, as she expressed since she’s been on the Board, every single meeting John and Bob bring drama that could have been eliminated with conversations. She then asked if they thought that every single person on the Board was corrupt.

Joy stated before John and Bob joined the Board we were doing all positive, good things, no drama. Then John and Bob came in with an unfounded agenda and made tension in all Board meetings. Only to find out today that these rumors started from the people who talk about wanting more transparency on the Board.

Many people acknowledged by raising their hands that they had heard the rumor. Amanda emphasized City Hall employees were frustrated and confused by the sunshine law requests John Cline made in January, and this has wrecked the SRG’s reputation in City Hall.

John and Bob were continually pressed for more information, including their motive and their original source, eventually requesting a “five minute recess.”

After a three minute break, the discussion continued.

Amanda asked John Durnell if he knew anything about the rumor. John Durnell said on the 2nd week of January, the chairman of the CID Board (Terry Hoffman) got a call from a deputy in the mayor’s office who wanted to know “what was the drama going on in the neighborhood”. It was suggested that Mitch and Amanda had a conversation with the owner’s daughter and it was hinted that the properties could be taken away. The daughter said she felt threatened and communicated her concerns to the mayor’s office. The mayor’s office called Terry Hoffman and Terry shared these details of the allegation with John Durnell.

Amanda asked John Durnell, as liaison to the SRG, why this allegation was not brought to the Board, and John Durnell said he felt that it was not his place to do so. Amanda pointed out that this allegation has not been discussed with the Board until today (9 weeks after Terry’s call with the mayor’s office). Joy asked if this behavior is against the SRG bylaws for conduct. Wade noted the conduct bylaws are vague. Neil stated there is a fiduciary responsibility of the Directors to protect the organization and its objectives. Joy highlighted that this behavior goes against these bylaws. John Durnell noted the name of the deputy Emily Thenhaus (deputy chief of staff).

Amanda said she does not have the email or phone number of the owner’s daughter and has never had direct contact with them. She noted she spoke to the daughter once at an SRG Social last year at the American Legion.

Mitch (Amanda’s husband) spoke up and summarized his interaction with the owners of the property in question in the spring of 2025 where he, in collaboration with Bob Brandhorst, presented them a framework for creating an arts district on 12th Street with the buildings. The family never responded to the letter and Mitch did not pursue further. Mitch noted that Amanda was not in favor of this project.

Bob Brandhorst noted that the purchase price would have been subject to multiple appraisals.

Joy highlighted the bottom line of these details is Amanda had nothing to do with the matter and SRG had nothing to do with the matter. Joy noted how disappointing the behavior has been.

Amanda noted that it has made working on the Board really uncomfortable as everything has been marked by ongoing suspicion.

Amanda emphasized that we are not going to treat April Flores, President-Elect, this way. We are going to give her the space she needs to be successful.

Although some questions were left unanswered and there was still tension lingering in the air, The Board decided to move on and continue with its remaining business.

Potential New PRT Chair

Jimmy Sgroi, an architect (currently HOK, formerly Trivers) with a background in historic renovation, is interested in replacing/supplementing Walker Hamilton as PRT Chair. He has experience working on both large and small projects, seeks to work cooperatively with various neighborhood groups, and aspires to overhaul the Historic Code. Jimmy fielded questions from the board, which included topics such as rezoning the Boys and Girls Club, as well as his top priorities.

Ad Hoc Committee

The Board, following up on a previous goal, announced the Ad Hoc Committee that will help with the 1222 Allen project. Specifically, we welcomed Kevin King, who has done 10 historic renovations, including three in Soulard. Kevin has a lot of ideas for the building; next Wednesday, there will be a walkthrough of the property.

The Board unanimously (10-0) voted to approve $800 for a lift, for accessing the property.

The Board unanimously (10-0) voted to confirm Kevin King as leader of the Ad Hoc Committee.

Treasurer’s Report

Neil Putz distributed our financial report, which revealed that our accounts had slightly declined, by about $1,000, and are now hovering around $90,000. He also discussed renewing SBA Membership ($25), our accounting process, and announced he has some checks that need to be signed/distributed.

Secretary’s ReportAndrew Paniello noted that The Board has already voted to approve the minutes from February, therefore, there was no need for an in-person vote. He also promised to finish the March Board minutes as quickly as he could, given the important information discussed in the meeting.

Committee Roundtable

Beautification: There will be a cleanup in Pontiac Square Park on 3/21, from 1-3pm. There will be an art auction on 4/11 from 1-5pm at Jeff and Susan’s (Lark). A cardboard mockup of the butterfly sculpture has been completed, with a mini-steel model coming soon.
Community Involvement & Events (CI&E): The CI&E committee is creating a hang tag with Soulard events for the year; Brad Pitlyk requests committee chairs to notify him about the events they’d liked included. Planning continues for the 4/25 Scholarship Trivia Night.
Communications (ComCom): There were no immediate ComCom updates. However, April Flores briefly discussed the voting process, including mechanisms for fairness and accuracy.
Development: the Committee continues planning the upcoming concerts, Bastille Day, and new merchandise (including 50 Bastille-specific shirts).
Historical: Joy Christensen was happy to announce that the Time Capsule event was a big success–more than 20 letters were added, with more on the way. Additionally, Ron Christensen will be giving a presentation at the next committee meeting.
Membership: there are 313 people eligible to vote in the upcoming SRG Election (4/1). The membership party will take place on May 6th, from 6:30-9, at Jeff and Susan’s (Lark). The theme is Peace, Love, and Soulard. The party will include a bartender, kid’s activities, photos from the 1960s, and more.
Parlour Tour: No update.
Planning Review Team (PRT): No update.
Properties/Station: April Flores mentioned that we are looking into new ways of pricing insurance for rental events. The Board unanimously voted to approve the new pricing and policies. Upcoming changes include the possible addition of a moveable gazebo, new stucco, and heating upgrades.
Safety: No update.

CID Update

John Durnell discussed changes planned for the “Soulard Triangle”; these include the removal of the current plants, the addition of a stamped 3-4 foot border, a pedestal with potted plants, and distinct pot patterns specific to Soulard. He also mentioned upcoming changes to Pontiac Square Park.

New Business

Nomination Committee
- April Flores announced that the Nomination Committee has been disbanded (on 3/11), having served its intended purpose. She also provided a brief history of the committee. It was formed in December ; on February 23rd, the slate was emailed to The Board; on March 4th, the slate was presented at the General Meeting; on March 8th, John Cline approached April about campaigning misconduct allegations and election tampering concerns. On Wednesday March 11th, the Nominating Committee officially disbanded via a clarifying email.
- April took these allegations and concerns seriously, stopped endorsing any candidates, and sent a clarifying email regarding election oversight. The election will use a double-blind counting system organized and administered by the Communication and Membership Committees. John said he is not concerned about the counting but about the campaigning. April claimed her endorsements were in accordance with our bylaws. She also looked at the bylaws of comparable groups, for reference. The Board once again dove into a common topic of discussion: the blurred lines between legality and morality. This concluded the final update from the Nomination Committee.

At 8:46PM, The Board agreed to enter into a closed session, with the stated purpose of further discussing the concerns raised in the aforementioned “Board Conduct” discussion. All remaining guests leave the room.

[CLOSED SESSION]

At 9:35PM, the closed session concluded, and The Board resumed its open session. At this point, John Cline and Bob Printz left the meeting.

Adriano Martinez motioned to remove John Cline and Bob Printz from their positions on the SRG Board. Joy Christensen seconded. Of the remaining members in the meeting, the motion passed (8-0).

April Flores motioned to issue a vote of “No Confidence” for John Cline, regarding his upcoming candidacy for SRG president-elect. Wade Weistreich seconded. Of the remaining members in the meeting, the motion passed (8-0).

Lastly, The Board (8-0) voted to approve Jimmy Sgroi as PRT Committee Chair.

Following the vote, the group briefly discussed what might happen next. Andrew Paniello, Secretary, suggested awarding the two-year board seats to the top-two vote getters in the election (as planned), while rewarding the one-year board seats (formerly John Cline’s and Bob Printz’s) to the third and fourth place vote getters. There was some agreement behind this idea, though we decided to table that discussion for later.