SRG Board Meeting Minutes May 2026
Soulard Restoration Group | Board Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, May 20, 2026 at 7PM
Soulard Station | 1911 South 12th Street
Minutes prepared by Andrew Paniello, Secretary
Call to Order/Opening Remarks
April Flores called the meeting to order at 7:02pm, using a new bell.
Welcome, New Board!
President April Flores welcomed the new board. She briefly talked about norms she hopes to establish on the board, as well as some of the goals for the coming year. These included incorporating the survey results into the budget, finishing the art installation, continuing the food truck conversation with other organizations, and generally improving board functionality. Long-term, we hope to finish the 1222 Allen project, improve policies & procedures, and create a charter for each committee.
Parlour Tour Chair
The Board heard from Neal Thompson, who is interested in chairing the Parlour Tour Committee. Neal has substantial experience working on the committee; some of his goals as chair would be to improve benefits for hosts, better volunteer tooling, and use new strategies to recruit additional homes.
Safety Tour Chair
Allyson Whipple and Dana Woodall spoke to the board, expressing dual interest in chairing the Safety Committee, which has been without a chair for several months. Possible areas of focus include safety walks, as well as the intersection at 12th and Allen.
Treasurer’s Report
Neil Putz, Treasurer, reported that our balance remained about the same, around $88,000. The tax submission has been turned in and the financial review is currently underway. Neil is working with Abbey Bethel on the Treasurer transition. We have received about $1,100 in donations towards the scholarship. The Board decided to establish a separate account for these funds but will look into best practices first.
Secretary’s Report
Andrew Paniello, Secretary, noted that the April minutes had been distributed, with additional minutes on the way. There have been several special meetings recently, which has slightly thrown off the usual reporting cadence. Andrew also thanked Abbey for taking notes in his absence during the May special meeting.
Committee Roundtable
Beautification: the park was recently cleaned. There will be a patio crawl on 6/27.
CI&E: There are five events planned for the year: Bastille Day (July), Bags/Cornhole Tournament (August), Rummage Sale (September), Movie Nights (October and November).
Communications: the committee is working on the technical backend and modifying their overall workflow. Website updates are on the way.
Historical: the committee is very excited for the upcoming Time Capsule burial, scheduled to take place on July 12th at the Soulard Station. They are also beginning to plan the ghost tour, scheduled for October 17th.
Membership: The May membership party was a big success.
PRT: The large mound of dirt has 90 days to be removed–fines are now starting to accumulate.
Station: The SRG received four bids for the upcoming stucco work. There are 5-6 events planned at the Station this summer.
1222 Allen: April Flores will continue as the liaison for the 1222 Allen project. The RFP deadline will close on 5/31. So far, one proposal has been received (from The Works).
Safety: John Durnell will serve as the Board’s liaison to the Safety Committee.
Ongoing Business
There will be a meeting to discuss the proposed food truck bill at The Brewery on 5/21. April Flores will be giving a short speech on behalf of the SRG.
There will be a Board retreat later in the year, with a date and more information to come.
Per our bylaws, members of the Board declared any possible conflicts of interest. These included:
John Cline: CID signage contract
Amanda Ramcharan: Gateway Arch Park Foundation
Linda Hoffman: married to Terry Hoffman (CID)
Jimmy Roberts: SBAC
Abbey Bethel: AB-Inbev, Brightside, MGI
Wade Weistereich: MGI, Rotary Club, real estate
John Durnell: Sts. Peter and Paul Housing Corp, CID
April Flores, John Hamilton, Andrew Paniello, and Neil Putz all indicated they do not have a conflict of interest.
The Board also discussed plans for our Pride sponsorship, the procedure for future MGI board appointments, as well as the results of the survey. Some of the ideas that gained the most attention included the bird boxes, splash pad, storage space, a new arbor for the garden, and positive social action.
New Business
April Flores distributed a draft of next year’s proposed budget. Budget presentations will take place on June 17th, with the remaining June Board business discussed on June 24th. Neil Putz distributed information relating to each of the committees, and then discussed the check process. The Board unanimously approved this process. The Board also unanimously agreed to move the July General Meeting from July 1st to July 8th. Finally, The Board voted to approve the contracts for the upcoming concert.
Before moving on to discuss the main topic for the evening, the Renaissance Pretty Proof Process, the Board discussed the prospect of voting on things over email. It was agreed that votes that require review or consideration will offer a window of time for feedback. In general, we will try to vote in person but may exercise votes via email, if needed.
Renaissance Pretty Proof Process
Abbey Bethel provided some context regarding the history of the Soulard Renaissance, noting an incident from a few years ago where an upset resident ran an “ad” that was really a critical article. This resulted in the SRG wanting to have more oversight of the paper.
Recently, an article was published in the Renaissance that caught some board members by surprise; the article discussed the process of reconciliation after some recent drama within the organization, though it also had some strongly critical components. It was published as a letter from the editor. A lively discussion arose regarding the article, covering subjects such as free speech, separation of power, liability, community, and modern media. Specifically, there was discussion regarding the role SRG plays relating to Renaissance, as well as the corresponding “pretty proof” delivered prior to publication.
The Board indicated it would like a little more heads up about what is being published in the Renaissance. Allyson Whipple, Editor, suggested this is what the pretty proof process is for; she then noted that she had withheld the pretty proof to see if anybody on the board would notice, which it appeared nobody did.
April Flores noted that these problems arose from process gaps, which we are looking to improve as a whole. Jimmy Roberts voiced concern about using a position of power to push a personal agenda. John Durnell compared the article to a letter to the editor; Wade Weistreich noted the editorial difference between a letter to and a letter from the editor. Neil Putz noted that the timing of this had undone some recent goodwill within the organization. Growing tired, the Board agreed on a desire to move on. The conclusion of this discussion was that we would come up with a new review process.
At 9:26, The Board entered into a closed session.
At 9:59, The Board exited its closed session.
The Board unanimously approved Neal Thompson as the new Parlour Tour Chair.
The Board unanimously approved Margi Koors to represent our organization at MGI.
The meeting adjourned at 10:01pm.
