Ballwin has heroes old and young in Little Library project and lemonade stand

 (Here is my totally unedited version with photos before the Oct. 21 West Newsmagazine version)

Far too many selfless acts go unnoticed.  That has certainly not been the case lately regarding Ballwin residents. That runs the gamut from the very young to seasoned adults.

The Ballwin Free Library project idea of Planning & Zoning Commissioner/Secretary Olivia Pieknik is a fitting example of the city’s official motto, “Bringing People Together.”

At the other end of the age spectrum is Shanley Gibson. The Woerther Elementary School kindergartner spent a long, hot, 10-hour day of her own to utilize her lemonade stand creation to help animals in need.

Pieknik, who has resided in Ballwin since 1995, recalled how neighbor Randy Doege and wife Peg were in the process of replacing the library in front of their own house and offered Olivia the old one. Husband Chris refurbished it by adding a new roof, door, post and some fresh paint.  The couple then donated it to the City of Ballwin, and the Parks & Recreation staff installed it at Ferris Park in June 2022.

Olivia was later granted permission and received total support from Director of Parks & Recreation Chris Conway in having the Little Libraries in all four Ballwin city parks.

On Oct. 14, one was installed in Vlasis Park in memory of Kathy Kerlagon, a two-term Ballwin Ward 4 alderman who passed away on Aug. 8, less than eight months after her husband Ray announced his retirement from the same position. Kathy was also a professor at Meramec Community College who truly enjoyed reading.

(Olivia Pieknik with Randy and Peg Doege, Ray Kerlagon, Media Dir. Megan Freeman & City Administrator Eric Sterman)

The relationship between Olivia and Kathy began when the former started attending Ballwin Police Citizens Academy meetings back in 2001.

“I appreciated the kindness and continued support from Ray and Kathy when we participated in community events,” Pieknik said. “They both contributed to the City of Ballwin in many other capacities. “I regularly visited Kathy while she was in Memory Care at Westview nursing facility in Ellisville.  She did not recognize me nor did she communicate, but sitting and being with her was all that was needed.”

Peg, who worked for 28 years as a Librarian at Holy Infant School, did the Vlasis Park project’s decorations with her grandchildren. 

Pieknik added that “Randy and Peg Doege wanted to share their love of reading, and Randy enjoys building so they built a library in front of their house.  They also built a library for the subdivision, located on Twigwood by the pool.”

That is in addition to one set to be built in New Ballwin Park this November. Alderman Ross Bullington and wife Becky funded the entire cost of materials.  Peg Doege’s daughter, also a teacher at Holy Infant, will have her students decorate that library. 

Finally, one is also set to be built by Randy Doege, and placed at Holloway Park in North Pointe next spring.  Donations from Pieknik, Pogue, Bullington, Alderman Michael Finley (Ward 1), Planning & Zoning Commissioners Chad Silker, Mike Swain, and Victoria Winfrey will be used to purchase material for Holloway Park.

“It is truly a community project, completed with the love of reading, of kindness and how the residents work together,” Pieknik said. 

Meanwhile, Shanley’s lemonade stand was nothing short of a labor of love.

On the morning of July 26, the Humane Society of Missouri’s Best Buddy Pet Center was flooded with nine inches of standing water from historic level of torrential rains. A good portion of its pet supplies was destroyed.

“I told her that the Maryland Heights Humane Society where we got out dogs from was flooded, so she got the idea to do a lemonade stand because on Facebook they had posted that they had lost all their supplies,” said Shanley’s mom, Megan Gibson.  “So, she came up with the idea to do a lemonade stand to raise money to get them more supplies.”

The preparation included a lemonade poster made by Shanley from Polaroid camera pictures she took herself of their own two dogs.

Shanley’s full day, raising $240, took place at the house of Megan’s father, who is none other than Alderman Mike Utt (Ward 1). That money was ultimately used for purchases at Pet Supplies Plus in Ballwin.

“She was just so excited to take that money and go to the pet shop,” Megan said.  “That was the most exciting part for her, and also dropping off the supplies.  She also took some of her own money out of her piggy bank and donated it.  You know they have those little slots at each one of the dog’s kennels.  She wanted me to tell you that the dog she gave money to was a German Shepherd dog with a cone on its face.”

Although they were told to drop off all donations at the headquarters on Macklind Avenue in the city of St. Louis, Shanley insisted on doing so at the Maryland Heights location.  It was a lot more special for Shanley because that where they got their rescue dogs.

“She’s a very avid animal lover and her dad (John) and I couldn’t be any more proud of her,” Megan said,” Megan said. “They had a day at school for them to dress up like what you want to be when you grow up, she would tell you, and she has said this for two or three years now that she wants to open her own puppy daycare.  But it’s not just for dogs.  She wants to rescue all animals…like a multi-purpose business she has going on.  She wants to rescue pets and also wants them to be able to come there while their owners are working. I love it!  I hope she does it one day!”

 

Ellisville backs Panda Express and Massage Heaven bids; rejects Royal Juice

 (Excited that with this West Newsmagazine article which posted on September 9th, I have now reached 4,000 paid, published articles since I began freelancing in late 1979 while working mostly full-time jobs and homeschooling for six of those years.)

A trio of conditional use permits was the main focus of the Ellisville City Council meeting on Sept. 7. While two received unanimous passage, the third was denied – but barely.

Eric Abeln, of Heights Venture Architecture Design and representing a proposed Panda Express, answered a good deal of questions about landscaping and pathways for tractor-trailer deliveries. The new restaurant would be located at 16301 Truman Road, where a former Hardees has stood vacant near the city's western boundary.

It's design elements will include a “moon gate,” which Abeln described for the Architectural Review Board as a “metal canopy.”

“It’s the modern Chinese tradition that usually goes into the entry portal of their gardens,” Abeln said of the gate.

One element that was challenged was the site's lighting. However, Abeln was agreeable to an amendment from council member Dan Duffy (District 3) to lower the outdoor lighting brightness.

The restaurant will be one of nearly two dozen area Panda Express drive-thru locations.

This former Hardees location is the site of a future Panda Express in Ellisville. (Source: Google Earth) 

Alexander Vishnevetsky was on hand to answer additional questions regarding his ownership of a Massage Heaven to be located at 109 Clarkson Executive Park. Vishnevetsky also answered questions at the council's Aug. 17 meeting.

City Attorney Brian Malone read off no fewer than 18 stipulations regarding the related CUP legislation. Included in those stipulations were:

• The business' hours of operation are to be limited to 8 a.m.-9 p.m.

• All publicly accessible entrances to the business or establishment must be located on an exterior wall with windows that face a street or sidewalk accessible to the public.

• No less than 50% of the overall surface area of the windows on such entrance walls and lobby area must remain uncovered, unobstructed, unshielded and free from tinting.

Vishnevestsky is a long-time licensed massage therapist who is currently employed by another massage company. He said he intends to hire other qualified masseuses over time.

Both the Panda Express and Massage Heaven CUPs were approved by the council.

However, the public hearing on Kallony, LLC (Royal Juice) for a convenience store at 51 Clarkson Road, did not fare so well.

Per an inquiry from council member Greg Sanborn (District 2), spokesman Abdullah Abraham confirmed the 15% or less use of tobacco, Hookah products and other such accessories counting floor space and storage. Liquor products are another proposed store item.

The first public hearing for the business took place at the Aug. 17 council meeting. At that time, Roemerman quickly noted that pages 2-4 of the required application were missing and not presented to the council. City officials declared that it was impossible to make a decision without the full application and unanimously approved a motion to table the matter until the Sept. 7 meeting.

On Aug. 17, a trio of citizens commented in opposition to adding Royal Juice to that location. One resident mentioned a good possibility of broken beer bottles, tobacco and fights in his neighborhood to add to a current issue of teenage drag racing in the area.

Janice Smoots said she was against it because there is already a nearby Motomart, CVS, Dierberg’s and BP gas station.

“I think it would be bad to bring this kind of store into our family community,” Smoots said. “It would also add traffic and more teenagers. We don’t need that. They’ll also bring their boxes and dump garbage that they don’t know what to do with it. There’s no reason at all. We’re not a city. We’re a suburb.”

Resident Emily Karr added, “We already have a Costco around there, lots of kids walking around, people flying by there. We have a theater on the other side. We don’t need more. We’re trying to deal with what we already have. Terrible idea! We have lots of kids here and a couple of special needs residents literally right behind this place. They go for walks in this area.”

There were no citizen comments at the Sept. 7 meeting. However, the vote that evening was split in half among the six council members, with Vince McGrath (District 1), Rob Compton (District 1) and Mick Cahill (District 2) voting “nay.”

“I am in favor of this,” Duffy said. “This location used to be a convenience store. I also think this is low impact on traffic. This is probably not a business I’m going to go to a lot, but that shouldn’t affect how I vote on it.”

Council members Sanborn and Curt Boggs (District 3) also voted in favor of Royal Juice.

Roemerman cast the deciding vote against issuing the CUP. He thanked Abraham for his desire to come to Ellisville to open the store. Then clarified his vote by saying, “I’m personally not in favor of this use in this location, which is a liquor and tobacco store right in front of a residential area.”

Ellisville council considers further legislation related to bees

 (Here is a late July 2022West Newsmagazine article that generated so much attention both online and in print, that is led to a follow up article just one month later!)

Honeybees and other pollinators are declining in numbers.

Exactly one month after the start of National Pollinator Week (June 20-26) Ellisville City Council member Vince McGrath (District 1) offered a vastly different side of bees during the council's July 20 work session.

McGrath said he received a rather detailed complaint in one of his district’s neighborhoods about residents with a pool getting stung by bees. Not knowing exactly how to handle the negative buzz, McGrath admitted he felt obligated to delve more deeply into the subject. So, he did a good deal of research.

“It turns out the bees really like chlorinated water,” McGrath said.

He added that “beekeeper etiquette" would be for the keepers to talk to their neighbors. Then, he offered more information about bees, such as "the average hive has about 30,000 bees in it."

"There are some that forage for food; others forage for water," McGrath noted. "From what I’ve read, a hive of bees can go through several liters of water a day. Of course, with a very close water source, this can be a problem.”

McGrath said he constantly has bees hanging around his own bird bath. He added that when he sprays them with water, they get aggravated, but he’s never been stung. However, he admitted he also has never gone swimming with them.

“One of the big concerns is that they don’t know when somebody comes to their pool if they are allergic to bees,” McGrath said of the residents who had reached out to him.

He requested that the council to look into legislation that would amend its current beekeeping regulations. His proposed changes are:

• Require beekeepers to provide a water source for the hives/bees.

• If a property measures less than 1/3 of an acre, the maximum number of hives allowed would be three.

• If the beekeeper's property is near a pedestrian walkway, a 6-foot fence must be installed around the hives.

• If property owners want to have bee hives near a neighbor with a pool, the beekeepers must discuss it with neighbor before installation of the hives.

Regarding point three, McGrath said that if bees have to fly over a structure that tall (a 6-foot fence), they would normally be well over the height of most humans. 

Mayor Mike Roemerman said that the first two points are easily doable. While he didn’t address the third suggestion, he did say that “number four is going to be very difficult to put into language that’s enforceable.”

The council and City Attorney Brian Malone will work on legislation with amendments to be presented at the Aug. 17 council meeting.

Ellisville quickly backtracks on suggested beekeeper restrictions

Back on July 20, the Ellisville City Council tossed around ideas to try and prevent any of its citizens from suffering bee stings while enjoying private swimming pools.

The first potential restriction mentioned would have required beekeepers to provide a water source for the hives/bees. If a property was less than 1/3-acre, the maximum number of hives would be restricted to three. If the hive location was near a pedestrian walkway, a 6-foot fence would have had to be installed around the hives. In addition, if the property owners wanted to have bee hives near a neighbor with a pool, the beekeepers would have had to discuss it with the neighbor before installation of the hives. The idea of requiring beekeepers to hold special permits was also suggested.

Within a week, those ideas were displayed both online and in print.

The buzz spread quickly and several members of the local beekeeping community swarmed the Aug. 17 council meeting. Seven offered their feedback during the initial public comments section of the meeting. They noted the rapid decline of honey bees over the past few decades and some mentioned the use of insecticides, pesticides, herbicides and fungicides as a rapid means to that decline.

Some spoke to the council’s attempt to control nature. 

“Honeybees are very busy minding their own business, and they’re just trying to take care of their families,” Mary McCord noted. 

Lisa Kosyan added, “It’s a matter of what we can control and what we can’t control. We can’t control where they fly and where they go.”

Kevin Marrott suggested that the onus is on pool owners to keep the bees out of their pools.

Jane Sueme, owner/operator of Isabee’s Beekeeping Supplies, explained the need for bees to be around major water sources at various times of the year. She said that while people complain about bees being near their pools or hummingbird feeders, it’s just for a short period of time and for the bee’s survival. She added that even in managed hives, bees are wild insects and cannot control their need for water sources.

“They need to be around water sources around early March and again when the temperature gets well above 90 degrees,” Sueme said. “When it gets really hot for a day or two they can handle that with their independent resources. But when it’s 100 degrees, like we had this summer for days on end, they have to store somewhere between half a gallon and a gallon of water per day per hive.”

Since Sueme’s Fenton location is the only retail establishment in the area to serve the area’s beekeeping community, she said they field a lot of phone calls from the general public and help them understand the behavior of honeybees.

Council member Dan Duffy (District 3) thanked those “who came out to support the bees.”

“Their survival depends on the actions people like us take,” Duffy said. He noted that the city has taken a number of measures that are “really at the forefront of actions to help our insects,” which have increased the bee population within the city. Those actions include using more native plants within the city and planting a large native grass area by the Bluebird Park amphitheater. Ellisville even hired a public works employee to care for those areas, he said. 

“I also don’t agree with the idea of giving pool owners preferential treatment,” Duffy said. With that in mind, he made a motion to strike down all beekeeping regulations regarding swimming pool owners and also extra necessary permits.

Meanwhile, Council Member Vince McGrath (District 1) who brought the issue to light in July said he didn’t intend for any beekeepers to be hurt by what was discussed at that time. One of his major intents was limiting the number of hives per lot, he said.

The result of all the comments was that every single previous restriction was dropped and only one was added: Hives must be at least 10 feet from a neighbor’s property line.

Mayor Mike Roemerman said the “extremely amended” bill (No. 3756) was now even less restrictive than even before the previous council meeting. It passed unanimously to become Ordinance 3523.

Tappmeyer Homestead to be all dolled up for August event

 (From today's West Newsmagazine online edition)

Dolls, carved from soapstone and other organic materials, are thought to be among the world's oldest toys, dating back to the Paleolithic Era. But its a far more recent collection that will be  featured at the Tappmeyer Homestead in Creve Coeur’s Millennium Park this month.

American Girl dolls, which became the rage a quarter century ago, will be on display from noon to 4 p.m. on Aug. 14 and Aug. 28. Admission to the exhibit is free, but donations are encouraged. 

At 2 p.m. on Aug. 14, the story of one of those dolls, Nanea Mitchell, will be brought to life over Zoom by the woman who inspired it. Registration is required for this event via email at TappmeyerHomestead@gmail.com, or through the link online at TappmeyerHomestead.org. 

(Photo by Caren Libby, Tappmeyer Homestead)

Kansas City resident Dorinda Makanaonalani Nicholson will share what it was like to be a 6-year-old girl residing in Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, when Japan bombed the harbor and the U.S. officially entered World War II.

“We moved to Pearl Harbor (from Honolulu) in early 1941,” Nicholson explained. “My mom got a job with Pan American World Airways. At that time, that was the only way you flew to the islands – on sea clippers – and you landed in Pearl Harbor. We rented a house there, so mom could walk to work.  Little did we know that by the end of the year, we would be right there at Ground Zero of where the attack was going to happen. 

“I remember standing in the front yard with my dad on the morning of the 7th. There was so much noise and we could feel our house shake and hear the explosions, and airplanes (which she later learned were torpedo bombers) were flying right over our house.”

Nicholson also recalled how her family hid in their car in the sugar cane fields after President Franklin D. Roosevelt told Gov. Joseph Poindexter that Pearl Harbor was under martial (military) law. She said her family knew what was happening because they were glued to their car radio.

The military police refused to let any area citizens return home until the area was cleared, so Nicholson and mom, dad, little brother and dog were taken to live at nearby Sugar Plantation Village. They were fingerprinted and had to carry gas masks and I.D. card at all times, she said. Air raid drills were common and phones were off limits except for emergency use. Schools were closed until February and there was large-scale rationing. 

Sharing the stories and history of Pearl Harbor, WWII and Hawaii have become part of Nicholson's life work. She especially enjoys speaking in classrooms and sharing her story with children. In fact, she wrote a book for them: "Pearl Harbor Child: A Child's View of Pearl Harbor from Attack to Peace." It is available on her website (pearlharborchild.com) along with an accompanying coloring book and other titles penned by Nicholson and her husband, Larry. 

At age 81, Nicholson was asked by American Girl to serve on the advisory panel for Nanea, whose motto is "When fear strikes, let the aloha spirit be your guide." 

"Because I went through the bombing and lived in the middle of the harbor and went through all of it at about the same age as Nanea, they asked me to be an advisor and I was thrilled," Nicholson told the Today Show at the time of the doll's release in 2017. 

                                             (Nanea Mitchell, American Girl)

How Nicholson came to be invited to the Tappmeyer House is another interesting story.

“I serve on the board of Missouri Humanities Council. Dorinda Nicholson was also a board member," explained Laura Dierberg Ayers, who is on the board of the Tappmeyer House Foundation. 

"I knew that she was originally from Hawaii and that she witnessed Pearl Harbor. One time, she mentioned that the Pleasant Company, the original maker of the American Girl doll, was interviewing her for the inspiration of their Hawaiian featured American Girl doll named Nanea.”

On Aug. 15, an American Girl evening camp, sponsored by the Creve Coeur Parks Department and led by Bellerive Elementary teacher Ashley Jelovic, will also highlight Hawaii and the story of Nanea.  

Two previous evening camps featuring other American Girl dolls took place in June and July. 

"It’s a wonderful setting for this historic doll collection," Ayers said. From personal history, she should know. "Tappmeyer was my family’s homestead. My mother was the last generation to be raised at the house, but my parents and I lived off Mason Road after my parents got married. I spent a significant amount of time almost every week at my grandparents’ house."

As a Tappmeyer House Foundation board member, Ayers is involved in its programs and noted that the Spirit of St. Louis Doll Collectors Club also will have members' dolls on display at the home on Aug. 14. Additionally, members of the community will have their American Girl dolls and some of their homemade accessories on display. 

Philip Woodmore’s music destiny keeps evolving

 (Fun in-person interview and ensuing article for West Newsmagazine)

Countless people have no idea what their profession may include until they are well into their teen years and beyond.  Others are never really sure. That was not the case for current Ballwin resident Dr. Philip A. Woodmore.

“My mother (Alma) said she knew I would be a music influencer or at least a music lover,” Woodmore said. “She knew this because even in the womb I would only be awake when choirs were singing or music was playing. As a toddler, I would crawl to the piano, pull myself up and bang on the keys. So, I took piano lessons at the age of 5.”

The piano remained Woodmore’s instrument through Ellisville and Kehr’s Mill elementary schools and Crestview Middle. Prior to his 2000 graduation from Marquette High, he sang in choirs and handled piano accompaniment for all musicals under theater teacher Judi Greene. Woodmore even helped direct music there for about 13 years until Greene retired.

Woodmore earned a marketing degree from Saint Louis University, but found that he was bored in that sphere from the outset. As a sophomore, he auditioned for the university’s Music School and double majored in marketing and music. As an undergraduate in 2005, he was offered a teaching job. In the years that followed he has taught choir in Ferguson and Berkeley middle schools, and started his master’s in music education at Webster University.

“I feel like I stumbled into teaching. Judi always told me I’d be a teacher and I’d laugh at her.  But when I was offered a teaching job, it was like, ‘OK, I’ll try this out, and it’s a steady paycheck.’ I fell in love with education in the first month. Middle school became my thing. It was just the age I connected with as an educator.”

Woodmore noted psychological changes kids go through at this age as beginning performers with no control over what’s happening to their voices.  He also helped in other aspects of adolescence with an emphasis on teaching his students to be good citizens. 

He proudly revived those two fledgling middle school programs through a battle of the choirs that drew 500 people to the community event. 

Next was a job at Crestview Middle starting in 2006. He built that music program from 225 kids to 350. He was also involved with Stephanie Riven at COCA (Center of Creative Arts), helping the theater music program and later was coordinator of their voice program, wrote the curriculum for their music program and directed their shows. It turned into a second full-time job.

Philip A. Woodmore directing the 'Antigone in Ferguson' mass choir during a performance in Brooklyn, NY...Gregg Richards photo

“In August 2016, I got a phone call from a gentleman in New York named Bryan Doerries. He wanted me to put together a project in St. Louis to help us heal after the rioting and everything following the murder of Michael Brown in 2014.  He wanted me to get a choir together to perform this project he called ‘Antigone in Ferguson,’ a likeness of ‘Antigone’ from Sophocles in Greek mythology. His concept was to bring it to a space, do it in art form, then have a community conversation. He wanted the choir that was doing that to be stakeholders in the community, including police officers because there was a lot of tension between police and the community.”

Doerries contacted Woodmore because he had directed the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Choir, the performing group of COCA, a voice studio and a similar work at the church of his father, pastor Willie Woodmore.

When Woodmore was told the show was going to be on Sept. 17, he thought it was the following year; not just 45 days later. But the shortened schedule did not deter him.

Woodmore became composer, original music director and arranger for the show. He was excited for it to be performed in St. Louis but never dreamed of the life it would take on. 

After premiering here, he was asked to take it on a two-year national tour plus a performance in Athens, Greece. The show then got picked up Off Broadway in New York for two years. Unfortunately, he was forced to pull out of teaching in 2017 to manage the show full-time. 

Woodmore spent roughly half the year in New York.  The show made a run at the Kennedy Center in D.C. then moved to Baltimore. The company was set to leave for Virginia when the pandemic hit and all ensuing performances were canceled. 

He went from a large body of work with a nice income to no work and no income. He wasn’t in a position to collect unemployment, and had no work engagements. He started soul searching, and began an online voice studio. He recruited 38 students in about the first week.

“My big savior was a phone call from Rebecca Messbarger, a professor at Wash U. She wanted to put together a memorial service for the city of St. Louis for everybody who has died from COVID. She studies pandemics and said one of the major issues why we can’t move on as a society is we don’t pause to mourn. She was adamant about this, raised all this money, brought me on the team as the artistic director; and I wrote all the music for the event in St. Louis this past October.”

The memorial included 1,800 lanterns in the Grand Basin in Forest Park to honor over 4,000 people who died from COVID.  A recent lantern lighting ceremony was held there on April 23.  

Woodmore said getting involved in that project and working on something that impacts the community revived his creative energies.

He has written several plays, including “The Drum Major Instinct” (about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.), “Frederick Douglass,” and a children’s play titled “Growing Pains,” performed as a workshop. He is currently writing “Team M” and hoping for a 2023 St. Louis premiere. He also lectures around the country on how music brings people together like a universal language and creates a safe space. 

Another Woodmore project is a script for a production tied to mental health, particularly in the black community where the subject isn’t talked about as much. 

Through it all, there’s one thing nearly all of Woodmore’s projects have in common: passion.

“As a child, I didn’t know what I liked about music. It was just in my fibers. In high school, I thought singing was just a pastime. To be able to build a career from music and offer that to a community in a thoughtful and powerful way is amazing.  

“Music is my passion. It’s what I was doing when I was 5 and what I’m still doing at age 40.”

Ballwin seeks citizen input on mosquito control measures

 (Appeared in mid-May 2022 West Newsmagazine)

When it was time to deliver his staff report at the May 9 Ballwin Board of Aldermen meeting, Public Works Director Jim Link began by uttering one word in a most menacing tone: "Mosquitoes!"

Link’s recommendation was to enlist St. Louis County to aid in Ballwin mosquito hunting. Their role would be truck-mounted fogging in a program known as "adulticiding." Link said the county would not be performing routine spraying, but would do so based on the results of trapping and testing adult mosquitoes throughout Ballwin for potential major diseases.

St. Louis County Vector Control furnished Ballwin with an eight-page document detailing where they would handle the adulticiding. The county will put traps in various places including creeks, areas of standing water, detention basins, drainage, culverts, ruts and ditches.

(Source: Adobe Stock)

Link said that in the past, Ballwin sprayed for mosquitoes themselves, taking care of the "larvaciding" portion of mosquito control by destroying larva. Then in 2010-2013, the city contracted out to St. Louis County to do larviciding and adulticiding.

Although Ballwin has done well handling the mosquito issue on its own, Link cited worker shortages as a reason to continue to seek the county's help. Ballwin's 2022 budget provides for 34 full-time employees, but public works department currently has just 26 full-time employees, plus three full- and one part-time seasonal employees.

Link also made it clear that he doesn’t want the quality of maintaining Ballwin streets to be adversely affected by too many staff hours dedicated to mosquito eradication.

After a lengthy discussion, the board rejected Link’s recommendation by a 5-2 margin, at least in the short-term. Before making a final decision on the matter at its May 23 meeting, the board is hoping to receive citizen input on the subject.

“I remember when we tried this a couple years ago with St. Louis County," Mayor Tim Pogue said. "I think we did it a couple years, and we received quite a few complaints, so we ended up going back to what we had been doing ourselves. I appreciate you looking outside the box but I still would have concerns going back to what it was; especially, if they’re only going on their trap results. It’s my understanding they will not go just on complaint.”

Alderman Michael Finley (Ward 1) followed Pogue. 

“I did some research," Finley said. "Six or seven years ago, I made contact with an entomologist at one of the universities in Illinois. I asked him his thoughts on this whole thing, and he said it depends on your perception, or what you want your citizens to perceive. Do you want your citizens to perceive some active program? If that’s what you want and you want to put the truck out there, that’ll be OK. You’ll kill some of them. If you don’t want to do it, that’s fine too.  he net effect is not really that great.”

He added that he has wondered his whole life if fogging really works since, even with that, he and family members still get bit. 

Still, Finley was one of just two who voted in favor of St. Louis County immediately helping out. He mentioned research he had found from Mississippi State University regarding a five-step approach of education, surveillance and sampling, source reduction, larvicide and adulticide. He said he believed that St. Louis County is acting correctly and doing its due diligence. He also noted that the county has a public health department, unlike Ballwin.

Alderman Frank Fleming (Ward 3) came to the same conclusion as Finley citing the department's employee shortage as a key factor.

However, he noted, "... most of the mosquitoes are behind your house, in the common ground, in creeks, whatever. I don’t know how much it (spraying) gets back there where they are the big problem; (how much it) makes contact and wipes them out. But I would just go with the county; and if it gets bad enough, we always have our truck and our guy ... If people are complaining, we can always reconsider that.”

Finley mentioned most of Ballwin’s surrounding communities use St. Louis County, which currently charges some $95/hour for its program. He added that studies show spraying is still safe to people and it doesn’t affect pollinators like bees as long as spraying continues at night.  

However, in response to an inquiry from Finley, City Administrator Eric Sterman said Ellisville decided a couple years ago to stop doing adulticiding through the county. He said they don’t spray adult mosquitoes at all. They do larviciding by adding some tablets or pellets in standing water and other places of concern with a nominal amount of staff time involved.

In response to an inquiry from alderman David Siegel (Ward 4), Link said Ballwin already has someone ready to start spraying May 16 and usually has a supervisor and an operator do the task on a weekly basis.

Per questions from alderman Ross Bullington (Ward 4), Link added that the County already had its traps in place to monitor, and they relay that information to the city of Ballwin, which can start and stop any time with them. Meanwhile, Ballwin has been larviciding since Link has been there, and that will continue.

“There’s not a whole lot of things that St. Louis County does better than what we do right here in Ballwin,” alderman Mark Stallmann (Ward 2) said. “So I would be reluctant to do this.”

Finally, Pogue mentioned and Finley re-iterated that in the least, the May 9 meeting dialog could be an education process to remind citizens to remove any standing water from their property.

Natural, man-made wonders to explore in Southern Illinois parks

 (This article appeared on April 29, 2022 in St. Louis Sprout & About.)

Imagine what it would have been like to have been among the first people to explore some of the natural wonders of the great outdoors. The southern half of Illinois certainly offers a wealth of scenic locations in which that feeling of awe still embraces its visitors. Mighty rivers meander around many of the sites, sculpting some truly magnificent rock formations to view and sometimes climb. Over time, these jewels of nature have been combined with a smattering of man-made structures, adding even more to the region’s fantasy settings.

                                         Meet dragons and knights on a visit to Boo Castle Park.     Photo by Jeffry Greenberg

Pere Marquette State Park
Precisely 350 years ago, French missionary Pere (Father) Jacques Marquette traversed the Illinois River near the state park that now bears his name. The site offers spectacular river views near its confluence with the Mississippi River. While the Great River Road town of Grafton provides boat launching ramps and boat tours, the area is also home to a wide array of other recreational activities, including bike and horse trails. The park also features more than a dozen miles of scenic trails for the beginner to the most experienced hiker. The best, lengthier trail is the combined 3.9-mile Hickory South, North, Fern Hollow and Goat Cliff Loop. Several shorter trails, plus the uphill Scenic Drive featuring Lover’s Leap and Eagle Roost Scenic Overlooks, all offer great views, particularly in the autumn. Pere Marquette Lodge & Conference Center serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, and hosts special events throughout the year. Pere Marquette State Park is located at 13112 Visitor Center Lane, Grafton, IL.

Giant City State Park
About 15 minutes south of SIU-Carbondale in Makanda, Ilinois, is an otherworldly escape for college students and kids of all ages. Giant City State Park is a rather compact fantasyland for all outdoor enthusiasts. The park borders beautiful kayaker-friendly Little Grassy Lake and houses six scenic trails with sandstone formations that are laden with wildflowers. The most popular trail is probably the Giant City Nature Trail, a one-mile moderate loop featuring huge sandstone bluffs. It’s fun for climbing, tunneling and also wiggling through Fat Man’s Squeeze. The .3-mile Devil’s Standtable Trail is named after its incredible giant mushroom-like pillar. Other easy but fun trails of a mile or less are the Stone Fort, Post Oak and Indian Creek Shelter Nature Trail. At 1.3 miles, the Trillium Trail is considered moderate. Grab a bite to eat at Giant City Lodge and take a moment to view the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) statue, which honors workers from 1933-1942. Giant City State Park is located at 235 Giant City Rd., Makanda, IL.

Boo Castle Park
Less than a 10-minute drive from Giant City State Park heading towards Carbondale is Boo Castle Park, a tribute to Jeremy "Boo" Rochman who was a fan of knights, wizards and dragons. The fantasy-inspired playground features climbing structures, knights, gargoyles, dragons, wizards, a sword collection and more whimsical play elements. Nearly every unfenced figure can be posed with and most can be climbed on (except for the castle ground items itself), but there are some restrictions for guests. Visit Boo Castle Park on Facebook in advance for more information about rules for visiting the park. Boo Castle Park is located at 31 Homewood Dr., Carbondale, IL. The park is open daily from sunrise to sunset (weather permitting).

Garden of the Gods Recreation/Wilderness Area
Located throughout the Shawnee National Forest, the Garden of the Gods is truly a godsend for photographers and outdoor enthusiasts. Both the close-up sandstone pillars and far-off panoramic views of towering rock formations, cliffs, woodlands and wilderness draw families from far and wide. The area’s most traversed hike is the ¼-mile Observation Trail, which is chock full of countless dramatic points of view in every direction, including Camel Rock, Mushroom Rock, and Devil’s Smoke Stack. Anvil Rock and Indian Point trails are worth exploring, as well. In all, there are some 5.5 miles of connecting trails in this one area alone. 

Fort Massac State Park
Overlooking a beautiful stretch of the Ohio River, Fort Massac became part of Illinois’ first state park back in Metropolis in 1908, but its history precedes that by more than a century. Although the fort’s replica remains closed at this time for repairs, there is still much to see. The site itself includes the Fort Massac Visitor Center, which features Native American artifacts and a video. The park is also home to an 18-hole disc golf course and a wide variety of outdoor recreational activities. Closer to the river is a statue of George Rogers Clark, who helped fight against a British takeover during the Revolutionary War. Few events rival the annual Fort Massac Encampment weekend, typically held in October, which includes food, children’s activities and historical reenactments. Fort Massac State Park is located at 1308 E. 5th St., Metropolis, IL. Visitor's tip: If you're in Metropolis, be sure to stop by the Super Museum for a photo with the 15-foot-tall “Man of Steel” statue on the building grounds, and watch for the annual Superman Celebration.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Scroll to the bottom of this article for Greenberg's additional photos of these natural and man-made wonders through  https://www.stlsprout.com/articles/places/item/8944-natural-man-made-wonders-to-explore-in-southern-illinois-parks?fbclid=IwAR1NgCguwUaUhIL9HIHbrwSVR3VzxjdYIzxzC9JQyW3lTVRaynsy7aV8Dbg