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Learning Center Seeks City Council Approval, Museum Amendment Bill Delayed
BY CAROL ARNETT
The Florissant City Council held a public hearing regarding a request by Ace Learning Centers to open a learning center at 3401 North Highway 67. This is across from the Halls Ferry Inn. Gene Reynolds, representing Ace Learning Centers, spoke at the hearing.
“We have a contract with the Hazelwood School District,” Reynolds said. The company has centers at Florissant Square in Florissant and in other locations in St. Louis County. The centers help students who benefit from a less traditional school environment. Students spend part of each day at the learning center, and most end up graduating from the school district that the center contracts with.
Reynolds assured the council that the students are supervised. There will be a maximum of 20 students, with four teachers and a social worker. Students from grades nine through twelve will come to the center for three hours at a time.
“We require that students park away from the center so as not to interfere with any retailers in the area,” Reynolds said. No one spoke in opposition at the hearing, and the council held a first reading on the bill approving the center.
In other matters, the council did not approve a second reading for a bill that would amend the zoning code to allow for museums in a non-urban zoning code. The bill died on the floor for lack of the second reading.
The bill was introduced at the request of the St. Stanislaus Museum board. The museum wanted to move to property on Charbonier Road. Mayor Robert Lowery asked the council to postpone the bill, saying that the board of St. Stanislaus and the board of St. Ferdinand Shrine were in disagreement and he would step in the help resolve their dispute.
Councilmen Tim Lee, John Moran, Mark Schmidt, Keith English, and Dan Sullivan all voted against the second reading.
In other action, the council:
•Approved a request for a transfer of the special use permit from Dime Slot to Knockouts Bar and Grill at 13141-13145 New Halls Ferry Road, and approved a request for a full liquor by the drink license for Knockouts Bar and Grill.
•Failed to approve a second reading for a bill that would rezone property at 209 St. Louis Street from Historic Residential zoning to Historic Business District zoning. The owner of the property had asked for the rezoning in order to open a day care at the site. Council President Dan Sullivan said that he thought a daycare would be a good use for the site, but he could not vote for the rezoning because it would allow any business to open there, not just a daycare.
•Passed a bill that prohibits the parking of any unattached trailer on any street.
•Passed a bill that approved the appropriation of funds to hire an additional part time dispatcher for the Police Department.
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