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Fame and the St. Louis Walk of Fame. He said the in-motion statue was the first <br />tribute to St. Louis’ musical native son, who through his music changed race relation <br />and culture around the world. Mr. Edwards stated the statue and installation was <br />paid for by donations from individuals and corporations from St. Louis and around <br />the world. He said art is important for a City; first coming from a nationally renowned <br />sculptor and secondly for the tourism it will bring to U City. He said Chuck Berry <br />received the highest honor an artist can receive in America, the Kennedy Center <br />award with the President of the United States presenting. Mr. Edwards noted that on <br />July 29, 2011, at 10:00 a.m., and all of St. Louis is invited to attend the dedication. <br /> <br />Sarah Davoli, 7378 Milan Ave <br />Ms. Davoli was against the placement of the Chuck Berry statute and asked in the <br />eyes of the victims, does the good outweigh the bad. She asked the Council to <br />consider putting this issue on ballot for the next election to let the people decide. <br /> <br />Paulette Carr, 7901 Gannon Ave. <br />Ms. Carr presented the history of any discussion of the Chuck Berry statue by the <br />City. She noted the plaza’s name was not changed to the Chuck Berry Sculpture <br />Plaza which was mistakenly stated by Patrick Owens of the Centennial Greenway. <br />Ms. Carr asked the City Clerk to make the documents part of the record. (Attached <br />at end of minutes) <br /> <br />Ms. Ricci stated that she became aware of it when she was asked by residents about <br />it and discovered that previous administration had approved the sculpture in the <br />right-of-way. She asked the City Manager to provide Council with a report of what- <br />ever other agreements; contracts are out there that obligates the City, so Council can <br />attempt to identify any other possible costs or liabilities, including the Great Rivers <br />Greenway that Council might not be aware of. Ms. Ricci said the proper process <br />was not follow as it did not go before Council but was approved by the prior <br />administration. <br /> <br />Mr. Price asked the City Manager if a vote was required on the statue. The City <br />Manager said a vote was not required. Mr. Price said Chuck Berry was being <br />honored for his music not his previous discretions. <br /> <br />Mr. Kraft said after he reviewed the documents on Ackert Parkway he concluded that <br />technically all the proper processes have been followed, the project has been well <br />funded and publicized and received celebrity support. His conclusion was that the <br />previous City Manager’s actions were legal but the problem was that management’s <br />actions were politically naïve. He said you should get the widest possible input first. <br />Mr. Kraft said the goal is not to meet some minimum standard of legality; the goal is <br />to encourage public input; earlier communication would have changed the plaza into <br />a real community project. <br /> <br />Mr. Crow agreed with Mr. Kraft and Mr. Price. He asked the City Manager what he <br />would recommend to improve this process in going forward. Mr. Crow noted that <br />Council recognizes the vibrancy of the Loop and the importance of the bike path that <br />is going through. <br /> <br />Mr. Sharpe said there are some wrongs that Chuck Berry had done but he is also an <br />elite individual in the music field. He noted there will be many people who will come <br />to see this statue. Mr. Sharpe agreed with Mr. Kraft that there should have been <br /> <br />