Volume 13 No. 2 Summer 2013

Message From TGENA President You know summer is in full swing when the TGE booth at Fair St. Louis is history, when the Back Lot Films from South Grand are un-derway and the Compton Heights band is playing in Tower Grove Park.

I want to send out a big round of applause to Bill and Jim Gilbert for once again organizing the TGE Fair St. Louis booth and spending countless hours working on it. Also I would like to give a special thank you to all of the vol-unteers who gave their time to man the booth and raise funds for TGENA. Those funds are crucial to supporting this newsletter and other TGE activities. On development issues the rehab at Wyoming and Arkansas is moving forward and the build-ing hasn’t looked this good in years. If you know of anyone interested in the condos the base price is $199,999 with potential property tax abatement for 10 years. To see other prop-erties rehabbed by Tiger Lily Development go to www.stlouisgreenhistorical.com or call Patty Maher at 314/283-8273 or email her at celticmom52@hotmail.com. There are lots of happenings on South Grand so look for another article outlining all of the upcoming projects and improvements. The neighborhood will also see new construc-

tion of an apartment building on the 3400 block of Juniata where the former warehouse stood beginning in late summer. It will con-tain 17 market rate apartments with parking in the rear at the rear of the property. At this time, there is no new information regarding the future of the St. Elizabeth Academy school building. Grove East Provisions at Arsenal & Minnesota is still a work in progress but look for an opening of the store in late August. You may see the wood fired baking oven up and going before that. TGE submitted an application for one of the City of St. Louis Sustainability grants but was not successful in this round. We will continue to discuss sustainability issues in the fall and may submit again in the future. Seven grants were awarded with over 35 neighborhoods ap-plying. On the social side the annual picnic is being planned for the September meeting. Stay tuned for more information on that but the date would be the same as the regularly sched-uled meeting – Tuesday, September 24th! The Facebook page continues to draw followers with a variety of information being posted. The Board will be discussing guidelines for postings since that has been an issue recently. Enjoy the rest of your summer and see you at the TGENA picnic in September in Tower Grove Park!

Joanna Landis

and Chris Shearman of

Brick City Farms.

Photos courtesy

Carrie Gillen

Congratulations to Brick City Farms, TGE’s urban farm located near Minnesota Ave and Arsenal, who met their Kickstarter fundraising goal. Donations assisted with getting the project started, getting irrigation, water supply, & purchasing the shed. Brick City Farms has successfully estab-lished 10 beds of various plants/vegetables (asparagus, currants, blueberries, blackberries, toma-toes, peppers, basil, etc). They also planted 22 pear trees. The farm currently provides some vege-tables to Gelateria and in the future, hopes to partner with Grove East Provisions, local farmers markets, and area restaurants. Brick City Farms thanks the neighborhood for the ongoing support and welcomes neighbors to stop by!

Brick City Farms

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Board Members President Ann Auer Past President Melanie DeRousse President Elect Zachary Ford Secretary Jennifer George Treasurer Norah Ryan Charitable & Community Gwendelyn Nilson Commercial Development Patrick Moore Housing Development Christian Saller Beautification Andy Anderson Membership Andrew Murrary Web Manager Joe Millitzer Neighborhood Safety Chris Naffziger Social Lynnette Miller Marketing Katie O’Brien Ways & Means Bill Gilbert DeSales Community Housing Liason Larry McCarthy Grand S. Grand House Tour Liason Anne Moore ______________________

Important #’s Aldermen for TGE: Christine Ingrassia, 6th Ward 622-3287 Steve Conway, 8th Ward 773-4329 Ken Ortmann, 9th Ward 776-0161 Jennifer Florida, 15th Ward 622-3763

South Grand Continues to Go Green!

South Grand is getting a lot closer with the completion of the Great Streets Initia-tive. The rest of the London Plain Trees will be planted this Fall at the intersec-tions as well as fencing around all the planter boxes, bike racks, and benches. 14 rain gardens along with 6 interpretive signs discussing South Grand’s green infra-structure such as the pervious concrete and explaining how storm water effects are rivers and streams will be installed this Fall.

The district recently hired Midwest Sunray and Cool City Lights to replace all the holiday lights with LEDs. LEDs will lower the electric bill for the property owners and/or businesses as well last for 10 to 14 years before the bulbs need to be replaced! Also, the district will be replacing the bulbs in the parking lot with LEDS as well. Lastly, Ms. Witt is proud to serve on the Green Dining Alliance with Saint Louis Earth Day and is working to make South Grand the first green dining district in the St. Louis Region. South Grand’s Upcoming Events South Grand Back Lot Films Movies: 3500 Hartford Begins at Dusk

Friday August 16th The Avengers

Friday September 20th The Incredibles Friday October 25th South Grand’s Creepy Crawl Parking on South Grand Did you know South Grand offers free parking? The district will be investing in new signs and banners stating “Free” Parking allowing visitors to be aware the district offers free parking behind Commerce Bank located at 3500 Hartford. Also, do you order carry out at the South Grand businesses and have trouble finding parking? South Grand with the partnership of the Streets Department and Treasurer’s Office will be installing 15 minute To-Go Parking throughout the district on Hartford, Juniata, Connecticut, Wyoming, and Humphrey either one or two spaces will be designated on the west side of the street to make your take out needs are easier. South Grand Pocket Park More news to come with the construction of South Grand’s pocket park ….after approval from MSD the district will be going out to bid. The Pocket park will be located in the metered lot between King and I and Mangia. The pocket park will be used for markets, festivals, movies, concerts, plays, and just a place to grab a coffee or carry out and enjoy the tranquility of the park. Thus far the district has verbal commitment from the St. Louis Symphony, The Con-temporary Art Museum, Shakespeare Festival, Feast Magazine, The River Front Times, and KDHX. New Businesses on South Grand Recently opened on South Grand, Please help us welcome Clarkson Eyecare, Tree House Veg-etarian Restaurant. Coming soon to South Grand Parsimonia which will be a vintage clothing store located at 3194 S. Grand Blvd opening in August and Baida Moroccan Restaurant locat-ed at 3191 S. Grand Blvd opening in September. ___ The South Grand Community Improvement District strives to achieve our mission which is to cultivate a robust and supportive business climate on South Grand in order to establish the Tower Grove community as the premiere urban lifestyle district in the Saint Louis Met-ropolitan area. Together with your support South Grand has truly been living up to our mission statement. I look forward seeing you on South Grand. Happy Travels! Rachel Witt Executive Director South Grand Community Improvement District

South Grand Updates

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TGE at Fair Saint Louis

Community Garden Update

For the 33rd year, TGE managed a booth at Fair Saint Louis/Live on the Levee over the 4th of July weekend. We had a great location next to the north leg of the Arch. Even with a small crowd on Friday night,we had sales of about $28,000 selling beer, soda, and water. While final numbers from credit card sales are not in yet, the neighborhood should net

around $3700 from the sales as well as an additional $1133 re-ceived in tips.

Special thanks go to Jim Blankmann, Philip Deitch, and Randy Blomquist for helping with the set-up, to Rob Ogden, Ron Auer, Sa-rah Stephenson, Mike Maskus, Jack Bippen, Da-vid Johnson, Loura Gil-bert, and Catherine Gilbert for helping both days and to Jim Gilbert who was there from the beginning

of set-up to the end of clean-up both days. TGE greatly appreci-ates and thanks all of the wonder-ful volunteers who worked the booth and neighbors who stopped

by to buy their beverages for the event. -Bill Gilbert TGE Ways and Means Chairman

A full-service property management com-

pany affiliated with

DeSales Community Housing

Corporation

2758 Russell Boulevard

Saint Louis, MO 63104

www.fox-grove.com

314.664.8200

Photos courtesy of Philip Deitch

The Tower Grove East Community Garden re-cently received an Earth Day in Action grant to construct compost bins and begin composting in the garden this summer. Our hope is to allow garden members and Tower Grove East residents to turn otherwise landfill-bound kitchen scraps into useful humus.

With the help of volunteers from Lutheran North High School, we also were able to finish a small pea gravel patio just outside the garden fence. Stay tuned for a picnic bench to make it’s home there and provide a great spot to enjoy your Barnett’s sandwiches or just take a break from a busy day. - Becky Gill

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Fundraiser for Roosevelt High School a Big Success

We would like to thank all the neighbors who came out for the May 26th 2013 Football Breakfasts Fundraiser at Riley’s Pub, as well as Rachel Witt, South Grand Community Im-provement District, for obtaining raffle items for the event. We also thank the local businesses which donated raffle items and supported the event: Stray Dog Theatre, Jay In-ternational Foods, Tower Grove Creamery, Gelateria De Le-one, City Diner, Café Natasha, Bikram Hot Yoga, STL Style, and Riley’s Pub (with special thanks to Bill Kapes, owner

and Matt Hathaway, bartender). We raised a good portion of the funds needed for the 2013 Football Breakfasts!! For more information on the Football Breakfasts and the Roose-ve l t Community Counci l go to: http://rooseveltcommunitycouncil.blogspot.com/ . The RCC’s next meeting will be at the school at 3230 Hartford on August 13th, at 4:30 pm.

-Norah Ryan

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Pho

Photo

Make sure to put away lawn tools when you're not using them; they are very easy to steal and are often untraceable and the thief can sell them quickly.

Bicycles are quickly becoming a target of thieves; they can escape on them very easily! Keep bikes inside your house, not in your garage. Garages are very easy for criminals to break into; don't leave any valuables in them, but if you absolutely have to, make sure you cover any windows that would allow criminals to look in. Consider locking the overhead door after you park your car; it is relatively easy for a burglar to find the frequen-cy of your garage door opener's remote control. Now that the weather is nice in the evenings, be aware of your surroundings if you are out walking after dark. Armed robbers in particular take advantage of patrons leaving bars and clubs late at night.

Since many people take vacations in the summer, burglars will be looking out for signs of your house being unoccu-pied. Ask a trusted neighbor to take fliers off of your front

door, water the lawn or mow to keep up the appearance that you are home. Also, invest in a simple light timer that will turn on a light in your living room at night. Call the police dispatcher at 314-444-0100 to request that the police keep an extra eye on your house.

If you have a party in your backyard, make sure to secure your house; many burglars will sneak into your home through the front door while you and your guests are outside in the back. Also, motorists should be aware that the summer brings out more pedestrians, bicyclists and playing children. Please reduce speed and stop completely at intersections so you can more easily spot them.

Always call the police if you witness something suspicious,

no matter how insignificant you might think it is. If the situ-

ation is not life-threatening, call the police non-emergency

number at 314-231-1212.

-Chris Naffziger, Safety Chair

Summer Crime Prevention Tips

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Around Town—Celebrating the People of TGE

Paula Clements, owner of Clements Lock and Key, on Arsenal.

Open for 40 years now, they’ve seen many changes in TGE.

She loves meeting neighbors and would love to meet you and

have your support next time you need keys, locks, safes, etc.

Norman, who can often be

seen greeting residents as

they pass by, has been a TGE

resident for over 50 years!

You’ve seen her working countless

hours on the S. Grand medians in all

weather. Next time you see Ann

Moore, thank her for her years of

service beautifying the neighborhood!

Sekani, Jatia and Aaliyah have

been residents of Minnesota

Ave for a year now. Known to

be very generous neighbors—

TGE is lucky to have them!

Eunice Anderson has been a TGE

resident for about 40 years and is

known for her hospitality!

Always striving for good customer service, Bing and Nagle’s

Automotive Service, a family-owned service shop on Pestalozzi,

has been open since 1947!

Photos by Katie O’Brien

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Geneise Sebastiao is happy to

be living in TGE! Tower Grove East welcomes new residents Ricky

Shaw and Nika Butler to the neighborhood!

This July, St. Louis World Changers and Tower Grove Baptist Church hosted about 250 volunteers from across the U.S. Divided into 20

crews, they braved the heat to complete 26 projects in St. Louis. Mayingi Sebastiao, TGE resident, was chosen to get a new roof and would

like to say thank you so much to the volunteers and World Changers for their hard work and generosity. This program takes place every

July and neighbors can connect with World Changers if interested. Tower Grove Baptist does similar work throughout the year for the

community also. Thank you for the hard work!

TGE residents Jim Boyd and Michael Noble converse

with City of St. Louis Assessor Ed Bushmeyer at TGE

meeting.

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TGE Neighborhood Charities, Inc. PO Box 63189 St. Louis, MO 63163 www.towergroveeast.org

Connect with TGENA Online

Visit www.towergroveeast.org

Search “Tower Grove East Neighborhood”

Sign up for list-serve—http://towergroveeast.org/listserv-mailing-list

View or add to TGE Flickr photos— http:// www.flickr.com/groups/tge/

Support TGE—Become a TGENA Member! Your TGENA membership supports our neighborhood. Current/past members, see label above for your member-ship expiration date. To renew or become a member, visit http://towergroveeast.org/tgna/join-the-tower-grove Thank you for your support!