Affton's AICA is Against the South County Connector, Tells Highways and Traffic Director in Letter

The Affton Community Involvement Association (AICA), currently led by Larry stone, has come out against a 4-lane road between Maplewood and Shrewsbury known as the South County Connector.

Stone wrote a letter to John Hicks , director of the St. Louis County Department of Highways and Traffic, and provided it to Patch as well.

Stone's letter is below:

The Affton Community Involvement Association is a faith-based Organization sponsored by the parishes of St. Dominic Savio and Seven Holy Founders Catholic churches. Our mission is to “Address Community Concerns through Faith-based Involvement.”

As relates to the proposal to construct the South County Connector, we have done the following:

• Monitored the proposal since its inception
• Attended meetings where details of this project were available for questions and viewing by the public
• Reviewed the draft Environmental Impact Study
• Weighed the County’s perceived benefit of the proposal
• Assessed the impact of the Connector on the communities of Maplewood, Shrewsbury and most especially the unincorporated community of Affton.

Having taken all of the aforesaid steps, it is the consensus of the membership of the Affton Community Involvement Association that no local, state or federal monies be spent on construction of the South County Connector for these reasons:

• Adequate justification has not been made supporting the perceived need by St. Louis County for this project.
• There is clear evidence that the selected path of construction would have definitive negative impact on two municipalities and our unincorporated area of St. Louis County.
• The cost to taxpayers (no matter the funding source) for an unjustifiable project like this is a waste of taxpayer dollars.

If local, state or federal dollars do become available for road projects, it is the preference of the Affton Community Involvement Association that said dollars would be better spent to address the replacement of the myriad of existing decaying bridge infrastructure that dots the landscape.

We appreciate the opportunity to provide written commentary on the matter of the South County Connector.

Sincerely, Larry C. Stone, Acting Chairman, Affton Community Involvement Association