Minutes of June 2004 Meeting Board of Aldermen

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Meeting of the Board of Aldermen of the City of Clarkson Valley at City Hall (Fru-Con Center), June 1, 2004.
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The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. A roll call was taken with the following results:

PRESENT	Ward	ABSENT
Mayor Scott Douglass
Alderperson Jim Sharp	Ward 1
Alderperson Susan Shea	Ward 1
Alderperson Honora Schiller	Ward 2
Alderperson Wendell Sittser	Ward 2
Alderperson Melinda Twichell	Ward 3
Alderperson Walt Mixson	Ward 3

There were several changes to the Minutes as mailed. Alderperson Twichell made a motion to accept the Minutes as amended. Alderperson Schiller seconded the motion. A voice vote was taken with a unanimous affirmative result and the motion was declared the motion passed.

Mayor Douglass asked for the Board to consider amending the Agenda. He said that he would like to cancel discussion regarding the contract for rendition of solid waste until next month. Alderperson Mixson said he would like to see the contract for police services removed until next month. Alderperson Sittser made a motion to amend the Agenda as recommended above, seconded by Alderperson Twichell. There was discussion regarding the necessity of removing the police contract. A voice vote was taken with a vote of four ayes and two nays and Mayor Douglass declared the motion passed.

Mrs. Anita Cassel spoke to the Alderpersons asking them to consider granting the police contract to the City of Ballwin. She stated that the Ballwin police saved her life twice. She went on to give her thanks to the men and women who serve for the Ballwin Police.

Mr. Lou Salamone, Director of Suburban Bowhunters, spoke to the Board Members about his group. He stated that if the City holds a hunt in the future, they should consider using Suburban Bowhunters club members to conduct the hunt. He handed out information to the Alderpersons.

Mr. Frank Hodgdon, a resident of Forest Hills Club Estates and also Chairman of the Planning and Zoning Commission, spoke of projects rejected by other cities, yet approved by Clarkson Valley. He named the various projects and concluded that the swimming pool proposed for Crestview Middle School is a project that should be denied. Alderperson Twichell commended his statement.

Ballwin Police Report: Captain Rick Wise disseminated the Police Summary for May 2004. Alderperson Sharp and Shea both asked Captain Wise what could be done to stop vehicles from parking on Kehrs Mill Road in front of the high school while picking up their students? Captain Wise said that the day he received the complaint was the last day of school. Alderperson Twichell asked what we could do next year to be proactive? Mayor Douglass stated that we restrict student pick-up altogether at that entrance and that it shouldn't be occurring. He concluded by saying the City would get in touch with the principal, Paige Muench.

Court Report: The total amount collected for traffic fines and court costs for the month of May 2004 was $13,124.20.

Discovery Group's Proposal: Mayor Douglass reported that he held many conversations with the Discovery Group over the past month. He said we should have a more definitive idea of what will be built at the Fru-Con location before next month.

Planning & Zoning Commissioners: Alderperson Shea stated that the next time there is an opening on the Planning & Zoning Commission, she would like to recommend a few people.

Yard Waste Pickup Problems: Alderperson Twichell reported that problems continue regarding yard waste pickup. She said that as late as yesterday, a large amount of waste was spilled onto Forest Club Drive and not retrieved. Mayor Douglass said the City has talked to Midwest Waste about this and they have promised to speak to the driver. We will remind them that this is an ongoing issue.

Parking of Trailers Longer Than 72-Hours: Alderperson Twichell asked about what the City does when residents habitually break the rule and park their trailers, boats, etc. in their driveways for longer periods of time than the code allows. City Clerk, Michele McMahon, stated that just last week an officer was requested to issue a summons to someone who was asked to move his trailer multiple times. She explained we wrote a letter to this resident two years ago explaining the code and requesting that the resident comply with the 72-hour policy. But in the two subsequent years, City Hall received the identical complaint. The third complaint was the catharsis for issuing the ticket. It is now in the Judge’s court.

Road and Bridge Tax Revenue: Alderperson Twichell asked Mayor Douglass what the City is doing to obtain the Road and Bridge Tax Revenue? Mayor Douglass said we are still attempting to investigate the alternatives, however, a major reason not to issue any formal requests to St. Louis County is because they currently maintain Kehrs Mill Road and the portion of Clayton Road that lies within our City. Their position is they are using that money to maintain those roads. We need to make sure that if we were to obtain those revenue monies in the future, we would not also receive the responsibility of road maintenance.

West St. Louis County Deer Task Force: Alderperson Shea said she attended the last Deer Task Force meeting. She said she gave a report to the Task Force Committee about our involvement with a hunt and stated her three concerns with the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MoDOC) policy regarding hunting using bow and arrows: Safety, insurance, and the wounding of deer. She expounded that deer usually do not drop right away and can roam to other lots if merely wounded by an arrow. Statistics show that the hunter does not recover 5% to 17% of wounded deer. She also highlighted to the Task Force some of the disappointing merits of the hunt, which included a general lack of communication. The Task Force suggested that a new checklist for obtaining a permit would be in order. They also suggested that the hunters were not as qualified as they should be and strives should be taken to obtain credentialed hunters.

She also reported that the questionnaire responses were in but not ready to be published. She was able to share a few statistics, however. The average response with returned, completed surveys was 49.8%. In Clarkson Valley, 55.86% were returned. Men filled out the majority of surveys returned. She reminded those present that this survey was done by a random sampling through the phone book.

Patrick Butler spoke regarding the copy of the Judge's order just handed to the Aldermen regarding the sound walls. He said they would be meeting on June 24 for the purpose of discovery and to discuss money and/or alternative solutions. He said he is hoping for mitigation. He expects a trial date to be assigned within eighteen months. And one can almost anticipate further delays. Mr. Butler then reported that he discussed with MoDOT the possibility of their using rubberized asphalt. Their attorneys said they discussed this with MoDOT engineers who said they “kind of looked at that, but it won’t work in our climate”. Mention was made of not only Arizona having a great experience with rubberized asphalt, but also Nebraska and Vancouver. Mayor Douglass praised Jim Kohoutek as “our one-man committee” regarding his knowledge of the merits of rubberized asphalt.

Dr. Craig Larson introduced himself. He also introduced Mrs. Kim Miller, who lives in Clarkson Valley and is a parent of a swim team member; Mr. Don Owens, who chairs the Parent Support Group; Mr. Jim Halliburton, Aquatics Supervisor; and Bill Tonga, Project Architect. Statistics of last year's swim team were given - girl's team took first and second place. Dr. Larson stated the district was attempting to provide a stable long-term alternative for swim practice. He said they chose Crestview Middle School because the pool could purposefully be located behind existing buildings. He said only four homes in Clarkson Valley would have a view of the pool. The only access into this proposed swimming pool would be from the indoor existing pool. He stated that because this pool will be heated, it would be used seven or eight months out of the year. He explained why Rockwood School District chose Crestview Middle School opposed to Westridge, which is that it made more sense to tie it into an existing facility with locker rooms and showers, etc. He said the District intended to do a nice job with the landscaping.

Bill Tonga, the project architect spoke, giving the pool's dimensions, etc. He said the pool would contain a heavy industrial liner on a powder-coated concrete foundation. Metal skirting would enclose the structure. Plastic composite decking would be all the way around. There would be no external lighting. No meets were to be held at Crestview. This is strictly a practice facility. There will be four utility poles containing dusk-to-dawn motion detectors. Cameras comprise the security system.

Jim Halliburton, the Aquatics Coach, said the practices would start at 7:15 a.m., before school and resume after school from 4:00 until 8:00 p.m. This year’s team consists of one junior high member - the remaining are high school students. When asked about the number of students at any given time, Mr. Halliburton responded that it would be approximately thirty students per session, with a possibility of up to twenty cars in the parking lot. The summer schedule would begin at 7:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. or 6:00 p.m. with a break between 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The team offers practice six days per week; most students attend three to four sessions per week.

When asked about expected noise levels, Mr. Halliburton responded there shouldn't be any other than that of the students. There are no speakers. There will be no starting guns or whistles used. The pool covering is thermal and supports weight. It will be covered all the time when not in use.

The fencing material was discussed and mention was made that the Board was not happy with their choice: an eight foot tall, vinyl coated fence sitting on top of a five foot tall pool, and the fence contains green slats. Dr. Larson stated that he would be willing to entertain a better fence if someone could come up with a suggestion. Alderperson Sharp asked why they chose an eight-foot tall fence when that is not within code. Dr. Larson said that complies with the school district's sense of safety.

Alderperson Twichell asked, "Where would the water drain when cleaning the pool?" They responded that the pool never completely drains. Between the filter and chemicals, just a little water is exchanged daily.

Mayor Douglass stated that the Board would vote on it in July after it goes to Planning and Zoning.

Forest Hills Country Club – Request for Pyrotechnics Display: Alderperson Sharp made a motion to allow Forest Hills Country Club to hold a fireworks display July 3rd. Alderperson Twichell seconded the motion. A voice vote was taken with a unanimous affirmative result and the motion was declared passed.

Beautification – Berm Maintenance: Alderperson Mixson gave a report on his meeting with a representative of The Greenwood Group. They currently maintain the berm. He said that after speaking with him, Walter agreed that the berm should be mulched and that it is necessary to replace the six-to-eight yews that died and were removed last year. He also stated that he spoke with Joe Pawlowitz, of Chesterfield Landscaping, who sprays the blue spruce, arborvitae, and the evergreens on the berm and that his price holds the same as in years past. He then made a motion to accept the contracts from The Greenwood Group for general berm maintenance, mulching and yew replacement and Chesterfield Landscaping to have the evergreens sprayed. Alderperson Sittser seconded the motion. A voice vote was taken with a unanimous affirmative result and the motion was declared passed. Everyone thanked Alderperson Mixson for taking on this project.

Increasing False Alarm Service Charges: City Clerk, Michele McMahon, explained the current fines issued to those residents of Clarkson Valley who create false alarms for the Police Department. The current charges being: A warning issued for the first false alarm in any calendar year, and a $5.00 service charge for every false alarm thereafter within a calendar year. After some discussion, Alderperson Twichell made a motion to increase the service charge to $25.00 for a second false alarm, $50.00 for a third false alarm or any subsequent false alarm within a calendar year. Alderperson Schiller seconded the motion. A voice vote was taken with a unanimous affirmative result and the motion was declared passed.

Natural Hazard Mitigation: Mayor Douglass explained that under the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000, all local governments are required as of November 1, 2004 to have a FEMA Hazard Mitigation Plan in place as a condition of receiving federal mitigation grant funding. He explained that this is something cities are required to do, and if we do not adopt the guidelines set by the East-West Gateway Council of Governments, we would be required to implement our own plan. He said he has reviewed the Regional All-Hazard Mitigation Plan and feels we should adopt it. Alderperson Sharp made a motion to adopt the plan, seconded by Alderperson Sittser. A voice vote was taken and the motion was declared passed.

Audit: Alderperson Schiller asked how much longer we would be receiving invoices from NSF & Associates? Mayor Douglass said we are still in the process of cleaning files, but they should subside within the month. Alderperson Sharp made a motion, seconded by Alderperson Schiller, to have invoices in the amount of $78,471.96 approved for payment. A voice vote was taken with a unanimous affirmative result and the motion was declared passed.

Alderperson Twichell made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Alderperson Sharp. A voice vote was taken with a unanimous affirmative result and the motion was declared passed. The meeting adjourned at 9:05 p.m.

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ATTEST: Michele McMahon, City Clerk