After a discussion of traffic calming measures on various streets, Maplewood officials on Tuesday approved the city manager purchasing speed bumps for Marietta Avenue.
Residents of Marietta have said that the number of children on the block has increased from one to 17 in the past 12 years. They’re concerned about speeding drivers, especially during morning rush hour. The city’s traffic study showed that it qualified for speed bumps, both in the number of cars going over the limit, and total number of cars.
See also: Parents on Marietta concerned about speeding drivers
City Manager Marty Corcoran said after the meeting that he knew of only one resident of the street who didn’t want speed bumps — she favored narrowing the street with planters to slow traffic instead.
Council members discussed ‘residential’ versus ‘collector’ streets. Residential streets can have speed bumps and collectors can’t. Corcoran said Flora, for example, is considered a collector streets. Marietta is residential because no streets feed onto it.
Corcoran couldn’t commit to a schedule for installing the speed bumps. Two will be installed.
The council also made the final vote approving the 2019 city budget — including funds to spend part of the city’s Proposition P funds to hire two new police officers. Before the vote Maplewood business owner Matt Williams (TKO DJs, Saint Louis Closet Company, 22 Company Property Management) spoke in support of the police department and hiring the officers.
Also in the meeting an attorney representing Armstrong Teasdale and Sunnen Company spoke on a proposal to form a community improvement district to raise funds to reimburse Sunnen Company for its expenses in improving the property where the Porche and Mini Cooper dealerships are. A one percent tax will be added to retail purchases in the district (not including cars) until the end of 2043.
See also: Maplewood mayor responds to comments on proposed Sunnen Community Improvement District
The council also approved one of two bids received to replace the surface of the city’s tennis courts. The courts will also be striped for pickleball.
Also, the council approved the same liquor licenses for the coming Schnucks that Shop ‘n Save had. A representative from Schnucks came to answer questions, and said they’re doing a lot to make it a nice store.
Where are Maplewood’s tennis courts located?
Next to the MRH high school track and the city hall parking lot.
Thank you, Dave. I didn’t realize there were any courts in Maplewood. Nice to know.
Again, why are we trying to set up the CID AFTER the development has taken place. Perhaps because the current members of the council stand to benefit in some way. Please educate me Mr. Mayor…
Lets take one more look at this speed bump idea. The only way to slow traffic is a COP and a book of tickets. If people are going to speed a bump in the street is not going to slow them down. The streets in Maplewood are filled with holes now. I don’t see anybody slowing down. The school buseser drive 10 to 15 miles over the limit now! Not their car / bus who cares about the damage. What about snow removal? You can’t plow a street with speed bumps! I guess all the homeowner will get out and clean the streets by hand. The damage done to a snowplow truck, the plow blade and the speed bump is very costly and the need for there repairs each year will cost more then placing a police officer with a ticket book. How about a radar trailer. Get the times of day,day of the week, speed and if equipped a picture of the auto then a police officer. Make sure you place a sign tell everyone the cost for a speeding ticket on this street is 50 times higher then others because of the children. Pass a ordinance making the speed sign and the cost per mile over that is legal. One last thing, find a judge to hand out the fines and court costs 100%. If jail is needed so be.
I think it’s called responsibility!!!
That is Great news for Marietta. But what about all the other streets that have too many cars speeding – over 30mph – down their block. We need other options if speed bumps are not allowed. I have seen Speed signs that show the driver how fast they are going! We need more of those in Maplewood to Guilt people not Slowing down for Safety!
This is nuts! Raising taxes to reimburse Sunnen? After the fact! Shouldn’t have a district been formed PRIOR to the development? and let the voters decide if they want it or not. Whatever politico came up with this idea needs to be voted out… He is likely on the take from Sunnen.
Looking forward to those pickleball courts.
I live behind the high school and people fly down our street. Then it gets worse during the school year, with the school buses, student and adults also flying down our street. We were told that because all the school buses come down our street speed bumps wasn’t a option. There used to be a sign warning drivers of small children, but it was removed when out street was redone and never put back.
I am confused as to why they should be reimbursed for ‘improving’ the property where they put in new businesses. They chose to build businesses on that property for their own financial gain. Why should they be reimbursed? Can anyone explain this concept to me? Also, why then would the product they sell on their commercial property not be in on the tax increase they are proposing? This sounds fishy to me.
I am with you Cathy. Why should Sunnen be reimbursed? It was their property to begin with, will the City of Maplewood reimburse me when I improve my property? No, they won’t but they sure will raise my taxes on it because I improved it.
I initially agreed with the ridiculousness of this request, but I did a little reading and saw that vehicle taxes are taxed to where the resident lives, not on where it is purchased, so you really can’t tax vehicles sold there. However, they can tax repairs and parts in the area which I believe is where they will receive the benefit. In my eyes after reading this, they are essentially raising their prices to pay for the improvements. Still seems silly but I have greater belief that this less shady then I initially believed.
Seriously, not on cars? Wow. The tax base does not need to get exploited for the sake of private enterprise, especially the fumbling incompetent auto industry.
How did Sunnen “improve” the property? They tore down a residential neighborhood. I like those older homes, but they should have been kept up better.
Might as well make it 10% and fix all of these roads around the former Shop n Save. Every single one has a side or a section removed with gravel all over and then it gets replaced with blacktop that sinks in and you drive over a pit for a month before it gets another round of blacktop. I can understand a street being under construction for a few weeks but this has been going on for months.
You need to direct that anger at the Metropolitan Sewer District.
Remember a few years ago how they tore up Southwest and put in massive new pipes? Then they came through and destroyed Bellevue as they put in a new midsized line? All the that work behind the old Shop n Save feeds into that.
The end goal is to direct storm water away from Brentwood. As I’m sure you know every few years Manchester Road floods west of Hanley Road: all the work I mentioned above is to take storm water from the Deer Creek basin and move it east to the River Des Peres so that doesn’t occur any more.
So like I said, all of that mess in the northeast part of Maplewood is thanks to the MSD. They city of Maplewood has nothing to do with it.
The one percent tax should be on cars, not on anything else!
Can somebody explain why the residents of Maplewood should pay sales tax to pay for costs associated with a Porsche and Mini Cooper dealership? Seems absurd to me.