Historical April–May 2025 article. Dates, prices, services and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
Board Members Present: Mike Stephens (President, Parkview), Tracy Granneman (Vice President, Rosedale), Molly Rater (Secretary, Kingsbury Square), JoAnna Schooler (Washington University), Jeff Stokes (Grace Methodist), Jim Holzer (Rosedale), Adam Bergeron (Rosedale Neighbors), Callie Kesel (Rosedale Neighbors), Roger Harris (Washington Heights), Stefan Pabst (Parkview Agents), Michelle Davidson (at large) Not Present: Carl Merritt (Cote Brillante), Yvette Kell (Treasurer,Washington Heights), Kathryn Bulard (Busey Bank), Nathaniel Rivers (Washington Heights) Visitors: NIS Max Magee, Andy Cross, Ariann Sehi, Grady Vaughn (Security Chair), Samantha Smugala (East loop, Commercial Districts) Project Manager: Victoria Headrick absent Alderperson: Shameem Clark Hubbard absent Meeting was called to Order at 7:03 PM in the SDCC office. Quorum with 11/15 board members present Public Comment: Samantha Smugala announced that the
East Loop CID is launching a Streetscape project to enhance Pedestrian Infrastructure.
It will enhance pedestrian safety, accessibility and connectivity, creating a more vibrant and welcoming corridor for residents, businesses and visitors.
This will be along Delmar Blvd from Hodiamont to Laurel Blvd.
They will be asking for federal grants and other financing sources. NIS report: Max McGee reported that SDCC had 52 service requests regarding potholes, vehicle removal and refuse. Yard waste removal starts this week.
He encouraged us all to report and take pictures of illegal dumping.
This can be reported to him or the CSB.
Some board members complained about time it takes to remove trees and apparently efforts are being sped up.
He did not recommend an individual reporting the same complaint over and over because duplicates are deleted. February Meeting Minutes approved Aldermanic Report: No report President’s Report: By-laws revision. Mike reported that our bylaws are outdated and he is working on revising.
He has provided a redlined version that has been discussed with the executive committee.
He also plans on looking at other neighborhood’s by-laws and recent trends. Overall goal is to make the SDCC more efficient and operational.
We need better funding and more volunteers so a new participation and funding model should be incorporated into the new bylaws.
A committee will meet to work on by-laws revision including JoAnna and Ariann Sehi. JoAnna reported that work on this had already started about one year ago but stalled. Dog Park: Mike gave historical background on the Dog Park.
He expressed his concerns about the sustainability of a dog park.
He is requesting a plan of governance and budget from the committee or the SDCC is obligated to divest and return funds to the donors. 15,000 dollars of Dog Park money remains in our account. 10,000 dollars is from one donor. Callie responded that she has had discussions with other dog park members and they feel that dissolving and returning money would be bad for neighborhood and the perception of SDCC.
She presented some plans for sustainability including partnering with Wash U regarding the donated lot on McPherson and DesPeres. JoAnna made it clear that the offer of donation of the lot was to the SDCC, not the Dog Park.
There is no water source there which would be an added cost. SDCC has not been in the business of acquiring properties before so this would be an increased liability.
The current SDCC board does not have the
staff or money to take on the responsibility of the dog park. Overall there was a consensus that there were communication gaps between the SDCC Board and the Dog Park Committee. Tracy will share past email communications regarding board expectations for the Dog Park with Callie.
The topic was tabled to be discussed at the next meeting. Greg Freeman Park Playground: Shameem communicated at a prior meeting that she approved funds for this project; it is still not clear how much money from the city that is. Mike pointed out that he has received nothing in writing about city funds for the playground update Project Manager Report: Victoria was unable to attend but provided a written report: Friends Campaign: The letters have been sent to the direct mailers and will be processed and sent out in the next few days. Delivery is expected to take 2-3 days, so they should arrive between this week and next, if not already. Newsletter: I’ll be sending out a newsletter featuring a short version of the Friends Campaign with a link to the payment page which will also be shared in the next couple of days Additionally, I included a volunteer request for the Porchfest committee in today’s newsletter. Office Projects: Boards: Mike Weisenhunt is finalizing the installation of boards for frames and announcements.
A bit of work remains to remove the warp, expected to be done within the next couple of weeks. Coffee Nook: Dan Hudspeth has been unwell but will start setting up the coffee nook soon.
He said the costs are minimal due to our financial situation. Printer Summary: I’ve reviewed the costs related to our printing needs and put together a detailed analysis. Based on the findings, our current commercial printer remains the most cost-effective solution compared to outsourcing or purchasing a new printer. I’ve linked a separate cost analysis document for your review.
If you’d like the contact information for Mika Cohen at Sumner One to discuss this further, please let me know. Website: The website should be ready for review sometime this week.
Please keep an eye out for the group email with the details. Financial Report: Yvette was not able to be present but reported to the executive committee that the books were sound and she would submit a financial report later this week. Committee Reports: Beautification: The McPherson Community Garden had its first workday this past Sat March
8th.
We hope to have a class or workshop this spring.
The Brightside packets will be in the mail very soon for us to register for Blitz cleanup and we learned that the Brightside flowers will be available on May 2 or 3 – so we can meet to plan our Blitz Day cleanup & electronics recycling/Planting day & get those on the calendar soon. Our SD Food drive is on March 15th at 10am.
The flyers are delivered, signs are up, we have drivers and volunteers lined up for Sat morning.
We usually do one Food Drive in October, but the need is great and we have done March Food drives in past times like these. Security Committee Reports submitted separately on the SDCC website. Overall crime is down.
There will be a meeting at Grace Methodist on March 27th re: new Metrolink security plans and new secure platforms.
The Delmar and Forest Park stations have already been updated and the Wash U stop is coming soon. Grady has asked Victoria to start spreading information about this meeting. New business: Jeff Stokes asked if anyone could arrange a tour of the Delmar Divine for Grace Methodist parishioners. Molly is on the community board and will share her contact.
They are also requesting a job fair for businesses on the loop. Motion passed to adjourn the meeting at 8:16 pm Minutes submitted 3/11/25 by Board Secretary Molly Rater
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, April–May 2025.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times2025_04.pdf, printed page(s) 6, 7; PDF page(s) 6, 7.
