Historical October 1989 report or notice. Original dates, prices and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
In October, 1988, Mayor Vincent C. Schoemehl launched “Operation ConServ:’ a program to strengthen city neighborhoods. Thirteen neighborhoods, including Skinker-DeBaliviere, were selected for Phase I of this program. Three major components of the ConServ program are: 1.
A one and five year strategic Neighborhood Plan; 2. Concentrated city services to help neighborhoods improve according to the plan; 3. Neighborhood-based housing corporations to implement housing strategies according to the plan.
Each of these components has been discussed on these pages over the months, but the relationships between them have not been clearly defined. ConServ is still a very new program and changes in its operations are frequent.
The following is intended as an overview of the Planning component of the ConServ program.
Two other components, concentrated services and the Housing Corporation, will be discussed in future issues. Operation ConServ is housed in Room 402, City Hall, and employs a Director, Susan Feinberg, a Deputy Director, Don Roe, and ten ConServ Officers.
The ConServ Officers are assigned to the target neighborhoods and act as liaisons between the neighborhoods (residents, organizations and institutions) and the Central ConServ program. Seven of the ten ConServ Officers are assigned to only one neighborhood; three ConServ officers are responsible for two neighborhoods. Bill Duncan, the ConServ officer for Skinker DeBaliviere, is also assigned to Clayton-Tamm.
The six neighborhoods which share a ConServ officer typically have paid staff already working for their neighborhood, such as we have at the Skinker DeBaliviere Community Council. Neighborhood Plan Mayor Schoemehl asked the Skinker DeBaliviere Community Council to establish a planning committee to work with ConServ and develop a one and five year strategic plan for Skinker DeBaliviere. Volunteers were recruited from throughout the neighborhood to serve on this committee which is chaired by Lu Green. About thirty neighbors first met with the Mayor, the director of ConServ, the director of the Community Development Agency, the Director of Operation Impact, 28th Ward Alderman Dan McGuire and other city officials on March 27 to define the mission and goals of the planning committee.
Following that meeting, Chairman Green appointed seven subcommittees to develop plans for these respective areas: Beautification (chaired by Catherine Forslund), Commercial District (chaired by JoAnn Vatcha), Education (chaired by Rochelle Nwadibia), Recreation (chaired by Irv Clay), Security (chaired by Rose Flynn), Social Service (chaired by Wilma Cantwell) and Traffic and Transportation (chaired by Marj Weir).
Each member of the planning committee was assigned to one or more of the sub-committees. Additional volunteers were recruited by subcommittee chairmen and through articles in the neighborhood newspaper, the Times; approximately 40 neighborhood residents serve on the various subcommittees.
In addition to the planning sub-committees, the SDCC Historic District Review Committee (chaired by Katie Kurtz) was also asked to develop a plan.
The sub-committees were asked to assess the neighborhood’s strengths and weaknesses for their areas, make specific recommendations and set priority goals for one and five years. Green also appointed a steering committee which will combine the sub-committee reports into one document, the Neighborhood Plan. Serving on the steering committee are: Nancy Farmer, Green, Esther Herron, Karleen Hoerr, Rochelle Nwadibia, Msgr. Polizzi, Cal Stuart, and JoAnn Vatcha. Alderman McGuire serves as an advisor to the committee.
The sub-committees are scheduled to finish their work and submit their reports by mid-September.
When all of the subcommittee reports are completed, Green will convene the steering committee; she hopes this group will have a draft of the plan ready by late October.
The steering committee’s draft will be reviewed first by the full planning committee and then by the neighborhood through the Community Council and at least one neighborhood meeting.
After the plan is approved by the neighborhood, the City will formally adopt it. ConServ will expand each year to eventually include every neighborhood in the city.
As individual strategic plans are developed, approved and adopted by the City, ultimately St. Louis will have a new city-wide plan.
The Neighborhood Plan is not intended to be static but to evolve with the neighborhood; it is subject to revisions and amendments.
The document will provide guidance for the future development of our neighborhood for the City, for ConServ and for our own organizations.
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, October 1989.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1989_10.pdf, printed page(s) 1; PDF page(s) 1.
