SRG General Meeting Minutes April 2025
General Membership Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, April 2, 2025 at 7PM
Minutes prepared by Abby Goodson, Secretary
PRESENT
Officers: Adriano Martinez, President; Amanda Ramcharan, President-Elect; Abbey Bethel, Past President; Neil Putz, FY25 Treasurer; Abby Goodson, Secretary
Directors: Joy Christensen, Aaron Terry, Wade Weistreich
REGRETS
Directors: Beth Bennett, Paula Dostal, Alan Ziegler
LOCATION
Saints Peter & Paul Parish Hall in the Rose Room | 816 Allen Ave
Call to Order/Opening Remarks
President Adriano Martinez called the meeting to order at 7:03pm and announced this is his last meeting as President.
Round Table — Committee Updates
● Membership
Christina Del Azodi, Membership Committee Chair, announced that the Board approved the committee’s request to increase the budget for the 50th Anniversary Membership Party/Drive with the theme of “Glitz and Glam”; invited everyone to renew their membership in advance of the membership party on May 7 at The Franklin of Soulard; asked for a volunteer photographer to take photos at the party; and welcomed everyone to the social after the meeting at Matt Risser’s home located at 1850 South 9th Street.
● Safety
Jim Dallas, Safety Committee Member, shared that the committee plans to meet soon to discuss plans for the summer; noted there will be a Safety Walk and a Neighborhood Watch orientation scheduled in May; and invited people to join the committee by emailing safety@soulard.org.
● Beautification
Jeff Weitzel, Beautification Co-chair, announced a Pontiac Square Park clean-up event
on Friday, April 11 in advance of the Easter Egg Hunt, and added that street pot planting will begin in mid-April.
● Communications Committee (ComCom)
Brenton Henry, ComCom Chair, said he will be meeting with the Board to discuss the transition and implementation of the new payment processing system; announced they will be making website updates over the next few months; and added they are working with the Board on the nuisance property (burned church) at 1222 Allen. Amanda Ramcharan added that a letter had been sent to the property owner, Gurpreet Padda.
● Community Involvement & Events (CI&E)
Brad Pitlylk, CI&E Chair, had three event updates:
○ Soulard Rummage Sale: May 17 from 9am–2pm. 13 registrations so far, with a registration deadline of April 18 at soulard.org/sale.
○ Bastille Day: July 12 — Megan and Jeremy Mehrle were selected as this year’s royalty in the parade.
○ Health & Wellness Event in June: Reach out to community@soulard.org if you have a business that would like to participate.
● Development
Jim Dallas, Development Chair, announced the Summer Concert Series dates for this year: July 12 (right after Bastille Day Parade), August 9, and September 6 at Soulard Market Park at 6pm. He also added that Soulard merchandise will be available for purchase at the membership party on May 7, and highlighted a new item: Soulard visors.
● Historical
Neil Putz, Historical Chair Secretary, shared that the committee is in the process of planning the fall Ghost Tour this October and added there are about 6–7 homes with stories that will be featured on the walking tour.
● Parlour Tour
Jeanne Kirby, Parlour Tour Chair, did not have an update.
● Code & Zoning and Plan Review Team (PRT)
Walker Hamilton, PRT Chair, reported three updates:
○ 1041 Shenandoah and 2701 South 11th Street: Both properties are looking to build garages, though each is slightly different in scale and design.
○ 2400 S 11th Street: Property is being converted into two fee-simple townhomes and is working with PRT on finish details.
○ 1000 Barton: Tree is coming down. They have a permit from the city and have agreed to make sure the new sidewalk there provides a nice large tree well.
● Properties (Station)
Bonita Leiber, Properties Chair, dressed as an inflatable dinosaur to announce that she is organizing an inflatable costume cheer station at the Soulard Station for the St. Louis Marathon on Saturday, April 26 at 7am and welcomed everyone to join. She added that the monthly Ladies of Soulard meet-ups have been successful and that they are
organizing an inflatable costume pub crawl on May 6 around the neighborhood. She also asked for volunteers to help clean up the weeds on a regular basis at the Soulard Station.
Treasurer’s Report
Neil Putz reported on financials:
● Checking: $55,599.31
● Savings: $1,003.68
● Money Market #1 (Molly’s Donation): $12,059.52
● Money Market #2 (SRG Growth Account): $44,299.66
Total assets: $112,962.17
Neil Putz shared that an $1,800 check went to a tax preparation company.
Secretary’s Report
Abby Goodson announced that a draft of the March 5, 2025 general membership meeting minutes was attached to the Blaster email that went out yesterday. Becca Gilberg moved to approve the minutes. Allyson Whipple seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
Crime Report
Officer Gregory McClendon reported a 60% decrease in crime over the past 28 days, and said that he passed along the information about the drag racing in Kosciusko to Captain Amanda Dickerson, who said they will have officers patrol the area.
Elections
Adriano Martinez thanked the board members, whose terms were expiring, for their service:
● Abbey Bethel, Past President
● Abby Goodson, Secretary
● Aaron Terry, Director
● Alan Ziegler, Director
Jim Dallas added a special thank you to Abbey Bethel, for her dedication and extended service in the role of President.
Adriano Martinez presented the 2025–2026 slate of board candidates to the general membership:
● April Flores, President-Elect
● Andrew Paniello, Secretary
● John Cline, Director
● Bob Printz, Director
● Wade Weistreich, Director
Billy Tomber motioned to approve the slate of candidates. Laurie Becker seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
Adriano Martinez congratulated the newly-elected board members and shared the full 2025–2026 board composition:
● Amanda Ramcharan, President
● Adriano Martinez, Past President
● April Flores, President-Elect
● Andrew Paniello, Secretary
● Neil Putz, Treasurer
● Directors: Beth Bennet, Joy Christensen, John Cline, Paula Dostal, Bob Printz, Wade Weistreich
Alderperson Update
No update.
Soulard Neighborhood Organization Updates
● Soulard Business Association (SBA)
Shawn Caruso, SBA Executive Director, announced three events:
○ Easter Bunny in Soulard event with Krewe of Vices and Virtues (KVV) on
Saturday, April 12 from 12–2pm in Pontiac Square Park
○ Soulard Rummage Sale on Saturday, May 17 from 9am–2pm
○ Bastille Day on Saturday, July 12 at 4pm (He asked for volunteers to help with the parade by contacting soulardbiz@gmail.com)
● Soulard Special Business District (SSBD)
Luke Reynolds, SSBD Chair, shared that SSBD is funded by a real estate tax established in the early 1990s. The district supports neighborhood safety through off-duty police patrols from 6pm–2am and a surveillance camera system connected to SLMPD. They also offer a car club program—interested residents can sign up at Star Agency on Russell. SSBD meets monthly at Molly’s, 6:30pm on the second Monday.
● Community Improvement District (CID)
Terry Hoffman, CID Chair, announced the CID expansion passed, adding 50 new businesses—20% of which are sales tax-generating. The 1% sales tax revenue is expected to begin in May or June. Improvements underway include installing ~20 trash and 15 pet receptacles, new banners/signage, and tree pruning by Davy Tree in the expansion area. CID is working with the Parks Department to install two new water fountains—each featuring three separate options: a standard fountain, an
ADA-accessible fountain, and a dog drinking fountain—at Shenandoah & 9th and near the playground in Pontiac Square Park. Traffic calming efforts are on hold until street repaving is completed; 13 intersections are prioritized along 12th, Russell, 9th, and Lafayette. In response to a question, Terry clarified that brick-and-mortar stores collect a 1% sales tax, while online purchases are subject to a 1% DOR usage tax.
● Mardi Gras Inc. (MGI)
Nancy Lambert, MGI President, announced that the Post-Mardi Gras neighborhood forum is Thursday, April 3 at the MGI office (2200 Dolman) from 6–7pm and all are invited to share feedback and collaborate on ways to improve it in the future.
● St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC)
Lisa Otke, Neighborhood Manager for SLDC, did not have an update.
● Krewe of Vices and Virtues (KVV)
Levi Cullifer, KVV Liaison, did not have an update.
● South Broadway Athletic Club (SBAC)
No updates.
Neighborhood Stabilization Update
Adriano Martinez shared an update from James Simpson, our Neighborhood Improvement Specialist:
● The city filled 27 potholes in Soulard in the month of March, including some major ones at 13th and Lami and at Russell and 9th.
● Stop signs were replaced on 9th and Victor and at 9th and Utah.
● There will be an electronics recycling event on the morning of April 12 at 1640 S. Kingshighway. They'll recycle anything with a power cord or a battery! Document shredding is available too.
President’s Report
Adriano Martinez asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting at 7:52pm. Brad Pitylk moved. Aaron Terry seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
Next Meeting
Wednesday, June 4, 2025 at 7pm because the 50th Anniversary Membership Party will be held on Wednesday, May 7 at The Franklin of Soulard.
