SRG Board Meeting Minutes January 2026

Mar 4

Written By Andrew Paniello

Soulard Restoration Group | Board Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, January 21, 2026 at 7PM
Soulard Station | 1911 South 12th Street

Minutes prepared by Andrew Paniello, Secretary

Call to Order/Opening Remarks

Amanda Ramcharan called the meeting to order at 7:03pm, wishing the members a Happy New Year.

Historical Committee Update

Neil Putz began the meeting by declaring the Historical Committee needs an additional $2,000 to complete the time capsule project. The increased budget will account for the kickoff event, burial ceremony, special paper/supplies, media outreach, legal costs, and other additional expenses. Adriano Martinez motioned to increase the budget, Bob Printz seconded, and the motion was unanimously approved.

Treasurer’s Report

Neil Putz, Treasurer, reported that the total assets on hand was about $96,000, down from $106,000 in the last report. The primary expenses included the Parlour Tour Bus payment, the Franklin Room payment, and the check made to American Legion (Oktoberfest). There will be an upcoming financial review with our accountant, Jason Green.

Secretary’s Report

Andrew Paniello, Secretary, announced that the drive is up to date and that voting on the previous minutes would occur via email. He also thanked Mary Schlesinger for taking notes in his absence (December General Meeting).

Committee Roundup

Beautification: no updates
CI&E: Adriano Martinez was the winner of the holiday decorating contest. There will be a trivia night on April 25th at the South Broadway Athletic Club. The funds raised from this will contribute to a neighborhood scholarship.
Development: the committee recently made a large payment to the American Legion, thanks to their help with Oktoberfest. The committee is also working on coordinating the concerts and revamping the merchandise program.
Communications: there was no meeting this month, as Brenton Henry was dancing with Jennifer Lopez.
Historical: in addition to Neil’s comments about the time capsule increase, Joy mentioned that we are already starting to plan the ghost tour for 2026.
Membership: (see “JoinIt” info in New Business)
Parlour Tour: The liaison position for Parlour Tour is currently open. Neal Thompson is interested in leading the committee. Jeannie Kirby came by to give us some ornaments and extra tour brochures.
PRT: A property at 10th and Barton has been working through the stop work orders. Another stop order was issued at 11th and Barton, nearby. A paper goods store will open near the intersection of 13th and Sidney.
Station: The December social at the Station was a big success. They are currently working on new policies and procedures for renting it. There will be a small budget update in February.
Safety: the seat is still open. Crime is down.

Old Business

The lawsuit at 1222 Allen has finally been served! The other party now has 30 days to respond. We will be paying close attention to possible options for the building.

New Business

The SRG will be holding its annual election in April. April Flores is leading the nomination committee. There is a substantial amount of interest this year; the positions that are open include President-Elect, Treasurer, and three board seats. The board unanimously approved electronic voting. We also discussed procedures for vacancies.

The Board approved a $5,000 contribution to the Economic Plan, along with a strong recommendation that the next board contributes an additional $5,000 (we cannot commit funds for future sessions).

Christina came to briefly present “JoinIt”, the new membership database. Topics of discussion included the directory, platform management, organizing, and upgrades. Currently, we have 304 Active Members in the database, along with 575 inactive members. The platform will be very useful for future communications.

Throughout the New Business portion of the meeting, there was substantial discussion on our partnership with MGI. We eventually tabled that portion of the discussion.

The Board decided that on 2/2, there will be a discussion about budget priorities for the next year, broken down by committee. Members are encouraged to bring fresh ideas.

Finally, the Board expressed support for making a $250 donation to Soulard Pride, as well as support for doing another marathon cheering section.