PUBLIC FACILITY NEEDS

In 1996, the Blueprint for Youth Development, an investigation into recreation opportunities for youth in St. Louis neared completion. A draft of findings and recommendations for the future of recreation in St. Louis was in the process of community review at the end of 1996.

The St. Louis Public Schools' Community Education Centers continued to be the foci for youth development and continued expansion in 1996. New programs began, such as the establishment of several Family Support Centers.

The St. Louis Development Corporation received an Ounce of Prevention grant in order to better coordinate non-profits and other agencies that aim to reduce violent crime committed by young people. Two staff members were hired, and the grant implementation began in December, 1996.

Revenue from the capital improvement sales tax supported the City's recreation centers in beginning to make much needed repairs. Additional monies, both general revenue and CDBG funds, supported the recreation centers and the outposts.

The Community Information Network, a project of the St. Louis Enterprise Community, and Grace Hill Neighborhood Services, began collaborating to establish public Internet-access sites within the Enterprise Community. Several of St. Louis City's recreation centers, Community Education Centers, Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club, the International Institute, and several other organizations were selected to house these public access computers, and the process of establishing these public access sites in their buildings began.

In 1996, the Forest Park Master Plan, the plan which details the steps needed to address years of deferred maintenance and make new improvements to Forest Park, received much recognition for excellence. The Plan received the Catalyst Award from Confluence St. Louis, an "Excellence in Planning" honorable mention award from the American Planning Association, the Hiram W. Leffingwell Award, an honorable mention for the National League of Cities award, the St. Louis Design Award from the St. Louis Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, and the "Award of Excellence" from the American Society of Landscape Architects, St. Louis Chapter. The Plan also received recognition from The Economist, a London-based magazine.

Great strides were made in raising funds for the implementation of the Forest Park Master Plan in 1996. Overall, 60 million dollars were available by the end of 1996. This figure includes 31 million in public funds, 12 million in private funds, and an additional 17 million to be borrowed (made possible by the bond issue passed by St. Louis residents).

Work on the first infrastructure repairs under the Master Plan began in 1996. The Metropolitan Sewer District began replacement of 4,000 feet of 8-foot diameter sewer pipe. In addition, the first phase of the management plan for the John F. Kennedy Memorial Forest was put into action with the replanting of trees in the Kennedy Forest by the Missouri Department of Conservation, assisted by Americorp and Youthbuild St. Louis.

Some additional projects were completed in Forest Park in 1996. Five of Forest Park's monuments now enjoy being permanently lighted. This lighting project was jointly sponsored by the Parks Department and Forest Park Forever. Turtle Park, a playground on the south side of Forest Park that features seven sculptured turtles by St. Louis artist Robert Cassilly, officially opened on August 3. The playground was donated to Forest Park by Ms. Sonya Glassberg.

Forest Park was allocated $1,772,000 from the City's capital improvement sales tax revenue. The major categories of use of these funds are reconstruction of park roadways, ADA compliance, repair of park maintenance buildings, and landscaping. Specific projects included the removal of Wells Drive to replace sewer pipes and increase green space in the park, restoration of the McKinley/Lincoln Bridge, renovation of the footbridge over the Forest Park Expressway, and improving the parks restroom facilities to meet with standards set forth by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The other five major City parks also received revenue from the sales tax. Major projects in Tower Grove Park included: renovation of pavilions and shelters; resurfacing of roads, trails, and sidewalks; repair of administrative structures; and reforestation. Carondelet Park's roads were reconstructed, pavilions were repaired, and concrete walks were replaced. Fairground Park capital improvements included reconstruction of park roads, replacement of concrete walks, and the installment of skating rink lights and a sound system. Roads were reconstructed in O'Fallon Park, and picnic shelters were replaced. The playground in Willmore Park was renovated, and its bicycle trail was resurfaced.

Neighborhood parks also received funds from the capital improvement tax in 1996. Each ward was given $306,000 for use on capital improvements in their ward, including improvements to their neighborhood park(s). The modal category of improvements was playground renovations, followed by concrete walk replacements.

In the St. Louis City's consolidated plan, two of the three recommendations concerning child care facilities involved zoning requirements. Family child care providers, those that care for a small number of children in a caregiver's home, were limited to four children in order to be licensed, even when they had space for more children. Further, family child care providers were held to the same rigorous standards as larger child care facilities. Such standards included separate restrooms for boys and girls, illuminated exit signs, and commercial kitchen exhaust systems if domestic cooking appliances were utilized. While these standards may make sense in larger institutional settings, the cost to a private home provider acted as a deterrent to the licensing procedure.

In the latter half of 1996, John Koch, the Zoning Commissioner, gathered a variety of people together, like representatives of the Fire Marshal's Office and the Building Division of the City's Department of Public Safety, and began discussing changes to the zoning requirements that would be more realistic for home child care providers. On December 16, 1996, new zoning requirements went into effect for child care facilities. These new requirements allow home providers to care for up to ten children if two adults are present. Additionally, licensed home child care providers are now held to more appropriate standards like providing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. While this is only a simple synopsis of the new requirements, they certainly simplify the state licensing procedure for home child care providers. Since licensing is the way the state regulates health and safety in child care facilities, it is very important that all providers be licensed to ensure consumer protection, that is, the protection of our children.

The City of St. Louis maintained and improved its parking facilities during 1996, through the efforts of the Treasurer's Office and the St. Louis Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority (LCRA). The City treasurer issued parking revenue bonds which enabled a major $1.2 million set of improvements to the parking area immediately to the south of City Hall.

LCRA oversaw operations for approximately 3000 parking spaces in five different downtown locations:

1. Two hundred and fifty spaces are in two open lots used for temporary parking until permanent development of these lots occurs.
2. The 7th street garage contains 425 spaces, approximately 300 of which are in useable condition. This facility is also scheduled for future demolition once the future use of the site is resolved.
3. The St. Louis Center East garage contains 1,423 spaces, having been built by LCRA to accommodate patrons at the Center, and those working in the Edison Brothers building, the One City Centre building, and other nearby locations. The parking fee structure is structured to encourage shoppers at the mall and at surrounding stores, offices and entertainment/sports facilities.
   The East garage was refinanced in 1996 in order to provide cash flow for equipment updates and concrete repairs. An engineering study has been completed to provide bid documents for the repairs. Construction was scheduled to begin in the spring of 1997, with completion of the work expected by the fall.

All the parking facilities are operated by a professional parking management company under contract to the St. Louis Development Corporation.

INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS

Statistical Summary:

• The Right-of-Way Management Program estimates that in FY 97 it will supervise the repair of 1000 lateral sewer lines, funded through the Lateral Sewer Repair Fund.
• In December, the Metropolitan Sewer District Board of Trustees gave preliminary approval to a $2.25 million appropriation for improvements at the Lemay Treatment Plant. (1994 recommendations included finding additional funding for sewer facilities for the City; the Lemay plant is one of two plants which services the City.)
• In March, Confluence St. Louis issued a study of MSD financing methods. Confluence found that the State Constitution's Hancock Amendment made it too difficult for MSD to raise capital for needed maintenance. Therefore, Confluence recommended that MSD be privatized, with the rate-setting of the new corporation to be subject to regulation by the State Public Service Commission. Mayor Bosley endorsed the findings of the Confluence report. (1994 recommendations included supporting the Confluence study.)

In 1996, MSD completed compliance projects funded by the Clean Water Capital Improvement Surcharge. The projects were completed under budget, and will result in refunds to MSD customers in the amount of $25 million.

Narrative:

The central issue facing the Metropolitan Sewer District is privatization. Indeed, this issue encapsulates virtually all of the other problems faced by MSD.

On March 21, 1996, a public service organization called Confluence St. Louis released a study of MSD. The study took nearly two years to complete. Confluence concluded that the staggering problems facing the wastewater and stormwater services of St. Louis City and County cannot be resolved in the current structure of MSD. Confluence made the following arguments:

1. The rate setting mechanism is unclear: it has been a constant source of litigation and has brought MSD to the point of gridlock.
2. Years of deferred maintenance have resulted in serious sanitary and stormwater problems which will be costly to repair.
3. Accountability and oversight are inadequate, causing the relationship between MSD and the public to disintegrate.

To solve these problems, Confluence recommended that an investor-owned public utility company be established to operate the waste and storm water systems. The company would be regulated by the Missouri Public Service Commission. Prior to privatization, residents of St. Louis City and County would vote on the plan.

The Confluence recommendations generated a great deal of controversy. Although Mayor Freeman Bosley and County Executive George Westfall endorsed the plan, the Post-Dispatch editorialized against it. An association of professional engineers also opposed the plan. The Post argued that selling MSD would result in higher rates for consumers, and would take too long to implement.

In late 1996, Confluence recommended that MSD be given 18 months to develop its own plan. Thus, the privatization controversy, and the financial and maintenance problems that underlie it, will probably not be resolved in 1997.

Statistical Summary:

• In the fiscal year which began in 1996, the Water Department embarked upon the following projects:
• Lowered the non-collectable water bill rate to 0.5%
• Obtained capacity to tie-in with Assessor's Office computer system to enhance identification of properties using water service.
• Implemented stop box repair program using existing Water Division personnel
• Reduced Water Division's lost time accident rate by 10% and reduce non-lost time accident rate by 7% over the previous year.
• Prepared Water Division laboratory and plant personnel for the U.S. EPA Information Collection Rule that became effective in 1996.
• Replaced additional 2000 domestic water meters to meet touch/read capability Maintained 1400 miles of water line, 16,500 water meters, 22,000 water valves, 15,000 fire hydrants, and provide a quality water supply of approximately 48 billion gallons to 115,000 customers.
• Operated 2 water treatment plants.
• Became certified by the EPA in the examination for Giardia and Crytosporidium.

In August, 1996, voters expanded the reach of the City's water service line repair insurance program by extending its coverage. 1994 recommendations included continued assessment of rates to promote additional productivity gains within the department.

Narrative:

In essence, the job of the City water department is to take water from the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, purify it, and provide the highest quality water possible to its customers.

Recent years have seen many improvements in the quality of the river water. Coliform counts--bacteria from human and animal waste--have declined dramatically in the last 20 years, thanks to federal grants and an end to the practice of dumping of raw sewage into rivers. Federal laws requiring companies to pre-treat industrial wastes have also been effective. City water officials believe that industrial pollutants are not a significant threat today.

The biggest threat today comes from agricultural runoff: fertilizers and pesticides that flow from farm fields into rivers. Last year the St. Louis water division spent $600,000, passed on to consumers, for special treatment to remove farm chemicals, some of which are suspected carcinogens.

Statistical Summary:

The Streets Department estimates that in 1996:

• Performed 25,000 linear feet of granite curb repair
• Patched 300,000 square yards of streets
• Sealed 445,000 linear feet of street cracks
• Repaired 45,000 cubit feet of street cave ins.
• Milled 700,000 square yards of streets
• Towed 200 derelict vehicles off of City streets.
• Striped all arterial streets twice , and all collector streets once.
• Replaced all signs within 7 days of receiving notification of need for replacement, and responded to citizen requests for street repairs within 48 hours.
• Installed approximately 15,000 street signs.
• Maintained 51,000 street lights and 16,000 alley lights.
• Conducted 44,000 street inspections.
• Maintained 635 traffic signal devices.
• Performed street cleaning on over 21,000 miles of streets.

The City Capital Improvement Plan allocates over $3.7 million to road and bridge improvements for FY 97. This includes $2.3 million for the Surface Transportation Program (ISTEA match), $1 million for arterial street repair, and $400,000 for bridge repair. 1994 recommendations included finding additional sources of revenue for maintenance.)

Narrative:

The two major issues confronting the Street Department are congestion and maintenance. In general, congestion is not as great a problem in the City of St. Louis as it is in certain areas of St. Louis County. Some problem areas, however, still exist.

Congestion: Sverdrup Corporation is under contract with the state to reduce congestion on Highway 40 from Tower Grove to the west. Until recently, discussions have centered around how to re-do the ramps in order to exit people off of the highway faster. The Traffic Division contention is this may not solve the problem. Even though this solution would allow motorists to exit the highway more quickly, it would dump the motorists onto city streets that are already congested. Any further analysis should include capacity studies of the city streets and how they must be reconstructed in order to handle the traffic exiting off of Highway 40.

In an additional move to reduce congestion and improve air quality, several groups have been formed to help companies change the commuting habits of employees. Laclede Gas is one downtown company engaged in this effort. The Washington University Medical School also sponsors an effort to form car pools for students and employees.

A further initiative to reduce congestion involves a traffic signalization project. With the help of fiber optic wiring, traffic signals are being synchronized to help optimize the flow of traffic. The first phase of the traffic signalization improvementde Gravois from the city limits to Tucker, Skinker Blvd., and a section of 7th street. These should be under construction later this summer.

Maintenance: Maintenance is an ongoing responsibility of the Street Department. Because of severe weather, 1996 was a particularly difficult year for St. Louis streets. St. Louis spends $200,000 a year to fix potholes. Most goes for hot asphalt which can be laid when the temperature is over 20 degrees. Cold asphalt is used for colder temperatures, or when the pothole has water in it. Improving technology has given more effective patching remedies to the Street Department, but these new materials are often very costly. Normal patching asphalt sells for about $25 per ton. By contrast, higher grade patching material can sell for $50 to $100 per ton. This material is used on bridges or extremely heavy traffic locations. The cost makes it prohibitive to use higher grade patches for normal pothole repair.

Currently, traffic engineers do not routinely study traffic accident reports to help them discover locations which are in need of maintenance. The Streets Department is in the process of reorganizing its office and reassigning field duties. It may again set up the studies department. A City initiative to place ArcView Geographic Information Systems software in all City departments will assist in the task of studying traffic accidents.

Other Concerns: A more local, but still difficult issue is the disposition of a dispute with residents of the St. Ambrose Place subdivision in the Hill neighborhood. Streets in this subdivision were built by a private contractor in 1993. The Street Department met with the developer of the subdivision, prior to construction. The developer originally wanted to streets to remain private and did not build the street to code. As a result, garbage trucks are unable to drive on the streets. The cost of bringing the streets up to code is estimated at $200,000. The homeowners' association for the subdivision is considering suing Boatman's Bank, which assumed responsibility for the development when the original developer went bankrupt. Resolution of this problem may have to await action in the courts.

Statistical Summary:

• The Air Pollution Division conducts inspections under the Clean Air Act's National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP). Last year, they processed an average of 21 project notifications per month.
• The Division also processed approximately 20 State Level inspections per month, for which no inspection fee was charged.
• The NESHAP Level inspection fee is $100 per visit. Last year the Division collected $44,000 in fees.
• The Division also receives a grant from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to fund the enforcement of state regulations. Last year's grant was $83,000.

Narrative:

The demolition of buildings containing asbestos is subject to regulation under federal and state law. The Air Pollution Division of the St. Louis Department of Health is responsible for enforcing these regulations in the City. The Division receives a subgrant from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to fund this enforcement. Last year, the grant amounted to $83,000.

The Land Reutilization Authority (LRA) is the City agency responsible for abandoned properties in St. Louis. LRA currently owns over 10,000 buildings. Many of these buildings are in a bad state of repair, and are believed to constitute a safety hazard. Consequently, LRA deems the demolition of these buildings to be in the public interest.

The demolition of LRA property is complicated by regulations regarding asbestos. On city blocks containing more than one structure with asbestos, the regulations are unclear about how much time must elapse between the demolition of one structure and the demolition of the next. In addition, the demolition of deteriorating buildings may be hastened if a determination is made that these structures are unsafe; however, regulations are also unclear about the type of proof required to designate a structure as "unsafe."

Officials in many cities consider EPA requirements to be overly restrictive. They argue that EPA overstates the public health risk from demolition of buildings containing asbestos. They argue that EPA also fails to acknowledge the public health risks of not demolishing deteriorating structures. For these reasons, the City of St. Petersburg is filing suit against EPA, seeking relief from this regulation. Officials in the City of St. Louis have also expressed frustration with the impact of EPA regulations upon badly needed demolitions.

Statistical Summary:

The Refuse Division estimates that in FY Ô96 it accomplished the following:

• Collected nearly 170,000 tons of residential waste
• Collected 25,000 tons of yard waste
• Collected 700 tons of recyclables through the firehouse drop off recycling program; currently, there are 26 firehouse drop off sites.
• Collected 51 tons through the Blue Bag recycling program.
• Implemented St. Louis Recycles education program, Curbside Recycling Pilot Program, and Waste Reduction Program using nearly $170,000 in waste recycling and reduction grant funds. Maintained nearly 30,000 metal alley dumpsters and 20,000 plastic roll carts.
• Administered 2 refuse collections per week and 1 yard waste collection per week, citywide. Collected approximately 10,000 tons of bulky items annually, including furniture and appliances.
• Instituted education efforts, as called for in 1994 recommendations. Published newsletter to encourage recycling, established a presence on the World Wide Web, and attended community meetings to build awareness of the importance of recycling.

Narrative:

Last year, the Refuse Division recycled approximately 2.5 million pounds of materials, including 1.6 million pounds of newspapers. The newspaper savings alone represented an energy equivalent of 350,000 gallons of oil, 14,000 trees, and 6,616 cubic feet of landfill space. Recycling newspapers also eliminated 49,620 pounds of air pollution.

In addition, the State of Missouri specifies a 40% reduction in landfill waste by 1998. The City to date has reduced its waste stream by between 15-20%, mostly as a result of its yard waste and BOAT (batteries, oil, appliances, tires) collection program.

The Refuse Division budget of $14,944,829 in City FY Ô97 (July 1996 - June 1997), represents a slight decrease from the City FY Ô96 budget of $15,012,096.

Statistical Summary:

The Snow Removal and Flood Control program removes snow and ice from approximately 440 miles of major and secondary arterial streets. Due to the peak demands on personnel and equipment that occur during snow emergencies, the Forestry Division has been supplying labor and equipment to assist in this task.

In FY 96, for certain significant snowfalls, the Street Division expanded its snow removal efforts to residential neighborhoods. In FY 97, the Street Division will continue to evaluate each snowfall for its significance and respond accordingly. The FY 97 budget includes a $150,000 increase for salt and chemical supplies to replenish material used in residential snow removal and on two major ice storms in FY96.

This program also maintains 55,000 feet of floodwall and levee and 38 floodwall closures which protect the City's residents and property from flood damage.

Statistical Summary:

As noted in the 1994 Plan, the City does not have responsibility for maintenance of sidewalks. However, the City sponsors a 50/50 sidewalk repair program, whereby the City matches funds that citizens invest in sidewalk improvement. The City gives approximately 1500 50/50 grants each year.

In addition, the City is responsible for regulating sidewalk blockages. Last year it issued over 500 permits for sidewalk blockage.

Last year the Streets Department placed information on the 50/50 program on the World Wide Web. 1994 recommendations included a greater advertising effort for this program.

PUBLIC SERVICE NEEDS

In some respects things were better during 1996 than had been expected for the St. Louis Area Agency on Aging. The federal cuts did not materialize in the magnitude that had been feared at the beginning of the year. Yet the same overall problem of uncertain funding remained, as the proportion of elderly in the City declined, and the willingness of the state legislature to continue providing a "hold harmless" allocation was unclear.

The City continued to support an elderly meals program that collectively provided more than 80,000 meals to congregate facilities and homebound individuals. The meals continued to be provided by the West Presbyterian Senior Center, Jeff-Vander-Lou and the Little Sisters of the Poor. Additional elderly help was provided to 208 individuals at the St. Elizabeth Adult Day Care Center and to 89 individuals at the Red Cross's PACE - Daily Care program.

SLAAA continued to support 23 elderly centers and 11 public housing nutrition centers over the year. More funding was sought for Housing Options for the Elderly (HOPE), the non-profit that assists with counseling elderly individuals and families that face housing challenges. Transportation costs to doctors offices and other facilities remained a large financial challenge.

The St. Louis Internship Program, a joint effort between the St. Louis Public Schools Law and Citizenship Education Unit and local area businesses, has expanded dramatically since its inception. In 1996, the program provided paid internships to 330 students in 70 different types of professions. Interns are provided with training, such as computer literacy training, prior to beginning to work. Further educational assistance, such as American College Test (ACT) coaching and guidance in making a resume, is also available to interns through this program.

The St. Louis Development Corporation was awarded an "Ounce of Prevention" grant from HUD in April of 1996. The goals of this grant are to improve coordination in efforts to reduce youth violence and to encourage collaboration among youth service providers, focusing on the Enterprise Community. By the end of the year, two staff members were hired to begin implementation of the grant.

The SafeFutures collaborative effort began in July, 1996. SafeFutures is made possible by a multi-year grant from the U.S. Department of Justice. SafeFutures involves a collaboration of approximately twenty partners providing services to youth in a more child-centered, holistic manner. SafeFutures concentrates on enhancing protective factors of at-risk youth, intervening and offering alternatives to gang-involved youth, and rehabilitating youth who are involved with the juvenile justice system.

There is no longer any direct need for the Missouri Department of Social Services to develop a coordinated record keeping system of child care providers. Currently, the Missouri Department of Health maintains records of all licensed child care providers in the state. This information is utilized by the Department of Health in planning to address child care needs of specific communities. While the Department of Health makes this information available to parents, a more useful resource for parents is the Child Day Care Association. The Child Day Care Association can provide parents with hours, rates, and types of services near their home in St. Louis, even by zip code.

Statistical Summary:

• For the first time, in 1996 the State of Missouri provided funding for transit operations. Of the $7.7 million provided, Bi-State will receive $3.9 million to replace a like amount of lost federal funds. 1994 recommendations called for finding additional funding sources. In recognition for its "extraordinary achievement, efficiency and effectiveness," Bi-State received the American Public Transit Association's award for the Best transit System in North America.
• In 1996, MetroLink ridership increased 3% above 1995 levels.
• 1996 Call-A-Ride ridership increased 17% over 1995. 1994 recommendations called for additional service to the disabled community.
• A unique program in partnership with the American Lung Association was introduced when the $1 Air Quality Card appeared, allowing card holders to ride mass transit at no charge on bad ozone days.
• A new "Fun Run" service, prompting the use of mass transit to leisure activities such as Cardinals, Rams, and Blues games, as well as the MUNY Opera, was very successful, resulting in increased ridership. Special Event ridership increased from 621,000 in 1995 to 1,448,000 in 1996. Nearly 260,000 Rams fans use MetroLink and Rams Express buses, while 487,000 Fairgoers rode public transit to Fair St. Louis.
• In 1996, Bi-State received 48 new buses.
• In 1996, Bi-State received 48 new wheelchair lift-equipped paratransit Call-A-Ride vans. The Board approved purchase of 36 Compressed Natural Gas buses, and renovated the Brentwood Garage to accommodate CNG buses.
• Movement toward conclusion of the Kiel Triangle Project continued. This project will include an impressive water feature, benches, landscaping, a staging area for Kiel sports fans, a peaceful lunch place for downtown workers, and a well-lighted direct walkway to the Kiel Station for MetroLink customers. 1994 recommendations called for building such a center.
• The organization, ACT (Available City-Wide Transportation), serves the City's elderly and disabled communities. The service provides door-to-door transportation to more than 4,500 clients a year, involving more than 150,000 trips. ACT has 18 service vehicles and an available lift service.
• Care Cab Transportation services also serves disabled and elderly clients, with a special emphasis on providing transportation to clients with developmental disabilities. Care Cabs delivers transportation services to more than 100,000 persons in the City each year. OATS Incorporated serves the elderly in St. Louis and St. Louis County, as well as in St. Charles, Franklin, and Jefferson Counties. It serves approximately 2700 persons with approximately 70,000 trips each year.
• During 1996, the Mayor of the City of St. Louis testified before the Governors Total Transportation Commission, established to review and recommend actions for support of all transportation needs. The Mayor's testimony emphasized preservation of existing transportation assets and the need to focus transportation investment on access to opportunity for economically distressed portions of the City.

Narrative:

The central issue facing Metrolink is expansion. The first expansion of Metrolink has been approved: Voters in Illinois have opted to fund a new route to Scott Air Force Base. Another hopeful sign in 1996 was the decision of officials in Madison County, IL to begin preliminary studies to bring a route into their territory.

On the other hand, expansion plans in Missouri suffered a bitter defeat when voters in St. Charles County voted twice in 1996 against extending Metrolink to their county.

A planned expansion from the City's West End to the suburb of Clayton is of more immediate import for the City. Two plans have been proposed: The first would go along the north side of Forest Park, possibly using tunnels that exist under the park. The second route would go south of Forest Park, and would connect Forest Park Community College to Metrolink. City officials have determined that the southern route is in the best interest of the City, and have teamed with the Community College to lobby for this plan.

An additional issue relates to the expansion of the line from Clayton. The East-West Gateway Coordinating Council has proposed that an additional route be built from Clayton to I-44, probably in conjunction with a "Cross-County Corridor" which would link I-170 to I-44. It has proven difficult to pick a precise route for these projects, however, since all proposed routes would require evicting home owners in South County.

Planners believe that the West End/Clayton/I-44 project could be carried out by 2001. The cost has been tentatively pegged at $300 million or more.

Social ills that have roots in alcohol and drug abuse are both intense and widespread inter-generational phenomena that government and the private sector can not afford to ignore. At every turn we are reminded of the high cost of alcohol and drug abuse in the deaths and disabilities resulting from driving while under the influence, drug and alcohol related crimes to person and property, domestic violence and child abuse. Drugs play a key role in the street gang culture, and the general instability threatening to destroy families and neighborhoods alike. Familiar obstacles often impede efforts to treat and lessen its widespread incidence such as: denial that there is a serious problem both on a personal and systemic level; changes in the healthcare delivery system and adoption of managed care that change the way services are provided and may discourage consumers from seeking care; the trend away from in-patient treatment for thirty days in favor of out-patient services or detox only. The need for accessible approachable services exists and must be addressed. Currently, the following services are operational in St. Louis.

Oxford Houses - There are 11 Oxford Houses in St. Louis City; 8 for men and 3 for women. In addition, in 1994 the Russell Street project was started to assist women with children. The Russell Street apartment building provides nine apartments for use by women and their children who are in treatment or in recovery. The women are required to pay for 30% of their rent and the remainder is funded by MHDC. Women are allowed to use these apartments for up to two years. This project is impressive because the remainder of the apartment building has become filled by drug free occupants. These apartments have been leased by recovering men and women and even some of the women from the subsidized portion.

Central Intake System - Due to the receipt of a grant from the Department of Health and Human Services, a Central Intake Unit (CIU) was implemented in St. Louis City and County in January, 1994. The goals of this project are to increase access; integration of all publicly funded treatment agencies into a coordinated network of case referral and management; establishment or enhancement of linkages to other organizations; and establishment of data collection and feedback mechanisms for the central intake system.

The CIU serves as the entry point to treatment for state funded clients. Clients are assessed using a standardized approach and matched to a treatment program that is best able to meet their needs. To date over 10,000 clients have been assessed and referred by the CIU. Even with this, there are not enough treatment slots to meet the demand causing clients to have to wait for available services.

Since the implementation of the Central Intake System, information on barriers to treatment and gaps in services have been identified. Of note is the ongoing problem with suitable housing for clients in treatment or awaiting treatment slots. In October, 1995 with funds from the grant, provisions were made with two of the treatment agencies to provide temporary beds for the homeless clients awaiting treatment. During the last quarter of 1996, 92 clients utilized this service with an average length of stay of 5.25 days. Of the 92 clients utilizing this service, 90 were men and 2 women.

Treatment Services - Treatment services in St. Louis City have undergone many dramatic changes in the last 2 years with the advent of managed care. The Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse has worked very closely with the providers to ensure clients continue to receive the services that are needed. At the current time, Medicaid clients are being treated only at the 8 CSTAR programs in the region and is managed by the Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse. Treatment services are very individualized and many of the support services that were traditionally offered are now available only on a limited basis. Housing support dollars (funded by State dollars) are provided to those in need but strict qualifying criteria has been developed for these dollars as well as the length of time it covers.

The Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse has recently collaborated with the St. Louis Mental Health Board and United Way. Through joint funding with these agencies, treatment capacities and prevention services have been expanded.

DADA has also provided joint funding to the Department of Corrections to establish two new programs in the City for the corrections population.

Even through these joint efforts, which are mostly outpatient facilities, there remains a need for appropriate housing for substance abuse clients. These clients need housing in areas that are relatively drug-free and safe in order for treatment to be effective.

Responsibility for providing employment training in the City of St. Louis falls primarily to the St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment (SLATE), a department of City Government that works closely with other departments in local and state government, the business community, non-profit service providers, colleges and universities, and the citizens of St. Louis. Their primary source of revenues derives from the Job Training Partnership Act, as overseen locally by the Private Industry Council.

The challenges associated with this service have intensified in the face of federal government cutbacks, welfare reform legislation that will require large numbers of AFDC recipients to find work, and a relatively tight labor market.

A number of important collaborative efforts were pursued during 1996 in order to achieve more effective training and placement.

A "one stop" philosophy was continued and expanded working in conjunction with the local representative of five Missouri State departments. The intent is to bring information about employment and training opportunities in to SLATE locations using the "Missouri Works" information system and a coordinated computerized delivery system between both satellite and primary locations.

An employment partnership was continued between SLATE, the St. Louis Development Corporation, and a variety of employment counseling organizations that serve residents within the St. Louis Enterprise Community. Groups like St. Patrick's, the Urban League, the Employment Connection, the Near South Side Employment Council, Grace Hill and the Human Development Corporation all agreed to work through SLATE in their efforts to place zone residents. In turn, SLATE initiated an outreach effort to businesses that had indicated a willingness to hire zone residents as part of their Empowerment Zone commitments.

In 1996 SLATE coordinated a Department of Labor grant application for Defense Conversion dollars with regional and state employment and training agencies (MO, IL, St. Charles County, Jefferson/Franklin Counties, St. Louis County, and St. Louis City). The $5.85 million dollars received will assist over 3,700 workers dislocated due to the decision of the base realignment and closure commission to close the Army Aviation and Troop Command (ATCOM). A one-stop employment and training center has been set up on site at ATCOM.

Began a partnership with the St. Louis Housing Authority for SLATE to perform assessment and job matching for Section 3 candidates in order to determine their job readiness. Candidates assessed as job ready were referred to developers and other employers associated with Section 3 redevelopment. This initial effort was considered a success and the Housing Authority has stationed one of its staff members at the SLATE one stop to assist in this effort.

As a result of SLATE's employment and training efforts, 1,335 individuals entered unsubsidized employment during the program year.

Narrative:

Neighborhood Stabilization Team: The NST is a City-wide crime prevention and neighborhood stabilization program. Every City neighborhood has a designated Neighborhood Stabilization Officer (NSO), who acts as a conduit between the neighborhoods and government. The NSO's work with neighborhood residents, aldermen, community organizations, the Community Education Centers, and the Police Department to develop a comprehensive crime prevention and neighborhood stabilization plan.

The budget adopted in 1996 reflected the addition of a Trash Task Force to reduce illegal dumping of trash in neighborhoods. The Task Force is composed of off duty Police Officers that are contracted to enforce the City's anti-dumping laws and track down offenders.

Neighborhood Stabilization will also add a Community Development Specialist to administer the City's Problem Properties ordinance. This position will have considerable responsibility developing a tracking system for all documentation required by the ordinance and coordinating efforts with the Police and NSO's.

Enterprise Community: Nearly $500,000 of the City's $2.95 million Enterprise Community grant has been allocated to a crime deterrence program. Under this program, each of the 20 neighborhoods in the Enterprise community are allocated $23,000 to develop and implement a crime deterrence program. A grass roots planning process ensures that the programs are tailored to meet the specific needs of each neighborhood.

Police: The fiscal year which began in 1996 marked the second year of a three year pay plan for Police Officers and anticipates grant funds to hire an additional 24 officers as part of the Weed & Seed neighborhood crime prevention initiative. With these additional officers, the total authorized uniformed strength will reach 1,700 officers. This is an increase of nearly 150 officers over the past three years.

The Bureau of Community Policing consists of 1,229 commissioned and 42 civilian personnel. The primary mission of the Bureau is to provide uniformed patrol services to the Citizens of St. Louis. In its quest to provide quality service in the most effective and efficient manner possible, the Bureau of Community Policing staff and its district personnel have adopted the COPS philosophy of community oriented problem solving. Working closely with the community and using innovative police practices have greatly increased the effectiveness of the Bureau of Community Policing personnel in delivering service to the community. In 1996, this program strived to reduce crime in public parks, neighborhoods, business areas, and in the downtown area by use of foot beats and special patrols.

Work continued on the promotion of fair housing on a number of fronts. The St. Louis Civil Rights Enforcement Agency received some 3600 calls from citizens concerned with their rights under the law. CREA cooperated with the Equal Housing Opportunity Council and with the Department of Housing and Urban Development in the development of workshops and informational seminars. At the national level, CREA explored policy options with the National Fair Housing Advisory Group. Locally, it took the lead in promoting a Multi-cultural Task Force which dealt with an array of issues from training to socialization, including access to affordable housing.

During the year, the Community Development Agency worked with the University of Missouri - St. Louis to refine the Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing. This report was revised in an effort to better understand the extent to which the City's Housing Conservation Districts might have a discriminatory impact. The three action plan recommendations were given further detail as well.

During the latter half of the year, permission was sought and granted by HUD to enter into a sole source agreement with the Equal Housing Opportunity Council. This contract will allow the Council to prepare training material and to offer a series of educational workshops to various groups involved with residential real estate in the City of St. Louis. The Council will also conduct testing in those situations that require action over and above that possible with their regular budget.

A decision was also made during the year to sponsor an accessible and affordable housing clearinghouse. With help from St. Louis County and the City of Florissant, the City will request proposals in order to identify an organization able and willing to carry out this assignment. The approach would be to invite developers and landlords to list housing units, subject to an inspection that would verify the accessibility features and the overall quality of the unit. An on-line data base would be developed, a publicity program initiated, and one or more individuals retained to process requests for information and to inspect properties.

During the year efforts were also made to consider ways to improve the amount and effectiveness of counseling that could lead to more home ownership by low and moderate income households. Other relevant activities included participation in a regional home ownership task force and the Federal Reserve Bank's Mortgage Credit Research project.

The Civil Rights Enforcement Agency (CREA) operated an extensive landlord/tenant fair housing service which provided information to the general public throughout 1996. The Neighborhood Stabilization Team continued its efforts to help landlords to form professional landlord associations. Such associations facilitate communication with neighborhood leaders; provide access to tenant screening tools, professional management techniques and marketing recommendations; and establish a network through which rental property problems can be addressed.

In support of this initiative, the Neighborhood Stabilization Team distributed a packet of information that included suggested guidelines for tenant screening; a model lease containing crime free and drug free housing language; suggested rules of conduct for occupancy; and related information of use to rental property owners and managers.

During 1996, the DeSales Community Housing Corporation continued to operate an Apartment Management and Repair program. Participating landlords were provided with access to professional management, technical assistance and support. They were also eligible to take advantage of a forgivable loan program designed to encourage apartment maintenance.

The proposed mission of the City of St. Louis Department of Health and Hospitals and it's related functions is to maintain, improve and optimize the health status of the population of the City of St. Louis with particular attention to high risk populations and those in need.

Some of the health status issues facing St. Louis and the Department of Health and Hospitals include: high infant mortality rates, a high percentage of low-birth-weight births, high percentages of teen pregnancies and out-of-wedlock births, an increasing percentage of pregnant women receiving inadequate prenatal care, low immunization rates for two year olds, high lead poisoning rates, high rates for some sexually transmitted diseases, high case rates for TB, and high rates of heart disease. These poor health status outcomes are complicated by the societal systemic issue of poverty which creates barriers to education and access to care.

The main thrust of the Department of Health and Hospitals in 1996 was to respond to the proposed mission through the following goals: Through a city-wide needs assessment, identify and understand the implications and magnitude of the public health problems facing the City of St. Louis; assess existing resources and continue to coordinate efforts among various programs and services, as well as outside agencies, to provide the most efficient and accessible services within funding constraints; develop an infrastructure to support measuring the success of existing and future programs and services to ensure their appropriateness and continual improvement and lastly, develop strategies to ensure access to programs and services.

Data to develop health status indicators for 1996 are not yet available. However the following services and activities were continued, completed and/or implemented in 1996 to identify and address areas of public health need: an organizational and administrative capacity assessment, using the Assessment Protocol for Excellence in Public Health, was completed as a means of evaluating the Department's ability to meet the needs of the citizens; the Department reestablished it's Board of Health and Hospitals, as mandated by the City Charter, to advise the Department of Health and Hospitals on public health issues from the community leadership perspective; began to develop an infrastructure to address the core public health functions of assessment, policy development and access to services that included establishing the functions of planning, information, biostatistics and epidemiology; retained very qualified public health physicians in the areas of Communicable Disease, Maternal and Child Health and Public Health Laboratory; initiated a city-wide needs assessment to identify those populations at risk and in need; collaborated with the St. Louis 2004 initiative's Health Action Team to address health care access issues; collaborated with Medicare managed care (MC+) to facilitate enrollment for those who qualify; established new programs to address maternal and child health issues including: a new WIC program site, outreach teams that facilitate primary care access for women and children, establishment of SLIIIC which is a district-wide immunization registry, and programs that address teen pregnancy and alternatives to abortion; a new Atomic Absorption Lead Analyzer was in the process of being acquired to enable continued lead analysis for childhood lead poisoning; new funding sources in the form of contracts and grants, were secured to respond to identified need and all environmental programs, lead abatement, food and beverage control, community environmental health, animal regulations, mosquito and rat control continued with a particular emphasis on customer service.