chesterfield
Mobile home parks aren’t commonplace in these parts, but there has been one in Frontenac of all places, and Chesterfield Mobile Home Park has been around for a half-century. Looks like the residents of the neighborhood on Old Chesterfield Road have some breathing room before someone forces them to pack up and move. A Florida developer who wanted to build apartments on the parcel and appealed a decision by the city’s planning commission not to rezone the property has pulled back. It is not clear whether the plan to build 300 or so units will be resubmitted in some other form, but nay-sayers, including red-shirted residents of the park, school officials and clergy, made their voices heard before the planning commission. There are few, if any, similarly affordable alternatives for people who live there. The developer reportedly was working on a relocation package for those affected. Meanwhile, the mobile home park, which is tucked in a wooded area between the road and Interstate 64, is well-maintained. We noticed a nice BMW and late-model Cadillac. Many families have been there 10 or 20 years. A chiropractor who lives there said residents are exploring financial backing to buy the park from the family that owns it, but no champagne corks are popping just yet. The same or another suitor could appear with a proposal that’s more attractive to the city.
webster groves
Many arts events in the area are one and done, or happen over a weekend. But there’s still much to see and do from tonight through the weekend during the inaugural Old Webster Art Walk, which kicked off Oct. 6. Celebrate the many splendors of art by taking a leisurely, self-guided stroll any day through Sunday (Oct. 15) on the sidewalks of Old Webster and stop in one of two dozen businesses that are featuring local artists and displaying their works in drawing, painting, photography, sculpture and mixed media. Walking art lovers can drop in participating businesses simply by following the green cones throughout the district, or by using a provided map. Jean Vogel, executive director of the Webster Arts Foundation and one of the participating artists, says there’s “an arts energy in Webster that you can feel down to your toes!” Wow. Besides your toes tingling as you walk, maybe, there’s also snacking and sipping at some stops. Vogel’s photography and mixed media will be displayed at C.J. Muggs, 101 W. Lockwood Ave. On Oct. 11 there is a Girls’ Art Night Out at Yucandu Art Studio. Ladies have three projects from which to choose, and snacks will be provided from 6:30 to 9 p.m.; it’s BYOB. Or, check out a paint-it-yourself session at Pinot’s Palette in the evening. Fruit of the vine (perhaps pinot noir, pinot grigio …) can be had, but they probably won’t accept your fresh masterpiece in trade. The event also will feature artist meet-and-greets at participating venues from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday (Oct. 14). Get walkin’! Someone in Ballwin has a bee in their bonnet. But if you happen to be a bee living in Ballwin, you can continue to buzz on without a care. The city council told a proposed ordinance targeting beekeepers to buzz off when the ordinance was rejected. So if you’re a beekeeper, relax. The ordinance would have placed restrictions on the size and scope of your operation, placement of hives on the property and so on, with a maximum $1,000 fine. That would have been in line with violations of the pet ordinance, such not monitoring your mutt’s messes. Apparently, only one citizen has complained to the city about bees; if that changes, the council may revisit the issue. (Can you imagine? “Hey bees, get outta my bushes!”)
st. louis
Can you envision a way to connect Forest Park to the Gateway Arch via a new route? If you’re up to the challenge, it’s already got a name: Chouteau Greenway. We all have a bit of urban planner in us, although it may only assert itself when we’re stuck at a traffic light or want to turn left and there’s a sign warning us we mustn’t. Well, imagine changing the landscape in a way that transcends traditional physical, cultural and political barriers. Here’s the skinny: Great Rivers Greenway has announced an international competition similar to that for the CityArchRiver project (which, BTW, is due for completion next summer). Teams interested in conceptualizing a plan to connect Forest Park and Washington University to the Gateway Arch grounds have until Nov. 21 to submit qualifications. You can download the competition manual at chouteaugreenway.org. Once all qualifications have been submitted, a jury will evaluate each team on design goals and community input before recommending four to compete. These four groups will be offered a stipend to work on a conceptual design, which will be reviewed by the public and presented to the jury in late April 2018, after which the winning team must finalize its design by June 2018. With spurs north and south, the greenway likely will stretch five to seven miles, connecting area neighborhoods, employment centers, parks, transit, and dozens of cultural and educational institutions. Like Centennial Greenway in Clayton, the result will be part of the overall network of greenways being built by Great Rivers Greenway and its partners. The competition invites designers to think beyond the trail itself to create active, vibrant spaces and destinations along the way, offering a dynamic and unique St. Louis experience, similar to the High Line in New York City or the Atlanta Beltline. Officials envision the greenway as a vibrant corridor dense with experiential opportunities using community, institutional and private assets to create a unique piece of urban infrastructure. As the ‘backbone’ of the central city, it will provide connections to communities, institutions and natural resources in and around the core of St. Louis. The first segment of the Chouteau Greenway is presently under construction as part of a grant project to build a new MetroLink station at the Cortex Innovation Community. The competition and resulting design will help partners determine a plan to design and build additional portions of the overall greenway.
town talk trivia
How long ago did humankind first domesticate bees?
Last issue’s answer | There is no set number of years that make up an era. It could be a few decades, 100 or 1,000 years, or many zillions. For instance, the Victorian era refers to the decades roughly defined by that English queen’s reign. In natural science, there’s another time perspective independent from human activity, e.g. the Cenozoic Era, a geologic measure of time that began after the Mesozoic Era, some 66.038 million years ago, and will end sometime after we’re all gone and curious aliens will have exhumed all of our silly time capsules.
