The Jefferson City Council took on a new look Monday night as winners of the April elections were sworn into office.
Those who were unopposed for another two years were 2nd Ward Councilman Laura Ward, 3rd Ward Councilman Ken Hussey, 4th Ward Councilman Carlos Graham and 5th Ward Councilman Mark Schreiberm.
David Kemna defeated incumbent Jim Branch and was sworn in for his first two-year term as 1st Ward councilman.
Ron Fitzwater was sworn in for a one year term as 4th Ward councilman. Glen Costales resigned late last year for family reasons and Bill Luebbert served as the interim councilman until the election.
Also taking their oaths were Municipal Judge Cotton Walker and City Prosecutor Brian Stumpe, both of whom ran unopposed for re-election to their offices.
Among the bills introduced for the new council was one to make temporary traffic pattern changes designed to improve safety for students and motorists around Lewis and Clark Middle School permanent.
In January, Jefferson City Police Chief Roger Schroeder ordered a change at the intersection of Eastland and Lewis and Clark drives, imposing one-way turns and traffic flows at the middle school.
Those temporary changes went into effect Feb. 21. Because school and city Public Works staff said it has been successful, the city's Transportation and Traffic Commission sent to the City Council a proposed ordinance to make the changes permanent.
Under the proposed ordinance, left-turn and right-turn prohibited signs would be put on Eastland onto the south/east portion of Lewis and Clark Drive, unless a vehicle is specifically authorized by the public school to pick up and/ or drop off students, such as a school bus.
Other bills introduced included:
One removing parking on the south side of the 500 block of East McCarty - between Jackson and Marshall streets, next to Wears Creek at the bottom of the hill below the Simonsen 9th Grade Center. The change allows the city to move the curb, helping make a greenway trail extension improvement to the greenway system. Also, the existing crosswalk and accessible ramps, which cross East McCarty at Jackson, will be improved as resurfacing takes place later this year.
This same bill calls for making parking changes on West McCarty Street to allow for crosswalk improvements near the Truman State Office Building.
The changes in the 300 block of West McCarty include removing parking - three spaces in a loading zone between the ends of the Truman Building circle drive - as well as moving the existing handicap-accessible parking spot to the east end of the block. City staff said this area of West McCarty is scheduled for resurfacing later this year. When that work is done, the current crosswalk located at the east/rear entrance of Capitol Plaza Hotel will be moved farther east, to go directly across to the sidewalk in front of the Truman Building's McCarty Street entrance.
A bill to authorize a contract with Jefferson Asphalt for $1.198 million for the 2017 mill and overlay of city streets. The money will mostly come from the city's half-cent capital improvement sales tax program. McCarty Street and East Miller Street are both down for multiple projects.
A measure from the Parks Department seeks council approval for a supplemental appropriation allocation of about $2.4 million for the Linc Wellness Center to cover the remaining construction expenses, furniture, fixtures and equipment, as well as some unanticipated start-up operating expenses.
To date, the total contract for construction of the center is $12,947,803. Parks has already paid more than $5.8 million from sales tax collections. The rest of the money for the center came from Lincoln University, which contributed $4.6 million, and a $4 million gift.
Fire Chief Matt Schofield presented a proposal to award a financing plan of more than $5 million to fund the replacement of the fire department's frontline fleet. If the council gives final approval next month, the financing would allow the department to purchase seven trucks (two ladder trucks, two rescue engines and three pumpers).
It would also allow the department to utilize three of the trucks in the current frontline fleet to update their reserve apparatus (four trucks) which Schofield said are often pressed into service during maintenance intervals and peak demand circumstances. Once the financing is secure and specifications are finalized a manufacturer will be selected.
From the time of order it takes approximately one year to build and deliver the apparatus. Schofield said a committee of seven firefighters has been researching equipment and working with multiple manufactures to develop specifications for over a year.