CWE Southeast Special Business District
4:30 p.m. Tuesday, November 25, 2008
CWE Midtown Development, 12 N. Sarah St., St. Louis, MO
Privately-hired cops on bikes may soon be pedaling around the Central West End South, joining their counterparts in cars.
At its December meeting, the Central West End Southeast Special Business District authorized CWE Neighborhood Security Initiative Director James Partee to negotiate with two private security companies. The CWE South SBD has also approved the move.
One of the firms is Hi-Tech Security, which has been dispatching its car-based patrols in the Central West End for years. The second firm is The City’s Finest, a new security company whose officers currently patrol on bikes in Forest Park Southeast and in the CWE North. Partee hopes to secure a three-month contract with each company beginning in mid-January in a joint agreement between several CWE SBDs.
Partee was recently hired to head up the Neighborhood Security Initiative in an effort to coordinate security efforts in the Central West End. The NSI is a partnership among several CWE SBDs, including the CWE South and Southeast SBDs in the 17th Ward portion of the neighborhood.
In other business:
Commissioners voted to approve the 2009 budget, which estimates about $62,000 in tax revenue.
Dan Krasnoff, CWE Midtown Development executive director, updated the commission on the proposed renewal and expansion of the district, which expires at the end of the year. If the boundaries are expanded, the District would raise about $200,0000 per year. Bills will be introduced at the Board of Aldermen in early December, with the vote scheduled for April.
The Renewal Committee (Kathryn Chambers, Harold Karabell, Jack Lynch, Tony Angel) have made the following recommendations for renewal of the District:
- 10-year renewal period
- Keep rate at 43 cents per $100 valuation
- Allow taxes to be used for security, infrastructure and beautification
- Expand boundaries
Next meeting: 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009
Commissioners present: Jeff Miner, Chris Papanickolas, Yusef Scoggin
Commissioners absent: Kathryn Chambers, John Hoal, Eric Kenyon
Others present: Dan Krasnoff, Kristin Rapinac