Historic Preservation Commission - Regular Meeting

up. So just I don't have a gabble so got to get everything started but just remember you're now being recorded. All right, Madam Chair, we are all right. Well, we want to welcome everybody and uh like Robin to do our roll call if you would. Ma'am, uh, Secretary Henik, Commissioner Larson, present. Commissioner Broyals is not with us. Chair Cordnick present. Commissioner Berllo present. Commissioner Showenfelt present. Commissioner Burmel

present. Uh, alternate Glavas is not with us. Uh, alternate share I need to promote. We'll return to him. There he is. He just alternate share. Are you with us? He's on mute. I'm with you. All right. and he will be multitasking this evening. Uh, council member liaison Mayberry. Council member Leaison Randall,

he's muted. I heard your Sorry. Present. I'm not used to Zoom again, so sorry. Wish I was there. Our HPC advisor, Scott, present. Our youth member, Ragu Ramen, is not with us. Uh, youth commissioner Bore. and our Wildwood Historical Society less on uh Von Grubin is not with us, but we do have Cor.

Well, good evening. I'd like to uh wish you all a happy belated new year. As we step into 2026 with our historic preservation committee, we also continue with many projects that we've been have had in the works for some time. Village Green is about finished up and many Wildwood residents are anxiously awaiting the events that we will have there this year and how they will play out in the newly transformed area of our city. In 2026, we also have the upcoming 100year celebration of Route 66. The celebration will be filled with events and festivities across eight of our US states and along a beautiful stretch of in our very own city. We're still looking for suggestions and volunteers to help us mark this anniversary and make it memorable. A few weeks ago, we had a Zoom meeting for our election of officers appointment, which I barely slid into because I was between flights coming back from Florida. Uh, obviously, I've accepted the nomination as Madam Chair for the commission. I hope I can do as good of a job as Mrs. Stevens and Mr. October 5th. I appreciate that you all have agreed to your appointments and look forward to my remaining time working with you all. I think we're all anticipating great things from our youth member recruitment committee. We've seen great things from our two youth members when what they've done so far and how involved they've been. Uh our youth recruits uh have done a lot with the historic preservation. If you've ever been to one of our tents, the events are are always there helping out. So now I would like to invite one of our youth commissioners to lead us in the pledge of allegiance. Miss, you be so kind.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America to the republic for it stands one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. All right. If we have a approval of our minutes from the last meeting on December 4th, anybody have anything to add to this? I'll motion for approval.

Been done. Pardon the interruption. It had been done on this Senate agenda previously. I realized what that stood for but didn't fight it. Is a motion, a second, and then a vote of approval, or is it done just by consent? Everybody agrees? In the past, if there's no changes or additions, deletions, then if all agree, it's just by consent.

By consent. All right. Right. And uh do we have any public comment in the in the room or online tonight? Uh, are there any individuals in the audience who would like to make comment at this time? And are there any individuals online who would like to make comment? Please use the raised hand feature if you would like to to speak at tonight's meeting. Madam Chair, I see no raised hands.

Very good. Um, we'd like to get some news and updates from the Wildwood Historical Society. Madam Chair, I'm going to be standing in for Jill Hong Gruben tonight, but she did type up some comments for me to read to you. Uh Jill says, "Thanks to everyone who braved the frigid temperatures to attend the historical society's holiday open house in December. We enjoyed sharing food and tours with all of you. Uh Wildwood Historical Society has made changes to our monthly newsletter that HPC might be interested in. New features include Route 66 based on the calendar. Uh, Wildwood preservation lists each month um, structures and properties that have been recognized either via the cities or the National Park Services register of historic places. Um, and they're also doing a lost structures of Wildwood section as well. And so with the last couple of issues, January featured Mary Cliff and February will feature the Pond Hotel. Uh she noted that another monthly feature to the newsletter is celebrating USA 250.

All right. Under old business, we have uh several items that are ready for action. Starting with the historic preservation plan update, our second draft review. Madame Chair, members of the commission, uh I'm just going to give a brief introduction tonight, but we do have Marsha Bole with MIG here to present to you. Um, as you may recall, the department um discussed when we were presenting this matter to you in December uh that we had delayed um producing that first full draft um due to some sub substantive changes that the department recommended um after its review of the plan. Uh so those changes have been folded in and you have the full plan uh before you this evening. So, I'm going to go ahead and promote U Miss Boille and she will review that with you. Do note that February 4th is the deadline for submitting comments on that first full draft. Uh the reason we need it by February 4th is because MIG will be folding those comments into um the plan prior to the virtual openhouse event um which we are planning for Wednesday, February 18th from 5:30 to 7. So, please mark your calendars. Hello everybody. You able to hear me, Robin?

You sound great. We can hear you.

We can. Okay. Awesome. Uh, thanks for having me tonight. It's great to virtually see you. Um, I think because you all have the draft plan, it sounds like in front of you in your packets. Um, I'll just reference some page numbers rather than share my screen so that you can kind of follow along. Um, and I know you have a long agenda tonight. So, I'm planning to spend about 10 minutes doing an overview of the document and then happy to take any questions. Um, and then like Robin said, we'll have the next couple weeks for you to review the draft content. Um, provide any comments or suggestions. will incorporate those and then be hosting that February 18th event. Um we hope you can all attend that. It'll be virtual, but we'll be planning both kind of presentation and discussion with some polling activities and other things to make it really interactive and hope to get good attendance from the community and get some feedback there so we can then incorporate that um leading up to essentially um around like late uh April, early May for plan adoption. So, it'll move fast here. Um, but we want to make sure to incorporate your comments and incorporate community comments before we get to that point. So, the draft that you have in front of you tonight, um, as Robin mentioned, has gone through, um, an different iteration now. We, um, have changed actually quite a bit of the structure from what you saw initially in the outline that we provided last year. So, it does look a little bit different now. We'll kind of walk through some of those changes. Um the other key thing we've tried to do here is to make sure that the recommended strategies are ones that are implementable in the next 10 years. Um there's of course a lot of stuff that you could do beyond these and beyond 10 years, but want to make sure that what is shown as kind of this 0 to 10year period of actions feels realistic and feels like things that you all plus others in the community can help implement. So, as you review this over the next couple weeks, that is kind of a key question for you to keep in mind is

do the strategies um and the goals within this this first 10-year period feel achievable? Are there things that you might question and want to move into different, you know, whether it's 0 to 5 years or 6 to 10 years or beyond 10 years? Um and then are there things that you feel like are currently shown in the 10 plus years that should be brought forward. So keep that kind of um prioritization question in mind. We want really want to make sure that we're getting your input on that and um calibrating this accordingly. Um so diving into the document on the first page um we'll have the table of contents just so you can kind of orient yourself. Um the main new chapter for you to be reviewing if you're only able to review one chapter in the next couple weeks is chapter 4. And that's what we'll kind of focus on tonight. The other chapters do have some information you've already seen, but there is some new content. So, if you're able to review the whole thing, we obviously appreciate any time you're able to dedicate to this and comments that you're able to provide. Um, so getting into chapter 1, um, which starts starts on page four, there's some general introductory content, um, and information there. The history of Wildwood section that um is the second section there and is a few pages long essentially provides a highle context of the city. It does not get into the level of detail that um the celebrate the history of Wildwood book gets into but it does kind of place Wildwood in different contexts um in different periods of time essentially um and gives a little bit more information about um where it fit in the regional context and the national context and beyond. So that's the purpose of that chapter or that section. Um and that actually ends on page seven with a little bit of demographic information. Um to kind of map how the city has changed and grown a lot over the past 30 years. So trying to end with

that to um emphasize that you know while the city has only been incorporated for those years there's been a lot of history that we need to keep in mind as we um kind of move forward in the the advancement of the preservation program. Moving on from there we have a little bit about the background of the preservation program in Wildwood. Um then the benefits of historic preservation. I'm sure most of you know these benefits already, but making sure this is in the introduction so that anyone reading this kind of understands the purpose of preservation. Um, and then that chapter ends with navigating the document. So, page 11 has a short description of each chapter so that you know kind of where to go to find different pieces of information in this document. Chapter two is focused on the plan development. Um, so really outlining what's been happening over the past year. Um, this is kind of a high-level engagement summary. There's more detailed engagement um that comes later, but this is kind of a highle summary of who's been involved um key pieces of con of feedback that we've received um and how that's then being folded into draft plan or plan content and how to advance the preservation program. There's a few kind of visuals um to map some of these things and the key um priorities that people are noting, places of interest. Um so those are included there on page 17 um 16 and 17 and then the vision goals and strategic actions are introduced on page 18 and that's really the kind of key piece of content um again for chapter 4 that is the new piece that you haven't seen um and that is really how to advance the program. But the introduction to those elements is is starts in this chapter. Um on page 19 there's a strategic framework diagram to kind of show you how these all fit together. So the vision elements are shown in green. These are meant to be kind of the um north star for any preservation action that's happening and those are described in more detail on

page 20. Um and then the goals that we have kept within this 10-year time frame are listed on page 19 um in that diagram. So there's three that you can see that are place specific, four that are people based, and then within each of those goals, um you'll see in chapter 4 when we get there, that each of those has one or more short-term actions, um or strategies and then one or more medium-term. Um so that's referring to the length of time. So recommending essentially um here we've shown the total number. So 16 strategies to be accomplished within the first 5 years after it's adopted and then another 15 to be the focus and years 6 through 10. So um there's always a lot more that could happen, but again we want to be really realistic and what is feasible to accomplish within those first 10 years. Um there's more included in the appendex which we can refer to at the end of this um kind of walkthrough that if you finish everything that's listed um in chapter 4 within those first 10 years, you can always bring in more actions into your work plans that you do annually. Um but this is really trying to whittle it down to what um is realistic within those first 10 years. Um the rest of chapter 2 kind of again gives the high level of each of those plan elements. that's the focus for the document. Um, and then chapter 3 is essentially a revised version of the existing conditions report that we produced last year. Um, there's a lot of the same content, but what we've added to this chapter um are some call outs and key opportunity areas. The first one of those is on page 24. Um, and basically it's taking that existing conditions information, doing the analysis to say, you know, based on this information, what could happen next? And that's really the tie between the existing conditions in chapter 3 and then chapter 4 where we have kind of the

new actions um that we're recommending. So um as you go through this chapter, you'll see those specific callouts and key opportunity areas um kind of woven into the narrative of the existing conditions. So we'll kind of skim through that chapter since you've seen most of that already. Um chapter 4 starts on page 41. Again, this is the um the new content and how to advance the preservation program overall. Um page 41 includes an introduction to all of the elements that are included in there. I've already sort of noted the um short-term, medium-term uh strategies in this chapter. They are colorcoded. Um right now, I'll mention to we are formatting in Word just for content creation. Um, after we get your feedback, we do intend to put this into a graphic document um that will still have the same narrative but include a lot more callouts, a lot more images, links, that sort of thing. So any kind of formatting you're seeing here, like this color coding of the strategies will be preserved as it moves into the true formatted version. Um, but for now, we're keeping this in word document for easy kind of review as you go through. So, in each of the goals, um, again, there are seven goals that we have in this 0 to 10 year time frame. Um, and we'll just kind of go through them briefly. I'm not going to read all of the strategies for you can do that over the next couple weeks. Um, but on page 42, for instance, you'll see that the goal is at the top of the page. And then the strategies we're recommending happen within the first 5 years are shown in green. the ones that are um that six to 10 year time frame are shown in the kind of peach color. So again trying to prioritize what's happening at different time frames here and that's um you know a mix of best practice on what should happen first. Um kind of stacking things sequentially to make sure that those

make sense. Um also things that just take longer will show up in the 6 to 10 year time frame. um and just kind of thinking through the priorities we've heard from the community and from you all and from staff as well. So, there's a lot that kind of went into figuring out what is shown as green right now and what's shown as peach. Um but we are also open to um changes to that if you feel like there's something shown um in green that you're thinking that's actually going to take a lot longer than 0 to 5 years. Let's talk about shifting that or vice versa. If there's something you think that should really be the priority in the first 5 years, let's talk about shifting it forward. And if we do that kind of shift forward, also think about is there something that should be shifted to a medium-term action. So kind of that moving around is something that we definitely want you to take a look at as you review. Um these also have a set of long-term strategies. Um page 43 has the example of long-term strategies for goal one. Um but again, these are past the 10-year time frame. We're not intending that these happen within the length of this um this plan, but wanted to note them as things that if you do happen to finish the for instance in goal one, the four strategies to implement this, you could consider looking at those 10 10 plus year strategies. Um, so those seven goals are basically the rest of chapter 4 here and all follow the same structure that goes through um page 54 and the the appendices kind of finish out the document. And the one set of appendices or one piece of the appendices I want to mention um is the last section which is the long-term goals. Um that starts on page 62. Um, as we've worked through different iterations of this, these were additional goals we felt like these are important. These are things that would advance the city's preservation program. But because of a variety of reasons and because of the

the importance of prioritizing, these have ended up in the appendix of these are things to think about 10 plus years out. Um but again as you review if there's something you feel like actually that should be um in our 0 to 10 year time frame let's talk about that but figure out kind of how we're swapping things out um and making sure we have good reason for making those swaps. So there's more content in that kind of last section of the appendix. Um but right now we're kind of mentioning that as something that's an additional piece that could happen after kind of the implementation of this over the next 10 years. Um, so I think that's the kind of highlevel runthrough of the document. Um, again, we're really looking for any comments that you want to provide over the next couple weeks. You can send those to Robin and she'll get them to us. Um, but really would like you to focus on chapter four if you only have time to review one chapter um to make sure that you feel like these are advancing the preservation program um and are things that you're excited about and things that um you feel that HPC can help implement over the next 10 years. I think I'll pause and just see if there's any clarifying questions about what we're asking you to do over the next couple weeks or about the document in general. Happy to provide any more detail if that's helpful. I have a question. Um, Marcia, I know you've done this for other communities and and and I appreciate the fact that you've got ties here. So, you bring that extra passion, I think, to the project here, but what do you see as what Wildwood has to offer that's unique compared to maybe some of your other projects that you've done? Um, I guess in other words, what are what are our strengths and um to the exclusion of what you've seen in other cities?

Yeah, that's a great question. Um, I think a really interesting thing of wild about Wildwood that I um knew a little bit of growing up there, but maybe not as much until I started this project is the number of stories that are kind of threaded in the history of the community. Um, and you'll see in the goals that we're really trying to capture those and enhance a lot of those. you're doing a great job already kind of working on some of those with some of the recent nominations and awards and things and we think that there's room to celebrate that and build on that. Um the other piece that you're doing really well and again there's always room to kind of keep improving is um involving youth in your historic preservation program um in this commission but in other kind of outreach events and stuff. I think some communities try that and don't commit themselves as much to it. And I think you guys have really done a good job of that um over the past few years. And so we're trying to recognize that through this plan, but also then find ways to um enhance that. I think one of the challenges we've heard is just getting more people involved in the preservation program. And obviously getting youth involved and excited about this type of program is a great way to get more people that are from multiple generations involved in the preservation program. And so that again is kind of one of the key goals that's risen to the top in that 0 to 10 year time frame to make sure that you're building the next set of preservationists in the community. So doing a lot of great things already and we want to make sure this plan celebrates those things but then kind of builds on them and make sure that we advance it even further over the next 10 years. Be a raised hand.

Oh yeah. Yeah. Go ahead. Yeah, cool question. Um, what's the best way for us to submit comments? Is it going through the or is it diving into the word and comment? Robin, what's Yeah, what's easiest for you, Robin, to consolidate comments? Is it um best to just send them via email like through the PDF um or to comment directly like track changes in the word document if you sent that out um virtually? I don't know if you sent the the word document as well.

I did not. Uh but that is something I can do for the commission. If you would like to go line by line and do track changes, I can send the word document of this. Um, and then you can just go in um through a word document. Uh, ultimately, please send all of your comments to me and I'll compile them and send them on to Marsha. Yeah. And I would say go ahead and do it. It's fine.

Yeah. And the one thing I'd add, however you decide to do it, um if you just ma basically to make sure that you're um commenting specifically on something um within a page, even if you like if you're just sending email comments for instance, make sure you note the page and then the like strategy number or something to give us context of what you're referring to so that we're not trying to guess kind of where your comment applies. So, if you're able to do track changes or comment directly in the Word document or PDF, that's even better because it's tagged directly to something specific. Any other questions or comments for the time

and maybe go ahead. Yes, for for Marsha, I had been thinking ahead and it turned out you already had it covered under blue goals, longer term goals. So, I got up to chapter seven and they're sitting there what I thinking about the only thing that struck me was that while I thought of them, I wondered where are these things before I knew that you had a chapter 7. I go where capacity where is dovetailing with priorities with the city what is sure building legitimacy and and validity as cause that's equal to others in in the city

it's all right there but it's longer term I think it ought to be getting its hooks in and making a pest of itself early on sure so you've done this before you know that it obviously has to have been and the better part of Allard to put it in as number seven instead of number one A. Um, so explain to me better than I already understand it why I was wrong and it should be put off as a loaner and not getting in on on the ground floor.

Sure. I mean, I think there's validity in all of the pieces that are both in chapter 4 and then in the appendix. Um, and so it is still a conversation. This is a draft, right, until it's until it's adopted. Um, but I think there are pieces of the first seven goals that we feel like would really drive the program forward further. Um, we also know that through the current master planning effort too, you guys have representation um, and through the liaison and things, you have representation in other citywide efforts and kind of concurrent planning processes. So, we're glad to see that already and recognize that in chapter 3 in the existing conditions. Um, and felt like because you're doing some of that already um and we assume that will continue, we wanted to kind of elevate some of these other components that we feel like could really enhance the program um farther and faster um versus kind of putting that administrative piece uh first. But again, it's all open for discussion. So, please definitely send that comment. Um, and something we can consider as we kind of integrate your comments and then work towards the February 18th public meeting.

Thank you.

Yeah. And I guess too, just because I mentioned the public meeting, um, we're going to be working with Robin and Joe over the next couple weeks of the structure of that meeting, um, testing out the technology, making sure all of that is set up and ready to go. Um, we would again love for you guys to be in attendance and if anybody is interested in helping at all anymore with kind of polling, if we do breakout groups, any of that, um, just let us know and we are happy to kind of incorporate whoever is interested in doing that. Or if you just want to come as an attendee, um, and be there virtually in that way too, that's that's more than fine. But definitely spread the word so we can get lots of um, attendees at that meeting. I would just like to emphasize that we have two weeks um to get those comments from you. So, you have two weeks to review and then again uh supply those comments to me via email. I'll make sure to send out the word version uh first thing tomorrow for those who would like to do track changes. Um, but if you would like to do general comments, just make sure like as Marca emphasized that you tag it u via page number or reference what you're commenting on that.

Or can we put the comments in the document itself rather than track changes?

Yes. Okay. Anything you would like to do. The point is you'll have that word document if you'd like to manipulate the document and send it back to me. Um, or if you want to do general comments, that's fine, too. Um Debbie um so when you're talking about some of the future ideas and working with different say departments within wild is that outlined in this document so that we know pretty much what you know what things we can have help with through other departments and what things we c we have to do on our own. Yeah, that's a that's a great question. Um, there is the start of some of that, but that is certainly something we need to build out a little bit further. Um, and that's not just within city departments, that's also externally. Um, so things like I'm I'm on page 45 right now and the first action there says to partner with the Department of Conservation. So that's immediately identifying another group that needs to be part of that particular action. Um because to your point, the intent of this plan is not that just those sitting around the table right now in the room are the ones implementing. The intent is that you are maintaining the plan, but you are working with people across the city, across the community, and even further um to make sure that this is um implemented. So if there as you're reading it, if there are organizations that you think, hey, this would be a great partner for this particular action, um make note of that. and we can add that as we go. Um, right now this is all in the word document. Um, one thing we often do just to accompany um, the plan document but be a kind of a tracking mechanism for the HPC and staff is to once this is all done to transfer it into an Excel document so that you can kind of maintain status um, of each of the items and keep notes and

conversations and all of that. Um so we can definitely do that and then also be noting who are the key partners for each of the actions so that you know it's not just um the HPC and staff that are implementing

any other comments. Well, thank you so much Marcia. Yeah, thank you all. appreciate you uh listening to the overview and look forward to getting your comments in the next couple weeks. Now, we're going to move on to the National Underground Railroad Network Freedom Update.

Madam Chair, members of this commission, uh as you are aware, we have been working hard towards the designation of two sites in Wildwood uh to the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. one has officially received designation and Doris Keven Frankie is here to give her final report on the Missouri River Escape at House Ferry uh site uh this evening. Um so we're very excited about that. Um and we'll be working on a press release uh for that shortly that we'll want to strategically time uh with some of our African-American Heritage Trail uh initiatives. Um, additionally, Ellen Riker, and I went ahead and promoted her in case she wanted to give a a quick update, uh, but she has submitted, um, a nomination application to the National Park Service for her project, uh, which is the United States Colored Troops Freedom Seekers. And, uh, currently that's under review by Barry Jurgensson, who is our primary contact with the National Park Service. Um, so I don't know if Ellen you wanted to share some quick updates before I turn it over to Doris Keven and Frankie to give her final presentation.

Hello everyone. Um, no big updates at this point. just uh as Robin had said um basically have finished the narrative and um all the documentation that we needed to get this uh rolling and it we've I've submitted it to Barry to take a look at uh to provide any input um or suggestions uh that we might want to make before we make it final in March. So, um, I'm hoping everything looks great and I'm hopeful to hear from Barry next week regarding his review. Thank you.

All right. Uh, without further ado, I'm going to share some slides. By the way, I've been rude. If you'd like some water or soda or coffee, help yourself. We forgot to mention it at the start. sit in your refrigerator if you want water and soda.

Ready? Robin said um we have been officially um accepted. Um I wanted to see I I've pretty sure that we do have in our packets tonight um the copy of the submission and the report. Correct. Yes. Okay. Correct. And Robin said 1015 minutes and 55 pages in 1015 minutes. I'll talk fast. Okay.

Okay. Um I I sent her four slides just to briefly explain the Missouri River Ferry Crossing um being accepted on the um National Underground Railroad and exactly what that is. We all know that a and department of interior is what administers the national park service. Everybody knows what a national register um res um significant property national register listing is. And um I've done those and let me tell you doing a national underground railroad submission is twice as hard. It's a lot easier to stand there and describe a building and how many windows it's got and document with deeds who built it, but try to document a story that happened totally in secrecy. And that's what this took. And it centers around the communities of St. Charles County and St. Louis County. And they're very very similar in the in the sense that at the 1800s and the beginning of the 1800s, we were both being settled. The Long family, the Tylers, the Coleman's, all of those were, of course, on their side of the river, but there were howls on both sides. And the Howls had come at the same time as the Boone family that you all know and the Zoom Walt family out in St. Charles. Now, our laws governing slavery in Missouri were the same black code that had administered slavery and behavior and control of slaves in Virginia in 1800. because by the time of statehood that was who the people were. But it's important to understand that by the 18s and30s and 1840s both of our sides of the river experienced a large influx of German immigrants. And it's because of those German immigrants that

we were having a lot more push back. Missouri was a slave state with a lot of Union people in it because most Germans wore allegiance to the Union faction and anti-slavery. They also worked a lot as um abolitionist and they held meetings and they did push back and they they did a lot during this time period. Now by 1850 all of that had been pushed back and forth and 1850 the laws were becoming even stricter and permitting slavery in the sense that if a slave um had left his enslaver, if he had done something for freedom and he had tried to um escape. Well, the thing was by law, anybody helping him or abetting him or doing anything to help him is also subject to a lot of punishment as well. They were required by law to return them to their enslaver. That's important for you to understand and remember tonight. So, I'm going to take you back. I don't remember what four slides I sent. Um these are the glossery of the national underground railroad. We hesitate to use the word slave. Slave is a noun. Slave denotes property and enslaved is a verb. These people's lives made them what they were. and as property. It as is a as the term slave and as property, it is so demeaning. And that's one of the things that I love about the National

Underground Railroad is the glossery that they um suggest that we use. Now what had happened here starts on a night in January in 1863 very very similar tonight very cold and what has happened is an enslaved man named Archer had been visiting his wife and he had overheard a meeting of secessionists in the back room of the general store at Naylor Store. This is in St. Charles County. It's a place called Darden. Today, you all know it as Darden Prairie. You might even think of Wing Haven, but it's this side of Wing Haven and it's past Cuddleville. And he is visiting his wife and he overhears a conversation where they are plotting to destroy a Union um railroad bridge. They um want to saw the timbers. They have guns and ammunitions stored in order to when the bridge collapses because of the weight of the next train when the bridge collapses they're going to attack. So this is what he overhears about which is something that you know we all ask ourselves what would you do in such a situation and this enslaved man went and informed because these were Germans the Union troops and they were stationed at what is called Fort Peroo which is about um it's west of failen and it's east of Wville in St. Charles County just on the north side of Interstate 70 and that's where

this bridge is. This fort had been erected the year before just to preserve protect the railroad. It's a vital link. Across this bridge goes Union troops, supplies, money, food. This is an important link and Archer knows it. He risks. He takes a chance and he informs. He returns home. He nobody knows who is the informant. However, the Union Army does discover just as he has said that there are are arms and ammunition stored at Captain Campbell's house. Well, this gives credence to his report. Well, what happened next for the next month is very important to this whole story. At that point, no one knew exactly who was the informant. Everybody is living in fear. The community is in turmoil. one slave um an enslaved man from the Mccclure household had actually um been beaten the week before and had died from his beating. Everybody is in turmoil and Archer has learned that they are scouting to different properties and farms and they are interrogating and they are looking for the informant. He learns this and he sets out. Now he falls in with some other men who are also just like him trying to escape what's about to happen. Everybody is suspect. Everybody is being questioned. They are looking for the traitor.

And he falls in with other men from the Bates family, the Mccclure family. and he is enslaved by the Pitman family. Now they go down on February 15th to the Missouri River at what is on that side of the river is called the How's Ferry. It's called the How's Ferry on this side of the river too. Earlier on in the earlier 1800s, it had sometimes even been revi referred to as the Cotleville landing. Cotleville was founded in 1837, but Daniel Boon and them, as you know, have been there since 1799 and so have the Howls. And the Howls have owned this land, and they've owned the land on both sides. The other family that's mentioned in all of this is the Bates family. And the Bates family is the same family that you know is Frederick Bates, lived at Thornhill here on this side of the river, had died here. He his brother is named Edward Bates. He lives in Darden. He's a very key component to this whole story. He is Lincoln's attorney general during this time period. And um these families are all a mix. Sometimes people are what's called hay stackers. They're referred to someone who looks like or gives appearance as being on one side but is really on the other. This is Missouri at that time. So these men on a cold February night, February 15th, on a night with very little light have headed to the river. supposedly um there are 16 of them and these 16 men have taken and and oops

I'm going the wrong way and gone down to the river where supposedly a white man has has has secured a boat for them to help them get across. This is the um house where um the guns were stored. Now, supposedly a white man had enticed them in order to um do all this. I don't think it took much enticement with what was going on in the community at that time. Um that you had to uh flee for your life or else be beat. And they wanted to know who was the informant. They were angry. But this crossing had been used for a number of years. I have reports from as early as the 1840s and 50s of enslaved people using this as a route into St. Louis County. So they come across the river at 3:00 a.m. on a Sunday night and um they make their way across. They make their way up what is today's Olive Street Road. What they're doing is heading towards St. Louis and they are trying to reach St. Louis and they are caught. They're caught by what is locally called a slave patrol. These are people that take it upon themselves a vigilantic committee to capture fugitives, slaves, people seeking their freedom. And they are captured by them and probably about the place along uh Olive Street Road

where u maybe Hog Hollow was. They're making their way to St. Louis. Normally a man in a in a wagon could make his way because this was also a farm to um Market Road. Olive Street Road went from here all the way down to Market Street in St. Louis and they were using that route and they were going that way. And when they're captured, they're all taken back to a um two-story in Roadhouse at the fairy landing. Miraculously, um Archer Alexander is able to escape that and escape from it. The whole story is in your packets. and um he is able to escape. This is documentation to the story in the sense of this newspaper article tells the story from a reporter and a written up in what it would be considered a secessionist newspaper. You had newspapers that were pro union and proconfederate. And they have said how at 3:00 when they crossed the river a number of citizens hearing of that fact just passed a ma um messenger to the masters to um take them. The Bates family Frederick Bates's Thornhill by that time his widow has remarried and moved away. He has two elder sons. I've corresponded a lot with um FA Park, Thornhill, the historians there, and there supposedly was no

slaves um there at Thornhill at that time. I don't know if anybody from this side had joined into it. The um the fugitives, the freedom seekers had confessed that they had been induced to leave by a white man and gave the name. newspaper doesn't tell the name. Of course, I can't document exactly um who has supposedly done this, but like I said, if you know the whole story and you know why they're running and and what has happened previously, it explains the story a lot better. And um this is just one of the incidents that we've been able to document because that is the um part about the National Underground Railroad that I really like is everything. It's not just a story. It's not hearsay. It's not legend. It's not somebody's saying. It is actual events that can be documented. So they um Archer Alexander did go on and um he did um make it to St. Louis. I will tell you that he made his way to St. Louis. He was taken in by a um abolitionist named William Greenleaf Elliot, founder of Washington University. And he's also a Unitarian minister. and William Greenleaf Elliot took him into his home. He rece he got an order of protection to keep him there. But even while he was there, um his enslaver came to retrieve his property, beating him and putting him in the Confederate jail. He would have been sold south if he hadn't been rescued

again. But he's been able to tell his story. A military commission actually provides the documentation of what what he had done, who had done and who was involved. And all of that tells a story of what happens when somebody has crossed at the Missouri River Halls Ferry. He um achieved his freedom September 23rd, 1863. He hired a German to retrieve his wife and children from um their enslaver. This is all afterwards and brings her to St. Louis by 1876 cuz in 1865 Abraham Lincoln had been assassinated at the end of the Civil War as we all know. And in 1876 a monument was placed in Washington DC. That monument had been by all the formerly enslaved and raised as a memorial to Lincoln. This is essentially the very first Lincoln memorial before 1922. And the figure on that monument in Washington DC is Archer Alexander. So your story here, that night, that crossing, this is your history. And I just wanted to share that with you all so that everybody understood it's not just a project. It's not just a bunch of research. It's a real story that really happened right here.

It's fantastic. Thank you. You questions. Do I have time for questions? Yes, Elijah Madison and Stapleton Madison. That was a whole different group of guys that joined the Union Army. That's two different with different stories. What's a different story? The story about That's a whole different story, a whole different date, a whole different group of people. That's why it's two separate projects. All right. Well, thank you so much. Thank you. Hopefully people go through it. It's already

It was announced at two o'clock this afternoon. I didn't know if Robin knew that. What? On the on Facebook it was announced at 2 o'clock. There's a web a Facebook page for the Underground Railroad. Oh, that's fantastic. And at 2 o'clock it came out. I uh shared it. I tried to tag you because the National Park Service and the National Underground Railroad um is under scrutiny a lot lately and um it's difficult for different things to to take place that we'd all like to see take place. But so thank you. Thank you. Thank you again.

You keep talking. Well, thank you, Doris. And uh also thank you, Doris, for bringing my attention to uh the St. Louis area history showcase in June. Uh St. Louis County Parks and St. Louis Regional History Organizations are organizing this showcase uh set for June 6th from 10:00 a.m. to 400 pm at Jefferson Barrack's Historic Site at the park in celebration of America's 250th birthday. Though presently uh the organizers of this event are putting out a call to all area history organizations to ask us if we would like to table at the event. Uh Doris will be there as well um on the uh National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom project. So we can probably piggyback some flyers um for our African-American history initiatives with Doris. Um, but I'm also proposing that this commission consider fitting its own table maybe along with the Wildwood Historical Society and having a a Wildwood centric presence at the showcase. Um, so if this commission is interested in that this evening, uh, the department would certainly um be requesting your feedback and endorsement. Interested. We'll go ahead and reach out to the organizations and, uh, read the uh, reserve a table for us. Could you maybe send an email out to everyone and have everybody give you their individual input about availability and do that?

Well, yes. If this commission wants to do that, let's agree on that first, then I'll go ahead and organize accordingly. I think we should be there, you know, maybe at least some a few of us hopefully

the interested parties. Yeah, I vote that we go. Yeah. anyone like to and I'll second that. Okay. All right. Yeah. So, can you send out some more like direct information to everybody and then they can just like mark their calendars, whatever? We'll do. Is there a cost for us to go? It's free. Just bring promotional materials and uh it'll be an opportunity also for us to network with other area organizations as well. So, I think that's another value to attending and putting our presence out there. Now, would this be something we could get our brownie points for? Like, you know, we're supposed to get our history points.

I I don't know that this would qualify for that. Unless there's a, you know, an approved presentation at the showcase somewhere. I'm not sure what what types of activities they might have.

Okay. Um, but I I think it's more about again it's it's putting our presence out there in the community, introducing uh the area to Wildwood History, promoting our Route 66 events, and also um hopefully networking with some other organizations that might be able to help us in our work as well. Uh finally under this item um I'd just like to announce that the state historic preservation office has put out another call uh for the historic preservation fund. So that is still alive and well. Um so this would be for the 2026 fiscal year. Uh they're anticipating awarding around 400,000 this year. Um individual awards are generally capped at 50,000 and uh SHIPA will usually um supply 60% of the project budget and then the city needs to match that 40%. So that's what we're doing presently with our citywide historic preservation plan. Um the historic preservation fund is funding that 60% and then the city of Wildwood is funding the other 40. Uh so what we'd like to propose is in this round we go ahead and submit an application for our African-American history trail initiative uh because we are proposing that we kick that off this fall and that will um necessitate the development of a master plan uh for that initiative. So if we can get that 60% funded um then we're well on our way uh for that project. Um, so if this commission would like to endorse us to move forward with that, uh, then we'll go ahead and start the pre-application process, um, following this meeting.

Yeah, sure. Motion already, please. That would be wonderful. Did you motion for it, Jab? Second. Second to take a vote for that. Yeah, madam chair, if we can call for the vote. Oh, okay. Spread the vote part. I know the vote. All right, everybody in favor. I All right. Thank you.

Yeah, we're going to We have some speakers here at the JB Council House. We're going to move them up on the uh agenda so they can speak next. Madam chair, if I may, the gentleman that's been in that is attending tonight is Terry Gruie. Christine Grewy and him now are owners of the JP Codle House and property associated with it. Mr. Guey and his sister Dean have been working through some ideas about the incentive package that would further the restoration and retention of JP Connell House. So to Mr. Guru, thank you for being here tonight.

Yes. Thank you, Madam Chair, for letting me make a few comments.

Thank you for having me. I'd like to start tonight with the ask. The ask is I'm asking that a motion be made in a second and then you all unanimous unanimously approve what I'm proposing tonight. And here is why few things have been mentioned and some will say it's karma. I don't believe in karma but I do believe in the Holy Spirit. And the reason that I'm here tonight, tonight instead of next month or whatever, I have to give it up to the Holy Spirit because I'm sitting here and I'm looking at this information, 10ear plan, 20ear plan. Forget about that. Tonight, you guys can make a significant difference in the city of Wildwood. Not 10 years from now, not 20 years from now. Tonight. Robin just mentioned the 40% match that the city matches the grant. There's not a gold tree that grows in the city of Wildwood. Those are tax dollars. That 40% are your tax dollars and mine. My proposal asks for nothing. Not even the stuff on page 58 and 59 of this person who was on who the city's paying with our tax dollars to come up with a plan. You guys know the commercial. They're in there talking about practice. You guys have all seen that. I'm not talking about practice. I'm talking about reality. I'm talking about action. Something that can happen tonight with your guys vote. No tax dollars. And here's how it happens. First, I think we should look at this report on page four. This is awesome.

I quote from page four. The National Park Service defines historical preservation as a conversation with our past about our future. The past is this house was built in 1910. The past is that the great magazine that I saw when I came in here tonight, 100 years of Route 66. Well, during this 100 years of Route 66, instead of people that are driving that historic route, seeing the demolition of this house that was built in 1910, how about let's give them a reason to pause on not the tax dollars dime, but on the owner of this property's dime, my dime. It's a win-win. This house was built in 1910. The facts are that the people who own the house originally, I will not say their names. They're very wealthy, extremely wealthy family from St. Louis. I know them well. I consider them friends. They're developers. They do great. They bought those uh three corners to develop. They decided not to. They left. Somebody else, which is all in the packet here, showed up, put under contract, and delayed the demolition of the property. Another folks came along, delayed it even further. Why would somebody want to demolish this 1910 treasure? I'll tell you why. Because of liability. That's why I've been very fortunate in my professional career of 40 years to develop real estate

all over the country, restaurant, office, warehouse, you name it. I didn't know that Mr. Voonage was going to reference our crown jewel, which is Gravo Bluffs in the South County area. If you ever go out there and you wonder what those streets are named after, you see a Annie G. Blaine, a Kate, a Jack, an Anthony. I named them after my children. And then when I ran out out of children, I named them after my nieces and nephews. We're very proud of that. We're proud to be good neighbors. And we want to be a good neighbor here. Let's talk about how we got involved with this piece of property. I lived out in this area before Wildwood existed. A group of people got together and said, "This would be a great idea. Let's preserve this area. Okay. I voted for it. Now, Joe Vunage and I have known each other a long time. I've matured.

What do we say?

Because it wasn't always rosy and sweet. I was development, development, development. I had multiple pieces of property under contract in this town. I had Target. I had Lowe's. Sign letter of intents to come to this community only to be told no. Okay, those are the rules. So, I moved on. Our family farm is on Pond Road has 60 acres there. It's uh deed restricted in perpetuity for our children's. I love this area and I want to keep it beautiful. How I came about this, I have cattle. My son to my two sons and our three daughters have a goal to have our beef featured on the smokehouse and Andy Guns restaurant menu. We've been breeding cattle for over 30 years with that goal. We haven't perfected it yet, but we're going to. So, I'm looking for more pasture ground. I'm driving all over Wildwood to find more pasture ground. I see this piece of ground here. Went on the county records, found out who owned it. I knew exactly who the people were. I could have called them up. I chose not to. I wrote them a letter and said, "I'm interested in the property." Of course, as soon as they opened the letter, they knew exactly who I was, but they responded in the same intent that I made. It's a business deal. They sent back what they would take for the property. I agreed and we purchased the property January the 9th. Okay. Looking into the historic value of this property. And now I'm getting back to the liability. We can't forget the liability. With all of the real estate still owned by my partners and myself, which are my brothers and sisters and my mother, we have access to every insurance market there is.

We can't find one insurance carrier that will insure the house. Not one. Not the people who insure Gravo Bluff saying, "Hey, do us a favor." Nobody. So, the house is going to be torn down unless the city and all of their 10year and 20-year plan sees the wisdom of this, which is we're requesting R6A zoning for this portion. Now, if you add up the uh got to get my glasses on here, pardon me. You add up the five plus acres and the 10 acres, that's 15 acres. The whole parcel is only 14 acres. But since we don't have a definite plan, we want to give ourselves flexibility. One of the plans is to make this area, this four to five acre spot here, sort of a tourist attraction for all of the homes in the city of Wildwood that may be tore down. There's other historic homes that could be moved here and placed on a lot here. So, you're looking at the 1910 house and other homes, barns, whatever. We could utilize this area for that down the road. The first step other than securing insurance, which I have a binder for liability only for 30 days. Every 30 days, it's going to keep coming up. is $50,000 to preserve the asset. Not the city's money, not the state's money, my money. I'm going to invest $50,000 in preserving this asset. This is a win-win.

How many times, how many nights, how many hours have you dedicated to preservation of historic significance in the city of Wildwood? Tonight, you can make a difference and you can do it. You can save this house. What I'm telling you is a fact. You can meet me at my office. My cell phone number is 314-5814216. I'll show you everything I just said. We cannot get insurance. And I'm not going to risk everything that I've worked for because some high school kids decided to go in there and do something. I was a high school kid once, too. So, with that being said, the only thing you have to do to preserve this house, okay, is to give me the zoning here. Now, do I know what the plan's going to look like? No, I don't. Am I going to invest tens of thousands of dollars in coming up with a plan to try to convince you? No, I'm not going to do it. I've done this from Alvette, Missouri, city of St. Louis. You name the place, I've done it. What you do is you come up with an idea and then you spend all this money on all these experts, okay? Architects, engineers, designers, and the hundreds of thousands only at the end of the day to be villainized. Oh, Gruie got TIFF. Gruy got a community improvement district. He got all this. All I ever did was participate in the rules that were on the table for anybody. Anybody could have done it. I was successful in some places. In some places, I wasn't successful. Tonight is not a success for me. It's a success for the city of Wildwood. And all of your time that you've invested,

this parcel of ground, this 10 acres of ground is bordered by what? a highway. It's It's a noise factory. Whatever we do here, okay, if it's a structure of 10 foot or taller is going to be a buffer for everybody back here. That's a fact. I don't have to do a hire Vibert Tech who we use for our sound studies to prove that. We're all smart enough to know in this room if you put something up 10 foot tall on the other side it's going to be quieter than it was. Not to mention the landscaping and whether there's natural buffers here because of the highway rightway we can't touch all those cedars are already going to be preserved the way they are. I'll be happy to answer any questions. This is not If my wife was here, she'd say, "Terry, your tone is your delivery." Because I am that I am that guy. This isn't a threat. I can graze cattle there right now. Fence it and graze it. That's why I looked for it. And the people who decided to sell it, they're liquidating some things and I just happen to be at the right place at the right time. It'll be on with my goal. But I will not I will not carry that liability. I won't because there's worse things than a lawsuit. Let you eventually win. It's public perception. Terry Gruie knew better. He knew he shouldn't have had that abandoned house fist. He knew better. And those kids from Lafayette, Marquette, St. Louis University, dismet. It's called an attractive nuisance and I'm not going to have anything to do with that. So tonight, it's not Terry Gruie who's going to decide to keep that

house or tear it down. It's you guys. It's your decision. And if what you do is truly a passion, like Mike heard, if this is your passion to preserve historic value inside this city, it's a no-brainer because the city still gets to approve the plan. You're not giving me permission to do anything other than go and market it to somebody who can come up with a plan that the city of Wildwood will approve. Nob brainer. If I could make a motion, I'd make it right now. Any questions? I'll be happy to answer any questions. My favorite color is the color green. We can start there. I've been married for 34 years to the same woman who dated me for six years, so she knew everything about me. No surprises.

Is that Kate? Is she here? Kate? That's Kate Gy? That's That's my She's my favorite. People say you shouldn't say that about your children. You shouldn't say you have a favorite, but I've done it ever since she was about four years old because it gave all the rest of the kids something to aspire to be. You know, just be just like Kate. So, yeah. Or be pissed. I didn't know. Yeah. I guess some of my children are watching me tonight on the the Zoom or whatever that. So, Joe, that 10 acres he's referring to right now. What is that zone? Is that zone three acre minimums or what is it? Yes, it's zone nu non- urban resident district. So with 10 acres there's three lots there. Yeah. And and he's proposing to do one acre lots or what is his proposition

on a on a portion of it? The initial discussion I had with Mr. Gruie Robin and I we talked potentially about four to five one acre or so lots in this area right here vicinity of the JP Connell House and Mr. Gray made no bones about it. He said the rest would be R6A. That's a multiple family district. R6A is the most intense residential district the city has in its zoning ordinance, which means potentially, just do the simple math. 10 acres times 10 units per acre is 100 apartments. That's worst possible case scenario. It's the worst. And that's my job. Just as a

I understand. So, so what I'm what I'm seeing is Yeah, you're But you don't want the 10 acres to be three acres. I Now, what happened to your cattle? No more cattle.

I can find other places for cattle. I'm happy to do the cattle here, but when I've really The truth of the matter is, like I said, I've softened. I've matured. The idea that I would ever pass up the maximum opportunity to make I'm a capitalist. Okay. But I would ever pass up the opportunity to make the most money I possibly could on a piece of ground. That's what I did. I'm 62. I'm retired. This is uh where my our farm, our family farm is going to be here. My sister Christine has 100 acres in the city of Wildwood. I have uh 60 over on Pond Road. We're going to be here. So, this is an opportunity, but it's not an opportunity without cost. I mean, to rehab this house into something that would be livable or usable, it's $500,000. If it's a penny, I mean, there's a speestous inside this house. I mean, there's a lot of work here. I didn't go through all first phase one of $50,000. You have to put a roof on this. I mean, every single uh winter we get the 10 inches of snow. I've already tarped it. Okay. Hired people to go there. 3,500 bucks people to put tarps on the roof so it wouldn't just continue to get worse and worse and worse. But um get a roof on it so it can stay uh dry, get electric there so we can run dehumidifiers and we can run tools when we get approved to do what we're going to do. It's a process. I I should have done this. I really thought that Robin was going to do this, but

she got a lot on her plate. She got a lot on her plate. only the only reason why I thought that is because I know that when we discussed that you guys had taken pictures of the building before. So if you guys aren't familiar with the building, that's what I was going to ask. Is this a pro is this a building that as a committee we were going to go and look at for any reason? If you just show the front porch, can you do that, Robin? We've I think we've all been there. Oh, okay. Yes, we did visit the site when St. Alvin's properties submitted the demolition request. Okay.

And that's kind of what started this lengthy process. We were able to convince the owner at that time to delay the demolition while we tried to find either a potential buyer or some incentives that would entice them to move forward with restoration. Right there, rehabilitation, etc. Ultimately, there was an intervening um entity, the Wildwood Property Sanctuary, that I think had it under contract for a very, very short period of time

and then that fell through. And then as soon as that contract was no longer in place, St. Albert's properties came back and wanted to restart the process for the demolition. If I may, here is also a reason why again look I know what I'm doing when I'm you know it's kind like I'm putting the screws to you about if you have a passion for this I know you have a passion for this why you guys are here my intent is just to make sure that you understand the urgency and this is what this is here these columns right here on this house because there hasn't been a roof on that this column right here has been infiltrated with water. I don't know if it's going to be this winter, next winter, but the freeze thaw is destroying this. And you can't just go down to Central Hardware or Home Depot and get one of those columns. That's from the 1910. There's no reproducing what's there. And that's some of the neatest charm about this particular structure is the front porch. And I can't imagine what those folks did in 1910, but I know this, they saw every single car that went down Route 66, their vantage point there. So time is of the essence.

I mean, we've had my family has had a construction company for over 40 years. So there are timbers that could be mil to replace that type of a stone. Oh, that stone. Yes. It's not it's not what is the uh this will be a residence. What will be the use of the building? I don't know. And what what would it would be on four acres and what would the zoning of that be then? Oneacre lots. These this area this area would be 1acre lots. And how would that fit on how would the building fit on that then? Well, that would be something that we would work on together to make sure this has a prominent spot on those the property.

Well, he mentioned something about using that parcel to put other historic buildings on that we might get relocated there, which you know probably would not I don't see that as being a far-fetched idea. That might be a nice concept, but not for the tradeoff of apartments. Well, I think I love Joe Vunage, but 100 apartments, even Joe knows that's a stretch. Based on all the landscaping, all of the parking, and the MSD requirements, you wouldn't have 100 apartments there, right? It's just an example, but you but apartments would be what we'd be looking for. Yes,

there are a number of deducts that go into a development of a site. If it's not storm water management, it's our required public space. There's a a number of things, right? But if you want to, and I don't mean the term inappropriate, you want a gross number, it's around 100. And that's, as I explained to Mr. Guey in a recent text, it's a very difficult proposition and a proposition that the department is struggling with. Um, so from that point because that's all threeacre minimums out there, right? Certainly is. The only thing that breaks that pattern are any of the institutional uses and the Gleno post office, right?

And Tom Kelp's yard. Okay. Who knows Tom Kelp in this room? It was probably grandfathered in. Is that right? Well, that's a yes and a no. Part of it was and then the city of Wildwood expanded

uh their lot there. Tom Kelps, a personal friend of mine, was the best man in his wedding. Okay, but let's don't hold back here. It's a dust bowl. So, you have these three acre minimums of a house. Tell me somebody here who's going to invest in a threeacre house lot there, build a million, $2 million house with these factors, dust bowl, and an interstate. It's not going to happen. There are actually several houses on each side of Highway 100 that are a million plus that have just been built. Not Not this

that area. Not I beg to differ. Not with this setback. I drove up and down Highway 100 so I could find one one house that would be inside of this setback. I couldn't find it. Now, these houses back here are beautiful. They're beautiful houses. And there are houses along Highway 100. You can see, but they're further back than from here to here. What's You're saying that

I had that I didn't bring with me. I apologize. So, you're saying that property would be subdivided, that would be sold as a residence. What would be the future? How do we protect that house? What are you proposing there? the other there'd be other oneacre lots around the people could build houses on.

Well, that's what I was saying. We don't have a plan to present to you for that. But the city of Wildwood, and Joe can speak to this, they'll have the final say because they have to approve the plan. What I'm proposing is the House stays and for meetings on top of meetings on top of meetings on top of meetings, we'll figure out a way and a compromise on how we're going to use this zoning here. What plan do they have to approve? I mean, site plan, building materials, architectural.

No, I is for a house. I I didn't think uh the architectural review board had a uh had a review of residences. I think Mr. Gur is referencing the future multiple family development. Okay, that would be yes, but not for individual residences, but it would have to be res over here. We did the houses for town center. Town center. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. As someone who lives fairly close to that area, I I would be shocked if the residences would the people who live in that area, which is a beautiful area, it's beautiful, would approve of something like that.

And it's also setting a precedent for the rest of the area for something like that to happen again and again.

That's my understanding. So, I mean, I I just don't see where that would be feasible. A precedent comes with conditions. So if there are other tracks of ground in the city of Wildwood, I only know of 12 because Robin told me there's 12 other structures in the city of Wildwood that has historical relevance that could be on the national uh historical registry. 12. And I'll bet if I took the time, none of the 12 have this type of an opportunity as far as acreage. So you could pay for this. You could have this treasure with I'm not a apartment developer. So whoever came in and submitted their plans to the city of Wildwood, Joe, best case scenario, they're breaking ground in two two years. Well, you know, there's a long time that's going to take for them to get through that. I just think that when we talk about president, we have to make sure we're talking about apples to apples. And I don't I haven't researched all 12, but they know all 12. I don't believe there's another situation that's like this where somebody's going to come in and say, "Hey, we don't want any tax dollars. We don't want any matching grounds. We don't want anything. We want the ability to profit on this so we can restore this.

Anybody done the feasibility study for apartments on that piece of ground? I know it's a good one only because of the ground that we've sold to other apartment developers. Do I think that somebody will be interested in purchasing this based on its proximity on its in and out? Absolutely. There's very few places along high uh Manchester Highway 100 that have the access that this does. So, go ahead. I apologize. Not at all.

So, at the start of Mr. Gur's presentation, he asked you to basically give him an R6A zoning. That's not the process per se. I thought I had explained it to Mr. Gurley. I tonight you're getting an introduction, but this only works if you all recommend to city council the historic land use category of the master plan. Master plan precludes anything that we've talked about tonight under the non-urban residential area, the land use category. If you are inclined, the next step is to consider the applying the historic land use category of the same master plan to this property. Then the reasonzoning can be considered. So part of that is the historic land use category can only be applied if the historic asset is on our local register. So it's not. I assume that's part of the protection, but as we know, no historic building or structure or asset is truly protected, even under the National Register. So, like I say, there's an intervening step before you all could even entertain what Mr. Drew's asked you to do.

That's correct. I misspoke. What I meant is I want the recommendation to be unanimous. Wow. And then the city will go through all of what it does to decide whether or not this is feasible, whether they'll have public hearings. Right, Joe? Yes. There will be a process if ultimately you all as a commission make a favorable recommendation on the application of the new land use category to this 14 acres. It's a lengthy process, but I don't want to offend Mr. Guru, but I don't think you have enough information to do anything tonight. Other

agree with that. The other thing I wanted to mention too, Joe, I couldn't help but notice that this entire plan already conflicts with the draft of the Wildwood Historic Preservation Plan, which on page 45 gives one of the initiatives as developing a design standards for compatible infill development specific to Route 66 to preserve the character of the corridor. Certainly, an apartment building does not preserve the character of the Route 66 corridor as it exists today. Am I passionate about history? You bet. You bet. I'm a steward of history. And history is a conversation with the future, but I'm also a steward for the next generation. And this, if we're being asked to master or to alter the master plan, and thank you for that clarification, Joe. I appreciate it because I'm not comfortable doing that. That's not within my purview. If that's what we're being asked to do, we're changing the entire future. Not just today, but we're changing the future by putting an apartment building or a possible apartment building for 20 years from now. We're changing the corridor. And I'm also right around the corner from that. And I know for a fact that the people in the area would not appreciate it. We sacrifice quite a bit to live where we live in a non- urban area. We have no infrastructure. you know, I have electricity and that's it. And until Spectrum came in, I didn't even have a cell phone. So, we sacrificed quite a bit for where we live. And one of the things that the one of the things that we get in return is we don't have to we don't deal with development like this.

That's perfectly okay. And Route 66 is not is not the noisy character or the noisy corridor that you paint it to be. So I I I'm also like you're very passionate about your business. So am I. So in any event, those are my comments. So um I would appreciate further information uh that we can mold this over because this is a a very serious matter. And if I may address one thing. Sure.

The future. Okay. The future also looks like this. 14 acres with cattle grazing on it and no 19 townhouse. That's what the future looks like, too. If somebody here knows an insurance person that will ensure this, give me their number. There's two other developers who already tried to save this. I'm not trying to offend anyone. I remember I said I love it out here. My farm's out here. My family's going to be out here for years and years and years to come. I have just electric too at my farm. So, I am passionate about keeping things the way they are and being respectful to the past. That's why I have this plan. Unless you guys or anybody here because two other developers, one of them makes me look like a raisin and they're a watermelon as far as their assets. Okay? And they said, "No, it's not worth it. There's no amount of money that's worth it. I'm trying to figure out a way to make it viable. And if the safeguards of the city's planning and Joe Vunage's tulage and the way in which you guys know what you have to do to get something approved in the city of Wildwood, if you don't believe the safeguards will be put in place by your elected public officials, that's problematic. I'm confident as a property owner in the city of Wildwood that they are going to make sure that whatever is built here is

nice. What it does by you guys giving a favorable recommendation, whether you're in favor of it, like hot hot water or lukewarm or maybe room temperature, you're giving the house a life. You're giving it a chance. But by saying we're not going to vote on it and no my insurance the liability that I have ends before your next meeting. There's no reason for me to do anything tomorrow other than say you know what I did my best which I don't agree with doing your best. I'm doing what's required. What's required is me being a good steward of this house. If you guys say no, that's on you, not me.

Well, just to put perspective, u later on under the agenda, we'll talk about a moratorum that's in place via our city council on any demolition request. There is an appeal process, but that appeal process at the at its most quickest pace would not be till March. So, my appeal to Mr. is we have another historic preservation commission meeting in February. It would require you to extend that rider one more time at least. Otherwise, you can submit your application for demolition. It'll be denied. Then you can file an appeal with the city council. But until the historic preservation plan is complete and adopted by the city council, the city the the department of planning isn't issuing demolition permits. So I I would ask that you at least give this commission and its support people chance to at least kind of mull over what you've said. Um, I've already told you it's a difficult difficult request and I I I'd like to think maybe there is some solution here in terms of an incentive package, but u I think it's just too much and too little of a time for you all to do to been charged to do and that's to consider what's in the best interest of the community versus historic preservation in this case

chair. Yes, if I may. U just some some speed bullets. Um and then I will make a motion. Uh won't be the motion that's being requested. Council member uh Rambo also has comments if you wanted to wait to make a motion.

Very well. The guard rails for protection at non-urban level are not legally enforceable for an R6A zoning. I don't know any other way to say it. It would be illegal for the city to try and take an R six R6A is it zoning and apply non-urban standards to it. That makes not only insulting sense, but it makes illogical sense, makes also illegal sense. So going after it from that angle seems to me um not only counterproductive but anti-productive. We're losing ground. The next point is I read this down and I usually look for the thing that says recommendations and the presentation provided by the developer prospect. It seems when I see initial impression of initial impression of item I'm going we're easily two meetings away from anything that gets close enough to what I see on this paper and become a recommendations by the city which I trust. The next thing is I don't see this as a a variance to the master plan. I see this as a violation of the master plan. not being inflammatory, but this is this is not what we've done three 10 year studies to develop a master plan for and then to come in and approve this uh at least four meetings and then a a planning and parks committee perhaps and then an a council action. So, we're easily four meetings, five meetings from what any action like this would be under what I've gotten used to in two years here as the minimum requirement for a city's quality judgment. So, that's that's a recap. Um, so I' any anything more comments by the others on or any comments by the

director? I'd welcome them. Oh,

I know Dr. Rambo has something to say, but um after he's spoken, there's just a couple more things I'd like to say. I wouldn't want to necessarily close the door on this completely. Um I always like to think as with any developer, there's somewhere in between that might work. That in between might be worth it just another meeting or two between now and the next HPC meeting in February. If he Mr. Guey says no, there's no in between, then I certainly understand that. But again um the context of all of this and this is getting into more detail and the historic land use category in the master plan was not part of the original master plan when adopted in 1996 what we were finding as we move through the first few years of the city is that St. Louis County didn't do a very good job of managing land use. And so from that perspective, a whole lot of businesses, legitimate businesses were in places that didn't have supporting zoning. So the the problem the department faced and city council is you want me to go out and enforce its closure? And we tried that with kelp contracting um because we had visual evidence that that business started sometime around 1976 at its current location. Well after the non-urban district was established in 1965. The board of adjustment granted Mr. Kelp and the business legal rights to stay and eventually expand. So, I guess what I'm saying is um there is an option to me, Mr. Guru is pushing that envelope about as far as it could or can. Um, but

I I'd like to I'd like everybody maybe just pause, give us another 30 days, and then see if we can come back with something that might be manageable to the to the owner of property and to you. But I may say one thing, I'll give it 30 days on one condition, but I'm not referred to as a developer. I'm not referred to as your neighbor. Okay?

There's a big difference. Yes, I said I'm a capitalist. Yes, I'm going to make money. That's all true. Nothing wrong with that. But I'm not developing. I'm saving. Developing would be go in, don't tarp the house, let 10 inches of snow there, and then the roof caves in, and now we got a real problem. And the city will issue me a demolition permit like that for public safety. So the idea that there's not an opportunity for me to tear that house down isn't really true. If I allow the house, which so many people do, those aren't good neighbors. Those are developers that houses go into disrepair. I, your neighbor, tarped it. I, your neighbor, I'm coming in to say, "Hey, let's figure out a way to save it. I, your neighbor, I'm just asking for one thing. Your guys recommendation for the city to do their job, which we pay for with our tax dollars. By saying no, it stops everything. Joe's done this so many times in his sleep. What Joe really in my opinion to put words in his mouth, what he should be saying is there are so many hurdles that whoever is the developer of this ground once they own it have to uh pass and go through and go over under and whatever. That's years and in the end who wins Joe the developer of the city. That's the city. I can get Bob Dearberg or Greg Dearberg to come down here. He's my neighbor to come down here and tell you exactly that's who wins the city. Or you're sitting paying taxes on a piece

of property that you can't do anything with. The city has done a great job of being a good steward of the master plan. There is compromise, but there's not compromise without your guy's recommendation. the recommendation has to come first so you can compromise.

So I think from the perspective of the department the commission has in past taken under adisement difficult proposals and come up with a compromise. I think that to their benefit they are preservationist by heart and I think you might be becoming one yourself. Joe, that's what I'm here. I'm here as a

a neighbor, a neighbor who wants to preserve this asset along historic Route 66. Can you not see the evolution of Terry Guru Joe? What I need is a recommendation. Without a recommendation, there is no motivation for any property owner to do anything.

And that recommendation could be forthcoming, but I would encourage the commission not to do it tonight. I know that's a risky statement relative to the asset, but the other risk I think is greater. You basically succeed to the request. You make a recommendation for R six zoning and the credibility of you all I think is lost without the information in hand to do it in an appropriate manner. What information Joe are you? Can we listen to Rob has a comment? Yeah. Hi folks. Can you hear me? Okay. Yep.

Okay, good. Yeah. Um, I agree with everything several of my colleagues uh that have already spoken have said and I agree with the sentiment um uh expressed by Mr. Vunich. I would say that uh everyone everyone including myself here is dying absolutely dying to save the house. um I would be dying from a bullet wound if I voted in favor of um you know such a proposal. And so what I what I hear is that what's on the table is 50k of stabilization for this important asset uh in exchange for five 1 acre parcels and potentially a hundred apartments or so. And what I'll say to that is my land. I mean, I inherited land that is worth probably several million dollars less after Wildwoods incorporation because it's suddenly three acre minimums and I can't build one acre homes or anything like that on it. I am okay with that. I spent um $100,000 building a $40,000 pole barn out of a piece of crap that my grandpa had cobbled together with scrap wood because I'm a preservationist by heart. And so what I would say is um I uh I I I want to save the house. I think there's a better proposal. Uh we can't we just can't it's unconscionable for us to even consider such um such zoning out there. where it's a very prominent. You drive right by it, you see it. Um, and you're driving along enjoying the honeysuckle and the too many deer and all that sort of thing. And then and then there you go. You got an hund 100 apartment complex. Um, and then you got more rural uh land to the east. And so it just doesn't feel like a fit. I would like to hear more um um another creative

proposal. Uh, I would like to kick this down the road because the only other option is to um is to just give in and knock down the house and I don't want that. So, I'm kind of torn. Uh, and so what I'm going to support is what I think Mr. Mabry is going to propose is some version of get us more info. So, that that's my spiel. Thanks guys for listening.

May I comment to what Rob just said? I'm sorry I don't know your last name, Rob, but I there's a misunderstanding. the $50,000 with your vote tonight. I'm going to spend 50 to preserve it for the two years minimum that I know it's going to take to get through with the development plan. this uh the commitment is to restore the house not just to leave it there and you know not be it's going to be left in the condition okay that it's in preserved basically putting a let's just call it a um

band-aid not a band-aid protecting the structure so it can't you know professional board up there's a big difference when you board something up if you run the screws through all of the wood there, it's going to be ruined. So, professionally making sure that the assets preserved. Like I mentioned, the front door when we when Robin and Joe and I met and um the columns out front, getting it roofed, that's the $50,000 I'm talking about. My plan, I'm sorry if I didn't illustrate that, is to You did

with the revenue with the revenue that's generated here, uh restore the house. It'll be minimal. you you did. Um and um but the bestlaid plans often go astray and um you know what we're doing is recommending a a huge impactful jo zoning change. Um hoping that situation doesn't change and that you're actually able to restore the house. And even if you are, we have to decide whether the juice is worth the squeeze. Do we want to have a 100 person 100 apartments um blocking the view from the road of the Okonnell house just to save that house and um you know can can we live with the the visual um and other impactful like traffic and such all those other consequences that's what I'm struggling with. So, you were clear enough. Um, but the only commitment I mean, you may have made commitments that I didn't hear, but the only commitment that I know for sure is that you're going to stabilize a house, and that's a great thing, but that's not much um for us to hang our hats on in in my opinion without more information. So, thank you.

If I may also, sorry, Mr. Scott, if I may say one thing, are there any developments inside the city of Wildwood since it's been incorporated that you're not proud of?

Because if so, then you have the planning department to be upset with. So, this is no different. What I'm suggesting to you all is that it will end up being something you're proud of because you elect the people that approve these developments. If you guys can say to me, I'm driving down the road and boy, that housing development, that grocery store, that movie theater, those apartments that are being, I'm not proud of it. If you can say that, then you should. But what I'm here to tell you as your neighbor, I'm confident that the city is going to get it right and it'll be something you can be proud of. What I don't think anybody's giving enough credence to is this. Rob, I'm sorry again. I don't know your last name.

Rambo.

Mr. Rambo. On Mr. Rambo's property, I know for sure he if he knows he has an attractive nuisance, is drawing children there. He's doing something about it to protect his liability. No different than I do on our property. We have a tire swing. I have to unfortunately I have to chain the tire swing to the tree because the neighborhood kids come on and they have my phone number. They can call me and I'll meet them there. We all do it together. But I have to protect myself. It's no different here. I'm not asking for you guys to do anything other than use common sense. And common sense tells me that a recommendation to the voted officials of the city of Wildwood who nobody here can raise their hand and say that there's an ugly neighborhood, an ugly grocery store or whatever, but the city since they've been incorporated approved. That's going to be the exact same thing here. It's going to be beautiful.

I I I think I have a useful comment. Um there are developments in the city that of which I am not proud. The only one that I uh take pride in is the only one that's happened in Ward 6 during my tenure. uh the others. The process seems to be that we get um we have to comply with with our own laws and rules and regulations and people find ways around them and then you know a few trees get knocked down that aren't supposed to and it's oh we're sorry but we don't have any any any teeth in our ordinances and so on and so forth and we wind up with with um um uh a lot more visually impactful uh developments than I've ever been comfortable with. And so I'm not going to name any, but the the even though the process um works well and the people um in charge work like dogs to make sure that everything is done properly, it's still sort of less than what we were hoping to see in in many cases. And so that's what I'm trying to guard against. I'm just looking for a little bit better plan that says, hey, in two years I'm going to restore this house and in three years I'm going to build apartment complexes. I don't think it's too much to ask for us to um know, you know, what your ultimate plan is. You don't have to come with with engineered drawings, but just here's the plan and something that we can have confidence in that you you that you um provide asurances and and then we have something to discuss. So, I I'm done. I I thank you for your for your time and um I appreciate your presentation and I'll just uh hang back here and listen to other folks. I just I have to comment on what Rob said because he is so right. On my piece of ground, okay, which is for my children and the money's been set aside to care for it into perpetuity. A neighborhood came in, right, Joe? There

were all these ordinances what they couldn't do. Common ground. Common ground. Common ground. Common ground. Two individuals have decided to clear the common ground all the way to my fence. Now, whose fault is that? It's the property owners, okay? The neighborhood association and the city of Wildwood. Joe's worked tirelessly to try to get these people, but there's no teeth. So, you go over 250 bucks. It's going to end up being a situation where you're going to have to unfortunately sue the neighborhood association and sue those people if I want those trees back. So, I know exactly what Rob's talking about, but those are the things that happen during the planning and zoning process of this property. You have um rules, regulations, and ordinances to protect against that stuff. You're only as good as the bo board, sorry, um code enforcement officers in any town. That's as good as your city is. In the city of Chesterfield, and I'm going to be done, but I think this is very important for you guys to understand this. In the city of Chesterfield, do you think their code enforcement, that's where my house is, do you think they go out and drive around and look for violations? They don't. They only respond if a resident calls them. Because I'm embarrassed by the Mills Mall in the city of Chesterfield. You go in there in the spring or summertime, weeds are, you know, 4 foot tall. Unless you call, they do nothing.

Their tax money.

They collect your their tax money. That's correct. In the city of Wildwood, we have great people like yourselves, my neighbors, okay, who come and you sit in these meetings. And I want to be referred to as your neighbor, not the developer. This property right here will be engineered by a developer who puts it under contract. He's not going to buy this ground and take it at risk. I did that. I'm the one taking it at risk when I put $50,000 into this house to make sure it doesn't fall apart. Nobody Nobody inferred this. So, I'm not saying anybody did, but I can tell you right now, and you can go find search the world over. There's plenty of people you'll find who don't like Terry Guruy. Remember, I'm Terry Grew. I have brothers and cousins and all kinds of people with Guru. I'm Terry Gury. If I give you my word, that's gold. You listen to somebody else's side of the story and then listen to mine. So, I'm telling you tonight, your no vote, because I'm still asking for a vote. Everybody can vote no. I want you to understand, put my shoes on. Put my jacket on, the liability jacket, and tell me that you're willing to sit around and wait for 60, 90, 120 days. I don't think anybody would do that. It's a reason why you have a fence around your swimming pool.

You have a fence around that house. Around this house? Yeah. No, I can't legally do that in the city of Wildwood. I have to get permission to do that. Can't put security fence around it. There are without a permit. Yeah. So, you got to get a permit to put the fence around your swimming pool. And again, that's true. But but the city will have approved my plan before I did it. Same thing here. I'm okay with a no vote. I wanted to be a good neighbor. I wanted to come in. I wanted to give the city the opportunity to save this asset. That's what I wanted to do. So, as far as I'm concerned, I did my neighborly duty. I gave you guys the opportunity.

And again, all I'm all I all I am saying is is there is a moratorum in place. So, despite not against wind, not against tornadoes, not against hail. Understood. But at least from the perspective of the department, another 30 days would not necessarily mean the demise of the JP Connell House. I hope it would provide ample time for us to at least feather through this proposal and see if there is some light at the end of the tunnel. And so that would be my ask of Mr. Gruy, your labor. And you don't live in Wildwood. I understand.

Thank you. But I've been here more than you probably have the last three before I love Joe. And I know why I got may turn into the control of those types of stuff. That's right. Yeah. Let me ask you a quick question. Um and I I kind of I'm probably in the minority, but I am focusing on how do we preserve the asset. That's that's really what we're here for. Um we're not approving uh resoning. We're not approving an apartment complex. I agree. I understand that's part of the proposal that he's putting out there, but that's his bigger fight going to be with the city council and the zoning board. And all we're asking to do here is to support preservation of this asset.

That's exactly what consequences presence there's added to the proposal. We want to save the house. There's consequences to saving that house. And well, what happens if if we do approve it? We we recommend it and then it goes to the board, it goes to zoning, and they don't approve it because the house will get saved. Yeah. If you guys approve tonight, okay, I'm going to spend I'm sorry. Yes, the recommendation.

If you if you recommend this forward, I am because I was asked won't say who not to do the roof on the house until after this meeting. So, I didn't. Okay. So, I'm either gonna a RB roofing. Maybe you guys are familiar with RB Roofing. They're South County. They are the people that are called when all the big churches lose a piece of slate. These guys are experts. I didn't hire the cheapest guy. Quite frankly, he's the most expensive proposal I got because if I'm going to do it, I'm going to do it right. So, I'm spending 50. Okay. And me deciding two years down the road because I pulled my hair out because the city of Wild was not going to be reasonable. I might say the heck with the house for 50 grand. Okay, but guess what I can do once I have it boarded up and once I have the roof on? I can get insurance. I can be patient. The idea that this thing here is going to happen in the next, I would say, three years would be the quickest development ever in the history of Wildwood. I mean, Joe, how long did it take for the property that I had, Target and Lowe's, the u the Jones property to be approved for uh the the neighborhood there?

Two and a half years.

Two and a half years. And that fit what the city wanted. This right here is going to be such so scrutinized is unbelievable. And a vote yes for this doesn't mean you don't um that you want apartments. It means but you're pushing the uh cup of water to the next person who has to fill it to the next person who has to fill it. That's all it is. You're just pushing it down the road. I can no more build an apartment, cut a tree down or anything on this property by you guys recommending it. The recommendation really should be a no-brainer and I'm really surprised.

I'm extremely surprised. Yes, sir.

Uh yes, it's is our ability, not ability, but we can make recommendations for variances to encourage a property owner to save a building. A recommendation we could make would be adjustments to the zoning of this property, which is what Mr. Gr is asking for. Uh actually what since this first came up several years ago, it's been my recommendation and yes, that we do allow this property to be zoned something less than the non-urban 3 acres because its marketability as residential is limited. a low inensity type of commercial such as restaurants, uh, gift shops, something like that. Small restaurants, uh, a event center or something that that could be done in this area. Uh and I do think but the actual zoning and the me the planning of the zoning that is beyond us. I think that has got to be up to the planning and zoning that they would look at. I think we could recommend that consideration be given. I think probably the apartment building is a little overboard for us, but I think they would we could recommend to them that they consider some other more intense use than the uh R3 or their non- urban rather.

Mr. Scott, Joe, isn't that what they're going to do? Yes, that's what they're going to do. If everybody here votes yes tonight, it's just a recommendation. But yes on what we can on tell us exactly what what our motion to be.

I want your motion to be as follows. A neighbor of the city of Wildwood came in to save this house. What he asked for was the most egregious thing to be next to it. Now, zoning board, now uh alder people, now mayor, let's sit down and talk serious with somebody who wants to save this house. We've just recommended it. I can do nothing without the council's approval. Isn't that true, Joe? City council has the ultimate say on all land use issues. Period.

That's right. So they could recommend that the White House is going to be right here, which may be controversial to some. Okay. But or the Taj Mahal, you pick it. Mara Lago, I don't know, the Ritz Carlton. Pick something that you think is beautiful. All you are doing is recommending it. And then I have to go and sit and meet with the people at the city and talk it through, work it through, whatever. in my experience. Okay, you don't start off okay down here. You start out here and then maybe we can get to a workable plan as neighbors, but without your recommendation, nothing happens here. We all know threeacre houses on this lot right here is not going to generate the revenue necessary to restore this building. It's not going to.

Why? Why not? If they're million-dollar houses, why not? And what's what do you think acres going for out here? It depends. Depends on what? Depends on where it is. Right there. Yeah. Right here. Flat and clear. Yeah. I would say $25,000 an acre. So, well, I hope that's not it. I hope that's not it cuz I paid more than that for it. Well, certainly hope that's not it. I'm just saying it's going to be a lot of money and yeah, I paid 20,000 for mine. Three. So, okay. Three houses or you know, let's follow your Let's follow your logic. Okay. Well, I'm just throwing numbers. It's 25,000. $75,000 a piece for three lots. What's 75 per acre?

We're talking about the three acre and I and I'm going to go down that path with you. So if it's $25,000 an acre times three, that's 75,000. 75,000 times three is 225. 225. So I just got 225,000 for the lots, which is less than I paid for it. And now I got to restore this. Who's doing that? So what what did your price say on restoring this house? I think I'm going to have to spend $500,000 on that house. Have you? I think so. I think I'm going to spend $500,000 to get this to what I want it to be, which looks an awful lot like that, only better.

I don't think it's $200,000. I don't think we're going to reach a consensus tonight. This has become to me like Yes. And I agree. Um, we're not going to have a favorable vote. If you took one motion for a vote if you want. No, I No, what I wanted to say was I I think this is turning into more of a sales pitch. I do think that we can reach common ground, but it's not going to be tonight. So, I would again request more information, get a chance to mull it over and meet again.

For the record, and I know this is going on the record, this is a sales pitch. It's about saving this house, that house, that 1910 house. You bet you it's a sales pitch. It is. It's a sales pitch. So, the motion to deny, I'll see who voted against it. Okay. It'll be on record because in these type of proceedings, Joe, you're supposed to call each person by name and they're supposed to say yay or nay. Correct.

We can do roll call votes or we can do it by voice because ultimately the decision isn't necessarily a legislative act. That's city council. The motion I would prefer to hear is that the Historic Preservation Commission would like to postpone action to the next meeting in February to allow additional information to be developed between our neighbor and the city. And then in February, then the then a decision could be made on whether again not necessarily reszoning because without the historic land use category of the master plan being recommended by you, the charter prohibits city council from approving a zoning inconsistent with the master plan's land use categories. It's in our charter. It's in our constitution. So, it's really about is this suitable for the historic land use category or not? That's the decision that could be made in February

if you give us 30 days. What more information you want me to bring, but they have the authority to approve. They don't Joe, you know this and I know this. They're a recommending body. So, I could come in here with whatever plans I want and then the next step that I go to to get my zoning, they say no. And then I will have represented to everybody, I'm going to do X and now I can't do it.

I think you're asking, and I don't mean to sound sarcastic, your neighbors to be disingenuous. You basically say tonight, go ahead, we'll say it's okay. Spend $50,000 and then get it to the next step. And the next step is well what do you approve? And that's disingenuous. It's not that process. It's not a truthful process for you. Bob's got a comment too. Comment. It is our responsibility to make recommendations to the next step up reasonable and that they they don't feel are

out of out of line. We've uh we are we are a group of we and I see for the first time in the one year that I've been on the a leaison with Mr. Rambo. I see why there's groups of weeds. I I as a city council member I'm also a leazison to the historic preservation commission. I'm also we and having worked with director um decades ago in exactly the characterizations as the petitioner has described um I I do not agree at all with the what I consider the mischaracterizations the positioner posits in what our role is with the historic preservation commission. What Mr. Director Bunich's um uh position description is for the city. Uh nor what my role is having known what's going to happen tonight is going to be perceived and expected to be used by the council who has this ultimate decision-making ability. I consider it a a job description, not a privilege. uh with all this preaching about uh this is being held up as an ultimatum, clear and simple to me. It's a you vote yes to the worst thing you can imagine voting yes to. If there was an R65A, I'd want you to vote for that, too. I'd want you I want your yes on that. I want it now. It's an ultimatum. Uh or you're going to be at fault. The house falls down. Um you know, I don't appreciate that. What I appreciate is the acknowledgement and the respect that a petitioner would provide for Mr. Vunich to do his job as his job description calls for that we on our commission provide for our work which is not to say we're going to vote

a yes or we're going to vote a no and if we vote a no it's our fault all the all the consequences afterward. If we vote yes, at least we shoveled the the responsibility down to the next group, which is planning the zoning commission, and then it'll be ultimately the council's fault. That's not even close to what I want to be uh providing a vote for. So, I would be an abstain. I'd be I'd be a no. So, the petitioner would never get his unanimous vote is what being characterized as the only way to move ahead. I would make a motion. I was going to make a motion. Mr. Rambo seemed to have supported what contentions I brought up, what descriptions I was providing for. And I'd like to make a motion.

I think you mischaracterized what I said. I didn't say I didn't say it was going to be your fault. I said I asked for your I did not ask for your for your response or your reply. I'm providing for a motion. Wise to give it though. I might not involved in making a motion. This is now to the point of this commission making a motion. Thank you. And your motion is sir

motion is that the commission would provide for Mr. Vunich to do the job in the correct cadence and chronology of the job he's to provide for and that we are whether we are two meetings away, four meetings away, two bodies, three bodies, one body away from the next step of the action, it isn't going to be held over us that there's a storm coming and the roof could cave in. That's not the way the city of Wildwood built its charter or has developed its master plan three 10-year increments in a row. None of that applies here at all. So the motion is clear and simple. It's to recommend to the department that they provide for um the next step in succession to get us from the initial impression of item which is what this initial petition uh presentation called and that we would get to the next stage. We have never we've never had a quadruple reading of any petition I've ever seen where we've brought a petition, we voted yes to the worst thing we could agree to knowing that we were tricking all the downstream parties that were following in line, then depriving or daring the director of planning and parks to do his best to salvage what we proposed as the worst thing we could imagine. Um, and none of this makes really any sense at all. It's It's kind of perturbing. So, the motion I would make would be the one that I would support. That is to do exactly as what was recommended a bit ago, what was recommended by Director Vunich, it sounds like before the meeting or on occasion because I know M. Director Vunish enough to know that he's going to be doing exactly the same thing, exactly the same way, objectively, dispassionately, uh, and in support of as much of the petitioner's petition as he can possibly

lend and then give the petitioner all the advantages of how is best to succeed. Um, so I've been absolutely the most worried I can imagine. Can't believe everybody's put up with it. That's the motion is that we let the let the process fold exactly the manner and the way because that's the way you're going to get the most respect out of the next successive uh body in line. planning is the planning mission and then ultimately the Wii that's involving the action that we're going to be taking on is going to be based on the recommendations and it's going to have probably a lot of the body of this particular first meeting in the recommendations that we see in one or two or three uh successive uh months.

So Mr. So I'm done. That's the motion. I just need a second to summarize. Could the motion just be we defer action to the February meeting to allow for the department Robin and I to prepare a report? That's perfect. There's no there's no deny. There's no voting against none none of those things that make it such an inflammatory um ultimatum. All right. Bob has made the motion address the motion that was made. Is that is this in line with the motion you were making earlier? I is that your motion is Mr. Mabry? That's the motion. I second Mr. Mayor.

Madam Chair, to accommodate Mr. Grey, could we do a roll call? Yes. Go ahead, Robin.

I got it. You got it. Commissioner Hick, I vote yes for the motion. Commissioner Larson, I'm going to vote opposed to the motion. Um I I think I would have recommended we support the preservation and then recommend that the other parties downstream as they were characterized be allowed to do their job. Thank you, Commissioner Bertlo. I I think I agree with Steve. Commissioner, you just say oppose or or agree. I took that as a I'm sorry. Post oppose. You're opposed. No, just let just let everyone vote. Okay.

The motion is to defer action to February. Miss Blo said no. And so that's how I recorded it. Miss Ber Commissioner Burme agree. Dr. Rambo. Uh yes. Did you hear the motion? Yeah, I think so. Um, it's uh we're we're hoping for more information and I'm voting yes to that. Commissioner Mayberry. Yes. Commissioner Sher, he's on mute. He's multitasking.

No, no, I'm here. I'm I'm just letting you know I'm in non voting alternate at this point in time. Is that right? That's correct. Right, Robin? That is correct. And then chair quarterneck. Yes, I agree. And youth member bore, I'll abstain. And Commissioner Sho, I'll support the motion. Motion passes. We defer action to February when a report can be repair prepared for your consideration.

Thank you, Mr. Gy. I want to thank everybody for their time. I know it went long. I know you guys really care about this and I want you to know that I do respect your time. You have 24 hours in a day just like I do. So, thank you for your time and the best of luck to you all. God bless. Thank you for the work developer. So, it's not an easy decision. Uh Robin, are we moving on to uh Thank you. are nuts ready for action which is the us I am going to probably do the shortest presentation of the night I've been on this commission for I have a building what is it I have a building permit

a building time for the snowstorm yes we have a building permit and Mr. Scott myself along with Robin and Mr. McDonald the contractor will be meeting on Monday to normalize the next steps and construction should start at great delayed by a little bit of snow but you know great all right that's everything on the log cabin I have a big

All right madam chair members of this commission exciting news after all that discussion last year about Route 66 magazine. We now have a full-fledged publication. Uh so I I passed one out to each of you this evening. It's meant to be a keepsake. There's some really wonderful stories on Wildwood towards the back of it um on Big Chief and some of our historic auto stations. Um, we also have a nice big advertisement right at the front of it um about our historic Route 66 with our signature road graphic and some of our landmarks. So, I think I think all in all it was very well done and hopefully you agree. Uh, we have 75 of these um available for distribution at city hall um and we can get more if needed. So, um

Robin I this is wonderful. This is what did you work on this? I I was part wonderful job. Thank you. Yeah, Miss Ke, I'd like to compliment with the compliment that came from growing up in North County. This is slick as snot. I I will not claim any like I I I was a part of the creative development of this thing, but I was uh part of this collaboration with city of Eureka and city of Pacific and city of Wildwood too. I've got a comment that you know that is the your car I got my driver's license in driver in a Chevy that of that year. It was a station wagon but was that your Chevy?

Not a Nomad. So Robin I have a question. No station wagon available in around areas within wild first car 57. Uh we can certainly we can certainly seek to make that happen. Um I would need to reach out to leader publications and see where they've already distributed but we can certainly make suggestions definitely look into that and see if there's you know um places that you put copies of this like you know like nooks when you walk out there's that stand where you can you know because I think it's it's a great promotional Absolutely.

66 Museum anything placed there. Oh, I know that they will be placing it there. Uh because part of their commitment was to distribute it all along Missouri Route 66 and then all the way up to Chicago um at various convenience stores and visitor centers. And yeah, but I think you need another thousand. You might very well. I was also asked by two gentlemen at the YMCA if you intend to print t-shirts to commemorate that they would like Wildwood t-shirts for sale. We do the shirts. Okay. With the route with the route on it. Oh,

yeah. Well, I've seen that something like this with like with the map. Uhhuh. Yeah. That's something we should think about. Maybe one more thing to add to the list. I just don't know how much detail you could actually put on it. Unless it's I think you could do a graph like this condensed graphic. Yeah, just do our signature road graphic that we put right there as well.

See what we can do. All right. So, in addition to that, uh the department and city administration uh sat down with uh Becky uh Boomer of Businesses of Wildwood about a week ago to start talking about um 100th anniversary planning with Wildwood businesses. And as part of that discussion, um it was suggested that we throw together a business Route 66 roundt event with Wildwood businesses along Route 66. Um so we've gone ahead and established a date for that. It's going to be a lunchon on Tuesday, February 10th from noon to 1:30 p.m. And the primary purpose of this lunchon will be to help the city plan a Route 66 cruise event series um throughout uh April through August. We're thinking probably around three events, but we're going to do one, see how it goes, and and then go ahead and do a next one if it it's successful. Um, but basically what this cruise event would look like is um in our historic Grover and historic pond areas, having a classic car parade, get um getting a car club involved. um having them park in key locations like the Micro Brewery or um Big Chief Roadhouse for example, having live music, having business specials, um getting businesses involved in doing special activities, um you know, like for example, soap making at three French hens or something like that. um giving out signature items um doing some tenting and really making it a special evening kind of like a first Friday type of event um but with the Route 66 theme um cruise. So that's the purpose is to get all the businesses

around the table and see if we can't come together and collaborate and something happen for this year. Um so any thoughts on that? So, one night on the on the on the parade, the car thing in uh Pacific, Missouri in June, they have a huge car show. I would think people someone down there would have be able to give you names to be able to have these car clubs and, you know, people who represent that whole thing be involved in this because I think they would love it. Yeah,

that's actually a great idea. We actually have contacts now with Eureka and Pacific having collaborated on the magazine. So, I'll reach out and see if we can't Yeah. can't get some help. Good idea. Then just have their car show just last week. They kicked their Route 66 thing up in Lebanon. So, they've got had a bunch of the car clubs there and it's similar event. Wonderful. Great. Great. Well, that brings us actually uh to Tiffany Thompson. if you would like to present to the commission on Route 66 birthday cakes. Mine will be very very short too mostly because I haven't had dinner yet. Sorry.

Okay, I'm gonna pass out while I'm walking. So, my name is Tiffany Thompson and I live one minute away on Kingtown Estate. Thank you, ma'am. Where? Kingstown Estates, Route 109, right over by Lafayette High School. Okay. And I have a little business where I make fake food

for the past five years. And I've made the big cake that's out there in the room for a while 30th for the parade. And that was a lot of fun. So you can admire that on your way out tonight. And I'm going to be building some of these cakes for some of the businesses. I'm going to do one for Stovalls and then um Big Chief right now. I haven't really reached out to my kind of wanted to wait till tonight, see what was said here. And so they're they're about six feet tall and they're going to be customized. I'm going to be doing them for the big Tuxen in Amarillo and

one for Winslow, Arizona. There's six cities along the route, but since I live here and I love Wildwood, I would love to do some for here. Those are some fun dance you had on there. Thank you. Rest them for the job. That's right. I go to Aldi and everyone says, "I love your costume." Like, it's this close. Like they wear I have to say this is even more impressive than the cakes around St. Louis. Well, that we have seen. This is really amazing yesterday. They might be a little squishy, but I think they're they're made of staff, so you can't really hurt it. And anyway, I would love to be a part of any other

meetings that you had, maybe the round table and if you need anything. I'm also tonight possibly doing a big cake where you climb up in it and you're like the cake topper and if that would be something maybe if there's some place you're going to set something up, you know, I could do something like that and have a photo op. That would be kind of fun. We should think about Yeah. So, just let me know my numbers on there. I won't take any more time and I appreciate super you have the itinerary if we'd have known that last presentation was May may I ask what it cost to have something like this six feet tall.

Um so the one that I made I just made the one for here for cost and it was about $220 because it's spackle. I'm trying to work with Home Depot. What' you say? About $220 for just the supplies because it's all spackle. It's all building supplies. Um, and so Home Depot, they might let me start building my cakes at Home Depot. Oh, and so then people can watch and in exchange for a discount on some of my supplies. So, usually what I do is I double the price of supplies. So, if it's really ornate, if there's a lot of stuff on it, I just double supplies. $220 barely covers cost of a real these.

I know. And this this lasts forever. I mean, you can have it outside. It really You can have them out in the weather, too. So, it doesn't melt. It doesn't really It's made of all building supplies like you would build your house. So, they're pretty sturdy. How good they are. I thought I had dessert tonight. Me, too. Well, I should have brought real ones, too. But thank you. Going to do a standard design or

communities ask for. So, I'm going to be building either it can either be round or square. Like the one out here is square. And it can be as tall. I mean, I can make them as tall as people want them. You know, they can be like one that you set on a table or it could be, you know, that one's about four feet tall. It can be taller than that, too. So, collectively, let's say the Historic Preservation Commission decides on a palette of colors and some specific components, right? Can you incorporate those or is it just

Yes. And I can show you. So I've kind of drawn some up. I don't know which ones I have here. I gave you can pass this one around. So I'm I'm talking to Larry's too. Larry's Tavern. And so there's some And they don't have to be that ornate, but And then here's one for I'm going to do one for Home Depot if they let me use their So just it can have whatever on it. Uh it can be as plain or you know you can pass them around and something like a variety where you could position them around wildwood and put scavenger hunt. Yeah, that's what I'm hoping to go to different they did that thing in St. Louis.

Those were the concrete cakes. But yeah, that's what I was hoping around Wildwood. That's why I'm trying to get all the businesses if they I don't really know what you have planned. If there's going to be a parade or like a parade of businesses or something like that. I don't really know, but it would be fun to have. What does something like that? What's the time frame to put something like that together? Um, I made that one in two days, but it just takes a while for it to dry. Get 12 different locations. I want to do it. Yeah. I mean, about a month, maybe. Yeah. Okay. I mean, I can I can make them pretty fast. I think these are great. You just do this at your house then?

Yeah, that's what I'm trying to I had to do in my kitchen and so Chris is my boyfriend's like we just do this someplace else. So maybe Home Depot is going to let me build there. I buy everything there. No, that'd be a great advert. I'm like have a corner and you know wouldn't miss my kitchen up. And can she present at this meeting that you're having? That's what I'm hoping. Yeah, she'd been to Robin and mentioned that to me. I wrote it down. So if that's I've come to that if that's okay. And I can bring some more stuff and show you if you want to have some examples. Good way to end this meeting. It's a lot of fun. If you can email those images of the others

in the past, we've talked about a scavenger. Yeah. And I don't know if we would need six foot tall cakes, but what if we had a shorter cake, but more of them the components of the scavenger hunt. Yeah. Each one maybe was a little different. Yeah, that'd be cute. I I actually think six feet is a little bit too tall because then you have people climbing and then you have issues like Dr. Gy said with, you know, the public nuisance. It can be it can be whatever. Still yeah, there's still wild.

And then I haven't ever made one, but I'm going to make one for this event planner in St. Louis that where you climb up and you're the cake topper and then the cake would be that would be such a fun photo op. Mhm. And I haven't done that yet, but I'm getting ready to start. So I can I believe at the end of the the the cake event in St. Louis, they may have actually auction those off. I think they did the public. So there might be Yes. Is there an initial cost, but there might be a way to recoup that cost? I need to have for for our celebration of the 100th anniversary, we have $10,000 to invest in their all of the events.

Like I say, if we do a scavenger hunt and these are what you basically find photo yourself with it, I think it's just it could be real fun. And each cake would be for the business. You know, if it's if it's Larry's, it have beer on it, some Larry burgers, or you know, if it's stove walls, some cowboy ideas are Yeah. fantastic. So, you know, it could be whatever. They could tell me what they wanted. And if if you present at at this meeting, you know, and you you have those kinds of things, I I think the owners would just jump on it. Every place I've gone has just been very excited. Yeah. Yeah. I don't think it's all hard to sell. I just wanted to present it so that you guys could keep it in mind with all your festivities.

Next time you want one you can eat next time. Next time. Yeah, I want one I can eat. They were handing them out so gingerely. I thought they were real. I know. We came down. I made a bunch of fake marshmallows for some s'mores that I was making. And the next morning, my grandson had put teeth marks in every one of them. Every single one had teeth marks in them. Thank you for letting me join you guys tonight. A toss fun. You're welcome. All right. So, we're going on to the historic marker now. Or were you out?

Yes. Um and unfortunately, we're we're ending in a lackluster way and that we are postponing the historic marker discussion another month. Uh we did receive uh drawings uh from Arch Engraving. we just didn't feel like they were developed enough to really make a decision. So, we're going we're going to keep exploring those options and we'll bring it back in February. Thank you. So, our next uh item on the agenda is a work program update.

All right, Madame Chair, members of this commission, uh just a couple things and then I'll just open it up for your questions. Um the citizen oversight group of the master plan committee uh did meet uh both in December uh to review the transportation element and also just this past Wednesday uh to begin its review of the open space and recreation element. Um they'll also be meeting uh next week uh next Wednesday as well. We're ramping up the meeting schedule as we're trying to meet that that March deadline for getting the master plan update completed. Um, so that's where that is right now. Uh, that might be the I wanted to touch on.

Yes. So, at this time, if there are any questions you have on any of the items from the 2025 work program. Yes. Yes.

I was actually going to troll one of the meetings of one last night, but it Uh it it doesn't strike me that and you really are ramping up. There's two a month at least for the next couple of months. It looks like um is there going to be any need or expectation of uh notes or answering survey questions or points of emphasis that need refinement? Anything of that nature or what's coming down at what looks like the wire update master plan update? I'll defer to director Benich. Yes. Good.

How do we do it? How do we get in there and muck it up? Uh eventually we'll have a draft that will not only go out to all of our residents in term in terms of an invitation to participate both on an online survey probably and in person meetings. But the city council will get the draft well before everyone else. You know,

there's a the reason we're shooting for March, April is to complete the draft so we can spend the next couple of months getting it out to the people that deserve to see it. And uh just just for a lay on to the council, I I I would see some positive results come back in some net gain from putting the onus on the council to participating and contributing. Not not just here it is, we did it. Go ahead and hand wave your vote yes on it. just because there's a lot of uh brain trust in that council uh especially in the fact that they they me included a lot of them lived here a long time and if if the if the president if it's presented in such a way that hey council now it's yours you're the ones that look like you've lived here the longest along with the people that have been on the ad hoc committees the regular committees all the people that have been involved you're the last in line so do your do your worst Well, first and foremost, we have two council members as leazison to the group. Oh,

Dr. Rambo and Miss McCutchen. And then Miss Clark's also in the group who was recently of city council. Just a key component of this though is under state statute, city council doesn't adopt the plan. State statute, planning zoning commission adopts. Your role is to ratify and endorse. Obviously, it's key that you do that as a group, the city council. That's why we have layers and that's why you'll see it so we can head off any of those issues and make sure the commission knows them before they act. Sounds perfect. Thank you.

All right, moving on. Yep. Thank you all. Madam Chair, I did not rehearse this or advise, but given the hour, I'd hate to rush through our work program for 2026, right? If we could maybe postpone the discussion to the February meeting where we may have a little more time. Yeah, I agree. I think Robin has done a great job of adding some new things that are kind of on our on our radar now. I think they deserve an explanation. And says it's 10 after 9ine already. We should have uh given us a time frame.

Yeah. I haven't had dinner yet. He was really excited about this being real. Yeah. All right. Well, we just have a few more items. Yeah. We'll just cover what we need to go. Thank you. Yes.

All right. So, Madam Chair, members of this commission, the next item is the appointment of a 2026 youth member recruitment committee. Uh, as you some of you may recall, some of you are new. Uh, but last year, uh, both of our youth members opted to serve secondyear terms, so we didn't need to go through a recruitment effort. However, this year, our youth commissioner Boore is graduating from high school. have a vacancy on the commission next year. Um, just one vacancy though I believe because youth commissioner Raggy Ramen has been unanim unanimously endorsed by the nominations committee for continuing on to a third term.

He was the only one that showed up for the

uh yes. So, uh we will be uh the department will be implementing an application uh process followed by an interview process uh for a youth member uh position this year. And typically how we've done it in the past and how this commission has endorsed um is we first uh do an advertisement recruitment period where the department sends out emails to school coordinators, to homeschool programs, and um just area students. We advertise the youth uh youth member application process in our e newswsletter and in the gazette. Uh we display it at city hall. Uh we give information to local libraries, the Wildwood YMCA, and also um push it out on social media that we have this youth member position and that there's an application uh process for it. That application deadline is April 1st. Um

and it will just be for one one. It would just be for one youth member this year. Um, you're gonna miss us. They have to live in Wildwood. Is what's this?

They are They're required to um actually Yes. Here's the youth member criteria. Youth members must be 13 years of age to serve um and under 18 at the time of appointment. They must be residents of Wildwood. They serve one-year terms, but they can serve they can be reappointed two more years. So they can serve up to three years total. Um and then they are non voting members but they do get an honorary vote that's always recorded in the minutes. Um so following uh the wrap up of the application process we typically conduct interviews in April and that is with the assistance of uh the youth recruitment committee which is the purpose of this memorandum tonight. Um usually that committee consists of myself um possibly another uh person in the department either director bunich or assistant director Ripto and then uh one or two members of this commission as appointed uh by the chair. So chair quarter you have a responsibility. Um I don't know if anyone here already knows they want to serve on the recruitment committee. Um but we would certainly um appreciate having you involved in that process. Just note it does mean that I will be contacting you to conduct interviews and so you will it will be a little bit of a time commitment. Um following that uh the mayor will appoint the youth member to the commission at the May city council meeting of this year. Um, and typically we invite that um, appointee and their family members to come to city council and we make kind of a big deal out of it. So, it's a special appointment.

I'd be happy to help with that. So, um, so, yep. At this time, the department's just simply seeking an appointment from the chair. It sounds like the chair would like to participate, which makes sense because she has, uh, been our youth liaison mentor in the past. Um, is there anyone else who would be interested? Anybody have to recuse myself because I know a young gentleman who's very much interested. So Oh, okay. I'll have you help out if you need another person. Right. All right. All right. Fantastic. Thank you. Miss Moore, where are you going to college?

I don't know yet. I'll know like sometime around March and April because I applied regular decision to all my schools. That's when it all comes out. Best of luck. Where would you like to go to college? Um somewhere out of state. Um I I applied like everywhere but um the state school in Washington, Seattle. I like there that school. Okay. University of Washington. Yeah. Nice. Right on Lake Washington. You know it rains there a lot, right? Yeah. But it's really pretty in the summer. Yeah, it'll you will do well. You won't need an air conditioner, right?

Yeah. And I don't know if this should be under like new business or whatever, but I after tonight's experience, I think that if we were going to have a presenter that we probably should have a time limit because it kind of threw us for a loop tonight. He was advised of a time limit. Yeah. Well, if I think if everybody knew, we could have like, okay, I I didn't know he had a time limit because as chair, I I probably would have stopped him at some point. He keeps saying he's a neighbor, not a developer. It's like he's a developer, but I you know, it just it was a little consuming and now we can't even cover all our own material. So, you know, I'll go over to his house for a beer, right? Yeah. He's our neighbor.

I work for a really large construction developer. I know. All right. So, where are we at now? Hey guys, um I I don't mean to be rude, but um I I just want to say that u there's a procedural move that you can just say you you can say I call the question. And if if the if the discussion has gone on for an hour and no news, no new things have been said, you just say I call the question and it immediately goes to a um uh you know a vote on the on the matter. So um Joe can give you the details, but who calls What's that? Or anyone? Anyone?

No, anybody can anybody can do it. Joe um Joe knows it backwards and forwards. He can fill you in on the details, but it might be our it might be another uh way to get out of a lengthy discussion. Yeah, good call. Thank you. All right, where are we at now? On to elections. Okay.

All right, Madame Chair, members of the board, uh it is that time of year uh that we hold officer elections. Um at the last meeting a nomination committee was appointed by the chair. That nomination committee included um the chair herself uh secretary Henzek, commissioner Larson and youth commissioner Raggi Ramen. Um this group met on w Wednesday Wednesday January 14th uh to discuss a slate of uh officer nom nominations and at that time uh Debbie Cordnick was nominated to be chair. Uh Steve Larson was nominated to be vice chair and Kurt Henzik was nominated to be secretary. Um so the purpose of tonight's meeting in these elections is to consider uh those three nominations. You can either consider them individually, you can consider them as a slate or um there's also a third option in that if someone would like to make a nomination from the floor this evening of an alternative uh that is acceptable to you as well. Um so at this time is everybody

Oh, Dr. Rambo, did you have a question? Uh oh, my mute wasn't working. Uh, yeah. I'm sorry. I was just going to um to make a motion that we approve the that slate of candidates that you read out. Second. I agree. Everybody raise your hand if you agree. Otherwise, we're sacrificing you. Raise your hand. My hand is raised for the record. Thank you. All right. Uh

by mutual cons mutual consent. So congratulations to our new set of officers. They will start their uh they will start their turn next. They're all your neighbors. Consider us neighbors of your neighbor. Uh some additional recommendations from this group was to maintain our current HPC adviser, Mr. Scott. If you would like to remain serving Sure. I'll stay around as long as you want me. All right. Fantastic. We move in and second and vote. Um, are the issuing? I would prefer a motion in second. Yes. Let's go ahead and Yes. So,

I'll motion that Mr. Scott stay on his advisor and I'll second. Everyone, my hands raised again. Actually, both hands are raised. Thank you. Thank you. And then finally, um, this group, uh, endorsed, uh, or nominated, uh, youth commissioner Raggie Ramen for a third term with the Historic Preservation Commission. So, if we can also have a motion uh, second on that. Yeah, I'll motion that he stays on. Second. Anybody opposed? I unanimous.

Hands up again. So that recommendation will then be uh forwarded to the mayor and um we'll work on that process for the appointment. Great. Thank you. May I ask a question that's not on the agenda. Were we expecting a presentation this evening from I believe his name was Mr. Smith, the the property that we toured on 109 with the barn and he was going to present pictures and No, stay. Yeah. Was that this evening or is that there was noation about that? Yeah.

So, yes. Um the department placed Mr. Smith on the agenda and we've been going back and forth with him for the last couple weeks. Uh he was out of town today and my understanding is the process isn't far enough along to where we have anything concrete to show the commission. So, he is anxious to uh present to you next month. And my understanding is he's already ordered the timelapse uh camera equipment. So I I you know I think he's sincerely moving forward with the project and yet you did have the pictures enclosed here because I was unable to attend. So I appreciate that.

And they haven't they haven't been able to obtain the demolition permit yet either. So that's also delaying u the process a bit as well.

And also one other issue Mr. Gruy mentioned this evening that the home that we were discussing has asbestous. It occurred to me when we were looking at that house on Maple after we left that that is an asbestous area era property. Are we notified of that risk in advance if a particular house we're touring may be contaminated with asbestous? That that is part of the demolition permit process. Well, from the perspective of us asking you to attend a site visit to assess a demolition request or not, oftentimes we don't know if it's asbestous or not. We don't ask for that information up front. Um, we can certainly do that in the future, but as Robin just mentioned, once the demolition permit is authorized by the commission and the the actual paperwork starts on our end with authorizations, the county permits, that's one of the things they have to submit a lead paint, asbestous, and a couple of other items that go through the St. Louis County Department of Public Health. I do recall interjecting that the tour that we had of the residence on people uh had specific notation that as the house had been open to the elements exposed that there was potential for mold. So anyone who needed thought they needed protective equipment should should stow here too far supply themselves with it.

Certainly you are not required to participate. You could come to the property, stay on the yard, view the exterior. It's really in some instances we've told people don't go in and um typically one of us will go in and get as many of the interior pictures as we can and get out as quick as we can. So again, if you're not comfortable, there's nothing requiring you and I would encourage you not. Thank you. It was just after I exited, I thought to myself, the floor was collapsed in the kitchen and pipes are often wrapped in asbestous tape. And it occurred to me, "Oh, should I have done that?"

I mean, as long as you're not handling the disturbing fryable asbestous is airborne. Yeah. So, you know, that's you don't necessarily have to touch it. You just have to be in the area. What we'll do is we'll implement with Robin's assistance when a de demolition permit is submitted and we're setting up we'll ask if they have any information on asbestous or any other any other carcinogens that may be present in the premise. That way if they know they can tell us and then we can advise you otherwise if it's a question mark I would encourage you not to more than welcome just don't go in the house. Right.

Okay. Thank you. Yeah, some of the properties are a little sketchy, so you can choose not to go in. All right. So, are we going to go over the uh the next items? You want to the moratorum? Yeah. Yeah. Any questions?

And that's the delay. I would reference with regards to 909 on state road. They have to go through an appeal process now at city council to proceed forward. And that's the same for Wald Maple or Walden. I can't remember. My apologies. Yeah. Maple Maple Maple Avenue property. They didn't get the they didn't have vested right before the moratorium was approved.

So our next meeting date is the 26th of February. But if you all do want to mark your calendars for that lunchon uh on the 10th, you have that postcard there to keep as a reminder that lunchon. We are invited to the lunchon on February 10th. Well, I don't know. Do we want these? Actually, these might be useful for future events if you don't want. Yeah. I mean, you can have mine. I have no use. Since I can't eat it, you know, if it was I don't know, a little snail. Yeah, I'll go ahead and change your birthday.

I think they would make wonderful centerpieces for your February templates. That's what I'm thinking now. You burn it up. It's a good idea. But please feel free to come if you have time and are available. We'll make space and extra food for everybody. Right. It'll be fun. All right. That's everything.

Motion to adjourn the meeting. That's a loser. Thank you all for staying a little longer tonight. Motion. Second. Let's go. All in favor? Yeah. I So, just as a reminder, the weather this weekend isn't going to be great. U public works had a special meeting today to talk about preparations for the snow. Just be careful if you go out. I'm worried about our friends or neighbors in the southern states. Half inch to three inches. That's of ice. Ice. Yeah. Yeah. That's a power outage. Ted Cruz heading to Cancun.

They said all it takes is a quarter of an inch to lose all your power lines. That's what I mean. It's just what you lose your power. I sto Yeah.