Beautification & Parks
Refreshing Soulard’s Parks
Soulard CID is working to refresh and repair Soulard’s parks and green spaces. Neighbors near Pontiac Park, in the middle of the neighborhood, will soon see workers doing fence repair, fence painting, stone wall repair, sidewalk installation, and berm and plant bed renovation. Just down 9th Street, at the Sidney Triangle (9th and Sidney), the entire planting area is being redesigned. A new concrete border will soon be installed to provide ongoing shape and structure for a complete bed replanting. Aboussie Park, on 13th street near highway 55, is also being reviewed for maintenance needs.
All Soulard CID beautification projects include year-long maintenance and watering solutions. The above park renovations are done in accordance with St. Louis Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry guidelines - and in collaboration with Soulard Business Association.
Park Lights & Electricity
In 2024, new light heads have were installed on freshly painted poles at Soulard Market Park and Pontiac Park. The project utilized existing infrastructure, installing historic-looking, LED powered lanterns on 16 current light poles. These lighting upgrades were part of a working relationship between Soulard CID and the Soulard Special Business District (SSBD).
The CID is also worked with the City to bring power to Pontiac Park, installing electrical outlets that can be utilized for beautification work, neighborhood events and more.
Clearing, Planting and Watering Tree Wells
Soulard CID continues to work with the City’s Forestry Division on neighborhood tree wells, removing lingering stumps and prepping empty wells for fall tree planting. In the past four years, Soulard CID has assisted in the planting (and contracted watering) of more than 300 trees throughout the neighborhood, adding beauty and shade to neglected areas, as well as restoring the trees lost to the recent Emerald Ash Borer infestation.
The CID-purchased trees are planted by the City Forestry. Tree varieties include Blackgum, Serviceberries, Kentucky Coffeetrees, Redbuds and English Oaks. Trees were selected by Forestry for previous performance in urban areas. The CID is contracted with DJM Ecological Services for watering. Current trees are being monitored for success while additional plantings are planned.
Beyond stump removals and tree plantings, the Soulard CID is also working with Davey Tree on sweetgum fruit remediation. In the fall, Soulard is littered with spikey, stinky sweetgum fruit balls. Injecting a deflowering hormone at a specific time in early spring can cause the tree’s flowers to drop, preventing the balls from ever forming. Davey Tree is doing the injection process on five Soulard sweetgum trees in 2026 as a test project.