Wednesday, August 15, 2012
A committee of parks supporters studied the St. Louis County Parks system and endorsed a tax increase proposal. The measure must pass through the county council, where Councilman Steve Stenger said there is not a funding problem with the parks.
A sales tax increase that might be on the ballot in April could free St. Louis County parks from further cuts or closures. That’s according to a committee of parks supporters who filed an interim report with county officials in July. The Green Ribbon Committee, which is comprised of former and current parks directors, city officials and trail agencies, was tasked with analyzing the county parks system after a tumultuous year of layoffs and threats to close parks. Councilman Steve Stenger, who represents South County, said the committee was a “rubber stamp operation” for County Executive Charlie Dooley to get a tax increase passed in St. Louis County. Stenger has been a vocal opponent of Dooley, and has hinted at running for county …
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
We're weaving together updates, pictures, video, tweets and more from the Save Our Parks rally and the County Council budget hearing to help you find the answer to tonight's big question: Will the county close parks to keep the budget
County Executive Charlie Dooley said he hopes all the parks can be kept open through partnerships with the municipalities, welfare groups and the state.
Leaders of St. Louis-based the Open Space Council have organized a Rally to Save the Parks at the the St. Louis County Council meeting Tuesday to protest a proposed 2012 county budget that cuts 133 park jobs and closes 23 county parks, including Mathilda‐Welmering and Ohlendorf parks. The rally is set for 4:30 p.m. Tuesday in front of the St. Louis County Government Building, 41 S. Central Avenue in Clayton. “Selling parkland is not the answer to budget shortfalls. Loss of parks means a significantly lower quality of life for all St. Louis residents,” said Brittany Barton, project manager for the Open Space Council. Barton said it has been suggested the county's parklands would be sold to the highest bidders. "Selling parkland is an …
38.64925
-90.3384
41 S Central Ave, Saint Louis, MO
/articles/park-supporters-to-rally-at-county-council
/locations/5805490
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
More than 60 attended the county council meeting Tuesday, with 10 speaking about the parks.
Although the possible closure of 23 county parks and facilities wasn't on the St. Louis County Council's agenda on Tuesday, the subject was fresh in the minds of 10 speakers who came to advocate on behalf of the parks. “Our purpose for speaking tonight is to plead with you to make the 2012 budget cuts fair and equitable across the board,” said Mehlville resident and parks volunteer Bonnie Lorenz. “A family may not be able to afford to go to the show, or a baseball game, but they can go to one of our wonderful 69 parks for free.” “Don’t let your legacy in office show that you were responsible for closing parks in our great county,” she said. Before the meeting, County Executive Charlie Dooley made it clear the county would not be selling …
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
The petition was launched after County Exec Charlie Dooley proposed closing 19 parks.
Kristen Weber hit her goal: 2,000 people have signed the online peition she posted asking St. Louis County not to close parks to cut the budget. Weber created the petition on her lunch break after reading the news about potential park closers. She’d been inspired by a woman whose Change.org petition led Bank of America to cancel its plan to charge debit card users a $5 monthly fee, so she logged on and started a petition of her own. A petition was the best way to gauge community interest, Weber said. She knew she wanted to take action to protect county parks, but she didn’t know if anyone else cared the way she did. “I need to see what solid ground I have first,” she said last week. “People read and watch, but will they go on and click?” …
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
More than 100 people have signed the online petition asking county government officials not to close parks to cut the budget.
Kristen Weber hoped a few people would sign her online petition to save county parks from budget cuts—but when she heard 100 people had joined in the first 24 hours, she knew county residents were behind her. "Oh, wow, yay!" she exclaimed excitedly. “That alone is enough for me to go forward. I’m in this for the long haul.” Weber said it’s “ridiculous” that County Executive Charlie Dooley is proposing to shutter local parks, like Mathilda‐Welmering and Ohlendorf parks in Affton and Bohrer County Park in Concord, to save money. “My first initial reaction was, this directly affects me,” she said. “They’re just totally tunnel-visioned on these cuts, and I just thought I had to take a stance.” So she logged on to Change.org, where a woman …
County Executive Charlie Dooley proposed closing 19 county parks and a community center to help cut $10 million from his 2012 budget.
In an effort to close a $10 million budget shortfall, County Executive Charlie Dooley included closing 19 county parks in his 2012 proposed budget, including Mathilda‐Welmering and Ohlendorf parks in Affton and Bohrer County Park in Concord. Dooley's budget would also close St. Vincent Community Center, the pools at North County and Kennedy recreation centers and the farm animals exhibit at Suson Park, according to the budget summary. Of the 175 jobs that would be eliminated county-wide, about 135 would come from the Department of Parks and Recreation. A notice on the Parks and Recreation Department website said that reservations made for facilities at any of the closing parks will be transferred to another park or will be refunded. "This …
J. Adams
12:52 pm on Wednesday, August 15, 2012
It seems like we are being taxed out of existence here in St Louis Co. There is something new on the ballot every year! more ›