Subject: Would like your support
From your Friendly St. Charles City Councilman:
I would like your support & vote YES on this Post Dispatch pole. We would like to build a pavilion located somewhere in Frontier Park on the St. Charles River front. Today, the park offers no accessible restrooms, no picnic tables and no shelter / pavilion. We have hundreds of school buses each year loaded with school children touring the original State Capital and visiting South Main. Also we have tour buses from around the country make a stop here as well, and these seniors like wise have no place to sit and relax.
However, once these kids complete the tours they proceed to the park, yet they have to spread-out blankets or sit in the grass, no picnic tables, no pavilion to sit under to get out of the sun & rain, or they eat their lunches on the school bus. Because we do not offer these basic park amenities. It’s a shame. We have a beautiful park that’s visited by over 1.5 million visitors a year, and we do not even offer two basic amenities a pavilion or restroom. Below is an e-mail I sent to my fellow council members and Mayor York. This project is in our 2009 Budget that passed last Tuesday night, now the Mayor is threatening to do a line-item veto and remove the funding fro this project.
You’ll see all my reason’s why spelled out in my e-mail below;
Thank you, as I never reach-out for support on issues, but I truly believe we need to send a message to the Mayor, that the South Main property and business owners Do Not Own or Control Frontier Park, like these handful of folks who are opposing this plan.
We need to hear from the majority of this city, because the park is owned by you, the residents of this city. You can also argue and make a case that the Mayor has a “Conflict of Interest” on this Veto as well. Since, the York’s are property owners (own two buildings) on Main Street.
Please cast your Vote “YES”
http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/chas-beat/uncategorized/2008/12/poll-should-st-charles-build-a-pavilion-in-frontier-park/
E-mail….
Bottom-line, These folks who are opposed to the Pavilion are only worried about one thing, and that’s keeping folks up on Main Street.
They do not want our visitors walking and enjoying the Frontier Park, they want them spending their time up on South Main, spending money in their shops and restaurants.
Out of our 14 major parks, 11 of them have Assessable (handicap) Restrooms and Shelters (Pavilions), Frontier Park does Not have one Picnic Table, No Public Restrooms, or Shelter.
Frontier Park is visited by more than 1.5 million visitors a year and Frontier Park offers no amenities. On a daily basis we have tour buses loaded with visitors who park at the Visitor’s Bureau and tour the Old Capital and shop along South Main. And through-out the school year, on a daily basis we host the many school buses loaded with children visiting the same. However, when they visit Frontier Park, all they can do is walk-through. The park offers no picnic tables or shelters for the children to whom bought their lunches in brown paper bags. They have three choices #1 Eat on bus, #2 weather permitting, eat on the grass, and #3 eat on the floor of the Jaycee’s stage. (Like I had to do with my daughter’s 3rd grade class from St. Elizabeth Ann Seton during a rainstorm last year).
We do not even offer picnic tables in the park, nor do we provide any form of shelter from the hot sun and rain. Our senior’s have only one choice, and that’s a quick walk through the park, and back up to South Main whereby they can sit and eat, and get out of the sun.
We do not offer our residents the opportunity to bring your family down to the park and have a picnic, there’s no place to sit and eat.
These South Main folks Do Not Own Frontier Park, they have No Land rights on views to the River. As I heard all these arguments, opposing the Pavilion they do not stick. They speak of a huge building and that’s not the case. Last week as I stood in a parking lot at the center-point of Frontier Park just west on Riverside Drive (on the edge of someone’s backyard), you could see as far South & North across the park, thousands of feet, and I pictured a Pavilion down in the park, you would not even notice it, it would not block one’s sight of the river or park grounds.
It’s an argument, without coming right out with the truth, ask yourself “why does the park not offer picnic tables or shelters or restrooms?”, because these folks do not want you spending time down in the park, they want our guests up on South Main. Our guests have no choice. These are the same folks who were even opposed to the City planting trees in Frontier park several years ago, you have to remember Frontier park was constructed, built by the City, the Missouri River banks used to come right-up to the old rail road tacks.
Frontier Park is Not a part of the Historic District, it’s a City Park owned by the residents of this City, “not owned by the South Main property owners”, and “not controlled by the South Main Preservation Society”. This is a City Park, owned by the residents of this City. These folks have NO RIGHTS of View or CONTROL of the Amenities or Services. The more these Citizens Against Virtually Everything At Frontier (CAVE AT), the more I support these amenities. They are all closed minded to support their own personal gain and protect their interests.
At this time all we want to do, is develop a few renderings and keep an open mind to this project, this Pavilion is intended to provide an amenity to the everyday visitor, not just festivals. All we want to do is enable some drawings to be done, hold some focus meetings, and allow our Strategic Planning teams provide input, to which is made up from folks all across the city, not just the main street business and property owners. When & where were they designated the “Owners of Frontier”, it’s a park owned by all the residents from the entire city.
This small opposing group has been lied too about this structure and location, manipulated into this opposing email campaign, and now it’s turned into a political opportunity to gain support. The mayor’s husband Lionel and one or two others have lead this campaign (remember the Mayor owns two-building on main street, they too are property owners, occupied businesses as well, and so have the same interests as the rest of these opposing property owners).
You need to ask yourself, why would the mayor want to Veto an opportunity to allow ALL the residents to be heard and provide an opportunity to see if the project is even feasible and to answer the final questions of just what the structure would look like and where it would be located! I’ve always been in-favor of an open forum, kick the tires on ideas, and get as much input as possible…. These few folks do not want to hear from the majority, because they are afraid of the possible results and support. Yet the mayor wants to Veto all their input…
My personal opinion, it’s a flex of power and vote getting opportunity from a rare few to which there’s never been full support in the past, including future candidates.
These are same folks that have NO problem putting their hands out for Advertising funds and CVB investments; they even have the audacity to ask for more year after year! Ask them to start keeping their doors open after 5:00PM, so our conventioneers’ and visitors have a place to shop, vs. heading to the mall!
I plan on making my thoughts known on the 16th…… We have beautiful parks; I suppose we have to be thankful they’re not all along Main Streets and Business Owners, because if they were, all we’d be offering is grass cutting opportunities.
Time permitting, you can hear all these opposing property owners by watching the first 30 minutes of last Tuesday’s City Council meeting via our new On-line Video Streaming. Click on 2008 St. Charles City Council Meetings – December 2nd.
Also, Send an e-mail to the entire Council & Mayor York expressing your support. We have been getting e-mails from these opposing the plan, it’s now time we hear from those who would support the project.
Richard Viet Richard.Veit@stcharlescitymo.gov <mailto:Richard.Veit@stcharlescitymo.gov>
Larry Muench Larry.Muench@stcharlescitymo.gov <mailto:Larry.Muench@stcharlescitymo.gov>
Laurie Feldman Laura.Feldman@stcharlescitymo.gov <mailto:Laura.Feldman@stcharlescitymo.gov>
Bob Kneemiller Robert.Kneemiller@stcharlescitymo.gov <mailto:Robert.Kneemiller@stcharlescitymo.gov>
Mike Weller Michael.Weller@stcharlescitymo.gov <mailto:Michael.Weller@stcharlescitymo.gov>
Jerry Reese Jerry.Reese@stcharlescitymo.gov <mailto:Jerry.Reese@stcharlescitymo.gov>
Dave Beckering David.Beckering@stcharlescitymo.gov <mailto:David.Beckering@stcharlescitymo.gov>
Mike Klinghammer Michael.Klinghammer@stcharlescitymo.gov <mailto:Michael.Klinghammer@stcharlescitymo.gov>
Ron Stivison Ronald.Stivison@stcharlescitymo.gov <mailto:Ronald.Stivison@stcharlescitymo.gov>
Irv Ermeling Erwin.Ermeling@stcharlescitymo.gov <mailto:Erwin.Ermeling@stcharlescitymo.gov>
Mayor York MayorYork@aol.com <mailto:MayorYork@aol.com>
Regards,
Mike
Mike Weller |
Statement: "Frontier Park is not a part of the Historic District."
Fact: Frontier Park is within the boundaries of the National Register of Historic Places designation, established in 1970. Additionally, the boundaries of the city’s zoning overlays of SMPD (South Main Preservation District) and the EHP (Extended Historic Preservation District) include Frontier Park. See Maps
Statement: "They do not want our visitors walking and enjoying the Frontier Park, they want them spending their time up on South Main, spending money in their shops and restaurants."
Fact: On the contrary, we are proud of our park and consider this scenic connection to the river a draw for our area. Both Main Street and Frontier Park attract visitors who frequent our shops and restaurants...a good thing for everyone.
Statement: "Frontier Park does Not have one Picnic Table, No Public Restrooms, or Shelter."
Fact:
There are picnic tables in the open park and under the pavilion at Bishop’s Landing. The stage is a second shelter.
Special provisions for shelters are made for events that draw large crowds - tents, often more than one. Appropriately, these are the responsibility of event organizers.
For picnic shade...what could be better than one of the many shade trees in the park?
Flooding makes it difficult and extremely costly to have toilets in Frontier Park, but previous budgets contain money for restrooms and the City is in planning stages now.
Statement: "These are the same folks who were even opposed to the City planting trees in Frontier park."
Fact: Everyone was saddened by loss of large trees after '93 flood. Tree planting is encouraged when planned to maximize everyone's use of park land.
Statement: "South Main folks do not own Frontier Park, they have no land rights on views to the river."
Fact:
No one claimed differently. The City owns this land because Main Street property owners gifted their interest to the City in the late 1960's. One of the speakers at the 12/2 hearing titled their presentation 'The People's Park'. Everyone should have opportunity to express opinions to Council without being derided and their motives misintrepreted. Frontier Park is also not 'owned' by any current council member.
Decisions regarding Frontier Park have a direct impact on Historic District residents, businesses and property owners, as well as the entire city.
Statement: "These are same folks that have NO problem putting their hands out for Advertising funds and CVB investments; they even have the audacity to ask for more year after year! "
Fact: Main Street is the reason the Convention and Visitors’ Bureau was created in 1978. The privately owned and maintained properties and businesses on Main Street provide a huge attraction for St. Charles and everyone in the city benefits. A partnership exists with the CVB that is unlike that portrayed in Councilman Weller's message.
Statement: "This small opposing group has been lied too about this structure."
Fact: Councilman Ermeling has been quoted as to the size and suggested location of the proposed pavilion in the Post Dispatch: 60' x 125' with a 10' wide concrete apron for delivery vehicles and about 12' tall sides Assuming these dimensions and a roof with minimum slope, the height will be about 25'.
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