Meeting Highlights: Hanley House Updates, Food Truck Concerns

The Clayton Board of Aldermen met Tuesday night to of the fiscal year and a revised ordinance on fireworks useage.

A discussion session began at 6:15 p.m. followed by a regular meeting at 7 p.m. The following is a look at highlights from the meeting as it happened.

7:28 P.M.: The aldermen have approved a 7 p.m. Aug. 23 public hearing regarding proposed property tax levies and the city's fiscal year 2012 budget. Goldstein said the aldermen will meet in closed session Tuesday night. The meeting is going into closed session.

7:26 P.M.: Vice President Todd Sweeney of Paric Corporation is addressing the board about the work at the new station planned on Brentwood Boulevard. The board has approved revised amounts to cover construction management work at the site.

7:19 P.M.: The aldermen are considering readoption of a resolution regarding how the city discloses conflicts of interest. The resolution has been approved.

7:18 P.M.: The fireworks ordinance has passed unanimously.

7:16 P.M.: The aldermen are discussing a proposed ordinance that would update the city's code regarding the use of fireworks. O'Keefe said the change will let "officers have a ready reference as to what the regulations are" and give citizens easy access to the law.

Breaking the ordinance, if passed, would constitute a general code violation as it has in the past, he said.

7:14 P.M.: Goldstein a conversation has begun about cities in St. Louis County that must share some sales tax revenue. She said she and Owens will keep the aldermen posted. "Right now, it's just preliminary," Goldstein said.

7:13 P.M.: Owens is going over budget figures for the first nine months of fiscal year 2011.

7:09 P.M.: City Manager Craig Owens said year-to-date revenue for Clayton is approximately $16.8 million. That number is .

7:08 P.M.: The aldermen are considering a request for a liquor license by Tucci & Fresta's Trattoria and Bar, which will open at the site of the former Portabella. The aldermen have approved the request.

7:05 P.M.: Brad Beracha, owner and , told the aldermen that he has concerns about allowing food trucks in Clayton. He is speaking on behalf of the Clayton Restaurant Association. He said that there has been some discussion of the issue and that such trucks are generally more successful in cities with a lower density of restaurants than that found in Clayton.

7 P.M.: The regular meeting has begun.

6:59 P.M.: Harris said she will work with City Clerk June Waters to come up with a chart of information about issues such as the length of term limits and the role of aldermanic representatives on the boards.

6:55 P.M.: Goldstein asked the aldermen how they want to proceed. "I'm trying to be systematic about it, and we're not making any movement," she said. Maddox-Dallas said part of the issue may be that the aldermen are trying to apply the same rules to boards that have differing components and responsibilities.

6:53 P.M.: The aldermen are discussing how to fill the seventh position on boards that have seven members. One possibility: Let a person from one ward serve for a term, followed by a person from a different ward and so on.

6:50 P.M.: To illustrate the issue of expertise needed to serve on a commission, a document provided to the aldermen ahead of Tuesday's meeting states that one member of the Clayton Plan Commission and Architectural Review Board must be a registered architect.

6:46 P.M.: Ward I Alderman Andrea Maddox-Dallas indicated it might make sense to have term limits for boards whose members aren't required to have knowledge of a specific profession, allowing people with various viewpoints to cycle through the board. They might not make sense for boards whose members are more difficult to find because of the qualifications.

6:42 P.M.: In response to a question from Ward II Alderman Cynthia Garnholz, City Attorney Kevin O'Keefe said he hasn't researched whether state statute would prohibit the city from imposing term limits on some boards.

6:39 P.M.: A brief primer for those who haven't been following the issue: The before it begins nominating people to serve on them.

6:36 P.M.: Mayor Linda Goldstein said a survey of surrounding communities' policies revealed that only Creve Coeur has term limits for boards and commissions. She said the city is somewhat comparable to Clayton because of its population and the fact that it has 14 boards.

6:35 P.M.: Goodman said elected officials made a commitment to the Hanley House the last time it was restored in 1976. "I hope we continue to do that going forward," she said. The board has moved to a discussion of the city's system of boards and commissions.

6:33 P.M.: "I think you have been really busy, but you've also gotten results, and you're really good at this," Ward II Alderman Michelle Harris told Umlauf. "I believe you're creating marketing opportunities for the city," Goodman added.

6:31 P.M.: The number of visitors to the Hanley House has increased from 20 in 2008 to 650 in 2010, Umlauf said. Officials are hoping for more than 1,000 visitors this year.

6:29 P.M.: Nearly 200 people have visited to find a hidden geocache, Umlauf said. The house also is part of Freedom's Gateway, a group of of the start of the war.

6:28 P.M.: A record number of students came to the Hanley House in the last year, Umlauf said. She said the city also has hosted free teacher workshops that allow social studies teachers to view the house and look at informational material.

Later this year, the Hanley Day Book, a historic document on display at the house, will be available in digital format online thanks to a $2,800 grant and contributions from the city and the Clayton Century Foundation, Umlauf said. Work is ongoing to open the house up to federal funding. An assessment for that purpose is planned in November.

6:21 P.M.: Umlauf is talking about her work , with which she has partnered on a series of history lectures. The house will host an archaeology dig for Boy Scouts on Saturday, and Umlauf said she is certified to sign off on related merit badges at the end of the day.

6:20 P.M.: Among the popular programming at the house: a tea service featuring cakes, cookies and scones, and an herb sale that organizers plan to expand to include heirloom plants in the future. The city also has developed history programs that can be delivered in a cost-effective way to assisted living communities in the Clayton area, Umlauf said. 

Programming geared toward young people includes an ice cream social, a flashlight tour, a holiday candlelight tour and a Haunted Halloween tour.

6:14 P.M.: Umlauf has begun her presentation about the . Earlier this year, she said, she celebrated her third year working at the building.

6:07 P.M.: Among those already here: Chief Tom Byrne of the , Ward I Alderman Judy Goodman, community resource coordinator Sarah Umlauf and Assistant Fire Chief Paul Mercurio.