Meeting Highlights: World War II Veteran Honored by Clayton Mayor, Aldermen

An update on projects by the Clayton Century Foundation and details about a Shaw Park pavilion are among the items planned for discussion Tuesday by the Clayton Board of Aldermen.

The following is a look at highlights from the meeting as it happened. An published earlier.

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REGULAR MEETING (PART 2):

7:51 P.M.: The aldermen have voted to return to closed session.

7:48 P.M.: Goldstein said she recently heard Clayton High School graduate Bob Fox speak about the importance of the immigrant community in the St. Louis region. Fox founded Casa de Salud.

She and other mayors also will be meeting for an informational breakfast with Sen. John Lamping, R-St. Louis.

7:44 P.M.: The aldermen have agreed to not hold a second meeting in December because of a lack of agenda items.

Shaw Park pavilion approved

7:43 P.M.: Enterprise Holdings has pledged $750,000 for the construction of a corporate pavilion at Shaw Park. The aldermen are considering a resolution to move forward with a charitable pledge agreement.

"This will be a great addition to the park," Lichtenfeld said. He asked whether the roof would be permanent or fabric.

Owens said the roof would be permanent.

Goodman said she hopes the city views this as a community pavilion available for a variety of uses.

There will actually be two gifts, one from Enterprise Holdings and the other from Enterprise Holdings Foundation, Feder said.

Furniture ordinance approved

7:37 P.M.: The aldermen have unanimously approved the furniture ordinance.

7:33 P.M.: The aldermen are reviewing a plan to purchase furniture for the future building, 10 S. Brentwood Blvd.

Martial arts studio approved

7:31 P.M.: Lichtenfeld said the Clayton Plan Commission might look at parking situations and requirements in the future as a result of its discussion about the martial arts studio. It also will consider evaluating safety and traffic on Hanley Road, which is a county roadway.

The commission voted 4-2 to approve the conditional use permit for the studio, a city document states.

7:30 P.M.: The aldermen have unanimously approved a conditional use permit for the studio.

7:28 P.M.: Tony Young, one of the owners of the proposed studio, is at the lectern to answer questions.

Lichtenfeld said he would encourage Young to monitor the parking situation in the surrounding residential streets and also appreciate him stressing the safety of children being dropped off and picked up with young people and their parents.

"Those are great suggestions and those are things we would keep in mind," Young said. He said he and his wife, Debbie, also instruct in Illinois.

7:20 P.M.: Open session is again underway. A public hearing has opened, and the aldermen are considering a conditional use permit for .

CLOSED SESSION

7:05 P.M.: The aldermen voted to go into closed session and will return to open session momentarily.

REGULAR MEETING (PART 1):

World War II veteran honored

7:02 P.M.: The regular meeting has become. Resident Edwin Swallow, 91, is being recognized by Mayor Linda Goldstein.

"We want to welcome our newest resident to the City of Clayton," Goldstein said.

The U.S. Navy veteran served on the USS Buckley during World War II and graduated as an electrical engineer from Washington University, she said. He retired from Union Electric (now Ameren) and is a new resident of .

DISCUSSION SESSION:

Clayton Century Foundation update

6:57 P.M.: The foundation is more than 3 years old.

It will be important for foundation representatives to collaborate with City Attorney Kevin O'Keefe and others to work out contractual arrangements as funds come in and design and construction work happens for various projects, Feder said.

6:55 P.M.: The foundation is working to build ownership in its mission and is actively recruiting members, Feder said.

"More and more, we need to have this financial base that we get from our members," he said.

6:53 P.M.: A total of 300 donors had contributed to the foundation's efforts as of Nov. 12, a presentation slide states.

Fundraising efforts began with individuals and later grew to include businesses, Feder said.

6:50 P.M.: Work on a Centennial Clayton History Book is underway, Feder said. It would follow a similar book published in the 1970s.

Ward 1 Alderman Judy Goodman has been working to collect vignettes for that project, he said.

6:47 P.M.: Feder is reviewing the foundation's to and support its .

He also referenced to a planned trail and garden at the park.

6:39 P.M.: President Gary Feder of the Clayton Century Foundation's Board of Directors is addressing the aldermen.

Proposition S overview (Bond to overhaul St. Louis County court buildings)

6:38 P.M.: "We felt that if we could come together with a resolution of all of us that it would be far stronger than us individually supporting the proposition," Ward 3 Alderman Steve Lichtenfeld said. "So that is the ultimate goal of what the mayor has been talking about."

The aldermen are expected to consider a resolution at a later date.

Ward 2 Alderman Cynthia Garnholz said the changes are desperately needed and used the word "nightmare" to characterize the state of the buildings.

"Most importantly, it's the safety, and that's why it's so urgent and critical," Garnholz said.

6:33 P.M.: The courts bond would succeed retiring county bonds.

6:31 P.M.: St. Louis County has been spending $1 million for each of the last several years for repairs at the family court on South Brentwood Boulevard and the St. Louis County Court Building on Carondelet Avenue, he said.

6:28 P.M.: The proposed family court building would be approximately 240,000 square feet in size and roughly seven stories tall, Beach said.

6:26 P.M.: Speakers have been swapped, so a presentation about St. Louis County's Proposition S is happening.

The speaker is Doug Beach, a circuit judge in St. Louis County. The proposition would support a bond issue for a new in Clayton. No tax increase would be required, he said.

The age of the buildings and high levels of traffic are among the reasons upgrades are sought.

6:17 P.M.: The meeting is expected to begin momentarily. Members are waiting for the arrival of Gary Feder of the Century Foundation, who will give the first presentation, City Manager Craig Owens said.