St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 107

It's A Blast: Construction to begin with underground blasting at Promenade site in Brentwood New Heights: St. Louis County adopts new tower regulations Garden Pests: Clarissa Start deals with questions about moles THURSDAY, APRIL 10, 1997 (2) ROCK HILL liiiui mwi ii pim hi liiu ii uii i i mi ii Ji.i imw i.ui 114 r- 1 1 "1 i i NVyv I TTT N. Ml ill 1, i I Mir u. 5 :1 1 I i .1 4 ilnlniiiiiriiiii lir wiliT-lilllli lilt lllnl Eliiii''' itL. ijj.

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MiwwiiwM.Li.'.aBujwmm.Mww'w-.M''i'iM.'iiiiiiiiwi'l'iii'' u. www'iikj -'W Down To The Last Detail Board OKs Transfer For Fairfax House Fund Historical Group's Support Prompts Some Criticism By Chris Vogt Special to the Post-Dispatch In an effort to save Rock Hill's historical Fairfax House, the Board of Aldermen passed a motion to transfer money from its budget to start a trust fund for the house. But board members expressed disappointment about a historical group's participation in helping to pay for maintaining the house. The Fairfax House, part of Rock Hill's history since 1839, will move from its location at 9340 Manchester Road to Rock Hill Presbyterian Church at 9707 Manchester Road. The move is part of an agreement between Landside Resources developer of McKnight Crossing a complex of stores and offices, and Rock Hill Improvement Association, a private, nonprofit organization, which has maintained the house since the early 1940s.

Landside has agreed to buy the property from the association and repair, move and donate the house to Rock Hill, at a cost of more than $250,000. But the church and Rock Hill officials have expressed concern about the house's maintenance cost and sought to establish the trust fund. In a special meeting with the Rock Hill Improvement Association, city officials agreed to allocate $10,000 from its budget if the association would donate the $90,000 that Landside would pay the association for the property. See FAIRFAX, Page 2 MARYLAND HEIGHTS Road Study Draws Fire On Council By Linda F. Jarrett Special to the Post-Dispatch Although the Maryland Heights City Council has decided to hire a company to study road improvements including extending Millwell Drive north to Eldon Drive Councilman Dan Johnson, 3rd Ward, rejects the idea.

Johnson and Councilman Jerry Cruise, 3rd Ward, voted against hiring Environmental Science and Engineering Inc. to study the Millwell-Parkwood connecting road and Midland Avenue-Smiley Road improvement project. Johnson also says the figure for the improvements has gone from $2 million in 1994 to $4.8 in 1996, to more than $8 million this year. Mayor Mike O'Brien says that those numbers may be misunderstood. "We have no See ROADS, Page 5 ABOVE: Wilfred Leach, who lives in the Central West End, opens the hood of his Rolls Royce at the Concours d'Elegance, a display of cars in Forest Park in St.

Louis. RIGHT: Robert Weible of St. Louis County looks into the engine compartment of one of the cars. The cars were displayed on the parking lot of the Muny Opera. BELOW: Patrick Hoffmann of Sunset Hills polishes his Karmann Ghia at the car show.

The annual event is sponsored by the Horseless Carriage Club of Missouri. Photos by Tim Nordmann i VALLEY PARK SCHOOLS Official Cautious On Spending Of District's Budget Surplus ances have to be used for increasing salaries, then it becomes the board's hard decision as to what to do," Rebore said. Rebore acknowledged that with a balance estimated at $1.4 million at the end of this year, Valley Park was in relatively better shape than other districts. But he mentioned that other changes, such as a reduction in desegregation money, could shrink the surplus. "The board has to consider that the impact of any salary increase remains year after year, even if there are not further increases," Rebore said.

The preliminary budget estimates revenue See SURPLUS, Page 5 By Sterling Levy Special to the Post-Dispatch The Valley Park School Board's budget is showing a surplus this year, but that's no indication that teachers will get a raise next year, a consultant says. William Rebore, a consultant who is a former superintendent of the Valley Park School District, will conduct the talks with teachers this spring on next year's salaries. Rebore noted that each percentage point of salary increase would cost the district about $20,000 in new spending and that early figures suggest a slowing of revenue growth. "If there isn't new revenue, and fund bal jr- i MAPLE WOOD-RICHMOND HEIGHTS SCHOOLS Partnership In District Urged 6To Promote Public Education9 tion," Hendrix said. Hendrix started talking about the partnership after the district had said in January that it was planning to dismiss 29 of its 100 teachers, to balance the budget.

The district discovered last October that it had a $1.5 million budget deficit. Officials have blamed incorrect projections of revenue and spending for the shortfall. The Missouri branch of the National Edu-' cation Association and a resident filed suit against the district to halt the dismissals. The See PARTNERS, Page 5 Sam LeonePost-Dispatch By Hilary Daniel Special to the Post-Dispatch In an attempt to address its budget deficit, the Maplewood-Richmond Heights School Board is asking for help. Sue Hendrix, vice president of the Maple-wood-Richmond Heights Educational Association, wants to form a partnership involving the School Board, the district's teachers and other employees and residents.

"It's the kind of partnership where these four groups hold hands and don't let go in order to protect and promote public educa Recycled Igloo Kindergarten students with their storybooks inside an igloo made of milk cartons at Highcroft Ridge School in the Parkway School District. The igloo was made by the kindergartners and some fifth-grade students at the school at 15380 Highcroft Drive in Chesterfield. if A.