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Florissant Council News
2nd North County Siteman Center
To Open in 2019 at Christian Campus
By Carol Arnett
Christian Hospital Northwest is expanding, with a new Siteman Cancer Center building planned for the campus on Graham Rd. The hospital presented the plan for the new building to the Florissant City Council during a public hearing at the council’s last meeting. This will be the second Siteman Center in North County. The first one is at Christian Hospital at I-270 and Highway 367.
The building will be a 36,000 square feet, one-story building on the Southwest corner of the hospital site. Approximately 150 more parking spaces will be added along with the building.
George Stock, spokesman for the hospital, said the site was challenging because of an MSD channel that runs through it. He said the architects worked with the site and managed to leave a lot of green space. “We’ll have an infusion center, and we want those patients to be able to look out into trees and green space,” he said.
The building will be open Monday through Friday. ”Employees will be arriving around 7, and it will be open from 8 a.m. to – 5 p.m.” he said. The center will have 15 to 25 employees and see approximately 60 patients a day, he added.
Stock said the hospital would like to start construction in the spring, and it would take about 14 months to complete.
The council held a first reading on the bill that would approve the plan.
Other Council Matters:
The council also held a second public hearing on a request for a special use permit for Sahara Mediterranean Grill at 472 Howdershell Road.
Waseem Abdeen is the owner of the restaurant. He told the council that the hours would be 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. “We’ll be mainly a take-out joint. We’ll be doing Uber eats and catering,” Abdeen said. The restaurant will not serve alcohol.
Abdeen grew up in Florissant and then moved to San Diego, where he owns three restaurants. “I was visiting my parents here and saw the site and decided to open here,” he told the council.
Councilman Joe Eagan said that he would be asking for three reading and an approval for the restaurant in the same night. Normally, the council holds a first reading on the same night as the public hearing, and then holds two more readings and a vote at the next council meeting.
“I am comfortable with this business,” Eagan said. He said that since the council has cancelled the second December meeting, which they normally do, Abdeen would have to wait until January for approval. The council held three readings and passed the bill approving he restaurant.
In other action, the council:
- Passed a bill that will transfer the special use permit for Little Caesars Pizza at 2632 N. Hwy. 67 from one owner to another.
- Approved a full liquor by the drink license for Five Acres Bar-B-Que at 1752-1754 N. New Florissant
- Approved a resolution adopting the St. Louis Regional All-Hazard Mitigation Plan.
City Budget Approved
The council approved the budget for fiscal year 2018, which Mayor Schneider had originally sent back unsigned. Council President Jackie Pagano read a statement from the council. She said part of the problem was the mayor’s dislike of the employee early retirement plan the council wanted to put in place.
“Had the mayor proposed a budget that reduced spending from the general fund and did not require continued use of our cash reserves, perhaps this plan would not have been adopted,” Pagano said.
“During the budget process in fall 2016, the city council held from the Finance Director and recognized there were issues with long-term sustainability of our budget and cash reserves,” Pagano said.
The City council passed the budget for 2017 and immediately started budget work session to look at ways to reduce spending, Pagano said. As council president, Pagano said, she is beginning budget meetings for 2019 budget to make necessary cuts.
