October/November 2022

Dear Friends and Neighbors, 

On October 15, the City of Crestwood will celebrate its 75th Anniversary with a day of events - beginning with a 5k run in the morning; a parade down Watson Road, starting at noon; live music at the Schnucks Main Stage at Woodard, following the parade; a Taste of Crestwood throughout the day; and a fireworks show to close out the day. I look forward to celebrating with you all!

In addition to the main celebration on Oct. 15, the City will also be hosting a Trivia Night on Saturday, November 12, which is the City’s actual 75th birthday and day of incorporation. For more information about the 75th events, please go to https://crestwood75.org/.  

Following the passage of Proposition 1 in April, the Board of Aldermen recently approved the purchase of two ambulances for the Fire Department.  We expect our ambulance service to be fully operational in late 2023, with the exact start time dependent on equipment delivery.  Once we begin service, we expect to be able to deliver faster response times with the top tier service citizens have come to expect from the Crestwood Fire Department.   

In recent months, City staff, elected officials, Park Board, Steering Committee and a team of consultants have been receiving citizen input and working to finalize the Parks Master Plan, which is on pace to be completed by the end of 2022. This document will serve as the guidepost for the enhancement and operations of the Parks and Recreation Department for the next 10-15 years.  

Thank you to everyone who participated in the surveying, and we look forward to implementing the community’s vision for our parks. With this project, one of the most consequential decisions to make in 2023 is whether to pursue a renovation or replacement of the almost 50 year old Community Center, which is due to have several major systems replaced soon.  We continue to explore which is the most cost-effective solution, and which provides the most fulfillment of our park and recreation goals.  

In the immediate future, the basketball and tennis courts at Whitecliff Park have been replaced and we expect the new pavilion near the Whitecliff Quarry to be installed by the end of the year.  

Next year, the City intends to replace the pedestrian bridge in Sanders Park over Gravois Creek, to install a pedestrian bridge over Mulberry Creek from Sheryl Ann Drive to Whitecliff Park, and to replace the main Park entrance bridge over Gravois Creek.  The Board of Aldermen had recently approved the hiring of engineers to design the Mulberry Creek Bridge, and we are excited to finally be on the cusp of finishing that long-desired project.  

We continue to improve the City’s infrastructure.  Street work has been completed for the year, while sidewalk repair and installation of new sidewalks will occur this fall.  The City will also be installing additional street lights in areas of need this fall, and is coordinating with MSD on needed stormwater projects.  

In conjunction with the architects and MoDOT, the City is working on designing a median beautification project on Watson Road involving lighting, plantings, and artwork to be installed in 2024, during the repaving of Watson Road by MoDOT, which will beautify the main thoroughfare of Crestwood.

We are excited to have cut the ribbons on the new Aldi and the new McDonald’s, and economic activity along the Watson Road corridor continues to be robust following the approval of the Dierbergs/McBride Crestwood Crossings project.  

The residential housing market in Crestwood also continues to be strong.  Not only did McBride have an overwhelming response to the sale of new homes at Crestwood Crossing, but over the past year, community wide home prices continued to climb, and almost 65% went under contract in less than a week.

Lastly, with kids back in school and the days getting shorter, please slow down in residential neighborhoods, be mindful of pedestrians, and respectful of your neighbors. 

Grant J. Mabie
Mayor