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Office of the City Administrator

TO:                  Honorable Mayor Roy R. Robinson

                        Board of Aldermen

                        All Employees 

FROM:            James A. Eckrich, P.E., City Administrator

DATE:             August 19, 2010

RE:                  City Administrator’s Report

Sales Taxes:  The City’s General, Capital Improvement and Park & Stormwater Funds received $318,150 in sales tax revenues in August 2010.  Actual collections represent $102,681, or 24.4 percent, less than the monthly projections of $420,831.  Year-to-date actual sales tax revenues of $3,909,720 represent $351,832, or 8.3 percent, less than the projected $4,261,552.  As part of the budget preparation, the City Administrator will review the 2010 expenditures and likely recommend a 2010 budget amendment to the Board of Aldermen later this year.

Sales Tax Holiday:  The City of Crestwood participated in the statewide sales tax free weekend, which took place on August 6, 7 & 8. Prior to this event, staff provided an online survey to the local business community in order to gauge the success of the holiday. According to the results of this survey and staff observations, there was a considerable increase in foot traffic and sales over the course of the weekend.  More details will follow as the results of the survey are compiled.

Economic Development Commission:  The Economic Development Commission met on Tuesday, August 17^th at 7:00 pm.  Tony Stephens of Jones Lang LaSalle gave a presentation on development and led a discussion on future economic development within the City of Crestwood.  City Staff presented a brief report on the sales tax holiday.

Community Center:  The Fall 2010 and Winter 2011 brochure is currently available at the Community Center, the Government Center, and on the City website.  Fall programs will start after Labor Day.  Residents can register for fall programs at any time; non-resident registration begins on August 24. Upcoming events include the 8^th annual Kids Triathlon, for children ages 5-12, on Sunday, August 22^nd in Whitecliff Park. 

Aquatic Center:  The end-of-season hours at the Aquatic Center began on Tuesday, August 17, 2010.  From now until the end of the season the Aquatic Center will be closed on Tuesdays and Thursdays, open on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 4 to 8 pm, and open on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 8 pm.  The facility will be open on Labor Day from noon to 6 pm, at which time it will close for the season.  Dogs will have the opportunity to take a dip in the family pool or the lazy river on Tuesday, September 7 during Crestwood’s annual Dog Swim.  Pre-registration is required and all dogs must have proof of rabies vaccination to participate.

Sappington House:  The City received the signed Agreement for the operation of the Sappington Barn Restaurant on August 12, 2010.  The Tea Barn, LLC has possession of the facility and is currently cleaning and working with the Health Department to bring the facility up to code. The grand opening has been tentatively scheduled for November 1, 2010.

Classic Car Cruise:  The Route 66 Classic Car Cruise was held on August 14 and was an overwhelming success.  Rosann Shannon will be providing a report on this event during the August 24, 2010 BOA meeting.  Special thanks to the Police Department for their help in overseeing this event. 

Alternative Events:  The Alternative at the Crestwood Aquatic Center was quite a success again in 2010.  Events were held on June 11, June 25, July 16, August 6 and August 13, and a total of 1,749 teenagers attended.  At each event there was a D.J., pizza, and games.  This program has kept a lot of teenagers off the streets and in a safe, but yet entertaining environment. We actually had to turn kids away at times as the events were often held at full capacity! 

Municipal Court:  During the month of July, the Municipal Court entered 240 cases. There are currently 1,178 cases considered active and 980 cases in warrant status.  Court Administrator Tami Trulove has accepted a job at another municipality and we wish her well in her new endeavor.  The City Clerk is in the process of conducting interviews to fill this soon-to-be-vacant position. 

Monthly Emergency Preparedness Meetings: The Meramec Valley Citizen Corp Council (MVCCC) held its monthly meeting at the Crestwood Government Center on Wednesday, August 11^th.  The main topic was the new forms from STARRS for Purchasing and Reimbursement for the CERT programs. The STARRS Training and Exercise Committee held its monthly meeting at the Crestwood Government Center on Tuesday, August 10^th. The main topic was the upcoming Multi-Year Training and Exercise Plan, which will be held at the Crestwood Government Center in September.

Alarm Totals:  As of July 31^st the Fire Department has responded to 790 alarms (831 alarms in 2009).  EMS accounted for 527 of those alarms (542 alarms in 2009) and 66% of the total alarms. 

Fire Department Training:  Fire Department personnel were instructed and tested in the VFIS Trailer Training Course (a two day course) at the Chrysler Plant in Fenton. Fire Department Personnel also completed a one day course in Large Area Search Training (LAST) at the Chrysler Plant.  Additionally, Captain Bell, Captain Grossenheider, and FF/Paramedic Schneider recently completed their State Hazardous Materials-Operations class conducted by the Valley Park Fire Protection District.  Assistant Fire Chief Mark Menning assisted in instruction in all three classes.

Business Inspections:  As of August 11^th the Fire Department had completed 476 business inspections. Inspectors found 586 violations of the City Fire Code during those inspections. At this time, 246 violations (45%) have been corrected.

Annual Fire Pump and Hose Testing:  The annual testing of the fire pumps on our Engine companies will be conducted on August 30^th. Each pump must achieve its rated capacity at draft to meet NPFA standards and ISO requirements. There are three tests completed on each engine during the testing procedure. Hose testing will be conducted on all Department hoses beginning in September. This is also an NFPA and ISO requirement.

Maintenance Crews: The Public Works maintenance crew completed stabilization of the creek bank at the walkway bridge in Crestwood Park.  The crew also addressed undermined areas on Shoppers Lane, Brookview Drive, Lurline Drive and Sessions Avenue and replaced deteriorated sections of concrete curb on Heather Drive.

Whitecliff Park Service Bridge: CDG Engineers continues to work on the bridge design for the Whitecliff Park service bridge.  The consultant performed soil borings at the project site during the week of August 9.  Construction of this project remains scheduled for 2011.

Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program: The lead grant applicant, the City of Creve Coeur, publicly opened the bids for this project on August 10, 2010.  The bids were reviewed and the results were presented to the participating cities on August 18, 2010.  Public Works staff is meeting with the lead applicant in order to review the scope of the project and discuss other details.  A contract for this project will likely be presented to the Board of Aldermen in September.    

MSD Fieldcrest and Fournier Channel Improvements: The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is currently in process of advertising this project for construction bids.  The scope of this project includes the replacement of twin culverts under Fournier Drive and creek bank stabilization. Bids are due to MSD by September 7, 2010.  The project is scheduled to start in late 2010 or early 2011 and should be completed by May 1, 2011. 

Sign Commission: The Sign Commission will meet on September 8, 2010 in order to consider a request for a code amendment to allow banner signs on a year-round basis.

Sewer Lateral Program:  In the month of July the City of Crestwood received three applications for sewer lateral repair and all three were approved.  The Public Works Director continues to work on modifications to the sewer lateral policy, which will be considered by the Public Works Board and Board of Aldermen at a later date.

The City of Crestwood has once again opted to participate in the state-wide sales tax holiday, which will take place on August 6, 7 & 8, 2010.  The sales tax holiday exempts the following items purchased on the first full weekend in August:

• Clothing and shoes – any article having a taxable value of $100 or less per item
• School supplies – not to exceed $50 per purchase
• Personal Computers – not to exceed $3,500
• Computer software – taxable value of $350 or less
• Computer peripheral devices – not to exceed $3,500

Office of the City Administrator

TO:                  Honorable Mayor Roy R. Robinson

                        Board of Aldermen

                        All Employees

FROM:            James A. Eckrich, P.E.

City Administrator

DATE:             July 22, 2010

RE:                  City Administrator’s Report

Sales Tax:  Sales tax revenues of $444,277 came in at 115 percent of July’s projected amount of $384,955, bringing the year-to-date total to $3,591,570.  The City has realized about 94 percent of its projections for the first seven months of 2010 and 61 percent of total projected sales tax revenues for the year.

Budget:  Directors have been given budget worksheets and expenditure reports to begin the 2011 budget process.  Once departmental budgets are completed, the City Administrator will review and recommend a budget to the Ways & Means Committee.  The budget document will then be presented to the Board of Aldermen for consideration.  A budget schedule has been prepared to facilitate the timely preparation of the 2011 budget.  Adoption of the budget is planned for December 2010.

T-Mobile Missouri Municipal Tax Settlement:  On July 20, 2010, the City received a claim form relating to the T-Mobile class action lawsuit.  The Board of Aldermen will eventually consider approval of the claim and the acceptance of the terms of the settlement.  Since T-Mobile continued to pay franchise fees under protest, the City will not receive a settlement check.  Rather, once the settlement is approved in court (October 2010), the payments previously made to the City will no longer be considered “protested”.  The claim form and related ordinance is expected to be presented to the Mayor and Board of Aldermen at the August 10^th meeting.

Missouri Municipal League:  The Missouri Municipal League has appointed Dan Ross to replace the recently retired Gary Markenson.  The 2010 MML Conference will be held in St. Charles from September 12-15.  This conference usually includes timely and useful presentations on topics affecting municipalities throughout Missouri.  I plan to attend.  Any Alderman interested in attending the conference should contact me.

Upcoming Sales Tax Holiday:  The City of Crestwood has once again opted to participate in the state-wide sales tax holiday, which will take place on August 6, 7 & 8, 2010.  The sales tax holiday exempts the following items purchased on the first full weekend in August:

• Clothing and shoes – any article having a taxable value of $100 or less per item
• School supplies – not to exceed $50 per purchase
• Personal Computers – not to exceed $3,500
• Computer software – taxable value of $350 or less
• Computer peripheral devices – not to exceed $3,500

Employee Recognition:  On Friday, June 25^th, Tricia Roberts was named as the Employee of the Quarter.  Tricia was nominated for her pleasant demeanor towards residents / coworkers, and the great work she does at the Whitecliff Park Community Center.   Congratulations again, Tricia.   If you would like to recognize an employee for his/her hard work, nomination forms are located on the share (W:) drive in the “Employee Recognition” folder or can be obtained from a supervisor.  Completed forms should be submitted to Nikki Koehnemann.

Wellness Challenge:  The next wellness challenge will begin Sunday, August 1 and last through Thursday, September 30.  Employees will have the option of participating on either an employee team or a family team.  Both the activity and weight loss challenges will be judged on percentages, so any family team may consist of more or less than four players.  Employee teams should still consist of four members. 

Municipal Court: During the month of June, the Municipal Court entered 302 cases. There are currently 1,056 cases considered active and 981 cases in warrant status.

Fire Vehicle Maintenance:  Oil changes on all Fire Department staff vehicles and the fire engines were completed in-house during the week of July 19^th.  Special thanks to PM/Fire Equipment Specialist Warren Weiss and FF/Fire Equipment Specialist Steven Toelke for their work on these vehicles / trucks.  On July 16^th Engine 1210 developed a large coolant line leak. The part was replaced in-house by PM/Fire Equipment Specialist Weiss with assistance from other “C” platoon members.

Annual Fire Inspections:  The Fire Department has begun the second round of business inspections in order to verify whether violations found on the initial inspection have been corrected. Initial inspections on 343 buildings revealed 516 violations.    

Alarm Totals 2010:  By the end of June, the Fire Department had responded to 680 calls for assistance; 452 EMS alarms accounted for 66% of total alarms. In the month of June, the Fire Department responded to 82 total calls for assistance; 53 of which were EMS alarms.  These numbers correlate closely to the number of service calls in 2009.  Anyone with questions regarding fire department alarm responses should contact Chief Kestler.   

Grant Purchases:  All items requested in the 2009 Assistance to Fire Fighters Grant have been ordered.  The Fire Department has already received the helmets, gloves and hoods. All Fire Department personnel have been measured for the new turnout gear, which will take five to six weeks for delivery. The washer/extractor is also in the process of being ordered. 

City Employee Identification Cards:  The City Employees have begun to receive photo identification cards that are produced with the new ID machine.  Each employee will receive two cards, one to wear and one for accountability.  Aldermen will also be receiving ID cards in the near future. 

CEEP Critical Employees Emergency Planning course:  Chief Paillou attended the Critical Employees Emergency Planning course at Jefferson Regional Medical Center in Festus on Tuesday, July 20^th.  The CEEP course provides first responders and critical infrastructure agencies and personnel with policies and planning tools for employees’ families before, during and after every kind of disaster or catastrophic event. The CEEP course is funded through the Department of Homeland Security.

ICS-300 Training at the Affton Fire District:   On Tuesday, July 7^th, Deputy Police Chief Arnoldy taught the planning section module during an Incident Command System class that was held at the Affton Fire District

CODE 1000 Drill and Training:  On Wednesday, July 14^th, the Area 5 CODE 1000 (Police Interagency Emergency Response Plan) training committee held a drill and training at the Holiday Inn at Six Flags.  Deputy Police Chief Arnoldy is a member of the training committee.  The CODE 1000 was placed in effect and Departments county-wide sent Officers to Eureka to test the notification and response portion of the plan.  Police Officer Michael Maloney responded to represent the City of Crestwood. 

Identity Theft Prevention Program:  The Crestwood Police Department, along with other law enforcement agencies, will be participating in an identity theft prevention program on Saturday, July 31, 2010 from 10:00 am to 2:00pm at Crestwood Court.  This event, sponsored by CrimeStoppers and Shred-It, will allow residents to watch as any papers they bring are shredded and destroyed.  A minimum donation of five dollars to CrimeStoppers is requested for each box of papers.  In addition to destroying personal documents, expired prescriptions drugs can be turned in to police personnel at this event for proper destruction.

Laser Speed Detection Device Awarded:  For some time now the police department has participated in Traffic Safety campaigns associated with the Missouri Department of Transportation / Division of Highway Safety. These events occur every few months and target specific driver behavior, the duration of which is usually one to four days. This includes DWI enforcement, occupant safety enforcement, and hazardous moving violations.  Due to our participation in these campaigns, the City of Crestwood’s name was drawn at a recent conference and we won a new laser speed detection device.

Summer Concert Series:  The Summer Concert series at Whitecliff Park is receiving positive feedback from residents and those in attendance.  Approximately 200 people attended the second concert on July 1^st, which featured the local band Yukon Jake.  These events have been so popular that the recreation staff is going to host a final event on the summer stage – an enjoyable (and free) evening of family fun with Steven Spielberg’s Hook, the movie sequel to Peter Pan’s original adventures starring Robin Williams and Dustin Hoffman. The show will begin at dusk on September 3 on the Whitecliff Summer Playhouse stage next to the Community Center.  Please consider joining us at Whitecliff Park for this free event. 

Whitecliff Summer Playhouse:  Whitecliff Summer Playhouse’s production of God’s Favorite, will run from July 22-25 in Whitecliff Park.  The final production of the summer, A Chorus Line, will run from July 29 – August 1.  Tickets go on sale starting at 6:30 pm before each performance.  Please consider bringing a lawn chair and joining the Whitecliff Summer Playhouse for a magical night under the stars in Whitecliff Park. 

Aquatic Center:  The swimming weather for the 2010 season has been fantastic, resulting in ID card, admission, and concession revenues at or above our budgetary projections.  Unfortunately, membership sales are down, which is likely attributable to the new pool in Sunset Hills and the general state of the economy.  Parks and Recreation Staff continually monitor the Aquatic Center operations, and a status report on the 2010 Aquatic Center season will be provided to the Mayor and Board of Aldermen in the coming weeks.   

Grant’s Farm:  On July 20, 2010 Grantwood Village passed a resolution supporting the expansion of the National Park Service to oversee and operate Grant’s Farm.  Tim Goode from the National Park Service provided a brief presentation to those in attendance.  The National Park Service has requested similar resolutions from St. Louis County and the City of Crestwood.  The Mayor and Board of Aldermen will likely consider such a resolution at the August 24, 2010 meeting.

Community Center:  The Fall 2010 and Winter 2011 brochure is currently in production and will be mailed to Crestwood residents in August.  The eight annual Kids Triathlon, for children ages 5-12, will be held Sunday, August 22 in Whitecliff Park.  Volunteers are still needed for this event.  Please contact the Parks and Recreation Department (729-4860) if you are interested.

Dog Park:  The Parks and Recreation Department has received a request for a dog park in Crestwood, and the matter was recently discussed by the City’s Park Board.  Ultimately, the Park Board decided the City should pursue the possibility of dog park and appointed a liaison to work with staff to further research this topic. 

Whitecliff Park Service Bridge: CDG Engineers continues to work on the bridge design and is in the process of obtaining all necessary permits and clearances from the federal government related to this project.  CDG is also in a process of performing soil borings at the project site.  Construction of this project is still scheduled for 2011.

Public Works Maintenance Crew: The Public Works maintenance crew installed an asphalt pad to accommodate a gazebo that was donated to the City of Crestwood and will be placed on Grant’s Trail just south of Watson Rd.  The crew also replaced part of the public walkway from Parkshire Court to Crestwood Park and replaced the damaged handicap access ramp at the Crestwood Park (Amberley) parking lot. During the recent asphalt mill and overlay project the crew spent a significant amount of time ahead of the paving contractor addressing deteriorated sections of concrete curbing.    

2010 Mill and Overlay Project: The Mill and Overlay project started on June 3, 2010 and was completed on June 21, 2010.  The following streets were completed: Acorn Drive, Banyon Drive, Cherry Brook Lane, Coffey Court, Coffey Drive, Crompton Court, Curwood Drive, Dalcrest Lane, Dallwood Drive, Denton Court, Fox Park Drive, Gallop Lane (Old Sappington to Sappington), Glen Rose Drive, Hawkins Court, Pinellas Drive, Sessions Avenue, Volz Drive, Woodhue Drive, Yolanda Court, and Westhaven Court.  The final project cost was $440,665.37, which was well under the budgeted amount (and BOA approved amount) of $518,000.   

Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program: As previously reported, on March 9, 2010 the St. Louis County Municipal League notified all participating municipalities that their joint grant application was approved by the Department of Natural Resources.   The total cost of improvements to the lighting within the City of Crestwood buildings was estimated to be $89,950.  Preliminary figures show that the City’s portion of the improvements will cost approximately $48,000.  The lead applicant, the City of Creve Coeur, is advertising this project for bids, which are expected to be publicly opened on July 29, 2010.  Additional information will be provided as it becomes available.    

Planning and Zoning Commission: The next meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission is scheduled on August 4, 2010.  At that meeting the Commission will consider:  1) a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) request from BGB Autosports in order to operate a used car dealership at 9800 Watson Road; 2) a CUP request from A to Z Auto in order to operate U-Haul truck rental operations out of its existing business at 9044 Watson Road.

Sewer Lateral Program:  In the month of June the City of Crestwood received seven applications for sewer lateral repair, of which five were approved.  On July 27, 2010 the Mayor and BOA will consider a budget adjustment increasing allowable expenditures within this fund. 

Board of Adjustment:  The next meeting of the Board of Adjustment is scheduled for August 12, 2010 in order to consider a variance to the rear yard setback requirement associated with a garage construction at 1207 Fernleaf Drive.

Office of the City Administrator

TO:                  Honorable Mayor Roy R. Robinson

                        Board of Aldermen

                        All Employees

FROM:            James A. Eckrich, P.E.

City Administrator

DATE:             June 17, 2010

RE:                  City Administrator’s Report

Sales Taxes:  Sales tax revenues of $568,040 came in at 98 percent of June’s projected amount of $576,151, bringing the year-to-date total to $3,147,293.  This month’s total includes sales taxes from Kohl’s, as the dissolution of the Tax Increment Financing District is now complete.  The City has realized about 91 percent of its projections for the first six months of 2010 and 53 percent of total projected sales tax revenues for the year.

Employee Recognition:  On Friday, June 25^th, the first ever Employee of the Quarter will be announced at the employee luncheon.  This employee will be awarded a $25 gift card to a local business, a certificate of recognition, and his/her name will be added to a communal plaque which will be located in the government center.  Nomination forms are located on the share (W:) drive in the “Employee Recognition” folder or can be obtained from a supervisor.  Completed forms should be submitted to Nikki Koehnemann. 

Economic Development Commission:  The Economic Development Commission met on Tuesday, May 18^th.  Jerre May of the Sunset Hills – City of Crestwood Chamber of Commerce was in attendance and gave a presentation on the Chamber’s Economic Development Commission.  Advertisement and evaluation of the upcoming sales tax holiday were also discussed.

Streetlights:  As reported during the June 8, 2010 BOA meeting, the City of Crestwood recently received some good news regarding the costs for streetlighting.  Ameren UE submitted a cost increase of 10.2% to the Public Service Commission (PSC).  While the PSC did award an overall cost increase of 10.2%, streetlighting was specifically exempted from the increase.  This is due in large part due to efforts coordinated by the St. Louis County Municipal League fighting this specific increase.  By avoiding this increase the City will save approximately $12,000 per year. 

Internal Balances:  During the April 13, 2010 BOA meeting the Mayor and Board of Aldermen were introduced to the City’s internal balances and the affect they have on the City’s audited financial statement.  This matter has been further studied by City Staff, who will be bringing a recommendation to the Board of Aldermen in either July or August.  Anyone with questions regarding the internal balances should contact the Finance Officer or the City Administrator. 

Municipal Court:  During the month of May, the Municipal Court entered 246 cases. There are currently 1,075 cases considered active and 973 cases in warrant status.

Judicial Conference:  During the week of May 24^th, Court Administrator Tami Trulove and Municipal Judge John Newsham attended a week-long judicial conference in Lake Ozark, MO.  Stages of Drunk Driving and its Effects, Dealing with Difficult Defendants, Records Retention Law Updates and various other court/law related topics were discussed.  Ms. Trulove also served as a speaker on a Questions and Answers Panel to assist new court personnel from various cities in Missouri.   

Block Captains Meeting:  The Semi-Annual Crestwood Neighborhood Watch Block Captains Meeting was held on June 16, 2010. This meeting was coordinated by Charlene Braun.  Lieutenant Colonel Frank Arnoldy and Community Resource Officer Michael Provaznik represented the police department during this event.

D.A.R.E. Night at Busch Stadium:   On June 1, 2010, students from our elementary D.A.R.E. classes participated in the D.A.R.E. Night at Busch Stadium, along with Community Resource Officer Michael Provaznik.

Fire Department Alarm Totals:  During the month of May the Fire Department responded to 131 alarms, 90 of which were EMS.  As of May 31 the Fire Department has responded to 598 total alarms in 2010.  EMS accounted for 399, or 66% of the total alarms. This is twelve more alarms as compared to the same time period in 2009 (568). 

CPR Recertification:  All members of the Fire Department were CPR recertified in-house by FF/Paramedic Gary Schneider. 

Retirement/Hiring:  On June 1, 2010, Fire Fighter / Equipment Specialist Keith Parker retired.  Keith had 36+ years of service with the Department.  Fire Department personnel will miss his vast knowledge of fire fighting and his experience with the City of Crestwood.  On June 13^th Fire Fighter / Paramedic Samuel Jones began his employment with the Department as Keith’s replacement. 

Annual Fire Hydrant Report:  The Fire Department has completed the annual testing of all 346 public fire hydrants within the City of Crestwood.  22 various malfunctions and violations found, which were promptly reported to Missouri-American Water Company for repair. 

Fire Department Maintenance Repairs:  During the month of May, Fire Department members were able to repair a number of items in-house, saving labor costs associated with the repairs.  These repairs included a 500 gallon water tank repair on Engine 1290, a control valve repair on Engine 1214, and new rear brakes on vehicle 1201.  We would like to thank Fire Fighter / Equipment Specialists Steve Toelke and Warren Weiss and all other members of the Fire Department who assisted in these repairs.    

Summer Concert Series:  The Summer Concert series at Whitecliff Park is receiving positive feedback from residents and those in attendance.  Approximately 200 people attended the first concert on June 5^th, which featured the Gateway City Big Band.  The next concert will occur on Thursday, July 1^st at 8:00 pm as Yukon Jake takes the stage.  Please consider joining us at Whitecliff Park for this free event. 

Whitecliff Summer Playhouse:  Whitecliff Summer Playhouse’s first production of the summer will be The Music Man, which will run from June 17-20 in Whitecliff Park.  A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum will run from July 8-11.  Tickets go on sale starting at 6:30 pm before each performance.  Bring a lawn chair and join us for a magical night under the stars in Whitecliff Park. 

Aquatic Center:  The Aquatic Center opened on Saturday, May 29^th thanks to the hard work from the City’s community center staff, maintenance staff and Lifeguards Unlimited.  Memorial Day weekend kicked off a great start to the 2010 swim season; attendance for the three days was 4173, with the front desk collecting $ 10,539.75 in revenue, and the concession stand collecting $ 3,106.65 in revenue.  We hope to see you at the pool this summer.  Do not forget about the 9^th annual Lazy River Duck Race, which will be held July 4^th at the Aquatic Center.

Sanders Park:  The Sanders Park ribbon cutting ceremony was held at the new pavilion in Sanders Park on Wednesday, June 16^th at 3 pm.  Approximately thirty five people attended the ribbon cutting ceremony and officially opened this wonderful enhancement to our park system.  The project is now completely finished, and Parks and Recreation Staff are in the process of submitting for the reimbursement of all project costs through the Municipal Park Grant Commission.  We hope to receive reimbursement in late July or August. 

Sappington House:  The Sappington Tea Barn continues to plan for an opening date of July 1, 2010.  However, delays experienced by the operator may cause that opening date to be postponed.  Additional information on the opening of this facility will be provided to the Mayor and Board of Aldermen as it becomes available. 

Whitecliff Park Service Bridge: CDG Engineers continues to work on the Whitecliff Park Service Bridge design.  CDG is currently in the process of obtaining all necessary permits and clearances from the federal government related to this project.  Construction of this project is scheduled for 2011.

Park Vandalism Reduction Plan:  In recent weeks members of the Parks and Recreation Department, Police Department, and Public Works Department have worked together to create a Park Vandalism Reduction Plan (PVRP).  The PVRP was presented to the Park Board at its June 6^th meeting.  During that meeting the Park Board discussed a number of ideas from the plan.  Ultimately, the Park Board voted to proceed as follows:  implement a Trail/Park Watchers volunteer group; send a reverse 911 message to all residents along park perimeters detailing the importance of promptly reporting park vandalism; and implementation of a Park Tip Hotline which residents and park users can utilize to report vandalism of any kind within the parks.  This is a great example of departments working together and utilizing an advisory board to create a firm course of action to solve a City problem.

Public Works Maintenance Crew: The Public Works maintenance crew continues pruning trees, mulching, preparing planting beds, and making necessary repairs to playground equipment within the parks.  A substantial amount of landscaping work was completed at the Aquatic Center prior to the pool opening.  Street maintenance personnel are working ahead of the paving contractor in order to perform curb patching as necessary.  The replacement of signage to meet the new retro-reflectivity maintenance standards is on-going and will continue throughout the year.

2010 Mill and Overlay Project: NB West Contracting is in the midst of the 2010 Asphalt Mill and Overlay Contract.  The project began on June 3, 2010 and is approximately eighty percent at this time.  The project is scheduled for completion on June 25, 2010, weather permitting.   

Animal Control Shelter Roof: The Friends of Animal Control and Rescue, a not-for-profit organization, was successful in securing a donation from a roofing contractor and a supplier for the donation of the labor and material required in order to replace the roof at the Animal Control shelter.  The work is scheduled to begin on Friday June 18, 2010, weather permitting.  Members of the Public Works Staff will be overseeing this project to ensure that the project is satisfactory completed.

Sewer Lateral Program:  In the month of May the City of Crestwood received six applications for sewer lateral repair and all six requests were approved.