Saint Louis
CitySide
St. Louis Front Page presents St. Louis CitySide, an overview of the City Government of Saint Louis. From time to time, we will take an indepth look at many of the projects in which the city is involved and how these projects will affect residents and visitors.
 Gateway Transportation Center Will Be Hi-tech, Modern and Very Convenient for the Traveling Public
Proposed Downtown Schnucks Store Will Cater to Residents and Office Workers
Comptroller Announces Audits Now Available Online
Gateway Mall Master Plan Unveiled
New $16 Million Justice Center Garage Planned for Downtown St. Louis
Downtown Projects Receive Awards For Dedication to Downtown
Proposed Downtown Stage Project to Provided Permanent Entertainment Area Around the Soldier's Memorial
Groundbreaking for Rosati House Apartment Complex Marks New Beginning
Horizon Club Opens As Safe Haven for Homeless in Downtown St. Louis
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(L - R.) David Fisher, Executive Director of The Great Rivers Greenway District and St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay announced that the St. Louis Region had won the 2008 All-America City Award, during the official opening ceremonies, June 7, for the McKinley Bridge Bikeway and Trestle at Branch Street.
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St. Louis Region Wins 2008 All-American City Award
David Fisher, Executive Director of The Great Rivers Greenway District, with a plaque from Focus St. Louis that will be permanently installed on the McKinley Bridge Bikeway.
Bicycle enthusiasts enjoyed an 'Early Bird Trail Ride' on the McKinley Bridge Bikeway and Trestle at Branch Street, June 7, prior to the official opening.
Entrance to the Riverfront Trail, just north of Laclede's Landing in downtown St. Louis.
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by Bob Moore, SLFP.com
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), June 8, 2008 - The St. Louis region, represented by a diverse contingent of 20 citizens and leaders, has won the 2008 All-America City Award, presented by the National Civic League in Tampa. St. Louis was the only "region" to make the finalist group from among the nominees, and is the only metro region in the nation to be designated an All-America City.
Now in its 59th year, the award is considered the 'Oscar' of community recognition for civic progress and improvement. It is the oldest and most prestigious civic recognition in the nation. This is the first time since 1956 that St. Louis has been recognized as an All American City.
The region celebrated the All-America City award at Saturday's grand opening of the McKinley Bridge Bikeway and Trestle at Branch Street. In an interview prior to the opening, St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay commented that the project started with the voter's approval of a 1/10 cent sales tax in five jurisdictions back in 1999.
"The bikeway is the latest addition to The River Ring, which ultimately will be about 600 miles of 45 biking trails and waterways connecting the St. Louis region," stated Mayor Slay. "The River Ring played a key role in the St. Louis Region winning the All-America City Award."
If someone had asked him five years ago if this would happen, Mayor Slay said he would have responded that it would be tough. "This bridge was out of commission. There was a lot of back taxes that needed to be paid. But because of the cooperation between the State of Illinois and the State of Missouri and the City of St. Louis, MoDOT and IDOT, we were able to get the financing and put the bridge back together with a bike trail on it."
Complimenting the leadership of the Great Rivers Greenway in acquiring the rights to the Trestle at Branch Street, Mayor Slay added, "This is a great day for the entire St. Louis region and another way that we can connect the east and west."
Over 100 communities submitted applications this year for the All-America City award presented by the Denver-based National Civic League. St. Louis was one of 16 communities named as finalists in March. Each finalist community sent a delegation to Tampa last week to perform a community presentation in a three-day award competition before a jury of national business, government, philanthropic, and nonprofit leaders.
The St. Louis region's nomination and presentation focused on the challenges of revitalizing the region's central city, the need for connecting the region through trails and parks that was holding the region back from competing with other metro areas in environmentally-friendly mobility, and the need to empower youth to succeed in the arts. Three successful programs were highlighted in the finalist presentation:
- Project 1: Downtown Now! is a public/private partnership formed in
1997 to develop a seven-year plan for revitalizing downtown St. Louis.
It was developed and implemented by a diverse region-wide coalition of
government officials, private citizens, entrepreneurs, business
leaders, investors, and community groups. Over $4.25 billion has been
invested downtown in the past seven years, with another $1 billion
currently underway. This level of investment in historic restoration
and adaptive reuse has led to Missouri becoming the number one state
in the use of federal tax credits.
- Project 2: The River Ring, created by The Great Rivers Greenway
District, is a unique, 600-mile web of 45 biking trails and greenways
that encircles and connects the St. Louis region. Both the Great
Rivers Greenway District and the Metro-East Park and Recreation
District were established in November 2000 by the successful passage of
the Clean Water Safe Parks and Community Trails Initiative (Proposition
C) in St. Louis City, St. Louis, and St. Charles counties in Missouri,
and Madison and St. Clair counties in Illinois. Together, the districts
make up the nation's first bi-state, multi-county park district to
develop an interconnected trail system.
- Project 3: The Boomerang Press, a division of the community-based arts
collaborative St. Louis Art Works, was launched after winning the 2007
Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation Competition at Washington
University in St. Louis' Skandalaris Center for Entrepreneurial
Studies. Boomerang Press provides meaningful employment and job
training, enabling students aged 14-19 to produce commissioned art with
real-world clients in paid positions under instructor guidance.
See related story: Local Officials View Opening of McKinley Bridge Bikeway As Vital Link to Regional Economic Progress
The adaptive reuse of the steel trestle at Branch Street, which was a former rail corridor, will distinguish St. Louis as only the third city in the world, after the High Line in New York City and the Promenade Plantée in Paris, to convert an historic elevated railroad viaduct into a linear urban recreation area.
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