Thursday, June 23, 2005

Check out Progressivestl.com

Appearing just a few weeks ago, ProgressiveStL.com is KDHX late-night host Dylan Hassinger's contribution to the StL-Blogosphere.

According to the blog, Dylan is 26 and lives in South St. Louis, so we should have some things in common. Of course, I've been hardened by years of working within city and university bureaucracies. Not to mention dealing with neighborhood politics on a variety of levels. Sometimes, I feel kind of worn out, especially seeing how things are going these days.

My own cynicism aside, it's refreshing to see more people out there like Dylan who are thoughtful about issues of urban community development. We need more fresh 26-year-olds - to replace the exhausted 26-year-olds like me!

Friday, June 17, 2005

The Cable Guy

The City of St. Louis is hiring for the position of Communications Commissioner: the overseer of the City's cable TV regulatory office and the City's cable TV channels.

This position used to be occupied by Larry Stone, who retired late last year.

The Communications Division, which the commissioner heads, is part of the Department of Public Utilities. This means the Communications Commissioner reports to David Visintainer, the head of the Water Division and therefore of the DPU. Soulard Market is also part of the DPU, because historically the public markets were considered a public utility function.

Anyway, considering it is a civil-service position and not a mayoral appointee, the Communications Commissioner can wield a lot of clout within City government. Also, the pay is quite good. While the current managers of cable regulation and City TV 10 probably have the inside track for this position, it is posted openly, not as a promotion-only slot.

If you're interested, why not apply? The deadline is next Friday, June 24th.

Thursday, June 02, 2005

Street Not Thru

This week, drivers in the Dutchtown, Benton Park West and Gravois Park neighborhoods are seeing a lot of new "Street Not Thru" signs and barricades on the streets. They include fairly well-used streets like Compton, California, and Nebraska.

This is courtesy of Board Bill #111, sponsored by aldermen Ortmann, Schmid, and Florida.

The Streets, Traffic and Refuse committee meets from 12 to 1 today in Room 230, City Hall (Leisure Room) to consider this bill; but strangely, it seems to have already gone into effect.

The following locations are for sure closed - I saw it this morning:
Nebraska immediately north of Juniata (just a little south of Arsenal)
Pennsylvania immediately south of Wyoming (by "Miss Blue's")

The following locations I haven't seen, but are supposed to be closed according to BB #111:
Compton immediately south of Osage (in Marquette Park)
Compton immediately north of Gasconade (in Marquette Park)
Osage immediately west of South Broadway (next to St. Alexius Hospital)
Ohio immediately south of Gasconade (next to Minniewood Park, near Carnahan Middle School)
Ohio immediately south of Arsenal (a block east of the Salvation Army, across from an auto repair shop)
Texas immediately south of Gravois (near Gravois/Jefferson; a popular cut-through route, since no left turns are allowed from westbound Gravois to southbound Jefferson).
Pestalozzi immediately east of California (near California Gardens public housing complex, and a sometimes-used cut-through between Gravois and Jefferson, to access the QuikTrip)
Juniata immediately east of Minnesota (just off Gravois, by Gravois Planing Mill)
Winnebago at the alley 1/2 a block west of Jefferson (by that new restaurant/bar whose name I can't remember)
California at the alley 1/2 a block north of Chippewa (by the city parking lot)

I generally support these barricades as a traffic and possibly crime control measure. I'd like to get one on my block, too! I'm quite amazed at how quickly this is happening, although perhaps it's been in the works for longer than I would know. The bill was just presented to the Board of Aldermen last Friday! In any event, these are only temporary barricades; the locations can be reviewed and reconsidered after six months.