JULY - SEPTEMBER 2023
We made it through another hot summer and fall is in the air!! Okay okay – it’s still fairly warm, but I still see pumpkin spice everything at the store and Halloween decorations are popping up everywhere. Hopefully, the weather will cool down soon.
In any case, another quarter has gone by so it’s time for another newsletter!
As a reminder, I will continue to add more posts to the website, as events occur and information is available. So be sure to visit mayorshipley.org, or better yet, subscribe to receive weekly/ monthly updates via e-mail.
Click on the topics below to view each article.
As you may have heard, the City of Crestwood is in the early planning stages for a Community Center update. An architect firm is working on high-level plans and renderings that will convey the general layout and feel of the new building.
For many years, the existing community center has been showing its age. Originally built in the 1970s, there have been plenty of repairs and maintenance needed. However, it’s the actual layout of the building that is the bigger problem. The racquetball courts need significant repairs but are no longer used enough to justify the precious space they require. The areas used for programs and classes don’t work well so the parks department is limited by what it can offer. Although community centers don’t typically show a profit, our cost-recovery rate is among the lowest among our peer cities – primarily due to these limitations.
Several years ago, city staff engaged several architects and contractors to walk the building and provide thoughts on how it could be reconfigured. All these experts came to the same conclusion that it would not be cost-effective to update the existing building, but instead, a new building would have a similar cost with a much better layout and space.
As part of the 2022 Parks Master Plan research, residents were asked for their thoughts about the community center and the possibility of updates or a replacement. Residents showed strong support for a better community center, felt a new facility was justified, and even expressed support for a potential property tax increase to cover the costs.
Since that time, city staff has continued research and brainstorm ideas, resulting in a new concept. The current plan is to construct a new community center building on the Whitecliff baseball field and repurpose a portion of the existing building. This will allow the current building to remain open during a multi-year construction period, and ultimately provide the city with the best possible use of space.
The existing baseball field is underutilized, as leagues and tournaments have migrated to large multi-field facilities. The costs incurred to maintain the field are no longer being covered by the usage fees.
Engineers and designers are actively surveying the site and performing core-drilling samples to determine if the soil under the baseball fields is suitable for this new structure. Clearly the field was leveled and lots of fill dirt was placed there long ago. City staff thinks there may be piles of concrete and such under there - if so, that could cause the entire project to head back to the drawing board. Fingers crossed.
The layout and architectural feel of the new building are in the early design phases. These results are expected to be unveiled in December 2023. Some of the expected features include a larger gym area with an indoor walking track, improved workout facilities, improved meeting rooms, childcare/daycare, improved office space, facility storage, and even a snack/juice bar. Again – these are still “potential” features, so stay tuned to see how this unfolds.
The existing community center could be repurposed as a Pickleball and Family Games Complex. The existing gym (which has a new floor), the recently remodeled locker rooms, and some of the lobby space will remain. The left portion of the building can be removed to make way for new outdoor pickleball courts, a family games area (e.g., bocce, shuffleboard, etc.), and even an indoor bar and food service area. The idea is that this can be a great place for individual play and tournaments, but also just a place for families to gather for an enjoyable evening. The existing gym will support indoor pickleball and will double as a rentable event space.
What will all this cost? That is still being finalized, but city staff has a rough budget to stay within. Once those final costs are determined later this year, the Board of Aldermen will discuss and vote on adding a bond issue to the April 2024 ballot. Again – details to follow.
If voters agree, then construction would likely begin in early 2025 with completion of the new building in mid-2026. Work on the existing community center could then begin with the completion of that phase in mid-2027.
If approved, this will be one of the largest projects in the history of Crestwood and one that will benefit our community for decades to come. There will be plenty of community outreach and education over the coming months. Open House events are planned, and updates will be communicated via the city newsletter, social media, and my blog and email updates. Lots more info to come so stay tuned.
Remember the wild weather we had in late June and July? On June 30, over 130,000 Ameren customers lost power, which was their largest outage since 2013. Four more major storms hit in July causing the largest combined power restoration effort Ameren has experienced in over 20 years. Large parts of Crestwood lost power for multiple days, multiple times.
When storms hit and cause power outages, it is often due to trees and limbs falling onto power lines. To limit that risk, Ameren maintains a 4-year trimming cycle and also checks the lines every 2 years to look for issues. That 4-year trim cycle is coming up in 2024 and 2025 for Crestwood.
While Ameren is responsible for trimming trees along their power lines, the wires that run from the pole to your house (the service drop) are actually your responsibility. That said, if you have questions about tree trimming along your line or any line – you can contact them at 800-552-7583 or via email at AmerenMissouritreetrimming@ameren.com.
Did you know that Ameren will provide you with free wood chips for your yard or garden? If you are interested, you can inquire via the same email address. Be sure to include your name, address, and daytime phone number.
If you have driven on Watson Road recently, you have probably noticed that the center lane has been closed while work has occurred on the medians. Well, there has been lots of work and plenty of lane closures. Hopefully, some of those major projects should be completed within the next month or so.
Traffic Signals – Dierbergs has been working with MoDOT to replace the traffic signals at their entrances. You may have noticed the nice green light standards are all installed, and awaiting delivery of the new signal heads. Once those arrive and workers get them installed, the temporary lights hanging from wires will go away. I’m also told by MoDOT that they are also awaiting delivery of some of the controller boxes that run the lights. That’s why some of the left-turn arrows are either covered up or not working as they should. Hang in there.
Median Work – The center medians along the Dierbergs property are also getting new life – literally! They are receiving irrigation and soil for new native plantings. I’m told that the actual installation of those plants may need to wait for Spring. This will be a nice upgrade from the crumbling concrete medians we’ve been looking at for decades.
More work next year – After we get through all of the improvements happening in 2023, next year will see more construction. MoDOT is planning to repave Watson Road from Geyer all the way to the St. Louis City line (just past Shrewsbury). They will also be adding sidewalks along the way in places that don’t already have any. This will be another big project so we’ll probably get used to seeing construction equipment for a while.
Crestwood is working on replacing the pedestrian bridge at Sanders Park. This connects the neighborhoods in Ward 1 that would otherwise be divided by Gravois Creek. The old bridge was just that – very old. It was in rough shape and was starting to get kind of scary-looking. That bridge is now gone, with a new one expected to be installed in late October.
There is another pedestrian bridge that connects Crestwood Crossing to Grants Trail. This is located behind the McBride residential area and spans Kirkwood Creek with a crosswalk over Watson Industrial Park. This bridge was installed by Dierbergs a while ago but is getting the final touches installed now.
These bridges help improve the walkability and bike access in Crestwood and are part of a bigger plan to further connect our parks and neighborhoods for everyone to enjoy.
Dierbergs has made good progress on signing up new businesses to fill the new commercial spaces. Their developer posts an updated list of these businesses on their website (link HERE).
As of September 28, those tenants include:
- Panera
- Crumbl Cookie
- Roosters Men’s Grooming
- Mercy Urgent Care
- Eye See Vision Center
- Club Pilates
Space #9 on the drawing is planned for a sit-down restaurant with outdoor seating. Space #10 is set up for a drive-thru (and they are currently negotiating that lease). Of the 13 spaces built, only 4 are still available.
Of course, Dierbergs has plans to build more too. The next phase will be some very nice restaurants with large capacity on the western portion of the property. Dierbergs expects to start construction on those sites in 2024.
The final phase (2025 or later) will be along Watson on the east side of the property. The old Firestone building (currently occupied by Kirkwood Audi) will be torn down in early 2025.
If you missed any of the previous newsletters, you can find a link to all of them here.