Members of the Fulton City Council crept through their agenda this week in a regular meeting, adopting four new ordinances and moving along two.
Bill No. 1503 renames River Valley Road to Easy Street. This new street got its original name while several new homes were built, and cannot be found on a map as of yet, City Administrator Bill Johnson said. The short street is off Cote Sands Dessein Road south of Old Jefferson City Road. Callaway County Ambulance District Director Charles Anderson said first-responders are aware of the new street and the name change.
Other approved bills included:
Bill No. 1504: An ordinance authorizing amendments to the Fulton budget for fiscal year 2017, discussed at the previous meeting. An audit of this budget also was accepted at Tuesday night's meeting.
Bill No. 1506: An ordinance authorizing the mayor to sign necessary documents in relation to the 2018-19 Violence Against Women Act that provides two officers/deputies to curb domestic violence.
Bill No. 1505: An ordinance authoring the mayor to approve Plat 1 for Willow Creek subdivision. Work recently began on this property, to the east of U.S. Business 54 from Collier Lane to Tennyson Road. A traffic light at Collier and Business 54 also will be sought.
Workers prepping for the subdivision are in the process of creating streets. About 150 residences are planned (See article in the June 17 Fulton Sun). Joe Ellsworth, of Joe Ellsworth Construction, Holts Summit, said 10 new three bedroom, two bathroom residences will be built starting this fall, in the $140,000 price range, and some duplexes also are being considered.
A new ambulance facility is being planned in the Tanglewood area (see Fulton Sun, June 19) and Anderson is seeking an exception to the 2015 International Building Code for a storm shelter being planned as part of this project. This proposed ordinance passed its first reading Tuesday.
The 2015 code calls for storm shelters to be able to withstand 250 mph winds. An engineer on the project said constructing a compliant storm shelter would add $350,000 to the project cost. Plans call to construct a poured concrete shelter that can hold 119 occupants and have protected openings, emergency power, ventilation, toilet rooms and more.
Council members passed the first reading of the ordinance Tuesday with a 6-1 vote. The ordinance would eliminate the requirement, created after tornadoes demolished Oklahoma City and Joplin.
"We have no history of those (250 mph) wind speeds in this area," City Councilmember Jeff Stone said.
Ballard Simmons cast the dissenting vote.
"To me, they had a reason for doing that (enacting the requirement), and I don't see any reason for (eliminating it)," he said.
Bill No. 1502 was moved off the agenda before the meeting started. This proposed ordinance would rezone a piece of property in south Fulton on which Zimmerman Properties wants to build rental apartments, a project some residents are objecting. The bill is going back to the city's planning and zoning committee for approval or disapproval before coming back to the council.
Stone also thanked all the city workers who made last weekend's Fulton Street Fair a safe and fun event.
"I felt we had a good presence out there," he said of city affiliated people.
Stone also asked residents again to be patient with this summer's work on U.S. Business 54.
"We're going to be doing a lot of projects with MoDOT (Missouri Department of Transportation) this year, street year," he said. "Give us the year."
The entire road from U.S. 54 in the south to the north will be reconstructed. A portion just north of downtown is the city's responsibility, and utility workers have been busy for weeks burying lines.
MoDOT approved contracts for this street work in early June, and the Fulton city portion will be done at the same time, including new street lights and sidewalk improvements. Work will begin July 9 with a Dec. 1 estimated completion date.