GRIFFIN November 24

November 2024 • CWEA GRIFFIN • 3 Happy Fall! Things at the Board of Alderman have been exciting as always. In between the many wonderful autumn events around the city and the ward, I am hard at work trying to improve safety in our communities by passing speed hump and stop sign bills. Soon, I hope to improve this process so that board bills aren’t required for standard traffic calming measures. Additionally, I am working on bills to bring housing to the Cortex District, and will continue to work toward building our city’s housing supply so that we can keep prices affordable while positioning our city to gain population. I am working with Alderwoman Anne Schweitzer on BB104, a bill she introduced to improve utility coordination with the city when it comes to street excavation and pav- ing. I have been actively involved as a proud co-sponsor since the begin- ning, and am optimistic that we can improve the condition of our streets through some common sense mea- sures. BB104 mandates standards of repair and other sensible policies for utility companies, including requirements to ramp metal plates, combine smaller patches into one larger patch, and repair the street to previous conditions. We are working with utility companies and the administration to get this bill to a place where it can be the best policy for St. Louis City and result in an improvement for our streets. The utility companies are currently doing much needed work, but are leaving the streets in much worse condition. Our goal is to improve the quality of our streets through this and other efforts, so that you can get around safely on well-main- tained roads. We recently had a big election, without doubt the most important of our lives. If you have any questions about the ramifications of the city propo- sitions — whether thay passed or failed — please reach out to me. In other news, don’t call it a comeback, but the Central West End is returning to form after the pandemic. There are some excit- ing new restaurants coming to the ward. In the space that was dam- aged by a fire in 2022, Session Taco (formerly Mission Taco) and Ra- noush are returning at the corner of McPherson and Euclid avenues. A new coffee shop, Pass the Past Coffee, will be open right around the corner on McPherson. Havana’s, a popular Cuban restaurant, is moving from downtown to a larger space at 12 S. Euclid Ave. Over in The Grove, Atomic opened under different ownership and dropped the Cowboy from its name, and live music is back in a big way. The former Beast BBQ space is becoming Lucy Quinn and Little Lucy, a dual concept space that will offer Southern cuisine. Good Company, a recent excellent addition at 4317 Manchester Ave., opened a wine bar next door called Aperi, adding to its already quality dining experience. The Eric Outlaw Business Center Retail Incuba- tor opened with fanfare at 4256 Manchester Ave. This incubator is focused on helping minority-owned businesses grow and succeed, and features JR Candle Co., Truly Rare Customs, and DEMIblue Vegan Nails as its first companies. The 9th Ward continues to grow and improve, and I will continue to work toward the improvement of our streets, sidewalks, public spaces and more, as well as work actively to promote public safety and grow opportunities for everyone. Please reach out to me if you have any comments, questions or concerns at browningm@stlouis- mo.gov or at 314-884-0707. It is an honor to serve the 9th Ward. Sincerely yours, Michael Browning Michael Browning 9th Ward Report By Michael Browning, 9th Ward Alderman