The Jackson Mayor and Board of Aldermen were treated to a presentation on the Historic Architectural Survey of Uptown Jackson that was produced by RDG Planning and Design. The presentation was made by Janet Sanders, director of the Building and Planning Department, during a study session Oct. 4.
The 59-page report and the research that went into it were funded by a 60/40 matching grant from the National Park Service through the Department of Natural Resources. Jackson received $15,000 and put up $10,000. “We received the grant reimbursement last week,” Sanders told the Board.
The project began in July 2020 when the City of Jackson contracted with RDG Planning & Design to conduct a reconnaissance level survey of approximately 50 acres in the Uptown Jackson area. The area included the original town of Jackson plus some very early additions to the city. Both commercial and residential structures were included, as RDG took photos of buildings and prepared survey forms that included the structure, the style of architecture, the materials, the date they were built, and additional information, as required by the DNR.
The information in the final report was reviewed “very thoroughly” by Jack-son’s Historical Preservation Commission, Sanders said.
Following the commission meeting, there was a public open house at the Jackson Civic Center in June. Comments from that public meeting were taken into consideration before the final report was issued. The project was also approved by the DNR before its portion of the grant funding was released.
“I encourage you to read it,” Sanders told the Board. “It is not a boring read. It has some really interesting history in it.
“One of the things they looked at was whether our existing National Registered [Historic] District should be expanded. … What they found was, that in their opinion, there is not a real need to expand our district,” Sanders told the aldermen.
However, of the 126 properties surveyed, 13 individual structures could potentially be added — on an individual basis — to the Register of Historical Places, if the property owners wished to take steps to make that happen.
Those 13 places are:
• Fulenwiter/Fulenwider House, built in 1906;
• Emanuel United Church of Christ, built in 1928;
• Joseph Milde House, built in 1910;
• Oldenhoener House, built between 1883 and 1893;
• C.H. Wolter House, built about 1910;
• Masonic Lodge, built in 1923;
• New McKendree United Methodist Church, built in1910;
• Goyert House, built in 1910;
• Brooks House, built in 1877;
• Immaculate Conception Church, built in 1962;
• Criddle-Sander (Stone) House, built in 1815;
• Henry Gockel House, built in 1908; and
• First Presbyterian Church, built in 1940.
The entire report will be published on the City of Jackson website, www.jacksonmo.org.
In other action
• Mary Street bridge: The Board approved a $9,500 task order to Cochran Engineering of Farmington, to provide engineering services for the West Mary Street bridge water and sewer line relocation project. This was the only action item of the meeting.
• Pickeball courts: Mayor Dwain Hahs informed the Board that the new pickleball courts in Litz Park had opened the previous week. “It was a good success,” he said. “They had an event there; they actually had some clinics that they put on. We had one of the top pickleballers in the nation, who is from Columbia, come down and give an exhibition. And we had two pickleballers from Festus who are top-ranked in the state.”
A big pickleball invitational tournament is being planned for the first weekend in November, Hahs added.
• Sidewalk on East Main Street: Alderman Katie Liley brought up a need that was brought to her attention for a sidewalk to be built along East Main Street between Bellevue Street, where the Hope House is, and the roundabout at Shawnee Boulevard. Other stretches of East Main Street already have sidewalks.
“That’s heavily trafficked,” she said. In addition to cross-country runners, there are other pedestrians who walk this stretch to school and to work, she noted. “We neded to do something about that. We need sidewalks there.”
Alderman David Hitt concurred. “Can we do some preliminary work, like in measuring the distance, and which side would be better to put a sidewalk on, assuming cost will dictate that it only go on one side, and some cost ideas as to asphalt or concrete? …
“Katie and I both travel that street almost everyday, and there are a lot of walkers and cross-country runners and people going from the exercise place down there in the old shoe factory area; they spend a lot of time on there too. I think it’s something we need to take a hard look at.”
“A good time to do that is as we come into budget discussions for next year,” noted Mayor Dwain Hahs. “We do build so many sidewalks every year.”
• Use tax: Mayor Hahs showed the aldermen a Powerpoint presentation to be used in informing Jackson citizens about the use tax issue on the Nov. 2 ballot.
“We have a complete schedule for the next 30 days to go out to different organizations,” Hahs said.
Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce President Brian Gerau told the Board that the Chamber is supporting the passage of the use tax. “I’m helping as much as I can to get out and educate individuals, and also encouraging them to vote yes on Nov. 2; vote yes for Jackson,” Gerau said.
• Wastewater: The Board of Aldermen was updated on wastewater construction specifications by Public Works Director Kent Peetz.
The wastewater treatment plant is currently operating at about 85 percent of its capacity. As the city grows, the treatment plant is getting closer to reaching capacity.
The Board gave a head-nod approval to send the specifications to the DNR for approval. The recommendations will come back to the Board of Alderman for a final vote of approval at a future meeting.
• Civic Center sign: Jason Lipe, manager of the Civic Center, informed the Board that the location for the new sign for the Civic Center has been moved from the north side of Deerwood Drive to the south side, to avoid constructing it over existing water and sewer mains. The new location may save money, because the contractor will no longer have to bore under Deerwood Drive to provide electricity to the sign.
