Benton park General Assembly Meeting Tuesday July 7, 2026
Benton Park Neighborhood Association
July 7, 2026
Meeting Minutes
Meeting Summary
July's Benton Park Neighborhood Association meeting was a reminder that neighborhoods don't improve themselves. It takes neighbors willing to show up, speak up, and occasionally haul buckets of dirt across a baseball field because bureaucracy, despite its many talents, has yet to master that particular skill.
The meeting included updates from Alderman Jami Cox-Antwi on Rams settlement funding, water rate changes, tornado recovery, and long-awaited safety improvements along Gravois Avenue. Residents also heard about continued advocacy surrounding Senate Square Apartments and next steps following the recent vandalism of the Cherokee Park baseball field.
Volunteers shared a packed calendar of events and projects—from Movie in the Park and National Night Out to park cleanups, native gardens, and Music From a Tent—all powered by neighbors who continue proving that community is something you build, not something you inherit.
If there was one theme throughout the evening, it was this: when something needs doing in Benton Park, someone eventually says, "Well... I guess we'll figure it out," and somehow they usually do. That's the kind of neighborhood this continues to be.
Welcome & Introductions
The meeting opened with introductions and a warm welcome to several first-time attendees and new neighbors. Residents were invited to share where they live in Benton Park and connect with board members and fellow neighbors.
Attendees were also introduced to the association's recently redesigned website, which now serves as the central hub for neighborhood information. Residents can access monthly agendas, meeting minutes, the community calendar, newsletters, and volunteer opportunities in one place. Board members encouraged everyone to subscribe to the newsletter, noting that it remains the easiest way to stay informed between meetings.
New residents were reminded that questions don't have to wait until the next monthly meeting. Board members are happy to connect neighbors with the right committee, volunteer group, or city resource whenever questions arise.
City & Guest Speaker Updates
Alderman Jami Cox-Antwi
Alderman Jami Cox-Antwi shared updates on several significant initiatives currently underway throughout the city, beginning with recent action by the Board of Aldermen.
Rams Settlement Funding
The Board recently approved legislation allocating funds from the Rams settlement.
Funding will support three major priorities:
Critical city infrastructure improvements, including water system repairs
Ongoing tornado recovery efforts throughout affected neighborhoods
Investments supporting downtown St. Louis
While acknowledging that no funding package satisfies every priority, Alderman Jami Cox-Antwi emphasized that residents overwhelmingly wanted to see meaningful progress after years of discussion. She described the legislation as an important step toward addressing several pressing city needs simultaneously.
Water Rate Changes
The city's water rate increase officially took effect on July 1.
Recognizing the financial burden this creates for many households, the Board included affordability assistance for qualifying residents. Additional federal ARPA funding is also being directed toward necessary infrastructure improvements to reduce pressure on the water system over time.
Alderman Jami Cox-Antwi acknowledged that many Benton Park residents expressed concerns throughout the public discussion process and agreed that additional work remains necessary to ensure water service remains affordable.
Gravois Safety Improvements
Construction has begun on long-awaited safety improvements along Gravois Avenue.
These improvements represent the first phase of a broader effort to improve safety, accessibility, and pedestrian infrastructure along one of the city's busiest corridors.
Alderman Jami Cox-Antwi highlighted ongoing collaboration with organizations including Trailnet and Citizens for Modern Transit while also coordinating with neighboring wards affected by Gravois.
She encouraged residents to remain engaged as future phases move forward, noting that this work should be viewed as the beginning of a larger transformation rather than the finish line.
Cherokee Park
Alderman Jami Cox-Antwi also addressed the destruction of the Cherokee Park baseball field over the Fourth of July weekend.
She thanked neighborhood volunteers, board leadership, and community partners for responding quickly and beginning conversations about restoring the field. Discussions with city departments and community organizations are already underway, with the goal of not only repairing the damage but identifying ways to better protect neighborhood assets moving forward.
Senate Square Apartments
Residents received an update on the ongoing work surrounding Senate Square Apartments.
Alderman Jami Cox-Antwi praised the neighborhood working group that has been coordinating with Neighborhood Improvement Specialists, building inspectors, city departments, and her office to document conditions and push for action.
She encouraged residents living nearby to become involved, emphasizing that organized neighborhood advocacy has significantly strengthened the city's ability to respond.
New neighbors living near the property were introduced directly to members of the working group after the meeting so they could learn more about its history and ongoing efforts.
The property has also begun receiving increased media attention, something Alderman Jami Cox-Antwi described as an important step toward improving accountability.
Resources for Residents
Neighbors discussed additional resources available to residents near Senate Square, including homeless outreach services, Animal Control for recurring stray dog concerns, and continued coordination with Neighborhood Improvement Specialists.
The consensus throughout the discussion was simple: organized communication continues to produce better results than isolated complaints.
Crime Update
Officer Rojas was unable to attend the meeting, but the association shared preliminary crime statistics covering the previous 28 days.
The report included:
Eight major incidents
No murders
No robberies
No aggravated assaults
Overall major crime remains approximately 20 percent lower than the same period last year.
The complete report will be posted with the meeting minutes once received.
Board Updates
The Board shared several organizational updates focused on increasing resident participation and strengthening neighborhood communication.
Residents were reminded that monthly board meetings are open to anyone interested in learning more about ongoing projects or volunteering with the association. Meetings are generally held on the fourth Monday of each month.
August Meeting Schedule
Because of the upcoming election, the August neighborhood meeting has been canceled.
Residents were encouraged to:
Register to vote
Share voting information with neighbors
Participate in absentee voting if needed
After all, neighborhoods work best when the people making decisions are the same people showing up to vote.
Civic Collaboration Fellowship
The Board encouraged residents interested in neighborhood leadership to apply for the University of Missouri Extension's Civic Collaboration Fellowship.
The fellowship helps participants build practical skills in:
Community leadership
Civic engagement
Public advocacy
Coalition building
Regional collaboration
Applications were due July 10, and board members offered to provide letters of support for interested applicants.
The fellowship was recommended for both experienced volunteers and residents looking for a meaningful first step into community leadership.
Building Community Partnerships
Board members highlighted the importance of long-term relationship building with neighborhood organizations, local media, city departments, and elected officials.
Recent positive news coverage featuring Benton Park's volunteer efforts was cited as an example of those relationships paying dividends. Rather than appearing only when problems arise, the association has worked intentionally to tell positive stories about the neighborhood and the people investing their time to improve it.
Residents with ideas for future partnerships or neighborhood projects were encouraged to reach out early. The Board emphasized that helping neighbors navigate permits, city departments, and logistics is one of the association's most valuable roles.
Committee Reports
Safety Committee
Safety Committee Chair Derek shared updates on several ongoing initiatives focused on neighborhood safety, community engagement, and long-term planning.
Community Improvement District
Work continues on developing a proposed Community Improvement District (CID).
Current efforts are focused on finalizing district boundaries, completing petition materials, and preparing educational resources for residents.
Once those materials are complete, the committee plans to begin neighborhood outreach explaining how the proposed district would function and what participation would involve before asking residents to consider any formal action.
National Night Out
Planning is underway for National Night Out on October 6.
The annual event brings together neighbors, police officers, firefighters, and community organizations for an evening focused on building relationships rather than simply responding to emergencies.
Volunteers are needed as planning continues throughout the summer.
GroupMe
The committee is also updating the neighborhood GroupMe community.
Planned improvements include:
Updated community guidelines
Stronger moderation
Additional screening questions for new members
Better protection against bots and spam accounts
The goal is to keep the neighborhood's online conversations welcoming, helpful, and neighbor-focused as the community continues to grow.
Events Committee
Events Committee Chair Amanda shared several upcoming events that promise a busy summer in Benton Park.
Events Committee
Events Committee Chair Amanda shared a full slate of summer events designed to bring neighbors together while making the most of Benton Park's public spaces.
Movie in the Park
Due to forecasted heavy rain, Movie in the Park has been rescheduled from July 11 to August 8.
The event will feature:
Outdoor movie viewing
Popcorn
Lawn chairs and picnic blankets
Golf cart viewing areas
A family-friendly atmosphere
The committee is also looking for a children's musical performer to open the evening before the movie begins.
Summer Concert
The August concert will feature The Holy Rockers, a George Harrison and Beatles tribute band.
Thanks to a partnership with Bluewood, attendees will be able to order picnic meals delivered directly to the park.
Because current city permitting requirements make alcohol sales prohibitively expensive for smaller events, organizers are encouraging neighbors to pack a picnic, bring blankets or lawn chairs, and enjoy an evening around the lake together.
Board members also encouraged residents to continue supporting efforts to modernize the city's special event permitting process. Current requirements—including security costs for even small family events—can make neighborhood programming unnecessarily expensive, and the association hopes to continue working with city officials on practical solutions.
Friends of Benton Park
An update was shared on behalf of Friends of Benton Park Chair Christina, who was unable to attend.
Volunteer participation continues to grow, with recent efforts including:
Eight volunteers participating in the latest Sunday morning park cleanup.
Ongoing maintenance of the park's native gardens.
Nearly twenty volunteers watering newly planted trees during recent stretches of extreme heat.
Board members thanked everyone who has contributed their time to keeping Benton Park beautiful, noting that these projects simply wouldn't happen without volunteer support.
Supporting Cherokee Park
Friends of Benton Park is also helping coordinate conversations following the recent damage to the Cherokee Park baseball field.
The association has begun reaching out to potential partners and organizations that may be able to assist with restoration efforts while continuing conversations with city officials.
Board members also highlighted recent positive media coverage featuring neighborhood volunteers and the baseball field restoration project. They noted that these stories resulted from months of relationship-building with local reporters and reflected the neighborhood's commitment to sharing positive stories—not just responding when something goes wrong.
Music From a Tent
Residents were reminded that Music From a Tent continues every Sunday from 3:00–8:00 p.m. in Benton Park.
Neighbors are encouraged to stop by, bring a picnic blanket, enjoy live music, and spend time with friends and neighbors.
Supporting Local Businesses
The Board also shared that it recently submitted letters supporting Everybody Eats as the restaurant works through liquor licensing issues.
While the licensing process is still underway, board members wanted the owners to know they have the neighborhood's support.
Community-Led Events
Board members highlighted a recent independently organized music event in the park as an example of the kind of grassroots programming they hope to see more often.
Residents with ideas for future concerts, markets, fitness classes, or other community gatherings were encouraged to reach out. The association is happy to help neighbors navigate permits and planning so more resident-led events can become a reality.
Sometimes the biggest thing standing between a good idea and a neighborhood tradition is simply knowing who to ask.
Cave & Garden Committee
Bill shared updates from both the Cave and Garden Committees, highlighting several creative projects currently underway.
The Garden Committee now has approximately $1,000 available for future improvements and is exploring new leadership opportunities to continue expanding the neighborhood gardens.
Plans are also moving forward on a new interpretive marker, with installation anticipated later this year.
On the Cave side, the committee is developing a unique fundraising project centered around the historic Benton Park cave.
The proposal would feature a limited edition of 25 signed copies of a book about the caves, each paired with a custom artist-designed book cover. The Board will review the proposal before determining how the fundraiser will move forward.
After more than two decades leading these efforts, Bill continues finding new ways to celebrate one of Benton Park's most distinctive pieces of history.
Neighborhood Spotlight: The STL Skeletons
One of the evening's most memorable conversations came from members of the STL Skeletons, Benton Park's community sandlot baseball team.
The team explained that while baseball brought them together, community is what keeps them together.
Anyone can play.
There are no tryouts.
No experience is required.
If you want to play baseball and be a good neighbor, you're welcome.
Over the past several months, volunteers have transformed Cherokee Park's neglected baseball field into a playable space by:
Rebuilding the pitching mound.
Restoring the infield.
Reconstructing the batter's boxes.
Clearing vegetation.
Mowing and maintaining the field.
Preparing it to host visiting sandlot teams from around the Midwest.
Unfortunately, much of that work was damaged over the Fourth of July weekend when motorized vehicles repeatedly drove through the field, leaving deep ruts throughout the infield.
Rather than dwelling on the damage, the team focused on what comes next.
Volunteers have already begun cleanup and outlined a restoration plan that includes regrading the infield, replacing dirt, improving drainage, and continuing long-term maintenance.
They also expressed hope that the neighborhood association and Parks Department can establish a more formal partnership so volunteers can continue caring for the field with clear support from the city.
Residents were encouraged to report illegal motorized vehicle activity in parks and help reinforce that Cherokee Park is a shared community space—not an off-road course.
The conversation served as a reminder that public spaces don't become beloved by accident. They become beloved because someone decides they're worth caring for.
Community Announcements
The meeting concluded with several brief community updates.
Residents were reminded about Alderman Jami Cox-Antwi's upcoming Town Hall on July 16 at the McKinley Heights Serbian Church and encouraged to attend.
The neighborhood also celebrated an extraordinary act of generosity after a resident shared the story of delivering a baby in the back of an ambulance on Mother's Day. After learning the family had virtually nothing, neighbors quickly organized donations of baby supplies and household items through the community GroupMe. The response was overwhelming, with donations continuing to arrive weeks later.
It was a fitting way to end the meeting. Before anyone talked about committees, budgets, or city processes, Benton Park simply did what Benton Park tends to do: neighbors helped neighbors.
Key Follow-Ups
Senate Square Apartments
Continue supporting the neighborhood working group coordinating with the Alderman's Office, Neighborhood Improvement Specialists, building inspectors, and other city departments.
Encourage nearby residents to join the advocacy effort and continue documenting concerns.
Cherokee Park Baseball Field
Continue restoration of the baseball field following the Fourth of July vandalism.
Explore a formal partnership with the Parks Department that would allow volunteers to maintain the field with city support.
Report illegal motorized vehicle activity in neighborhood parks.
Community Improvement District (CID)
Finalize district boundaries, petition materials, and educational resources before beginning neighborhood outreach.
National Night Out
Continue planning for the October 6 event.
Recruit volunteers to assist with organizing activities and community outreach.
Upcoming Events
Host Movie in the Park on August 8.
Prepare for The Holy Rockers summer concert in partnership with Bluewood.
Continue supporting weekly Music From a Tent performances in Benton Park.
Cherokee market resumes in august
Friends of Benton Park
Continue Sunday park cleanups, native garden maintenance, and tree watering throughout the summer.
Pursue partnerships and funding opportunities to support improvements in Benton Park and Cherokee Park.
Community Leadership
Encourage residents interested in neighborhood leadership to apply for the University of Missouri Extension Civic Collaboration Fellowship before the July 10 application deadline.
Community Engagement
Attend Alderman Jamie Gauthier's Town Hall on July 16.
Continue welcoming new neighbors, connecting residents with committees, and encouraging participation in neighborhood projects and events.
Next Meeting: September (the August meeting has been canceled due to the election schedule).
As always, neighbors are encouraged to attend board meetings, volunteer with a committee, subscribe to the neighborhood newsletter, and continue sharing ideas. Benton Park's greatest resource isn't a committee or a grant—it's the people who keep showing up.
The July meeting was a reminder that a neighborhood is more than its meetings, committees, or projects. It is built through people who choose to care for one another and refuse to believe that difficult problems belong to someone else. Whether neighbors are restoring a baseball field, advocating for safer housing, planning a concert in the park, welcoming new residents, or organizing an event that brings strangers together, each act strengthens the bonds that make Benton Park feel like home.
That spirit was perhaps best reflected in a simple story shared near the close of the meeting. After a local family unexpectedly welcomed a baby under extraordinary circumstances and found themselves in need, neighbors quietly stepped forward with clothing, supplies, and encouragement. No committee assigned the task. No one waited to be asked. People simply saw a need and answered it.
That same spirit carried through every conversation during the evening. Progress is rarely the result of one meeting or one volunteer. It is built, little by little, by neighbors who continue showing up—for their parks, their streets, their local businesses, and most importantly, for one another. That is the work of building a community, and it is work Benton Park continues to do remarkably well.