(Here is an article I turned in to West Newsmagazine on June 25, 2025--just two days after I covered a Creve Coeur City Council meeting.)
Creve Coeur City Administrator Mark Perkins will soon be leaving his post of 26 years to become CEO of Great Rivers Greenway (GRG).
"The biggest words regarding Mark are strength and continuity," Mayor Robert Hoffman said, crediting Perkins with assembling an efficient city staff. "Being there for 26 years has benefited the city to no end."
Perkins stepped into public service positions after graduating from the University of Kansas. After three years apiece in the Chicago communities of Highland Park and Roselle, he went to Blue Springs, Missouri, for a five-year stint as assistant city administrator before his tenure with Creve Coeur started in 1999.
“Back then, there were a couple issues facing us,” Perkins said. “One was the reconstruction of the (diamond) interchange at 270 and Olive, which was a MoDOT (Missouri Department of Transportation) project slated to begin soon. When I got there, I was working with our staff trying to find out what that was going to look like. What are the aesthetics and what kind of pedestrian facilities are we going to have with this interchange?”
The city quickly pulled together a grant application to provide enhancements that included pedestrian facilities and landscaping. The city also began a series of sidewalk projects. Concerns for pedestrian safety continued throughout Perkins’ tenure.
“We were also in very late discussions to acquire land for Millennium Park, which was already part of Creve Coeur,” Perkins said.
The city acquired the land for Millennium Park and immediately put together a landscape and amenity design that was completed around 2000.
In the late 2000s, the Creve Coeur Police Department was faced with making several costly upgrades to its dispatching operations. It needed new and very expensive technology upgrades.
Creve Coeur collaborated with Town & Country and Frontenac to create a centralized dispatch operation, the West Central Dispatch Center. It was cost saving because equipment purchases and staffing could serve all three communities as opposed to each one having to bear the costs individually.
“It allowed us to combine our resources, provide better coverage and better service to our communities by having a little bit higher level of staffing,” Perkins said. “We embarked on that around 2010 and it has continued ever since. It’s been an excellent partnership and an example of regional cooperation.”
The project saved Creve Coeur $100,000 the first year and that savings has continued to grow annually. More recently, the city of Ladue became a member.
According to Hoffman, there have been more positive accomplishments, including updates to Venable Park and progress with the 39 North AgTech Innovation District.
“We’ve just recently dealt with Venable Park in the last 5-10 years to make up for a very, very, very major sleight to a fine black doctor (Dr. H. Phillip Venable),” Hoffman said. “But I think 39 North, which is so close to Mark’s heart, is the best thing he’s done for the city.”
Since the Danforth Plant and Science Center was built in Creve Coeur, there was a recognition of an opportunity to grow the area as a hub for agricultural innovation.
Between 2010 and 2015 there was a collaborative marketing effort of Danforth, Monsanto, Creve Coeur and the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership.
“A few years later, we all undertook a 39 North Master Plan,” Perkins said. “That later became a roadmap for developing that AgTech Innovation District, and what role various partners could play. The city’s role was largely focused on how we could work on providing infrastructure that would support the growth of this district.”
Perkins noted how much he’s enjoyed working on a variety of infrastructure projects to make the community better in partnerships with Creve Coeur’s boards, commissions, staff and City Council.
“My role has certainly been to continue to help make improvements in the community throughout the term of my service here,” Perkins said. “But one of the things I’m proud of is the great staff we have. I’m also proud of the trust we’ve built with our residents from surveying them every few years to get their feedback. It’s also been gratifying to work with so many residents who are so invested in the community and want to see the city thrive.”
Recently, Perkins learned Susan Trautman, GRG’s CEO of roughly 16 years, was retiring.
“When I saw that, it came to my mind what a fantastic opportunity it could be for someone,” Perkins said. “My other thought was that whoever fills that position is going to have huge shoes to fill because Susan’s done such a phenomenal job with her staff over many years. It certainly piqued my interest and it totally speaks to a passion I have in making St. Louis connected in many ways.”
GRG works with local partners to build a regional network of greenways in both St. Charles County and St. Louis city and county.
“The Great Rivers Greenway is a project that Mark’s looked at for many years, including Creve Coeur’s participation in it,” Hoffman said. “I think he’ll have his heart and soul in it. That’s why it’s a great fit.”
Perkins’ new role as CEO starts Aug. 4. He said “it was certainly bittersweet” when he had to close the June 23 city council meeting with details on the search for his own city administrator replacement. The city is seeking nationwide proposals by mid-July, allowing for a contract award by the Aug. 11 council meeting. Meanwhile, Assistant City Administrator Sharon Stott will serve in the interim position near the end of July.
