On Tuesday May 8, SLU Planning and Civil Engineering Grad students presented their Sustainable Redevelopment Plans for the Forest Park Southeast Neighborhood.  These students worked in collaboration with Park Central Development,  SLU Associate Professor of Public Policy Studies Sara Coffin,   Hellmuth & Bicknese Architect Dan Hellmuth  and John Woolschlager, Ph.D., chairman of the civil engineering department, to address sustainable issues the FPSE neighborhood.  These presentations were part of  The students presented in groups of two and FPSE Residents and committee members  voted on the winning team.  Each team presented solutions to relevant topics in water runoff, public transportation, green space and infrastructure.  Both teams did an amazing job at analyzing the needs of the neighborhoods and creating innovative solutions.  Thanks to the Adams School for allowing us to use their facilities for the presentation.   The Final Reports can be seen here and here.

On Sunday April 30, volunteers from Shalom House and Manchester United Methodist Church planted perennials in the traffic island located at Taylor and Chouteau.  Thank you to all volunteers who participated!

Community-wide discussion is important to the health of a neighborhood, and the Central West End Association is pleased to announce the return of its Community Discussion Forums. The new quarterly series will kick off on Saturday, May 5 with a discussion about the future plans and neighborhood role of BJC Healthcare, one of the area’s largest employers and an institutional anchor of the Central West End. BJC Group President and President of Barnes-Jewish Hospital Richard Liekweg will present Washington University Medical Center Campus Renewal 2012: Preserving the Past and Preparing for the Future; a Q&A session will immediately follow.

Rosati-Kain High School, located at 4389 Lindell Blvd., is generously hosting the free program, which begins at 9:15 a.m. on Saturday, May 5. All are welcome, please consider lending your voice to the discussion.

Choices Federal Credit Union, Forest Park Southeast’s very own neighborhood credit union, will hold its annual meeting on Wed., May 16th, 5 p.m. – 7 p.m., at the Atomic Cowboy.

Free appetizers and 1st drink.

For more information about Choices, visit previous Blog 17 blog posts here.

Volunteers are needed for May 5^th Rebuilding Day in Botanical Heights!

Rebuilding Together-St. Louis is a national nonprofit volunteer organization that brings volunteers and communities together to improve the home and lives of low-income homeowners. Our mission is to assist those who do not have the means or ability to do home repairs themselves, particularly older adults and the disabled.

Rebuilding Together uses volunteers to complete as many repairs as possible on a house in one day. May 5, 2012 is our National Rebuilding Day. This year we will be helping 52 homeowners all over the St. Louis area.

There are 4 homeowners in the Botanical Heights neighborhood that will be helped on Rebuilding Day.

The organization is looking for groups of unskilled volunteers to help out on 3 of the 4 homes on McRee. Volunteers will paint, clean and do yard work among other light home repairs. The hard work of volunteers will greatly improve the safety comfort and independence of the older adults and disabled homeowners have been selected in the Botanical Heights neighborhood.

Please contact Kate Feit if you are able to help on May 5^th from 8am-5pm.

kfeit@rebuildingtogether-stl.org

314-918-9918 x 26

The City of St. Louis and some of its consultants are putting together a project study that will evaluate existing light rail stations within the St. Louis Metropolitan Area.

This project, Transit Oriented Development (TOD), is a part of the Regional Sustainable Communities Planning Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (RPSD). The RPSD is aimed at building the capacity of local and regional entities to implement efficient and sustainable practices for the St. Louis Metropolitan Area as a whole.

The first public meeting will be held on May 15th, 2012 from 4:30-7:30. This meeting will be set as an open house style, which means that both you and your constituents may come at any time during that time-frame. The meeting will take place at CORTEX, which is located at: 4320 Forest Park Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63108.

This project will have a significant impact on the community, so please come out and share your thoughts!

There will be a public hearing this Wednesday, May 2 at 4 p.m. at 1200 Market St, Room 208 to give the opportunity for individuals to voice concerns regarding the design for the replacement of the Kingshighway viaduct, with reference to the economic and social effects of such design, its impact of the environment, and consistency with the goals and objectives of the community.

The present viaduct will be demolished and replaced with a new viaduct having 3 lanes in each direction and 5 foot sidewalks on each side of the roadway, with concrete barriers on the outsides. New roadway will be 90 feet wide within existing 100 foot right-of-way, and the existing side roads leading down to Daggett Ave and the railroad tracks will be eliminated. Much of the open space currently under the roadway will be filled in. Shaw Blvd, east of Kingshighway, will be reconfigured to the south and a south-bound turn lane will be added in Kingshighway to allow left turns onto east-bound Shaw. Aesthetically designed features consistent with the adjoining neighborhoods will be incorporated into the bridge railings and lighting fixtures.

For more information prior to the hearing, contact Richard Stockann at 314-589-6606.

Notice of Public Hearing can be accessed here.

Shalom House is a 501(c)(3)  non-profit organization specializing in working with homeless women with mental illness and chemical dependency to help them stabilize and rebuild their lives.  They will be working alongside Manchester United Methodist Church volunteers on Sunday, April 3o from 8:00am to 12:00pm to plant perennials in the traffic island located at Chouteau and Taylor.

What’s Really Growing in Community Gardens?

Community Partnership Project Seminar Series

• When: 3:00–4:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 1, 2012
• Where: Room 402, J.C. Penney Conference Center, University of Missouri–St. Louis
• FREE and open to the public. FREE parking is available in Lot C.

Community gardening organizations and health advocates have lauded community gardens as a means to increase access to fresh fruits and vegetables in urban food deserts. A review of the literature about community gardens reveals that there are links between health and community gardening, but they may not be what you think. Plus, what else is growing in community gardens across the country and around the globe? Evidence shows that the benefits of community gardening extend far beyond nutrition, including creating connections among neighbors and increasing tolerance for diverse cultures. 

Panelists:

• Tracy Greever Rice, Interim Director of the MU Office of Social and Economic Data Analysis (OSEDA)
• Jill Lucht, Research Associate in the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources
• Michael Sorth, Gateway Greening
• Dwayne James, Councilman, City of Ferguson
• Julie Birkenmaier, Chouteau’s Garden, Forest Park Southeast Neighborhood

Registration is not necessary to attend. For more information, call (314) 516-6392, email Kara at lubischerk@umsl.edu or visit our website at ce.umsl.edu/seminarseries.