St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 89

SERVING: St Charles, St Peters, O'Fallon, Lake Saint Louis, Wentzville, Cottleville, St. Paul, New Melle, Weldon Spring Augusta, Defiance, and Dardenne Prairie. Also serving communities in Warren and Lincoln counties. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2001 ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH SCI WHAT'S RIGHT: Cottleville and Central County firefighters DuBray -3U-i3f -tt ri 9503.

Av -JV .141 1 ner Trentin Leonard could say. He was so eager to jump on his new red, white and blue bike that he almost got away before being fitted with his new helmet Assistant Fire Chief Steve Brown called him back. He told Trentin that the only condition to receive the bike was that he had to promise always to wear the helmet. Trentin agreed. Alyssa Snider, a first-grader, could only manage a "thank you" and lots of smiles when she got her pink bike and purple helmet She and her mother had baked the firefighters a plateful of cookies.

Alyssa gave Brown a hug, too. Brown said the bike giveaway was one of his favorite community-outreach programs. He said Cottleville's assistant chief, Skip Gauldin, had started the program in conjunction with the safety day, but it grew too big for one department to handle. Central County Fire and Rescue joined in three years ago. The children who entered the raffle did so on Sept 8 at St.

Peters City Hall at the 14th annual Home Fire Safety Day. Firefight- PHOTOS BY WENDI FITZGERALDST. CHARLES COUNTY POST Trentin Leonard, 5, promises Assistant Fire Chief Steve Brown that he will wear his helmet when riding his bike. Central County Fire and Rescue sponsors a Home Fire Safety Day the first weekend of September. Those who attended were eligible for a free bike and a free helmet.

On Wednesday, the firefighters delivered the bikes to the children. Trentin lives in the Hollow Creek subdivision in St. Peters. Winners of bicycles are awed into silence as prizes are delivered with lights and sirens 1 a L' St. Charles Lewis and Clark center contract wins approval City officials gave final approval Tuesday to a $25,000 contract for MTH Architects Inc.

for the design of the Lewis and Clark Boathouse and Discovery Center. The Missouri Conservation Department is paying for half the contract. The City Council authorized in February its $12,500 share of the payment for the design. The state money to pay for the remaining portion was delivered to the city last week. Plans call for the boathouse museum to be built on donated land south of Frontier Park.

The building would have a ground floor that would serve as the display location of the keelboat, as well as a white pirogue and a red pirogue, replicas of the explorers' boats. Efforts by Sen. Christopher S. "Kit" Bond, led to the inclusion of $1 million for the museum in the budget of the Department of Interior. St.

Chiles Ambassadors of Harmony win a district competition The St. Charles-based Ambassadors of Harmony have won the title of Chorus Champions of the Central States District of the Society for the Preservation and encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America. They competed Last weekend in Topeka, Kan. The Ambassadors performed "The Toy Song," composed and arranged by David Wright of Washington University, the group's associate director. They also performed their rendition of "Toyland." Both songs were performed under the direction of Jim Henry of Lindenwood University.

The Ambassadors have won medals in international competition in seven of the last eight years. Their win in Topeka qualifies them to represent the Central States District at the International Contest in Portland, next July. Wentzville Ninth-grader sinks 133-yard hole in one Chad Boekmann, 14, may be the county's answer to Tiger Woods after sinking a 133-yard hole in one Saturday at the Incline Village golf of Foristell. In the same tournament, Chad won the longest-drive contest. He lives in Wentzville and is in the ninth grade at Holt High School.

He has been playing golf for only two years. Witnesses to the ace were his father, Mark Boekmann, and two uncles. "I was just trying to make it on the green," Chad said. "I couldn't believe it. My dad and two uncles said they had never seen anything like it in their life." The annual fund-raiser tournament had been sponsored by ushers of the Church on the Rock in St.

Peters. St. Chiles Street work near breaks in mains to cost $8,500 The city has had several water main breaks in recent months, and street repair related to those breaks will cost an additional $8,500. On Tuesday, the City Council approved this change to an existing contract with Asphaltic Maintenance for pavement repair. The change will bring the company's total contract with the city up to $32,500.

Councilman Bob Hoepfner, 10th Ward, asked Tim Baker, acting public works director, about this change at the council's meeting. Baker said that the city's aging water lines and related infrastructure causes most of the water main breaks. The council later unanimously approved the contract change. The most recent water main break was near Monroe Street and Riverside Drive in late August To head off larger problems in the future, the council has discussed the possibility of increasing the water and sewer rates to pay for a new main sewer line. The cost is estimated at $14 mil-Lion to $17 million.

warns side in bus trike Superintendent says to end it or he will Takeover is one possibi By Shane Anthony Of the St. Charles County Post Fort Zumwalt Superintendent Bernard DuBray said Thursday that he was preparing to issue an ultimatum to force an end to almost three weeks of a bus-driver strike in his district While parent frustration grows, both districts are looking at all options. Drivers in the Fort Zumwalt and Francis Howell districts the largest in St. Charles County are at odds with First Student, the bus company, over pay. Fort Zumwalt drivers struck Oct 1, and they are scheduled to meet again with the bus company on Oct.

31. Francis Howell drivers struck Oct. 10, and no talks are scheduled in that dispute. "That's nuts," DuBray said Thursday. "Thafs not the way you collective-bargain.

You meet 24 hours a day. You meet any time somebody wants to meet." Representatives from Teamsters Local 610, which represents drivers in both districts, have joined First Student in offering a total of 12 dates to meet since Oct 10. All those dates were rejected by one side or the other. DuBray said his ultimatum will give a date by which, if the strike is not settled, Fort Zumwalt will take over its bus system, end the picket line and hire drivers directly to get buses rolling again. How many drivers he could hire remains questionable.

Drivers in both districts have said they won't work for the districts directly as they did during a 1998 strike that lasted several months but kept buses from rolling for only about a week and a half. Francis Howell Superintendent Dan O'Donnell said he was looking into several options, including taking over the buses. He also said district administrators had talked to representatives of Bi-State to see if they could provide drivers. The initial response was not positive, he said. Local 788 of the Amalgamated Transit Union represents the Bi-State drivers.

Drivers in both districts have been without contracts since June. Talks with First Student began even before that. Rich Pig-lowski, president of Local 610, has said the drivers, who make from $9 to $13.10 an hour to transport a combined 26,000 stu dents to school and home again each day, receive lower pay than See Zumwalt, Page 2 Inside Wentzville officials have assured members of the city's park board that renovation and expansion of park and recreation facilities is a high priority with the City Hall. And officials pledged to find money to upgrade municipal parks. They met informally to review a park improvement plan and to consider how the city could improve existing facilities.

See Page SC2 Firefighters arrived in a pumper truck and left the children with bikes and smiles of gratitude. By Susan Weich Of the St. Charles County Post Central County firefighters de livered bicycles Wednesday afternoon to 10 stunned children who had. won a raffle at last month's Home Fire Safety Day. The children weren't really all that surprised that they had won.

But the method of delivery left them speechless, for the most part. The bicycles arrived in a Ford Excursion staff vehicle, accompanied by a pumper truck. When the vehicles got to the lucky winner's home, the firefighters hit the lights and siren to signal their arrival. the winners responded with toothless smiles, and hugs or handshakes for the firefighters. But very few words.

"It's good," was all kindergart- Florida company Contract length, amount remain to be settled ByMikalJ. Harris Of the St. Charles County Post St Charles and St. Charles County officials have selected Florida-based Global Spectrum to manage the operations of the city's $47.6 million convention center, which is being developed with a hotel. Members of the Convention Sports District football opens tonight, giving is chosen to operate St Charles convention center What's Right The St.

Charles County Post periodically profiles nominees for "What's Right With the Region," a competition sponsored by Focus St. Louis. We want your nominations for groups or individuals to recognize. Send your suggestions to the St. Charles County Post, via fax at 636-946-8071 or e-mail at ers put on several demonstrations, including a high-angle rescue, extracting a victim from a car and a discussion of kitchen safety.

Firefighters also hoisted a 20-by-40-foot flag between two ladder trucks. The flag could be seen from Interstate 70, about a half-mile away. The flag-raising was Julian Bart's favorite part of the demonstration. He got an 18-speed bike from the firefighters. His mother swore he had been talking nonstop before the bike arrived, but See Bikes, Page 5 been settled.

City Administrator James O'Connor will lead the city's negotiations to settle terms. "We don't want to get locked into a long contract with them, when five or six years from now we may decide to go in a different direction," York said. "The flip side of that is that they could also decide differently." Global Spectrum, a subsidiary of Comcast Cable, will handle the day-to-day operations of the convention center, which will be built at Fairgrounds Road and Veterans Memorial Parkway, just south of Interstate 70 between Fifth Street and First Capitol Drive. DON ADAMS JR. Steve Brown, assistant fire chief for the Central County Fire and Rescue, helps Raymon Lewis, 8, on his new bike.

Raymon lives in the Pegasus Farms subdivision in St. Peters. Company officials said that the city would receive extensive assistance with pre-opening preparations, especially with the marketing of the convention center. The company will also assist with ordering furniture, fixtures and equipment for the convention center. Lodging Hospitality Management Inc.

will develop a Hilton Compact Hotel for the convention center. Officials are hiring a company to do an assessment study to determine how large the hotel should be. This study will be necessary for LHM to get financing See Convention, Page 2 Religion Center Oversight Committee chose a proposal from the company Wednesday evening over a proposal from Compass Facilities Management. That company, based in Ames, Iowa, also recently submitted a management proposal to the city for the Goldenrod Showboat That proposal also was not selected. Mayor Patti York said that the committee chose Global Spectrum because it has a strong background in convention center management.

Neither a specific contract amount, nor the length of the contract with Global Spectrum, has the each team a fresh start on the season and three games to earn the right to advance to sectional playoffs. Fort Zumwalt South will face Oakville today in the state Class 4A semifinals in Softball. The winner will play for championship on Saturday. This weekend, aspiring Christian songwriters will have the opportunity to be inspired, instructed, entertained and perhaps to take the first step on the road to fame. Sue Smith and her husband, John Smith, are setting up their second annual "Write About Jesus" workshop at Ridgecrest Baptist Church in St.

Charles. Ten Christian songwriters from across the country will conduct concurrent sessions today and Saturday. See Page SC3 A. fiz -----J-- -1 iililM rnrrii i -i i Top-ranked soccer powers St. Charles West and Duchesne tangle, with the No.

1 Warriors shutting out the Pioneers 2-0. more In Sports, Page SC6 St. Charles West goalkeeper Nick Frasca makes a save in a 2-0 win over visiting Duchesne on Wednesday. The victory gave Frasca his 10th shutout of the season. -y-.