Jackson may be home to a third roundabout as the City considers solutions to traffic issues at the intersection of U.S. Hwy. 61 North and Deerwood Drive.
The Mayor and Board of Aldermen on Aug. 16 approved the application to the Missouri Department of Transportation for a cost share program to build a roundabout at that intersection.
The City has completed an intersection analysis report for that intersection, and staff believes the construction of a roundabout at this intersection would effectively mitigate the delays experienced by motorists and preserve acceptable operating conditions in the future years.
In addition, pedestrians would be accommodated by roundabout control, giving residents on the west side of U.S. Hwy. 61 access to the public amenities on the east side, such as the Hubble Creek Recreation Trail and the Jackson Civic Center.
The project is consistent with the goals and objectives of the Southeast Metropolitan Planning organization Metropolitan Transportation Plan.
The city will now prepare and submit a MoDOT Partnership Development Application to the Missouri Department of Transportation through its Cost Share Program for the construction of a roundabout at North High Street and Deerwood Drive.
In a related action, the Board of Aldermen accepted a proposal from and authorized a contract with Coast to Coast Signs of Scott City to construct a directional and informational sign near that intersection. The sign will be far enough away from U.S. Hwy. 61 so roundabout construction will not require that it be moved, and yet close enough to U.S. Hwy. 61 so motorists will be able to see it and more easily find their way to the Civic Center.
Currently, on U.S. Hwy. 61, there is a small directional road sign with the words “Civic Center” and an arrow pointing down Deerwood drive.
The new sign will also advertise events on its 5-foot by 10-foot digital viewing area. The cost of the sign is $78,496.
In other action
• Tax rates: No one from the public spoke at a public hearing to consider the proposed 2021 parks and recreation, general revenue, cemetery and band tax rates.
Later in the meeting, the rates were set by the Board. The total rate for these taxes will be $0.8671 per $100 assessed valuation.
• Water system facility plan: The Board approved an increase in expenditures of $9,540 to Horner & Shifrin, Inc., of St. Louis, for its engineering work on the Water System Facility Plan Implementation Program, Phase 2.
The Aldermen also approved a change order to Jokerst, Inc., of Ste. Genevieve, for its work on this program, Phase 2, Project 2B.
• Public hearing set: A public hearing was set for 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 20, to consider a special use permit request for a transmission repair and Interlock installation business as a home occupation in an R-2 (single-family residential) district at 525 Maple Dr., as submitted by Jason Yeager.
• Sewer lining: The Board approved the bid of $92,192 from, and authorized a contract with Insituform Technologies USA, LLC, of Chesterfield, for its work on the 2021 sewer lining program.
• Parks projects: Shane Anderson, director of Parks and Recreation, updated the Board on several projects.
Infield improvements on the girls softball field (No. 5) in City Park is completed. Next, there will be benches installed in the new dugouts.
The new baseball field in Brookside Park is nearing completion. It will be for ages 9-12, which is the largest group of baseball players in league play. It can also be used for softball.
Surfacing of the new pickleball courts in Litz Park has begun and is expected to be completed in September. Next, signs will be installed. A “giant grand opening” is being planned, Anderson said.
Plans for a new dog park have been sent to Strickland Engineering for a cost estimate.
• Easement abandonment: During study session, Tom Jaster, a resident in Fairway Estates Subdivision, complained that an unused utility easement takes up 10 feet of his backyard, which is only about 20 feet deep. He is requesting an abandonment of that easement, since all of his utilities are located in front of his house.
Jaster has a yard shed that protrudes part-way into the easement, and it will have to be moved if the easement remains as it is. In addition, other nearby residents have installed fences, swimming pools and decks that encroach into the easement behind their homes, and they may have to be moved as well.
Even though there are no buried utilities there, the easement allows for storm-water runoff for several properties, and the aldermen were hesitant to abandon it. They will have city staff look at the possibility of narrowing the easement.
• ATVs on city streets: Lonnie Stroder requested that ATVs be allowed on city streets so he can drive his grandchildren around the neighborhood. He was told that the aldermen had already discussed this issue in the past and decided not to allow it in Jackson. In response to this new request, Alderman Larry Cunningham suggested that the aldermen “mull this over some more.”
• Fire station: The aldermen heard an evaluation of the fire department facilities. There is no need to build a third fire station at this time.
Now that the police department has moved out of Station No. 1, plans are being made for the fire department to expand into the vacated part of the building.
The structure of the building is sound, but it needs significant rehabilitation. The HVAC and plumbing are in bad shape, and there is no sprinkler system installed. There currently is a lack of separate sleeping quarters.
There is sufficient floor space to remodel the facility to allow for operational separation. Nowadays, fire stations are set up in zones to keep contaminants from fires away from the living quarters and office areas.
• Parking: The Board heard a report on parking modifications in the 100 block of East Adams Street. It was decided that switching from parallel to angular parking did not make more parking available.
