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.
 Horizon Club Opens As Safe Haven for Homeless in Downtown St. Louis
Old Post Office Plaza to Feature Signature Sculpture
City of St. Louis to Host Licensing and Business Resource Fairs
Transitional Administrative School Board Takes Charge of St. Louis Public School System
Unique Public Sculpture Garden Planned For Gateway Mall in Downtown St. Louis
Great River Ring Celebrates Five Years in Efforts to Connect the Region Through Parks & Trails
BJC Proposes New Deal for Forest Park Area
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Honored in St. Louis at 37th Holiday Observance
St. Louis Recognized for Urban Renewal Success
McKinley Bridge
Bikeway and Branch Street Trestle Add Vital New Connection for St. Louis Region
|
(L. - R.) K Sonderegger, Taste of St. Louis, presented a $25K donation toward the Downtown Stage Project in a press conference at City Hall, attended by St. Louis Mayor Francis G. Slay; Davide Weaver, ArtDimensions & Festival Director of Taste of St. Louis; Mike Kociela, Entertaintment St. Louis; Denise Hutton, Director of Sales, U.S. Cellular; and Brandi Henderson, Saint Louis Bread Company.
|
Illustration of proposed Downtown Stage Project, north of City Hall, between Tucker Blvd. and 14th Street, will be know at the "Civic Room", as part of the Gateway Mall redevelopment plan.
|
Proposed Downtown Stage Project to Provided Permanent Entertainment Area Around the Soldier's Memorial
by Bob Moore, SLFP.com
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), September 7, 2007 - The long anticipated announcement of a permanent entertainment stage as part of the Gateway Mall redevelopment project was unveiled today at St. Louis City Hall.
The proposed Downtown Stage Project is being spear-headed by a partnership between the City of St. Louis and Taste of St. Louis. Construction is expected to begin in September and be completed by fall 2008.
Following the press conference, Rollin Stanley, Director of Planning and Urban Design Agency, City of St. Louis, explained the concept of a permanent entertainment stage downtown.
"It will be called the Civic Room, an area where a lot of our celebrations occur already," stated Stanely. "We are trying to enhance it so that all these festivals like Taste of St. Louis, Strassenfest, Hispanic Festival and the RibFest, etc. can come in and use the stage. Suddenly, all the costs are greatly reduced because the infrastructure is already in place."
"They'll have places to plug-in and the water fixtures are already there," Stanley continued enthusiastically. "With the enhancement of Chestnut Street, eventually it will create an even better space to put up their pavilions, provide water and cooling elements."
Responded to a question regarding the move from Kiener Plaza, Stanley said that the Gateway Mall plan calls for an enhancement of Kiener Plaza to host larger, more static events that require performance space with a seated audience. "Here, you'll not see permanent seating in this civic room north of City Hall. This will be a more informal performance space very similar to what you see Taste doing now," stated Stanley.
The creation of a stage will depend largely on the success of a public fundraising campaign, which was kickoff today with a $25K donation from Fabick CAT matched with a $25K donation from Taste of St. Louis. Individuals and corporations will have the opportunity to purchase name placement on the stage for a nominal donation via the Golden Brick Campaign.
Organizers hope that this feel-good public relations campaign will provide an evergreen promotion drawing attention to the redeveloping area around the Soldier's Memorial and the Gateway Mall.
Next year, the Taste of St. Louis plans to set up in the new area, located two blocks north of City Hall. Organizers see the move as a way to expand the event.
"We are out of space now," said Mike Kociela, Entertainment St. Louis. "We have completely sold out all the available spaces at the Taste where we are now and we have five major corporate sponsors that are going to come on board next year."
Kociela stated that the new location near the Soldier's Memorial allows them to grow because the park space ranges from Tucker Blvd. all the way down to Union Station.
This year, the Taste of St. Louis, September 21 - 23, at the Gateway Mall, 8th and Market Streets, will feature 30 restaurants, live national acts, local band competition, culinary competition, activities for kids in the family zone and a massive artists village and a marketplace. For more information, see St. Louis Restaurant News.
Dignitaries including St. Louis Mayor Francis G. Slay and Archbishop Raymond Leo Burke, funders and supporters attended St. Patrick Center's Rosati House groundbreaking.
|
Guests and dignitaries attending the groundbreaking for the Rosati House enjoyed a celebration cake and an opportunity to preview construction plans.
|
Groundbreaking for Rosati House Apartment Complex Marks New Beginning
by Bob Moore, SLFP.com
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), September 7, 2007 - In response to St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay's 10-year plan to end chronic homelessness, St. Patrick Center is taking the lead with construction of Rosati House.
With ten public and private funding partners, this five-million dollar housing project is a national model for mixed financing and public/private partnership. Rosati House will provide permanent, supportive housing for homeless individuals suffering from mental illness and/or substance abuse.
In remarks to more than 100 supporters at a recent groundbreaking, St. Louis Mayor Francis G. Slay stated that the Rosati House would be centered around a stable, permanent housing plan. "Our energy will be focused on ending chronic homelessness while still delivering the humanitarian, mental health and employment services needed to give long-term stability," emphasized the Mayor.
"No president, no governor, and certainly no mayor or county executive can end homelessness by merely writing a 10-year plan and wishing that homelessness would end. But through our partnerships, which the multi-funding sources and the people here demonstrate, we see that hope is on the horizon, but it is up to all of us to make sure that our efforts succeed," stated Mayor Slay.
"I hope that other agencies and investors will study Rosati House so that it may be the first of many new permanent, supportive housing projects to help us end chronic homelessness by 2015," concluded the Mayor.
Diginitaries attending the event included: U.S. Congressman Lacy Clay; most Reverend Raymond Leo Burke, Archbishop of St. Louis; St. Patrick Center CEO Dan Buck; Richard Baalmann, Sr., Missouri Housing Development Commission; Jerry Burka, Community Development Program Corporation; St. Louis Alderman Freeman Bosley, Sr.; Pam Coaxum, Enterprise Community Partners; Angela Morton Conley, St. Louis Affordable Housing Commission; Dee Ann DuCote, U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development; Curt Heidt, Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines; John Herber, Jr., St. Patrick Center Board of Directors; John Kennedy, St. Louis Equity Fund; Tom Mulhearn, Catholic Charities of St. Louis; Jan Rasmussen, St. Patrick Center; Mark Sandau, Heartland Mortgage; Bill Siedhoff, City of St. Louis; Greg Vogelweid, St. Patrick Center; and, Don Williams, Heartland Bank.
Rosati House will consist of two adjacent three-story housing projects at 4220 and 4222 North Grand, next to the existing Rosati Transitional Living Center at 4224 North Grand, now housing 12 clients of St. Patrick Center. Rosati House will have 14 studio units for single occupancy and 12 fully furnished studio apartments. On-site support services will include an Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) team.
Demolition at the current Rosati House site was completed in July 2007. The tract of land was donated by the Archdiocese of St. Louis to the project's limited partnership. Construction is scheduled to begin this month, and completed in September 2008.
|
Saint Louis Front Page is owned and maintained by the Moore Design Group for the sole purpose of disseminating news and information about the Metropolitan Saint Louis area. Text or graphics may not be copied, rewritten or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission. For more information, contact editor@slfp.com
All rights reserved world wide
© 1996 - 2008 Moore Design Group.
|
|
Click here for
Media Kit
How To Reach Us:
St. Louis Front Page
P.O. Box 1354
St. Louis, MO 63188
Voice: 314-771-0200
Fax: 314-771-0300
To submit news, contact:
editor@slfp.com
To advertise, contact:
advertising@slfp.com
|
