West Newsmagazine 2-7-24

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8 I NEWS I February 7, 2024 WEST NEWSMAGAZINE @WESTNEWSMAG WESTNEWSMAGAZINE.COM NEWS BRIEFS BALLWIN Bodies found after wellness call A well-meaning mail carrier called Ballwin Police for a wellness check on Tuesday, Jan. 30, at a home on Sunnyslope Drive after the mailbox at that location became overly full. Once inside, officers found two deceased individuals whose bodies were already in a state of decay. At press time, an autopsy was underway to discover the identity of the persons and their cause of death. “They don’t believe there was any foul play exterior-wise,” Officer Mark Reckert from the Ballwin Police Department said at the time. “They are not sure what actually happened due to the state of the bodies and how early on the investigation was; that’s why the medical examiner came out. They retrieved the bodies, and the medical examiner will be doing an investigation on their end.” CHESTERFIELD Athletic complex to get weather alert system A new weather alert system for the Chesterfield Valley Athletic Complex (CVAC) will give patrons access to weather delays in real time from their smartphones. Approved for purchase by the City Council at its Jan 16 meeting, the system will serve as both a proactive weather notification system and an emergency management tool. The CVAC has 21 outdoor ball diamonds, 10 multi-purpose fields, six baseball/softball practice fields and six sand volleyball courts. “The largest protection is that it will identify conditions where lightning is possible,” said Mike Geisel, city administrator. “That allows an alarm system to activate and get players off of the fields.” Geisel said the alert system can also be used for various other security occurrences, but the primary driver is to identify weather and lightning hazards before they are close enough to be visible. “By that time, it’s too late,” he said. The city chose the Perry Weather system at a cost of $47,500. The system includes four alert stations that will cover the entire complex. It is the only system with text-to-speech On Feb. 21, Dolly Parton’s Pet Gala will premiere on CBS and Paramount+, and West County’s very own Moxie will be walking the pink carpet with companion Katie Harris. The dynamic duo are the driving force behind the nonprofit Moxie’s Mission. Learn more at adventureswithmoxie.com. The two-hour special will feature performances and appearances by Parton and other country artists. public address capability through the CVAC’s speakers, TW Dieckmann, director of parks, recreation and arts, said. According to Dieckmann, the text-tospeech option also gives staff the ability to use the system for more than lightning delays, such as personalized messages announcing a lost child. It also allows the option to add a QR code to the city’s webpage to allow players to see how long they will wait on a lightning delay. The system’s installation is expected to be completed before CVAC games resume in March 2024. P&Z gives nod to marijuana dispensary The city of Chesterfield is likely to get its second marijuana dispensary. It will be located on a 1-acre tract of land north of Chesterfield Airport Road, west of Jaguar Land Rover Way, and south of Arnage Road. Stock & Associates Consulting Engineers, on behalf of Morganic Ventures LLC., has submitted a site development plan for a proposed 4,405 square feet retail sales building with a drive-thru on undeveloped land along Chesterfield Airport Road. The subdivision was previously rezoned to a planned commercial district with “car wash” as a permitted use. A site development section plan for Scrubbles Carwash was subsequently approved and is currently under construction. The development will be accessed by one shared drive entering from Arnage Road. Morganic Ventures is seeking a parking modification of 20% to allow 30 parking spaces. A sidewalk is required to be constructed along Arnage and Chesterfield Airport roads. Currently, Hippos is the only other marijuana dispensary in Chesterfield. It is also located on Chesterfield Airport Road. The city’s Planning and Zoning Commission approved the site development plan at its Jan. 22 meeting. CREVE COEUR City Council votes for elected officials’ pay raise The Creve Coeur City Council has followed suit with several other local municipalities in voting to increase the salaries of its members and mayor. “(City Clerk) Kellie Henke helped us compile a survey of area cities’ salaries of mayor and council. Under our charter, this is to be reviewed on a quinquennial (every five years) basis. It is time for that review,” Perkins said. The chart showed salaries for mayors and council/board members of 12 area municipalities, Creve Coeur ranks eighth in both areas. Perkins said he believes it’s been 15 years since his city’s rates were increased. He noted that if the council decided to increase its and the mayor’s pay rates this year, those changes would only go into effect following the election or re-election of a new or continuing mayor or member. “For some, the new amount would come into play in April of 2024,” Perkins said. There was almost unanimous agreement that the mayor’s compensation should rise at least $100 a month. “If we wait another five years, the mayor’s salary would be even more below average,” council member Heather Silverman (Ward 1) said. However, that agreement was immediately followed by banter regarding council member pay. “I agree with an increase for the mayor, but I also think as far as city council is concerned, 15 years is a long time,” council member Nicole Greer (Ward 2) said. “I would support an additional $100 for city council as well. For the amount of time we spend and the things we do, I don’t think $100 is that unreasonable.” Greer made a motion to increase both salaries by $100 per month. But council member Joe Martinich (Ward 4) disagreed, saying the elected officials’ salaries should be increased by the same percentage bumping the mayor’s salary up $150 a month (to $750) while council member’s salaries would increase $100 per month (to $500). The motion to increase the mayor’s salary by $150 per month was passed with council member Sari Neudorf (Ward 3)
FACEBOOK.COM/WESTNEWSMAGAZINE WESTNEWSMAGAZINE.COM February 7, 2024 WEST NEWSMAGAZINE I NEWS I 9 opposed. The council increase also passed but only after Mayor Robert Hoffman cast the deciding vote to break a 4-4 deadlock. Holocaust Museum offers new workshops The St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum launches a new, year-long series on Feb. 18. The “Change Begins with YOU” workshop series will continue through December. It is part of the museum’s “Change Begins with Us” initiative, which empowers St. Louisans to collectively fight against antisemitism and all forms of hate. “‘Change Begins with YOU’ is a reminder that we cannot do everything, but we can all do something to make the world a better place,” said Executive Director Myron Freedman. “These six workshops, led by the museum’s core staff team, will give each participant the tools they need to become an Active Ally, and fight against hate and bigotry in their daily lives.” Participants who sign up for all six workshops will receive a complimentary branded notebook and pen and receive one workshop free. Those wanting to take advantage of the discount will need to use the code “BUNDLE” at checkout. Change Begins with YOU includes the following sessions, all begin at 1 p.m.: • Feb. 18: Never Again is Now: Fighting Antisemitism, from Words to Action • April 21: From Genocide to Ethnic Cleansing: Why Our Words Matter • June 9: Taming the Digital Wildfire: Media Literacy in the Internet Age • Aug. 18: The Human Cost of Dehumanizing Language • Nov. 17: The Pitfalls of Wokeness: The Pros & Cons of DEI • Dec. 8: Awareness to Action: How YOU Can Become and Active Ally Individuals interested in signing up for a workshop, or the series, can visit stlholocaustmuseum.org/change-beginswith-us. Ballas Road improvements A bill for the execution of a Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) Program with the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission was introduced at the Jan. 8 Creve Coeur Council meeting. At the same time, the council supported a resolution granting those Phase 2 Conway Road to Ladue Road improvement plans to Horner & Shifrin, Inc. After unanimously passing that legislation at the Jan. 22 council meeting, City Engineer Steve Berecz shifted his sights to the next step – a resolution calling for Horner & Shifrin to handle the work for Phase 3, which is the Ladue Road to Magna Carta Drive segment of Ballas Road. For this item, the city was awarded a federal Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant in 2021. But it was later found that the water main running along the 425 N. New Ballas property was very shallow and had to be relocated. “In front of you tonight is an item that was originally presented to you back in 2021,” Berecz said. “The design was about 75% completed for the sidewalk project just north of the post office on Ballas Road. It’s kind of a small, but complex project with a retaining wall, and as the design moved forward, a water main had to be relocated. With the grant at that point, the city didn’t have the funds to do it. So, we took a pause, went back and reapplied for more federal monies for this project. So, the grant is paying for most of the construction. The contract is not to exceed $50,000.” In 2023, Creve Coeur re-applied for the grant with water main relocation costs included and was recently notified that the application was successful. The funds will be used to help with construction costs for sidewalk and retaining wall improvements at 425 N. New Ballas Road and at the post office at 331 N. New Ballas. Through council member conversations, the resolution was modified to note that the city will try not to move the retaining wall any closer to Ballas, which would further obstruct the view of traffic. The resolution passed unanimously. Construction is set for spring 2026. MANCHESTER Officer of the Year recognized Family, coworkers and city officials were present at the Manchester Justice Center on Jan. 16 to honor Police Officer Asmir Zeric for the work he’s done for the Manchester Police Department. Chief Scott Will presented Zeric with the Officer of the Year award at the Board of Aldermen meeting, where he lauded Zeric’s achievements. Calling Zeric a team player, he said, “He is one of the guys who’s always willing to step up and help out the other officers. He’s mentored quite a few officers, some of them who are back here in the back. Just a really class act. What I’m trying to say in a long span is that he’s done an excellent job and we’re very proud of him.” Zeric came to the Manchester Police Department in February 2020 after previously serving with the Normandy Police See NEWS BRIEFS, page 15 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. Go to www.CapeAlbeon.com for Sudoku answers!
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