SRG General Minutes- July 2026

Aug 4

Written By Andrew Paniello

Soulard Restoration Group
General Membership Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, July 8, 2026 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 April Flores called the meeting to order at 7:00pm sharp.

Police Report

Officer McClendon noted that crime in the neighborhood has decreased, though there was a murder in June.

Aldermanic Update

Alderwoman Jamie Cox-Antwi announced that there will be a town hall for the 8th Ward at the Serbian Church on 7/16. There is a lot to be discussed in upcoming sessions, including the water rate increase, the Rams settlement, traffic calming near Gravois, and other infrastructure projects. The membership then asked a few questions about the short-term rental legislation that was passed a few years ago, along with questions about the food truck bill. Alderwoman Cox-Antwi noted that the Soulard Market Vending District was removed from the bill following feedback received from Ward 8 voters.

Committee Roundup

Membership: The Membership Committee welcomed several new members and announced the pool will be open during the social. There was also an announcement from the owners of Bogart’s (BBQ) that it will be open later and they will be smoking even more meat.
Safety: Dana Woodall, the new chair of the Safety Committee, announced he is excited about the new position and is looking for new community safety ideas.
Beautification: April Flores stated that the patio crawl was a big success and there will be another one coming up, likely on 9/19.
Communications: Brenton Henry was pleased to announce the committee has made a lot of progress with the website, which will hopefully be rolled out (gradually) over the next 60 days. A primary goal of this update is to improve navigation and usability.
CI&E: Topher Jaworski, the new CI&E chair, exclaimed that there is a big weekend coming up. Bastille Day is on 7/11, with the parade starting at 3:30 and the concert starting at 6pm. The Soulard Time Capsule will be buried on 7/12. Other upcoming events include the cornhole (bags) tournament on 8/8 and the rummage sale on 9/26.
Development: The committee requested more volunteers to help with the Bastille Day concert. More merchandise has come in, including Bastille Day t-shirts.
Historical: The much anticipated burial of the Soulard Time Capsule will take place on 7/12, at 2pm, at the Soulard Station. Mayor Spencer and other neighborhood bigwigs will be in attendance. Maggie Teson’s press release gained a lot of positive attention–KMOV, Spectrum News, and others will cover the event.
Parlour Tour: Neal Thompson announced the 2027 Parlour Tour will, once again, be two days. There will be 22 tours, which is enough for 550 participants. The committee is exploring new ways to increase homeowner support. There will be a homeowner happy hour at Molly’s on 9/17.
PRT: James Sgroi stated that the massive mound–Mount Soulard–has reached its 90 days of notice, meaning that if the dirt is not removed very soon, the City will remove it themselves and charge the owner for it. As a reminder–if you are making changes to the exterior of your home, please let the PRT know.
Station: Following a playing of Woody Guthrie’s 1940 protest classic, This Land is Your Land, Bonita requested help at the station on the morning of 7/9, in order to prepare for the Time Capsule Burial.

President’s Report

The 2026-27 Budget, which had been distributed in June, was approved by the Membership. Two members abstained from voting, the rest voted in favor. No members voted against.

Jimmy Roberts has been appointed to represent the SRG at the CID.

The SRG has received a demand letter from Bob Printz, demanding to be reinstated on the SRG Board. The SRG has requested to have until 7/28 to respond, which was denied, though there is currently no litigation taking place. The Board, who is seeking legal advice, is exploring the best path forward.

Shawn Caruso expressed concern about the Board’s spending–it was then noted that the Board has $3,000 reserved for legal needs, and the situation at hand will cost less than that.

The conversation then took a different direction, when a member highlighted that there was a murder at Social House (see “Police Report” above). The membership agreed that something needs to be done about this spot in particular. Laura Leister passionately explained the work she has been doing to address this, noting she has also been working with Brenton Henry to revoke Social House’s liquor license.

Treasurer’s Report

Abbey Bethel, our new treasurer, announced that our asset accounts currently sit at $83,466.29. Recent line items include the legal retainer and the deposit for the marathon cheering section.

Secretary’s Report

Andrew Paniello, Secretary, called for a vote on the June 2026 General Meeting Minutes, which were unanimously approved. He thanked Laura and Brenton for their work to decrease neighborhood gun violence.

Organization Roundup

CID/SBA: Laura Leister gave updates for both the CID and SBA. The CID is working on an economic development study; it has formed a 9-person committee. There will be 6 meetings over the course of the summer, along with supporting town halls. The CID has installed 48 new pet waste stations and is working on a traffic calming plan. The CID has open meetings on the second Monday of every month. For SBA, Bastille Day is right around the corner–shirts will be available for $25.
SSBD: Shawn Caruso spoke on behalf of the SSBD, requesting support for a conditional use permit for a police substation in Soulard. Shawn urged the SRG to give a letter of support for this permit that night, before the meeting affecting this property will take place. James Sgroi (our new PRT chair) spoke up, indicating some concerns about the specific property that was selected, along with the urgency to draft a letter of support so quickly. The property, at 2340 Menard, is not on a corner and will be potentially used by STLPD 24 hours per day. Both Shawn and James fielded questions from the Membership. Another expressed concern is that the property is owned by Terry Hoffman (CID)--though there was no indication or accusation of any wrong-doing on Terry’s part (he also recused himself from the final decision), this led to some additional questions. James emphasized he does not have a problem with having a police presence, in general, but he is concerned about the timeline, along with zoning issues. There was a spirited debate about the difference between a conditional use permit versus a zoning variance–as well as how that difference relates to SRG’s bylaws. The final conclusion of the discussion was that the Board will look into the situation further and consider providing a letter of support, but will not be able to do so by the next morning.
SLDC: Lisa Otke represented the SLDC, noting that there will be a conditional use hearing the next morning at 8:30 (the issue mentioned above is one of many properties to be discussed at this hearing). The SLDC has two programs that are funded by ARPA, with connected cash that needs to be spent by 9/30. The City is stabilizing the Old Cleveland High School, in Dutchtown.
Neighborhood Stabilization: James Simpson that there will be a ZOUP meeting on 7/16, at 5:30pm. The City has distributed a survey about the trash system. Additionally, Goshen Coffee will no longer be receiving deliveries in the alley, following resident feedback.

The meeting adjourned at 8:43pm.