The Jefferson City Council accepted, as expected, the proposal from the Housing Authority on Tuesday night for funding the East Capitol Avenue Area Urban Renewal plan - but not before a serious discussion of the demolitions which are likely to remove at least some of the first 40 structures in the historic neighborhood near the Capitol and downtown.
The enabling ordinance, proposed by Ward 2 Councilman J. Rick Mihalevich, was passed without objection by the seven members of the Council at the meeting. The measure was necessary before the Housing Authority could legally proceed with the initiation of the renovation which has been discussed for at least two decades.
Mihalevich, Mayor Carrie Tergin, city Counselor Ryan Moehlman and other city officials gathered at City Hall for the first meeting of 2017 addressed the "demolition" word with obvious sensitivity toward the heritage of the East Capitol Avenue neighborhood which will be altered by the coming government-imposed facelift.
It was established through the polite debate that the Jefferson City Historic Preservation Commission does have the responsibility to review any demolition of property 50 years of age or older. Of the 116 parcels of land in the 38.1-acre site, 42 are more than 100 years of age and 88 are believed to be 90 years or older.
The mayor broached the point of care with which the City Council and Housing Authority are going to proceed with urban renewal by reminding that demolition was a last resort - as many structures as possible would be renovated, restored and rehabilitated. Current owners may engage in such improvements, or developers may, Tergin said.
Moehlman, Mihalevich and others discussed the prioritization of targeted structures which will be the goal of the "Open Public Forum" scheduled 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in the City Council chambers.
Comments also can be emailed to the Housing Authority at [email protected] before 4:30 p.m. Jan. 11.
While the pointed exchange among the elected officials and their executive staff consumed a good deal of time Tuesday, another weighty matter was dropped as a news item in seconds: the proposed bond issue to raise $30 million to remedy the city's stormwater infrastructure woes will be on the August ballot.
Ward 3 Councilman Ken Hussey, on behalf of Ward 5 Councilman Larry Henry, announced the decision as the Council breezed through rather minor items on its lengthy agenda.
The stormwater election has been discussed since the flash floods hammered the city in August and September. The storms exposed an aged infrastructure incapable of properly handling the deluges of the magnitude which destroyed streets, bridges and, in some instances, homes throughout Jefferson City. A relatively small piece of the aftermath of those storms was on the Council agenda Tuesday. The Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department received $64,451 from a second insurance settlement on damages to the popular Washington Park Ice Rink, which was rendered useless by both storms.
The City Council also approved a $75,000 contract for a system-wide assessment of the Jefftran public transportation service; authorized a grant with the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) for the air traffic control tower at the Jefferson City Airport; approved a preliminary planned use development for property at 925 S. Country Club Drive in the Westport Plaza Subdivision; accepted the bid from Joe Machens Ford for five new police vehicles; and accepted the Austin Peters Group Classification and Compensation Plan Analysis with its job classification recommendations and salary adjustments.
Tergin invited Jefferson Citians to join her in celebrating Jan. 12 as Janice McMillan Day, honoring the 22-year director of the Department of Planning and Protective Services. Tuesday night marked the retiring McMillan's final meeting with the City Council.