Lindenwood Park Neighborhood Association
Board of Director’s Meeting
Wednesday, January 17, 2024 at Epiphany
Present: Pat Acquisto, Sara Davis, John Harris, Carol Hofer, Brian Kolde, Milton Murry, Tim Nowell, Greg Roggeman, Lisa Roggeman, Adam Rustige, Jenna Stout, Greg Todd, Emily Yale
Apologies: Bret Narayan
Guests: Nick Admed, Tony Alqam, Mohamad Mutan, Jay Unnerstall
The Board was joined by four guest speakers. The prospective owners of 6901 Chippewa (former medical building) would like to open a self-service and pickup-service laundromat called Bright Bubble. Location will be staffed 24 hours by an attendant. Will sell laundry products (e.g. detergent, dryer sheets) and snacks in vending machines. Owners anticipate investing $600,000 into building rehab to modify space into laundromat with ATM and change machines inside. Aiming for a spring / summer open date based on need for three months of construction. Discussion focused on conditions, including: well-lit parking, free of debris and weeds; security cameras; no flyer signage obstructing windows; and right turn only on to Chippewa for traffic control. After a brief discussion, Pat requested that the owners also provide additional information on their other laundromat locations for Board to weigh in on support for this venture. Pat plans to also communicate with St. Louis Hills Neighborhood Association regarding this business, due to its proximity to St. Louis Hills.
Resident Jay Unnerstall presented on his upcoming self-published book featuring four historical walking tours of the Lindenwood Park Neighborhood. Jay plans to finance costs for an initial printing of 500 copies. Once direct costs are recovered, he would like to split revenues 50/50 with LPNA in exchange for assistance with marketing and sales of his book to residents. Board discussed possibility of forming small support committee to assist with proofreading, marketing, and sales. Jay anticipates an additional two to three months of research and writing to complete his rough draft. Aims for a late summer printing. Consideration to be made on selling on website and at LPNA events.
Guest speakers left the meeting after their respective presentations.
A motion was made to approve the Minutes from November 18, 2023, by Emily and seconded by Tim.
The order of the meeting was changed to accommodate Board needs. The LPNA business section occurred after the Safety Committee report.
Adam made a motion to move start time of quarterly general membership meeting from 7:30pm to 7pm. Greg Roggeman seconded. Motion approved. Adam is taking on task to update yard signs with new start time. Planned communication with block captains.
Neighborhood Meeting: to be held at Watson Terrace Christian Church, March 4th at 7pm.
- Guest speakers – Captain Dan Zarrick; Nahuel Fefer, Circuit District Attorney office
- LPNA Business.
- LASM & Machacek.
- Elected Officials.
- Refreshments – Board members to bring snacks. Adam will take care of water (pitcher) and soda.
Aldermanic Report (Bret not in attendance):
Pat gave a brief report for Bret.
- Encumbered & Unencumbered Funds: Board bill is going through for an overlay map to release funds.
NIS Report:
- Brian will prioritize attending general membership meeting and other meetings as the budget allows.
- Update on Problem Properties from last meeting:
- 69xx Oleatha – junked backyard. Despite multiple warrants issued for arrest, the police will not enforce the warrants by arresting homeowner. The City is pursuing the problem property from multiple angles for action. Pat plans to get file on problem property from Karen Clifford, and then approach Elliot Davis.
- 69xx Pernod – illegal dumping has been cleaned up since last meeting.
New Businesses:
- 6901 Chippewa (Laundromat): Owners presented at beginning of meeting and will be sending additional information to Pat. Neighborhood recommendation will include conditions as discussed during meeting.
Committee Reports
Events:
- Meetup: Meetup will take place at LoRusso’s on Wednesday, January 24, from 6-8pm. First meetup of the year.
- Holiday Lighting Contest: Matt Walbaum served as chair with 4-5 judges. He plans to return next year.
- Events Committee: A committee meeting was recently held. Lisa and Pat announced dates for upcoming events, including the flea market (May 18), LinFest (October 5), and trivia night (July 27). Tim is working on securing bands for Lindenwood Live.
Beautification:
- Park: Next cleanup will be April 6th. Aaron has requested key to access water. Emily noted that piles of dirt have been placed at the baseball field for in-fill.
- Park Building: Unhoused individual has been using the gazebo as living quarters and an electric outlet for charging phone. Park ranger has been notified. Tim will shut off power access in Park Building.
- Community Garden & Wabash Garden: Two cleanups on Wabash planned for this year: weeding and mulching on March 23 and a fall clean up on October 26. Currently evaluating number of spots available in community garden. Milton noted that the lettuce has survived the recent cold weather.
- Green Team: Four events plans for this year. (April 20, June 1, September 7, November 2). Thanks to Sharon for picking up trash by the exit for disposal. Until first cleanup, debris will continue to pile up along the roadside. Tim noted that First Alarm will be cutting the grass at the Park again this year.
Communications
- Greg is planning a committee meeting. The website calendar has been updated. Greg requested that notification of any changes that need to be made. Email addresses have been set up for LPNA committee members.
Membership:
- Welcome packs will be distributed in February to new residents for November, December, and January.
- Currently have 249 paid-up members – up 1 from last month.
- Lisa continues to advertise LPNA membership on social media.
Safety:
- Next safety meeting will be held on Thursday, January 18 on Teams. Adam has scheduled quarterly meetings with committee members.
Century Homes:
- Committee members delivered 7 Century Home plaques to homeowners in December. Several homeowners have expressed interest in purchasing a plaque in the past month. Next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 23.
Treasurer’s Report:
- Total deposits = $295.00. Total deductions = $1976.00. December’s closing balance $5,017.11.
- Carol plans to shop out options for insurance coverage.
Adam made a motion to place funds in CD at 9 months, 4.75% interest rate. Emily seconded the motion. All approved.
Pat would like to give donations to Watson Terrace and Epiphany for allowing LPNA to use their spaces. Emily made a motion to give $200 to each church. Greg Todd seconded. All approved.
Old Business
- Strategic Plan: Scheduled for Monday, January 22 at 7pm on Zoom.
New Business
- Government Relations Committee: Pat would like to form a committee to evaluate Board bills for impact on neighborhood. Also, to monitor actions taken by our alderman per resident’s requests. This group will work with the Neighborhood Association Coalition.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:17pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Jenna Stout