- If just 20% of the properties in my neighborhood changed hands from slumlord landlord to owners with dignity, 80% of our problems would subside. There is a common rule of thumb in business and statistics that says 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. Read about the 80:20 rule, or the Pareto principle here.
- I feel after 8 years in St. Louis Public Schools, my kids are getting about as good a public education as you can in the region. I feel like I have the tools to understand my options should I need to make a move, they are here: www.stlcityschools.org
- It would be great to perform neighborhood-wide tree surveys. This could lead to sensible and calculated plantings of new Missouri natives street trees planted and harvest the dying/misplaced/dead ones and make firewood for the city to sell/give away. This would go a long way to improving curb appeal. Has anyone out there done this? I think it would be awesome to completely plant an entire neighborhood. The benefits of street trees are undeniable.
- Weird to say, but these days downtown feels less dead at night and more so during the day. Lots of jobs lost at AT&T, etc.
- I am amazed at the amount of development between I-44 and Delmar. I love what's happening in the middle part of the city.
- After visiting and writing about nearly all of our 111 parks, I think our department heads in the city should have valid credentials/experience. For instance, the forestry dept head should be an arborist and the park's dept head an urban planner, etc. We have a beautiful park system, but there is no leadership or vision that I'm aware of to elevate or maintain our parks. It is done on a ward by ward basis by politicians vs. the park's dept.
- I am weening myself off of social media...it really changes the way you are viewed by people who don't really even know you. It is an obvious advancement for our society, but at the same time, I don't necessarily think it benefits my life or my goals. Reading the Circle by Dave Eggars is helping me frame this technology. His fictional concept of privacy vs. transparency has changed my worldview on social media and the information age.
- If I hear one more suburbanite from the inner ring suburbs tell me what is wrong with St. Louis and why they left my head is going to explode. You are either part of the problem or the solution. Quitting and moving is the easy part. Abandonment and apathy are legacies that take much more time to heal.
- It seems like the Post-Dispatch has been more accurately reporting locations in their stories. They are becoming less lazy in saying "St. Louis man murders 2"...now they are getting it right and saying Bel-Nor man murders 2 in Jennings...baby steps are important in understanding our region and who we are. #Ferguson has been huge in building accuracy in reporting and honestly talking about our region vs. tagging everything to St. Louis. The honesty is refreshing. The people of Ferguson are the ones who can vote out the old ways and build new policies and ways of doing business. The ball is in their court and I'll watch and hope for the best on the sidelines; wish I could vote for change, but that's not how we are structured. It's Ferguson's problem to fix.
- We are a zero to negative growth region, meaning St. Louis and St. Louis County are collectively losing population...together...for the first time in STL County history. When this is the case, regional battles exist for jobs, tax base and residents. As it stands today, Clayton is St. Louis' greatest competitor for jobs. Centene expanding in Ferguson is great for Ferguson, but another snub to St. Louis. Remember BPV/Cordish and Centene parting ways? Centene surely hasn't forgotten, and they are doubling down in the burbs...not St. Louis. A central, bustling city mean a lot more to me than a sprawling region of suburban campus and "job centers".
Sunday, September 21, 2014
10 Observations From a City Dweller
10 quick thoughts from an STL lover/resident:
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
O'Fallon Park
O'Fallon Park is 1 of 108 St. Louis parks. This 126 acre park was placed into ordinance in 1908 and is bordered roughly by I-70, West Florissant Avenue and Adelaide Avenue in the O'Fallon neighborhood.
This is a beautiful park. One of my favorites. And you can't help but draw the comparison of O'Fallon Park to Carondelet Park as both have popular fishing lakes, extensive paved walking trails, picnic places, a wooden home, similar boathouses, nearly identical service buildings and massive modern Recreational Complexes.
The park is highly visible from I-70 so most in the region know O'Fallon Park from the rolling hills and mature trees just east and south of Bellefontaine Cemetery.
Let's start with the boathouse and lake. This is a popular fishing spot with fishermen on all sides of the lake. There is a planted island in the middle of the lake, and chess tables and currently empty planters between the lake and the boathouse.
There is a functional spray pool as well, great to see!
The walking path is extensive and extremely well used. There are spots along the track that include the commonly seen blue workout stations. Also nice to see are functional water fountains and bike racks near the trail.
One of the amazing new developments is a handicap accessible playground installed in 2014. This one precedes the one currently under construction in Willmore Park.
The playground has space themed playground equipment, and I could be wrong, but I think it even has a Mork from Ork egg:
The highlight of the playground to me were two glockenspiel/marimba like things. Check it out:
There is also a separate, accessible spray pool.
The park has tennis courts, football field (with field goals) and basketball courts as well, all in excellent condition:
There are several picnic pavilions:
There is a wood home is severe disrepair and a cool looking service building.
Much of the eastern part of the park is made up of rolling hills and mature trees.
Now the downside that has to be mentioned, because it is quite overt. There are issues with knuckleheads cruising and trashing the park along the interior roads. Broken booze/beer glass is everywhere and trash lines the streets in many spots. It's a party spot, which kills the peaceful vibe.
The copious trash from was pretty intense the first time I saw it, so I assumed a big event may have just taken place, so I made 3 separate visits to the park so as not to wrongly paint the picture of this park. Nope, it was pretty bad each time. The city workers do a great job of mowing and keeping the trash cans emptied, but they don't clean the debris from the streets and gutters.
Abuse of the park is being monitored though, as there are visible camera within the park. Based on my experience, this is the only park in the city that has cameras. Good for O'Fallon, but these are needed in many city parks.
Arguably the best thing to happen to the park in recent memory is the awesome Rec Plex complete with outdoor pool and water slides. This place is amazing.
The parking lot is green to avoid runoff.
There are entry ways from the surrounding neighborhoods that lead to the rec plex.
The homes that surround the park are straight up beautiful.
O'Fallon Park is one of the crown jewels of the St. Louis Parks.
This is a beautiful park. One of my favorites. And you can't help but draw the comparison of O'Fallon Park to Carondelet Park as both have popular fishing lakes, extensive paved walking trails, picnic places, a wooden home, similar boathouses, nearly identical service buildings and massive modern Recreational Complexes.
The park is highly visible from I-70 so most in the region know O'Fallon Park from the rolling hills and mature trees just east and south of Bellefontaine Cemetery.
Let's start with the boathouse and lake. This is a popular fishing spot with fishermen on all sides of the lake. There is a planted island in the middle of the lake, and chess tables and currently empty planters between the lake and the boathouse.
There is a functional spray pool as well, great to see!
The walking path is extensive and extremely well used. There are spots along the track that include the commonly seen blue workout stations. Also nice to see are functional water fountains and bike racks near the trail.
One of the amazing new developments is a handicap accessible playground installed in 2014. This one precedes the one currently under construction in Willmore Park.
The playground has space themed playground equipment, and I could be wrong, but I think it even has a Mork from Ork egg:
The highlight of the playground to me were two glockenspiel/marimba like things. Check it out:
There is also a separate, accessible spray pool.
The park has tennis courts, football field (with field goals) and basketball courts as well, all in excellent condition:
There are several picnic pavilions:
There is a wood home is severe disrepair and a cool looking service building.
Much of the eastern part of the park is made up of rolling hills and mature trees.
Now the downside that has to be mentioned, because it is quite overt. There are issues with knuckleheads cruising and trashing the park along the interior roads. Broken booze/beer glass is everywhere and trash lines the streets in many spots. It's a party spot, which kills the peaceful vibe.
The copious trash from was pretty intense the first time I saw it, so I assumed a big event may have just taken place, so I made 3 separate visits to the park so as not to wrongly paint the picture of this park. Nope, it was pretty bad each time. The city workers do a great job of mowing and keeping the trash cans emptied, but they don't clean the debris from the streets and gutters.
Abuse of the park is being monitored though, as there are visible camera within the park. Based on my experience, this is the only park in the city that has cameras. Good for O'Fallon, but these are needed in many city parks.
Arguably the best thing to happen to the park in recent memory is the awesome Rec Plex complete with outdoor pool and water slides. This place is amazing.
The parking lot is green to avoid runoff.
There are entry ways from the surrounding neighborhoods that lead to the rec plex.
The homes that surround the park are straight up beautiful.
O'Fallon Park is one of the crown jewels of the St. Louis Parks.
Unity Park
Unity Park is 1 of 108 St. Louis parks. This 2 acre park is located on the former Walnut Park School grounds at the intersection of Riverview Boulevard and Thekla Avenue in the Walnut Park East neighborhood:
The park was placed into ordinance in 2004 per the city website. While the city website does not list a location, accurate map or correct neighborhood (the say this is within Baden).
The park has paved walkways that start at each corner and convene in the center where there are two monuments and a bench.
The first monument is a stone and fiberglass sculpture dedicated to the children in the neighborhood.
The second is a granite monument dedicated to veterans of WWII.
There are nicely landscaped areas at the corner and center of the park.
Walnut Park School, now closed, was built in 1909 by renowned architect William B. Ittner:
The park was placed into ordinance in 2004 per the city website. While the city website does not list a location, accurate map or correct neighborhood (the say this is within Baden).
The park has paved walkways that start at each corner and convene in the center where there are two monuments and a bench.
The first monument is a stone and fiberglass sculpture dedicated to the children in the neighborhood.
The second is a granite monument dedicated to veterans of WWII.
There are nicely landscaped areas at the corner and center of the park.
Walnut Park School, now closed, was built in 1909 by renowned architect William B. Ittner:
Walnut Park School was opened in 1900, at Robin and Thekla Avenues, in a small frame structure. Rapid growth of the community made larger and more modern educational facilities necessary, with the result that the present Walnut Park School at 5814 Thekla was opened in September, 1909. It had 18 classrooms, two gymnasiums, an auditorium and a block square site which provided ample playground space. The school was designed by architect William B. Ittner at a cost of $161,188. (source)Hopefully the school will see a new use, as today the grounds are overgrown and a decaying animal skeleton marks the front door, a symbol of abandonment.
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