In my opinion, here are three ways to avoid going to court and a potential costly settlement if the City loses:
1. Let’s be honest. What’s really behind this suit is a complete breakdown by the three entities, and their total failure to communicate and work together in mutual trust and respect. So after three and a half long years, it’s come down to this. This is ridiculous. Does anyone else feel embarrassed, mad or ashamed? Is anybody going to step up and do anything about it?
Court is a last resort. It doesn’t do any good to play the blame game. It’s time for Eden Seminary’s David Greenhaw, Webster University’s Beth Stroble and Mayor of Webster Groves Gerry Welch to act like leaders, lock themselves in a room and finally figure out how they can stop fighting as adversaries and start working together again as allies to reach a win-win-win agreement for the good of our community. It’s not too late!
2. One immediate option is for Webster Groves City Council to simply reconsider their 4-3 vote against Webster University that stopped their use of three buildings on Eden property and sparked the lawsuit. In June 2011, City Council reconsidered Sullins Gas & Wash’s request to sell beer and wine, and reversed their vote from 4-3 against, to unanimously in favor at 7-0.
3. A big picture option is to recognize that, for the vast majority of our community’s 23,000 residents, the most valued and cherished piece of property at Eden Seminary is the Eden green space. Thus, the grand and fair trade would be the residents not contesting Webster University’s crossing into Eden to share the main campus with Eden for educational purposes in exchange for the city owning the Eden green space, to be preserved and protected for the use and enjoyment of the entire community for generations to come.
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