By Phyllis Schaltenbrand
For a good number of years the residents of St. Charles have been asking for a Community Center. Surveys have been taken, sites have been inspected and drawings have been completed. It now appears that the Community Center could at long last be a reality in the not too distant future.
The City Council Community Center Committee has selected a site for the proposed Community Center and is making their recommendation to the whole Council.
The committee, chaired by City Council President Rory Riddler with Councilwoman Dottie Greer, Councilmen Joe Koester, Larry Muench and Bob Kneemiller, in a unanimous motion selected the site of the Boys and girls Club adjoining Blanchette Park as the recommended site for the center.
At a committee meeting Monday evening, the Council members recommended the entire Council authorize the city administration to begin negotiations with the Board of the Boys and Girls Club of St. Charles and to reach an agreement.
According to Council President Riddler, “We plan on a campus like atmosphere. We will be using the Boys & Girls Club Property, the vacant industrial property and some of the park. There will be a main campus style entrance on Fifth Street. The Boys & Girls Club is planning on a $4 million new building. The Community Center and the Boys & Girls Club will be separated by a parking lot. When the Fifth Street extension is completed across Highway 370 we are constructing an eight-foot bicycle path that will provide access to the Katy Trail system. It will also cross 370.”
Riddler said there are no plans for a joint operation but the city hopes they can share parking and land cost with the Boys and Girls Club to their mutual benefit. The committee believes the location of the Community Center will be where the Boys and Girls Club now stands. “This is the highest point in St. Charles,” said Council President Riddler. “There will be an indoor elevated walking track with large windows giving a great view of the river and St. Louis County.”
If approved by the Council, Riddler expects the negotiations between the Boys & Girls Club and the City to be completed within two to three months. “The Community Center will be great for families. It will be enjoyed by people of all ages,” he said. “It will benefit the Frenchtown and older neighborhoods in Ward One. In addition it will bring new prominence and new life to Blanchette Park, the jewel of our park system. It will show a new generation what Blanchette Park has to offer. We will have a real synergy going.”
Riddler said Lindenwood University was also conducting talks with the Boys and Girls Club regarding their possible participation in the construction of a competition size swimming pool in the club building. He told us the Community Center would have more of an aquatic recreation type swimming pool.
The Community Center building is being designed by Hastings and Chivetta, and according to Riddler, they will probably design the Boys and Girls Club building.
Friday, January 28, 2005
COUPLE FRUSTRATED WITH CITY'S REFUSAL TO ISSUE BUILDING PERMIT
In 2003 Chuck and Anita Marley purchased an 11,000 square foot lot at 44 Connie Drive. It had an old well house on it and for many years had been operated as a community well. They bought the lot and two adjoining ones. They eventually wanted to build a house on the lot at 44 Connie.
When they made the purchase the seller sadvised them they did not advertise the property because a neighbor with political connections in St. Charles, the Pryor family, wanted the property but the sellers told them they did not want to sell to the Pryors.
In August of 2004 they submitted a plan to City Hall. The City gave them a list of ten things they wanted them to do. In September they addressed the 10 issues. October came along and they had still not received a permit. In checking with City Hall to determine why there was a delay they were told the lot was too small to build on. Research determined the property was plated in 1955 when there were no zoning requirements. Ordinance 156.163
They discovered in the zoning ordinances a section that said if property had been platted prior to 1977 the Community Development Director could administratively grant a lot width variance if they combined some of the ground from one of their other lots. The Ordinance reads, The purpose of this provision is to permit utilization of recorded lots, which lack adequate width and/or depth so long as reasonable living standards can be provided.
Any lot in a residential zoning district which was recorded in the County recorder of Deeds office at the time of the adoption of these regulations, and which does not meet the requirements of this chapter for lot area, lot width or depth may be utilized for single-family residential purposes under certain conditions. It was adopted in 1977.
According to the Marleys they met all the conditions. They combined the lots and applied for the variance on October 18, 2004. Community Development Director Tom Ashburn denied their request. They then appealed to Acting City Administrator Mike Valenti who denied their appeal for a variance on November 8, 2004. The Marleys said Valenti told their attorney there were neighbors with political connections and a member of the family was an attorney who would sue if the building permit were issued. He told him the neighbors did not want anything built on the lot. “Valenti told our attorney that he wanted us to take it to court for disposition because the city did not want to take heat from the Pryor family,” said Anita Marley.
The Marleys then received a condemnation notice for a carriage house they have on their property on White Oak Lane. “The carriage house has recently been completely remodeled and is used for our studios and guest bedrooms,” said Chuck Marley. “It is in excellent condition and would be valued in excess of $100,000. When we contacted the City they told us it was an error and they wanted to condemn the remains of a building that is on our property on Connie.” The building on Connie has been there for more than 50 years and apparently no condemnation notice was ever issued until the Marleys asked for a building permit.
The Marleys contacted Councilman Jerry Reese. Councilman Reese told them he would have City Attorney Valenti write an ordinance that would take care of their problem. Anita Marley told the First Capitol News, “After Councilman Reese requested the ordinance, Mr. Valenti told our attorney that even with the ordinance the city would not issue us a building permit. We contacted Councilman Reese again and he talked to the City Administrator and was told Valenti was correct, no building permit would be issued.”
The Marleys are considering their options but will continue to pursue their request for a building permit.
When they made the purchase the seller sadvised them they did not advertise the property because a neighbor with political connections in St. Charles, the Pryor family, wanted the property but the sellers told them they did not want to sell to the Pryors.
In August of 2004 they submitted a plan to City Hall. The City gave them a list of ten things they wanted them to do. In September they addressed the 10 issues. October came along and they had still not received a permit. In checking with City Hall to determine why there was a delay they were told the lot was too small to build on. Research determined the property was plated in 1955 when there were no zoning requirements. Ordinance 156.163
They discovered in the zoning ordinances a section that said if property had been platted prior to 1977 the Community Development Director could administratively grant a lot width variance if they combined some of the ground from one of their other lots. The Ordinance reads, The purpose of this provision is to permit utilization of recorded lots, which lack adequate width and/or depth so long as reasonable living standards can be provided.
Any lot in a residential zoning district which was recorded in the County recorder of Deeds office at the time of the adoption of these regulations, and which does not meet the requirements of this chapter for lot area, lot width or depth may be utilized for single-family residential purposes under certain conditions. It was adopted in 1977.
According to the Marleys they met all the conditions. They combined the lots and applied for the variance on October 18, 2004. Community Development Director Tom Ashburn denied their request. They then appealed to Acting City Administrator Mike Valenti who denied their appeal for a variance on November 8, 2004. The Marleys said Valenti told their attorney there were neighbors with political connections and a member of the family was an attorney who would sue if the building permit were issued. He told him the neighbors did not want anything built on the lot. “Valenti told our attorney that he wanted us to take it to court for disposition because the city did not want to take heat from the Pryor family,” said Anita Marley.
The Marleys then received a condemnation notice for a carriage house they have on their property on White Oak Lane. “The carriage house has recently been completely remodeled and is used for our studios and guest bedrooms,” said Chuck Marley. “It is in excellent condition and would be valued in excess of $100,000. When we contacted the City they told us it was an error and they wanted to condemn the remains of a building that is on our property on Connie.” The building on Connie has been there for more than 50 years and apparently no condemnation notice was ever issued until the Marleys asked for a building permit.
The Marleys contacted Councilman Jerry Reese. Councilman Reese told them he would have City Attorney Valenti write an ordinance that would take care of their problem. Anita Marley told the First Capitol News, “After Councilman Reese requested the ordinance, Mr. Valenti told our attorney that even with the ordinance the city would not issue us a building permit. We contacted Councilman Reese again and he talked to the City Administrator and was told Valenti was correct, no building permit would be issued.”
The Marleys are considering their options but will continue to pursue their request for a building permit.
KIWANIS PANCAKE DAY FEB 8TH
The St. Charles Kiwanis will hold their annual Pancake Day on Tuesday, February 8th from 6 am to 7 pm at Blanchette Park. All you can eat and drink pancakes, sausage, coffee and milk. Tickets for adults are $5 in advance $6 at the door and children are $3. For tickets call Ron Reiling at 949-5990 or Sue Gamache at 946-9399 or John Pallardy at 922-9090.The St. Charles Kiwanis Pancake Day is over 50 years old. The Lindenwood Circle K. Club, the Key Clubs from St. Charles West and Duchesne High Schools as well as the Aktion Club help out.
FIRE DEPARTMENT TAKES DELIVERY OF TWO AMBULANCES
The St. Charles Fire Department has taken delivery of two new ambulances.
According to firefighter/paramedic John Woods, “One of the things that is nice about these new ambulances as opposed to our older units is the ride. It helps out with patients who might be injured and have to be placed on a long spine board due to a back injury. We also expanded a little bit of our aisle space in the back. It gives us more room for somebody to be on the right side and on the left side of the patient on the stretcher. We now have a refrigeration unit for medications that need to be refrigerated. A safety net has been installed so that medics won’t go flying to the front of the cab or into the shelving. They are great units to work with.”
Captain Scott Freitag said, “The units cost $98,325 each. Very inexpensive for what we got. I think the citizens are going to be really happy with these. They have a much smoother ride. I had one patient tell me that she hadn’t ridden in anything so rough since a model-T. That is how the old units rode. We have a lot more floor space to work in the back because the box affords us six inches more in width than what we had before. It gives the medics with a bad trauma patient or a cardiac arrest patient room to work on both sides of the patient. The air-conditioning unit is going to be a great addition this summer when it gets hot. Over the winter the ambulances sit in a heated place. With the AC unit in the summer we can keep a constant temperature so when we pick up a heat patient the ambulance is not fighting with the temperature outside. It will keep it more comfortable for the patients. The people will notice the new ambulances because they are black over red. They are the only black over red ambulances in town and that fits with the fire department color scheme. What looks like black tape on the side is actually reflective tape. When headlights hit it at night it looks white. We were very happy that we were able to work with the public safety committee to put this together. Mr. Brown, Mr. Gieseke, Mrs. Greer and Mr. Koester as well as Mr. Reese. They were great in helping get this community some very nice ambulances that will be there to protect them.”
The units have continuous flooring in the patient compartment so as to avoid bio-contamination. The auxiliary air conditioning unit keeps the truck cold while the truck is turned off while in quarters during the summer months. The auxiliary AC unit is not common on most ambulances and is not included on any other ambulance units in St. Charles County.
The fire department now has two new ambulances along with the two international chassis ambulances that they use for reserve units.
According to firefighter/paramedic John Woods, “One of the things that is nice about these new ambulances as opposed to our older units is the ride. It helps out with patients who might be injured and have to be placed on a long spine board due to a back injury. We also expanded a little bit of our aisle space in the back. It gives us more room for somebody to be on the right side and on the left side of the patient on the stretcher. We now have a refrigeration unit for medications that need to be refrigerated. A safety net has been installed so that medics won’t go flying to the front of the cab or into the shelving. They are great units to work with.”
Captain Scott Freitag said, “The units cost $98,325 each. Very inexpensive for what we got. I think the citizens are going to be really happy with these. They have a much smoother ride. I had one patient tell me that she hadn’t ridden in anything so rough since a model-T. That is how the old units rode. We have a lot more floor space to work in the back because the box affords us six inches more in width than what we had before. It gives the medics with a bad trauma patient or a cardiac arrest patient room to work on both sides of the patient. The air-conditioning unit is going to be a great addition this summer when it gets hot. Over the winter the ambulances sit in a heated place. With the AC unit in the summer we can keep a constant temperature so when we pick up a heat patient the ambulance is not fighting with the temperature outside. It will keep it more comfortable for the patients. The people will notice the new ambulances because they are black over red. They are the only black over red ambulances in town and that fits with the fire department color scheme. What looks like black tape on the side is actually reflective tape. When headlights hit it at night it looks white. We were very happy that we were able to work with the public safety committee to put this together. Mr. Brown, Mr. Gieseke, Mrs. Greer and Mr. Koester as well as Mr. Reese. They were great in helping get this community some very nice ambulances that will be there to protect them.”
The units have continuous flooring in the patient compartment so as to avoid bio-contamination. The auxiliary air conditioning unit keeps the truck cold while the truck is turned off while in quarters during the summer months. The auxiliary AC unit is not common on most ambulances and is not included on any other ambulance units in St. Charles County.
The fire department now has two new ambulances along with the two international chassis ambulances that they use for reserve units.
RAMBLING WITH THE EDITOR
Become A Voluntary Subscriber
One of our largest expenses in publishing the First Capitol News is our distribution costs. To help defray costs of distribution of the First Capitol News we are asking our readers to participate in a voluntary subscriber program. Included with your paper this week you will find a voluntary subscriber envelope.You can become a voluntary subscriber by inserting a check or money order in that envelope and mailing it back to us. You decide the amount you want to include. Your contribution will help us to continue to provide you with the news and information you won’t find anywhere else. We will soon be entering our fifth year of publication and will continue to attempt to “MAKE A DIFFERENCE - One week at a time.”
In the event there is no envelope included with your paper just enclose your donation in an envelope, mark it as a voluntary subscription and mail it along with your check or money order to:
FIRST CAPITOL NEWS
336 A. South Main St.
St. Charles, MO 63301
Thank you for your consideration. Your help would be appreciated.
THINGS THAT MAKE YOU WANT TO GO Hmmmmmmmm
A Main Street businessman contacted us after viewing the web pages of Ameristar Casino. He was appalled there was no mention of Historic St. Charles or Main Street Shopping in their local things to do listings. We checked out the web site and discovered he was correct. There was a multitude of listing of places to go and things to see in the St. Louis area but no mention of St. Charles. They even had a listing of the Lewis & Clark Center in Hartford, Illinois but no mention of the Lewis and Clark Boat House and Museum in our city.
He suggested we check the Harrah’s Casino web site. Harrah’s Casino, located in Maryland Heights had a great number of the same places to go and things to see that were on Ameristar’s site. However, Harrah’s also had information on Historic Downtown St. Charles and the unique shops and shopping we have in our city.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Whittaker To Add 108 Acres, 1200 Additional Homes
The City Council will soon be asked to approve the addition of 108 Acres with 1200 additional homes for the New Town Development by Whittaker. Planning & Zoning approved it Monday evening and it will now move to the City Council. Whittaker expects to build 5500 homes in the development over the next 15 years with 5000,000 square feet of commercial space. The first residents are expected to move in sometime towards the end of February.
One of our largest expenses in publishing the First Capitol News is our distribution costs. To help defray costs of distribution of the First Capitol News we are asking our readers to participate in a voluntary subscriber program. Included with your paper this week you will find a voluntary subscriber envelope.You can become a voluntary subscriber by inserting a check or money order in that envelope and mailing it back to us. You decide the amount you want to include. Your contribution will help us to continue to provide you with the news and information you won’t find anywhere else. We will soon be entering our fifth year of publication and will continue to attempt to “MAKE A DIFFERENCE - One week at a time.”
In the event there is no envelope included with your paper just enclose your donation in an envelope, mark it as a voluntary subscription and mail it along with your check or money order to:
FIRST CAPITOL NEWS
336 A. South Main St.
St. Charles, MO 63301
Thank you for your consideration. Your help would be appreciated.
THINGS THAT MAKE YOU WANT TO GO Hmmmmmmmm
A Main Street businessman contacted us after viewing the web pages of Ameristar Casino. He was appalled there was no mention of Historic St. Charles or Main Street Shopping in their local things to do listings. We checked out the web site and discovered he was correct. There was a multitude of listing of places to go and things to see in the St. Louis area but no mention of St. Charles. They even had a listing of the Lewis & Clark Center in Hartford, Illinois but no mention of the Lewis and Clark Boat House and Museum in our city.
He suggested we check the Harrah’s Casino web site. Harrah’s Casino, located in Maryland Heights had a great number of the same places to go and things to see that were on Ameristar’s site. However, Harrah’s also had information on Historic Downtown St. Charles and the unique shops and shopping we have in our city.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Whittaker To Add 108 Acres, 1200 Additional Homes
The City Council will soon be asked to approve the addition of 108 Acres with 1200 additional homes for the New Town Development by Whittaker. Planning & Zoning approved it Monday evening and it will now move to the City Council. Whittaker expects to build 5500 homes in the development over the next 15 years with 5000,000 square feet of commercial space. The first residents are expected to move in sometime towards the end of February.
THE CITY DESK Rory Riddler City Council President
Council Supports Plan
To Extend City Limits
Chain Smoking Chicken’s Feathers Ruffled
The City Council voted to place nine areas for annexation on a future ballot. In each case these areas are immediately adjacent and, in some cases, surrounded by the present City limits. Anyone who has looked at a map of the City of St. Charles couldn’t help but notice the gaps around the edges.
So why is this important to anyone other than map makers or maybe the person who has to move the City limits signs? There’s the obvious fact that these commercial and industrial properties will add to the tax base of the City. Of greater importance, will be having a say in what develops adjacent to our city limits in the future. It will allow us to try to improve areas showing signs of neglect and perhaps avoid the mistakes of some communities in St. Louis County.
St. Louis County and some of its older municipalities are in trouble. Last year assessed value in St. Louis County fell. When you look at a map of St. Louis County, it is easy to see that dozens of small “landlocked” municipalities simply don’t have room to grow. Many are bedroom communities with little or no commercial, office or industrial base to sustain vital services. Most don’t have a good mix of housing stock with people of all ages. As their residents age, the community loses the population base that sustains commercial activity. This, in turn, reduces city services and infrastructure and housing stock declines. It’s a vicious circle.
There are some notable exceptions to the general state of decline. Florissant has attracted new retail by being more business friendly and aggressive in marketing their community. They have also been successful in annexing several areas around them and are known for keeping up their older neighborhoods. St. Charles can benefit from not repeating the mistakes of some St. Louis County municipalities and borrow a page from Florissant’s playbook. We can avoid becoming landlocked, add to our mix of commercial and industrial uses and gain the elbowroom we need for future growth and development. We can also control our own destiny, by controlling what develops on our borders. Do we really want to see any more used car lots, scrap metal businesses or junkyards?
This is why these areas will be placed on a future ballot for your consideration. We won’t know exactly when, because now the issue goes before a Circuit Court Judge to decide if the issues can go before voters. The special City Counselor handling the issue thinks it could be November. For the record, no other municipality, in any other county of the State, has to go before a judge to get permission to hold an annexation election. That’s an extra hoop we can thank prior members of the General Assembly for adding to State Law. Lawmakers in Missouri are fond of writing laws that only affect one area so they don’t have to work as hard writing good legislation that can garner support from lawmakers across the State.
Annexation law in Missouri, at least the portion they wrote that only effects us, has made it almost impossible to seek so called “involuntary” annexation of existing residential areas. That’s because those in the area to be annexed had an equal vote and thus veto power over any question of annexation. If you were trying to annex one home into the City, 20,000 St. Charles City voters could unanimously say yes, but if only one no vote were cast in the area to be annexed, the entire issue failed.
Based on discussions between myself and Councilman Joe Koester, the issue of what property surrounding St. Charles didn’t have residential development was studied. It turned out dozens of commercial and industrial tracts, both developed and undeveloped, were contiguous to our City limits. A prime example would be St. Andrews Plaza. I would venture to say most City residents didn’t even know this strip shopping center wasn’t in the City of St. Charles. After all, our City limits go right by it, all the way to Cave Springs.
The public hearings on these nine areas took a long time to get through. We tried to accommodate some of the concerns, dropping a duck club that was inadvertently included in one area. We have also been meeting with some of the businesses and landowners proposed to be annexed to explain what they could expect in the way of city services. In one area adjacent to my ward, it will mean streetlights and city water…services we take for granted.
Surprisingly, taxes haven’t been a big issue. When these areas are annexed the fire protection district tax they now pay comes off since they would be receiving fire protection from the City. This trade off nearly balances the property tax bill. Other commercial establishment owners have told us they don’t mind having to collect city sales taxes, so long as their competitors were also being brought within the city limits.
Unfortunately we can’t make everyone happy, which is where the chicken comes in. One of the people speaking in opposition to his annexation was the owner of a chain of stores that promotes itself as selling “cheap” liquor and cigarettes. The owner is somewhat of a local television icon, appearing in his own commercials promising that, “The more she drinks, the better you look.” Not exactly the speaker you want to invite to address Mothers Against Drunk Driving, though I am sure he’s sincere in wanting everyone to drink responsibly…and often.
His costar in the commercials is a six-foot tall dancing chicken, who obviously appreciates the subtle bouquet and thrift of stocking his cellars with some of the Third World’s finest wines. At least that’s where I think “thirty dime wine for two-ninety-nine” comes from. Perhaps it was the length of the public hearing or the lateness of the hour, but I had a vision of our annexation issues going before a judge. Staggering into the court room, setting off smoke alarms, was this multitalented mascot, who opening his beak to speak, summed up his client’s case with the immortal words, “Cheap! Cheap! Fun! Fun!” Your honor, the defense rests.
To Extend City Limits
Chain Smoking Chicken’s Feathers Ruffled
The City Council voted to place nine areas for annexation on a future ballot. In each case these areas are immediately adjacent and, in some cases, surrounded by the present City limits. Anyone who has looked at a map of the City of St. Charles couldn’t help but notice the gaps around the edges.
So why is this important to anyone other than map makers or maybe the person who has to move the City limits signs? There’s the obvious fact that these commercial and industrial properties will add to the tax base of the City. Of greater importance, will be having a say in what develops adjacent to our city limits in the future. It will allow us to try to improve areas showing signs of neglect and perhaps avoid the mistakes of some communities in St. Louis County.
St. Louis County and some of its older municipalities are in trouble. Last year assessed value in St. Louis County fell. When you look at a map of St. Louis County, it is easy to see that dozens of small “landlocked” municipalities simply don’t have room to grow. Many are bedroom communities with little or no commercial, office or industrial base to sustain vital services. Most don’t have a good mix of housing stock with people of all ages. As their residents age, the community loses the population base that sustains commercial activity. This, in turn, reduces city services and infrastructure and housing stock declines. It’s a vicious circle.
There are some notable exceptions to the general state of decline. Florissant has attracted new retail by being more business friendly and aggressive in marketing their community. They have also been successful in annexing several areas around them and are known for keeping up their older neighborhoods. St. Charles can benefit from not repeating the mistakes of some St. Louis County municipalities and borrow a page from Florissant’s playbook. We can avoid becoming landlocked, add to our mix of commercial and industrial uses and gain the elbowroom we need for future growth and development. We can also control our own destiny, by controlling what develops on our borders. Do we really want to see any more used car lots, scrap metal businesses or junkyards?
This is why these areas will be placed on a future ballot for your consideration. We won’t know exactly when, because now the issue goes before a Circuit Court Judge to decide if the issues can go before voters. The special City Counselor handling the issue thinks it could be November. For the record, no other municipality, in any other county of the State, has to go before a judge to get permission to hold an annexation election. That’s an extra hoop we can thank prior members of the General Assembly for adding to State Law. Lawmakers in Missouri are fond of writing laws that only affect one area so they don’t have to work as hard writing good legislation that can garner support from lawmakers across the State.
Annexation law in Missouri, at least the portion they wrote that only effects us, has made it almost impossible to seek so called “involuntary” annexation of existing residential areas. That’s because those in the area to be annexed had an equal vote and thus veto power over any question of annexation. If you were trying to annex one home into the City, 20,000 St. Charles City voters could unanimously say yes, but if only one no vote were cast in the area to be annexed, the entire issue failed.
Based on discussions between myself and Councilman Joe Koester, the issue of what property surrounding St. Charles didn’t have residential development was studied. It turned out dozens of commercial and industrial tracts, both developed and undeveloped, were contiguous to our City limits. A prime example would be St. Andrews Plaza. I would venture to say most City residents didn’t even know this strip shopping center wasn’t in the City of St. Charles. After all, our City limits go right by it, all the way to Cave Springs.
The public hearings on these nine areas took a long time to get through. We tried to accommodate some of the concerns, dropping a duck club that was inadvertently included in one area. We have also been meeting with some of the businesses and landowners proposed to be annexed to explain what they could expect in the way of city services. In one area adjacent to my ward, it will mean streetlights and city water…services we take for granted.
Surprisingly, taxes haven’t been a big issue. When these areas are annexed the fire protection district tax they now pay comes off since they would be receiving fire protection from the City. This trade off nearly balances the property tax bill. Other commercial establishment owners have told us they don’t mind having to collect city sales taxes, so long as their competitors were also being brought within the city limits.
Unfortunately we can’t make everyone happy, which is where the chicken comes in. One of the people speaking in opposition to his annexation was the owner of a chain of stores that promotes itself as selling “cheap” liquor and cigarettes. The owner is somewhat of a local television icon, appearing in his own commercials promising that, “The more she drinks, the better you look.” Not exactly the speaker you want to invite to address Mothers Against Drunk Driving, though I am sure he’s sincere in wanting everyone to drink responsibly…and often.
His costar in the commercials is a six-foot tall dancing chicken, who obviously appreciates the subtle bouquet and thrift of stocking his cellars with some of the Third World’s finest wines. At least that’s where I think “thirty dime wine for two-ninety-nine” comes from. Perhaps it was the length of the public hearing or the lateness of the hour, but I had a vision of our annexation issues going before a judge. Staggering into the court room, setting off smoke alarms, was this multitalented mascot, who opening his beak to speak, summed up his client’s case with the immortal words, “Cheap! Cheap! Fun! Fun!” Your honor, the defense rests.
JOE MCCULLOCH FUND RAISER
Meet & Greet Fundraiser for
JOE MCCULLOCH
St. Charles County Council District 5 Democratic Candidate
The St. Charles Democratic Alliance will host a Meet and Greet Fundraiser for Joe McCulloch on February 17th from 6 pm to 8 pm. The fund raiser will be held at Stegton Regency 1450 Wall Street in St. Charles.
They invite you to come out and meet Joe McCulloch, District 5 Democrat Candidate for St. Charles County Council. You will have an opportunity to learn more about Joe and his views for the future of St. Charles County. Joe McCulloch is running for the open District 5 County Council seat on April 5, 2005.
Hor d’orves and cocktails will be served. The cost is $20 per person.
Information call Lynne Eaton at 314-960-4128
JOE MCCULLOCH
St. Charles County Council District 5 Democratic Candidate
The St. Charles Democratic Alliance will host a Meet and Greet Fundraiser for Joe McCulloch on February 17th from 6 pm to 8 pm. The fund raiser will be held at Stegton Regency 1450 Wall Street in St. Charles.
They invite you to come out and meet Joe McCulloch, District 5 Democrat Candidate for St. Charles County Council. You will have an opportunity to learn more about Joe and his views for the future of St. Charles County. Joe McCulloch is running for the open District 5 County Council seat on April 5, 2005.
Hor d’orves and cocktails will be served. The cost is $20 per person.
Information call Lynne Eaton at 314-960-4128
THE CONSERVATIVE FACTOR Alex Spencer
A quote by Doug Floyd states, “You don’t get harmony when everyone sings the same note.” When this adage is applied to politics, it simply means that out of disagreements and arguing one’s case and viewpoint, the finished product is a tune we can find pleasing to the ears.
If we did not have huge revenue from gambling combined with development, City government would be rather boring and mundane. When big money is available, everybody wants his slice of the pie. The only sure way to get that slice is to control the elected officials through campaign donations with the expectation of future cooperation.
To the victor belong the spoils. This has been going on in one form or another since the beginning of time. It will not change anytime soon.
If elected officials dance only to the tune of special interests and big money, then every three or four years, the voters enact a change. In the recent April City election, the voters mandated such change and that was a message intended for the Mayor and her three Councilmen. They have rejected the message and worked full time to undo the election and go back to doing things as usual.
The new City Council should be commended for saving the taxpayers millions of dollars and attempting to curb wasteful spending. Gieseke, Brown, Riddler, Koester, Greer and Hoepfner are not timid creatures. They are strong personalities and each has his own ideas. They seem to do their homework, are prepared and are not shy in voicing their goals. If they agreed on every topic on the agenda all the time and voted accordingly, then we should have just skipped the last election and kept the old Council.
This Council has been under attack by the Mayor and her friends and that also will not stop because they lost the power of having the majority of the Council vote their way without question. When two people never disagree, then only one person is thinking.
The Mayor would have us believe she is the only one capable of doing all the thinking and making all the decisions unilaterally. This Council has obviously elected to do their own thinking. This is not only healthy and rewarding, but it best serves the voters who pay the taxes to support City Hall.
We’ve heard a lot about the Magnificent Seven. They do not always vote the same way. They are maligned when they do and maligned when they don’t. All that is happening here is that the Mayor and friends want a different Council and are attempting to circumvent and undo the will of the voters. The Mayor never included Councilman Reese in the Seven. She boasted early on he would vote her way. Most of the time, he does. Recently he and Hoepfner seem to vote the same way.
During the tenure of the previous Council, the mayor and her friends rode over Hoepfner like a bulldozer and defeated every attempt he made to enact his legislation. They worked and spent lots of money in an effort to defeat his reelection. He was a voice crying for responsible spending. He received the largest vote percentage of all when he was reelected.
For some time, a columnist in another publication has had fun attacking and ridiculing Hoepfner and other members of the City Council. I don’t believe he actually dislikes them. He just happens to have the full-time job of being Patti’s Boy Friday. He recently had a field day using Hoefpner to ridicule the rest of the Council and likend them to children, not adults. Hoepfner was the “fat boy being picked on by the other meanies at recess.” (Does that columnist ever look in the mirror or does he just hang a picture of George Clooney and stand in front of it?)
If Patti’s pet (that columnist) wants City Hall to be run by adults, then he should immediately sign the Mayor’s recall petition. She turned City Government into a high-school click, and her behavior and that of her assault team has been nothing less than shocking. When a group of people exert that much time and energy to attempt to close a newspaper, they are doing questionable things which they do not want reported. Patti’s pet doesn’t pose a threat. He’s just a fly on the wall wanting to stay with the in-crowd. He reports accordingly.
There is no provision in the Charter to break a tie-vote (5-5) of the City Council. Since Hoepfner and Reese generally vote the same, Patti and her friends hope to use any and all to get those two firmly in her grasp. Muench will sometimes breakaway but Weller, and Kneemiller never go against her. They don’t have to think because Patti does it for them. With a perpetual tie vote, nothing could ever get done. If the Mayor can’t have her way, there will be no other way. If it doesn’t stop, we can look forward to a miserable two years until the next election.
When sparks flew between Hoepfner and the rest of the magnificent body at the last City Council meeting, Muench and Kneemiller stayed under cover and relished the moment. It was an opportunity for control, or at the very least, a perpetual stalemate. Patti’s pet thought they seemed ridiculous and used that accordingly. I’d rather look foolish and fight for what I believe, than be a non-thinking puppet. In politics, today your best friend is your enemy and your worst enemy is your best friend.
It depends on the issue and what is at stake. I’d also rather see them disagree in public rather than agree behind closed doors.
The bottom line here is, if Hoepfner fights with his Magnificent Seven, he’s an okay guy and will gain the sympathy of Patti’s pet and his mayor. When he agrees with the others with his vote, then he’s back to being non-adult, stupid, fat, and all sorts of things. It doesn’t even matter who is right or wrong or what is sensible. One thing for sure, regardless of what the Magnificent Seven says or does, the Mayor and her friends will target their next race and again try to unseat them. If they can’t be controlled all the time, then they have to go.
The past election should stand and all parties involved should concentrate on doing the City’s business. The voters will get it right. It is not wise to go against the will of the voters.
There appears to be an effort to pit T.R. Hughes against Whittaker with the suggestion that Whittaker is getting preferential treatment. The difference between New Town and St. Andrews is that New Town is in the City of St. Charles. St. Andrews is not. St. Andrews could have been in St. Charles but the developer did not want to adhere to the standards required by the city. City residents should have priority for basic services over non-residents.
If we did not have huge revenue from gambling combined with development, City government would be rather boring and mundane. When big money is available, everybody wants his slice of the pie. The only sure way to get that slice is to control the elected officials through campaign donations with the expectation of future cooperation.
To the victor belong the spoils. This has been going on in one form or another since the beginning of time. It will not change anytime soon.
If elected officials dance only to the tune of special interests and big money, then every three or four years, the voters enact a change. In the recent April City election, the voters mandated such change and that was a message intended for the Mayor and her three Councilmen. They have rejected the message and worked full time to undo the election and go back to doing things as usual.
The new City Council should be commended for saving the taxpayers millions of dollars and attempting to curb wasteful spending. Gieseke, Brown, Riddler, Koester, Greer and Hoepfner are not timid creatures. They are strong personalities and each has his own ideas. They seem to do their homework, are prepared and are not shy in voicing their goals. If they agreed on every topic on the agenda all the time and voted accordingly, then we should have just skipped the last election and kept the old Council.
This Council has been under attack by the Mayor and her friends and that also will not stop because they lost the power of having the majority of the Council vote their way without question. When two people never disagree, then only one person is thinking.
The Mayor would have us believe she is the only one capable of doing all the thinking and making all the decisions unilaterally. This Council has obviously elected to do their own thinking. This is not only healthy and rewarding, but it best serves the voters who pay the taxes to support City Hall.
We’ve heard a lot about the Magnificent Seven. They do not always vote the same way. They are maligned when they do and maligned when they don’t. All that is happening here is that the Mayor and friends want a different Council and are attempting to circumvent and undo the will of the voters. The Mayor never included Councilman Reese in the Seven. She boasted early on he would vote her way. Most of the time, he does. Recently he and Hoepfner seem to vote the same way.
During the tenure of the previous Council, the mayor and her friends rode over Hoepfner like a bulldozer and defeated every attempt he made to enact his legislation. They worked and spent lots of money in an effort to defeat his reelection. He was a voice crying for responsible spending. He received the largest vote percentage of all when he was reelected.
For some time, a columnist in another publication has had fun attacking and ridiculing Hoepfner and other members of the City Council. I don’t believe he actually dislikes them. He just happens to have the full-time job of being Patti’s Boy Friday. He recently had a field day using Hoefpner to ridicule the rest of the Council and likend them to children, not adults. Hoepfner was the “fat boy being picked on by the other meanies at recess.” (Does that columnist ever look in the mirror or does he just hang a picture of George Clooney and stand in front of it?)
If Patti’s pet (that columnist) wants City Hall to be run by adults, then he should immediately sign the Mayor’s recall petition. She turned City Government into a high-school click, and her behavior and that of her assault team has been nothing less than shocking. When a group of people exert that much time and energy to attempt to close a newspaper, they are doing questionable things which they do not want reported. Patti’s pet doesn’t pose a threat. He’s just a fly on the wall wanting to stay with the in-crowd. He reports accordingly.
There is no provision in the Charter to break a tie-vote (5-5) of the City Council. Since Hoepfner and Reese generally vote the same, Patti and her friends hope to use any and all to get those two firmly in her grasp. Muench will sometimes breakaway but Weller, and Kneemiller never go against her. They don’t have to think because Patti does it for them. With a perpetual tie vote, nothing could ever get done. If the Mayor can’t have her way, there will be no other way. If it doesn’t stop, we can look forward to a miserable two years until the next election.
When sparks flew between Hoepfner and the rest of the magnificent body at the last City Council meeting, Muench and Kneemiller stayed under cover and relished the moment. It was an opportunity for control, or at the very least, a perpetual stalemate. Patti’s pet thought they seemed ridiculous and used that accordingly. I’d rather look foolish and fight for what I believe, than be a non-thinking puppet. In politics, today your best friend is your enemy and your worst enemy is your best friend.
It depends on the issue and what is at stake. I’d also rather see them disagree in public rather than agree behind closed doors.
The bottom line here is, if Hoepfner fights with his Magnificent Seven, he’s an okay guy and will gain the sympathy of Patti’s pet and his mayor. When he agrees with the others with his vote, then he’s back to being non-adult, stupid, fat, and all sorts of things. It doesn’t even matter who is right or wrong or what is sensible. One thing for sure, regardless of what the Magnificent Seven says or does, the Mayor and her friends will target their next race and again try to unseat them. If they can’t be controlled all the time, then they have to go.
The past election should stand and all parties involved should concentrate on doing the City’s business. The voters will get it right. It is not wise to go against the will of the voters.
There appears to be an effort to pit T.R. Hughes against Whittaker with the suggestion that Whittaker is getting preferential treatment. The difference between New Town and St. Andrews is that New Town is in the City of St. Charles. St. Andrews is not. St. Andrews could have been in St. Charles but the developer did not want to adhere to the standards required by the city. City residents should have priority for basic services over non-residents.
PUT ST. CHARLES FIRST
By Jerry Haferkamp
There has been much comment about the pay scale of our police officers. We feel this pay scale is a positive thing. We should take pride in the fact we have a wage scale that recruits the best and increases retention, among other things. These positions take a higher degree of education and training than they did years ago. That said; we do have a few problems.
Apparently 73 police officers have filed letters stating they had emotional and mental problems and may have difficulty dealing with the public because of these problems. While our members feel these officers don’t really have these problems, we recognize that by submitting these letters, they have placed their careers at risk. Equally important, they have placed our residents at risk.
You have probably read or heard on the news the story of a county resident who accidentally lost an eye when he engaged our Sheriff’s deputies in a struggle. He thought interfering with police officers was a good idea. He was wrong. While the officers were apparently doing their duties, this man could still possibly sue the County.
If this incident had taken place inside our city and the injured citizen and his lawyer discovered the officer involved filed one of these letters and was allowed to remain on patrol duty, what would be our liability? A jury award under these circumstances could be huge even if the officers did absolutely nothing wrong. The jurors would have to feel there was negligence on the City’s part for allowing him to remain on duty.
While some of our members feel the only way to remove our City’s liability is to immediately remove these officers from duty, some also would like the City to explore the possibility of allowing officers who filed these letters an opportunity to rescind them. To further reduce our liability, they could be required to submit a written letter stating why they are rescinding the complaint and that their claimed mental and emotional problems are not now existent, nor were they at the time of the filing of the claims. Anything less leaves us vulnerable. This may not even be enough to remove the liability they have placed on our residents, but it may be a start.
The City should consider offering a “window” period of amnesty against taking action against any of these 73 that rescind their letter.
We don’t want to see these officers loose their jobs, but we don’t want to see our city ruined financially by lawsuits. The residents have one bogus lawsuit clouding the horizon now, and even the bogus ones can cost thousands to defend.
Our residents are sitting on a ticking bomb. No matter how small or perceived the injury may be, a “Mother of all lawsuits” could be just one domestic disturbance call away.
The residents are the City, and these officers have jeopardized us all. They need to take a long, hard look at what their actions have done. We hope they step up and remove this liability from the residents. If they don’t, our City’s officials have little choice but to do it.
Speaking of liabilities:
Has Steve Powell been fired yet? Why not?
There has been much comment about the pay scale of our police officers. We feel this pay scale is a positive thing. We should take pride in the fact we have a wage scale that recruits the best and increases retention, among other things. These positions take a higher degree of education and training than they did years ago. That said; we do have a few problems.
Apparently 73 police officers have filed letters stating they had emotional and mental problems and may have difficulty dealing with the public because of these problems. While our members feel these officers don’t really have these problems, we recognize that by submitting these letters, they have placed their careers at risk. Equally important, they have placed our residents at risk.
You have probably read or heard on the news the story of a county resident who accidentally lost an eye when he engaged our Sheriff’s deputies in a struggle. He thought interfering with police officers was a good idea. He was wrong. While the officers were apparently doing their duties, this man could still possibly sue the County.
If this incident had taken place inside our city and the injured citizen and his lawyer discovered the officer involved filed one of these letters and was allowed to remain on patrol duty, what would be our liability? A jury award under these circumstances could be huge even if the officers did absolutely nothing wrong. The jurors would have to feel there was negligence on the City’s part for allowing him to remain on duty.
While some of our members feel the only way to remove our City’s liability is to immediately remove these officers from duty, some also would like the City to explore the possibility of allowing officers who filed these letters an opportunity to rescind them. To further reduce our liability, they could be required to submit a written letter stating why they are rescinding the complaint and that their claimed mental and emotional problems are not now existent, nor were they at the time of the filing of the claims. Anything less leaves us vulnerable. This may not even be enough to remove the liability they have placed on our residents, but it may be a start.
The City should consider offering a “window” period of amnesty against taking action against any of these 73 that rescind their letter.
We don’t want to see these officers loose their jobs, but we don’t want to see our city ruined financially by lawsuits. The residents have one bogus lawsuit clouding the horizon now, and even the bogus ones can cost thousands to defend.
Our residents are sitting on a ticking bomb. No matter how small or perceived the injury may be, a “Mother of all lawsuits” could be just one domestic disturbance call away.
The residents are the City, and these officers have jeopardized us all. They need to take a long, hard look at what their actions have done. We hope they step up and remove this liability from the residents. If they don’t, our City’s officials have little choice but to do it.
Speaking of liabilities:
Has Steve Powell been fired yet? Why not?
STRAIGHT TALK Councilman Bob Hoepfner
Well we are here at the end of January folks. I have some news for you about your trash service. I am going to try to get the council to go along with providing trash service. Doesn’t look you like will get it entirely free but we might be able to cut it to $4 a month for you. The City would pay the entire bill and then bill you for your $4 share on your water bill. “MAYBE? In 1990 our budget was $29 million and we were broke, and layed off employees. Fifteen years later our budget is just under $99 million. I bring this to your attention for the sole reason that while the budget has increased three times the answer the administration and the Mayor gives to the resident taxpayer “We do not have money to help you out.” With a $99 million budget one would think we wouldn’t have to have a utility tax or any tax bills. Maryland Heights has a casino and provides totally free trash service to their residents. “Why Not US?”
To clarify a point that has been brought to my attention, some folks want twice a week service. Twice a week service would be provided and the residents receiving the service would pay the additional cost. Also you will be able to make a selection of can size. You will not have to have a huge tub sitting in your garage, but here again it is a “MAYBE?”
I have proposed a bill to help out children with a one-time grant to Leftovers. I would encourage anybody that has any questions about this organization to go out to their facility on Scherer Parkway and take a tour.
This organization serves 450 teachers in the St. Charles City, Orchard Farms, Francis Howell and Parochial schools and aid with providing materials. This is a wonderful program and Councilman Resse and I think this is a good opportunity to help out the children.
As I always say, pay attention to your government whether you are happy or sad. Call me whether you agree or disagree. It is important that you share your feelings with your representative and I will certainly listen to whatever you have to say. 949-0956, 425 Nantucket.
To clarify a point that has been brought to my attention, some folks want twice a week service. Twice a week service would be provided and the residents receiving the service would pay the additional cost. Also you will be able to make a selection of can size. You will not have to have a huge tub sitting in your garage, but here again it is a “MAYBE?”
I have proposed a bill to help out children with a one-time grant to Leftovers. I would encourage anybody that has any questions about this organization to go out to their facility on Scherer Parkway and take a tour.
This organization serves 450 teachers in the St. Charles City, Orchard Farms, Francis Howell and Parochial schools and aid with providing materials. This is a wonderful program and Councilman Resse and I think this is a good opportunity to help out the children.
As I always say, pay attention to your government whether you are happy or sad. Call me whether you agree or disagree. It is important that you share your feelings with your representative and I will certainly listen to whatever you have to say. 949-0956, 425 Nantucket.
CITY COUNCIL AGENDA FOR FEBRUARY 1
*Tentative Agenda as of Thursday, January 27, 2005 – 12:30 p.m.
AGENDA
Regular Session of the City Council of the City of Saint Charles, Missouri
Council Chambers - 4th floor - City Hall - 200 North Second Street
Tuesday, February 1, 2005
7:00 P.M.
1. ROLL CALL
2. INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
3. PUBLIC HEARINGS
A. Case No. CU-29-04. An application for a conditional use permit for a vehicle service and repair facility, including tire repair and replacement, on property located at 1617 and 1621 Old Highway 94 South. The property is zoned C-2 General Business District. (Ward 4) (Continued from the Regular Council Meeting of January18, 2005)
B. Case No. CU-28-04. An application for a conditional use permit for a monopole telecommunications tower on property located at 1921 Muegge Road. This property is currently in unincorporated St. Charles County but is in the process of being voluntarily annexed into the City of St. Charles. The proposed zoning for the property in the City is R-1C Single-Family Residential District. (Ward 5 upon annexation) (RCA attached)
C. Case No. Z-31-04. An application to rezone an approximately four (4) acre parcel located at 1815 Boone’s Lick Road from O-I Office Institution District to C-2 General Business District. (Ward 2) ) (Tabled at the January 24, 2005, Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting; therefore the Public Hearing should be tabled until March 1, 2005)
D. Case No. Z-32-04. An application to rezone an approximately 2.5 acre parcel located on the north side of New Town Boulevard at Mueller Road from A Agricultural District to I-2 Heavy Industrial District. (Ward 8) (Council Bill ______ )
E. Case No. Z-01-05. An application to establish zoning for property in the process of being voluntarily annexed into the City of St. Charles. The property is an 8,723 square foot parcel located at the corner of the north service road of Highway 94 and relocated Old Highway 94. The property is presently zoned R-1E Single-Family Residential District in unincorporated St. Charles County. The owners have requested that the property be rezoned to C-3 Highway Business District upon annexation into the city. (Ward 4 upon annexation) (Tabled at the January 24, 2005, Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting; therefore the Public Hearing should be tabled until March 1, 2005)
F. Case No. Z-02-05. An application to rezone portions of lot 23 of Fountain Lakes Commerce Center Plat 6 from A Agricultural District to C-2 General Business District and I-2 Heavy Industrial District. The portion proposed for rezoning to C-2 General Business District is a 1.577 acre tract located at the southeast corner of New Town Boulevard and Bangert Drive. The portion proposed for rezoning to I-2 Heavy Industrial District is a 13.029 acre tract located on the southwest side of Mueller Road, south of New Town Boulevard. (Ward 8) (Council Bill ____)
G. Case No. Z-03-05. An application to establish zoning for property in the process of being voluntarily annexed into the City of St. Charles. The property is a 108.09 acre tract located on the southeast side of New Town Boulevard, northeast of Mueller Road. The property is presently zoned I-2 Heavy Industrial District in unincorporated St. Charles County. The owners have requested that the property be rezoned to PD-MU Planned Development-Mixed Use District upon annexation into the city. In conjunction with the rezoning, the Commission will also consider a preliminary development plan for New Town at St. Charles Phase 10. (Ward 8 upon annexation)
H. Case No. CU-01-05. An application for a conditional use permit for temporary vehicle storage, specifically the storage of towed vehicles, on property located at 1881 Old Highway 94 South. The property is zoned I-2 Heavy Industrial District. (Ward 4) (Withdrawn by Applicant)
I. Case No. CU-02-05. An application for a conditional use permit for vehicle storage, specifically the storage of two (2) tractor-trailers used to haul heavy equipment, on property located at 1881 Old Highway 94 South. The property is zoned I-2 Heavy Industrial District. (Ward 4) (Withdrawn by Applicant)
4. REPORT OF THE MAYOR
A. Written and/or Verbal Messages from the Mayor
5. ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM COUNCILMEMBERS/MISCELLANEOUS
A. Recognition of Safeway Tire Center (referred by Councilmember Joe Koester)
B. Discussion Relative to Ticketed Events at the Family Arena (referred by President of the Council Rory Riddler)
C. Appointments to the Public Safety Committee Arena (referred by President of the Council Rory Riddler)
6. PUBLIC COMMENT
A. Reading of Written Petitions, Memorials and Remonstrances
B. Public Comment Relative to Agenda Items
C. Public Comment Relative to City Issues
NOTE: To address the Council, please complete a speaker card and present to the City Clerk prior to the meeting.
7. BILLS FOR FINAL PASSAGE
Bill 8335
An Ordinance Amending Section 151.69 of the Code of Ordinances Pertaining to the Rules and Regulations for Engineering Design to Require that All Detention Facilities be Provided Above Ground (Sponsor: John Gieseke)
Bill 8453
An Ordinance Amending Sections 119.50 through 119.99 of the Code of Ordinances Pertaining to Solicitors and the Penalty for Violations (Sponsor: Bob Kneemiller)
Bill 8454
An Ordinance Authorizing a Contract with Buxton Company to Provide Retail Potential and Retail Site Determination; Identification of Retail Matches for Selected Site; and Publishing of Retail Marketing Packages on Three Different Sites Selected by the City of St. Charles in an Amount Not to Exceed $123,000.00. (Sponsors: Rory Riddler, John Gieseke and Jerry Reese)
Bill 8455
An Ordinance Amending Section 52.24 of the Code of Ordinances Pertaining to Sanitary Sewer Connection of Property Outside the City of St. Charles. (Sponsors: Bob Hoepfner, Mark Brown, Dottie Greer, Bob Kneemiller, Michael Weller)
8. CONSENT AGENDA
A. Approval of Council Minutes
1. Special City Council Meeting of January 11, 2005
2. Public Hearing of January 18, 2005
3. Regular Council Meeting of January 18, 2005
B. Receipt of Council Committee Reports
1. Street Committee of January 11, 2005
2. Council Work Session of January 11, 2005
3. CVB Advertising Oversight Committee Meeting of January 18, 2005
4. Convention Center Oversight Committee Meeting of December 21, 2004
5. Public Utilities Committee Meeting of January 24, 2005
6. Community Center Committee Meeting of January 25, 2005
C. Receipt of Reports from Boards, Commissions or Committees
1. St. Charles Park & Recreation Board Meeting of December 15, 2004
2. St. Charles Park & Recreation Work Session Meeting of January 5, 2005
3. Special Business District Advisory Board Meeting of August 5, 2004
4. Special Business District Advisory Board Meeting of September 2, 2004
5. Special Business District Advisory Board Meeting of November 4, 2004
6. Special Business District Advisory Board Meeting of December 2, 2004
D. Receipt of City Administrator’s Reports
1. Informational Memorandum
E. Approval of Contracts and Easements from $20,000 - $50,000
1. Contract with Todt, McCollough, etc. for Special Municipal Prosecuting Services
F. Preliminary Plats
1. Prongue Estates
G. Miscellaneous
1. Report of the City Clerk relative to Disposal of Various Records Pursuant to the Missouri Records Manual and State Records Retention Law
9. ITEMS REMOVED FROM CONSENT AGENDA
10. RESOLUTIONS
A Resolution Approving the City Center Facade Improvement Grant Guidelines (Sponsor: Rory Riddler)
A Resolution Approving the First Capitol Facade Improvement Grant Guidelines (Sponsor: Rory Riddler)
A Resolution Approving the North Main Facade Improvement Grant Guidelines (Sponsor: Rory Riddler)
11. EMERGENCY ORDINANCE
12. BILLS FOR INTRODUCTION
Bill 8456
An Ordinance Authorizing an Amendment to the Contract with Melrose Pyrotechnics, Inc. for One Additional Fireworks Display on Sunday, July 3, 2005 in an Amount of $30,000.00, for a Total Contract Amount Not to Exceed $152,100.00 (Sponsor: Michael T. Weller)
Bill 8457
Bill 8458
An Ordinance Authorizing a Sanitary Sewer Connection Agreement with Saint Charles County for the Dedication and Maintenance of Sewers in the Arnold/Shady Lane Neighborhood Improvement District (Sponsors: Bob Hoepfner, Bob Kneemiller, Michael T. Weller, Mark B. Brown, and Dottie Greer)
Bill 8459
An Ordinance Authorizing Amendment No. 1 to the Contract with Environmental Management Corporation (EMC) for the Operation and Maintenance of the City’s Wastewater Treatment Facilities in an Amount of $45,000.00, for a Total Contract Amount Not to Exceed $165,000.00 (Sponsors: Bob Hoepfner, Bob Kneemiller, Michael T. Weller, Mark B. Brown, and Dottie Greer)
Bill 8460
Bill 8461
An Ordinance Authorizing a Four-Way Stop Sign at the Intersection of Clark Street, Main Street, Riverside Drive and the ACF Building Parking Lot Entrance (Sponsor: Rory Riddler)
Amendment Adding a Time Restriction to the Loading Zones on Waverly Street
Rezoning of approximately 2.5 acre parcel located on the north side of New Town Boulevard at Mueller Road
Rezoning of a portions of lot 23 of Fountain Lakes Commerce Center Plat 6
Establishing zoning for a 108.09 acre tract located on the southeast side of New Town Boulevard, northeast of Mueller Road.
Amendment No. 3 to the engineering services contract with George Butler and Associates, Inc. (GBA) for the I-70 and RTE 94 Interchange Project in an amount not to exceed $51,990.
13. TABLED BILLS
Bill 8203
An Ordinance Repealing Ordinance No. 03-209 Which Rezoned to Zoning District PD-MU (Planned Development-Mixed Use District) From Zoning District I-2 (Heavy Industrial District) a Tract of Land Located on the Southeast Side of South River Road (also known as Arena Parkway), Southwest of Friedens Road; Which Approved the Preliminary Plat of Ashbury at Katy Trail PD-MU in Connection Therewith; and Which Authorized a Planned Development Agreement (Sponsor: Mark Brown)
Bill 8260
An Ordinance Rezoning to City Zoning District C-2 (General Business District) from City Zoning District I-2 (Heavy Industrial District), a Tract of Land Consisting of 35 Acres Located on the Southwest Side of South River Road (Also Known as Arena Parkway), Southwest of Friedens Road (Sponsor: John Gieseke)
14. APPROVAL OF CLOSED MINUTES
A. Special Council Work Session of December 7, 2004, relative to legal actions, causes of action, or litigation (RSMo 610.021.1), and hiring, firing, disciplining or promoting of particular employees when information relating to the performance or merit of individual employees is discussed or recorded (RSMo 610.021.3).
B. Council Work Session of December 14, 2004, relative to legal actions, causes of action, or litigation (RSMo 610.021.1), and hiring, firing, disciplining or promoting of particular employees when information relating to the performance or merit of individual employees is discussed or recorded (RSMo 610.021.3).
C. Public Utilities Committee of December 20, 2004, relative to legal actions, causes of action, or litigation (RSMo 610.021.1), and sealed proposals and related documents or any documents related to a negotiated contract (RSMo 610.021.12)
D. Regular Council Meeting of December 21, 2004, relative to legal actions, causes of action, or litigation (RSMo 610.021.1)
E. Regular Council Meeting of January 4, 2005, relative to hiring, firing, disciplining or promoting of particular employees when information relating to the performance or merit of individual employees is discussed or recorded (RSMo 610.021.3)
F. Council Work Session of January 11, 2005, relative to preparation, including any discussions or work product, on behalf of the Council or its representatives for negotiations with employee groups (RSMo 610.021.9)
G. Regular Council Meeting of January 18, 2005, relative to legal actions, causes of action, or litigation (RSMo 610.021.1), and hiring, firing, disciplining or promoting of particular employees when information relating to the performance or merit of individual employees is discussed or recorded (RSMo 610.021.3).
15. CLOSED SESSION, if requested, relative to:
A. Legal actions, causes of action, or litigation (RSMo 610.021.1)
B. Leasing, purchase or sale of real estate where public knowledge of the transaction might adversely affect the legal consideration therefor (RSMo 610.021.2)
C. Hiring, firing, disciplining or promoting of particular employees when information relating to the performance or merit of individual employees is discussed or recorded (RSMo 610.021.3)
D. Preparation, including any discussions or work product, on behalf of the Council or its representatives for negotiations with employee groups (RSMo 610.021.9)
E. Sealed proposals and related documents or any documents related to a negotiated contract (RSMo 610.021.12)
*The Final Agenda will be available on the City’s Website www.stcharlescity.com after 5:00 p.m. on Friday, January 28, 2005.
AGENDA
Regular Session of the City Council of the City of Saint Charles, Missouri
Council Chambers - 4th floor - City Hall - 200 North Second Street
Tuesday, February 1, 2005
7:00 P.M.
1. ROLL CALL
2. INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
3. PUBLIC HEARINGS
A. Case No. CU-29-04. An application for a conditional use permit for a vehicle service and repair facility, including tire repair and replacement, on property located at 1617 and 1621 Old Highway 94 South. The property is zoned C-2 General Business District. (Ward 4) (Continued from the Regular Council Meeting of January18, 2005)
B. Case No. CU-28-04. An application for a conditional use permit for a monopole telecommunications tower on property located at 1921 Muegge Road. This property is currently in unincorporated St. Charles County but is in the process of being voluntarily annexed into the City of St. Charles. The proposed zoning for the property in the City is R-1C Single-Family Residential District. (Ward 5 upon annexation) (RCA attached)
C. Case No. Z-31-04. An application to rezone an approximately four (4) acre parcel located at 1815 Boone’s Lick Road from O-I Office Institution District to C-2 General Business District. (Ward 2) ) (Tabled at the January 24, 2005, Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting; therefore the Public Hearing should be tabled until March 1, 2005)
D. Case No. Z-32-04. An application to rezone an approximately 2.5 acre parcel located on the north side of New Town Boulevard at Mueller Road from A Agricultural District to I-2 Heavy Industrial District. (Ward 8) (Council Bill ______ )
E. Case No. Z-01-05. An application to establish zoning for property in the process of being voluntarily annexed into the City of St. Charles. The property is an 8,723 square foot parcel located at the corner of the north service road of Highway 94 and relocated Old Highway 94. The property is presently zoned R-1E Single-Family Residential District in unincorporated St. Charles County. The owners have requested that the property be rezoned to C-3 Highway Business District upon annexation into the city. (Ward 4 upon annexation) (Tabled at the January 24, 2005, Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting; therefore the Public Hearing should be tabled until March 1, 2005)
F. Case No. Z-02-05. An application to rezone portions of lot 23 of Fountain Lakes Commerce Center Plat 6 from A Agricultural District to C-2 General Business District and I-2 Heavy Industrial District. The portion proposed for rezoning to C-2 General Business District is a 1.577 acre tract located at the southeast corner of New Town Boulevard and Bangert Drive. The portion proposed for rezoning to I-2 Heavy Industrial District is a 13.029 acre tract located on the southwest side of Mueller Road, south of New Town Boulevard. (Ward 8) (Council Bill ____)
G. Case No. Z-03-05. An application to establish zoning for property in the process of being voluntarily annexed into the City of St. Charles. The property is a 108.09 acre tract located on the southeast side of New Town Boulevard, northeast of Mueller Road. The property is presently zoned I-2 Heavy Industrial District in unincorporated St. Charles County. The owners have requested that the property be rezoned to PD-MU Planned Development-Mixed Use District upon annexation into the city. In conjunction with the rezoning, the Commission will also consider a preliminary development plan for New Town at St. Charles Phase 10. (Ward 8 upon annexation)
H. Case No. CU-01-05. An application for a conditional use permit for temporary vehicle storage, specifically the storage of towed vehicles, on property located at 1881 Old Highway 94 South. The property is zoned I-2 Heavy Industrial District. (Ward 4) (Withdrawn by Applicant)
I. Case No. CU-02-05. An application for a conditional use permit for vehicle storage, specifically the storage of two (2) tractor-trailers used to haul heavy equipment, on property located at 1881 Old Highway 94 South. The property is zoned I-2 Heavy Industrial District. (Ward 4) (Withdrawn by Applicant)
4. REPORT OF THE MAYOR
A. Written and/or Verbal Messages from the Mayor
5. ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM COUNCILMEMBERS/MISCELLANEOUS
A. Recognition of Safeway Tire Center (referred by Councilmember Joe Koester)
B. Discussion Relative to Ticketed Events at the Family Arena (referred by President of the Council Rory Riddler)
C. Appointments to the Public Safety Committee Arena (referred by President of the Council Rory Riddler)
6. PUBLIC COMMENT
A. Reading of Written Petitions, Memorials and Remonstrances
B. Public Comment Relative to Agenda Items
C. Public Comment Relative to City Issues
NOTE: To address the Council, please complete a speaker card and present to the City Clerk prior to the meeting.
7. BILLS FOR FINAL PASSAGE
Bill 8335
An Ordinance Amending Section 151.69 of the Code of Ordinances Pertaining to the Rules and Regulations for Engineering Design to Require that All Detention Facilities be Provided Above Ground (Sponsor: John Gieseke)
Bill 8453
An Ordinance Amending Sections 119.50 through 119.99 of the Code of Ordinances Pertaining to Solicitors and the Penalty for Violations (Sponsor: Bob Kneemiller)
Bill 8454
An Ordinance Authorizing a Contract with Buxton Company to Provide Retail Potential and Retail Site Determination; Identification of Retail Matches for Selected Site; and Publishing of Retail Marketing Packages on Three Different Sites Selected by the City of St. Charles in an Amount Not to Exceed $123,000.00. (Sponsors: Rory Riddler, John Gieseke and Jerry Reese)
Bill 8455
An Ordinance Amending Section 52.24 of the Code of Ordinances Pertaining to Sanitary Sewer Connection of Property Outside the City of St. Charles. (Sponsors: Bob Hoepfner, Mark Brown, Dottie Greer, Bob Kneemiller, Michael Weller)
8. CONSENT AGENDA
A. Approval of Council Minutes
1. Special City Council Meeting of January 11, 2005
2. Public Hearing of January 18, 2005
3. Regular Council Meeting of January 18, 2005
B. Receipt of Council Committee Reports
1. Street Committee of January 11, 2005
2. Council Work Session of January 11, 2005
3. CVB Advertising Oversight Committee Meeting of January 18, 2005
4. Convention Center Oversight Committee Meeting of December 21, 2004
5. Public Utilities Committee Meeting of January 24, 2005
6. Community Center Committee Meeting of January 25, 2005
C. Receipt of Reports from Boards, Commissions or Committees
1. St. Charles Park & Recreation Board Meeting of December 15, 2004
2. St. Charles Park & Recreation Work Session Meeting of January 5, 2005
3. Special Business District Advisory Board Meeting of August 5, 2004
4. Special Business District Advisory Board Meeting of September 2, 2004
5. Special Business District Advisory Board Meeting of November 4, 2004
6. Special Business District Advisory Board Meeting of December 2, 2004
D. Receipt of City Administrator’s Reports
1. Informational Memorandum
E. Approval of Contracts and Easements from $20,000 - $50,000
1. Contract with Todt, McCollough, etc. for Special Municipal Prosecuting Services
F. Preliminary Plats
1. Prongue Estates
G. Miscellaneous
1. Report of the City Clerk relative to Disposal of Various Records Pursuant to the Missouri Records Manual and State Records Retention Law
9. ITEMS REMOVED FROM CONSENT AGENDA
10. RESOLUTIONS
A Resolution Approving the City Center Facade Improvement Grant Guidelines (Sponsor: Rory Riddler)
A Resolution Approving the First Capitol Facade Improvement Grant Guidelines (Sponsor: Rory Riddler)
A Resolution Approving the North Main Facade Improvement Grant Guidelines (Sponsor: Rory Riddler)
11. EMERGENCY ORDINANCE
12. BILLS FOR INTRODUCTION
Bill 8456
An Ordinance Authorizing an Amendment to the Contract with Melrose Pyrotechnics, Inc. for One Additional Fireworks Display on Sunday, July 3, 2005 in an Amount of $30,000.00, for a Total Contract Amount Not to Exceed $152,100.00 (Sponsor: Michael T. Weller)
Bill 8457
Bill 8458
An Ordinance Authorizing a Sanitary Sewer Connection Agreement with Saint Charles County for the Dedication and Maintenance of Sewers in the Arnold/Shady Lane Neighborhood Improvement District (Sponsors: Bob Hoepfner, Bob Kneemiller, Michael T. Weller, Mark B. Brown, and Dottie Greer)
Bill 8459
An Ordinance Authorizing Amendment No. 1 to the Contract with Environmental Management Corporation (EMC) for the Operation and Maintenance of the City’s Wastewater Treatment Facilities in an Amount of $45,000.00, for a Total Contract Amount Not to Exceed $165,000.00 (Sponsors: Bob Hoepfner, Bob Kneemiller, Michael T. Weller, Mark B. Brown, and Dottie Greer)
Bill 8460
Bill 8461
An Ordinance Authorizing a Four-Way Stop Sign at the Intersection of Clark Street, Main Street, Riverside Drive and the ACF Building Parking Lot Entrance (Sponsor: Rory Riddler)
Amendment Adding a Time Restriction to the Loading Zones on Waverly Street
Rezoning of approximately 2.5 acre parcel located on the north side of New Town Boulevard at Mueller Road
Rezoning of a portions of lot 23 of Fountain Lakes Commerce Center Plat 6
Establishing zoning for a 108.09 acre tract located on the southeast side of New Town Boulevard, northeast of Mueller Road.
Amendment No. 3 to the engineering services contract with George Butler and Associates, Inc. (GBA) for the I-70 and RTE 94 Interchange Project in an amount not to exceed $51,990.
13. TABLED BILLS
Bill 8203
An Ordinance Repealing Ordinance No. 03-209 Which Rezoned to Zoning District PD-MU (Planned Development-Mixed Use District) From Zoning District I-2 (Heavy Industrial District) a Tract of Land Located on the Southeast Side of South River Road (also known as Arena Parkway), Southwest of Friedens Road; Which Approved the Preliminary Plat of Ashbury at Katy Trail PD-MU in Connection Therewith; and Which Authorized a Planned Development Agreement (Sponsor: Mark Brown)
Bill 8260
An Ordinance Rezoning to City Zoning District C-2 (General Business District) from City Zoning District I-2 (Heavy Industrial District), a Tract of Land Consisting of 35 Acres Located on the Southwest Side of South River Road (Also Known as Arena Parkway), Southwest of Friedens Road (Sponsor: John Gieseke)
14. APPROVAL OF CLOSED MINUTES
A. Special Council Work Session of December 7, 2004, relative to legal actions, causes of action, or litigation (RSMo 610.021.1), and hiring, firing, disciplining or promoting of particular employees when information relating to the performance or merit of individual employees is discussed or recorded (RSMo 610.021.3).
B. Council Work Session of December 14, 2004, relative to legal actions, causes of action, or litigation (RSMo 610.021.1), and hiring, firing, disciplining or promoting of particular employees when information relating to the performance or merit of individual employees is discussed or recorded (RSMo 610.021.3).
C. Public Utilities Committee of December 20, 2004, relative to legal actions, causes of action, or litigation (RSMo 610.021.1), and sealed proposals and related documents or any documents related to a negotiated contract (RSMo 610.021.12)
D. Regular Council Meeting of December 21, 2004, relative to legal actions, causes of action, or litigation (RSMo 610.021.1)
E. Regular Council Meeting of January 4, 2005, relative to hiring, firing, disciplining or promoting of particular employees when information relating to the performance or merit of individual employees is discussed or recorded (RSMo 610.021.3)
F. Council Work Session of January 11, 2005, relative to preparation, including any discussions or work product, on behalf of the Council or its representatives for negotiations with employee groups (RSMo 610.021.9)
G. Regular Council Meeting of January 18, 2005, relative to legal actions, causes of action, or litigation (RSMo 610.021.1), and hiring, firing, disciplining or promoting of particular employees when information relating to the performance or merit of individual employees is discussed or recorded (RSMo 610.021.3).
15. CLOSED SESSION, if requested, relative to:
A. Legal actions, causes of action, or litigation (RSMo 610.021.1)
B. Leasing, purchase or sale of real estate where public knowledge of the transaction might adversely affect the legal consideration therefor (RSMo 610.021.2)
C. Hiring, firing, disciplining or promoting of particular employees when information relating to the performance or merit of individual employees is discussed or recorded (RSMo 610.021.3)
D. Preparation, including any discussions or work product, on behalf of the Council or its representatives for negotiations with employee groups (RSMo 610.021.9)
E. Sealed proposals and related documents or any documents related to a negotiated contract (RSMo 610.021.12)
*The Final Agenda will be available on the City’s Website www.stcharlescity.com after 5:00 p.m. on Friday, January 28, 2005.
FIRST CAPITOL NEWS ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Zach Plackemeier, Sophomore
Duchesne High School
By Mike McMurran
Sports Editor
Maybe there is something in the water, maybe not, but something about playing in the Robert Strub Memorial Gym on the campus of Trinity Catholic High School brings out the best in Duchesne’s sophomore guard Zach Plackemeir. All Plackemeir did was average a tad over 21 points per game while leading the Pioneers to victories over North Tech, Hazelwood West and Howell and the championship trophy of the tournament. Last year he had his best game of the season at Trinity when he scored 26 points against Lutheran – St. Charles. In addition to his performance against Tech, Plackemeier scored 19 against West and 17 against Howell.
Zach has been playing basketball since he was in kindergarten; he works on his game year round, playing AAU ball for St. Louis Gateway. “My role on this team is to score, pure and simple,” says the soft-spoken young man from St. Charles City. “They used to not let me guard a team’s best player, but now I do that too,” he said. “The best player I have ever played against, and the toughest to defend is John Coffey from West (a former FCN athlete of the week), he can run the floor, jump, heck, he does it all. If he is not the best player in the conference, he certainly is up there,” he suggested.
Zach lives with his mom and dad, Dan and Dawn Plackemeier, and his younger sister Morgan. His older sister, Brittney, is studying at Mizzou. “Brittney was a dancer, but I am working with Morgan, she is going to be a player,” he proudly says. There is little doubt from where Zach’s talent comes, “My dad holds the scoring record here at Duchesne,” says Zach, “he graduated in 1976.” Dan Plackemeier does indeed hold the Duchesne scoring record with 1325 points. With 588 points in the middle of his sophomore season, Zach might just break that record which has stood for almost 30 years.
Duchesne head coach Wade Bouslog thinks Zach is something special. “The kid just plain knows basketball, it is hard to describe,” says Bouslog. “He walked on the court as a freshman and played like he was a senior, and he has only gotten better. He is one of those kids who leads by example. He is not a real vocal kid, but the team looks up to him because he is such a darn good player. Zach really was playing out of position last season, he is a shooting guard, not a pure shooting guard, but rather a smart, smart shooting guard. Last year we had to use him as our point guard.” The development of fellow sophomore Brandon Durk “allowed Zach to move from the 1 position to the 2 position. From there he can score more.”
How many sophomores in high school have their own fan club? “My motivation is looking into the stands and seeing my family and friends chanting my name and holding up signs. My friends Collin, Kevin, Terry and Bo are kind of like my own fan club, at least that is what I call them. Sometimes they can get very loud.”
Zach was unaware of the FCN and its Sports Editor’s favorite question; he never the less had a quick answer: “I would go to Red Lobster and order a double or triple order of King Crab Legs.”
Duchesne High School
By Mike McMurran
Sports Editor
Maybe there is something in the water, maybe not, but something about playing in the Robert Strub Memorial Gym on the campus of Trinity Catholic High School brings out the best in Duchesne’s sophomore guard Zach Plackemeir. All Plackemeir did was average a tad over 21 points per game while leading the Pioneers to victories over North Tech, Hazelwood West and Howell and the championship trophy of the tournament. Last year he had his best game of the season at Trinity when he scored 26 points against Lutheran – St. Charles. In addition to his performance against Tech, Plackemeier scored 19 against West and 17 against Howell.
Zach has been playing basketball since he was in kindergarten; he works on his game year round, playing AAU ball for St. Louis Gateway. “My role on this team is to score, pure and simple,” says the soft-spoken young man from St. Charles City. “They used to not let me guard a team’s best player, but now I do that too,” he said. “The best player I have ever played against, and the toughest to defend is John Coffey from West (a former FCN athlete of the week), he can run the floor, jump, heck, he does it all. If he is not the best player in the conference, he certainly is up there,” he suggested.
Zach lives with his mom and dad, Dan and Dawn Plackemeier, and his younger sister Morgan. His older sister, Brittney, is studying at Mizzou. “Brittney was a dancer, but I am working with Morgan, she is going to be a player,” he proudly says. There is little doubt from where Zach’s talent comes, “My dad holds the scoring record here at Duchesne,” says Zach, “he graduated in 1976.” Dan Plackemeier does indeed hold the Duchesne scoring record with 1325 points. With 588 points in the middle of his sophomore season, Zach might just break that record which has stood for almost 30 years.
Duchesne head coach Wade Bouslog thinks Zach is something special. “The kid just plain knows basketball, it is hard to describe,” says Bouslog. “He walked on the court as a freshman and played like he was a senior, and he has only gotten better. He is one of those kids who leads by example. He is not a real vocal kid, but the team looks up to him because he is such a darn good player. Zach really was playing out of position last season, he is a shooting guard, not a pure shooting guard, but rather a smart, smart shooting guard. Last year we had to use him as our point guard.” The development of fellow sophomore Brandon Durk “allowed Zach to move from the 1 position to the 2 position. From there he can score more.”
How many sophomores in high school have their own fan club? “My motivation is looking into the stands and seeing my family and friends chanting my name and holding up signs. My friends Collin, Kevin, Terry and Bo are kind of like my own fan club, at least that is what I call them. Sometimes they can get very loud.”
Zach was unaware of the FCN and its Sports Editor’s favorite question; he never the less had a quick answer: “I would go to Red Lobster and order a double or triple order of King Crab Legs.”
MY SPORTS COLUMN
MIKE MCCURRAN
SPORTS EDITOR
FIRST CAPITOL NEWS
The buzz on radio talk sports shows seems to be centering around the “void” of sporting events now that football is over and the hockey strike and all. Heh, not here in beautiful St. Charles. We have the St. Louis Flight and Missouri River Otters to entertain us. Not only do we have competitive sporting events right here in River City, we have AFFORDABLE sporting events. Have you ever sat in a front row seat of a Blues hockey game? I for one know that I could not afford such a luxury – not so with the Missouri River Otters. For only $20 you can purchase a “Bob Uecker special,” front row seat. Better than that, if you shop around there are plenty of two-for-one coupons, meaning you can impress that special someone with front row seats. If hockey is not your favorite game how about checking out the St. Louis Flight, they too play their games at the Family Arena. I cannot even imagine what a courtside seat would cost in the NBA, hundreds I suspect. You can purchase floor seats for The Flight for as little as $17, American money. Not bad. Then of course there is always my personal favorite, high school basketball. Those in attendance this past Friday at St. Charles High School when the Pirates hosted their arch rival St. Charles West know exactly of what I speak.
When I began writing this column and started covering high school sports for the FCN I made it pretty clear I would avoid controversial subjects – and I think I have. One of the reasons I so much love athletic competition, especially youth and high school competition, is because for the most part it is pure and innocent. I try my hardest to avoid speaking with clichés, but youth and high school athletic competition s really are played on a “level playing field,” literally and metaphorically speaking. In previous columns I have mentioned how research has shown that athletics “attract those who possess a certain level of character, and builds upon it.” Such a statement sounds extremely attractive to me as a parent. Which brings me to my next point: how much “character” does it take for someone to mail “hate mail” to those who advertise in the FCN? I bring this up because it is hitting too close to home for me. I have been approached by some who read my column (yes there are a few of you) and said it adds a something special to the paper. Not only do they read and like the column, they wanted to advertise in the paper. What a country! Well it seems these well read advertisers, O.K., there is only one, but it is a start, has received what he called “hate mail” for advertising in the First Capitol News. As I took his phone call I knew not what to think or say. Finally I asked him: “does this mean you are pulling your ad?” “Nah,” he said, “this only lets me know my advertising dollar is going far. This piece of ‘hate mail’ only lets me know people are reading the paper.” Whew, I thought to myself, someone’s plan sure backfired. Anyway, I suspect the individual who is anonymously mailing the “hate mail” never had the character it took to play high school sports. The idea of hiding behind anonymity reminds me of another infamous historical group: i.e. the KKK. And that’s as political as I am going to get, promise!
I suspect most of you who were at St. Charles High School Friday night will concur, there is nothing like the rivalry be St. Charles and St. Charles West high schools. The gym was packed to the top with students and parents alike, and most all stuck around to the finish. Talk about bang for your buck, in the first game between the girls’ teams there were people standing from start to finish. In the second (boys’ varsity) game West started out and made it look like it was going to be a blow out, however coach Wacker and his troops fought back and make a game of it. I make mention of this because high school district basketball is right around the corner, some three short weeks. It would not be too much of a stretch to suggest the district finals might be a repeat of Friday’s intra-city rivalry. Of course Duchesne will have quite a lot to say about who makes the finals, which will be played at St. Charles West this year.
See ya next week!
SPORTS EDITOR
FIRST CAPITOL NEWS
The buzz on radio talk sports shows seems to be centering around the “void” of sporting events now that football is over and the hockey strike and all. Heh, not here in beautiful St. Charles. We have the St. Louis Flight and Missouri River Otters to entertain us. Not only do we have competitive sporting events right here in River City, we have AFFORDABLE sporting events. Have you ever sat in a front row seat of a Blues hockey game? I for one know that I could not afford such a luxury – not so with the Missouri River Otters. For only $20 you can purchase a “Bob Uecker special,” front row seat. Better than that, if you shop around there are plenty of two-for-one coupons, meaning you can impress that special someone with front row seats. If hockey is not your favorite game how about checking out the St. Louis Flight, they too play their games at the Family Arena. I cannot even imagine what a courtside seat would cost in the NBA, hundreds I suspect. You can purchase floor seats for The Flight for as little as $17, American money. Not bad. Then of course there is always my personal favorite, high school basketball. Those in attendance this past Friday at St. Charles High School when the Pirates hosted their arch rival St. Charles West know exactly of what I speak.
When I began writing this column and started covering high school sports for the FCN I made it pretty clear I would avoid controversial subjects – and I think I have. One of the reasons I so much love athletic competition, especially youth and high school competition, is because for the most part it is pure and innocent. I try my hardest to avoid speaking with clichés, but youth and high school athletic competition s really are played on a “level playing field,” literally and metaphorically speaking. In previous columns I have mentioned how research has shown that athletics “attract those who possess a certain level of character, and builds upon it.” Such a statement sounds extremely attractive to me as a parent. Which brings me to my next point: how much “character” does it take for someone to mail “hate mail” to those who advertise in the FCN? I bring this up because it is hitting too close to home for me. I have been approached by some who read my column (yes there are a few of you) and said it adds a something special to the paper. Not only do they read and like the column, they wanted to advertise in the paper. What a country! Well it seems these well read advertisers, O.K., there is only one, but it is a start, has received what he called “hate mail” for advertising in the First Capitol News. As I took his phone call I knew not what to think or say. Finally I asked him: “does this mean you are pulling your ad?” “Nah,” he said, “this only lets me know my advertising dollar is going far. This piece of ‘hate mail’ only lets me know people are reading the paper.” Whew, I thought to myself, someone’s plan sure backfired. Anyway, I suspect the individual who is anonymously mailing the “hate mail” never had the character it took to play high school sports. The idea of hiding behind anonymity reminds me of another infamous historical group: i.e. the KKK. And that’s as political as I am going to get, promise!
I suspect most of you who were at St. Charles High School Friday night will concur, there is nothing like the rivalry be St. Charles and St. Charles West high schools. The gym was packed to the top with students and parents alike, and most all stuck around to the finish. Talk about bang for your buck, in the first game between the girls’ teams there were people standing from start to finish. In the second (boys’ varsity) game West started out and made it look like it was going to be a blow out, however coach Wacker and his troops fought back and make a game of it. I make mention of this because high school district basketball is right around the corner, some three short weeks. It would not be too much of a stretch to suggest the district finals might be a repeat of Friday’s intra-city rivalry. Of course Duchesne will have quite a lot to say about who makes the finals, which will be played at St. Charles West this year.
See ya next week!
Lady Pirates Top West
By Mike McMurran
Sports Editor
In a key Gateway Athletic Conference North Division contest last Friday evening, Saint Charles High upset cross town rival St. Charles West 47-42. The win puts head coach Corey Nesslage’s Lady Pirates in the driver’s seat for the race to the conference title with a 3-0 record.
The Pirates were lead by sophomore Abby Schultehenrich’s 24 points. Schultehenrich hit 7 field goals, one of which was a three pointer, and nailed nine from the charity stripe to accumulate her game high total.
St. Charles came out of the locker room ready to play. They started the contest with an 8-0 run. Late in the first quarter the Lady Warriors managed to scrap back into the contest and secured a one point lead. “The girls are starting to appreciate how hard you have to compete at the varsity level to be successful, and I’ve never been so proud of a group,” boasted Nesslage. He continued, “You look at that floor, we’ve got two freshmen, a sophomore and two juniors on it playing against a team that’s got all five starters back from a very good team last year, and I thought, not to take anything away from West, but I thought we outplayed them for 32 minutes. That’s a credit to our girls. We prepared for them, we had a game plan ready going in and they executed.”
Friday’s win was the third out of four contests for the Lady Pirates, and could just have easily been four in row. “We went up there to Sullivan (on Tuesday) without Schultehenrich, it was a long bus ride, and it may have been good for us in some ways because other girls had to step up because we didn’t have Abby with us, and they found out that they could score at this level too,” offered Nesslage, “And a couple of those girls that I’m talking about in particular are people like Bekebrede and Witte. I mean, Bekebrede absolutely played out of her mind on Tuesday night, and I think that carried over to tonight.” Freshman Erin Bekebrede followed her performance against Sullivan by adding 12 against West.
Without a doubt the star was Schultehenrich. “Abby’s got the ability to do that night in and night out, and I think you saw a little bit of what Abby Schultehenrich’s all about,” said Nesslage. “When she mentally wants to come out and ready to play, she can flat-out dominate a basketball game, and I think it showed tonight.” “It was amazing, it was awesome,” said the soft spoken Schultehenrich. She continued, “We just played as a team and we were just all doing good and everything was working.”
The loss dropped West to 12-5 overall, and 2-1 in conference play, while the Pirates improved to 7-8 and sit on top of the Gateway North at 3-0.
Boys report
Coffey scores 19, leads West to conference win over St. Charles
On the surface little has changed since cross-town rivals St. Charles West and St. Charles High met on Thanksgiving eve. Last Friday the two squads met for the second time with West once again coming out on top with a 13 point cushion. The road traveled to earn the win was a different route this time. “It takes a lot to stop their two big guys on the inside,” offered West head coach Terry Hollander, “they are big, they are strong and they both know how to score.” The “they” Hollander was making reference to are senior Mark Budde and sophomore Josh Harrellson.
West looked as though they were going to make a rout of it racing to a 12-2 lead at the end of the first quarter. Coach Gary Wacker’s squad would not roll over though; led by Budde’s game high 11points the Pirates fought back to a 6 point half time deficit (22-18). “We had them down 18-4 and then you look up half way though the third quarter and its tied,” said Hollander. “With about five minutes left in the game we did a really good job of handling the ball, a great job of shooting free throws,” he continued.
What the Warriors did was shoot 86% from the free throw line in the 4th quarter, 12 out of 14. They were led by freshman guard Brian Maurer who nailed six out of six. Maurer seems to be making a habit out of nailing free throws in the 4th quarter. In the semifinals of the Fontbonne Tournament against McCluer he stepped up and hit 5 out of 6 in the 4th quarter. “I kinda enjoy going to the line in those type of situations,” says the freshman, “that’s what I do to help out my team.”
The win improved West’s conference record to 2-0 and 14-4 over-all. St. Charles dropped to 2-1 and 10-8.
Sports Editor
In a key Gateway Athletic Conference North Division contest last Friday evening, Saint Charles High upset cross town rival St. Charles West 47-42. The win puts head coach Corey Nesslage’s Lady Pirates in the driver’s seat for the race to the conference title with a 3-0 record.
The Pirates were lead by sophomore Abby Schultehenrich’s 24 points. Schultehenrich hit 7 field goals, one of which was a three pointer, and nailed nine from the charity stripe to accumulate her game high total.
St. Charles came out of the locker room ready to play. They started the contest with an 8-0 run. Late in the first quarter the Lady Warriors managed to scrap back into the contest and secured a one point lead. “The girls are starting to appreciate how hard you have to compete at the varsity level to be successful, and I’ve never been so proud of a group,” boasted Nesslage. He continued, “You look at that floor, we’ve got two freshmen, a sophomore and two juniors on it playing against a team that’s got all five starters back from a very good team last year, and I thought, not to take anything away from West, but I thought we outplayed them for 32 minutes. That’s a credit to our girls. We prepared for them, we had a game plan ready going in and they executed.”
Friday’s win was the third out of four contests for the Lady Pirates, and could just have easily been four in row. “We went up there to Sullivan (on Tuesday) without Schultehenrich, it was a long bus ride, and it may have been good for us in some ways because other girls had to step up because we didn’t have Abby with us, and they found out that they could score at this level too,” offered Nesslage, “And a couple of those girls that I’m talking about in particular are people like Bekebrede and Witte. I mean, Bekebrede absolutely played out of her mind on Tuesday night, and I think that carried over to tonight.” Freshman Erin Bekebrede followed her performance against Sullivan by adding 12 against West.
Without a doubt the star was Schultehenrich. “Abby’s got the ability to do that night in and night out, and I think you saw a little bit of what Abby Schultehenrich’s all about,” said Nesslage. “When she mentally wants to come out and ready to play, she can flat-out dominate a basketball game, and I think it showed tonight.” “It was amazing, it was awesome,” said the soft spoken Schultehenrich. She continued, “We just played as a team and we were just all doing good and everything was working.”
The loss dropped West to 12-5 overall, and 2-1 in conference play, while the Pirates improved to 7-8 and sit on top of the Gateway North at 3-0.
Boys report
Coffey scores 19, leads West to conference win over St. Charles
On the surface little has changed since cross-town rivals St. Charles West and St. Charles High met on Thanksgiving eve. Last Friday the two squads met for the second time with West once again coming out on top with a 13 point cushion. The road traveled to earn the win was a different route this time. “It takes a lot to stop their two big guys on the inside,” offered West head coach Terry Hollander, “they are big, they are strong and they both know how to score.” The “they” Hollander was making reference to are senior Mark Budde and sophomore Josh Harrellson.
West looked as though they were going to make a rout of it racing to a 12-2 lead at the end of the first quarter. Coach Gary Wacker’s squad would not roll over though; led by Budde’s game high 11points the Pirates fought back to a 6 point half time deficit (22-18). “We had them down 18-4 and then you look up half way though the third quarter and its tied,” said Hollander. “With about five minutes left in the game we did a really good job of handling the ball, a great job of shooting free throws,” he continued.
What the Warriors did was shoot 86% from the free throw line in the 4th quarter, 12 out of 14. They were led by freshman guard Brian Maurer who nailed six out of six. Maurer seems to be making a habit out of nailing free throws in the 4th quarter. In the semifinals of the Fontbonne Tournament against McCluer he stepped up and hit 5 out of 6 in the 4th quarter. “I kinda enjoy going to the line in those type of situations,” says the freshman, “that’s what I do to help out my team.”
The win improved West’s conference record to 2-0 and 14-4 over-all. St. Charles dropped to 2-1 and 10-8.
THE PEOPLE SPEAK - Letters To The Editor
Dear Editor,
This is a copy of an e-mail I sent to all St. Charles City Council members today. Could you please print in the Letters to the Editor section with the hopes that all readers who have made use of Leftover’s Etc. will contact all City officials and relate the importance of this facility and those unfamiliar with Leftovers, Etc. will now search out this WONDERFUL St. Charles resource center!!
Greetings! I am pleased and applaud the St. Charles City Council for approving budget allocation to Leftovers, Etc. for the 2005 year, but have learned several Council members are questioning the validity of the services provided by Leftovers, Etc. If you are not familiar with Leftovers, Etc. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE GET TO KNOW THIS ST. CHARLES TREASURE!!! Go to their website, www.leftoversetc.com, or better yet, go to the St. Charles location – 1759 Scherer Parkway (off Friedens Rd.) (636) 946-9779; hours: 1-7PM Mon-Thurs., 9AM-3PM Sat. This is a community based art and science resource center that provides instruction, classes, shows, books, recycled materials, and more for individuals, schools, scouts, 4-H groups, artists, etc. It is open for everyone!! I am a full time artist (for over 23 years) and use the Leftovers center at least twice a month, donating items and getting supply materials. This keeps a lot of “junk” from going into our St. Charles trash trucks and therefore out of the landfills, while providing unique materials/supplies for various projects. I have personally bought materials for use at Kid’s Art Happening (sponsored by the St. Charles Arts Council), senior citizens craft programs at two area nursing homes, art programs at the St. Peters Community and Arts Centers, 4-H Club programs, and personally for my art in St. Louis and Midwest art shows/programs!! I have taken several out-of-state visitors there and they were so impressed they hope to have similar programs in their areas! So, PLEASE familiarize yourself with Leftovers, Etc. It is a definite PLUS for the St. Charles area!
Sincerely,
Serena Boschert
Editor First Capitol News
The only Newspaper worth reading! Keeps me informed.
Received by e-mail: degrasso.
To: the Editor
Re: Citizens with Disabilities and Handicapped Parking
The city of St. Charles established a disabilities board, in 1994, by the then seated mayor Grace Nickels. The board was set up to advise the Mayor, the City Administrator, and the City Council on matters pertaining to disability issues. The board also works with the citizens of St. Charles to try and fix problems confronting them, after they have tried other city departments for help. The board meets the fourth (4) Tuesday of the month, at 5 o’clock PM on the fourth floor of city hall. As is all of the city meetings, this meeting is open to everyone.
Since the board started we have been successful in placing: a TTD in City Hall, a ramp entering the front of City Hall, hearing devices in City Council room, *a driveway at McNair park, a patrol to check handicapped parking and now monitored by City Police, Handicapped parking at Festivals-for vans with lifts, *a crosswalk on W Clay at Sun Valley Apts., a hand held microphone (at the podium) during Council meetings, and working on a accessibility guide for St. Charles. The examples of achievements denoted by an*were brought by citizens.
I would like to point out parking in handicapped spaces. The stripped area adjacent to the handicapped spaces are there for vans or cars, with lifts. Allowing enough room for the wheel chaired person to enter or exit their vehicles. The stripped area is neither a parking place, nor a area to park over. Cars that park close to the line leaving no room to gain access to the vehicle, and I would require assistance from someone to move the van back enough to lower the lift. If you notice, people park close to the drivers side of their parking place leaving plenty of room on the right side. At least don’t park next to a van because that person may be the person needing the room.
David Huesing
The Citizens with Disabilities Advisory Board
Tony,
Once again, great paper, especially the letter from a former Councilman.
If the figures he quotes are true - $95 million budget, 85% salaries - things in this city are much worse than I thought. If 420 full time employees and 80 part timers share the pot, the average salary w/ benefits is $175,000. He then asks “what kind of service do you think the taxpayers can expect?” I expect each and every employee to go above and beyond the call of duty DAILY because they are being paid above and beyond reason.
The average household’s share of the city’s salaries is $3,900 annually. Does anyone, including the former Councilman, see that kind of benefit? He did a wonderful job of putting it all into perspective for us so we can fully understand just how out of control our city government’s spending is.
In his letter he also mentioned that less than 25 city employees attended the Council hosted Christmas party, then asks the question “What does that tell you?” What it tells me is that we have over 400 overcompensated, unappreciative employees. They should have taken the opportunity to express their gratitude to the Council for their more-than-generous compensation packages.
I do agree with him on one point—We’ve clearly had enough of Dan Gould! We’ve also had enough of whiny city employees.
AIM
Dear Editor and Citizens of St Charles County,
I have been a respiratory therapist for almost 25 yrs. Most of my experience is in critical care. I would like to weigh into the discussion about the clean air smoking ban. Let me make one thing very clear. This is not a “rights” issue. This is a HEALTH issue.
There are way too many medical journal articles denoting the dangers of smoking and of second-hand smoke to brush the issue aside by calling it a “personal decision”or by considering a ban an issue of government intrusion. True whether or not to smoke is a personal decision. But when someone else’s secondhand smoke in a public place causes illness, then it becomes a public health hazard. One that is not necessary.
I urge you to think not only of employees subjected to secondhand smoke, but to especially think of the children in our community. YOUR children. Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, even at extremely low levels, is associated with decreases in certain cognitive skills, including reading, math, and logic and reasoning, in children and adolescents.
To measure exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, researchers measured levels of cotinine, a substance produced when nicotine is broken down by the body. Considered the best marker of environmental tobacco smoke exposure, cotinine can be measured in blood, urine, saliva and hair.
Reading, math and reasoning scores were highly related to environmental tobacco smoke exposure: The greater the levels of exposure as measured by cotinine levels, the greater the decline in reading and reasoning ability, even at extremely low levels of exposure, according researchers.
Three frightening sets of numbers for you to think about:
More than 33 million children in the United States are exposed to levels consistent with the adverse effects seen in this study.
Forty-three percent of American children are exposed to environmental tobacco smoke in their own homes.
Eighty-five percent of children have detectable levels of cotinine in their blood.
Secondhand Smoke Lowers Kids’ Math, Reading Scores (01/05/2005, Reuters Health)
Are you aware.......... Whenever a pack of cigarettes is sold in the US, another $7.18 is added to the taxpayer’s bill in terms of medical costs and lost productivity according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Cigarette smoking continues to be the principal cause of premature death in the United States and imposes substantial costs on society.
In 1995-1999, the years CDC researchers studied, more than 260,000 men and 178,000 women died every year due to smoking, either from lung cancer, heart disease or emphysema.
About 600 baby boys and 400 baby girls died each year during that time period because their mothers smoked during pregnancy, according to CDC estimates. And about $366 million — or $704 per pregnant smoker — was spent in 1996 caring for infants injured by cigarette smoke.
Overall, smoking killed nearly half a million people each year in the late 1990s, including about 35,000 people who died of heart disease due to secondhand smoke.
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 2002;51:300-302
Second Hand Smoke, Cervical Cancer Linked (01/05/2005, United Press International)
Cigarette Smoke Worsens RSV Infection in Infants (01/05/2005, Reuters Health)
Even the EPA has concluded that the widespread exposure to environmental tobacco smoke in the U.S. presents a serious and substantial public health risk. http://www.epa.gov/smokefree/pubs/etsfs.html
I urge every voter in St Charles County to let your elected officials know your feelings on this subject. They have been elected to do the right thing for our community. The facts are in on smoking and secondhand smoke. Everyone must understand secondhand smoke in public places is a health hazard.
Sincerely,
Pam Murphy, B.S.,RRT
Lake St Louis, Mo
First Capitol News
I would venture to say a majority of the residents of the City of St. Charles could not care less whether the St. Charles 27 hole golf course is developed or not and contrary to what the people living there and enjoying the fine view feel, I doubt if the rest of us would want to be in the position of subsidizing a nine hole golf course for them either. Unless the residents accept the reality of an owner’s right to sell his property to a buyer ready, able and willing to develop as he feels fit and legal conforming to zoning laws, I would vote against the city annexing this property.
Carol Diller
Letter to the editor,
To the resident of St. Charles who is not honest enough to sign the letter I received from you. I will continue to read and obtain knowledge from any source I feel fit. I will also continue to advertise in any paper, radio, or TV I want to. This is still the land of the free I believe. I just wonder how many times you have been in my shop over the past twenty-one years!! I guess I shall just have to make do without your money, however much it was!
I have a following of decent loyal people who have helped me over the years and I hope will continue to do so. Many have become good friends.
I do not agree with everything that the FCN prints, but will defend their right to do so and also the right for anyone to retaliate if they do not agree. I just do not like your way of retaliation. I’m glad that our city government including the city council does not work anonymously in the shadows, as you seem to do.
Eileen Prichard, The English Shop
(Letter I received is below)
The English Shop
I am a resident of St. Charles along with my fame for many, many years. I often support the business’s here but I have seen your ads in the First Capitol News.
You might not know this but the First Capitol News is a political newspaper published by a convicted felon. While I understand that everyone deserves a second chance, I do not support his closeness to many St. Charles City Council members.
If you read this paper you will notice the attacks on police officers, local residents and anyone that disagrees with them.
I have decided that I will not be doing business with you and will spread the word to make sure all of my friends and family knows what is going on. Also, I notice that a lot of the papers remain laying in resident’s lawns and in the street. Many people do not read this and it would be great for you to advertise in a more objective newspaper.
Thank you for your time,
Resident of St. Charles.
This is a copy of an e-mail I sent to all St. Charles City Council members today. Could you please print in the Letters to the Editor section with the hopes that all readers who have made use of Leftover’s Etc. will contact all City officials and relate the importance of this facility and those unfamiliar with Leftovers, Etc. will now search out this WONDERFUL St. Charles resource center!!
Greetings! I am pleased and applaud the St. Charles City Council for approving budget allocation to Leftovers, Etc. for the 2005 year, but have learned several Council members are questioning the validity of the services provided by Leftovers, Etc. If you are not familiar with Leftovers, Etc. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE GET TO KNOW THIS ST. CHARLES TREASURE!!! Go to their website, www.leftoversetc.com, or better yet, go to the St. Charles location – 1759 Scherer Parkway (off Friedens Rd.) (636) 946-9779; hours: 1-7PM Mon-Thurs., 9AM-3PM Sat. This is a community based art and science resource center that provides instruction, classes, shows, books, recycled materials, and more for individuals, schools, scouts, 4-H groups, artists, etc. It is open for everyone!! I am a full time artist (for over 23 years) and use the Leftovers center at least twice a month, donating items and getting supply materials. This keeps a lot of “junk” from going into our St. Charles trash trucks and therefore out of the landfills, while providing unique materials/supplies for various projects. I have personally bought materials for use at Kid’s Art Happening (sponsored by the St. Charles Arts Council), senior citizens craft programs at two area nursing homes, art programs at the St. Peters Community and Arts Centers, 4-H Club programs, and personally for my art in St. Louis and Midwest art shows/programs!! I have taken several out-of-state visitors there and they were so impressed they hope to have similar programs in their areas! So, PLEASE familiarize yourself with Leftovers, Etc. It is a definite PLUS for the St. Charles area!
Sincerely,
Serena Boschert
Editor First Capitol News
The only Newspaper worth reading! Keeps me informed.
Received by e-mail: degrasso.
To: the Editor
Re: Citizens with Disabilities and Handicapped Parking
The city of St. Charles established a disabilities board, in 1994, by the then seated mayor Grace Nickels. The board was set up to advise the Mayor, the City Administrator, and the City Council on matters pertaining to disability issues. The board also works with the citizens of St. Charles to try and fix problems confronting them, after they have tried other city departments for help. The board meets the fourth (4) Tuesday of the month, at 5 o’clock PM on the fourth floor of city hall. As is all of the city meetings, this meeting is open to everyone.
Since the board started we have been successful in placing: a TTD in City Hall, a ramp entering the front of City Hall, hearing devices in City Council room, *a driveway at McNair park, a patrol to check handicapped parking and now monitored by City Police, Handicapped parking at Festivals-for vans with lifts, *a crosswalk on W Clay at Sun Valley Apts., a hand held microphone (at the podium) during Council meetings, and working on a accessibility guide for St. Charles. The examples of achievements denoted by an*were brought by citizens.
I would like to point out parking in handicapped spaces. The stripped area adjacent to the handicapped spaces are there for vans or cars, with lifts. Allowing enough room for the wheel chaired person to enter or exit their vehicles. The stripped area is neither a parking place, nor a area to park over. Cars that park close to the line leaving no room to gain access to the vehicle, and I would require assistance from someone to move the van back enough to lower the lift. If you notice, people park close to the drivers side of their parking place leaving plenty of room on the right side. At least don’t park next to a van because that person may be the person needing the room.
David Huesing
The Citizens with Disabilities Advisory Board
Tony,
Once again, great paper, especially the letter from a former Councilman.
If the figures he quotes are true - $95 million budget, 85% salaries - things in this city are much worse than I thought. If 420 full time employees and 80 part timers share the pot, the average salary w/ benefits is $175,000. He then asks “what kind of service do you think the taxpayers can expect?” I expect each and every employee to go above and beyond the call of duty DAILY because they are being paid above and beyond reason.
The average household’s share of the city’s salaries is $3,900 annually. Does anyone, including the former Councilman, see that kind of benefit? He did a wonderful job of putting it all into perspective for us so we can fully understand just how out of control our city government’s spending is.
In his letter he also mentioned that less than 25 city employees attended the Council hosted Christmas party, then asks the question “What does that tell you?” What it tells me is that we have over 400 overcompensated, unappreciative employees. They should have taken the opportunity to express their gratitude to the Council for their more-than-generous compensation packages.
I do agree with him on one point—We’ve clearly had enough of Dan Gould! We’ve also had enough of whiny city employees.
AIM
Dear Editor and Citizens of St Charles County,
I have been a respiratory therapist for almost 25 yrs. Most of my experience is in critical care. I would like to weigh into the discussion about the clean air smoking ban. Let me make one thing very clear. This is not a “rights” issue. This is a HEALTH issue.
There are way too many medical journal articles denoting the dangers of smoking and of second-hand smoke to brush the issue aside by calling it a “personal decision”or by considering a ban an issue of government intrusion. True whether or not to smoke is a personal decision. But when someone else’s secondhand smoke in a public place causes illness, then it becomes a public health hazard. One that is not necessary.
I urge you to think not only of employees subjected to secondhand smoke, but to especially think of the children in our community. YOUR children. Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, even at extremely low levels, is associated with decreases in certain cognitive skills, including reading, math, and logic and reasoning, in children and adolescents.
To measure exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, researchers measured levels of cotinine, a substance produced when nicotine is broken down by the body. Considered the best marker of environmental tobacco smoke exposure, cotinine can be measured in blood, urine, saliva and hair.
Reading, math and reasoning scores were highly related to environmental tobacco smoke exposure: The greater the levels of exposure as measured by cotinine levels, the greater the decline in reading and reasoning ability, even at extremely low levels of exposure, according researchers.
Three frightening sets of numbers for you to think about:
More than 33 million children in the United States are exposed to levels consistent with the adverse effects seen in this study.
Forty-three percent of American children are exposed to environmental tobacco smoke in their own homes.
Eighty-five percent of children have detectable levels of cotinine in their blood.
Secondhand Smoke Lowers Kids’ Math, Reading Scores (01/05/2005, Reuters Health)
Are you aware.......... Whenever a pack of cigarettes is sold in the US, another $7.18 is added to the taxpayer’s bill in terms of medical costs and lost productivity according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Cigarette smoking continues to be the principal cause of premature death in the United States and imposes substantial costs on society.
In 1995-1999, the years CDC researchers studied, more than 260,000 men and 178,000 women died every year due to smoking, either from lung cancer, heart disease or emphysema.
About 600 baby boys and 400 baby girls died each year during that time period because their mothers smoked during pregnancy, according to CDC estimates. And about $366 million — or $704 per pregnant smoker — was spent in 1996 caring for infants injured by cigarette smoke.
Overall, smoking killed nearly half a million people each year in the late 1990s, including about 35,000 people who died of heart disease due to secondhand smoke.
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 2002;51:300-302
Second Hand Smoke, Cervical Cancer Linked (01/05/2005, United Press International)
Cigarette Smoke Worsens RSV Infection in Infants (01/05/2005, Reuters Health)
Even the EPA has concluded that the widespread exposure to environmental tobacco smoke in the U.S. presents a serious and substantial public health risk. http://www.epa.gov/smokefree/pubs/etsfs.html
I urge every voter in St Charles County to let your elected officials know your feelings on this subject. They have been elected to do the right thing for our community. The facts are in on smoking and secondhand smoke. Everyone must understand secondhand smoke in public places is a health hazard.
Sincerely,
Pam Murphy, B.S.,RRT
Lake St Louis, Mo
First Capitol News
I would venture to say a majority of the residents of the City of St. Charles could not care less whether the St. Charles 27 hole golf course is developed or not and contrary to what the people living there and enjoying the fine view feel, I doubt if the rest of us would want to be in the position of subsidizing a nine hole golf course for them either. Unless the residents accept the reality of an owner’s right to sell his property to a buyer ready, able and willing to develop as he feels fit and legal conforming to zoning laws, I would vote against the city annexing this property.
Carol Diller
Letter to the editor,
To the resident of St. Charles who is not honest enough to sign the letter I received from you. I will continue to read and obtain knowledge from any source I feel fit. I will also continue to advertise in any paper, radio, or TV I want to. This is still the land of the free I believe. I just wonder how many times you have been in my shop over the past twenty-one years!! I guess I shall just have to make do without your money, however much it was!
I have a following of decent loyal people who have helped me over the years and I hope will continue to do so. Many have become good friends.
I do not agree with everything that the FCN prints, but will defend their right to do so and also the right for anyone to retaliate if they do not agree. I just do not like your way of retaliation. I’m glad that our city government including the city council does not work anonymously in the shadows, as you seem to do.
Eileen Prichard, The English Shop
(Letter I received is below)
The English Shop
I am a resident of St. Charles along with my fame for many, many years. I often support the business’s here but I have seen your ads in the First Capitol News.
You might not know this but the First Capitol News is a political newspaper published by a convicted felon. While I understand that everyone deserves a second chance, I do not support his closeness to many St. Charles City Council members.
If you read this paper you will notice the attacks on police officers, local residents and anyone that disagrees with them.
I have decided that I will not be doing business with you and will spread the word to make sure all of my friends and family knows what is going on. Also, I notice that a lot of the papers remain laying in resident’s lawns and in the street. Many people do not read this and it would be great for you to advertise in a more objective newspaper.
Thank you for your time,
Resident of St. Charles.
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Suspect In Felony Assault of Detective Charged
Suspect in Felony Assault of Detective Charged
(Wednesday January 19, 2005) The suspect from an incident that occurred on Tuesday January 18, 2005, that took place at the Walgreens store, located at 1780 Zumbehl Road, has been charged with Assault 2nd degree on a Law Enforcement Officer.The suspect is identified as: Shawn M. Corey, age 24, Last known address of 826 Nathan St. Charles, Mo.Bond has been set at $10,000 dollars, cash only, with no ten percent authorized.
(Wednesday January 19, 2005) The suspect from an incident that occurred on Tuesday January 18, 2005, that took place at the Walgreens store, located at 1780 Zumbehl Road, has been charged with Assault 2nd degree on a Law Enforcement Officer.The suspect is identified as: Shawn M. Corey, age 24, Last known address of 826 Nathan St. Charles, Mo.Bond has been set at $10,000 dollars, cash only, with no ten percent authorized.
Suspect In Felony Assault of Police Detective Apprehended
Suspect in Felony Assault of Detective Apprehended
(Wednesday January 19, 2005) The St. Charles Police Department is
detaining a suspect pending application of formal charges of Assault of
a Law Enforcement Officer and Felony resisting arrest, extending from an
incident that occurred on Tuesday, January 18, 2005.
The crime occurred at approximately 11:20 am at the Walgreens located
at 1780 Zumbehl Road. A white male subject was at the check out
register, attempting to buy cigarettes using an insufficient funds check.
As the clerk called for the manager, to approve the check, the suspect
took the cigarettes from the counter and walked out the front door of
the business. A St. Charles Police Detective, in plain clothes, had
been standing next to the suspect in line at the register and followed
the suspect outside in order to detain him for purposes of further
investigation.
Once outside the Detective confronted the subject attempting to gather
more information, the suspect refused to cooperate, entering a Black,
1997 Dodge Dakota Truck, with Missouri license plates of 083-EP9. A
physical struggle occurred between the Detective and the suspect as the
Detective attempted to keep the suspect from leaving. The suspect began
to drive forward out of the truck's parking spot with the driver's
door open, dragging the detective along the ground. The truck, which
later was determined to have been reported stolen out of the City of
Florissant, crashed into another vehicle that was parked on the parking
lot, knocking the Detective free of the vehicle.
The stolen truck being driven by the suspect was last seen driving
northbound on Hawks Nest towards I-70. The Detective was transported by
ambulance for injuries sustained during the assault, to a local medical
facility, where he was treated and released.
The 24 year old suspect was taken into custody in the morning hours of
Wednesday January 19, 2005, when an alert Bridgeton Police Officer
located the stolen truck parked in the 3600 Block of Pennridge.
Identity of the 24 year old suspect is being withheld pending formal
charges.
(Wednesday January 19, 2005) The St. Charles Police Department is
detaining a suspect pending application of formal charges of Assault of
a Law Enforcement Officer and Felony resisting arrest, extending from an
incident that occurred on Tuesday, January 18, 2005.
The crime occurred at approximately 11:20 am at the Walgreens located
at 1780 Zumbehl Road. A white male subject was at the check out
register, attempting to buy cigarettes using an insufficient funds check.
As the clerk called for the manager, to approve the check, the suspect
took the cigarettes from the counter and walked out the front door of
the business. A St. Charles Police Detective, in plain clothes, had
been standing next to the suspect in line at the register and followed
the suspect outside in order to detain him for purposes of further
investigation.
Once outside the Detective confronted the subject attempting to gather
more information, the suspect refused to cooperate, entering a Black,
1997 Dodge Dakota Truck, with Missouri license plates of 083-EP9. A
physical struggle occurred between the Detective and the suspect as the
Detective attempted to keep the suspect from leaving. The suspect began
to drive forward out of the truck's parking spot with the driver's
door open, dragging the detective along the ground. The truck, which
later was determined to have been reported stolen out of the City of
Florissant, crashed into another vehicle that was parked on the parking
lot, knocking the Detective free of the vehicle.
The stolen truck being driven by the suspect was last seen driving
northbound on Hawks Nest towards I-70. The Detective was transported by
ambulance for injuries sustained during the assault, to a local medical
facility, where he was treated and released.
The 24 year old suspect was taken into custody in the morning hours of
Wednesday January 19, 2005, when an alert Bridgeton Police Officer
located the stolen truck parked in the 3600 Block of Pennridge.
Identity of the 24 year old suspect is being withheld pending formal
charges.
Monday, January 17, 2005
MARDI GRAS KING'S BALL Jan. 29th
The Historic Frenchtowne Association invites you to the 3rd Annual MARDI GRAS KING'S BALL, Lassiez le bon temps roult! (Let the Good Times Roll!) It will be held on January 29th from 6pm to 11pm at the Foundry Art Center. Dinner and Entertainment $45 per person with a Cash Bar. Proceeds to benefit the Historic Frenchtowne Association. For ticket information please call (636) 916-5344.
To purchase tickets, make checks payable to Historic Frenchtowne Association and mail to: 1200 North 2nd St., St. Chrles, MO, 63301 Attention Dorothy Boshears.
The King's Ball will follow the St. Charles Jaycees' Family Friendly Frenchtown Mardi Gras Parade which begins at 2:00 pm. For parade information call (314) 477-4772.
To purchase tickets, make checks payable to Historic Frenchtowne Association and mail to: 1200 North 2nd St., St. Chrles, MO, 63301 Attention Dorothy Boshears.
The King's Ball will follow the St. Charles Jaycees' Family Friendly Frenchtown Mardi Gras Parade which begins at 2:00 pm. For parade information call (314) 477-4772.
Saturday, January 15, 2005
Lindenwood Presents Honorary Degree To Mayor Robert G. Lowery, Sr. of Florissant
Florissant Mayor Robert Lowery Sr., far right, received an honorary degree from Lindenwood University for his distinguished record of community service and humanitarianism. At the podium is Lindenwood President Dennis Spellmann. To his left are Lindenwood provost Jim Evans and professor Mike Mason. About 50 people attended the ceremony in Lindenwood’s Spellmann Campus Center. Lowery, who took over as mayor of Florissant after a long tenure as police chief, was a student of Spellmann’s 30 years ago.
Police Capture Main Street Robbery Suspect
By Tony Brockmeyer
St. Charles Police Officer Ted Holland, assigned to the Mounted Patrol, captured a robbery suspect Wednesday afternoon in the parking lot of the Convention and Visitors Bureau on Riverside at First Capitol. He was assisted by Sergeant Ron Lloyd and Patrolman John Greenley.
At approximately 2pm this writer, along with the publisher of the First Capitol News, were pulling into the driveway of our office located at 336 A South Main Street (rear). We observed a tall young man, early 20’s wearing a black t-shirt, red ball cap and blue jeans running down the sidewalk along side of the Gazebo. He was running east from South Main Street. An older man was running behind him and appeared to be trying to catch the young man. As we got out of the car in our driveway the young man ran in front of our vehicle and proceeded to run north through the alley towards First Capitol Drive. The older man started yelling, “He robbed me. He took my money.”
Our publisher, Phyllis Schaltenbrand, and the victim followed the suspect on foot I followed the suspect in my car while calling the police on a cell phone.
We followed him as he ran several blocks traversing South Main, Riverside and several alleys while keeping the police dispatcher advised of his location. The suspect was captured in the CVB Parking lot by Officer Holland while he was attempting to enter a vehicle.
He was interviewed by a St. Charles Police Detective who said the suspect would be charged with robbery.
The victim, who said his name was Robert Nelson, told the First Capitol News he had recently arrived in St. Charles from California.
St. Charles Police Officer Ted Holland, assigned to the Mounted Patrol, captured a robbery suspect Wednesday afternoon in the parking lot of the Convention and Visitors Bureau on Riverside at First Capitol. He was assisted by Sergeant Ron Lloyd and Patrolman John Greenley.
At approximately 2pm this writer, along with the publisher of the First Capitol News, were pulling into the driveway of our office located at 336 A South Main Street (rear). We observed a tall young man, early 20’s wearing a black t-shirt, red ball cap and blue jeans running down the sidewalk along side of the Gazebo. He was running east from South Main Street. An older man was running behind him and appeared to be trying to catch the young man. As we got out of the car in our driveway the young man ran in front of our vehicle and proceeded to run north through the alley towards First Capitol Drive. The older man started yelling, “He robbed me. He took my money.”
Our publisher, Phyllis Schaltenbrand, and the victim followed the suspect on foot I followed the suspect in my car while calling the police on a cell phone.
We followed him as he ran several blocks traversing South Main, Riverside and several alleys while keeping the police dispatcher advised of his location. The suspect was captured in the CVB Parking lot by Officer Holland while he was attempting to enter a vehicle.
He was interviewed by a St. Charles Police Detective who said the suspect would be charged with robbery.
The victim, who said his name was Robert Nelson, told the First Capitol News he had recently arrived in St. Charles from California.
Council Expects $700,000 to $1 million savings on Insurance
On Tuesday night the St. Charles City Council members were presented with an outline of the new insurance coverage for the City employees. The presentation was made by Matt McWilliams of AIG, the new broker of record. McWilliams went through the coverage first to demonstrate how coverage with the new policy would be equal to or greater than coverage with the current policy. McWilliams presented information from United Health Care. The new insurance would be fully insured. Currently the city has self insurance and the Council plans to fully insure the City. McWilliams pointed out the new insurance coverage will save the City taxpayers anywhere from $400,000 to over $1 million. According to McWilliams, there are some discrepancies between the numbers the City has given him and the numbers the current company, Marsh Advantage, has provided his company. The discrepancies prompted Councilman John Gieseke to ask for a forensic auditor to come in and investigate all aspects of the City’s insurance.
Early in 2003 the St. Charles City Council was presented with a change in broker of record by then Human Resource Director Carrie Caskey. During the discussions John Scherr, former councilman Ward 5 and Councilman John Gieseke argued that using one company for the City’s insurance information and insurance coverage was dangerous. “This change would mean we get all our information from one source,” Scherr told the FCN in a previous interview. Gieseke and Mark Brown, Councilman Ward 3, pushed the City to go out to bid when Caskey brought forward the renewal of the insurance policies. Caskey and the representative from Marsh told the Council they had gone out for bids and Safeco was the best deal the City could hope for. During his closing presentation Tuesday, McWilliams reminded the Council that every bid he received was lower than the cost Marsh was offering the City. A Marsh executive plead guilty on January 10th to charges Marsh had rigged bids and asked brokers to give phony bids to make their cost look appropriate.
The presentation demonstrated Marsh had been charging on a two-tier system. That meant even if a person was married with a spouse, the City paid the same amount as a family with six kids. The new insurance plan creates a four-tier system which, according to the presentation, saves in excess of $700,000. The presentation used the cost the City charges for COBRA of those who are retired and compared that with the four-tier system. The City is bound by Federal Law to charge the actual cost to those who are covered by COBRA with a maximum 2 percent administrative charge. These changes will also decrease the amount those who retired with the City are charged for their insurance.
The Council was cautioned there are some charges with the current carrier that will be expended so some of the saving will be used to “run out” the current plan. “That does not take away from the fact that we are saving the money with the new plan,” commented Councilman Mark Brown. “The previous Human Resource director tried to force us to take the old insurance, I took a tremendous amount of criticism because she left, fact is she was pushing a plan that would have cost us a tremendous amount of money without taking any bids.” The Council is voting on the contract with UHC at the next Council meeting.
Early in 2003 the St. Charles City Council was presented with a change in broker of record by then Human Resource Director Carrie Caskey. During the discussions John Scherr, former councilman Ward 5 and Councilman John Gieseke argued that using one company for the City’s insurance information and insurance coverage was dangerous. “This change would mean we get all our information from one source,” Scherr told the FCN in a previous interview. Gieseke and Mark Brown, Councilman Ward 3, pushed the City to go out to bid when Caskey brought forward the renewal of the insurance policies. Caskey and the representative from Marsh told the Council they had gone out for bids and Safeco was the best deal the City could hope for. During his closing presentation Tuesday, McWilliams reminded the Council that every bid he received was lower than the cost Marsh was offering the City. A Marsh executive plead guilty on January 10th to charges Marsh had rigged bids and asked brokers to give phony bids to make their cost look appropriate.
The presentation demonstrated Marsh had been charging on a two-tier system. That meant even if a person was married with a spouse, the City paid the same amount as a family with six kids. The new insurance plan creates a four-tier system which, according to the presentation, saves in excess of $700,000. The presentation used the cost the City charges for COBRA of those who are retired and compared that with the four-tier system. The City is bound by Federal Law to charge the actual cost to those who are covered by COBRA with a maximum 2 percent administrative charge. These changes will also decrease the amount those who retired with the City are charged for their insurance.
The Council was cautioned there are some charges with the current carrier that will be expended so some of the saving will be used to “run out” the current plan. “That does not take away from the fact that we are saving the money with the new plan,” commented Councilman Mark Brown. “The previous Human Resource director tried to force us to take the old insurance, I took a tremendous amount of criticism because she left, fact is she was pushing a plan that would have cost us a tremendous amount of money without taking any bids.” The Council is voting on the contract with UHC at the next Council meeting.
Officer Assaulted, Sustains Injury Making Arrest
Officer Assaulted, Sustains Injury Making Arrest
Early Saturday morning, January 8, at
approximately 0030 hours, a St. Charles Police Officer was feloniously
assaulted while attempting to make an arrest of an individual during a
traffic stop. The officer had stopped the suspect for failing to stop
for a stop sign located at the intersection of S. Main Street and Boones
Lick Road. During a routine computer check of the suspect’s drivers
license, it was discovered the man had outstanding warrants through St.
Louis County. As the officer went to place the offender into handcuffs,
the suspect struck the officer in the head, fracturing bones in the officer’s face. Following the assault, the suspect fled the area running into a nearby tavern.
The officer that was assaulted along with assisting officers, found the suspect inside of the Old Millstream Bar, located in the 900 Block of South Main Street. The suspect once again resisted arrest,
refusing to be voluntarily handcuffed. The suspect is identified as: Kenneth G. Wacker, age 33, a resident of 32 Sungrove, Maryland Heights, pictured in the photo on right.
Wacker is being held at the St. Charles County Jail on the charges of Assault 2nd degree on a law enforcement officer and felony resisting arrest. Bond has been set at $10,000 dollars, cash only.
The victim officer was transported to a local area medical facility, where he was treated and released pending further care for his sustained injuries.
Early Saturday morning, January 8, at
approximately 0030 hours, a St. Charles Police Officer was feloniously
assaulted while attempting to make an arrest of an individual during a
traffic stop. The officer had stopped the suspect for failing to stop
for a stop sign located at the intersection of S. Main Street and Boones
Lick Road. During a routine computer check of the suspect’s drivers
license, it was discovered the man had outstanding warrants through St.
Louis County. As the officer went to place the offender into handcuffs,
the suspect struck the officer in the head, fracturing bones in the officer’s face. Following the assault, the suspect fled the area running into a nearby tavern.
The officer that was assaulted along with assisting officers, found the suspect inside of the Old Millstream Bar, located in the 900 Block of South Main Street. The suspect once again resisted arrest,
refusing to be voluntarily handcuffed. The suspect is identified as: Kenneth G. Wacker, age 33, a resident of 32 Sungrove, Maryland Heights, pictured in the photo on right.
Wacker is being held at the St. Charles County Jail on the charges of Assault 2nd degree on a law enforcement officer and felony resisting arrest. Bond has been set at $10,000 dollars, cash only.
The victim officer was transported to a local area medical facility, where he was treated and released pending further care for his sustained injuries.
Chili Supper At Emmaus House, January 22nd
Aktion Club of St. Charles Announces Chili Supper 4-8 P.M. on January 22nd to be held at the Emmaus Homes
The Aktion Club of St. Charles has announced a Chili Supper fundraiser to be held at the Emmaus Homes main building at 2200 Randolph St. in St. Charles, Missouri on Saturday, January 22, 2005. The Chili Supper will be held from 4 P.M. to 8 P.M. and will offer varieties of chili, including vegetarian, with salad, drinks and desserts for the price of a meal ticket. Tickets will be available for sale at the door, not in advance. Adults may purchase tickets for the price of $9.00, and children’s tickets for ages 5 and up will be available for $3.00. The Aktion Club is a community service organization and a sponsored program of the St. Charles Kiwanis Club, assisted by the Emmaus Homes and Community Living, Inc.
The Aktion Club of St. Charles has announced a Chili Supper fundraiser to be held at the Emmaus Homes main building at 2200 Randolph St. in St. Charles, Missouri on Saturday, January 22, 2005. The Chili Supper will be held from 4 P.M. to 8 P.M. and will offer varieties of chili, including vegetarian, with salad, drinks and desserts for the price of a meal ticket. Tickets will be available for sale at the door, not in advance. Adults may purchase tickets for the price of $9.00, and children’s tickets for ages 5 and up will be available for $3.00. The Aktion Club is a community service organization and a sponsored program of the St. Charles Kiwanis Club, assisted by the Emmaus Homes and Community Living, Inc.
Lindenwood guarantees graduates’ writing skills
Lindenwood University is placing a unique guarantee on its graduates’ writing skills.
Called the “Proficient Graduates Guarantee,” the pledge ensures that any student who graduates from Lindenwood University is proficient in writing skills necessary for success in the professional world and everyday life.
“The American Association of Colleges has stated a bachelor’s degree should mean that its holder can read, write and speak at levels of distinction and have been given many opportunities to learn how,” said Lindenwood President Dennis Spellmann. “We are following through on that.”
Spellmann said the guarantee will enhance Lindenwood’s already-high placement rate for graduates.
“We want businesses to be even more confident when they see Lindenwood on a resume,” said Spellmann.
Lindenwood evaluates each student’s proficiency in written communication not only in freshman composition courses but also just before the start of the junior year of study, when a special junior-level assessment is given. Spellmann said a student who needs to sharpen competencies in grammar, punctuation or syntax will take an additional writing course, Professional Written Communication, prior to graduation.
“A degree from Lindenwood means that the holder is adept at reading, writing, speaking and problem-solving—all the traits by which society judges one’s education level and general competence,” said Spellmann. “We measure our success by the success of our graduates. This guarantee is a win-win situation for everyone.”
For more information on the Proficient Graduates Guarantee, or for an interview with President Spellmann, please call 636-949-4920.
Lindenwood Guarantees Graduates' Writing Skills
Called the “Proficient Graduates Guarantee,” the pledge ensures that any student who graduates from Lindenwood University is proficient in writing skills necessary for success in the professional world and everyday life.
“The American Association of Colleges has stated a bachelor’s degree should mean that its holder can read, write and speak at levels of distinction and have been given many opportunities to learn how,” said Lindenwood President Dennis Spellmann. “We are following through on that.”
Spellmann said the guarantee will enhance Lindenwood’s already-high placement rate for graduates.
“We want businesses to be even more confident when they see Lindenwood on a resume,” said Spellmann.
Lindenwood evaluates each student’s proficiency in written communication not only in freshman composition courses but also just before the start of the junior year of study, when a special junior-level assessment is given. Spellmann said a student who needs to sharpen competencies in grammar, punctuation or syntax will take an additional writing course, Professional Written Communication, prior to graduation.
“A degree from Lindenwood means that the holder is adept at reading, writing, speaking and problem-solving—all the traits by which society judges one’s education level and general competence,” said Spellmann. “We measure our success by the success of our graduates. This guarantee is a win-win situation for everyone.”
For more information on the Proficient Graduates Guarantee, or for an interview with President Spellmann, please call 636-949-4920.
Lindenwood Guarantees Graduates' Writing Skills
OPENING FOR DIRECTOR FOR FESTIVAL OF THE LITTLE HILLS
Director Sought For Festival of the Little Hills
The board of directors of the Festival of the Little Hills is seeking a member to fill a vacancy that exists. Any resident of the City of St. Charles is eligible and may send a resume to Festival of the Little Hills, Attn; Bob, P.O. Box 1323, St. Charles, MO 63302.
The first general membership meeting of the Festival of the Little Hills will be April 18, 2005 at the County Administration Building starting at 7:00p.m. Any not-for-profit organization that is interested in having a food booth should come to the meeting and pick up an application.
The board of directors of the Festival of the Little Hills is seeking a member to fill a vacancy that exists. Any resident of the City of St. Charles is eligible and may send a resume to Festival of the Little Hills, Attn; Bob, P.O. Box 1323, St. Charles, MO 63302.
The first general membership meeting of the Festival of the Little Hills will be April 18, 2005 at the County Administration Building starting at 7:00p.m. Any not-for-profit organization that is interested in having a food booth should come to the meeting and pick up an application.
RAMBLING WITH THE EDITOR - Tony Brockmeyer
A RESPONSE TO DAN GOULD
IN THE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR COLUMN YOU WILL FIND A LETTER FROM EX-COUNCILMAN DAN GOULD. WE SUGGEST YOU READ THAT LETTER FIRST BEFORE READING RAMBLING WHICH IS WRITTEN IN RESPONSE TO GOULD’S LETTER.
Editor’s Response
Dear Dan:
Thank you for continuing to read the First Capitol News. Despite what you and a few others would like people to believe I was never confined to a Federal Prison. Over 11 years ago I plead guilty to writing three checks for a total of $1,800 in exchange for money orders. The bank manager approved the transactions. The bank manager was audited and it was determined the transactions were illegal. Today that process is perfectly legal but you have to pay a fee for it. It is called ‘overdraft protection’.
I was contacted and admitted what had occurred. For my indiscretions I spent 28 days at a Federal Camp located in Marion, Illinois. The camp is located near the Marion Federal Prison. I never spent any time behind bars or locked up. I never had to wear an orange jump suit, shower with other men or be strip searched. There were no fences or walls and we slept in a dormitory with private spaces. My 28 days were spent reading and watching television. I was not there long enough to be given a work assignment. At the time this occurred I was a private citizen. I complied with the order of the court and paid my debt to society 11 years ago. You and others have chosen to make this information public in an attempt to put this newspaper out of business. From what I have learned the FOP illegally obtained the records regarding my actions and apparently those police officers responsible could soon be facing charges in a federal court.
You, on the other hand, were a public official who had taken an oath of office to uphold the laws of the city and state which you later admitted violating. You also placed other people at risk when you chose to drive under the influence. Were you locked behind bars and maybe even required to wear an orange jump suit? Unlike you, I was never abusive to any police officers, never threatened them or attempted to bribe them. Nor did I scream and yell and make a fool of myself as you were reported to have done.
You write that the basis of this newspaper is “The Mayor and City Staff versus the Taxpayer.” That is the only statement you make that I agree with. The First Capitol News was brought to life because of the actions of certain city staff members and elected officials and their treatment of the taxpayers along with their flagrant spending of the taxpayer’s money.
Sweetheart deals were being made and certain individuals and businesses were being enriched while the taxpayers were being ignored. Our masthead reads, “Making A Difference, One week at a time.” We have made a difference in St. Charles. A lot of changes have been brought about and a lot more are needed but we are making a difference. The difference is that special deals to special interests are now being reported. They can no longer be covered up or hidden because the First Capitol News is there to report them to the public. You make comment that you feel this publication is the worst thing that ever happened to our fine city and that I am not a good person. There are thousands of people in St. Charles who disagree with you. They can’t wait for the paper to hit the streets and when it does they read it from cover to cover. And they are being informed. They are being informed about the things you and others don’t want them to know. Like the sale of the old police headquarters for $115,000 less than the highest offer. A building that is now appraised for over $1 million. A sale you voted to approve. That is why you don’t like this publication Dan; we have shed light on your actions and actions of others that are detrimental to the taxpayers in St. Charles. Because of the efforts of the First Capitol News and others, people in St. Charles now stand up for good government. They want good government and they want fairness. Something you failed to offer them.
Tony Brockmeyer
Editor - First Capitol News
I sit and wonder when the recall efforts will begin on Governor Matt Blunt. In less than a week Blunt has made sweeping changes not surgical strikes; he has cut jobs and benefits. I am sure those who look to recall some on this council will take on the fight against Blunt. It is obvious Blunt is anti-employee, anti-worker, anti-union, so Gould, Meyer and Meyers are going to have their hands full with another petition.
My own thoughts on the issue are really quite simple. Most who elected Blunt knew he was going in to clean house and change the way the State is run. This is similar to what many on the council promised. The problem the Council has is they are doing it too slow. Jerry Reese said he would not be a rubber stamp; the jury is still out on this. Everybody knew what Bob Heopfner was like, Riddler has been criticized for not doing enough and doing too little. It is hard to figure if anyone is really that upset with him. Then comes Brown, Gieseke, Greer and Koester; all have been very critical of the way staff spends money. It isn’t like Gieseke all of a sudden changed to be this way. He has been outspoken about the lack of accountability from the time he was elected. Brown was critical of staff before he was on the Council.
The truth be told, the people of St. Charles are pretty educated when it comes to what they expect from their elected officials. This past election proved they don’t want rubber stamps. This Council is moving slower than Blunt and taking the heat because of it. Blunt is actually following Conventional Wisdom, do the unpopular things fast and furious and ride it out. The people will forget by the time re-election time hits. The Council took a different approach to insure that the changes made don’t adversely affect the service level to the City. The plain and simple fact is: this Council is not a rubber stamp for anyone or anything. They work to negotiate solutions and make sure the residents 5et their money’s worth.
Monday is Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday. It is a holiday and city and county offices, along with the post office and banks, will be closed.
Since next week contains a holiday, the next issue of the First Capitol News will be on January 29, 2004. Check our Web Log for news updates. Check it out firstcapitolnews.blogspot.com.
IN THE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR COLUMN YOU WILL FIND A LETTER FROM EX-COUNCILMAN DAN GOULD. WE SUGGEST YOU READ THAT LETTER FIRST BEFORE READING RAMBLING WHICH IS WRITTEN IN RESPONSE TO GOULD’S LETTER.
Editor’s Response
Dear Dan:
Thank you for continuing to read the First Capitol News. Despite what you and a few others would like people to believe I was never confined to a Federal Prison. Over 11 years ago I plead guilty to writing three checks for a total of $1,800 in exchange for money orders. The bank manager approved the transactions. The bank manager was audited and it was determined the transactions were illegal. Today that process is perfectly legal but you have to pay a fee for it. It is called ‘overdraft protection’.
I was contacted and admitted what had occurred. For my indiscretions I spent 28 days at a Federal Camp located in Marion, Illinois. The camp is located near the Marion Federal Prison. I never spent any time behind bars or locked up. I never had to wear an orange jump suit, shower with other men or be strip searched. There were no fences or walls and we slept in a dormitory with private spaces. My 28 days were spent reading and watching television. I was not there long enough to be given a work assignment. At the time this occurred I was a private citizen. I complied with the order of the court and paid my debt to society 11 years ago. You and others have chosen to make this information public in an attempt to put this newspaper out of business. From what I have learned the FOP illegally obtained the records regarding my actions and apparently those police officers responsible could soon be facing charges in a federal court.
You, on the other hand, were a public official who had taken an oath of office to uphold the laws of the city and state which you later admitted violating. You also placed other people at risk when you chose to drive under the influence. Were you locked behind bars and maybe even required to wear an orange jump suit? Unlike you, I was never abusive to any police officers, never threatened them or attempted to bribe them. Nor did I scream and yell and make a fool of myself as you were reported to have done.
You write that the basis of this newspaper is “The Mayor and City Staff versus the Taxpayer.” That is the only statement you make that I agree with. The First Capitol News was brought to life because of the actions of certain city staff members and elected officials and their treatment of the taxpayers along with their flagrant spending of the taxpayer’s money.
Sweetheart deals were being made and certain individuals and businesses were being enriched while the taxpayers were being ignored. Our masthead reads, “Making A Difference, One week at a time.” We have made a difference in St. Charles. A lot of changes have been brought about and a lot more are needed but we are making a difference. The difference is that special deals to special interests are now being reported. They can no longer be covered up or hidden because the First Capitol News is there to report them to the public. You make comment that you feel this publication is the worst thing that ever happened to our fine city and that I am not a good person. There are thousands of people in St. Charles who disagree with you. They can’t wait for the paper to hit the streets and when it does they read it from cover to cover. And they are being informed. They are being informed about the things you and others don’t want them to know. Like the sale of the old police headquarters for $115,000 less than the highest offer. A building that is now appraised for over $1 million. A sale you voted to approve. That is why you don’t like this publication Dan; we have shed light on your actions and actions of others that are detrimental to the taxpayers in St. Charles. Because of the efforts of the First Capitol News and others, people in St. Charles now stand up for good government. They want good government and they want fairness. Something you failed to offer them.
Tony Brockmeyer
Editor - First Capitol News
I sit and wonder when the recall efforts will begin on Governor Matt Blunt. In less than a week Blunt has made sweeping changes not surgical strikes; he has cut jobs and benefits. I am sure those who look to recall some on this council will take on the fight against Blunt. It is obvious Blunt is anti-employee, anti-worker, anti-union, so Gould, Meyer and Meyers are going to have their hands full with another petition.
My own thoughts on the issue are really quite simple. Most who elected Blunt knew he was going in to clean house and change the way the State is run. This is similar to what many on the council promised. The problem the Council has is they are doing it too slow. Jerry Reese said he would not be a rubber stamp; the jury is still out on this. Everybody knew what Bob Heopfner was like, Riddler has been criticized for not doing enough and doing too little. It is hard to figure if anyone is really that upset with him. Then comes Brown, Gieseke, Greer and Koester; all have been very critical of the way staff spends money. It isn’t like Gieseke all of a sudden changed to be this way. He has been outspoken about the lack of accountability from the time he was elected. Brown was critical of staff before he was on the Council.
The truth be told, the people of St. Charles are pretty educated when it comes to what they expect from their elected officials. This past election proved they don’t want rubber stamps. This Council is moving slower than Blunt and taking the heat because of it. Blunt is actually following Conventional Wisdom, do the unpopular things fast and furious and ride it out. The people will forget by the time re-election time hits. The Council took a different approach to insure that the changes made don’t adversely affect the service level to the City. The plain and simple fact is: this Council is not a rubber stamp for anyone or anything. They work to negotiate solutions and make sure the residents 5et their money’s worth.
Monday is Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday. It is a holiday and city and county offices, along with the post office and banks, will be closed.
Since next week contains a holiday, the next issue of the First Capitol News will be on January 29, 2004. Check our Web Log for news updates. Check it out firstcapitolnews.blogspot.com.
THE CITY DESK By Rory Riddler City Council President, Councilman Ward 1
Ambidextrous Ortwerth Cuts EDC Funds
& Lops Off Own Nose At The Same Time
The loud crunching you may be hearing isn’t the sound of people treading through the new fallen snow. No, it’s the sound of the egg shells people are having to walk on around County Executive Joe Ortwerth and his cult followers on the County Council these days.
Never a group to tolerate much in the way of diverse opinions, they swung into full Spanish Inquisition mode over the Economic Development Center (EDC) saying that a particular development, with its job creation and investment in the county, might be a good thing. Unfortunately for the EDC, they didn’t check with the County Executive and his thought police who could have told them what their opinion was and saved them all that trouble of thinking for themselves.
So the County Executive this week cut $150,000 in funding for the EDC (about 19% of their annual budget). He also pulled the County’s lone employee out of the EDC building. No use making it easy for business to come to St. Charles County.
So what unspeakable “blasphemy” did the EDC utter to bring down the wrath of Ortwerth? Everyone knows how “radical” the successful businessmen are who serve without pay on the EDC board of directors. I hear some of them don’t even wear their three piece suits on casual Friday.
Well it seems the EDC wanted to help negotiate a settlement between the county government and the City of St. Peters over the Lakeside 370 business development that has some duck hunters, St. Louis millionaires and a certain beer making dynasty up in arms. Somewhere along the line the phrase “blessed are the peacemakers” escaped the attention of some in the County Government.
The offer was “interpreted” by the County Executive and some on the County Council to be an endorsement of Tax Increment Financing (TIFs) which the County has been locked in a protracted and expensive lawsuit with St. Peters over. Greg Prestemon, the articulate President of the EDC, explained in news articles that the EDC had taken no position on any proposed use of TIFs and was only weighing in on the issue of the business benefits of the development and offering to try to bring all sides together.
But why let the facts get in the way of an abject lesson in political revenge. If intelligent conservative businessmen and women were allowed to think for themselves, the next thing you know rational thought could break out. That could lead to understanding, respect for those of differing opinions and (shudder) political compromise.
Of course the problem for the County Executive and company is that the EDC does a phenomenal job of attracting business and industry to the county. They work closely with our own Economic Development office in the City of St. Charles. They are recognized as the leaders in the entire region and as the best in the State. St. Charles County’s booming economy has been the one bright spot in Missouri’s otherwise bleak economic picture…thanks in large part to the work of individuals like Greg Prestemon and those who serve on the EDC board.
The County has now tried to drive a stake in that operation. Who needs jobs and an expanding tax base? The answer is, we all do.
I haven’t taken a position on the Lakeside development. First of all, it is outside the jurisdiction of the City of St. Charles and I can get myself in enough trouble commenting on issues in my own hometown. Secondly, I figure there are plenty of Federal and State Agencies, lawyers, judges and expert witnesses on both sides to make sure a bad development is either stopped or that a worthy project proceeds with proper safeguards.
I believe TIFs can be both good and bad. Sometimes the law has been abused, but you don’t want to throw the baby out with the bath water. If incentives are the difference between keeping a Chrysler plant in the area or losing it to a Southern State or foreign country, then by all means use incentives.
I think the County has been wrong to not accept the rulings of the lower courts and for driving up legal costs ($210,000 of taxpayers’ money) in its war with St. Peters. It is a State Law. If there are flaws, change them in the Missouri General Assembly, but make sure they apply to the entire State. There is one law regarding TIFs in flood plains that only impacts the City of St. Charles out of the entire State of Missouri. What’s good for us should be good for St. Louis City, St. Louis County and all points North, South and West of here.
But when it comes to the absolute necessity for maintaining a well funded Economic Development Center for the good of the entire County, there should be no argument. Cutting $150,000 in funding to the EDC was wrong. It was done for the wrong reasons. It hurts our ability to compete for jobs and business investment in the region and against other states. It sends the wrong message. It is anti-business.
I am happy to say that the St. Charles City Council approved an additional $10,000 contribution to help the EDC as it struggles to make up the shortfall of a shortsighted act. We want to continue to work with business and economic development experts in a cooperative atmosphere…one where the halls of local government aren’t paved with eggshells.
& Lops Off Own Nose At The Same Time
The loud crunching you may be hearing isn’t the sound of people treading through the new fallen snow. No, it’s the sound of the egg shells people are having to walk on around County Executive Joe Ortwerth and his cult followers on the County Council these days.
Never a group to tolerate much in the way of diverse opinions, they swung into full Spanish Inquisition mode over the Economic Development Center (EDC) saying that a particular development, with its job creation and investment in the county, might be a good thing. Unfortunately for the EDC, they didn’t check with the County Executive and his thought police who could have told them what their opinion was and saved them all that trouble of thinking for themselves.
So the County Executive this week cut $150,000 in funding for the EDC (about 19% of their annual budget). He also pulled the County’s lone employee out of the EDC building. No use making it easy for business to come to St. Charles County.
So what unspeakable “blasphemy” did the EDC utter to bring down the wrath of Ortwerth? Everyone knows how “radical” the successful businessmen are who serve without pay on the EDC board of directors. I hear some of them don’t even wear their three piece suits on casual Friday.
Well it seems the EDC wanted to help negotiate a settlement between the county government and the City of St. Peters over the Lakeside 370 business development that has some duck hunters, St. Louis millionaires and a certain beer making dynasty up in arms. Somewhere along the line the phrase “blessed are the peacemakers” escaped the attention of some in the County Government.
The offer was “interpreted” by the County Executive and some on the County Council to be an endorsement of Tax Increment Financing (TIFs) which the County has been locked in a protracted and expensive lawsuit with St. Peters over. Greg Prestemon, the articulate President of the EDC, explained in news articles that the EDC had taken no position on any proposed use of TIFs and was only weighing in on the issue of the business benefits of the development and offering to try to bring all sides together.
But why let the facts get in the way of an abject lesson in political revenge. If intelligent conservative businessmen and women were allowed to think for themselves, the next thing you know rational thought could break out. That could lead to understanding, respect for those of differing opinions and (shudder) political compromise.
Of course the problem for the County Executive and company is that the EDC does a phenomenal job of attracting business and industry to the county. They work closely with our own Economic Development office in the City of St. Charles. They are recognized as the leaders in the entire region and as the best in the State. St. Charles County’s booming economy has been the one bright spot in Missouri’s otherwise bleak economic picture…thanks in large part to the work of individuals like Greg Prestemon and those who serve on the EDC board.
The County has now tried to drive a stake in that operation. Who needs jobs and an expanding tax base? The answer is, we all do.
I haven’t taken a position on the Lakeside development. First of all, it is outside the jurisdiction of the City of St. Charles and I can get myself in enough trouble commenting on issues in my own hometown. Secondly, I figure there are plenty of Federal and State Agencies, lawyers, judges and expert witnesses on both sides to make sure a bad development is either stopped or that a worthy project proceeds with proper safeguards.
I believe TIFs can be both good and bad. Sometimes the law has been abused, but you don’t want to throw the baby out with the bath water. If incentives are the difference between keeping a Chrysler plant in the area or losing it to a Southern State or foreign country, then by all means use incentives.
I think the County has been wrong to not accept the rulings of the lower courts and for driving up legal costs ($210,000 of taxpayers’ money) in its war with St. Peters. It is a State Law. If there are flaws, change them in the Missouri General Assembly, but make sure they apply to the entire State. There is one law regarding TIFs in flood plains that only impacts the City of St. Charles out of the entire State of Missouri. What’s good for us should be good for St. Louis City, St. Louis County and all points North, South and West of here.
But when it comes to the absolute necessity for maintaining a well funded Economic Development Center for the good of the entire County, there should be no argument. Cutting $150,000 in funding to the EDC was wrong. It was done for the wrong reasons. It hurts our ability to compete for jobs and business investment in the region and against other states. It sends the wrong message. It is anti-business.
I am happy to say that the St. Charles City Council approved an additional $10,000 contribution to help the EDC as it struggles to make up the shortfall of a shortsighted act. We want to continue to work with business and economic development experts in a cooperative atmosphere…one where the halls of local government aren’t paved with eggshells.
THE PEOPLE SPEAK - Letters to the Editor
Dear Mr. Brockmeyer:
I would like to reply to the article in your January 8 – 14, 2005 edition about the Dottie Greer recall. First of all, what does my past legal problem have to do with any of this? If you are discrediting me because I made a bad decision 22 months ago, I guess we can pretty much throw anything you do out the window. What I did was wrong, and I make no excuses; I am both sorry and embarrassed for what happened. The last thing I would do is throw stones at another persons because of their past. You, on the other hand, do it on a weekly basis. The people that you bash week after week have never spent time in a federal prison like you. They can’t tell you what it is like to go to bed under lock and key every night, eat prison food, wear an orange jump suit, shower with other men, be strip searched and any other experiences you had in prison. You should do a whole series in your newspaper about what it is like to serve time in a federal prison. I think that is something your readers would enjoy.
In your article you point out that I voted for what the city staff wanted. You make it sound like that is a bad thing. In fact that is pretty much the basis of your newspaper, “The Mayor and City Staff versus the Taxpayer”. When I was in office I relied heavily on the staff’s recommendation; that is why they are there. I can’t tell you how to engineer a street, run a police department, give legal opinions or speak intelligently on tourism trends. But, I knew where to find the answers. St. Charles City Staff members have all gone through an extensive hiring process and were hired because they were the best person for the job. So, not only is it a good idea to listen to city staff, it’s the right thing to do. Have you ever asked yourself, what a city employee has to gain by wasting the taxpayer’s money?
Most city employees are good people who have no personal agenda; they just want to do a good job and be appreciated. That is not happening. They are disgruntled because the city council questions almost everything they do. Recently, the city council hosted a Christmas party for the city employees and board and commission members. The city has over 420 full time employees; including part-timers that number is over 500. It’s my understanding that less than 25 city employees showed up to share peace on earth and good will with Ms. Greer and the rest of the city council. What does that tell you? In my opinion it’s clear: the city employees are very unhappy with the current city council. It’s my guess that the 20 or so employees that did attend did so out of fear of retribution.
The city’s annual budget is around 95 million dollars; over 85% of the general fund goes to salaries and benefits. If it is the job of the city council to manage the city’s money and 85% of the general fund is disgruntled, the council is failing. What kind of service do you think the taxpayers can expect from a city employee who hates his/her job and employers?
When I was in office, I took no less than 20 phone calls and emails from Ms. Greer and her husband Rich. The complaints varied, but I always replied with an honest answer. The Greer’s were never satisfied with my answers, so I finally told them that I would not be taking any more of their complaints. They basically said I was lying to them and I wasn’t. Mr. and Ms. Greer came down to a council meeting and during the public comment section stated that I didn’t respond to their phone calls and emails. Then, they both proceeded to read from an email that I recently sent them. In the email I told them, that if they thought more people agreed with their philosophy on how the city should be run, then, they should run for Ward 7 council seat. Dottie did, and won a five-person race with 27% of the total votes cast. I’m fine with that; the people spoke, and it was clear that they have had enough of Dan Gould. I do not have sour grapes about the election and have no desire to return to politics. That’s not what this is about. There is nothing in this for me, and there never has been.
Linda Meyer contacted me and asked if I would participate in a recall effort of Ms. Greer. After the way Ms. Greer treated me, I told her I would be happy to sign the recall petition. When I initially said I would sign the petition I assumed that I would be one of 750 signatures. I later realized that Linda was asking me to be one of the five committee members to initiate the recall. I knew then what I was in for; I told her how your newspaper would report this. Still, I left my name on the petition because I believe it is the right thing to do. Like clockwork, you did just what I told her you would. A lopsided report making one of your supporters look good and bashing a former councilmember who disagrees with 99% of what the First Capitol News stands for. I guess if I was getting as much revenue from the city as you are, I might think keeping Dottie happy would be a good idea, too.
I am not leading this recall, and I do not plan on doing anything more than sign the petition. I do not plan on going door to door; from what I understand there is no shortage of people willing to help. Just because I am no longer in office doesn’t mean I should not stick up for our city employees. After all, they still work for me.
As for this publication goes, it’s the worst thing that ever happened to our fine city and you are not a good person. Effective immediately, I will no longer spend my money on any business or service that advertises in your paper. They will all get a letter from me explaining why. I am encouraging my family and friends to do the same.
Since I’m pretty sure that you will only print bits and pieces of this letter, I am sending it to all the other papers.
Dan Gould
SEE EDITOR’S RESPONSE IN RAMBLING COLUMN PAGE 4
Dear First Capitol News
The jc misfits would like to thank all their supporters who helped them make their quota on the toy drive. The toys were collected so they could pass them out at the local nursing homes. If anyone would like to make any donations please send them to the house of elohim at 912 North Second Street., St. Charles, MO 63301. They would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
JimDake
Tony,
One thing is certain I can’t fight City Hall, Roy Thoele and all the rest. I am sending you a copy of a news release. This is a very sad day to me because there is a great need in the community for a food pantry. There is a class of working poor out there that need help, I was willing and was getting public donations in to keep going until this hit, and it hit me like a BRICK.
At least I can leave knowing we did the very best we could at helping everyone we could for the last 15 years!
Thank you for the past kindness you have shown to us.
Sincerely,
Mary Groeper
Founder/Director
New Hope Food Pantry
I am Mary Groeper Director and Founder of New Hope Food Pantry in St. Charles, this is my story.
Last Wednesday 1/5/05 a St. Charles building inspector inspected our pantry because the ceiling tiles were falling in on us. Rocky, the inspector told us. I am going to notify the owner they have 10 days to comply, in the mean time I am telling you I am going to condemn the building. I am giving you 10 days so I won’t put an added burden on you but you need to have your things out of here by Saturday 1/17/05.
We found a building, which is the old Hackman Lumber building, we made a deal with the owner, scheduled all the utilities to be changed, proved insurance to the owner and was ready to move when we were told by the city of St. Charles we couldn’t move into the building!
Julie Gaier from Fox 2 came out to do a story and was lied to by Bruce at planning & zoning who told her we could move our stuff into the building until the Feb meeting. That was a straight up lie because we have to have a permit from the city before we can get the keys to the building. In other words the City of St. Charles said what they had to to stop the story!!
Because we are not federally funded, state funded and you can know the city hates us, we are not funded by the United Way but have run a pantry for 15 years (celebrated our 15th yr anniversary 11/9/04) by donations from the general public.
I am ready to throw in the towel now I can’t fight City Hall. My problem is I need to get the word out that any pantry that can use food are welcome to come and get ours. I hate to see the Boy Scout food that is left and all the food that has been donated just this month go to waste. I am at my wits end and would just like to get this out there.
Thank you
Mary Groeper
www.newhopeoutreach.net
Received as a copy of an e-mail sent to Councilman Muench
Good Morning Larry,
I had to return to my house this morning because I forgot my cell phone and
much to my dismay I observed two of the big construction trucks that are
putting the overhead lines underground pulled up and parked on the new
poured brick pavement. I am not a structural engineer but I don’t think
that these SIDEWALKS were made to have this kind of load on them. Let me
know your opinion on this.
Thanks,
Barb Slattery
P.S. Tony-Maybe you would like to run down there with your camera and
document this for the City so when the pavement begins to buckle or crack in
the future you can provide them with the cause and help save the taxpayers
some money that will be needed for repair!!
Dear No Name, (who likes to write to business people regarding the First Capitol News)
You state the FCN on a weekly basis attacks individuals without justification and attempts to demean the character and destroy the reputation of anyone or business which doesn’t agree with their opinions. Where is your proof the FCN does all this? NO NAME.
If you don’t like what FCN prints send a letter to The People Speak. As long as there is no cursing in the letter FCN will print it. I can tell you some of your letters to the businesses went in the trash can.
I would like to thank the no signed name, who sent letters to the people who advertise in the FCN. In your letter you state the FCN is primarily a political newspaper. Citizens want to know what’s going on in St. Charles. The FCN prints what’s going on. You state in your letter that Tony Brockmeyer has close ties to several St. Charles City Council members. So What? Why would this upset you???
See how many ads are pulled. Thanks No Name, everyone has an opinion, but you wasted your time sending out this letter. FCN please keep doing what you are doing to keep us informed.
Everyone has the right to freedom of speech and freedom of the press in this country, no name. It seems that even though you say you don’t like the First Capitol News you sure read it.
Ray Fogg
I would like to reply to the article in your January 8 – 14, 2005 edition about the Dottie Greer recall. First of all, what does my past legal problem have to do with any of this? If you are discrediting me because I made a bad decision 22 months ago, I guess we can pretty much throw anything you do out the window. What I did was wrong, and I make no excuses; I am both sorry and embarrassed for what happened. The last thing I would do is throw stones at another persons because of their past. You, on the other hand, do it on a weekly basis. The people that you bash week after week have never spent time in a federal prison like you. They can’t tell you what it is like to go to bed under lock and key every night, eat prison food, wear an orange jump suit, shower with other men, be strip searched and any other experiences you had in prison. You should do a whole series in your newspaper about what it is like to serve time in a federal prison. I think that is something your readers would enjoy.
In your article you point out that I voted for what the city staff wanted. You make it sound like that is a bad thing. In fact that is pretty much the basis of your newspaper, “The Mayor and City Staff versus the Taxpayer”. When I was in office I relied heavily on the staff’s recommendation; that is why they are there. I can’t tell you how to engineer a street, run a police department, give legal opinions or speak intelligently on tourism trends. But, I knew where to find the answers. St. Charles City Staff members have all gone through an extensive hiring process and were hired because they were the best person for the job. So, not only is it a good idea to listen to city staff, it’s the right thing to do. Have you ever asked yourself, what a city employee has to gain by wasting the taxpayer’s money?
Most city employees are good people who have no personal agenda; they just want to do a good job and be appreciated. That is not happening. They are disgruntled because the city council questions almost everything they do. Recently, the city council hosted a Christmas party for the city employees and board and commission members. The city has over 420 full time employees; including part-timers that number is over 500. It’s my understanding that less than 25 city employees showed up to share peace on earth and good will with Ms. Greer and the rest of the city council. What does that tell you? In my opinion it’s clear: the city employees are very unhappy with the current city council. It’s my guess that the 20 or so employees that did attend did so out of fear of retribution.
The city’s annual budget is around 95 million dollars; over 85% of the general fund goes to salaries and benefits. If it is the job of the city council to manage the city’s money and 85% of the general fund is disgruntled, the council is failing. What kind of service do you think the taxpayers can expect from a city employee who hates his/her job and employers?
When I was in office, I took no less than 20 phone calls and emails from Ms. Greer and her husband Rich. The complaints varied, but I always replied with an honest answer. The Greer’s were never satisfied with my answers, so I finally told them that I would not be taking any more of their complaints. They basically said I was lying to them and I wasn’t. Mr. and Ms. Greer came down to a council meeting and during the public comment section stated that I didn’t respond to their phone calls and emails. Then, they both proceeded to read from an email that I recently sent them. In the email I told them, that if they thought more people agreed with their philosophy on how the city should be run, then, they should run for Ward 7 council seat. Dottie did, and won a five-person race with 27% of the total votes cast. I’m fine with that; the people spoke, and it was clear that they have had enough of Dan Gould. I do not have sour grapes about the election and have no desire to return to politics. That’s not what this is about. There is nothing in this for me, and there never has been.
Linda Meyer contacted me and asked if I would participate in a recall effort of Ms. Greer. After the way Ms. Greer treated me, I told her I would be happy to sign the recall petition. When I initially said I would sign the petition I assumed that I would be one of 750 signatures. I later realized that Linda was asking me to be one of the five committee members to initiate the recall. I knew then what I was in for; I told her how your newspaper would report this. Still, I left my name on the petition because I believe it is the right thing to do. Like clockwork, you did just what I told her you would. A lopsided report making one of your supporters look good and bashing a former councilmember who disagrees with 99% of what the First Capitol News stands for. I guess if I was getting as much revenue from the city as you are, I might think keeping Dottie happy would be a good idea, too.
I am not leading this recall, and I do not plan on doing anything more than sign the petition. I do not plan on going door to door; from what I understand there is no shortage of people willing to help. Just because I am no longer in office doesn’t mean I should not stick up for our city employees. After all, they still work for me.
As for this publication goes, it’s the worst thing that ever happened to our fine city and you are not a good person. Effective immediately, I will no longer spend my money on any business or service that advertises in your paper. They will all get a letter from me explaining why. I am encouraging my family and friends to do the same.
Since I’m pretty sure that you will only print bits and pieces of this letter, I am sending it to all the other papers.
Dan Gould
SEE EDITOR’S RESPONSE IN RAMBLING COLUMN PAGE 4
Dear First Capitol News
The jc misfits would like to thank all their supporters who helped them make their quota on the toy drive. The toys were collected so they could pass them out at the local nursing homes. If anyone would like to make any donations please send them to the house of elohim at 912 North Second Street., St. Charles, MO 63301. They would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
JimDake
Tony,
One thing is certain I can’t fight City Hall, Roy Thoele and all the rest. I am sending you a copy of a news release. This is a very sad day to me because there is a great need in the community for a food pantry. There is a class of working poor out there that need help, I was willing and was getting public donations in to keep going until this hit, and it hit me like a BRICK.
At least I can leave knowing we did the very best we could at helping everyone we could for the last 15 years!
Thank you for the past kindness you have shown to us.
Sincerely,
Mary Groeper
Founder/Director
New Hope Food Pantry
I am Mary Groeper Director and Founder of New Hope Food Pantry in St. Charles, this is my story.
Last Wednesday 1/5/05 a St. Charles building inspector inspected our pantry because the ceiling tiles were falling in on us. Rocky, the inspector told us. I am going to notify the owner they have 10 days to comply, in the mean time I am telling you I am going to condemn the building. I am giving you 10 days so I won’t put an added burden on you but you need to have your things out of here by Saturday 1/17/05.
We found a building, which is the old Hackman Lumber building, we made a deal with the owner, scheduled all the utilities to be changed, proved insurance to the owner and was ready to move when we were told by the city of St. Charles we couldn’t move into the building!
Julie Gaier from Fox 2 came out to do a story and was lied to by Bruce at planning & zoning who told her we could move our stuff into the building until the Feb meeting. That was a straight up lie because we have to have a permit from the city before we can get the keys to the building. In other words the City of St. Charles said what they had to to stop the story!!
Because we are not federally funded, state funded and you can know the city hates us, we are not funded by the United Way but have run a pantry for 15 years (celebrated our 15th yr anniversary 11/9/04) by donations from the general public.
I am ready to throw in the towel now I can’t fight City Hall. My problem is I need to get the word out that any pantry that can use food are welcome to come and get ours. I hate to see the Boy Scout food that is left and all the food that has been donated just this month go to waste. I am at my wits end and would just like to get this out there.
Thank you
Mary Groeper
www.newhopeoutreach.net
Received as a copy of an e-mail sent to Councilman Muench
Good Morning Larry,
I had to return to my house this morning because I forgot my cell phone and
much to my dismay I observed two of the big construction trucks that are
putting the overhead lines underground pulled up and parked on the new
poured brick pavement. I am not a structural engineer but I don’t think
that these SIDEWALKS were made to have this kind of load on them. Let me
know your opinion on this.
Thanks,
Barb Slattery
P.S. Tony-Maybe you would like to run down there with your camera and
document this for the City so when the pavement begins to buckle or crack in
the future you can provide them with the cause and help save the taxpayers
some money that will be needed for repair!!
Dear No Name, (who likes to write to business people regarding the First Capitol News)
You state the FCN on a weekly basis attacks individuals without justification and attempts to demean the character and destroy the reputation of anyone or business which doesn’t agree with their opinions. Where is your proof the FCN does all this? NO NAME.
If you don’t like what FCN prints send a letter to The People Speak. As long as there is no cursing in the letter FCN will print it. I can tell you some of your letters to the businesses went in the trash can.
I would like to thank the no signed name, who sent letters to the people who advertise in the FCN. In your letter you state the FCN is primarily a political newspaper. Citizens want to know what’s going on in St. Charles. The FCN prints what’s going on. You state in your letter that Tony Brockmeyer has close ties to several St. Charles City Council members. So What? Why would this upset you???
See how many ads are pulled. Thanks No Name, everyone has an opinion, but you wasted your time sending out this letter. FCN please keep doing what you are doing to keep us informed.
Everyone has the right to freedom of speech and freedom of the press in this country, no name. It seems that even though you say you don’t like the First Capitol News you sure read it.
Ray Fogg
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