Sikeston 2017 street projects proposed

SIKESTON - Street and stormwater improvements are on tap for Sikeston.

During Monday's City Council meeting, the Department of Public Works got the go-ahead to develop plans and bidding specifications for the 2017 street and drainage improvements.

Jay Lancaster, director of Public Works, presented the proposed list of improvements, which he noted are spread across the city with each of Sikeston's four wards to see work. The projects were recommended following staff research and a tour of the streets with the Planning and Zoning Commission, he said.

Pointing out last year brought improvements to Allen Boulevard, Lancaster said this year work is planned for Davis Boulevard. In the projects presented to the Council, Lancaster proposed to mill and resurface Davis Boulevard from Wakefield to North Street at a projected cost of $246,634.

Ruth Street would be milled and resurfaced from the railroad to New Madrid at a estimate of $117,210. Also the concrete intersection of Ruth and Scott streets would be reconstructed at an estimate of $49,950.

Lancaster told the Council, it is important not just to reconstruct streets but find ways to extend the lives of streets after they are improved. To that end, he proposed preventative maintenance of Ables Road which will include seal coat from North Ingram to Ashley at an expected cost of $125,426. Also planned is to mill and resurface Mitchell Street from Malone to Garwood, $32,328; spot repair to Murray Lane near Dempster Street, $22,200; mill and resurface Airport Boulevard from Linn to the Airport entrance, $53,303; replace stormwater pipes and grates from the midblock of Foust to Wakefield, $72,705; regrade the ditch along the west side of Kingshighway from Murray Lane to the Village Green property area, $5,550; and make American Disabilities Act compliant sidewalk improvements downtown from Kingshighway to Tanner, $44,400.

Noting drainage problems along Salcedo Road, Lancaster proposed "taking little bites out" of the project annually by beginning to reconstruct some driveways and culverts on the ditch starting downstream and working upstream. This year he proposed spending $66,600.

The estimated total cost of the projects, which includes engineering, is $836,306.

After bidding is completed, the City Council will then be asked to authorize the projects, Lancaster added. He also pointed out several projects, his department has worked up in the event there is money available in the budget at a later date.

Lancaster spoke with the Council about some purchases his Department was seeking and some "creative budgeting" used to enable several departments to make the purchases they wanted while still saving the city money.

According to Lancaster, $20,000 was set aside for the purchase of six sets of bleachers, however when the low bid of $12,679 came in, creating a savings of $7,321, he suggested making an unbudgeted purchase that has become a high priority for the parks department, a utility vehicle for use in grooming the softball and baseball fields.

Lancaster proposed the city continue to replace its mowers on a two-year schedule. This year the low bid was $17,125 per mower, which he pointed out was under the budgeted amount of $20,000 per mower.

However, rather than trade-in those mowers, the department head suggested the street department and seasonal staff use them for mowing the 350 lots owned by the Land Clearance and Redevelopment Authority. Using the mowers instead of tractors, he explained, would provide a more finished appearance for the lots and would not result in ruts caused by the two tractors with bushogs, which were used previously.

The Street Department would cover the cost of the trade in value on the mowers and Lancaster asked the Council to sell one of the two tractors as surplus. The other tractor, he pointed out, has already found use at the airport, where it moves planes at the hangers, and the airport division would pay the fair market value for it.

"The result will be two new mowers in parks, two older mowers for LCRA mowing, one small tractor at the airport, and one small tractor auctioned. While this is a lot going on, we are able to acquire the additional equipment we needed at trade-in value pricing, which is a savings to the taxpayer," Lancaster said, adding with the combined savings there is sufficient funds to purchase the UTV.

The Council agreed with Lancasters' proposals and awarded the bid for the six bleachers to the sole bidder of BSN Sports for $12,679.88.

The low bid from Greenway Equipment for $34,250.00 for two John Deere 1550 mowers was approved. Also bids were received from Wm Nobbe and Company, Medlin Equipment and Turfwerks.

A bid by Greenway Equipment for two John Deere front-mounted mowers of $34,250 was OK'd for the Parks Department.

Also the purchase of a 2017 diesel powered 4-wheel drive UTV with a cargo box had a low bid from Medlin Equipment Co. for $11,700 and was approved. Other bids came from Augusta Kawasaki Suzuki J&L Inc., Forklifts of Cape, Tapp's Outdoor Equipment, Greenway Equipment, Turfwerks, Polaris, and Wm Nobbe and Co.

In addition the Council gave permission to sell a John Deere 4105 tractor as surplus property.

Capt. Mike Williams, acting director of the Department of Public Safety, spoke with the Council about the citywide weather warning system, noting six of the sirens have been replaced since 2010 and proposed a final weather warning siren be placed at the Business, Education and Technology Park on Route ZZ.

Approval was given to purchase the siren from Outdoor Warning Consulting LLC at a cost of $26,724.

Also during the meeting:

* A bill amending the City Code to comply with the state statutes that residents are no longer required to obtain a permit prior to carrying a firearm was read for the first time. Final action on the bill is planned for the Council's Feb. 27 meeting

* An ordinance was passed at the request of Cotton Ridge Development (60 West TIF District) for a Parcel Development Agreement between Cotton Ridge and Rosewood Vanguard Corporation doing business as Watami Sushi and Hibachi Steakhouse II. The agreement assigns 50 percent of the Tax Increment Financing revenues generated from the property to the sub-developer up to a maximum of $ 100,000 in TIF eligible reimbursements.

* City Manager Jon Douglass asked for approval of a Legislative Priority Statement, regarding issues which may come before the Missouri Legislature in the coming session. In the statement, the Council takes a stand on issues ranging from internet sales tax to municipal court reform to prescription drug monitoring. Douglas pointed out most of the items were part of the 2016 statement with the addition of urging the extension of Interstate 57 from Sikeston to Poplar Bluff on to Little Rock. Approval was unanimously given to the statement.