Jackson soccer players may have more lighted fields on which to play if a grant request from the City of Jackson is approved by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.
The Mayor and Board of Aldermen supported the grant application at its Feb. 3 meeting.
If the grant is approved by the MDNR, phase 1 of the soccer field lighting project will proceed. The City will have two years to install the lights that will illuminate four existing fields using seven new poles and 96 lights.
The project to light all the soccer fields (phase 1 and phase 2 together) is estimated to cost a total of $708,000.
Phase 1 will light fields 2, 3, 4 and 5. The cost of phase 1 is $389,000. The grant will pay for half and the City will be responsible for half ($194,850). The City’s match will include a $105,000 donation from JAOSA (Jackson Area Organized Soccer Association), $30,000 from casino revenue sharing receipts, and $59,850 from the Parks and Recreation tax.
The deadline to apply for the grant was Feb. 14. Grants will be awarded in September or October.
JAOSA has only $70,000 ready to donate at this time, but it has promised to have the full $105,000 when payment is due next year. It expects to raise another $35,000 by hosting tournaments this year and having fundraising events.
• Budget amendment: The Board approved amendments to the City’s 2019 annual budget relative to some funds exceeding their 2019 appropriations.
• Ramsey Branch Subdivision: The Board approved an updated preliminary plat of Ramsey Branch Subdivision as submitted by Ramsey Branch, LLC.
• Jones First Subdivision: The Board approved the minor plat of Jones First Subdivision as submitted by Dennis Jones II and Crystal Jones. It is located on Forest Street near Walnut St.
• Garry Seabaugh Subdivision: The Board approved the minor plat of Garry Seabaugh Subdivision, as submitted by Garry and Gail Seabaugh. They are combining two residential lots to build a detached garage.
• On-street parking: The Board amended the “Parking Prohibited Schedule” — Schedule IX by repealing and adding designations on West Washington Street. Parking spaces next to the new Cape Girardeau Courthouse were eliminated.
• New Shelter No. 5: The Board was updated on the replacement of Shelter No. 5 in City Park, that was destroyed by the storm last June 21.
A prefab steel shelter has been put into place. The bid came in $4,000 under budget. The estimate was $40,000; the low bid was $36,000.
Insurance will pay for $20,000 and the remainder is being paid by the Optimists, who wished to donate toward the cost of the shelter. A bronze plaque may be installed later.
Picnic tables will be delivered soon, and then it will be ready to be rented.
• City employee recognized: Shawn Burkhart of the street department was on his way to work when he noticed smoke coming from both ends of a house on North Farmington Street. He knocked on the door and had no response, so he went to a neighbor’s house to ask if anyone lived in the house on fire. He was told that the occupants had moved. Burkhart then called the fire department, which arrived in time to save the structure. (The house was vacant and for sale at the time.)
• Roundabout adoption: During study session, Montgomery Bank announced that it wants to adopt the roundabout at Shawnee and Main Street, as it has the roundabout on Independence Street in Cape Girardeau near the National Guard Armory.
The bank will do landscaping and install signs and a flagpole that will be lighted. The bank would pay the utility bill to illuminate the flag. The bank would also be responsible for lowering the flag on days when it must be flown at half-staff.
• Diverging diamond: Kent Peetz, public works director, updated the Board on the progress of the diverging diamond at Hwy. 61 and I-55. The first thing to be done will be to lengthen acceleration lanes at the on-ramps and to construct crossover lanes in the median to make head-to-head traffic possible on I-55. This will happen between Feb. 10 and April 3. Then southbound I-55 traffic will be diverted to the northbound bridge.
Head-to-head traffic under the bridge on Hwy. 61 between Cape and Jackson will begin about the same time it begins on I-55 over the bridge.
Work on the southbound I-55 bridge and off-ramp to Hwy. 61 is expected to be completed by Dec. 1. There is an incentive in the contract of $1,000 per week up to $15,000 to get the southbound ramp opened earlier, which would make access to Hwy. 61 businesses easier for southbound I-55 drivers.
Work on the northbound bridge will start about January of 2021 and be completed by Nov. 1, 2021.
Mayor Dwain Hahs said that in early March there will be a meeting between MoDOT and businesses in Jackson that will be adversely affected by the construction of the diverging diamond intersection.
• Mother-in-law apartments: During study session, the Board began discussing possible ordinance changes to allow the construction of “mother-in-law” apartments in homes or as separate structures in yards.
One concern is how the City can keep those apartments from becoming rental units after the mother-in-law leaves or dies.
One way to deter rental use is by requiring all utilities to go through the one house meter.
Alderman Paul Sander asked that research be done to see what other cities the size of Jackson have done regarding this issue.
• Deerwood/Hwy. 61 intersection: During study session, the Board discussed a need for traffic signals at Deerwood and Hwy. 61. There is more traffic at that intersection now that the Civic Center and Connection Point Church have been constructed on Deerwood.
It was decided to discuss with MoDOT the need for a traffic signal because Hwy. 61 is a state highway.
• Roundabout progress: The Board was updated on the progress of the roundabout at Shawnee and East Main St. Traffic on Shawnee will be closed between East Main Street and Woodland Dr. Temporary traffic signals will be installed by the end of February and traffic from the other three directions will be allowed through one lane at a time. The roundabout should be completed in June.
• Road repairs by courthouse: The Board was notified that City and County officials have met to discuss damage done to city streets while the new County Courthouse was being built. “They know repairs need to be made,” said City Administrator Jim Roach. Further discussions will be held with Penzel Construction, the builder. Some improvements that are not the County’s responsibility will be made by the City. In addition, the County is installing a new 6-foot wide sidewalk up High Street to the Legion Hall.
