By Bill Beggs
Jr.
The people have spoken: Bicycling
and walking trails are being built and improved—from Dardenne Prairie
to East St. Louis, from Florissant to Carondelet Park—even faster
than Lance Armstrong could win another Tour de France.
Ever since a one-tenth of one cent sales tax was enacted at the
dawn of the new millennium, millions of dollars have been funneled
into projects throughout the region that for years had been languishing
on the drawing board or wish lists. The green spaces and so-called
“greenways” that have sprouted during the last five years ensure
that vast swaths of the region will remain conscientiously underdeveloped,
if you will, for generations to come.
Through numerous collaborations with local and regional public and
private entities across St. Louis city and county and St. Charles
County, the Great Rivers Greenway District (the District) is creating
a complex system of interconnected greenways, parks and trails known
as the River Ring. In the Illinois counties of Madison and St. Clair,
complementary projects are under way.
Designed to eventually encompass a 850-mile web of more than 52
greenways in Missouri and Illinois, the massive undertaking already
is demonstrating “the power of interconnecting people,” says David
Fisher, the District’s executive director. And it’s gathering momentum.
For instance, when folks in one part of the bi-state see what’s
going on in another, they stop dreaming about how it might work
in their communities—whether established, under construction or
planned—and start to “git ’er done” right now, right where they
live.
One of at least a dozen examples is the River des Peres Greenway
in south St. Louis. Many residents of River City may never have
expected anything more for the much maligned concrete sluiceway
than a place for illicit and underage happenings or bald tires to
decay. But it is now a way to connect St. Louisans instead of separate
them. The ribbon was cut last September to celebrate the grand opening
of the greenway, whose focal point is a brand-new bike and pedestrian
bridge that’s 12 feet wide and 250 feet long.
“Now it’s OK to be there, a place to walk and talk, a good ‘meet-and-greet’.
People want to come there,” says Fisher. “You see older couples
on their bicycles; it’s a new adventure for them.”
On a larger scale, the greenway initiatives are instilling a new
spirit of St. Louis. By and large, city folk and countians are embracing
residents of O’Fallon, Mo., and O’Fallon, Ill., as neighbors. Each
O’Fallon is a thriving, upscale community whose residents and government
officials recognize that this new “green” power organically stimulates
economic growth and respect for the environment—they aren’t at cross
purposes.
Fisher came to St. Louis from Minneapolis, which is in the final
stages of wrapping a 100-year plan to link lakes and rivers in the
region, to convert old industrial areas and abandoned railroad beds
into urban parks and bicycle trails. Key to the vision’s success
has been to make green spaces inviting, accessible—and connected.
The investment/reinvestment in the Minneapolis Riverfront is approximately
$1.4 billion.
| The
River Ring, with more than 45 greenways identified,
is designed to create as many connections as possible
along the regions rivers and streams. |
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The myriad projects under the aegis of the District are a creature
of the St. Louis 2004 process, but they are fulfilling dreams of
a century before, of a 1907 city plan that never came to fruition,
not for a lack of fervor, but funding.
“By connecting neighborhoods to the river, we’re reviving the spirit
of that plan,” notes Fisher. That connectedness now extends, or
soon will, to neighborhoods in East St. Louis and other Illinois
communities via at least three bridges, so far: Eads, McKinley and
Chain of Rocks.
Fisher lauds citizens and entities on either side of the state line
for the energy being put toward commonality: “It’s really a handshake
across the river.”
Mike Buehlhorn, who heads up the Metro East Park and Recreation
District, is one who’s delighted to shake hands, and to point out
the projects happening on the east side with pride. Malcolm Martin
Memorial Park, whose focal point is the breathtaking Gateway Geyser,
arguably is a diamond among a handful of jewels.
If you haven’t seen the geyser yet, you really need to take a lunch.
Old Faithful has nothing on this waterspout, which bursts skyward
daily at noon, then again at 1 p.m., flowing continuously for awhile
each time. The second of the two 650-high sprays isn’t quite as
welcome as the first, as it’s “kind of like telling people ‘Your
lunch is over’,” Buehlhorn says with a chuckle.
The geyser is an interpretation of the ultimate vision of Eero Saarinen,
designer of the Gateway Arch, whose intent always had been to incorporate
both banks of the Mississippi. Buehlhorn has no doubt the park will
become a compelling new destination for residents and visitors alike,
both for its view of the Arch and riverfront and its eventual offerings
of interpretive historical and cultural opportunities.
It took tremendous foresight on both sides of the river for so many
projects to get the green light with a minimum of bureaucratic hassle,
for which Buehlhorn tips his hard hat to the Madison County Transit
District. Getting access to railroad right-of-way was one of the
first orders of business, and essential to developing a system of
trails which is approaching 85 miles in Illinois. Plans are to eventually
incorporate Malcolm Martin Memorial Park and MetroLink stations
in the network, which probably will extend south to Cahokia, site
of Cahokia Mounds and a major restoration project in St. Clair County.
Trails delight transplants to the region who for years have commented
how “bike-phobic” the Gateway City was, compared to cities on either
coast, many of them much more congested than ours. Well, does it
seem as though bicycles have reproduced over the winter months as
much as those critters that are nibbling away even more of your
garden this year? It may be that riders aren’t so much in fear of
their lives because Midwest motorists have truly begun to accept
that it’s a sporting gesture to “share the road.” Meanwhile, riders
should only begin to feel even safer, as lanes not only are being
designated on bridges, but throughout the City and County.
In 2005, a new 20-mile stretch of continuous on-road bicycle and
pedestrian routes was created from downtown St. Louis to neighborhoods
west and south of the central corridor. Bike St. Louis, a new project
for St. Louis and region, was initiated by Alderman Lewis Reed in
the spring of 2002, and championed through collaboration between
the District and Reed’s fellow Aldermen Conway, Krewson, McMillan,
Roddy and Young. An additional 47-mile route will be added in 2007,
with more miles to be added in 2008.
There’s hardly a municipality in the region that won’t eventually
come online via a greenway, trail or park. But there’s about as
much room to list all of these projects as there would be for each
public and private high school in and around St. Louis. That said,
we’ll spotlight one more (and provide links at the end of the article
that will feature more detailed descriptions, timelines, and maps).
Iron Horse Trestle, one of the most exciting projects in the works,
has been compared to the High Line in New York City and the Promenade
Plantée in Paris. Sure to become one of the city’s most unusual
bicycle and hiking paths, the trestle will offer unexpected views
of the urban landscape and industrial areas. This route will link
to the McKinley Bridge, which is scheduled to reopen in 2007, as
well as the popular Riverfront Trail along the Mississippi.
The
Al Foster Trail in Wildwood along the Meramec River.
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Although David Fisher didn’t say as much, his work is legacy stuff.
He’s settled here for good, leaving behind Minnesota’s glittering
jewel for Lafayette Square. Unlike the next shopping center, green
spaces will be here in perpetuity, for all of us and our children’s
children’s children. Fisher sums up the overall goal of the regional
undertaking in two words: “Environmental stewardship.”
Fisher’s shop only employs a handful, all of whom are contract
employees. This was by design, to inhibit the potential for bureaucracy.
Janet Wilding, operations and project manager, is proud to be
doing what she’s doing with the District.
Wilding says that projects aren’t started, nor money doled out,
willy-nilly. Municipalities have to demonstrate the willingness
and ability to keep things going.
“There were two ways for this to go,” says Wilding. “We could
just grant out money, or develop some cohesion.” It’s been essential
to work closely with Metro East’s Buehlhorn et al. so that projects
“connect, (and) make sense regionally.”
Although each project should be unique in its own right, none
should just pop up like a new ride at an amusement park. Says
Wilding: “People shouldn’t feel like they’re going to a whole
different world.”
Click on:
www.greatrivers.info
or
www.meprd.org
Cahokia
Mounds World Heritage Site To Expand, Protecting More Acreage
An allocation from Illinois of more than $837,000 will
allow the state to expand the boundaries of Cahokia Mounds
State Historic Site in Collinsville, preserving more areas
of this 1,000-year-old World Heritage Site.
Cahokia Mounds preserves the remains of the largest prehistoric
Native American city north of Mexico. The funds will enable
the state to protect more land where this ancient city once
stood, preserving some of the richest archaeological deposits
in the Western Hemisphere.
The Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (IHPA), which administers
Cahokia Mounds, owns about 2,200 acres of the original 4,000
acres occupied by the prehistoric site. The funds will allow
the IHPA to negotiate the purchase of additional pieces of
private land around Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site that
are known to contain key portions of the ancient city. The
location of these properties will be kept confidential until
purchase negotiations are completed. The acquisition will
protect these areas from further development that could threaten
remaining artifacts, village occupation and earthen structures.
Cahokia Mounds consists of the largest earthen mound in North
America, the 100-foot-tall Monks Mound, and numerous other
large earthen mounds that served ceremonial and functional
purposes in the Native American city that flourished between
A.D. 800 and 1350. An estimated 10-20,000 people lived within
what has come to be called the “City of the Sun.”
Cahokia Mounds hosts about 300,000 visitors each year. Its
designation as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations
puts it in good company: The Great Wall of China, the Pyramids
of Egypt, the Taj Mahal, Grand Canyon, and the Statue of Liberty
are also on the list.
Audubon Ark To Raise Awareness of Rivers’ Ecological Vitality
Let’s hope it never comes again to this: Collecting two of
each species on a boat and setting sail to save them from
extinction. But since protecting birds and their habitat is
a goal of the National Audubon Society, the Missouri affiliate
plans to build an 80-passenger riverboat dubbed the “Audubon
Ark.” The Ark will dock at Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary
just north of the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri
rivers with offsite docking connections initially at the Jones
Confluence State Park and Columbia Bottom Conservation Area.
The region has long enjoyed riverboats for sightseeing, dining
and dancing, and just plain rollin’ down the river, but The
Ark will be dedicated to the ecology of the Mississippi and
Missouri rivers. The Audubon Center/Audubon Ark will be part
of a special network of Audubon Centers nationwide. As an
internationally significant migratory flyway, the Mississippi
River and its environs provide critical habitat for hundreds
of bird species.
| Some
components of the St. Louis Audubon Center/Audubon
Ark will be modeled after the highly successful
Pittsburgh Voyager Program. |
|
Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary is 1,200-acre of restored
habitat owned and managed by the St. Louis District of the
Army Corps of Engineers. It is one of the region’s most popular
bird-watching sites and provides Audubon an ideal opportunity
to integrate with existing and future projects at the site
as well as projects at Jones Confluence State Park and Columbia
Bottom Conservation area, which are just down river. Riverlands
Migratory Bird Sanctuary is immediately accessible from Highway
367 and a 30-minute drive from most anywhere in the region.
Audubon plans to provide year-round, hands-on activities that
include:
• Tours of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers aboard
the Ark
• Interactive exhibits about the Mississippi River flyway
• Interactive learning experiences such as seining, water
testing, wetland restoration
• Nature hikes, stargazing and bird watching
• Audubon’s annual Bird Festival
• River ecology curriculum for area schools
The center, boat, docking and program development will cost
roughly $6 million, which includes a $2 million endowment.
Audubon’s goal is to open the center and christen the Ark
in 2009.
Gateway Geyser: Focal Point of ‘Forest Park’ for the Metro
East
Robert Hyland, when brainstorming with attorney Malcolm W.
Martin and other civic leaders how in the world to complement
the Gateway Arch, suggested a fountain—the late KMOX topper,
not one to go small, thought it could be the world’s tallest.
The park’s namesake lived in a Mansion House apartment that
overlooked East St. Louis. Intensely interested in the well
being of the community across the river, Martin told anyone
curious about his concern:
| Soaring
to nearly 630 feet, the Gateway Geyser on the
east side, is a complement to the Gateway Arch. |
|
“Well, that’s what I have to look at each morning.”
In 1968, Martin formed the Gateway Center of Metropolitan
St. Louis with the intention of doing something on the east
side to fulfill Gateway Arch architect Eero Saarinen’s dream
of a memorial on both sides of the Mississippi River.
That dream languished until the railroads on the East Side
abandoned their tracks and the property became available.
In 1983, Martin’s organization purchased 50 acres, of which
the park now occupies the remaining 34. Additional property
north of the site that could not be incorporated into the
park was sold to the Casino Queen.
Soaring to nearly 630 feet, the geyser’s height mirrors that
of the Arch. Its four auxiliary fountains represent the four
rivers that converge in the St. Louis area. The fountain was
completed in 1995 at a cost of $4 million. Powered by three
800-horsepower pumps and discharging 8,000 gallons of water
per minute at 250 feet per second, it could blow every bathtub
in your subdivision to kingdom come.
Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum is designing a 40-foot platform
for breathtaking views of the geyser, Arch, river and the
urban landscape that rises from both banks.
Everything from wetlands to an amphitheater, plus connections
to the Eads Bridge, recreation trails, MetroLink and the Casino
Queen, are all part of a vision for nothing less than a Forest
Park in the Metro East.
Martin died in 2004 at the age of 91, but his vision lives
on. |
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