Silence means death for deal
By American staff
Comptroller Darlene Green joined Board of Alderman President Jim Shrewsbury in standing mute on a proposal that would lease an isolated section of Forest Park to Barnes-Jewish Hospital for an additional 45 years.
Their silence effectively killed the plan for now, and along with it several benefits to North St. Louis that had been negotiated into the deal, according to several black aldermen.
When Mayor Francis G. Slay sought a second on the proposal during Wednesday morning’s Board Estimate and Apportionment meeting, neither Green nor Shrewsbury offered that motion.
As a result, no vote could be taken. Slay, a proponent of the lease, and the hospital, which is the city’s largest employer, were delivered a political defeat.
According to some black aldermen who supported the proposal after negotiations with BJH, the City of St. Louis and its black residents also are losers in this lost deal.
Alderman April Ford Griffin said as part of the deal BJH had agreed to set aside $100,000 for scholarships for low-income families.
“Also, they were to provide a representative that would sit on the African-American Aldermanic Caucus Foundation board, which is a not-for-profit, to address issues that affect our community,” Ford Griffin said.
“Those issues may be health-related or they may not be directly health-related, but addressing those issues would be beneficial to our community.”
She said BJH also agreed to set aside funds for the construction of a trauma center on the North Side and to restore parks and establish recreation programs on the North Side.
With the death of this deal, those offers are off the table – and BJH may look beyond the city limits in its expansion plans.
“The lack of approval by the Board of Estimate and Apportionment at its special meeting is an unfortunate outcome for Forest Park, the city’s other 104 parks and the future expansion of Barnes-Jewish Hospital in
the city of St. Louis,” June Fowler, BJH spokeswoman, said in a written statement.
“Despite the overwhelming approval by members of the Board of Aldermen, approval by every required committee and board of the city, and changes to the proposal to address issues raised by those opposed to the lease request, the president of the Board of Alderman and the comptroller have sent Barnes-Jewish a clear message that we should begin planning for future expansion and the creation of related jobs and delivery of needed medical services at some place outside of the city of St. Louis.”
One of the aldermen who voted in favor of the lease extension – and who is currently vying for Shrewsbury’s job and his vote on the Board of E&A – criticized him for his inaction.
“A lot of residents, including myself are very discouraged by aldermanic president Jim Shrewsbury’s inability to work with BJH, one of the region’s largest employers,” said Alderman Lewis Reed.
“Shrewsbury’s actions also indicate a blatant disregard for the future of Forest Park – keeping it safe and clean as one of the region’s brightest jewels.”
The lease proposal would include a payment of $2 million annually. The lease payment would increase, based on the regional Consumer Price Index, after 10 years or after BJH begins construction on the ground, whichever occurs first.
BJH currently leases the 9.4 acres from the city of St. Louis Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry, paying approximately $150,000 annually. The annual increase in rent under the new lease would have been a staggering $1.85 million per year. The city would have gained more than $83 million in increased revenue over the next 45 years.
The current lease expires in 45 years. The new lease would have extended the agreement an additional 45 years and guaranteed increased funds to maintain the city’s largest park and other green spaces.
In a written statement, Green told the American, “This was a difficult decision because both BJH and the Citizens to Protect Forest Park have valid points.”
Green said, “I value the democratic process and the will of the people and can’t stress enough that if the bill’s sponsor and BJH had engaged the public at the beginning of the process, it’s quite possible we would have had a different outcome. Now it’s up to us to encourage BJH to engage the citizens and come up with a plan the voters can approve.”
Shrewsbury’s obstruction of the deal is assumed by political observers to be based in the politics surrounding the March 6 election, when he faces Reed for his position as aldermanic president. Blocking the lease was also the focus of a petition drive by activists, which might have caught the eye of elected officials.
However, Ford Griffin said she wasn’t sure what Green’s motives were in not supporting the deal, especially since BJH had reworked its offer based upon the comptroller’s objections to the original deal.
“As members of the African-American Aldermanic Caucus, we did everything to make sure this was a good deal for our constituents,” Ford Griffin said.
“Our community in North St. Louis was in a position really to benefit from this.”