Church representative informs Sweet Springs officials of curb problem

Jerry Knipmeyer, representing Immanuel Lutheran Church, attended the Sweet Springs Board of Aldermen meeting Monday, Nov. 9, to discuss with aldermen the negative effects church members are reporting because of the recent repaving of Patrick Place.

The repaving left the street higher than the curb, said Knipmeyer, meaning that when a car parks at the curb of Patrick Place, the occupants will often find unsure footing.

Because many of the church's parishioners are elderly, he and others fear someone will eventually become injured when exiting a vehicle, he said.

Mayor Ray Kinney offered raising the curbing or cutting down the pavement in that area as solutions, saying the raising of the curb would be more expensive.

Knipmeyer said his congregation wants to work with the city, and asked if the city would consider cost sharing if the best solution was determined to be raising the existing curbing.

Superintendent of Public Works Doug Haesemeyer had several suggestions for patching problems, but Knipmeyer said church members want a permanent fix.

Aldermen tabled the discussion, asking Knipmeyer to identify what solutions he would like to pursue before the next meeting.

Rural Saline County resident Greg Perkins spoke to the board about purchasing property that has been in abatement. He owns an adjacent property, in the 100 block of Mulberry Street, and said that at 7,200 square feet, city ordinances will not allow him to build a home on that property.

After some negotiation, aldermen accepted Perkins' second bid of $1,000 for the property, $1,210.21 less than the city had invested in it, noting the property had been vacant for 10 years without anyone expressing interest in purchasing it. Only Alderman Jim Lindemann dissented.

Filing dates for the Tuesday, April 6, 2010, election were set for Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2009, through Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2010.

Aldermen voted to put on the April ballot an option to support the formation of a fire district in Sweet Springs. Kinney said it would have much the same boundaries as the ambulance district.

Rural fire districts, he said, don't have funds to maintain their equipment. Also, he added, 80 percent of the calls Sweet Springs firefighters take are out of the city, saying it is unfair for Sweet Springs taxpayers to bear that entire financial burden.

Personnel from rural fire departments and the Sweet Springs Fire Department have both expressed support for the issue, said Kinney.

Aldermen approved Bill No. 522, which set the mayor's salary at $300. This will become effective April 1, 2010. The bill became Ordinance No. 516.

Aldermen voted to solicit bids for demolition of the old water plant.

Haesemeyer reported having fixed two water main breaks on Main Street, saying one had been leaking into the sewer for years.

Alderman Billie Clevenger asked if that could have contributed to the city's water loss problem, and Haesemeyer responded affirmatively.

Haesemeyer also requested that the city purchase a truck for Public Works personnel to use, saying only a light pickup truck was necessary. Aldermen approved this request, directing him to look at the Missouri State Agency for Surplus Property for a vehicle that does not cost more than $10,000.

Police Chief Richard Downing reported that he had used the funds from a $9,000-grant to purchase the department's new radios, leaving $4,000 in the department's radio fund and $3,000 in the department's video camera fund. Saying that he learned the cost for a camera for a police car is nearly $4,900, $1,900 more than he anticipated, he requested that the board approve his use of part of the radio funds to purchase the camera and then use the rest of the funds to purchase decals for one police car and "other incidentals."

Clevenger voiced some concern about using all available funds for this, saying there is nowhere else in the police department's budget with funds that Downing did not already plan to use.

Aldermen approved Downing's request with only Clevenger dissenting.

The board's next meeting will be held Monday, Dec. 14, at 7 p.m. in City Hall at 324 S. Miller St.

Contact Geoff Rands at marshallreporter@socket.net