Historical October 1985 report or notice. Original dates, prices and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
The appearance of Skinker Boulevard is undergoing extensive rehabilitation as a result of cooperative efforts on the part of a number of individuals, organizations, and adjacent property owners.
The spruce-up effort began about 18 months ago when the Parkview Subdivision began a major landscaping program on the west side of Skinker, between Delmar and Millbrook.
Since that initial effort, the Skinker-DeBaliviere Community Council and Skinker Business Association jointly formed a Skinker Beautification Committee, which is chaired by Parkview Agent Sandy Rothschild. Working closely with 28th Ward Alderman Dan McGuire, the Committee obtained needed curb replacement along the west side of Skinker and at the southeast corner of the SkinkerWaterman intersection.
The City also planted a number of street trees along Skinker at McGuire’s request. Litter has been an ongoing problem along Skinker.
Even with diligent policing by Parkview and some building owners on the east side of the street, trash accumulates at an alarmingly rapid rate.
To help alleviate this problem, the Committee solicited contributions to purchase Operation Brightside trash containers for placement along Skinker and Delmar.
The trash containers will be decorated with the Operation Brightside logo and the logo of the Skinker-DeBaliviere Community Council.
The containers will be donated to the City, which will then be responsible for emptying them.
The containers tentatively will be placed at the following locations: on the east and west sides of Skinker at Millbrook; at the bus shelter between Pershing and Waterman; at the Waterman crossing of Skinker on the west side of the street; in front of the Bona Fide gas station; at the bus stop heading south which is just south of Delmar; in front of the Southwestern Bell building on Delmar and directly across the street in front of Pizza Hut; at the bus shelter on Delmar which is in front of Church’s Chicken; in front of the Auto Pro’s store at 6178 Delmar; in front of Colonial Rug Company, 6191 Delmar; and at the four corners intersection of Kingsbury and Des Peres.
The containers should be in place by the end of October. Donations for the trash containers were received from the Central West End Savings and Loan, Christman Studios, Colonial Rug Company, Pantheon Corporation, the Parkview Agents, Pasta House Company, Sandy Rothschild and Associates, the Skinker-DeBaliviere Community Council, and Southwestern Bell Telephone Company.
The Beautification Committee has requested additional funding for additional neighborhood trash containers from Step-Up St. Louis.
The Beautification Committee also approached a number of Skinker building owners to ask if the owners would work with the committee on improving Skinker’s appearance. Several owners already had extensive renovation plans in the works, including Talayna’s, the Sinclair gas station, and Southwestern Bell Telephone.
The Bona Fide station will have the pull-off incline to Westminster removed and a dirt planter area installed in its place.
The renovations to the Southwestern Bell building have been extensive and will include landscaping modifications later this fall.
The World Community Center at 438 North Skinker has installed parking lot landscaping, while additional site improvements have been suggested.
The Beautification Committee has requested funding from the St. Louis Ambassador’s Step-Up St. Louis Program to purchase additional trash containers, street trees, and Brightside flower barrels. Bona Fide and Talayna’s so far have agreed to match contributions and to support maintenance of these flower barrels on Skinker.
The members of the Beautification Committee, in addition to Rothschild, are the Rev. Elizabeth Barron of Delmar Baptist Church, Bill Christman of Christman Studios, Karleen Hoerr of the Community Council, Mike McCormack of Southwestern Bell, Jim McLeod of Washington University, Bill Shiller of Colonial Rug, Bill Stone of the World Community Center, and Skinker-DeBaliviere resident Neville Vatcha. Nancy Farmer of the Skinker-DeBaliviere Community Council acted as staff for the Committee.
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, October 1985.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1985_10.pdf, printed page(s) 1, 4; PDF page(s) 1, 4.
