urbanSTL

^ I can't claim to know the specifics of Queeny Tower, but it's amazing how medicine's changed in the past couple decades. I just read a study that showed how, with proper architectural design, the distance a nurse walks each night can be reduced by 50%. The average nurse walked 14 miles in a 12-hour shift! (Of course this doesn't answer the age-old question about obesity and smoking within the nursing profession).



So - hospitals are being completely redesigned, including laundry facilities, medical supply rooms, nursing stations, etc. etc. etc. It's necessary to build new. Also in this case, BJC can't afford to lose the bed space that would be lost by renovating Queeny a few sections at a time. I do like the tower - very imposing. It looks absolutely huge coming up Kingshighway from the south.



I personally would like to see BJC be able to keep jobs in the city - AND I really love the idea of neighborhood parks IN neighborhoods. So what can we do to support this project?

^This April, vote down the far-reaching charter amendment that will restrict even existing facilities within our parks from ever expanding without a city-wide vote. And if you want to get even with the silent members of E&A, you can also vote for Lewis Reed this March.

Doug, you know Travis and Antonio. While Reed may not be ultra-liberal (an appealing quality to my more moderate, left-leaning self), he certainly has a progressive team working for his election. And compared with Shrewsbury's conservative Catholic upbringing, Reed seems more progresssive. I used to think Shrewsbury was at least admirable for some fiscal conservatism, or guarding our City's finances. But after voting to risk our revenue to back TIF for St. Louis Centre yet not support an extended lease with dramatically increased payments and mitigated replacement facilities, I don't know what Jim is thinking these days. IMHO, it's time for some new thinking.

southslider wrote:And compared to Shrewsbury's social conservatism, Reed is progresssive.

I agree with some of your points, although I don't think Jim Shrewsbury is a social conservative, considering he helped to implement the city's Domestic Partnership Registry for same-sex couples under Bosley's administration. That's very socially progressive, especially given the fact that St. Louis had one before Chicago did.



I know Jim Shrewsbury and I think he is a pretty progressive thinker and he understands that the city needs to be a more liberal place than the suburbs. But I am disheartened by his position on BJC, so that's why I am researching Reed's record.

Doug, I agre with a lot of what you say, except the part where you're a big supporter of raising taxes:

You stated:

Again, taxes should be used to maintain public works. With proactive measures, we wouldn't be facing fiscal issues and asking BJC to save us.



Hmm, high cost of doing business in the city has left us with what?? businesses fleeing the city. Don't think that this still isn't happening. I see it daily with my job. Do you realize that businesses need to make a profit, they are not some goverment run, ho-hum, need more money, just raise taxes concept. My fear is that the city doesn't have enough pro-business, free-market thinkers. Screw BJC, those corporate fat cats! what a joke. Again, the region's largest employer is looking to grow, create more jobs and the city BLOCKS it! WOW...[/i]

In all honesty, St. Louis does not have very high taxes for a major city. The city's earnings tax of 1% is negligable compared to earnings taxes in other cities such as Philadelphia and Boston. A lot of cities have earnings taxes, even if they aren't called "earnings taxes."



But to not grant BJC a multi-million-dollar annual lease of a tiny parcel of "Forest Park" is asinine and so ridiculously short-sighted. It's just inexcusable, and it makes it very clear to me the real reason St. Louis is considered a struggling city. Our priorities our OUT OF WHACK.

right.. but those other cities don't have options outside of the CBD(central business disctrict,downtown) like we do. Our CBD is arguably not even the de facto CBD. what is up with that? show me another city that has that problem. Sure lots of cities have edge cities like Clayton, but ours is, according to some which makes me want to puke, the new "center of the region". This is why the situation in st louis can't really be compared to Boston or other cities. The cheapest office rates in the entire region are in our CBD.

From the West End Word:

“We stay committed to the city,” but the board has given a signal to BJC HealthCare that it should look elsewhere when making expansion plans, said spokeswoman June Fowler.



......



Carla Scissors-Cohen, a Central West End resident and spokeswoman for Citizens to Protect Forest Park, said as she left the meeting, “We did it. It feels really good.”



......



The group had been dormant between 1992, when it was formed to oppose St. Louis Art Museum expansion plans that affected Kennedy Woods, and last year, when the Hudlin Park issue brought it back to life.

So, this is the group that tried to prevent the art museum from expanding? They might as well argue to get rid of ALL museums, zoo, etc. in the park for more "green space". Who are these people?

^Thank you for the information, I stand corrected. I have an old St. Louis Magazine in which it says that Jim Shrewsbury was a supporter of the registry. But you are right, it did occur under Harmon. Wow, something did happen under Harmon afterall!



btw, I served on Shrewsbury's Coalition for the Creative Class in 2001. We only met a couple of times, but he seemed very receptive to fresh ideas on how to bring back the city.

maybe we should legalize gay marriage in St. Louis city. How many more people would flock to st louis then? Seemed to work well for the west end...

^You know, St. Louis City was the only jurisdiction in the state to vote against a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, but as long as we're stuck in Missourah, it's unlikely that would ever happen.



Imagine what St. Louis could be if it were on the other side of the river.

^burned down

Where was Ms. Scissors-Cohen when they began tearing up the hill in front of the Spanish Pavillion?

The rendering in the West End Word looks very nice.

Grover wrote:From the West End Word:

Carla Scissors-Cohen, a Central West End resident and spokeswoman for Citizens to Protect Forest Park, said as she left the meeting, “We did it. It feels really good.” ... The group had been dormant between 1992, when it was formed to oppose St. Louis Art Museum expansion plans that affected Kennedy Woods, and last year, when the Hudlin Park issue brought it back to life.

I just LOVE these types. Perfectly happy with their level of success, education and priveledge, they don't want anyone else to have a chance to rise up. Expand the art museum so that art is more accessible to ordinary folk? That would destroy 4 acres of woods--oh no!

Welcome to the City, kids.



BJC deal back on track

yay, great. I still think it should have easily passed before. Oh, I see, NOW it's a good idea... what a joke.. It's almost like a mugging, someone holding a knife to BJC's neck... give me your money or forget about expanding and doing business in our city. give us a little pay-off for little pet-projects here and there, or don't bother.



At least it's happening...

So... This is how you get your way



Forest Park-BJC deal back on track

By Jake Wagman

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

02/21/2007

Just two weeks ago, St. Louis Comptroller Darlene Green refused to even vote on a plan for Barnes-Jewish Hospital to lease part of Forest Park, a move that appeared to have killed the contentious deal.



But today, armed with an amendment that would guarantee money for parks in north St. Louis, Green announced she is in favor of the lease.



The comptroller’s new stance marks yet another round of political maneuvering surrounding the lease, a plan that has been debated for months and spawned an April ballot question.



Green’s decision to endorse the park deal came after discussions with some of the city’s African-American aldermen, who had been quietly negotiating for others perks tied to the lease, including money for after-school activities and possibly a new medical center on the city’s north side.



Advertisement"It makes it a better deal," Green said today.



Barnes-Jewish wants to sign a long-term lease on a slice of Forest Park next to its Central West End campus. The hospital is seeking about 9.5 acres of parkland, a parcel east of Kingshighway where it already operates an underground parking garage.



The Board of Aldermen has endorsed a plan that calls for the hospital to pay $2 million a year for the land, money that would be dedicated exclusively for the upkeep of Forest Park. The private park booster group Forest Park Forever has agreed to pad the hospital’s payment with $1.8 million of its own, bringing in nearly $4 million a year for park maintenance.



That arrangement also would free up about $1.6 million in the city’s budget, cash that in the past has been allocated to care for Forest Park.



Last month, the Black Caucus negotiated with the mayor’s office to have about $400,000 of that money spent on youth activities, such as rec leagues and after-school programs, including $100,00 to increase access for low-income children.



The remaining $1.2 million would be spent on improvements to parks throughout the city. According to a memo from Mayor Francis Slay’s office, aldermen would, beginning in the second year of the lease, submit requests for funding parks in their ward to the city’s parks director.



POLL: What do you think of the latest Forest Park deal?The memo also indicates a pledge from the mayor’s office to spend the money equally on parks all over the city — north and south.



"The mayor’s office and the director of parks, recreation and forestry will make every effort to ensure the fair and equitable distribution of funds," according to the Jan. 24 memo from Slay’s chief of staff, Jeff Rainford.



This week, Green — who has often shared a tense relationship with the mayor’s office — offered an amendment that strengthens Slay’s promise.



Green has proposed adding language to the lease deal that requires at least half of the $1.2 million be spent on parks north of Delmar Boulevard, the traditional boundary between north and south St. Louis.



Many of the city’s largest parks — and perhaps the most neglected — are north of Delmar, including Fairground Park, Penrose Park and O’Fallon Park.

Sweeta**.