St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 27

(tol(D)iiiinni(0)Edte ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH MONDAY, MARCH 27, 1978 SECT'CN 1-4C Two Work Shifts Studied To Speed Work On Overpass 'Wf 1J 'I Ihl xM-t V-i Mi -f fh -'T A AFTER-THEATER PARTY: Theatergoers dancing Sunday night to the clarinet music of Giora Feidman at the Breckenridge Inn at Frontenac after the Kiel Auditorium performance of "The Night Shall Shine As The Day," with Theodore Bikel and Her- schel Bernardi. They and other players attended the party by the St. Louis Jewish Federation in honor of Israel's 30th birthday and the annual drive for the Israel Emergency Fund. (Review on Page 4D) (Post-Dispatch Photo by Dave Regier) 2 Accused Of Stealing Church Collection Basket ment to find ways to decrease the construction time even if it increases the cost of the project.

The proposal for a second shift of workers would involve using construction workers at night and on weekends, when the traffic volume is reduced. The construction is now being done only during the day and no highway lanes have been closed. Kriz said that if a second work shift was mandated by the Highway Department in later stages of the project, it could increase the cost of the project about 20 percent because of the overtime and special work incentives that would have to be paid, such as a higher hourly rate for working nights. An estimate would have to be made of the amount of construction time that would be saved, which is not currently known, he said. "If there is enough congestion and disruption to warrant a shorter construction time, we will have to balance the added cost," he said.

"It will finally bea judgment call and I don't know how you put a value on inconvenience." The project is now in the first stage, which is being done by Kozeny Wagner under a $1.4 million contract. In May, the eastbound lanes of Highway 40 are tentatively scheduled to be closed for four to six months, and that phase would be followed by the closing of the westbound lanes for 18 months. Kriz said the increased work load, if mandated, would take place when the westbound lanes are closed, because of the time involved in that phase. It would not be used during the construction work on the eastbound lanes, since that work would be completed within a relatively short period, he said. In a related development, Mayor Jim Conway and William J.

Wilson, director of the city Streets Department, said they strongly fa voredincreasingthework-load on the project. The added cost that would result from the arrangement would probably be worth it, Wilson said, since it would probably reduce the construction time by as much as 30 percent. The 20-year-old Vandeventer overpass has been one of the area's worst traffic bottlenecks. The project to improve traffic flow through it is being financed by a combination of state and federal highway funds. By GERALD M.

BOYD Of the Post-Dispatch Staff A second work shift likely will be added to speed up the completion of the Vandeventer overpass project if it would not prove too costly, state highway officials say. The officials said in recent interviews that the workload increase is now receiving Strong consideration in the wake of complaints about the $30 million project that involves the double-decking of the Vandeventer overpass and the construction of new entrance and exit ramps. The complaints have come from St. Louis officials and from downtown businessmen, who have voiced concern about the effect traffic snarls caused by the project could have on downtown business. Gene R.

Borgschulte, chief designer for the district that includes St. Louis, said the department was seriously considering increasing the daily workload by using two shifts instead of the one now in operation. The increase would take place in future construction phases of the project in which the westward lanes of Highway 40 would have to be closed for 18 months. "It's entirely possible and extremely likely," Borgschulte said of the use of two shifts. "We are cognizant of the tremendous inconvenience on the community and are attempting to cut the construction time to a bare minimum." Borgschulte said that putting more work time into the project on a daily basis was the only way officials saw to cut the construction time at this point.

A final decision on the move is expected within the next two months, District Engineer Frank Kriz said. The construction project, which began in September 1977, involves double-decking the Highway 40 overpass from Vandeventer Avenue to a point east of Grand Boulevard near the Teamster Council Plaza. Additional exit and entrance ramps, more traffic lanes west of Vandeventer and the relocation of railroad tracks will be involved in the project. The project has been estimated to take from five to seven years to complete. Local officials have charged that that is too much time for the job.

They have urged the state Highway Depart Woman Struck, Killed In Highway Accident A young St. Louis County woman was killed Saturday evening when she was thrown from an automobile in a traffic accident and then run over by another car. Killed was Linda Kell, 17, of 9729 McDowell Place, Breckenridge Hills. Two persons were seriously injured in the accident that occurred about 10 p.m. on Sand Prairie Lane, just north of U.S.

Highway 40 in Madison County. Linda Kell and her brother, Raymond, 16, were passengers in a car driven by John Kelley, 22, of Granite City. Illinois State Police said Kelley passed a car on Sand Prairie Lane, then apparently lost control of his car on ice and hit a bridge abutment. Both Linda and Raymond Kell were thrown out of the car, onto the pavement, and Linda Kell was run over by the second car. The second car, driven by Arthur Wilson, 21, of 3 Delrae Court, St.

Charles, then ran into Kelley's car, the highway patrol said. Kelley was seriously burned and admitted to the burn unit of St. John's Mercy Medical Center. Jeanne Moser, 17, of Wentzville, a passenger in Wilson's car, suffered minor injuries. Two 15-year-old youths were taken into custody by police Sunday after allegedly stealing a filled collection basket from St.

John the Baptist Catholic Church, 4200 Delor Avenue, during Easter services. Police believe most of the money has been recovered. Patrolmen John King and Ray Humphrey answered a call for prowlers at the church about 8:10 a.m. A woman sitting in a car on the church parking lot told the officers she saw two teen-age boys near a door at the rear of the church building. One youth held the door open while the other pulled a ski mask over his face and entered the church, the witness said.

A few moments later, both youths ran from the church, one carrying a wicker basket, she said. The Easter service, which began at 7:30 a.m. and was attended by about 500 persons, was not interrupted. Father Ferdinand Wesloh, assistant pastor, said he' was celebrating the Mass when he TUESDAY, 15 Picket Court At Trial Of Assault On Policeman noticed out of the corner of his eye that the collection basket, which had been placed on the floor of the sanctuary after the offering, was gone. "I thought one of the priests had taken it," Father Wesloh said.

"It all happened so quickly." After police learned that the basket had been stolen, a description of the two youths was broadcast over police radio. About 30 minutes later, Patrolman Gerald Abernathy took into custody two youths he saw running in the 4500 block of Gravois Avenue. The youths were booked suspected of burglary and stealing under the juvenile code after $1,249 and some offering envelopes containing checks were found in their possession, police said. Father Wesloh said church leaders do not know the amount of money stolen because the offerings had not yet been counted. But Patrolman Glenn Terry said police believe all the cash was recovered, although some checks may be missing.

FAMOUS MARCH 28 FulU' 5 BUSHEL BAGS with SAVE 91 $10.93 BOOSTER POLY BAGS ROLL 50-FT. VINYL 3-TUBE EjN Mayor Says Percich Hurt City's Credit Mayor Jim Conway has accuseu Comptroller Raymond T. Percich of acting irresponsibly and of hurting the city's good name for his failure to authorize payment of more than $40,000 to a firm for electrical work at the Cervantes Convention Center. Conway and Percich, the city's chief fiscal officer, have been involved in an on-again, off-again dispute over fiscal matters for several months. The payment issue developed over a contract with Guarantee Electrical Co.

In November, city officials approved a contract with the firm that allows it to perform the electrical work for exhibitors at the Convention Center. Under the agreement, the exhibitors pay the city for the work and the money is then forwarded to Guarantee. Percich said in a recent interview that he was only following the law in relation to Convention Center revenue. Percich noted that the Convention Center was financed by $25 million in revenue bonds and that the bonds are to be retired by revenue generated by operations of the center. sPan 2 arges Go Under Fifteen loaded grain barges broke loose on the Mississippi River at St.

Louis Sunday and two i were partly sunk after the towboat that was pul-, ling them struck Eads Bridge, a spokesman for the Coast Guard said. The accident occurred about 12:50 p.m., when the towboat White Knight, owned by the Agri Trans Corp. of Long Grove, 111., was buffeted by the rough current. The towboat struck a bridge abutment, breaking up the boat, the spokesman said. Several local towboats spent several hours rounding up the barges.

Two barges that later struck the bridge abutment partly i sank, spilling an undeter-', mined amount of grain into the river, the spokes-' man said. The Coast Guard cutter Sumac! marked the two disabled barges with lighted buoys, and salvage operations are expected to begin today, i No estimates were avail- able on the amount of damage to the barges or towboat or the value of the spilled grain. The spokes-1 man said the partly sunken barges and the spilled grain did not pose navigational or environmental hazards. Woman Is Killed On 1-70 St. Louis homicide detectives are attempting to identify a woman who was killed when struck by a vehicle Saturday night as she ran across Interstate 70 near Thrush Avenue.

Two policemen were stopped by a motorist at CASE Riverview Boulevard and Lillian Avenue about 7:25 p.m. Saturday, and told that a woman was lying on the highway. The two offi-' cers found the body of ai black woman believed to; 48 BULBS Reg. SI 8.48 have been about 60 years old. Witnesses told police the woman had walked from the concrete divider across the westbound lanes when i she was struck by a west- bound automobile in the curb lane.

1 1 SALE! LIGHT ftp Fifteen persons today picketed the Municipal Courts Building, protesting the case of Anthony Grayer, who was scheduled to go on trial today in St. Louis Circuit Court on a charge of assaulting a police officer. Larry Chapman, who identified himself as a spokesman for the protesters, said that Circuit Attorney George Peach is using this trial to cover up police misconduct in the death last June 4 of the Rev. Melvin D. Redmond, a store front preacher.

Redmond, 19, was shot by Patrolman Terry Helton in the back if III in the 2700 block of Thomas Street. A circuit court grand jury heard numerous witnesses in the Redmond case and voted last August not to indict Helton. Several persons told police that Redmond did not have a pistol. Police said he did. Grayer was a passenger in a car with Redmond and fought with police, police said.

Grayer suffered a broken arm during the incident. Chapman said that Grayer later lost his job with the city Recreation Department because he was unable to work for three months. -9 1 -A" i rj: I Jcs 8-F00T WOODEN STEP LADDER Reinforced safety grooved steps Built-in locking device "VAN PLY" PANELING Finish off that den or family room inexpensively! CHOOSE FROM EACH x8' 516" Sheets ORTHO PRUNING PAINT SEALER Fast, easy protection for pruned, grafted or damaged trees, roses, shrubs. y0RTH0 PBtlNIKG MINT SfAifR TIES 5-OZ. awawA STRONG PARTICLE BOARDS SHELVES nMx60" Wood grain plastic laminate Some imperfect but all very usable EACH COMPARE WITH LUMBER PRICES! 2515 Brentwood Neit to Brentwood Post Office 1 1 787 Manchester in Des Petes Neit to flaming Pit Reg.

$1.99 fl 7 SAVE BATTERY CABLES LOT 00 SOAKER HOSE Westinghouse BULBS I Eight gauge 1 2 foot copper battery cable set. Heavy duty, sure- grip clamps. Starts cars easily without dangerous pushing. Flexible vinyl sprinkler a 41. hose gives your lawn tj or garden a thorough, jEr deep watering.

SAVE $2.61 I REG. $6.32 1 2863 Olive St Rd in Crere Coeur Cistillon Center 129 Concotd Plaza in South County Across from Ronnies Drue In 700 Lindbergh -Florissant Meadows Shopping Center AFTER THE HUNT: A contented Katie Sellberg leaving the Easter egg hunt Sunday in the building at the Des Peres City Park at Manchester and Ballas roads. (Post-Dispatch Photo) H0UFS: 9 A.M. to :31 P.M. BRENTWOOD 8 A.M.

toll P.M. I.