By Willa Boisseau
Scanews Senior Editor
With the start of spring weather, activity has picked up in the Olive Business Association meetings. During winter, the work of planning and locating University City resources such as printing companies for brochures has been moving forward.
The March 11 meeting of the OBA featured Captain Curtis Green of the University City Police Department. Captain Green, of the Detective Bureau, supervises follow-up investigations for the police.
When a suspect is arrested, Captain Green said, the police have 24 hours to hold him and to investigate the situation. After that time a case can be sent to the County Prosecuting Attorney's office and the suspect sent to the County jail. Individuals are not held in the U. City hold-over for more than a short time.
Captain Green left business cards for merchants with police emergency contact telephone numbers. He gave tips from the police for better security. Insecure doors and windows, faulty burglar alarms and video surveillance equipment, and improper ways of storing cash overnight were problems leading to burglaries and robberies. He said officers should check businesses, especially on Olive Street Road, very frequently at night.
Business owners, Captain Green said, should keep in touch with the Police Department. They should light their places of business well, particularly at doorways, and see that roof accesses are secure. They should check all rooms before leaving. They must destroy credit card slips. Personal identification and documents should be secured since, he said, "There are scams all over."
Shari LeKane-Yentumi, University City East, reported that she had taken a group of young people from "Doors to Success" on canvasses of Olive Street businesses on February 11, 18 and 25. They enrolled 17 new paid members in OBA, with more memberships still coming in. Two of the young people also found jobs through the canvass program. Ralph Broeker, Royal Bank, assisted Shari with the "Doors to Success" program.
There was much discussion of Asian merchant participation in the Association and the postpone of the "China Town" project. The "China Town" project was one of the initial OBA goals when OBA was formed back to October 2001. Due to misunderstanding and not-very-positive responses from the survey sent out to the Olive community by OBA, "China Town" project was on hold since March 2002. Najah Haqiqah, associate member of OBA, brought up concerns of the future development schedule of the "China Town" project and how the OBA budget were allocated to different projects.
Francis Yueh, of the St. Louis Chinese American Newspaper, said, "No matter whether we are pink, yellow or blue, we are all Americans. He did not agree to separate the Asian or Chinese businesses from all other businesses on Olive Street by challenging the participation of the Chinese merchants and the "China Town" project. There are more than 400 businesses along Olive Street, with about 30 Chinese merchants among them. If the percentage of Chinese merchant attendance at OBA meetings (3 people, or 10%), were equal to that of the non-Asian merchants, there would be almost 40 non-Asian merchants at meetings, but there are not.
"All of us have the same goal, and that is to promote business on Olive, and the prosperity of U. City. We should work together to achieve that goal, said Francis Yueh. "The 'China Town' project should be 'our' project, not 'their' project." He pointed out that during the "Make a Difference Day" campaign last October, the Asian Farmers' Market donated more than $300 to OBA to sponsor its Member Directory project. The Asian merchant community supports the OBA, and its U. City identification is strong.
In other business, it was announced that brochures listing Olive Street businesses should be ready for publication by the end of April.
Willa Boisseau reported that the University City Community Forum is interested in a project to let all residents of U. City get acquainted with the Asian businesses and their owners along Olive Street.
Final agreement has been reached for construction of the new baseball field at Midland and Olive. The St. Louis Cardinals Foundation is heavily
involved in this project.
So much is happening now in the Olive Business Association that all business owners will want to be there to be a part of it. The group meets next on April 8 at the University City Community Center. Be there at 6:00 P.M., when a light but good meal will be on the buffet table. Eat while you meet.
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