Farmington approve bills for airport, road projects
City council meets in regular session Thursday night
By DOUG SMITH
Daily Journal Staff Writer
Daily Journal Staff Writer
Published: Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Updated: Friday, January 15, 2010 9:41 AM CST
Updated: Friday, January 15, 2010 9:41 AM CST
FARMINGTON — Two major discussions during the City Council meeting Thursday evening could result in significant improvements to driving surfaces across the community.
Council members approved a pair of bills which will allow for resurfacing and adoption of some major roadways, and extension and completion of a parallel taxiway at the city’s regional airport. Both projects will be done in coming months with only a fraction of the cost coming from city coffers.
First the council gave approval to a bill amending an existing state block grant for airport improvements. The original government grant allowed for funding to construct a parallel taxiway, connecting lanes and completion of an apron area adjacent to the newly-constructed terminal building. Thursday evening’s amendment allows for an additional $450,000 in government money to extend the new taxiway by about another 400 feet. The extension will require relocating a natural gas pipeline. A majority of the additional block grant funding will cover relocation of the gas main by its owner, Laclede Gas Company d/b/a Missouri Natural Gas.
Work on the parallel taxiway, connecting lanes and apron should be completed by the end of July. The taxiway project began in mid-2009 but has been halted for the winter months.
Moving their attention across town, the council approved a bill allowing for a “municipal agreement” between the city and Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission. That agreement calls for the resurfacing of portions of Columbia Street, Washington Street and Route D. The city is adopting Columbia Street and a portion of Washington Street. Taking control of the streets — formally owned and maintained by the Missouri Department of Transportation as state roadway — allowed the community some control on limiting through truck traffic in the downtown area.
The agreement between city and state calls for the stretches of road to be resurfaced in coming months at the state’s expense. The city will immediately began handling inclement weather maintenance and roadway upkeep from this point forward with the exception of the slated resurfacing. Additionally, MoDOT intends to likely designate some of the street portions with joint state route names to allow State Route H to enter the downtown area, snake up through Liberty Street and east on North Washington to connect to State Route 32/Karsch Boulevard. The routes would continue being known as their existing names, but would have the “Route H” designation added as well as a matter of clarification.
And those weren’t the only major changes announced during the council work session. The group heard a first reading of a bill allowing for the purchase of a tract of land at 102 Industrial Drive. Plans call for housing the city’s warehouse and electric departments in a 30,000-square-foot building already on the land. Then the city street department would be moved to the current location of the electric department, also on Industrial Drive. The Middle Street location of the street department would be cleaned up and rebuilt to house municipal equipment maintenance operations.
But the good news is the city will be getting the building and land for a fraction of the original price. When negotiations began early last year the real estate was held by the owner of a former manufacturing operation previously housed there. The original asking price was about $450,000. Later in the year negotiations came to a halt due to some matters on the part of the owner. In the fall the city learned the land and building had been foreclosed on by the lien holder, a Springfield, Mo. area bank. Negotiations began with the bank but quickly came to a halt once again when an agreeable price could not be reached.
Then recently the bank announced it would consider the city’s offer of $350,000 for the building and approximate 2.5 acres of land.
The council members should give final approval on the bill allowing for the real estate purchase during the regular council meeting later this month.
In other action, the council heard a report on a recent meeting of law enforcement officials from around the county and surrounding region regarding suggested bans on pseudoephedrine medications. The proposed laws would make it illegal to purchase the popular medication without a prescription, although state and federal law still allows for over-the-counter purchase of medications containing the ingredient.
The council discussed the topic in December and agreed to research the matter further before making any decision. Councilman Dennis Smith said the law enforcement meeting resulted in several key agency heads announcing their favor of a statewide ban on over-the-counter pseudoephedrine sales — instead of banning the substances on a city by city basis. No further action was taken on the topic.
And Mayor Stuart “Mit” Landrum referenced the passing of former city councilman Lindell Kennon. Stuart made mention of Kennon’s service to the community at the start and end of Thursday’s meeting. “He always had a good deal of common sense,” Landrum said of Kennon’s time in public office from 1989 to 1996. “He was representative of the average man,” Landrum added, explaining how Kennon was always looking out for city employees and citizens alike.
Councilman Larry Forsythe worked alongside Kennon on the council during the 1990s. “He was a great councilman,” Forsythe said. “He taught me to say ‘no’. Early on he told me ‘just because everyone else says yes, doesn’t mean you have to say yes.’ His interest was the good of the city at large.”
Kennon died Thursday morning at his home in Farmington at the age of 65.
The council will meet next on Jan. 25.
Doug Smith is a reporter for the Daily Journal. You can reach him at 573-756-8927, or at dsmith@dailyjournalonline.com.
Council members approved a pair of bills which will allow for resurfacing and adoption of some major roadways, and extension and completion of a parallel taxiway at the city’s regional airport. Both projects will be done in coming months with only a fraction of the cost coming from city coffers.
First the council gave approval to a bill amending an existing state block grant for airport improvements. The original government grant allowed for funding to construct a parallel taxiway, connecting lanes and completion of an apron area adjacent to the newly-constructed terminal building. Thursday evening’s amendment allows for an additional $450,000 in government money to extend the new taxiway by about another 400 feet. The extension will require relocating a natural gas pipeline. A majority of the additional block grant funding will cover relocation of the gas main by its owner, Laclede Gas Company d/b/a Missouri Natural Gas.
Work on the parallel taxiway, connecting lanes and apron should be completed by the end of July. The taxiway project began in mid-2009 but has been halted for the winter months.
Moving their attention across town, the council approved a bill allowing for a “municipal agreement” between the city and Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission. That agreement calls for the resurfacing of portions of Columbia Street, Washington Street and Route D. The city is adopting Columbia Street and a portion of Washington Street. Taking control of the streets — formally owned and maintained by the Missouri Department of Transportation as state roadway — allowed the community some control on limiting through truck traffic in the downtown area.
The agreement between city and state calls for the stretches of road to be resurfaced in coming months at the state’s expense. The city will immediately began handling inclement weather maintenance and roadway upkeep from this point forward with the exception of the slated resurfacing. Additionally, MoDOT intends to likely designate some of the street portions with joint state route names to allow State Route H to enter the downtown area, snake up through Liberty Street and east on North Washington to connect to State Route 32/Karsch Boulevard. The routes would continue being known as their existing names, but would have the “Route H” designation added as well as a matter of clarification.
And those weren’t the only major changes announced during the council work session. The group heard a first reading of a bill allowing for the purchase of a tract of land at 102 Industrial Drive. Plans call for housing the city’s warehouse and electric departments in a 30,000-square-foot building already on the land. Then the city street department would be moved to the current location of the electric department, also on Industrial Drive. The Middle Street location of the street department would be cleaned up and rebuilt to house municipal equipment maintenance operations.
But the good news is the city will be getting the building and land for a fraction of the original price. When negotiations began early last year the real estate was held by the owner of a former manufacturing operation previously housed there. The original asking price was about $450,000. Later in the year negotiations came to a halt due to some matters on the part of the owner. In the fall the city learned the land and building had been foreclosed on by the lien holder, a Springfield, Mo. area bank. Negotiations began with the bank but quickly came to a halt once again when an agreeable price could not be reached.
Then recently the bank announced it would consider the city’s offer of $350,000 for the building and approximate 2.5 acres of land.
The council members should give final approval on the bill allowing for the real estate purchase during the regular council meeting later this month.
In other action, the council heard a report on a recent meeting of law enforcement officials from around the county and surrounding region regarding suggested bans on pseudoephedrine medications. The proposed laws would make it illegal to purchase the popular medication without a prescription, although state and federal law still allows for over-the-counter purchase of medications containing the ingredient.
The council discussed the topic in December and agreed to research the matter further before making any decision. Councilman Dennis Smith said the law enforcement meeting resulted in several key agency heads announcing their favor of a statewide ban on over-the-counter pseudoephedrine sales — instead of banning the substances on a city by city basis. No further action was taken on the topic.
And Mayor Stuart “Mit” Landrum referenced the passing of former city councilman Lindell Kennon. Stuart made mention of Kennon’s service to the community at the start and end of Thursday’s meeting. “He always had a good deal of common sense,” Landrum said of Kennon’s time in public office from 1989 to 1996. “He was representative of the average man,” Landrum added, explaining how Kennon was always looking out for city employees and citizens alike.
Councilman Larry Forsythe worked alongside Kennon on the council during the 1990s. “He was a great councilman,” Forsythe said. “He taught me to say ‘no’. Early on he told me ‘just because everyone else says yes, doesn’t mean you have to say yes.’ His interest was the good of the city at large.”
Kennon died Thursday morning at his home in Farmington at the age of 65.
The council will meet next on Jan. 25.
Doug Smith is a reporter for the Daily Journal. You can reach him at 573-756-8927, or at dsmith@dailyjournalonline.com.
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Article Comments (2)The comments below are from readers and do not represent the views of the Daily Journal.
BOB posted at Friday, January 15th, 2010 at 10:59 am
I think its great that the city may be able to limit large truck traffic throught the city. I also am in favor of cleaning up the site on Middle. I would like to know why the downtown street lights are turned off at midnite. Is it really saving the city that much money. I think its a saftey issue. I drove to the post office at midnight last nite. The downtown lights were out and also the lights outside the postoffice steps. Due to that fact I did not get my mail because I have a vision and a leg problem and have difficulty already navigating the area when the lights are on. I also question why we don't have more handicap parking closer to city hall. There is only one spot on the side of the street. The city has handicap parkling on the new lot, but it requires them to walk a long distance to access city hall and you have to climb the driveway grade to the back entrance if you are attending meetings at night. There should be handicap parking in back of building.
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Statistics from Washington city have shown that the amount of pseudoephedrine purchased dropped significantly in their city, however, the purchase of other products that would replace this drug showed not significant increase. Leading me to believe that the majority of pseudoephedrine purchases was going to make Meth!!
If Farmington, Deslolge, Bonne Terre, and Park Hills did this, and if Potosi and Ste. Geneveive join, this would put a large dent in the capability of individuals to get this drug to make Meth in this area. And yes, Meth is still a problem in this county.
Poplar Bluff recently passed this ordinance. Restricting where pseudoephedrine can be purchased helps law enforcement catch who is trying to buy it to make Meth.....it is a simple fix.