Making the St. Louis Region a Better Place to Live in 2012

As an organization created by the people to carry out the mission of making the St. Louis region a better place to live, we feel it is incredibly important that we share and celebrate our 2012 successes with all of you. 

Below are some highlights from our work in 2012, accomplished in no small part thanks to the support and feedback of the citizens of the District.

A heartfelt thanks from our staff to all of you. We look forward to serving you in 2013.

• In 2012, we invested more than $187,675.00 in community programs to promote clean water, good health, transportation options and safe trails, including regional ranger programs, Operation Clean Stream, Trailnet’s Bike to Work Day, Livewell Ferguson’s resident rides and more.
• We were recognized for our Trestle project by Next City’s “2012 Disruption Index” as an organization doing work to change an American city for the better. In 2012, we began work to rehabilitate the abandoned Iron Horse rail trestle in North St. Louis. The Trestle project was formally launched with a public event in June, 2012 with more than 450 in attendance.  The I-70 overpass was repaired and painted to bring new awareness of Great Rivers Greenway and the Trestle.
• We opened 6.2 miles of new greenway trails to the public, bridging critical connections within the River Ring.
• We broke ground on 5.25 miles of new projects, currently under construction, including trails on the Centennial, River des Peres and St. Vincent Greenways.
• The Al Foster Memorial Trail was opened to the public on June 29th. This area has been designated an “Important Bird Area” by the National Audubon Society, and has attracted trail users from across the region to view warblers and songbirds along the scenic Meramec River.
• The Safe and Accessible Arch and Public Parks Initiative was presented to officials in St. Louis City, St. Louis County and St. Charles County for consideration in an April 2013 election. The legislation would support maintenance and upgrades to local parks and greenways, and partially fund the CityArchRiver 2015 project, if passed.
• In conjunction with CityArchRiver, we launched a series of public events to get resident feedback on the CityArchRiver 2015 project.
• We launched our first ever initiative to promote parks and healthy living was launched in cooperation with the National Parks Service and BJC Health Systems with artwork on buses and bus shelters throughout the region.
• We partnered with Cortex to identify trail connections as part of the Chouteau Lake Greenway system that will travel through the Cortex campus towards Forest Park.
• We participated in the final design of the St. Vincent Greenway alongside the Loop Trolley project on DeBaliviere Avenue in St. Louis city. 
• We were awarded $1.4 million in Federal Transportation grant funds for Bike St. Louis and $4 million in funds for the reconstruction of the Lenore K. Sullivan Blvd in front of the Gateway Arch. 
•  In partnership with Trailnet and the Gateway Bike Plan, we hosted the Gateway Bike Plan workshop in September at the Richmond Heights Community Center. Gil Penalosa, founder of Open Streets and 8 to 88, was the key speaker, and addressed representatives from area municipalities about the importance of a bikeable, walkable community. 
• In November, plans were unveiled to extend Grant’s Trail to the River des Peres Greenway. The plan ultimately provides more than 15 miles of connectivity.
• In an effort to expand opportunities for the public to participate in our projects, we held our first open house with live online participation with users from all corners of the region submitting inquiries and feedback on Gravois Greenway plans via Twitter.