The vote to transfer the historical Ross Wagner property to Lindbergh Schools will wait until January, as Sappington-Concord Historical Society (SCHS) members successfully pushed to postpone the decision at the society’s “chaotic” Oct. 22 meeting.
The Wagner property transfer raised legal and ethical concerns prior to the meeting, as some SCHS members protested that they did not have enough information to vote. Society finances, meeting minutes that discussed the transfer, the agreement with Lindbergh and Wagner’s last will and testament had not been provided upon request.
Additionally, members who joined the society after Sept. 11 were not permitted to vote on the property transfer. For more information on these controversies, see The Call’s previous reporting.
According to Jim Crooks, the president of the SCHS Board of Directors, the Oct. 22 meeting could have been the most highly attended SCHS meeting in the historical society’s history. At least 70 people were present, including many new members who hoped to postpone the vote.
Within the first 10 minutes of the meeting, after member Kitty Lohrum requested information that would inform members about the vote, it was revealed how little SCHS’s Board of Directors may know about the details of the transfer.
“Members have not seen (the contractual agreement with Lindbergh), and neither have we,” Crooks said. “We’ve had a proposal by Lindbergh Schools, and they have told us what they will provide. You (mentioned) the will and testament. We’ve never seen the will.”
“If we’re supposed to vote on this, you need to provide all the information members are voting on,” Lohrum responded. “Otherwise, they can’t vote, because it is not an informed vote.”
To that, Crooks replied, “Nicely said, but I don’t buy it.”
The meeting quickly devolved into disorder. Some members shouted, “Postpone the vote!” and Crooks was reluctant to cede the microphone to those who wished to speak. What followed was an overlapping cacophony of voices between members as all sought to make their opinions known. It was later described as “chaos” by multiple people in attendance.
After half an hour of an arguing membership, the guest speakers from the Powder Valley Nature Center — who were supposed to deliver a presentation called “Birds of the Backyard” following the vote — packed up their supplies and left. Several members stopped them to apologize as they left the cafeteria where the meeting was being held.
Amidst a gush of debate, the Board of Directors seemed uncertain on how to proceed, and Crestwood Ward 4 Alderman John Sebben stepped in to lead the meeting per legal standards.
While this was not entirely true across the board, the most vocal split between those who wanted to keep the property versus give it to Lindbergh Schools was between new and legacy members. Legacy members who knew Ross Wagner were largely more willing to give away the property, while many newer members fought to keep the parcel of land.
“It already sounds like you’re counting us out before you’re giving us the chance to bring new people and families and members into this society, and give people a chance to get involved in something they really and truly care about,” said new member Danielle Scheible.
During discussions, many members who had hoped to give the property to Lindbergh — and therefore did not want to postpone the vote — said they worried that newer members did not have a long-term plan for the Wagner property.
“We know how it goes,” one member said. She elaborated that, while people can be optimistic about volunteering to preserve and maintain the Wagner property, support may dry out in a few years.
SCHS member Brett Tintera, who has created his own proposals for what to do with the Wagner property, disagreed.
“The neighborhood is filled with new families. This is a small fraction of people who are here that represent this,” he said. “We want to honor the heritage. We have a great plan with lots and lots of people, and we want to carry this on for decades.”
Later, a member told Tintera to “put your money where your mouth is.”
“I want a chance,” Tintera said. “Give me a chance.”
The two-hour meeting contained heated arguments that caused one member, Angie Weber, to stand up and confess that she was worried about the future of the society, whether Ross Wagner’s property stayed or went. She said she had never been part of something so contentious, and she urged members to think of how SCHS could continue to operate amicably once this decision is behind them.
Eventually, members moved to postpone the vote until the Sappington-Concord Historical Society’s next regularly scheduled meeting, which will take place in January. An exact date is yet to be determined.
“I’m glad things turned out the way they did,” said Kathy Ferretti, who has been a member since 2019. “I think the members need to be given more information to make an informed choice.”
Once the vote on the Wagner farm had been postponed, the meeting moved onward to the vote for board seats. Jimmy Devoto — who has already been serving on the Board of Directors and was a member who wanted to keep the Wagner property under SCHS ownership — will become president of the board. Tintera was voted in as vice president, Lohrum was voted in as corresponding secretary and Sebben was voted in as a director. Karen Hurych, who was the society’s archivist and newsletter editor, was also elected to the board.
Returning board members include recording secretary Sue Steinnerd, treasurer Ray Steinnerd and directors Cheryl Bentrup and Esley Hamilton.
“Since we had so much fun this evening, it’s time to go home,” Crooks said. “Meeting adjourned.”
The rumored plan for the new members of the Sappington-Concord Historical Society’s Board of Directors is to work to keep the farm from their positions of leadership in the months to come. They will be installed in their positions at the January meeting.
“This goes to show how bad we need a more organized board,” Tintera said. “The meetings need to be run properly. Basic questions can’t be answered. People have to take over the microphone. So I’m pretty disappointed, because we have a really great opportunity with this society. We need to turn this thing around and right this ship.”
