Internal Memorandum
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 25th, 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 18th. 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 24th, 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 13th 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 5th, which featured the Gateway City Big Band. The next concert will occur on Thursday, July 1st 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 29th 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 9th annual Lazy River Duck Race, which will be held July 4th at the Aquatic Center.
Sanders Park: The Sanders Park ribbon cutting ceremony was held at the new pavilion in Sanders Park on Wednesday, June 16th 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 6th 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.
