The owner of Schaefer Shell, Gene Kohler, asked me, editor of 40 South News, to take a photo of the last crew before it closes for good. Schaefer Shell, in Maplewood, lost its lease.
Kohler said the property owner, Circle K, wouldn’t renew their lease. Friday, Feb. 26 is the gas station’s last day in business. Kohler said after they’re done cleaning up on Saturday they’re going to do something they’ve never done before: have a beer in the service bay.
They got together inside, in the now stripped office, before going out for the photo.
I am from B’wd, and empathize with the residents who have invested their lives’ savings and earnings into a residence that is SUDDENLY (not so quiet, or significantly problematic with bulk increases in traffic) etc. The Law of Unintended Consequences has, imo, been an ongoing problem for brentwood residents. We have the good fortune of having a LISTENING (for the most part) BOA–and they do a good job representing the neighborhoods. Not to aire dirty laundry, but UNFORTUNATE consternation with some (elected, adm) personnel NOT LISTENING and making decisions not in the interests of the residents–we are waiting to see improvement there. I am not sure if your City Adm/BOA meetings are video’ed for personal home review of actions and proposals of all meetings–this service is well done by Doug Miner who posts video of entire meetings on U-Tube. This is a GREAT feature and a way to keep up with on-going questions with any given project. People who LIVE in an area need to have the lion’s share of input, because they will be paying the price, with property/ re-zoning and devaluation of their property. Blessings to all of you—-BUT LOOK BEFORE YOU COMMIT. The unintended consequences actually ARE for seeable–you have to ask the right questions and research. B’wd failed to do that— and on-going consequences have resulted. M’wd and B’wd are residential areas zoned also for business. Always look at balance and get impact studies BEFORE the dollar signs of tax revenue start blinding the final decision makers. all my love and I WILL MISS SCHAEFER SHELL. love, maureen
Schaefer Shell professional staff—i used to come there for the $3 total assessment on my old car (1997). You would tell me what to do, when to do it and what to look for down the line. One time, my tire had some reason for being flat. i did not know, but came to your station. You not only found the bad spot, but gave me an air over-fill so i could get to Walmart and buy a replacement. You have been in my prayers since. You SAVED me—I will never forget that. You didn’t charge me either!! You did this out of the goodness in all of you–customer appreciation—THIS customer is going to really miss you. love, maureen
To the staff of Schaefer Shell:
I know you where a team of honest mechanics! You will be missed by the community. It is my hope you all have work lined up and the transition is as easy as possible. If you are still looking for work and need something temporary to help pay the bills during your job search send me an email. I’ll try my best to find a short term position in our family’s business. It may only be part time or perhaps contracted work on our fleet, IDK. I’ll need to confirm with my father. But I will do what I can to help you during the transition. Send me an email at nickfrisella @ metro electric supply .com to get the conversation started.
To Barry Greenberg:
Those that know you have great respect for the time and energy you spend making Maplewood a better place to live. Thank you for being you!
To my neighbors in Maplewood:
We are very lucky to have a such a large group of dedicated people from the community spending their personal time going above and beyond to make Maplewood a great place to live. We might not agree with all of the decisions being made. Please understand this is a community where YOU can get involved and have your voice heard. Instead of complaining in the comment sections, like we often see our neighbors in Brentwood doing, get involved. If you see something going on that upsets you I encourage you to go to city council meetings and work groups. Learn about our cities processes and ordinances. Have your voice heard and be part of the solution instead of complaining about it here. Complaining here accomplishes nothing but undercutting the work people are doing to make Maplewood a better community. Get involved in our community and make a difference!
My $0.02.
I <3 Maplewood!
City’s*
(Just wanted to fix that before the grammar police showed up)
I would be remiss in not just addressing previous comments, but also offering my best wishes for the staff of Schaefer Shell in their future endeavors. Their business represented many of the positive aspects of Maplewood that we need to maintain and cherish.
Based on the number of comments I have seen and responded to over the years, it does indeed appear that many citizens believe that the City has more control over development of private property than is delineated in our code of ordinances. That is why I directed the person who wrote the previous comment to the zoning process, so that they could familiarize themselves with how it works. You state that citizens shouldn’t have to know such details, they just need to trust their elected officials. You then you go on to denigrate the officials whom you say you have placed your trust in. You indicate that you like the changes that Maplewood has made but not the people who have made those changes a reality. I can’t address your concerns regarding the Design and Review Board since none of the issues you mention came up in the seven years I served on that board. The fact that I have donated my time and served on a board and a commission means that I can better contribute to the community I live and work in. I would like to be condescending now and ask if you have attended Citizens Academy, spoken directly with your elected officials or have even attended a City Council meeting. Do the examples you gave regarding Tim Hortons and the Design and Review Board form the sole basis for the assertions that you make with regard to “a pattern of greed/corruption, ignoring public sentiments, and just generally poor choices”? Frankly, it angers me that you use the terms greed and corruption when referring to elected officials and commission members. I have served over 20 years on two boards and as a City Councilperson. I might not agree with every person I have served with on every issue, but I can assure you that each one of those individuals I have had the pleasure of working with has spent countless hours, mostly unpaid, genuinely improving our community as opposed to whining about it in an anonymous comment.
Barry, thank you for all your service to the community. Thank you also that you take time to respond to posts on 40 South News.
To echo some of Barry’s comments, I have taken the Citizens Academy and I strongly recommend anyone who has interest in their community to attend it. You get to meet many of the City employees and elected officials (if you don’t already know them) and you get a great understanding of how the City government and various departments work. And visiting the Fire Department and Police Departments is quite fun!
Barry—INCREDIBLY insightful post. love, maureen
never know where these posts come up. RE: Barry “Based on the number of comments I have seen and responded to over the years, it does indeed appear that many citizens believe that the City has more control over development of private property than is delineated in our code of ordinances…” This is a very insightful post. i hope B’wd is listening. love, maureen
Some commenters, including in this thread, seem to use one email address for the sole purpose of making one comment under a pseudonym here. Please use a real, current email addresses, and stick with one name per email. Thanks.
Gonna miss these guys…most of us on Ellis spent time there. Shell was my oldest sobs first job. I hope all of you find jobs. It is sooo sad to see them go!!!!!!
I have to say there isn’t a better group of guys who are employed there, at any other station in the county……at least in my opinion, and I have to fess up to my son working there part time on Saturdays….. I am, of course, not just talking about him, but Cory and Justin and all the guys. I am really sorry to see Gene and his crew leave. I will miss them. And I really can’t imagine what on earth, Maplewood has planned here, but I know I am speaking for the organizations who have had fund raisers there in the past….the car washes and the Knight of Columbus BBQ’s that whatever is put in there will not be as good to our city, as Gene and the guys have been.
P.S. I forgot to add, I really hope everyone has been able to find another job…..Some of these guys here, were very dependent on their jobs….and Shell could have really cared less about any of them.
You guys will be missed!
These guys have been great neighbors to have at the end of our block for years and will be dearly missed.
God only knows what the city management will allow to go in there now.
I am not sure if you aware of how the process works. A city regulates land use through zoning. You can find the zoning regulations and zoning map on the City’s website. A proposed use can either be a permitted use, conditional use, pre-existing use, or a non permitted use. If it is a permitted use, the City cannot necessarily keep a business from locating there, but we can make sure it meets zoning requirements such as setbacks, lot coverage, parking, etc. If it is a restaurant, it falls into the category of a conditional use. Unless there was a restaurant previously on the site and the existing space will be reoccupied by another restaurant, there is a process that includes a public hearing and findings of fact. The idea is to create objective criteria for consideration for acceptance and protect property owners rights to use their property. The City has some degree of control over what materials are used and what the building looks like. The building department makes sure that the building is constructed in a manner that protects health, safety and welfare. Big Bend is county owned and Manchester is state owned and their highway department requirements need to be met. You will be notified regarding a public hearing if you are within a certain distance of the proposed project, but everyone is welcome to attend and express their opinion. Please attend the public hearing and Council meetings so you can understand that there is a process, see how the process works and participate in the process.
Of course there are processes in place for how our government works. It’s rather condescending and out of touch for you to say that, as if no one but the government leaders know that. The average citizen is not ignorant or stupid, we understand there are processes. However, most citizens do not know about all of the intricacies and inner workings of local government, nor should we necessarily be obligated to know about all of this, because we put our TRUST in the leadership to make good and fair choices for us. We follow the rules and we expect fair consideration. I have lived in Maplewood for a long time and I like the changes that have happened over the years. But recently I have found myself wondering with growing dismay and disappointment how things have come to happen in Maplewood. And I am NOT the only person who feels this way, not by a long shot. Things like other citizens have pointed out: a 24 hour drive through Tim Hortons being build literally right next to private homes on a street lined with private homes that have families, and almost every resident was deeply opposed to this. Things like a large ugly yellow smiley face hanging over a business on Manchester. How did the Maplewood design committee approve that cheesy sign while our public library has been trying in vain for years to get better signs approved so that the public can clearly signs that say library”? The Maplewood design committee says no to every single proposal that has so far been submitted. We’re talking about plain normal signs to help people find the library because they know it is not well marked. I knew a man who served on the Maplewood Public library board, then he got cancer and had to step down, but even while sick, he still worked tirelessly to try to get improved signs for the library approved by Maplewood. And you know what? No sign proposals have ever been approved. This man recently passed away and he never had the joy of seeing the results of his volunteer work come to fruition because the government of Maplewood could never see fit to approve signs to better direct the people to our PUBLIC library. Please explain how a hideous, ugly, tacky, and massive yellow smiley face goes up in the middle of Maplewood, but our volunteer servants at the public library cannot get plain, normal, helpful, and necessary signs approved? When there appears to be a pattern of greed/corruption, ignoring public sentiments, and just generally poor choices, and when enough people become aware of their leaders’ poor choices, that is when leadership gets voted out. I hope for the sake of our community that new, fresh faces are voted in the next time, Maplewood representatives who will work with, listen to, and pay attention to the people, not just businesses.