Pine Lawn Breaks Ground on Park Upgrade
Date Posted: July 14, 2020
Posted In: News, Projects,
From The St. Louis American: When a Pine Lawn resident was offered a program for the groundbreaking ceremony, he asked for another one “for my neighbor.” It was just a piece of paper announcing improvements to a small municipal park, but this was important and good news for this small North County town of 3,275 people, 96.4% of whom were Black in the 2010 Census. The median household income is about $30,000.
Pelton Jackson Park — named for a former mayor, now deceased — is getting a playground, a walking path and exercise equipment. It’s located in the 4th Ward in the municipality’s northeast corner, between C&K Barbecue and I-70.
Mayor Terry Epps welcomed a group of local children to join him at the podium before the groundbreaking with gold-embossed shovels on Friday, July 10. “Come on, babies, this is for you,” Epps said to the children. “This is for you all to have fun in a safe environment. It’s for you to have a healthy place to play.”
Pine Lawn is adjacent to the highest-crime areas of the City of St. Louis identified by Police Chief John Hayden as “Hayden’s rectangle.”
Pine Lawn, however, is policed by the North County Police Cooperative, which also patrols Wellston, Vinita Terrace, Vinita Park, Beverly Hills, Velda Village Hills and Charlack. Police Chief John Buchannan and a half-dozen uniformed officers attended the groundbreaking.
Epps said of the officers, “We’re family.” Even in this moment of intense police-community strife, the officers certainly looked like family, sitting or standing comfortably among residents and officials and applauding along to the program.