What a long, strange year it’s been. The pandemic definitely put a damper on the Lindenwood Park Neighborhood Association (LPNA) activities. The Board of Directors stayed the same with the exception of the resignation of Mary Ann Rogers and the addition of Adam Rustige. Mary Ann was on the LinFest and Park committees and we appreciate all of her talent and efforts. Adam is chairing the new LPNA Safety Committee. The committee is just getting started, so more to come on that.
Our other Board members: Doug Dick, Lindsay Alsop, Lisa Roggeman, Greg Roggeman, Milt Murry, Tim Nowell, Carol Hofer, Emily Yale, Emily Rogier, and Gabe Gassner continue to chair and serve on our many committees. You don’t have to be a Board member to serve on a committee. If you are interested in being a part of one of our committees, don’t hesitate to contact me – pat@lindenwoodpark.org.
Our Beautification Committee was able to be quite busy this year. Park – Emily Yale kept up with all improvements and facilitated between the LPNA, the St. Louis Parks Dept. and Joe Vaccaro. The park building which leaked, received a new roof. This should slow down the rusting on the walls until they can be replaced. Aaron Dohogne and Lindsay Alsop coordinated tree plantings with the help of our wonderful volunteers. The trees had to be watered on a schedule and quite a few great neighbors stepped up to take on the job. A major park cleanup took place in September. Volunteers mulched, picked up trash, trimmed bushes, raked, swept, etc. The park was totally winterized. A new playground surface was planned but due to COVID-19 and weather, will have to wait until early 2021. Of course our corner gardens looked as lovely as ever. Green Team – Tim Nowell and his group of volunteers spent four Saturday mornings at the I-44 Jamieson exit, picking up trash, cutting weeds and even mowing. This helps make the Hwy. 44 entrance to our neighborhood look great. Gardens – Milton Murry and Sharon Panion are the saints of our neighborhood gardens. The Community Garden at 6517-19 Smiley has 29 raised beds. Each bed is available for $10 to garden and all are taken every year. They have perennials planted to attract pollinators and a 3-bin compost system. This year as every year the harvest was extremely successful for all of the gardeners. The Wabash Flower Garden at Wabash and Oleatha is reaping the rewards of the plantings from previous years. With the help of neighborhood volunteers the entire garden was mulched in May which kept the weeds down. This former weed-filled area is now a beauty! Ivanhoe planters – The planters looked great this year. Kudos to all the volunteers who plant and water to make that stretch of Ivanhoe look inviting.
The Block Captain Program headed by Emily Rogier and Patti Seagraves was able to get one meeting and a Block Captain party in before COVID-19 hit. They were unable to have any more meetings but kept block captains informed by email. All meetings in 2021 will be virtual via Zoom. We are always looking for block captains so please volunteer by contacting emily@lindenwoodpark.org.
The Communication Committee did not have a lot of activity this year. Greg Roggeman is in the process of installing a PayPal store on the website to make it easier for us to sell T-shirts, flags, etc. The committee continues to update social media and send out a monthly newsletter. Be sure to visit lindenwoodpark.org for info about the neighborhood.
Event Committee – Probably more can be said about what events didn’t occur than did in 2020. The LinFest Committee worked so hard lining up sponsors, vendors and entertainment only to realize in April that it wasn’t going to happen. It was a heartbreaking decision but as it turns out, the right one. Because of the uncertainty of 2021 the decision was made to wait for 2022 for our next LinFest. Lisa Roggeman was able to get a few Tweetups in before having to go virtual. So for the time being, in order to continue to support our neighborhood restaurants, you can join Tweetups by Zoom and order carry-out from the selected establishment. It’s still a great way to get together with fellow residents and Joe Vaccaro. The Lawn & Garden Contest took place with Doug Dick chairing. So many beautiful yards in our neighborhood! Winners were:
Steve Winkler Ralph and Jana Meyer
5xx Winona 65xx Winnebago
Karen and Max Biesenthal Sally Sellenrieck
69xx Oleatha 69xx Hancock
Erik and Katy Kozlowski Jim and Caroline Young
66xx Oleatha 66xx Marquette
Kelly Hixon Michael Wallach
64xx Potomac 63xx Oleatha
The Holiday Lighting Contest was again held with Jorie Schuckman and her team of judges cruising the entire neighborhood to find the best lights of 2020. The Lindenwood Park Neighborhood Association is proud to announce the winners of the 2020 LPNA Holiday Lighting Contest. The 2020 first-place winner was 6726 Oleatha and the runner up was 6402 Hancock. We had a record number of volunteer judges this year, with a wide variety of tastes in holiday lights. We truly appreciate all of their efforts. We have a big neighborhood, and this contest just isn’t possible without volunteers to judge it. Sadly, all other events had to cancelled: all Lindenwood Live! concerts, Flea Market & Trivia Night.
Our Membership Committee is ready to accept your applications and renewals. With so many of our events cancelled it is more important than ever to send in your renewals. Lindsay Alsop heads the committee and makes sure that renewal notices are sent and new residents receive a welcome packet. Please visit lindenwoodpark.org to renew or become a member.
Streets & Property is an important committee chaired by Walt Winters. While the neighborhood does not have a big issue with problem properties, we would like to keep it that way, by performing our due diligence in either helping the home owner or if necessary involving the city. We have been given a gift of a new Neighborhood Improvement Specialist, Karen Clifford. Karen has gone above & beyond in working with the committee and the Alderman to get these properties cleaned up. Many times it is a slow process when the home owner is uncooperative. Karen and Joe know what needs to be done and follow through. We are looking forward to working with Karen in 2021.
Our new Safety Committee is just getting started. They have met with St. Louis Hills safety group and are now working to determine next steps and developing a clear mission. Adam Rustige has taken on this task at the worst possible time. Once the committee gets a good foothold it will be a valuable asset.
Other than that, we have new LPNA garden flags for sale thanks to Jack Beile and Left Hand Promotions. You should be able to order them on our website in a few weeks.
The Century Homes Program will be coming soon. Jenna Stout, Miriam Moynihan, Kaye Campbell and I have been working on a century home plaque. It will be available for purchase by all home owners with a home in the neighborhood of an age of 100 years or more. The age of the home will be verified by the LPNA. Look for more info on this program in the coming weeks on the LPNA website.
Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you who volunteer your time and talent to help with the park, events and who serve on our committees. We live in a great neighborhood with fantastic residents.
Speaking for the LPNA Board, our hearts go out to everyone who suffered in any way from COVID-19. Hopefully the compassion of our residents will continue to enable us all to look out for each other and support our neighborhood businesses. Wishing you all a healthy and prosperous 2021!
Sincerely,
Pat Acquisto President.,
LPNA