July 28, 2009 7:15
p.m.
46 attendees
President Mark Froese chaired the meeting.
Tanner LoGrasso, from the St Louis Area Agency on
Aging, spoke about the outreach activities performed by SLAAA (a division
of the city’s Department of Human Services.)
This agency coordinates community-based services for older adults (60
years of age or older) within the City of St Louis, such as home delivered
meals , non-medical personal care, homemaker chore services, benefit assistance
such as helping seniors sign up for Medicare, and respite care for caregivers.
Their objective is to maintain the maximum social and personal independence
and dignity for older adults in a home environment. They have several senior centers around the
city such as Grand Oak Hill. Although
they ask for donations, they never deny services or charge seniors for the
services provided.
Tanner distributed several handouts and the 2008 Resource Guide: Information for Older Adults directory.
Judy Lane, the 15th Ward Neighborhood Stabilization Officer, reported that the National Night Out Against Crime and Drugs will be held on August 4th from 6-9 p.m. She and Alderperson Jennifer Florida will be visiting the blocks that registered for the event. She also had The Club (automobile anti-theft device) available for purchase ($11).
Jennifer Florida, 15th
Ward Alderman, reported that 3853 Utah (a residence that has been unoccupied
and neglected for years) has been acquired by the City for back taxes. A Request for Proposal will be published to
find an agency to rehab the building.
Terry Freeland, from the East-West Gateway, spoke about the current
phase of the Great Streets Initiative project.
The first phase was meant to
collect concepts. The current phase will
result in a plan for the work, based on in-depth studies of various aspects of
the project. There is now approximately
$3 million of 100% committed Federal funds to go forward with the plan.
Kurt Culbertson, Chairman of Design Workshop, a
nationally-known design team selected for this work, spoke about all the areas
being considered including landscape planning, urban design, transportation
design (as opposed to transportation engineering), economics relating to the
retail aspect of the design, light
levels, automobile and pedestrian accident rates, crime rates, and accessibility. Design Workshop was given the Notice to
Proceed with the design on July 10th and they came to St. Louis to start work
on July 13th. Their deadline
is to have a set of construction documents and specs to the Missouri Department
of Transportation (MoDOT) by Dec. 1, 2009.
In order to do this, Design Workshop will host a series of charrettes (collaborative sessions in which a group of designers drafts a solution to a design problem; they serve as a way of integrating the interests of a diverse group of people.) These meetings will be held on August 10-12 and the times and locations will be published by East-West Gateway. Attendees will use keypad voting to indicate their design preferences and the results will be tabulated and mounted on the East-West Gateway Website.
There will be follow-up meetings in September and
October. The goal is to have
recommendations based on informed consent.
MoDOT has until March 1, 2010 to review these recommendations and
hopefully, the construction will start by fall of 2010.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:35
p.m. Thanks to Pat Edwards for providing
the cookies to go along with the soda and water provided by the
Association.
Claudia
Seifert, Secretary