NoCo News Clips: 7/8

From here on out, Sunday News Clips will be just plain ol’ News Clips. Each post will be shorter but I’ll be writing more frequently and you should wind up with more news overall. As usual, if you have news to share, please send any press releases to me at shannon@NOCOstl.com. Comments and suggestions are also welcome. Thank you!

• Following intense debate in the community, Bridgeton has approved $7.2 million in tax increment financing (TIF) for a Walmart Supercenter to be built on the south side of St. Charles Rock Road at Harmony Lane. The new store will replace the existing Walmart across from Northwest Plaza, causing a likely budget shortfall for the city of St. Ann, which currently claims seven percent of the store’s tax revenue.

The Supercenter project is estimated to cost $23 million overall, bringing Bridgeton $7 million in annual tax revenue beginning in 2012. In an interview in the Post-Dispatch, Bridgeton Mayor Conrad Bowers said his city would have lost $1 million in annual tax revenue if Walmart had left.

• Over in Florissant, another new Walmart is being discussed, with the same developer seeking the same kind of public subsidy. At a recent city council meeting, Alan Bornstein from THF Realty outlined preliminary plans to build a Walmart Supercenter on 42 acres near New Halls Ferry and Lindbergh, directly behind Lowe’s.

Bornstein said the new store would not replace the existing Walmart in Ferguson, which is less than four miles away. He also said the project would not proceed without TIF money. If THF decides to submit a formal proposal on the Supercenter, it will have to make its case with the St. Louis County TIF commission and then gain approval from the Florissant city council. Stay tuned…

O'Pestkey's @ Jamestown Mall

• First, a new Irish bar and grill opened at Jamestown Mall. Now the St. Louis County Economic Council is holding a public forum there to present ideas on how the mall might be revitalized in the future. Everyone is invited to attend the meeting, which will be held Thursday, July 15, from 6:30 to 8pm at the mall cinema. For more info on the county’s redevelopment plans, look here.

• If you live in Ferguson, you may have heard the recent celebration going in Kinloch. A live band and lots of revelers helped to kick off the city’s newly named “historic district,” which Kinloch Mayor Keith Conway hopes will transform his community into a tourist destination. As he describes in this Post article, Conway is planning to install a Kinloch Walk of Fame, which will feature plaques for 80 prominent former and current residents, including Conway himself and the city’s four aldermen.

• If you have kids, mark your calendar for Thursday, July 22!  That’s when the St. Louis Science Center’s Dome Theater arrives at the Lewis & Clark library, offering an IMAX-style viewing experience for free!

To register, you must call beforehand: (314) 994-3300. Space is limited but 12 movies will be shown, with narration by celebrities like Harrison Ford and Tom Hanks. Here’s the full schedule:

9:30-10:30 a.m.          “Secret of the Cardboard Rocket” (Grades PreK-2)
10:30-11:00 a.m.        “The Dinosaur Prophecy”  (Grades K-4)
11:00-11:30 a.m.        “Earth’s Wild Ride” (Grades 1-4)
11:30 a.m. – noon        “Fantasy Worlds” (Grades 3-8)
12:00-12:30 p.m.       “Secrets of the Dead Sea” (Grades 3-8)
12:30-1:00 p.m.          “Passport to the Universe” (Grades 3-8)
1:00-1:30 p.m.             “The Search for Life: Are We Alone?” (Grades 4-8)
1:30-2:00 p.m.             “Future Moon” (Grades 4-8)
2:00-2:30 p.m.             “Night of the Titanic” (Grades 5-8)
2:30-3:30 p.m.             “Secret of the Cardboard Rocket” (Grades PreK-2)
3:30-4:00 p.m.             “The Dinosaur Prophecy” (Grades K-4)
4:00-4:30 p.m.             “Earth’s Wild Ride” (Grades 1-4)

The library is located at 9909 Lewis-Clark Blvd., 63136

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