STE. GENEVIEVE — The Ste. Genevieve Board of Aldermen met in open and closed sessions last night.
All of the aldermen were present for roll call.
City Administrator Happy Welch opened the meeting with his report.
Among the items he mentioned:
The St. Mary’s Road project is on a list of 93 TAP projects
Asphalt repaving is done on the selected streets being overlayed this season. Soon the aldermen will begin the process of recommending the streets to be repaved next year.
Alderman Bob Donovan said he has heard criticism that the city paved Rozier Alley between Ridgeway and Maple, but didn’t repave Ninth Street. The reason: as Alderwoman Ashley Armbruster stated is Ninth Street requires engineering, which the alley did not, and the city didn’t have enough money to do Ninth Street this year.
Welch reported that the numbers are down on the city’s web site in September. He said August was a busy month which included the Jour de Fete, so a drop in activity in September can be expected.
He said improvements to the website are ongoing.
He also reported on Facebook statistics, which are also generally down.
Community Development Administrator David Bova reported to the board. He said there is a request for a special use permit for another guest lodging unit in the city. He noted there are now 23 guest lodging units in the city. Five of the locations have been vacant for several years.
Fire Chief Kenny Steiger reported the department has one vacancy at the present time with another who may be leaving. He added that there are two potentials who may be moving to the community to serve with the fire department.
He noted the Red Flag Warning has been extended. He said weather conditions make the possibility of a fire getting out of control very high. He noted the department was called out to a 20-acre fire in the big field earlier Thursday. He asked everyone not to burn right now. Humidity is very low and winds are high.
Alderman Buck Jokerst said he had read an article about electric car batteries and how fire departments are dealing with them.
Steiger said once the battery in those cars begin to burn, there is nothing to do but let it burn itself out. He said some tow companies are digging pits in the groun and filling them with water and putting wrecked electric cars in the water until the batteries burn themselves out. He said he has also heard about fires breaking out in residential garages because the car was left charging all night and the battery overheated.
The aldermen conducted a public hearing on a request for a special use permit to allow guest lodging at 260 N. Fourth Street in a general residential district.
The request had been recommended for approval by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
The board then approved the consent agenda which included the following:
Resolution 2023-03 authorizing the purchase of a vac truck from COE equipment for no more than $325,627.10.
Resolution 2023-02 stating intent for the city fire department to apply for a Missouri Department of Conservation grant for $6,200.
Resolution 2023-03 authorizing the police department to enter into an agreement with Lexipol of Frisco, Texas for it to provide annual law enforcement policy manual and daily training bulletins with supplemental publication service with procedures for 12 months for 8,339.70.
The board gave first and second round approval to the following measures:
Bill No. 4515 – a contract with Beussink, Hey, Roe and Stroder, certified public accountants.
Bill No. 4516 – A $63,000 change order to the city’s contract with BT Electric of Bloomsdale for electrical improvements on the Ste. Genevieve Water Plant.
Bill No. 4517 – A measure authorizing the city administrator to enter into a billboard participation agreement with the Ste. Genevieve Museum Learning Center.
Bill No. 4518 – An ordinance approving a special use permit for Cheryl Land that will allow guest lodging at 260 North Fourth Street.
The aldermen also approved the low bid of $36,869 from Visu-Sewer to install cured-in-place piping that will coat the existing clay pipe with a PVC type liner, sealing the pipe from water infiltration and not require the pipe to be dug up to be replaced. This section of sewer main crossed LeFluer Street,running from the west to Klein Street, approximately 852 linear feet. Two bids were received. The higher bid, from Insituform is for $54,349.20.
There was no other business.