[creve coeur]
Shawn Burkard created three large geometric steel sculptures, his Monolith series, in 2011, but it felt like they were all dressed up with no place to go. Now they will have a home, or more correctly homes, in Creve Coeur. In the past, they’ve been on exhibit inside and out at the Sheldon Art Galleries in an ongoing ‘rolling over’ show, one of them most recently an imposing presence on the sidewalk outside 3648 Washington Ave. Burkard is delighted and grateful they have now found a home because he “didn’t want to put them away.” Not that he would have had room anywhere, for that, especially his small apartment in The Grove neighborhood. But it’s official: They’ll reside in Creve Coeur municipal parks sometime after the first of the year, one each in Millennium, Malcolm Terrace and Conway parks. Over the past few years Burkard had been in discussions with the Regional Arts Commission, then the city’s arts committee, on how to work out a donation of public art that would be amenable both to the artist and the city. When it comes time, they will be moved, installed on concrete footings and maintained. Burkard’s name, work and generosity will be preserved into posterity.
[o’fallon]
Texting while driving already was verboten in O’Fallon. But the city has broadened the distraction concept by enacting a catchall ordinance that prohibits ‘inattentive’ driving. Those of you who look straight ahead, keep your hands at ‘10 and 2’ most of the time, and watch your mirrors—only moving your head to make sure the coast is clear—probably needn’t worry. But, do such drivers exist? This ordinance is for those who apply makeup or fix hair while in traffic. And don’t even think about programming that GPS when you’re on the move. Or writing anything down. What else? Looking at the dash to change the radio station? Lighting a cigarette? Glancing at the cup holder between the seats to grab your cup o’ Joe without spilling it? Or what about all the folks who grab lunch at a drive-through? They’re not all waiting to eat it at home or back at the office. Overkill is the issue here, and a move is afoot to repeal the ordinance that was just enacted. It states that anything causing attention “to be obscured, diminished or directed away from the path of travel or operation of the vehicle” isn’t being attentive. Well, we (OK, I) think most cell phone calls can wait until you’ve safely stopped, too. Hang up and drive, people.
[st. charles]
Last month, voters resoundingly put the kibosh on speed-limit cameras in St. Charles city and county. More than 72 percent voted for a proposal to eliminate them. This is part of a trend that has eliminated the devices in 24 cities over the last two decades, from Anchorage to Cincinnati. Along with St. Charles and Sierra Vista, Ariz., voters last month in two other Ohio cities, Cleveland and Maple Heights, signed death certificates for the much-maligned devices. Proponents say they reduce traffic accidents and other mayhem, which is great … if the cameras operate near schools, for one. And only during school hours, for two. But they have been criticized as a municipal money grab, a cop-less speed trap. In Sierra Vista, things got a little ugly. Cops say an employee of RedFlex, a company that sells the cameras, ripped down political signs supporting the camera ban. Now, that’s my kind of reprobate.
[st. louis]
Anyone who’s strolled through Tower Grove Park is familiar with the ‘summer houses’ there: pavilions in a dizzying number of shapes and sizes. They are so called because their original purpose was to provide shelter and let breezes through during the Lou’s legendary hot and humid months … which, of course, seem to start before spring and run through late fall. Or, as the TGP website puts it, somewhat euphemistically: “The comfort of visitors to Tower Grove Park required that structures be provided from whose shade they might admire the views provided for their enjoyment.” The park, brainchild of Henry Shaw, opened in 1872, replete with many summer houses. Some were built later, or renovated. The most prominent of these is the Turkish Pavilion, a swooping red-and-white dome that resembles a cupola at the Kremlin, or maybe a particularly poor choice for a Kentucky Derby hat. When originally constructed as the ‘dove cot’ or ‘pigeon’ house, the pavilion (you guessed it) had a pigeon roost built up top. Can you imagine? As time went on, however, the pavilion was reconfigured. In 1892, the large lower tier was added and the roosts were closed, perhaps in an attempt to protect those elaborate Victorian bustles from pesky pigeons. Today, summertime garb may consist only of shorts and a T-shirt, if that. But folks can rent this space, and others, year-round for weddings and other gatherings. Looking for an exotic locale right here? You can have the Turkish Pavilion, capacity 200, for a song: $100 for the day. (Pictured, above)
[town & country]
Queeny Park is located in Town & Country (63131), but its mailing address is in Ballwin (63011). That’s not of the least interest to a dog, which is what this is about. If you people don’t already know about the American Kennel Club’s Museum of the Dog inside the park, well, now you do. First let us ‘paws’ to build some excitement. Sometime this spring there will be a dog park on 7 rolling acres adjacent to the museum at 1721 S. Mason Road (the eastern end of the park and smack dab in T&C). Construction is underway on this top-notch expanse for Rover to roam; no chain-link fences here. A 6-foot-tall enclosure of black vertical slats is proposed to surround the area, which will consist of 6 acres for large dogs to frolic off-leash and the remaining acre for toy poodles and other smaller canines to cavort. Annual memberships and day passes both will be available at Greensfelder Rec Center inside the park. County officials are still working out the fee schedule, tinkering with offleash legal language and other details, as this is a pilot program of sorts. The Queeny dog park will be the first in a county park; others are in area municipal parks. Now, here’s a revenue stream to help keep our precious parks open. Remember when Charlie Dooley, our lame-duck county exec, threatened their closure awhile back during a budget crunch? Let’s hope this endeavor is the first of many. Rover, have you anything to add? ‘Ruff!’ (Translation: Where’s that tennis ball?!)
[webster groves]
Christmas Tree-O? If that’s a headscratcher for you at first, put on your jazz ears and listen up. It’s a trio that messes with holiday standards, and they—drummer Matt Wilson, sax-man Jeff Lederer and bassist Paul Sikivie—gigged last week with upand- coming jazz musicians from Webster Groves High and Hixson Middle schools. (As far as we’re concerned, any standard you don’t have to hear in the original version countless times on the overhead speakers at the supermarket or department store helps keep the holiday mood merry.) Then, the Christmas Tree-O trio played without their young charges at a nightclub (it was a school night). But the kids will get another chance. The school-age jazz players from Webster are a new batch every year, of course, but the best of the best will return with director Kevin Cole for an engagement at The Pageant on Friday, Jan. 23 (a school night). Opening for the WGHS Alumni Jazz Band will be the middle and high school jazz bands. Your faithful scribe assures you that the entry fee ($15 for adults, $10 for kids) is well worth it. These kids, many of whom have continued on as music majors in college, have the chops.
[wildwood]
With an area of 67 square miles, Wildwood is the largest municipality in the county. So, it has plenty of trees, lots of room for parks, and is already home to Rockwood and Babler state parks and Greensfelder County Park. There are a number of municipal parks, of course, in which a few changes are afoot. First is a name change for Packwood Park, a county park under lease to the city. It would be renamed Bluff View Park, which county officials say is a more descriptive moniker. Meanwhile, phase 1 construction continues on a new municipal park with the romantic working name ‘community park,’ which has a budget of $3 million. The city so far has spent about $550,000 on grading, sewer work and other projects that have been completed or are underway at the site, which will be accessible from Hwy. 100. The city also was to vote early this month on leasing from the county the former Belleview Farms property, a 99-acre site, for another new city park. The property is within the Meramec River Greenway and according to the draft ordinance, the city would develop the site for the purposes of “recreation, fitness and fun.” Trail users, rejoice!
