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: May 20, 2010
RE: City Administrator’s Report
2010 Legislative Wrap-up: The Second Session of the 95th General Assembly adjourned on Friday, May 14. It does not appear that any of the laws passed during this session will greatly affect the City of Crestwood. Attached to this report are bulletins from both the St. Louis County Municipal League and Missouri Municipal League which summarize the laws which were passed.
Employee of the Quarter: The nomination process for the first Employee of the Quarter (April 1 through June 30) is drawing to a close. If you would like to recognize the hard work and dedication of a City employee, please submit a completed entry form to Nikki Koehnemann by June 30. Any nomination submitted after June 30 will be entered for the next quarter, which will run July 1 through September 30. Blank entry forms can be obtained on the share (W:) drive or by contacting Nikki. Winners of the Employee of the Quarter will be presented with a framed certificate and a $25 gift card to a local business. He or she will be mentioned in a future Administrator’s Report and will have his/her name added to a communal plaque to be located in City Hall. Please contact Nikki Koehnemann if you have any questions on this exciting new program.
Wellness Challenge: The first annual employee wellness competition concluded in April. Jason Balsman, Chris Berberich, Ron Compton and Johnny Dunn won the activity challenge with 22,875 minutes logged. Mike Provaznik, Pat Kelley, Chris Kuhn and Rob Leesman won the weight loss challenge by losing almost 7% of their body weight. Congratulations to those two teams, as well as to all those who participated! Overall, the City had eight teams participate in the wellness competition, approximately 33% of all employees. The employee wellness group met on Monday, May 17 to discuss the outcome of the wellness competition and the overall wellness program. It was determined that overall the wellness program has been a success and will be continued with minor modifications. Anyone with questions on the City’s wellness program can contact Nikki Koehnemann.
Crestwood Executive Center: Please note that alterations have been made to the exterior of the Crestwood Executive Center in order to alleviate the problems with peeling paint. Special thanks to the Public Works Department and Rosann Shannon for working with the property owner to address that situation.
Wi-Fi Contract: In 2007 the City entered into a contract with Network1 Wireless LLC which allowed Network1 to install wireless broadband services to properties in Crestwood. Since that time Network1 has changed its business model and is no longer interested in providing wireless broadband service to major metropolitan areas. Accordingly, I will be working with Network1 to terminate the existing agreement.
Tree City USA® Community Recognition: The City of Crestwood was recently recognized by the nonprofit Arbor Day Foundation as a Tree City USA community for its commitment to urban forestry. This is the fifteenth year Crestwood has earned this national designation. The Tree City USA program is sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the National Association of State Foresters and the USDA Forest Service.
Police Training: Twenty seven officers attended firearms training on Thursday, May 13, 2010 at the St. Louis County Police Firearms Range. Detective Johnny Dunn attended the Missouri Juvenile Officer Association annual training conference on May 17 and 18. Detective Dunn received training in Teenage Murders, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and Asperger’s Syndrome.
D.A.R.E. Graduation: Community Resource Officer Mike Provaznik and Chief Paillou attended the D.A.R.E. Graduation at Long Elementary School on May 18, 2010. Three fifth grade classes who each participated in thirteen weeks of D.A.R.E. training with Officer Provaznik received their D.A.R.E. Diplomas. Lindbergh School District Superintendent Dr. James Simpson was also in attendance.
Abbott Clinical Save Awards: Eight members of the Fire Department received certificates from Abbott Ambulance for their life saving efforts on three EMS alarms in Crestwood. Those who received awards are as follows:
• 8/16/09 – Captain Robert Shaffrey, Fire Equipment Specialist Michael Kelly, FF/Paramedic Gary Schneider, and FF/Paramedic Nancy Willison
• 10/17/2009 – Captain Keith Bell, Fire Equipment Specialist Tony Goss, and FF/Paramedic Nancy Willison
• 10/24/2009 – Lieutenant Chris Guion, Fire Equipment Specialist Steve Toelke, and FF/Paramedic Dominic Moll.
These awards are granted for a “Clinical Save”, which occurs when a patient is breathless and pulse-less when EMS personnel arrive on the scene yet the patient arrives at the emergency room with his/her heart restarted. Congratulations to each of these employees for their outstanding work!
Alarm Totals: Through the end of April the Crestwood Fire Department has responded to 467 alarms, including 309 EMS calls. As a point of comparison, we responded to 477 calls from January 1 – April 30, 2009.
Annual Business Inspections: The Fire Department began the annual Fire Prevention & Safety Inspections of all businesses in Crestwood on May 3rd. The inspections started with churches, places of assembly, and swimming pools. When those inspections were completed we moved to businesses along Watson Road. During this year’s inspections we will be placing a special emphasis on the City of Crestwood address ordinance.
Annual Hydrant Inspections: The annual inspection of all public fire hydrants within the City of Crestwood was completed in April. 345 hydrants were inspected for compliance with NFPA and ISO standards. There were 16 malfunctions found during the inspection process. A letter will be sent to Missouri American Water Company requiring that these deficiencies be addressed.
Maintenance Crews: The Public Works maintenance crew continues to concentrate its work within the parks, including landscaping at the Aquatic Center, mulching, preparing planting beds, and repairing playground equipment. Street maintenance personnel continue the replacement of signage to meet the new retro-reflectivity standards. Contractual street sweeping was completed on May 5, 2010.
Street Maintenance Concerns: At the May 11, 2010 Board of Aldermen meeting a resident made several comments and questions regarding street maintenance issues in his neighborhood. The response from the Public Works Director is as follows:
• Resident questioned whether crack sealing will occur on Fieldcrest and Fournier – The street maintenance crew will resume crack sealing in the fall of this year. Fieldcrest and Fournier are planned for treatment at that time. The street maintenance crew has already completed approximately 72,000 LF of crack sealing this year.
• Resident questioned the mud-jack holes and voids under Shoppers Lane – The Public Works staff is aware of these holes and voids, which are similar to a number of concrete streets in the City. These streets are monitored and addressed when the voids become a problem.
• Resident questioned when new curbs will be installed on Fieldcrest – The existing five-year street maintenance plan does not include any curbing installation work. Fixing the curbs in the manner recommended by the resident would be expensive and would result in treatment to fewer streets within the City of Crestwood. Our current street maintenance budget does not allow for this type of treatment.
• Resident notified City of blockage at the Fournier culvert – The street maintenance crew removed the blockage at the culvert on May 12, 2010.
The information above was provided to the resident who brought up these concerns. If anyone has additional questions regarding this matter, please contact the Director of Public Works.
Sanders Park: The Sanders Park project has been successfully completed and the City Staff is in the process of submitting final paperwork and our reimbursement request to the St. Louis County Municipal League. The Parks and Recreation Director will be providing a report on this project at the May 25, 2010 BOA meeting.
Whitecliff Park Service Bridge: Public Works staff met with CDG Engineers on April 23 and May 19 in order to discuss the project schedule and bridge design options. The consultant is currently working on preliminary bridge design options prior to a submittal to DNR.
2010 Mill and Overlay Project: The 2010 Mill and Overlay project was approved by the Board of Aldermen on May 11, 2010. City Staff is scheduled to meet with the contractor during the week of May 24, 2010 in order to discuss the project schedule and the scope of the work. The project will likely start on June 7, 2010, weather permitting. The residents affected by this work will be notified via mail and temporary no parking signage will be placed on these streets shortly before milling activities begin.
Board of Adjustment: The Board of Adjustment is scheduled to meet on May 26, 2010 in order to hear an appeal from St. Charles Tower (SCT). The Public Works Director previously denied a request for an administrative permit from SCT which would have allowed the construction of a 110 foot tall cell tower at the Church of the Advent located at 9373 Garber Road. The Board of Adjustment will either affirm or over-rule the decision of the Public Works Director.
Sewer Lateral Program: In the month of April the City of Crestwood received eight applications for sewer lateral repair and all eight requests were approved.
Municipal Court: During the month of April, the Municipal Court entered 242 cases. There are currently 1,218 cases considered active and 962 cases in warrant status.
Community Center: Summer programs have begun at the Crestwood Community Center. The Parks and Recreation Staff has been busy all month selling Aquatic Center memberships and training the seasonal staff for the Aquatic Center. Upcoming events include a concert in Whitecliff Park on Saturday, June 5 at 8 pm, with music provided by Gateway City Big Band. The Whitecliff Summer Playhouse will hold its first production of the summer, The Music Man, on June 17-20 in Whitecliff Park.
Aquatic Center: The Aquatic Center is ready to open on Saturday, May 29th thanks to the hard work of the City maintenance staff and Lifeguards Unlimited. Membership sales to the Aquatic Center have generated approximately $58,000 in revenue thus far.
Sanders Park: The Sanders Park renovation was completed on May 7, 2010. A ribbon cutting ceremony will be held at the new pavilion in Sanders Park on Wednesday, June 16th at 3 pm. Everyone is invited to attend.
Sappington House: The Sappington Barn Restaurant is scheduled to re-open on July 1, 2010.
Park Board: The Park Board meeting originally scheduled for May 17, 2010 has been rescheduled for Monday, June 6th.
