It was hot and humid on the morning of Wednesday, May 10, but the parking lot of the North County Police Cooperative building at 8027 Page Blvd. was packed with people when the ceremony to commemorate the historic merger of the Vinita Terrace and Vinita Park municipalities got underway.
Voters had approved the merger during the November 2016 election, making Vinita Terrace the fourth ward of Vinita Park.
Mayor James W. McGee of Vinita Park presided over the ceremony, which was billed as a “Marriage Merger.” It was attended by the merger transition team, multiple former mayors of Vinita Park and former chairmen of Vinita Terrace, current and former aldermen, and fire and police chiefs. The mayors of neighboring Pine Lawn, Wellston and Berkeley were among the crowd witnessing the event.
“The merger is a community-driven effort and the result of months of tireless effort by our elected officials to communicate the benefits to our residents,” said Mayor McGee. “By becoming part of Vinita Park, Vinita Terrace residents will keep the local representation they desire and obtain new professional, full-time services such as public works, clerks, financial services and free trash service.”
Longtime residents of both Vinita Park and Vinita Terrace were also recognized at the merger event, including Dr. Williard Maytubby, the first African American to move into the Village of Vinita Terrace in the 1970s. He read a brief history to the crowd of the Village of Vinita Terrace, from its incorporation on December 1, 1940, to the present day.
Alderman Verna Gremaud also reminisced about the beginnings of her own neighborhood in Vinita Park, which she moved into in 1959. She remembered that they were installing a sewer system at the time she moved in, which was an exciting development back then.
Lucille Price, also of Vinita Park, was honored as the first African American resident there, having moved in in 1969. “She was also a block-watch person,” said Mayor McGee. “If you want to know what’s going on, just ask Ms. Price!”
Since Vinita Park and Vinita Terrace both got their names from the “Vinita Station” electric rail car station that once stood at the intersection of Midland and Page, and since both have relatively low population counts (1,855 in Vinita Park, and 277 in Vinita Terrace), it was natural for them to merge.
The two municipalities are both already part of the North County Police Cooperative. Additionally, both communities are part of the 24:1 Initiative, led by Beyond Housing, which supports the 24 communities within the Normandy Schools Collaborative. Beyond Housing worked closely with the mayors to submit one joint proposal, and pulled together all parties to answer questions and set the stage for a successful merger. A transition team was selected from among the residents of both municipalities to make the rest of the governmental merge happen.
“Our two communities will greatly benefit from joining together,” said Mayor McGee. “Among other things, it is believed that the merger will help stabilize and could even increase property values and strengthen the fabric of both communities.”
With the merger, St. Louis County now has 89 municipalities and 10 unincorporated census-designated places.
