West Newsmagazine 11-1-23

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8 I NEWS I November 1, 2023 WEST NEWSMAGAZINE @WESTNEWSMAG WESTNEWSMAGAZINE.COM Like the Scott Brothers — some things in life are just better in pairs. Another great pairing? Bundling your auto and home policies for up to 28% in savings.* Plus, the more policies you bundle — the more you can save! *The average customer who bundles can save these discounts on each policy. Discounts may vary by state, property, policy form and company underwriting the auto or property policy. Discounts may not apply to all coverages on an auto or property policy. Discounts do not apply to a life policy. Contact me today to get a quote and start saving. John Shannon Ranson, Agent Ranson & Associates LLC 16024 Manchester Rd Ste 100 Ellisville, MO 63011 (636) 391-4855 American Family Mutual Insurance Company, S.I. & its Operating Companies, Life insurance underwritten by American Family Life Insurance Company, 6000 American Parkway, Madison, WI 53783 ©2021 019569 – 4/21 – 15488813 Chesterfield Mayor Bob Nation and Wildwood Mayor Jim Bowlin at the 2023 Woodchoppers Ball, where Chesterfield won the tug-of-war and travelling trophy. NEWS BRIEFS BALLWIN Young citizens recognized for emergency actions On Tuesday, Oct. 10, Ballwin residents Avery and Owen Geraghty were recognized by the Ballwin Police Department and Metro West Fire Protection District for helping to save their dad’s life. In August, after their dad had a medical emergency, the boys ran in the dark to get their first responder neighbor for help. The boys then moved furniture and objects out of the way to make room for the first responders and continued to keep their dad alert by talking to him until paramedics arrived. CHESTERFIELD Amphitheater improvements receive approval The Chesterfield Amphitheater near the Veterans Honor Park is getting improvements that will provide an opportunity for better entertainment on ticketed events, which, in turn, could provide more free events for local residents. The improvements will include a restroom to be installed immediately west of the existing concession stand, as well as back-of-house improvements to better accommodate artists. The total estimated project cost is $2.1 million, according to Jim Eckrich, Chesterfield’s public works director. Back house improvements will include a fully furnished habitable lounge space, with an anticipated west-facing view over the lake for performance artists and crew, he said. The space will include at least two personal dressing rooms, two additional restrooms, each providing shower and toilet facilities, a kitchen area with appliances and a laundry room. An outside lounging/catering space for the artists will include visual screening from the audience. Renovation of the existing changing and storage rooms will provide access to one of the existing restrooms. Bond Architects Inc. will be paid $245,637 for architectural services. Design work will begin immediately with the goal of bidding the construction project in the fall of 2024, Eckrich said. The $2.1 million estimated cost breaks down to $1.2 million for the back-of-house improvements and $900,000 for the restroom. Other accommodations include the addition of 60 amp “shore” power at the existing building for touring bus use and the consideration of enhancements to Circle Drive to better accommodate tour bus access and parking. Those projects will be funded through Parks Certificates of Participation 2020 and ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) 2021 funds. At its Oct. 16 meeting, the City Council approved the agreement with Bond Architects. City brings home Woodchopper’s Ball trophy Once again Chesterfield won the bragging rights for the much-anticipated tug-of-war contest at the annual Balmar Farms Woodchopper’s Ball in Wildwood on Oct. 22. The contest is held every year between the two cities. Wildwood was close to winning when a couple of latecomers jumped into the fray and pulled Chesterfield to victory. In addition to bragging rights, the winning city receives a “traveling trophy,” though it is no longer the original hatchet in a log award designed by Bob Clausen. After 18 years, that trophy has stopped traveling to preserve it into perpetuity. The annual festival, hosted by Bill Ballard and Stacey and Stuart Morse, was attended by city officials from both cities, including Chesterfield Mayor Bob Nation and Wildwood Mayor Jim Bowlin, along with community friends and family. Ballard reminisced about how the event got started. A group of neighbors who needed firewood showed up at the property to cut down trees. Afterward, the group all went up to the local gas station and had sandwiches. “We had a ball,” Ballard said. “The party’s grown quite a bit.” Other activities at the ball included field games, demonstrations of wood splitting and chainsaw work, and a dessert contest. Musical entertainment was provided by Country Fried Gentlemen, followed by a bonfire. The event raises funds for BackStoppers Inc., which provides financial assistance to the families of fallen public safety officers. As a fitting reminder of the cause members of the Monarch Fire Protection District displayed fire trucks during a parade around the property. Ballard noted that he sold land to the fire district 50 years ago to build its current firehouse on Wild Horse Creek Road. The district has since purchased property onehalf mile away on that same road to build a new firehouse. City approves new web host The Chesterfield City Council has approved an agreement with Civic Plus for web hosting and associated technology modules. Currently, the city hosts its website internally on servers that are set up and maintained by the information technology department. CivicPlus would provide a more secure, externally hosted website, Matt Haug, IT director, said. The parks and recreation department’s current RecTrac system would be replaced with the customer interface module CivicRec. CivicClerk would provide agenda management for the city clerk’s office and in the planning department, CivicGov would cover permitting and code enforcement. Click Fix is designed for work orders. In addition, the public works department would have an integrated problem reporting and tracking system to allow for externally uploaded documents and photos. While there would be no additional budgetary impact for 2023, the cost in 2024 would be $154,894, with annual recurring net costs of $52,674 to be paid with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. Phase 2 of Spirit Valley Business Park underway Keystone Construction Company has begun construction of the 131,000-squarefoot headquarters and manufacturing facility for Tubular USA, a supplier of in-line galvanized pipe and tubing. The facility will replace Tubular’s two existing buildings in Weldon, and will feature offices, a steel fabrication manufacturing facility, warehouse space and room for future growth. The project is located within the Spirit Valley Business Park in Chesterfield Valley where Keystone recently began construction of the infrastructure to support multiple future buildings. Spirit Valley Business Park is positioned across from the St. Louis Premium Outlets and next to the Spirit of St. Louis Airport. Keystone built the infrastructure for Phase 1 of the 50-acre Spirit Valley Business Park in 2008 and has constructed 11 buildings within the business park. Work at Phase 2 began earlier this month and
FACEBOOK.COM/WESTNEWSMAGAZINE WESTNEWSMAGAZINE.COM November 1, 2023 WEST NEWSMAGAZINE I NEWS I 9 includes mass grading, new streets and infrastructure for sewer, water, electric and gas. It will be completed in December. Current tenants of the Spirit Valley Business Park Phase 1 include robotic and engineering firms, contractors and healthcare suppliers, including Vermeer Midwest, Neff Power, Oaktree Products, Chesterfield Fence & Deck, Fresh Air Heating & Cooling and BELFOR Property Restoration, St. Louis Auto Detail and Thompson Price. Keystone is also completing a $6 million mixed-use building at 675 Spirit Valley West Drive within the Spirit Valley Business Park. The building features 40,000 square feet of flexible space. Keystone was the design-build contractor for the building core and shell and is now completing build-out of its own new headquarters to be occupied by the end of this year. TOWN & COUNTRY Donations sought for veterans, first responder memorial The city of Town & Country’s Veterans and First Responders Task Force is currently raising funds to erect a memorial in the city’s Town Square to acknowledge the contributions of all past and present veterans and first responders. The memorial will consist of a reflective walk around a solitary stone on which an American Flag will hang. The structure’s concrete base is to be engraved with the core values of duty, sacrifice, courage, and valor. The contemplative seating wall will be embossed with military and first responder crests. The project was initiated in 202 by alderman Sue Allen (Ward 4) with Mayor Charles H. Rehm establishing the task force in June 2021. Comprised of residents, stakeholders and public servants, the task force was charged with investigating an appropriate funding mechanism via public funds, grant monies, or private donations and evaluating potential locations. As the city continues working toward its $300,000 fundraising goal, donations are being collected through its “Military and First Responder Tribute” page at gofundme. com or by check mailed, with a memo of “Tribute,” to: City of Town & Country,1011 Municipal Center Drive, Town & Country, MO 63131. Donors will be recognized at the appropriate levels: Patriot Leader ($10,000), Benefactor ($5,000), Sponsor ($1,000), Contributor ($500) and Friend (any amount). George Stock, of Stock & Associates, and Don Musick, of Musick Construction, have contributed to the project, which was designed by SWT Design. ALL SENIORS DESERVE A PERMANENT PROPERTY TAX FREEZE! The St. Louis County Council once again missed the mark by approving a watered-down version of property tax relief. The Council’s version applies to only some seniors and expires after 5 years. I am collecting names of St. Louis County residents who support real, permanent tax freezes for ALL seniors. SIGN UP AND SUPPORT TODAY! Scan QR code or visit www.gregoryformissouri.com Paid for by Gregory for Missouri, Treasurer Joe Garavaglia Sudoku brought to you by Cape Albeon Complete the grid so that every row, column, and 3x3 box contains every digit from 1 to 9 inclusively. RETIREMENT COTTAGE HOMES & APARTMENTS ASSISTED LIVING | MEMORY CARE HEALTH FAIR NOVEMBER 13 1:00-4:00PM RSVP to 636.861.3200 3380 LAKE BEND DRIVE ST. LOUIS, MO 63088 WWW.CAPEALBEON.COM Go to www.CapeAlbeon.com for Sudoku answers!
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Page 11 and 12: PROUDLY SERVING OUR COMMUNITIES SIN
Page 19 and 20: THE POWER OF PURPOSE M1 BANK RANKED
Page 21 and 22: Mari de Villa SENIOR LIVING Serving
Page 23 and 24: Veterans Day Thanks to all members
Page 39 and 40: Live Thankfully At Friendship Villa
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West Newsmagazine 11-1-23

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