Leadwood enhances security

Leadwood City Park, located on the southeast part of town, is all dressed up for Christmas, thanks to city workers who recently installed lights and set up some holiday-themed cutouts of holiday images.

“It looks really good,” said Mayor David Henry during the monthly board of aldermen meeting. “I think the guys did a really good job.”

Aldermen agreed, and suggested a couple additional cutouts they remembered seeing in recent years that might still be in storage. They also discussed the nativity scene that needed to be placed next to the police station.

While there was some talk about past vandalism to the city’s pavilion, Alderman Charlie Lewis recommended looking into an enclosed lighting system.

Guardian of Fredericktown was the chosen vendor to enhance security at Leadwood City Hall, and will soon be installing a new camera system in the lobby where water payments are made. The system includes monitors, voice recording and window and door alarms. Alderman Bill Resinger asked if the system was connected to Central Dispatch, and Mayor Henry said it was.

In terms of roadwork, it is hoped the culvert bridge will be done on East Street before the end of the year. On Hunt Street, Henry said he’s particularly interested in protecting the asphalt from deteriorating during the winter months. Alderwoman Anna Woods mentioned a limb needed to be taken down in front of a stop sign to increase its visibility.

Two alderman seats are up for reelection April 7. Filing is open from Dec. 17 to Jan. 21. The two positions currently belong to Resinger and Woods.

Local business licenses presented to Leadwood were unanimously approved and included Williams Termite and Pest Control, Kammerman’s, Professor Gary’s Street Treats, Dalton Home Improvement, Schwan’s, Dollar General and Waste Management of Missouri.

The board unanimously approved West County teacher Stacey Tongay’s request for city support during a 5K being organized to benefit the school. The particulars regarding the event and its date will solidify once the aldermen had agreed to offer support, Henry said.

The board also approved City Clerk Kendra Boyer’s request to update the names on the city’s lock boxes at First State Community Bank in Park Hills to include her name and city worker Susan Stacy. The lock boxes house city titles and deeds.

In terms of the city water and sewer system, Leadwood Water Supervisor Kevin Brooks said before the meeting that the city is still waiting for plans from Taylor Engineering before they can proceed with the next phase of the process, getting three governmental agencies — USDA, EPA and Missouri DNR — to sign off on the drawings. Henry said once the agencies approve the plans, Taylor Engineering can let the project out for bid, which might take a couple of months.

“Once the digging starts, I think it won’t take much time until we see results,” Henry said.

To the board, Brooks addressed the need for a new utility truck to replace the 2000 Dodge model that’s nearing 300,000 miles and has had multiple mechanical problems over the years. The board advised Brooks to look into how much a four-wheel drive, half-ton truck with tool boxes would be, and recommended a few regional vendors as well as a couple of online purveyors of fleet vehicles.

The board unanimously approved a new computer for the water clerk who handles utility billing, since her present computer will not allow an upgrade to Windows 10. Boyer said the cost would only be about $500.

The next board meeting is set for 6 p.m. Dec. 23.

Sarah Haas is the assistant editor for the Daily Journal. She can be reached at 573-518-3617 or at shaas@dailyjournalonline.com.