About 40 Maplewood residents, city council members, staffers and others gathered at the Sutton Loop Park shelter for two hours on Saturday to discuss whatever was on their minds—mainly it was the failed proposition to raise funds to improve the city hall building, and what will happen now since it failed in the April election, and the unhoused people that spend time at the Sutton Loop Park shelter.
A proposition similar to Prop M will be before voters in the November elections. Mayor Barry Greenberg said Prop M failed by 50 votes [it was required to pass with 57% yes votes, it received about 53%]. He said the city will have more community meetings, more city hall tours, and more opportunities for feedback. He implied that better education about the need will convince residents to vote yes.
When a resident said that if the proposition cost was reduced it might have a better chance of passing, City Manager Amber Withycombe said the cost presented in April was the base cost, and that the ‘no vote’ received doesn’t remove the need for the improvements.
Ward 1 council member Wiley C added that the failed proposition contained the bare minimum, and that the HVAC system is in danger of failing. Also, Police Chief Matt Nighbor said the department’s CALEA certification could depend on improvements for the department, and that Maplewood’s police facilities are in the top five worst in all of St. Louis County.
Then, under the Sutton Loop Park shelter, a resident asked about the group of unhoused people that gather there on many days. Several residents had concerns about safety and sanitation. Ward 3 council member Nick Homa said there’s no solution yet, and that everyone’s needs have to be met.
Social Services Coordinator Celeste Grayer said there are currently 15 unhoused living in Maplewood, and two of them are using the city’s services. She said she checks on them everyday, that they can’t be forced into treatment, and that the individuals have free will to gather at the shelter. If someone is jailed, when they are released—usually within a week, the cycle continues until the individual improves.
Chief Nighbor said everyone has rights, and the offenses committed are usually minor, resulting in minimum jail time or four-five hours in a hospital. He also emphasized that if anyone sees public defecation, urination, or especially drug use to call the police.
A few residents suggested that if the food pantry was removed from the shelter that would solve the problem, but others said the food doesn’t bring them; they gather for the shared community.
Some residents who live nearby, on Maple Avenue, said they have lived with the situation for years. They have gotten to know some of them, and said conversations with the unhoused may have been uncomfortable, but they haven’t felt unsafe. It was also noted that many of them have roots in Maplewood.
Greenberg said Maplewood is a compassionate community, but a plan of action is wanted. He said the city council is there to listen, whether it’s about moving the pantry, or even building more shelters to accommodate everyone.