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Attendance:
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Sarah Green, Bob Babione, Don DeVivo, Alan Rowlson, George
Jones, Ernestine Isaiah, and Joan Botwinick.
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Minutes:
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The May minutes were approved.
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ARCHS changes
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ARCHS faces reorganization because of deep budget cuts. Positions must
be cut. At a meeting Joan attended, citizens expressed opposition
when the new executive director, Frank Ciano, described the new plan,
in which some neighborhoods will be grouped and will have one facilitator
instead of each neighborhood having its own facilitator. Clusters
of neighborhoods will have Community Development Coordinators. Other
development and grant-writing positions will be in the central office.
Citizens objected that the plan was not prepared with input from the
communities at the beginning of the process. Bob reported similar
concerns were expressed at a meeting of the Neighborhood Cabinet on
May 27.
The plan dated April 17 describes the integrated field positions and
lists the city public schools included in each group and cluster.
Each school is to have a school improvement plan. (The school connection
reflects the history of Caring Communites in St. Louis.)
FPSE is grouped with Jeff Vanderlou (Jefferson on the east, Vanderventer
on the west, Natural Bridge on the north, and Martin Luther King to
Delmar on the south). The group's schools are Adams Elementary, Vashon,
Columbia (a Community Education Center or "CEC"), Dunbar, and Beaumont
High School.
FPSE's group will be in Cluster 3 (Central) headquartered at Jefferson
Elementary. The two other groups in Cluster 3 with their schools are:
(1)&bnsp;Grand Center, Covenant Blu, Vandeventer (Stevens CEC, Cole Elementary,
and Carver CEC); and (2) Old North St. Louis, St. Louis Place, Columbus
Square, Carr Square (Jefferson, Blewett, Jackson, Webster, and Henry).
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Affordable Housing Trust FUnd
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Joan announced that the Affordable Housing Trust Fund will be accepting
applications from May 28 until July 1 for the first round of grants.
Applications are available at the Community Development Agency (CDA)
1015 Locust, 11th floor. Press reports indicate Mayor Slay wants a
large portion of the grants for projects he designated. The commission,
however elected the application process which will be a first-come,
first-served basis. Grants are expected before the first of July.
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Policing issues
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In a discussion of policing issues, it was agreed that drugs are still
prevalent in FPSE and policing is insufficient to keep the area free
of drugs and crime. Bob reported that effective January 1, FPSE will
be in the 9th District for at least 6 months. News accounts indicated
officers would not be shifted; Bob said that accounts at a Gibson
Heights meeting suggested otherwise. There was a general observation
that the neighborhood did not seem as safe now as it did 15 years
ago.
Rachel Smith of the Neighborhood Justice Project reported that the
security needs survey was not ready yet. The work on it is by volunteers
at UMSL.
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ArtWorks
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St. Louis ArtWorks says 300 children are doing art and other projects
in FPSE. Children in the project are from several neighborhoods.
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Main Street
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Discussion developed two issues regarding Main Street: (1) support for
businesses not on Manchester and (2) possibility of additional activities
by other groups at the planned August event. The Council will invite
Main Street director Marti Hamilton to the June meeting.
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AIDS prevention
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The Family Health Care Center (where Sr. Leah works) and others are
working on the "Staying Alive" program, an HIV prevention effort. The group
will provide information and answer questions at a June 11 meeting,
from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Adams Park Community Center. For further
information, contact Carolyn Guild at 314.454.3039.
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Roddy Family and Community Complex
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On June 9 at 2:00 p.m., the Adams School, Community Center, and park
area will be dedicated as the "Joseph P. Roddy Family and Community
Complex." Dignitaries from the city and Washington University Medical
Center will be on hand to celebrate the event. Roddy worked with the
neighborhood for years to keep the school open and then, after it
was closed, to get it reopened. Bob encouraged members to participate
in this opportunity for a neighborly event. RSVP to Jayne Nucete at
314.633.7909 by June 4.
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Adjournment
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The meeting adjourned at 7:45 p.m.
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