Crestwood Point TIF Notes: Sandra Battas, Vice President of the Corporate Trust Department at UMB Bank, N.A., informally notified the Finance Officer on February 8, 2010, that sufficient funds were on-hand to make the final payment of the Crestwood Point TIF Notes on March 1, 2010. The City will not remit any more funds to the Trustee. Instead, these funds will be held until formal notice is given and the Trustee refunds excess funds on-hand. At that time, the funds will be redistributed to the affected taxing districts by St. Louis County in accordance with the redevelopment plan. Then, formal closure procedures for the TIF will commence.
New Business Flow Chart: In response to feedback from the Discover Crestwood Program, Public Works staff has completed a flow chart which clearly and simply outlines how to open a new business within the City of Crestwood and the steps necessary to complete the permitting and licensing process. This flow chart will be located on the new website under Permits & Licenses.
Update from The Emergency Communication Commission: At the St. Louis County Municipal League meeting on January 28, 2010, the chairman of the Emergency Communication Commission (Florissant Police Chief William Karabas) provided an update on the Commission’s activities, which included: developing a set of Bylaws; working jointly with St. Louis and St. Charles Counties to complete an RFP for the new communication system while meeting all FCC deadlines; submitting the Commission’s first proposed budget to the County Council; submitting a request to the FCC to extend the September 2010 deadline for licensing; and examining borrowing options. The 1/10 cent sales tax approved in November will begin to be collected in stores beginning April 1, 2010. The Commission meets the second Monday of each month at 9:00 am in the County Council Chambers in Clayton, and the meetings are open to the public.
Discover Crestwood Update: Since its inception in October, more than 120 local businesses have enrolled in the Discover Crestwood business directory and discount program. The names of participating establishments can be found on the Discover Crestwood Business Directory, located on the City of Crestwood’s website, as well as on facebook and twitter. More than 70 of those businesses offer a discount to shoppers. When the new website is launched at the end of the month, shoppers will be able to search for businesses by function/category, as well as by name and address.
Solicitors: At the February 9, 2010 meeting there was some discussion about solicitors and the permits required for solicitors. Section 13-27 of the Municipal Code prohibits soliciting, peddling, or hawking on private property. Established religious and charitable organizations are exempt from this restriction. Please contact the City Administrator if you have any questions on this restriction.
Training Grounds – 8800 Watson Road: At the February 9, 2010 meeting there were some questions about the progress of the new Training Grounds business. On February 10, 2010 Joe Grasso was contacted by the City Administrator and reported that he is currently being delayed due to HVAC modifications. Mr. Grasso does not have a projected opening date at this time. Please note that many of the problems related to this project are due to building code requirements related to converting this facility from a “retail” use to an “assembly” use. The City’s building code requirements are administered by St. Louis County.
Sappington Square: On February 16, 2010 representatives from Pulaski Bank met with the City Attorney, CID District Counsel, and the City Administrator regarding Sappington Square. During that meeting Pulaski Bank indicated that they are actively working to lease this property and look forward to working with the City of Crestwood on improving that center. CID District Counsel is in the process of providing requested information to Pulaski Bank. Anyone with questions regarding this property should contact the City Administrator.
Pay Plan: City Staff continues to work on a draft Pay Plan and in recent weeks significant progress has been made. I anticipate that the Civil Service Board and/or the Board of Aldermen will receive a draft version of this plan in the coming weeks.
Municipal Court: During the month of January, the Municipal Court entered 241 cases. There are currently 1,271 cases considered active and 958 cases in warrant status.
Monthly Police Reports: Comprehensive reports detailing monthly police department activities are located on the City’s website. Anyone desiring more information on police activity is encouraged to view these reports.
Earthquakes Mean Business Seminar: Deputy Police Chief Frank Arnoldy attended the Earthquakes Mean Business seminar at St. Louis University on Friday, February 5th. The program included sessions related to the Haitian earthquake, the latest information about the New Madrid seismic zone, and a historical look at the 1811 – 1812 New Madrid earthquakes.
STARRS Advisory Council: Deputy Police Chief Frank Arnoldy attended the STARRS Advisory Council meeting on Thursday, February 11th at the STARRS’ office in downtown St. Louis. Deputy Chief Arnoldy was there to answer questions about the Community Preparedness Subcommittee’s request for ID machines for the Citizen Corps Council programs in the region. The Advisory Council tentatively approved the program pending submission of further information by the Community Preparedness Subcommittee.
CERT Program at the Principia Campus in Town & Country: Deputy Police Chief Frank Arnoldy presented two sessions of the CERT program at the Principia campus in Town & Country on Tuesday, February 16th.
Grant Award to Police Department: The Department of Public Safety has informed the City of Crestwood that we have tentatively been awarded $8,579 for the Enforcement of Underage Drinking Laws Grant Program. This money will be utilized to conduct monthly compliance checks on local establishments with liquor licenses during the project period. The Police Department will also be conducting party prevention patrols and party dispersal operations during this period.
Snow Event Parking Policy: With the recent changes in the snow sticker policy the police department has initiated an education enforcement program. During a snow event, officers are identifying vehicles that are in violation of the parking policy. These vehicles are written a warning to ensure that the owners have been informed of the violation. We hope that this warning will result in future compliance. The license plates of vehicles found to be in violation are stored in a data base. If these vehicles are found to be in violation during subsequent snow operations, the vehicle will be issued a parking summons. During our last two snow event 117 parking warnings and 6 tickets were issued. It is our intention to continue to proactively attempt to educate our residents and their guests through the written warning process while gaining compliance through enforcement for repeat offenders. Anyone with questions regarding this procedure should contact Chief Paillou.
January Alarm Totals: The Fire Department responded to 137 calls for assistance in the month of January; 82 (59%) of these calls were EMS related.
Firefighter / Paramedic Hiring Process: The Fire Department is in the process of hiring a FF/Paramedic in order to obtain full staffing on all three platoons. The position was advertised on the Post Dispatch Hot Jobs website February 7th thru February 19th. We hope to complete this hiring process as quickly as possible.
Street Addressing: During annual hydrant testing in April, the Fire Department will be reviewing all residential & commercial structures for compliance with the City ordinance on displaying addresses. Articles will be placed on the City’s website and the newsletter detailing these requirements. In addition, Department members will be handing out flyers when they find a structure that does not comply.
Request for New Hydrant: The Lindbergh School District has made a request for the installation of a new hydrant at Long School. The installation of this hydrant will require passage of an ordinance by the Board of Aldermen. This request will be considered by the BOA at an upcoming meeting.
Fire Department Memorandum of Understanding: The Crestwood Fire Department has recently appointed a new shop steward which should facilitate negotiations of a new Memorandum of Understanding. Anyone with questions regarding the MOU should contact Chief Kestler.
Route 66 Classic Car Cruise: The 1st annual Route 66 Classic Car Cruise will be held on August 14, 2010. This event is a joint effort of the Cities of Crestwood and Sunset Hills, as well as, the Crestwood-Sunset Hills Chamber of Commerce. This event will include hundreds of vintage cars and live entertainment venues along Watson Road.
Maintenance Crew: The Public Works maintenance crew has delivered over 1,700 recycling carts thus far. The crew continues to prune street trees within the City of Crestwood right of way.
Snow Plowing: The Public Works maintenance crew continues to plow and salt as necessary in order to address each winter storm. The City of Crestwood has used 550 tons of deicing salt thus far this winter season. Our maintenance personnel are looking forward to the warmer weather and the end of ambiguous snow forecasts!
Sanders Park: Due to very cold and wet weather during the month of January and February, the contractor was unable to perform a significant amount of work on the Sanders Park project during those months. The ground remains heavily saturated and paving cannot take place while these conditions exist. The project is currently 70% complete. The remaining sewer, asphalt and playground surface work has been postponed until conditions dry. It is evident that the Contractor will not have the project completed by the February 28, 2010 deadline. Accordingly, the City of Crestwood has requested a 90-day extension from the St. Louis County Municipal League to complete this project. The project may not require the entire 90 days, but the exact timeline is dependant upon the weather. This project is a top priority for the Contractor, who will continue to work each day that weather permits.
Crestwood Executive Center Building: As you may have noticed, the exterior paint on the Crestwood Executive Center building continues to peel. The Public Works Department has again been in contact with the property owner of this building in order to remedy this problem. The paint repair cannot be conducted during cold weather. Accordingly, the property owner was given a deadline of April 1, 2010 to complete the repairs. The property owner has assured us that the repairs will be completed sooner if weather allows.
MSD Argonne Sanitary Relief Project Phase I: The Public Works Department was notified that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District’s Board of Trustees has approved a construction contract for the Argonne Sanitary Relief Project. This project consists of the installation of approximately 13,000 lineal feet of sewer piping along Gravois Creek and Kirkwood Creek in the cities of Crestwood, Kirkwood and Oakland. The Public Works Director will be attending a preconstruction meeting that is yet to be scheduled. Please watch for continued updates on this project and contact the Public Works Director if you have any questions.
Request for Cell Tower: The City of Crestwood recently received a request for a 110 foot cellular tower at 9373 Garber Road. That request was denied by the City’s Public Works Director as the tower did not meet the definition of a Disguised Support Structure. Should the applicant wish to move forward with this request, he will need to file a petition for a conditional use permit. The Mayor and Board of Aldermen may be hearing this request in the near future.
Animal Control Activities: In January the Animal Control Officer picked up eight live animals and six dead animals. Three animals were returned to their owners, four were adopted, and one was euthanized. The Animal Control Officer responded to 175 animal related calls and issued 14 non-compliance notices or warnings.
Sewer Lateral Program: In the month of January the City of Crestwood received five applications for sewer lateral repair; three of these requests were approved.
Community Center: The 2010 spring and summer brochure is on the City’s website and will be delivered to Crestwood households March 1-5. Another successful Daddy and Daughter Valentine Dance was held at the Community Center on February 13, 2010; 55 fathers and 71 daughters participated in this year’s event. The 3rd annual Valentine Trail Run was held in Whitecliff Park on February 13, 2010. Participants could run as individuals or couples and prizes were awarded for both groups in several age categories. This year there were 95 runners, an increase from the 64 participants last year.
Aquatic Center: Westport Pools has ordered the grates and supplies required to bring the facility in compliance with the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool & Spa Act. It will take approximately two weeks to complete the work once the materials arrive.
Sappington House: The Sappington House complex opened for the season in February. The museum and library is open Wednesday –Friday (11 am – 1:30 pm) and Saturday by appointment only. While the complex was closed in January, the Sappington House Foundation had several walls in the museum painted.
Park Board: On Monday, February 1, 2010 at 7 pm, the Park Board met at the Crestwood Community Center. Agenda items included a Recreation Staff Report, a Sanders Park update, and a review of the 2009 Park Vandalism Log. The next meeting will be held at the Crestwood Community Center on Monday, March 15, 2010 at 7 pm.
Planning and Zoning Commission: The Planning and Zoning Commission is scheduled to meet on March 3, 2010 to consider a Site Plan Review for Spear Construction at 10046 Big Bend Road.
Board of Adjustment: The next meeting of the Board of Adjustment is scheduled for March 11, 2010 in order to consider a variance for an accessory structure at 1536 South Sappington Road.
