Committee of Peers, Part 3: Lake Saint Louis Residents Help Make Decisions for the Community

When I was looking for a pithy quote to use in this final part of Lake Saint Louis Patch's report on city committees and boards, I was surprised to see the negativity in the quotes I found:

• To get something done a committee should consist of no more than three people, two of whom are absent. (Robert Copeland)
• If Columbus had an advisory committee he would probably still be at the dock. (Arthur Goldberg)
• A committee is a thing which takes a week to do what one good man can do in an hour. (Elbert Hubbard) Quotes courtesy of Quotegarden.com.

If that's the way people feel, why would anyone ever want to serve on a city committee? I wondered.

Luckily, I found several people who disagree with those sentiments. They believe that committees are the best way for residents to have a part in the city's decision-making process.

"Volunteering for a board or committee is a good way to get involved and give back to your community without requiring a significant time commitment," said Assistant City Administrator Eric Sterman. "It also gives you a voice in the issues affecting the community."

Ed Young serves on the Green Environmental Advisory Committee and is currently its chairman. The GEAC was created by Lake Saint Louis, Young said, to study the civic center and make suggestions to improve its efficiency. The committee has proved so valuable, Young said, that its role has been expanded to help the entire community find ways to reduce its energy footprint and do things in a more environmentally-friendly, "green" fashion.

"Lake Saint Louis is about families," Young said. "In order to do that, you have to have involved people. It's important to have people who are interested in doing things for their community."

Residents who serve on the various Lake Saint Louis Boards and Committees help decide the direction the city takes on many important issues, said City Administrator Paul Markworth in an email to Patch.  Most of the Boards and Committees are established to make policy recommendations that will be acted on by the Mayor and Board of Aldermen. 

"The Mayor and Aldermen seek their recommendation and view the recommendation as a barometer how most residents in town regard a particular issue," Markworth said. "For example, the Park Board threw its support behind Natalie Blakemore and her new organization called Unlimited Play. That Board wanted the city to find a way to construct an all-inclusive children's playground." 

"The Mayor and Board of Aldermen decided to ask voters whether or not they wanted to pass a bond issue to help construct Zachary's Playground along with Hawk Ridge Park and the voters thought it was a good thing," Markworth said. "The bond issue passed with a huge majority and now Zachary's Playground is full of kids most days when the weather is nice."  

Most Boards and Committees meet once a month, Markworth said, and noted that the Board of Adjustment has recently held a meeting for the first time in a couple of years, as it is a need-based committee. The Architectural Review Board meets most every week. It's possible, then to find a way to volunteer your service based on the time you have available.

"I've been a resident since 1976," Young said. "I'm a retired teacher. And the reality is, I have the time. It's the responsibility of each citizen to give something back."

To learn more about Lake Saint Louis' construction and development-related boards, read .

To learn more about the Park and Recreation Board, the Green Environmental Advisory Committee and the Tree Board,