Shaw Bucket List Update

I wrote this bucket list last July and here’s the update! Italicized items were achieved, bolded items have yet to happen. Who wants to make these dreams a reality with me, particularly #18 or #29? Find me on NextDoor, let’s hang out!

1. Enjoy being able to get to Tower Grove Park without a car.

2. Check out the Tower Grove Farmer’s Market.

3. Sell or buy something at Olive Branch Exchange.

4. Spend a little time picking up trash in your alley.

5. Support a local business with a word of encouragement or a review.

6. Eat a full meal on the patio of Thurman Grill & Provisions.

7. Marvel at how spacious & cool the bathroom is at Sasha’s on Shaw.

8. Contribute to ShawTalk.

9. Attend a neighborhood meeting or event.

10. Take a walk.

11. Appreciate how good some people are at landscaping.

12. Dream of the day that you will be good at landscaping.

13. Represent with a Shaw Nuff or Tower Grove tshirt or sticker from STL-Style.

14. Eat a cupcake from SweetArt.

15. Realize how good their food looks and resist the urge to get a cupcake.

16. Start going there with the admitted intention of eating a delicious and nutritious meal AND a cupcake.

17. Get a haircut in this neighborhood (we have multiple options!)

18. See the inside of all of the churches here.

19. Spend at least 5 minutes at Dorothy Park being totally still and silent. (Shenandoah and Thurman)

20. Go down a slide at Juanita Park (40XX Shenandoah).

21. Volunteer at, contribute to, buy from or just visit the annual plant swap and sale.

22. Make all your friends jealous by biking/walking to the Whitaker Music Festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden.

23. Buy all new bedroom furniture on a whim from MOBOT’s Little Shop Around the Corner‘s annual clearance sale.

24. Interact with the Shaw Art Fair in some way, shape or form.

25. Enjoy the home cookin’ of Mama Josephine’s.

26. Patronize both Shaw’s Market (Shaw & Klemm) and Salamah’s (Shaw & 39th).

27. This is a tad outside of Shaw but it’s worth it; eat the best blueberry muffin of your life from Fresh Gatherings, the cafe run by nutrition students at SLU. 

28. Get stuck on a dog walk without a bag to pick up you-know-what and thank Shaw for having a dogpark stashed with extras that you can use (and replenish later).

29. Walk every square inch of the streets of this neighborhood.

30. Read the neighborhood blog.

31. Go on a historic or open house tour.

32. Lend something to or borrow something from a neighbor!

-resident blogger Emma Klues

Reflections on the Year in Shaw

It’s a wonderful and exciting time in the Shaw Neighborhood! We’re about to embark on our 21st Historic Shaw Art Fair filled with excellent art, food, entertainment & fun…

The Shaw Neighborhood began the year by joining with Botanical Heights, Tiffany, Forest Park Southeast and Southwest Garden in a collaborative response to the Kresge Arts Initiative. While not being awarded a grant, the joint effort strengthened our relations with the neighboring communities in the “Garden District.”

Our Healthy Corner Store Project with what was Regal III food store is now completed with both interior and exterior makeovers and a new name: Shaw Market. And we continue to engage our newer residents and friends at the monthly Young Professionals gatherings.

Restoration of the Thurman Underpass for pedestrian and bicycle use progresses. SNIA has endorsed the new plans and is working with the Garden District Commission and Botanical Heights on its transformation. Due to the work of two officers of SNIA, the project has been awarded a City of St. Louis Sustainability Grant and a Brightside Grant to create a Thurman Gateway Park bordering and through the underpass.

In recognition of SNIA’s help for those less fortunate, reflected in our food drives and Shaw Helping Hands Grants, Isaiah 58 Ministries presented SNIA with its 2013 Joined in Ministry (J.I.M.) Award.

While regretting the closure of Sherman Elementary School, the Shaw Neighborhood Improvement Association is working with the Shaw Neighborhood Housing Corporation and the St. Louis City School District in finding a suitable developer/use for the building and we’re experiencing a growing relationship with Mullanphy School in the neighborhood.

Much is happening with the involvement and support of the Shaw Neighborhood Improvement Association:

• Shaw Blvd. Improvement Project: working with SNHC to promote improved lighting and streetscape along Shaw Blvd;

• Surveillance Cameras: exploring the placement of cameras within the neighborhood;

• Russell Ave. Bikeway: working with Trailnet to establish a bike path along Russell Ave. from S. Grand Blvd. to Tower Grove Ave;

• Shaw Walking Tours: designing/developing walking tours within the neighborhood;

• SNIA Branding & logo: designing/developing new images for SNIA’s websites and communications; and

• Shaw Dog Park: exploring lighting for the park.

Thanks to Alderman Conway for his collaboration on several of these initiatives and to you, Shaw residents, for your confidence and support…

Lawrence Johnson
SNIA President
September 30, 2013

Do you do stunning digital design? We need you!

SNIA is looking to bring a new design to shawstlouis.org and we’re looking for a savvy professional to help us! If you’re interested in throwing your hat in the ring, please email me at lkinsell@hotmail.com for a copy of the request for proposals. Proposals are due JUNE 21.

Bike Safety Rodeo Comes to Shaw!

Trailnet is bringing another program to Shaw – this time for kids! There will be a Bike Safety Rodeo in the parking lot of Sherman School at 3942 Flad on Sunday, June 2nd from 2-4pm. Bring your bike (but we’ll have a few to borrow) and a helmet if you have one, to make sure it fits perfectly. If you don’t have one, Trailnet will be giving them out as well!

Kids, bring a parent so they can sign a permission slip! Riding your bike is always fun, let’s make sure it’s also always safe. If we get rained out, we’ll shoot for the following week (Sunday, June 9th).

Questions? Contact Cindy: cindycantrell@trailnet.org or 314.436.1324 x102.

See you on June 2nd at Sherman School!

Adults: If you would like to volunteer at this event, we would love your help. Please contact Emma Klues (neighbor) at emmalouklues@gmail.com to sign up!

Shaw Bike Safety Class!

Save your money, get around by bike!

Learn how to ride your bike safely and confidently in traffic. We’ll go over the basics of getting from point A to point B on your bike. Whether you’re headed to work, the grocery store, or riding with the kids to school in the morning, we’ll cover the maneuvers you need to know to get there safely. We’ll even show you how to change a flat tire so you can keep yourself rolling!

The Details:

• Saturday, May 18th from 1:00-6:00pm
• (includes classroom portion, parking lot practice, short ride)
• Meet at 1PM at the SNIA Office (4103 Shenandoah)
• FREE to any Shaw resident 18+, bring your bike and helmet (no helmet? no problem! We will have a helmet available for you to keep).
• Class size is limited, please register in advance by contacting Molly Pearson (molly@trailnet.org, 314.436.1327 ext 117) or visit Trailnet.org and register online.

Funding for this project was provided in whole by The Missouri Foundation for Health. The Missouri Foundation for Health is a philanthropic organization whose vision is to improve the health of the people in the communities it serves.

St. Louis Community Farmer’s Market

I’ll be honest, when the Tower Grove Farmer’s Market closes for the season, I’m bummed. But today, I was elated to discover the wonderful St. Louis Community Farmer’s Market, which is held once a month throughout the winter, just over on Arsenal! They are in St. John’s Episcopal Church on 3664 Arsenal (just west of Grand) on the 2nd Saturday of the month from 9am-1pm November-April. So mark your calendars for March 9th and April 13th, or follow them on Facebook to get reminded with beautiful photos of produce and goods.

All sorts of produce caught my eye and my wallet, from mushrooms and scallions to lettuce and spinach. There was no shortage of all kinds of meat, fish, and farm fresh eggs! All-season products like coffees and Traveling Teas, local honey, salsas and soaps from Hanley’s Fold (love them) were available as well. Black Bear Bakery had their wonderful breads and bakery items, and they had a new partner there called Red Fox Baking. I tried a ricotta galette (YUM) and one of their morning buns (muffin) is currently taunting me from my breadbox.

If you are missing the market, save the date for the next two St. Louis Community Farmer’s Markets (3/9 and 4/13), and before you know it, we’ll be back in the park on Saturday mornings!

–Emma Klues

Looser Solar Panel Regulations in Shaw Being Considered – Voice Your Opinion!

The St. Louis Cultural Resource Office is currently considering a revision of the standards for allowing installation of solar panels in “historical districts.” The revisions will be on the agenda of the Preservation Board at its meeting on January 28, 2013.

The current standard is “No Visibility Required” (the panels may not be publicly visible). Under consideration is a new standard of “Visual Compatibility Required,” which allows the solar panels to be visible if they maintain the character of the historic building and district. (NOTE – A major exception under the proposed, new standard is the dis-allowance of panels on slate or tile roofing.)

The proposed revisions may be found at: http://stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/planning/cultural-resources/documents/upload/Solar-Panel-Installation-Standards-October-2012.pdf

We encourage you to submit comments on this revision to the Cultural Resources Office and Preservation Board, or you may send them to SNIA at <shawneighborhood@sbcglobal.net> on or before January 14, 2013 so that there is time to compile them prior to the hearing. If any of our readers have already gone through the process of getting approval for and installing solar panels in our historic district, please share your experiences in the comments below.

Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

For kind of the first time in my life, I have neighbors. And I like it. And sometimes, I can’t stop thinking about it.

No, I didn’t grow up on a farm. But I did grow up slightly outside of town (Champaign, IL). And then I went to college, and had short-term temporary neighbors. And then I moved to St. Louis and lived in two different neighborhoods before Shaw. I loved them both, but knowing that I was renting and temporary, I didn’t put much effort into really establishing a community there. And now I’m here and I can’t stop thinking about the opportunity and possibility of living near other people. And here are some thoughts in no particular order that bounce around my brain some days:

– NeighborGoods has a great idea – sharing resources between neighbors. Why should every home own their own ladder? How often do you really use a ladder? Let’s share things. Even if not on that website, some people use ShawTalk for this purpose, right? I like this idea of not everyone buying everything. That’s silly.

– Do you like to walk? I think walking is generally a great thing. Would anyone be interested in getting together and walking around the neighborhood? It’s a personal goal of mine to walk the neighborhood, it’d be great for your health, and can only improve the security in Shaw (in fact, the security committee and I are in cahoots, you heard it here first). Leave a comment if you’re interested.

– I babysat for a family down the street this week. How easy/convenient is that? I don’t have kids yet so I am still a little naive about childcare, but do people set up babysitting exchanges much? I would imagine folks who are retired would be perfect candidates for caring for kiddos. Just as the young folks may be good at home repairs or running errands. Surely there are easy ways to barter/trade services among neighbors. Have you tried that with anything?

– I am also apartment and pet-sitting for another friend and neighbor right now. Does everyone have someone who would water their plants and grab their mail and whatnot? If not, want one? Surely there’s an easy way to make sure you have someone who could (on a walk) keep an eye out. How would we go about setting this up?

I know I’m more full of questions than answers, but hey, blogs aren’t supposed to have all the answers. But I bet between all of us Shaw residents, we can figure it out. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

–Emma Klues

Shaw Neighborhood Bucket List

The second blog post of the Community Outreach Committee from our own awesome Emma Klues…

 

Hey folks! I’m back. It’s now been 4 months and I am loving Shaw just as much as ever. I’m still getting to know the neighborhood and I would like your help in the process. Here’s the start of my personal Shaw neighborhood bucket list. A few of them I just wrote for fun, but I am very eager to hear YOUR additions; I know I have a lot to learn! Leave a comment and let’s build (and then conquer) this list together.

1. Enjoy being able to get to Tower Grove Park without a car.

2. Check out the Tower Grove Farmer’s Market.

3. Sell or buy something at Olive Branch Exchange.

4. Spend a little time picking up trash in your alley.

5. Support a local business with a word of encouragement or a review.

6. Eat a full meal on the patio of Thurman Grill & Provisions.

7. Marvel at how spacious & cool the bathroom is at Sasha’s on Shaw.

8. Contribute to ShawTalk.

9. Attend a neighborhood meeting or event.

10. Take a walk.

11. Appreciate how good some people are at landscaping.

12. Dream of the day that you will be good at landscaping.

13. Represent with a Shaw Nuff or Tower Grove tshirt or sticker from STL-Style.

14. Eat a cupcake from SweetArt.

15. Realize how good their food looks and resist the urge to get a cupcake.

16. Start going there with the admitted intention of eating a delicious and nutritious meal AND a cupcake.

17. Get a haircut in this neighborhood (we have multiple options!)

18. See the inside of all of the churches here.

19. Spend at least 5 minutes at Dorothy Park being totally still and silent. (Shenandoah and Thurman)

20. Go down a slide at Juanita Park (40XX Shenandoah).

21. Volunteer at, contribute to, buy from or just visit the annual plant swap and sale.

22. Make all your friends jealous by biking/walking to the Whitaker Music Festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden.

23. Buy all new bedroom furniture on a whim from MOBOT’s Little Shop Around the Corner‘s annual clearance sale.

24. Interact with the Shaw Art Fair in some way, shape or form.

25. Enjoy the home cookin’ of Mama Josephine’s.

26. Patronize both Regal Food (Shaw & Klemm) and Salamah’s (Shaw & 39th).

27. This is a tad outside of Shaw but it’s worth it; eat the best blueberry muffin of your life from Fresh Gatherings, the cafe run by nutrition students at SLU. 

28. Get stuck on a dog walk without a bag to pick up you-know-what and thank Shaw for having a dogpark stashed with extras that you can use (and replenish later).

29. Walk every square inch of the streets of this neighborhood.

30. Read the neighborhood blog.

31. Go on a historic or open house tour.

32. Lend something to or borrow something from a neighbor!

SNIA, SNHC and TGFM

You should know the first acronym in the headline as the Shaw Neighborhood Improvement Association.  The second one is hopefully familiar to residents: Shaw Neighborhood Housing Corporation.  And, the third acronym is where we met a lot of current and future neighbors over the weekend – Tower Grove Farmers Market.  Sean Spencer, SNHC Executive Director (follow him on Twitter), wrote about all the fun, here.

In addition to promoting the neighborhood and our two organizations, Stephanie Herbers reports that we met several Shaw residents who hadn’t connected with either SNIA or SNHC.  Both organizations are only as good as the people involved, so a special thanks to those folks who manned the booth, as well as those special guests who stopped by (no spoiler alerts here, so read Sean’s post).

Eric Vineyard – SNIA President