E-Newsletter for City of Kirkwood: January 7, 2016
Flood Waters Recede Somewhat But
Leave Damage in their Wake
Record-Setting Flood Damages City Parks
The December 2015 Meramec river flood set new records for the area, with a crest of 44.11 feet. For comparison, the December 1982 flood crested at 39.73 feet, and the August 1993 flood crested at 32.4 feet.  You can read more about historic flood data for the Meramec at the link below. The water is low enough now that City staff have started to enter sites to assess the damge.

We have seen heavy damage from this flood due to the unusual nature of the depth and velocity of the water. At Greentree Park, the roof on the pavilion (photo) will need to be replaced. Many signs have been ripped out of the ground, and trees and undergrowth along the river's edge were washed away. The JFL football field goalposts were severely bent by the current, and the bleachers were washed into the wooded area.  It is too early yet for us to assess the damage to the playing fields and restrooms.

A Emmenegger Park, the flood waters destroyed most of the river's edge, and we lost many trees. The water scoured the river's edge all the way up to the pavilion. Staff are assessing if we need to remove the structure and rebuild on higher ground. The water reached the roof line of the restroom on top of the hill, and staff is still assessing this damage. Once the water has receded more, we will be able to check the lower trails for damage. 

Cleanup, repairs, and rebuilding will be ongoing for months once the water completely recedes, including removing sand and mud from parking lots, roadways, and trails. Signs will need to be replaced. In the spring, staff will repair damaged turf areas. Trees impacted by the flood will be inspected for safety concerns. Debris left behind will be removed. Restrooms will be cleared of sand and mud and inspected to determine how much drywall, insulation, and ceiling areas will need to be replaced.

Kirkwood Park experienced minimal flooding along the creek. Some sections of the newly installed mulch trail along the creek were washed out.  We will bring you updates on all the repairs as we have them.

Information for this article was supplied by Pete Laufersweiler, Kirkwood Parks and Recreation Horticulturist/Arborist.
The restroom at Emmenegger Nature Park, under water.
Did Your Home Experience Damage from the Flood?
Did your home experience damage from the flood or a related sewer back-up?  Call 822-5828 to discuss if you are eligible for assistance with debris removal and disposal.
What's Coming Up In Kirkwood?
Christmas Trees
Christmas trees will be picked up free of charge on your regular collection day throughout January. Please remove all decorations. Normal yard waste fees will apply beginning February 1.
Martin Luther King Birthday January 18
City offices will be closed on Monday, January 18, in observance of the national holiday commemorating Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday.  There will be no sanitation collected. All sanitation routes will be delayed by a day all week. The Community Center and Ice Rink will be open.

A Musical Celebration Honoring Martin Luther King: Monday, January 18, 2016, 1:00 p.m., Keating Auditorium, Kirkwood High School, 801 W. Essex Avenue. Sponsored by the Meacham Park Neighborhood Improvement Association, in partnership with the Kirkwood School District and the City of Kirkwood. Tickets:  $6.00 donation.  Students are free. Tickets are available online at www.meachamparknia.org.
Kirkwood Electric Will Hold Ribbon-Cutting for New Alfred Avenue Substation
Kirkwood Electric will hold a Grand Opening and Ribbon-Cutting for its new Alfred Avenue Substation on Wednesday, January 13, 2016, at 2:00 p.m. (Inclement weather date: January 20, 2:00 p.m.) This event will be held outside at the new substation at 441 Alfred Avenue, 63122. Attendees are encouraged to dress warmly. The event will be hosted by the Kirkwood-Des Peres Chamber. 

The first Alfred Substation was built in 1959, had three transformers, and delivered power to 2,000 customers. The new Substation has two new transformers that are five times larger than the older ones they will replace. The old Substation could deliver power to roughly 1 out of every 5 Kirkwood Electric customers, while the new Substation will be capable of delivering power to 6,000 customers if needed.  Typically, it will only serve about 2,000 households, but it could potentially deliver power to nearly 2 out of every 3 Kirkwood customers if needed. The new Substation cost just under $2 million to build. Construction began in 2008. The new Substation is expected to be connected to the Ameren Electric system in Fall 2016.
Parks & Recreation and Community Center Programming
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Imagination Station:  Kirkwood Recreation has partnered with Kirkwood Public Library to offer a program filled with story time, craft activities, games, and more. Each month we will explore a different fun location. FREE.
~ Wednesday, January 14: Imagination TRAIN Station. Listen up for the train whistle! Meet at the Kirkwood Train Station at 6:30 p.m.
~ Wednesday, February 11: Imagination FIRE Station, 6:30 p.m. Check out the big red trucks. Meet at Firehouse #2, 11804 Big Bend, 6:30 p.m. Pre-registration is required. Call 822-5855. 

Kirkwood Theatre Guild:  Presents Enchanted April in the Reim Theatre at the Community Center, January 15 to 17 and January 22 to 25. Call 822-9956 for times and costs. 

Daddy-Daughter Dance:  Friday, January 29, at the Community Center. Call 822-5855 for details or to register.

Spring/Summer Recreation Guide.  Mailed to homes January 28 and 29. Registration opens February 10.

Meramec Spring Program:  January 30 through April 9 for kids ages 5 to 18, at St. Louis Community College at Meramec's pool. Sessions are on Saturdays at 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. Open slots are are reserved for 2015 swim team participants during initial sign-up period, after which time anyone can register. Hurry and sign up today. Call 822-5855.

Camp Kirkwood:  Online (only) registration for residents opens February 10. Phone or in-person registration for residents opens February 17. Here is the link for online registration.

Gardening Tip
Happy New Year.  2015 posed a number of challenges for local gardeners: The very wet spring followed by the summer drought, then followed by the warmest December on record, and most recently 11 inches of rain over a three day period.  Hopefully December's flooding didn't impact Kirkwood homeowners.  However, Kirkwood gardeners were sure to see things like pooling water in low spots in their lawn and gardens.  If the water remained for an extended period, consider eliminating the low spots when spring arrives.

Another problem may have been water draining toward your house versus away from your house or other buildings on your property.  Needless to say this needs to be corrected.  In both cases, the severity of the problem will determine if this is a do-it-yourself project or if it's best left to a professional.

Smaller problems such as mulch floating away and plants and bulbs heaving out of the ground can be handled by home gardeners.  Rake up any mulch that floated into your yard, driveway, or window wells.  For bulbs and plants that heaved out of the ground, simply tamp them down.  If they came completely out of the ground, replant when the soil has dried somewhat.

Here is hoping 2016 is a more "normal" gardening year!

The Kirkwood Garden Club writes a Gardening Tip for most editions of the City's e-newsletter.  For more information about the club, check out their Website at www.KirkwoodGardenClub.org. New members and guests, both men and women, are welcome to attend their meetings and events.  Meetings are typically held on the first Tuesday of the month at 7:00 p.m. at the Kirkwood Community Center.
News from MoDOT
Motorists are advised to continue using caution when traveling around the state due to flooded roads. Route 67 southbound in St. Charles County from the Clark Bridge in Alton, Illinois, to the Missouri River remains closed due to flooding. Drivers should continue to use alternate routes to access Missouri from Illinois in this area. As a reminder, never drive through flooded areas. If you are driving and come upon a flooded road, you should turn around and find another route.

Motorists should be aware of the following ongoing closures:
~ I-64 in St. Louis County, auxiliary lane closed, westbound from Timberlake Manor to Chesterfield Parkway East, until early 2016.
~ I-64 in St. Louis County, auxiliary lane closed westbound from I-270 to Mason and Mason to Maryville Center Drive. Ramps from northbound and southbound I-270 to westbound have been shortened. Lane restrictions continue until spring 2016.
ICYMI:  Tips, Updates, and Information
Sanitation Holidays for 2016
First Recycling Collection
For 2016, there will be NO sanitation collection on the dates listed below. All trash, recycling, and yard waste collection will be delayed by one day all week if the holiday falls on a Monday. For example, Monday routes will be collected on Tuesday, Tuesday routes on Wednesday, and so forth.  If the holiday falls later in the week, the delay is noted below:
  • New Year's Day, January 1: Sanitation is unaffected by the holiday.
  • Martin Luther King's Birthday, Monday, January 18: No sanitation service. All routes delayed by one day all week.
  • Washington's Birthday, Monday, February 15: No sanitation service. All routes delayed by one day all week.
  • Memorial Day, Monday, May 30:  No sanitation service. All routes are delayed by one day all week.
  • Independence Day, Monday, July 4: No sanitation service. All routes delayed by one day all week.
  • Labor Day, Monday, September 5: No sanitation service. All routes are delayed by one day all week.
  • Thanksgiving Day, November 24: No sanitation service. All Thursday routes move to Friday.
  • Christmas Day, Sunday, December 25: Sanitation is unaffected by holiday.
  • New Year's Day, Sunday, January 1, 2017: Sanitation is unaffected by holiday.
For more information about your sanitation service, please visit the Sanitation page on the City Website (click here).
Order of Plowing: Reminder
When snow falls, City plowing crews focus first on the main roads, such as Kirkwood Road, Geyer Road, Essex, Woodlawn, Woodbine, Couch, etc.   Cleaning these streets first allows emergency vehicles to get through when needed. During this first stage, street crews also work on hills and bridges. Crews do not begin to work on secondary streets until the snow stops. Secondary streets include Taylor, Fillmore, Dickson, Quan, Rose Hill, Clay, Lindeman, Harrison, Peeke, and Ann. When all those are done, crews move to subdivision streets and clear those. Pre-Treating:  When possible, crews pre-treat all City streets when a storm has been predicted. However, in some storms, when the temperatures are very low, pre-treating may not work very well.
The Finish Line
It's a new year and a new newsletter! I'm not one to institute change for the sake of change, but the previous newsletter template tended to throw in lots of extra space in some email clients (Outlook, for one).  It drove me crazy. Plus, our newsletter vendor developed some new templates that work better in mobile environments (phones, tablets). It was time to try something new.  

In addition to the new look, I'm adding an "ICYMI" column (in case you missed it!).  Occasionally, I get questions from residents about topics or issues that are not necessarily new but that the reader may have missed. As I receive these inquiries, I will occasionally run them in the ICYMI column. I've gotten quite a few inquiries about sanitation holidays for 2016, so voila!  If you have comments or thoughts on any of these changes, please send them to me (just "reply" to this newsletter).

I started off 2016 as I have for several years now - in boots and a warm winter coat, standing on the shore in Asbury Park, New Jersey (photo above). This year, it was particularly cold and windy on the beach, so we made our pilgrimage, took a few pics, and skedaddled back to the car!

Our family had quite an eventful December: Two cross-country trips (Seattle and New Jersey), three illnesses (two head colds and one case of strep), and a death in our family rounded out 2015 for us. I hope your December was healthier and less overwhelming than mine and that 2016 for all of us is bright and full of peace and joy. Happy New Year. 

Beth von Behren
Editor/Public Information Officer
(Next issue: January 21)