Alderman French has authorized the repaving of Warne, College, and Linton streets, the main streets in the 21st Ward section of College Hill.

Work should begin in May.

St. Louis faces many challenges, but none are more visceral than the thousands of vacant homes and lots that have a corrosive effect on our community. With one in five addresses currently vacant, we cannot ignore the issue any longer. The political, social and economic factors that create these conditions must be explored. The challenge demands collaborative responsibility and action. The future of the City of St. Louis and the surrounding region requires a commitment to democracy that values different experiences, expertise and perspectives. The organizers of Open/Closed see vacant property as a way to discuss the conflicts, collaborations and struggles that make a city.

April 21, 2012 will include panel conversations, workshops and presentations featuring residents, academics, leaders and officials. However, no one person or group is an expert on the circumstances faced by the St. Louis region and its citizens. Every voice and perspective matters. Diverse professional expertise and unique life experience provide the best map for exploring these important issues.

Location: The Sanctuary – 4449 Red Bud, St. Louis, MO

9:00am: Open. Breakfast at The Sanctuary

9:30am: Welcome: Terrell Carter, Executive Director of North Newstead Association

9:45am: Neighbors Forum in Cafe

All neighbors and residents of St. Louis are invited to meet for this early morning conversation about vacancy, population loss and how it affects daily life in the region. This informal forum will help frame our thinking throughout the day of events.

10:00am: 21st Ward Community Meeting

Curious how concerns of public safety are voiced at a community meeting? Residents of the 21st Ward community invite attendees of Open/Closed to join them at this open meeting.

11:00am: Locks and Blocks: Public Safety, Urban Change and Vacancy

Many regional residents are aware of how crime affects their daily lives, but, perhaps, few know how different actors are engaged in public safety and nuisance abatement. The focus is two-fold: 1) The strategies that exist at the neighborhood, city and regional level to tackle issues of safety in St. Louis (what works and what doesn’t); 2) The ways in which residents and inhabitants can become involved in this work to stabilize our communities (where can we foster meaningful partnerships?). An overarching question for this panel is, “How does population loss and higher rates of vacancy change the logic of law enforcement, code enforcement and quality of life?”

Panelists:
Eddie Roth, Director of Public Safety for the City of St. Louis
Rick Rosenfeld, Curators Professor of Criminology at University of Missouri-St. Louis
Sgt. John McLaughlin, St. Louis Police Nuisance and Problem Property Unit
Joann Rankins-Cannon, Neighborhood Stabilization Officer for 3rd Ward

Moderator:
Pamela Talley, Board President at Lewis Place Historical Preservation

12:00pm: Lunch in the Cafe

Join other attendees and participants for a healthy meal provided by a local restaurant.

12:20pm: Historic District and Preservation Tour

Michael Allen, Director of Preservation Research Office, leads a conversation and workshop on the importance of historic preservation for community and economic development.

12:40pm: Ideas Exchange: Community Development for an Uncertain Future

Community Development Corporations are important partners in the stabilization and revitalization of neighborhoods. Although St. Louis has strong neighborhood associations, the city has historically lacked a strong network of CDCs. Karl Guenther, a community development specialist at UMSL, will give an overview of CDCs and how they facilitate transformation. Representatives from several different CDCs will be on-hand to discuss their work and opportunities for future work.

Participating CDCs:
Robert Fulton Community Development (info)
Beyond Housing (info)
Grand Oak Hill Community Corporation (info)
Riverview West Florissant Development Corporation (info)
North Grand Neighborhood Services (info)
North East Community Action Corporation (info)

Moderator:
David Noble, Community Development Officer at Midwest BankCentre

1:30pm: A Special Presentation on a new project in the 21st Ward by Alderman Antonio French

1:30pm: Open Channels: Population Loss, Change and Possible Solutions

Small group discussions on different topics related to the history, present and future of St. Louis. Do you have one in mind? Contact one of the organizers and let them know.

2:20pm: ”Lions of the Valley”: The Role of Major Institutions in St. Louis

The panel on anchor institutions in the region includes three themes: 1) The roles of institutions in development; 2) Current and future projects of these institutions; 3) Building relationships between institutions and their surrounding communities. Open/Closed has particular concern for the ways in which anchors can build durable relationships with civil associations, organizations and neighborhoods. This relationship can range from supporting small-scale entrepreneurship to exhibiting thoughtful historic preservation practices. Simply put, how could place-based development and planning opportunities be cultivated to serve the current and future needs of the St. Louis region?

Panelists:
Henry S. Webber, Executive Vice Chancellor for Administration at Washington University in St. Louis
Michelle McClure, PhD, Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs at Harris-Stowe State University
Greg Gunderson, PhD, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Webster University
Thomas F. George, PhD, Chancellor of University of Missouri-St. Louis

Moderator:
Michael Allen, Director of Preservation Research Office

3:10pm: Afternoon Keynote: Sanford Garner, Co-Founder/Owner of A2SO4 design firm and 2012 President of the National Organization of Minority Architects

Garner is president of Indianapolis firm A2SO4, which he co-founded in 2001. The firm has worked on such projects as the Indianapolis International Airport’s midfield terminal parking garage, Lucas Oil Stadium and Purdue University residence halls. It also designed the Trail Side apartment/retail building being built in the 800 block of Massachusetts Avenue.

Garner led the public-private partnership project, Fall Creek Place, covering a 26-block area and includes what were originally 292 developable lots in northside Indianapolis, IN. Over a seven-year period, 243 single-family homes and 87 townhomes were built and 46 houses were rehabilitated. About half of the houses sold are considered ‘affordable’ housing and the other half were sold at market rate.

Garner has been the recipient of numerous national accolades and acclaim. He was awarded the 2011 Young Architect Award by The American Institute of Architects

3:50pm: The Contested City: St. Louis Regeneration, Today and Tomorrow

As a resident of St. Louis, what does regeneration mean to you? Is it better schools? Safer streets? Population increase? A change in the city charter? Are there small projects that can mean big things? Should we be trying to find large solutions? We’ll have proponents and opponents of the NorthSide Regeneration project on hand to voice their own perspectives, but we want this to be an open forum on how race, class and history matter to redevelopment in St. Louis.

Participants:
Paul J. McKee, Jr., Chairman/CEO of McEagle Properties
Roderick Jones, Ed.D., President and CEO of Grace Hill Settlement House
Sheila Rendon, Resident and Community Advocate
(Other participants to be announced)

Moderator:
Tim Logan, St. Louis Post-Dispatch (info)

4:40pm: Open/Closed Keynote Address

Jay Williams, Executive Director of the Office for Recovery of Auto Communities and Workers

Williams served as the Mayor of Youngstown, Ohio from 2006 to August 1, 2011. During his tenure as Mayor of Youngstown, Williams led efforts that have a direct impact on improving the quality of life for the citizens of Youngstown. In 2011, he was appointed Executive Direct of the Office for the Recovery of Auto Communities and Workers where he is now responsible for overseeing efforts to support distressed manufacturing centers.

Williams is the recipient of the 2007 John F. Kennedy New Frontier Award. The JFK Library Foundation, in conjunction with the Harvard University Institute of Politics, annually recognizes two exceptional young Americans, under the age of 40, whose contributions in elective office, community service or advocacy demonstrate the impact and value of public service in the spirit of President John F. Kennedy.

5:30pm: Dedication of OpenWork art intervention project

5:45pm: Closed. Dinner by food trucks.

Zhudi Masri (known on Facebook as “Zee Man”), a disgruntled middle-eastern corner store owner upset that Alderman French is supporting the efforts of the people of Grace Fellowship Church to challenge his liquor license following years of violence around his store, which is located across the street from their church and Yeatman Middle School.

Zhudi Masri (left)

St. Louis Public Schools, as well as the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, also support the revocation of Mr. Masri’s liquor license. Mr. Masri does not live in the 21st Ward or the City of St. Louis.

The second organizer of the protest was Romona Taylor-Williams. Ms. Williams also does not live in the 21st Ward. In fact, she just recently moved to St. Louis after serving time for fraud related to misappropriation of federal dollars when she lived in Charleston, West Virginia.

Romona Taylor-Williams (left) was charged with 40 counts of fraud and served time in federal prison

From the Charleston Daily Mail, November 23, 2004:

A Charleston woman accused of defrauding several government agencies will spend six months in prison followed by six months of home confinement and three years of supervised release.

Romona Taylor Williams, 52, also was ordered Monday to pay nearly $64,000 in restitution.

She had pleaded guilty in April to one count of mail fraud.

Williams originally was charged with 39 counts of mail fraud and one count of embezzlement in a federal indictment handed up in December 2003.

Williams, through two organizations she was an officer for, was accused of misusing funds from the state Department of Health and Human Resources, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The money was meant for various projects to help low-income families and communities.

More on Ms. Williams’ charges… From the Charleston Daily Mail, January 7, 2004:

A community activist has pleaded not guilty to 40 counts of mail fraud and embezzlement in connection with three government programs she helped oversee.

Romona Taylor-Williams, who runs the group REDEEM, was released on $10,000 unsecured bond after making the plea Tuesday in U.S. Magistrate Court.

She faces up to 200 years in prison and a $10 million fine if convicted.

She is accused of improperly accepting federal and state funds intended for HIV/AIDS education programs and Section 8 housing programs.

Taylor-Williams also was indicted for allegedly stealing money from contracts awarded by West Virginia State College for a socio- economic study of Kanawha, Putnam and Clay counties.

Click here to read court documents in the case of The United States of America vs. Romona Taylor Williams.

For weeks, Ms. Williams has been calling others “unethical” in venomous postings on Facebook and other websites. Clearly, she is in no position to point fingers at anyone.

Rep. Nasheed also offered information about the numerous other elections on the ballot in August and November.

“We love Election Year in the 21st Ward,” said Alderman French. “The 21st Ward is the largest voting ward in north St. Louis. In fact, we produce more Democratic votes than any other ward in the city,” said French.

Shirley Ann Williams, from the 4500 block of Fair Avenue, is our ward’s point person for volunteers for the Obama campaign. For more info any event in the ward, call 769-9000.

The Neighborhood Leadership Academy  provides hands-on leadership training that emphasizes community building principles, organizational leadership and management practices, and personal leadership skills. More than 170 neighborhood leaders from throughout the St. Louis region have participated in the Neighborhood Leadership Academy, learning the skills and building the networks to create livable communities. Each year the NLA brings together a diverse group of current or potential neighborhood leaders who are actively involved in their neighborhoods and represent communities from throughout the St. Louis region. Academy participants may be municipal elected officials, neighborhood association members, community-based organization staff, or resident volunteers.

Enrollment is now open:
10 sessions, February 14-May 22, 2012

Academy sessions are held on select Tuesdays and Saturdays

Registration fee: $400
Scholarships available by need – apply early
Registration deadline: February 8, 2012

For more information or to register online, visit http://ce.umsl.edu/nla or call 314.516.5994.

“Livable Communities don’t just HAPPEN. They are CREATED by the PEOPLE who LIVE in them.”

Send us your pics from around the ward and we’ll post them on the website!

On the last “Rebuilding Day” of this summer, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill joined more than 300 volunteers, most from the Boeing Company, on Red Bud Avenue where more than 400 volunteers helped rehab 15 homes in the 4400 and 4500 blocks. Earlier in the year, another 15 homes were rehabbed on Lee Avenue.

The project is funded through federal community development block grant funds. But it would be impossible to pull off without skilled volunteers who donate their time and expertise.

“It’s a blessing for me, because I couldn’t afford it,” said Janise M. Taylor, one of the lucky homeowners. While volunteers worked upstairs, inspired, Taylor was busy cleaning out her basement. “Everybody’s here to work. That’s put me motivated.”

Dave Ervin, executive director of Rebuilding Together—St. Louis, described the tasks volunteers completed. “We’re fixing electric problems, painting, putting in new flooring, fixing some plumbing. Just making things generally safer and more pleasant for the homeowners.”

The “Rebuilding Days” are more than just making a positive difference for individual residents, said Alderman French.

“We do this about three times a year, where we tackle an entire street and really try to make a big dent in transforming the neighborhood block-by-block.”

Senator McCaskill was able to observe firsthand the rehab effort and progress in the ward, which includes efforts to stem crime and to revitalize the northside community.

“It’s about St. Louis as an urban center remaining strong and vibrant. That’s why these rebuilding efforts are so important,” said McCaskill.

For residents interested in applying for the 21st Ward’s “Block by Block” program, call the 21st Ward Community Office at (314) 769-9000. Organizers caution that there is far more demand than there are resources, so please be patient.

O’FALLON PARK — In what has become an all too familiar scene on Sunday mornings, a man wearing a heavy padded suit waits by a tree in O’Fallon Park as another man, standing about 40 yards away, releases an excited dog from his leash.

The dog darts towards the man in the padded suit and leaps to bite his arm. The man hits the dog with an orange detergent bottle, making the dog angrier and causing him to pull at his arm more violently.

After a few seconds, the man with the leash begins to walk over to the dog, instructing him to let go.

This kind of attack dog training has been going on in O’Fallon Park for years, but thanks to a new law passed by the Board of Aldermen, it is now illegal and carries a hefty $500 fine.

Alderman Antonio French (D-21st Ward) introduced the bill earlier this year. It was just signed into law by the mayor in October. The bill makes any kind of attack dog training in which dogs are taught to attack a human or another animal strictly prohibited. It further mandates that any kind of dog training require a city permit so that such activity can be regulated.

“This issue is very simple,” said French. “The parks are for everyone. No one person or group’s activities should make others feel uncomfortable or unsafe”

French said he has overseen more than a million dollars in investment in O’Fallon Park which has resulted in families returning to the large northside park.

“But on Sunday mornings, when those trainers are there with sometimes as many as a dozen or more dogs, the normal walkers and joggers steer clear. That’s not right. And it no longer will be tolerated.”

The new law went into effect October 20th.