MINUTES
CITY COUNCIL
MEETING
GLADSTONE, MISSOURI
REGULAR
MEETING
MONDAY,
OCTOBER 8, 2001
PRESENT: Mayor Anita Newsom
Mayor Pro Tem Bill Cross
Councilman Dan Bishop
Councilman Shirley Smith
Councilman Les Smith
City Manager Kirk Davis
Assistant City Manager Laura
Gay
City Clerk Marilyn Ahnefeld
Item 3. on the Agenda. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Mayor Anita Newsom welcomed Tim Lukasiewicz from Scout Troop 271 at Gashland United Methodist Church who led the Pledge of Allegiance in which all joined.
Item 4. on the Agenda. APPROVAL OF SEPTEMBER 24, 2001 MINUTES.
Mayor Pro Tem Bill Cross moved to approve the Regular September 24, 2001 City Council
Meeting Minutes as submitted.
Councilman Les Smith seconded the motion. The vote: All “Aye” -
Councilman Les Smith, Councilman Shirley Smith, Councilman Dan Bishop, Mayor
Pro Tem Bill Cross, Mayor Anita Newsom.
(5-0)
Item 4a. on
the Agenda. PROCLAMATION
Mayor Anita Newsom read a proclamation designating
October 9, 2001 as RACE EQUALITY DAY
in Gladstone, Missouri. The
proclamation will be forwarded to the Northland Diversity Council.
Item 4b. on the Agenda. PROCLAMATION
Mayor Newsom read a proclamation designating October
2001 as NATIONAL BREAST CANCER AWARENESS
MONTH in Gladstone, Missouri. Mayor
Newsom asked that this proclamation be posted for all employees to see. This is something that strikes closer to
home than she thinks any one of us wants to recognize or even think about. It is better to find out and know what the
lump or irregularity is than to worry about it later down the line and find out
it is something deadly. Both male and
females need to be aware of this, especially females need to take heed.
Item 5 on the Agenda. CONSENT AGENDA
Following the Clerk’s reading, Councilman Les Smith
moved to approve the Consent Agenda as read; Councilman Dan Bishop
seconded. The vote: All “aye” - Councilman Les Smith, Councilman Shirley Smith, Councilman Dan
Bishop, Mayor Pro Tem Bill Cross, Mayor Anita Newsom. (5-0)
CONSENT AGENDA DETAIL
Councilman Les Smith moved to adopt RESOLUTION NO. R-01-66, authorizing the
City Manager to accept the proposal of Tricon Construction Company in the
amount of $34,876. from the Transportation Sales Tax Fund for the 2001 Arterial
Sidewalk Program. Councilman Dan Bishop seconded. The vote: All “aye” - Councilman Les Smith, Councilman
Shirley Smith, Councilman Dan Bishop, Mayor Pro Tem Bill Cross, Mayor Anita
Newsom. (5-0)
Councilman Les Smith moved to adopt RESOLUTION NO. R-01-67, authorizing the City Manager to accept
Quit Claim Deeds transferring ownership
of rights-of-way, including streets and storm drainage structures in the
Claymont Pointe Subdivision for City maintenance. Councilman Dan Bishop seconded.
The vote: All “aye” - Councilman Les Smith, Councilman
Shirley Smith, Councilman Dan Bishop, Mayor Pro Tem Bill Cross, Mayor Anita
Newsom. (5-0)
Councilman Les Smith moved to adopt RESOLUTION NO. R-01-68, authorizing the
City Manager to accept the proposal of Smeal Apparatus Company in the amount of
$547,587 from the Fire Protection Sales Tax Fund for the purchase of one 2002
Model 105 ft. Aerial Ladder Fire
Pumper. (Includes $41,000 trade-in for
1973 Sutphen and 1986 Grummen trucks).
Councilman Dan Bishop seconded.
The vote: All “aye” - Councilman Les Smith, Councilman
Shirley Smith, Councilman Dan Bishop, Mayor Pro Tem Bill Cross, Mayor Anita
Newsom. (5-0)
REGULAR AGENDA
Item 6. on
the Agenda. COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE AUDIENCE.
Rita Gauer,
112 The Woodlands, stated that her neighbor, Marjorie Rhone has just given the City Clerk
a signed petition of 86 in number, and Ann Donahue is distributing pictures of
the problem. As Woodland residents we
are here tonight to present a petition request that Gladstone establish the
junction of Brooktree and Kendallwood as a four-way stop.
They have made several requests to management and
staff in our city with no positive results.
Each request was met with a response that two studies have been done and
it was determined due to federal and state guidelines that a four-way stop is
not feasible at that intersection because it would interfere with the flow of
traffic. Another response was that an
independent study would be done, which means an expenditure of public dollars. They had one verbal response that if a
four-way intersection was put in, drivers might not stop anyway. Safety for aging residents exiting the area
and children boarding and exiting school buses has become a critical
issue.
In contrast to responses from city employees, they
have attached to the petition, an article from the September 8th
2001, Kansas City Star entitled “Changes Sought for Older Drivers” which lists
as the number one recommendation by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
to Protect Older Drivers, changing two-way stops to four-way stops reduces
crashes by up to 50%. Ms. Gauer stated
that she thinks that is rather compelling.
Faced with the resistant attitude of City employees,
they felt they should approach the elected body and appeal for your
assistance. With all courtesy, they ask
Council to consider their request to make it safer to enter and exit their
community and trust that they will insist that any decision reached will be
wholly justifiable and defensible. They
feel that continuous traffic flow is not a viable reason as far as they are
concerned, but safety is. They ask for
the courtesy of a reply prior to the next scheduled City Council meeting. She asked Council if they had any questions.
Mayor Newsom asked Assistant City Manager for
Development Scott Wingerson for a status update. She stated that it has been an ongoing issue and would like more
information.
Mr. Wingerson stated that he would like to take a
minute to provide some background information on this request. First, they look for guidance from the 1993
Comprehensive Plan and Transportation Section of that Plan which classifies
Brooktree as a primary collector which is designed to collect traffic from one neighborhood
or more and filter it to an arterial roadway.
In this case it would be the Woodland
townhomes at Kendallwood, Brooktree, Carriage Hills and neighborhoods in
that general vicinity. By contrast,
Kendallwood Parkway and Indiana/Bales roadway is a secondary collector to move
traffic north and south in that particular case. They also serve as residential streets. Woodland Drive is basically a residential street that people use
to get to their homes. It is important
to note that these classifications really give us guidance in traffic flow and
traffic priorities, design conditions with speed and general right-of-way for
the roadways and traffic flow throughout the community.
What we use to help us determine the placement of traffic control devices is something called the Manual and Uniform Traffic Control Devices and refer to it often as MUTCD. Basically, it is an engineering guide that indicates the appropriateness of these types of devices and is used in most cities in the metropolitan area and across the country. As it relates to a four-way stop sign, which is the request from the residents of The Woodlands, Mr. Wingerson asks the permission of the Mayor to read for about 45 seconds, a section from the MUTCD and it is the section entitled “Warrants for Stop Signs.” It provides four different warrants and starts with …
“Because the
STOP sign causes a substantial inconvenience to motorists, it should be used
only where warranted. A STOP sign may
be warranted at an intersection where one or more of the following conditions
exist:
Traffic
engineering studies, however, may justify a decision to install a STOP sign or
signs on the major street (Brooktree in this case) as at a
three-way intersection where safety considerations may justify stopping the
greater flow of traffic to permit a left-turning movement. (Mr. Wingerson noted there is some judgment
there to perform a traffic engineering study).
Portable or
part-time STOP signs shall not be used except for emergency purposes. Also, STOP signs should not be used for
speed control.
The “Multiway
Stop” installation is useful as a safety measure at some locations. It should ordinarily be used only where the
volume of traffic on the intersecting roads is approximately equal. (so they would be similar
on Kendallwood and Woodland and Brooktree in this case .)
Where traffic
signals are warranted and urgently needed.” (They can be installed as a stop-gap measure
in anticipation of a traffic signal.)
Mr. Wingerson continued to say that the city does
different kinds of traffic studies based on MUTCD such as internal traffic
study which involves the loop detectors and traffic counts. From that we determine volume of the cars
that go on the streets, in some cases the turning movements and in some cases
the speed of vehicles traveling on the street.
Those counts are then reviewed by Public Safety personnel and the
engineering division for a comparison to the warrants he just talked about. In this particular case, there was a warrant
comparison study in September of 1998, again in 2000, and in June of 2001 we
did a warrant study which added a speed component for the average speed of
vehicles traveling on the intersecting roadways. The studies have been done, and in our opinion we do not believe
that the study information warrants installation of a four-way stop sign at
Brootkree and Kendallwood in The Woodlands.
Mr. Wingerson said the study results have not been
sufficient for some of the residents here tonight, so we have contracted with a
company by the name of Trans Systems.
Trans Systems is a traffic engineering firm located in Kansas City, very
highly rated in this city as well as across the country.
Part of the contract with Trans Systems is to meet
with the Board of the Homeowners Association prior to making a recommendation
to hear their thoughts, consider their input and make a final recommendation to
staff that would be forwarded to the City Council. That process should be completed in approximately two to three
weeks. This is a small traffic study
for Trans Systems and they have committed to finishing this as quickly as they
can. Mr. Wingerson said that is why we do what we do, what we have done, and where we are going
in the future.
Mayor Newsom confirmed that an independent third party
will conduct a traffic study, meet with the Homeowners Association, and
hopefully, not just say stop sign yeah or nay, but what proper traffic calming
devices we need or control devices we need there.
Mr. Wingerson stated that Trans Systems has been
asked to provide any recommendations that are appropriate to address the
concerns of the association.
Councilman Les Smith stated that in looking at the
pictures provided by the residents, that perhaps there is a way to solve the
problem other than with stop signs. It
appears, especially the Woodlands island, does not project as far south as the
northern boundary of Kendallwood Road and in being in and out of that area
quite a bit, a large part of the problem is the visual there. You cannot really see what is coming,
especially from the west. Perhaps it
might entail a little rebuilding or squaring up of the intersection both on the
north and south side. Maybe there is a
way to provide these folks with what they need without stopping the
traffic. On the south side,
Kendallwood, the rounded curbs and the island, is the same as on the Woodland
side. Maybe we need to look at
potentially rebuilding, parts of that intersection to create the same effect
and the same results.
Mayor Newsom asked if that is something Trans
Systems could come up with in their recommendation. Hopefully, they would be looking at alternatives to make this
right.
Mr. Wingerson stated that their contract does not
require them to design that, but if it is an appropriate remedy, then certainly
it could be looked at.
Mayor Newsom stated they could give the option of a
better remedy, if a four-way stop is not a remedy, then they could recommend
something else. Mr. Wingerson said that was correct.
Councilman Cross stated that he does not know what
the study will show, but certainly feels, as Mr. Smith does when he travels
there often, you definitely have to watch every minute and whether the
study shows if there are enough cars or
not, with the school buses coming through there, it is scary to him. He said it scares him even more because
there are a number of older drivers driving in and out of there. No matter what the study says, Bill Cross says let’s try to get one in there. He
thinks it will ease things up a little bit.
Councilman Dan Bishop stated that he has been aware
of this situation since he met Mrs. Gauer.
In the winter of 1998-99 and
they talked about this issue at that time. He always felt that he has no expertise in the area of traffic
engineering and is very dependent on staff recommendations on this sort of
thing. At that time he asked staff to
address Mrs. Gauer’s concerns. He knew
a couple of previous analyses were done on this. One of the things he notices are the trees to the west. Maybe if one were removed or at least
drastically cut back, that would help with visibility. It was his understanding in speaking with
the City Manager that we had some sort of agreement with the Homeowners
Association Board that we would do this independent study and both parties had
agreed to be bound by the outcome. That
was his understanding and he feels comfortable doing that.
Mr. Wingerson stated yes, that was consistent with
the understanding. The Association has
been involved in taking the study to the next level and we have committed to do
what the results of the study indicated relative to a stop sign.
City Manager Kirk Davis said he wanted to clarify
that slightly. There is a gentleman by
the name of William Reynolds who at one time was on the Board, who initially
came forward with the discussion. The
last time he spoke with Mr. Reynolds, he acknowledged that he was no longer a
member of the Board, but we still felt that if the staff is wrong and there is
another alternative out there that we need to recognize that and it is
important to get a third party of professional engineers and see what options
are available that limit our liability obviously and limits the prospect for an
unsafe intersection at that location.
Mayor Newsom stated that Mrs. Gauer mentioned the
expenditure of taxpayer money. In order
to maintain safety in our neighborhoods, we need to spend taxpayers money
sometimes to make sure we get the best solution possible. We don’t just want a solution, we want the
best solution possible.
Councilman Les Smith stated that is why perhaps
there may be another alternative. Quite
frankly, with a stop on Brooktree there will be a lot more folks upset with it
than not. We are going to have some
reasons on the other side of the fence why we should not stop the traffic
there. Overall, he thinks there is a
potential safety concern there and that should always weigh most heavily, but
he does not think in his personal opinion that stopping traffic is the answer. If we look at those pictures, there might be
an opportunity to solve the problem some other way which would be more of a
win-win situation.
Mayor Newsom stated that it could be something that
does not deter from the neighborhood and still maintain a safe flow of traffic
and safety for residents and the children.
Michelle
Baker, 108 The Woodlands, stated that she, her husband and four sons would like any and all
surveys to be done and she would welcome any and all Council members to come
and sit with her in the morning while she waits with her children at the bus
stop. On at least six occasions, with
the school bus arm down and lights flashing, cars coming from North Antioch
around the bend have gone past the bus because there is no stop device there. They know it, and are not expecting the bus
and so they fly past the bus when kids are loading and unloading. There have been too many close calls. Based on the MUTCD, she understands there
were three criteria as far as hazardous and speed and due to past accidents
that have occurred, we have two out of three.
We have extremely hazardous conditions coming around the curve and
extremely high rates of speed. When you
measure out the distance from the stop at North Indiana and Brooktree to the
stop at the stop light at Brooktree and North Antioch, it is quite a
distance. People know there is no stop
between there. With the amount of speed
that they build up, cutting down trees and bringing the entrance to the subdivision
out is not going to reduce speed when people high-tail it from one end to the
other. If you go down Brooktree further
from Brooktree to Jackson and count the number of stop signs, are we that much
in a rush that we cannot stop at a stop sign and look both ways to potentially
save someone’s life. Are we in that
much of a rush that having to stop one extra time warrants years worth of
debate of having a stop sign there.
We live a block and a half from the public library
and her children are not allowed to walk to the library because there is not a
safe access point for them to cross the street. They would have to walk out of the subdivision all the way up to
North Antioch, then cross in front of North Antioch and Brooktree and walk back
down the street. She does not want them
crossing at N. Antioch. There are
people going around the corner without stopping at the red light there. It is ridiculous to have these amenities so
close and we are in such a rush that we cannot
take an extra second to stop at a stop sign. She thinks it is pitiful for Gladstone to have to go through this
when they have 86 signatures of residents who live in The Woodlands who say
that we need a stop sign. It is a
detriment to our neighborhood and our community and to our families. She hopes people really take into
consideration the children in these neighborhoods while they are having their
state mandated engineering studies of what could possibly happen under
scenarios. Ms. Baker suggested please come to her neighborhood and she will
provide a cup of coffee and you can sit and watch the buses.
Mayor Newsom told Public Safety Director Adamo that it sounds like there are
people violating state bus stop laws.
Maybe we need to have someone monitoring that in the interim at least.
Councilman Les Smith asked Mrs. Baker what time the
bus comes in the morning.
Mrs. Baker stated that the middle school bus comes
at 8:24 am, the elementary bus comes at 8:50 am and she does not know the high
school bus schedule.
Mayor Newsom asked if Mrs. Gauer had something else
to add.
Ms. Gauer pointed out that now that the sun is lower
in the sky in the fall, when they drive out of the development and look to the
left down Brooktree, they cannot see oncoming traffic because the sun is just a
big gold blur. They take their chances
either crossing or turning to the right.
She still thinks safety is the biggest factor and hopes that Council
will seriously consider their safety, particularly the four-way stop. She does not care about all the mandates in
the world, we need safety and someone suggested putting police officers there
to give tickets. That is absolute
nonsense; she did not know our city was that flush with money to have a police
officer stationed there to give tickets.
About the time you would be ready to give a ticket he would have an
emergency call and have to leave the
development with no one there to keep
someone from driving like a maniac. The
shrubs and trees are beautiful there as you see from the pictures. The curve is beautiful and was put in well
before The Woodlands was put in and something has got to be done about it
before someone is killed. She hopes no
one on the Council would have to be the one to go and tell the people that
their loved one has been seriously injured or killed when a four-way stop
perhaps could have prevented it.
Brad
Robertson, property owner of 7007 N.
Baltimore advised that at the last
meeting he discussed the wall in front of his property and what needed to be
rebuilt. The survey has come in and the
majority of the wall does belong to the City of Gladstone and he needs a
commitment on rebuilding the wall. He
is trying to sell the property and has a contract, but they will not approve a
loan until he has a commitment from the City to rebuild that wall. The buyers want that commitment.
He believes Councilman Les Smith said at the last
Council meeting, that if it was found to be the property of the City, then it
would be handled expediently in getting the wall rebuilt. He wants to know what the time frame is and
some way he can get a commitment so he can get the property sold.
Mayor Newsom asked City Manager Kirk Davis the
status on this issue.
City Manager Davis stated that the City intends to
make a commitment to Mr. Robertson as soon as possible. We need to advise Council on what our stance
will be. We appreciate the opportunity
to discuss this with Council at an appropriate time. There is some litigation that is potentially involved and he
prefers to discuss the issue in a closed session.
City Counselor David Ramsay advised that he does not agree with Mr. Robertson
that the wall belongs to the City and as Mr. Davis said, it will be discussed
in closed session.
Mr. Robertson questioned that he would not get a
commitment here.
Mayor Newsom answered that he would not get a
commitment right now.
Item 7. on
the Agenda. COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE CITY COUNCIL.
Councilman Les
Smith asked
City Manager Mr. Davis about the intersection of 72nd and Antioch
Road relative to the discussions a few weeks back and perhaps looking at doing
something better than just stop signs at that location. He asked if we have had any problems there
or reviewed that yet.
City Manager Davis stated that we have not had any
problems there. Public Works is looking
at the height of the warning light that was talked about. It is a liability and they are looking at it
right now.
Councilman Smith noted that we had our fall festival
last weekend and he expressed his
thanks to all those who participated in Gladfest, especially from the City
standpoint, the volunteers from the Chamber and the community. He had the opportunity to work with the
staff over the weekend and we have some really wonderful folks and he would
like to thank them for their efforts.
Councilman
Shirley Smith
agreed that this is the time to talk about Gladfest. It was well-attended, the weather which we have no control over was great, and everything went off
well. It was a star on the crown of
Gladstone.
Councilman Dan
Bishop
stated that he would be remiss if he did not join the other Council members in
talking about Gladfest. We can be
grateful for good weather. It started
off a little chilly on Saturday morning but got very pleasant later. It is a great time for Gladstone when the
whole community can come together in front of City Hall and Central Park. You get to see people you have not seen
sometimes since the last Gladfest and get caught up with friends. It is a tremendous commitment on the part of
City staff and also the many volunteers who help make the event possible. He wants to thank the City staff who in so
many ways contributed to the success of Gladfest. It is really in addition to the other responsibilities they
have. As we went through the carousel
activities this evening and saw how many projects each department is working
on, Gladfest was not on any of the lists yet
every department participates.
It was a fun event and he
enjoyed it.
Mr. Bishop stated that he had the opportunity on
Friday to attend a meeting down at the Four Points Sheraton about efforts to
stop underage drinking. He wants to
revisit this issue that we have talked about from the Council table before.
Mr. Harper from the Park Board is in the audience and Mayor Pro Tem
Cross has been involved heavily with the Teaching and Reaching Youth (TRY). Last year after he became Mayor, Mr. Harper
came forward and asked what could be done about doing some kind of beer keg
licensing, registration, or keg tagging.
The City did a bit of analysis at that time and Director Adamo issued a report telling us how many retail
establishments in the City currently sell kegs. The analysis really determined that we do not have a large number
of kegs that are sold within the City limits of Gladstone. So it was staff’s recommendation not to
proceed with any kind of keg registration type of ordinance.
He is interested in this. At the meeting he attended, they had briefings from
Representative Meg Harding of Missouri as well as Representative Judy Morrison
of Kansas. What is happening is there
is a state-wide initiative to pass keg tagging in the legislature. In Missouri, it is very, very difficult to
get through legislation dealing with the regulation of alcohol. It is because of the beer and spirits lobby
that is very strong down in Jefferson City.
He thinks they got legislation out of committee this year and
Representative Harding felt there is support for it on the floor or the
House. It was late in the session and
it died but she feels it is coming.
Mr. Bishop said municipalities have a chance to lead
this initiative. There are four or five
that have done so in Missouri, the closest being Smithville, as Mr. Harper
mentioned. Sheriff Vescovo who was the former Smithville Police Chief was there and talked about the process
they had gone through to pass keg registration in Smithville. As he understands it, the main thing that it
goes to address is you have a lot of adults who just decide that drinking of
alcohol is some sort of right of passage for the teenage years and if you can’t
beat them, join them. So they are
buying alcohol for their teenage children.
What happens is you have these keg parties with a scenario of parents
going out of town, buying a keg, then leaving on Friday night. Public Safety arrives at the house and the
people at the party scatter, leaving the keg, but you have no way to identify
who purchased it. And so there is no
one to bring charges against, no one to prosecute. Keg tagging is a way by which you can identify what adult over
the age of 21 purchased that keg for the minors. There has been some informal discussion with other Council
members about this indicates it would be appropriate that there is a sentiment
to move forward with this.
Mr. Bishop said Sheriff Vescovo emphasized there has
to be a process by which there is a community buy-in on this and what the
purpose is. The point they made at this
conference was the number of kegs sold in a community is not really the most
relevant factor. It has to do with the
message this community is sending. It
sends a message down to the legislature that despite the intense lobbying from
the alcohol lobby, there is public sentiment out here to stop underage
drinking. In light of all that, he
would appreciate staff’s re-initiating the process of looking into this. He does have a packet that was put together
by Smithville about the whole policy with a draft ordinance which he will
provide to staff after the meeting.
City Manager Davis stated that he appreciates
Councilman Bishop’s information and that he has heard from members of TRY and
other Council members on this issue. In
fact, we have begun the process of drafting such an ordinance which hopefully
will be available for Council’s review in shortly to address the issue. While the impact for Gladstone is very
small, maybe as much as anything it is the message, and we intend to follow
through to bring the ordinance forward for Council’s consideration. Councilman Bishop thanked the Manager.
Mr. Bishop stated that another issue that was
addressed at the last Council meeting was Building Permits on the Agenda, which
the City Manager followed up on in our Council memo last week. The Council has to approve the Commercial
Building Permits before they are issued in our City. Councilman Les Smith suggested that he would like to see Building
Permits put on the Consent Agenda. In
the majority of cases it is simply a formality. Staff has done a good job of putting the building permits in
order and there is very seldom the need for any kind of significant
discussion. They are simply voted up or
down and he has never known one to be voted down since he has been a Council
member.
He has had conversations with Councilman Smith and
in principle, he agrees with him. The
fundamental belief is that building permits should be just a matter of formality and be on the Consent Agenda. But that was part of a conversation that was
broader in nature, talking about adoption of a policy governance model whereby
Council is adopting more specific policy statements and the expectation is that
the building permits brought forth by staff would be consistent with the
already adopted policy statements. He
anticipates more significant discussion about policy governance model later
this calendar year or early next year.
He thinks he agrees that building permits should go on the Consent
Agenda, but he would feel more
comfortable doing that if we had adopted more specific guidelines. For example, in the instance of the Building
Permit that was approved for KFC and A & W
after it was built there was a sense by the Council that it did not
adhere to the aesthetic standards. We
could have articulated in a Council policy statement regarding that sort of
thing. Mr. Bishop said he realizes we
could always take Building Permits off
the Consent Agenda, but he would be more comfortable leaving them on the
Regular Agenda so we are not relinquishing
that out of hand.
Councilman Les Smith stated that he would hate to
think that we relinquish anything just by putting it on the Consent
Agenda. This did not really come from a
conversation that we had and hopes there will be more meaningful discussion on
this later this calendar year, specifically after NLC. It would be one less thing on the Consent
Agenda to make motions about and like the keg ordinance, there is no down side. Building permits used to be on the Consent
Agenda as he recalls and the Council brought them off the Consent Agenda at a
later time. It is not a big deal, but
we need to have those bigger discussions.
Councilman Bishop stated that he is in favor of
keeping the status quo for another two months, then in the context of the
broader discussion of policy governance, deciding on this. That policy governance model has some specific guidelines about
agenda formation and what you want to put on the Consent Agenda and what remains
on the Regular Agenda. He would like to
know more about it.
Councilman Les Smith stated that he would like to
think those discussions would have a significant impact about how Council does
business. It might take quite some time
to discuss though and not a matter of two or three months. It is not worth going to the hill for and
does not make that much difference either way and to make the process run
smoother, he does not see why we do not just do it.
Councilman Bishop said that he agrees, but sometimes
when an item is on the Consent Agenda there is a hesitancy to take it off
because it will slow things down, but
it does not really matter too much to him.
Councilman Bishop stated that about three months ago
we had the opportunity to celebrate the Fourth of July. After that, we had some discussion about
enforcement of the Fireworks Ordinance and asked that there be an analysis of
that ordinance. He would like to know
where we are in that analysis process.
City Manager Davis stated that Councilman Les Smith
brought this up a few weeks ago with the idea that we would not wait until June
before we do some PR, before we look at amending this ordinance. He knows it is on Counselor Ramsay’s plate
and guarantees we are very cognizant of the issue and are not letting it delay
later into next year as we get closer to the Fourth. We anticipate something moving forward.
Councilman Bishop stated that we received a memo
last week on the annual LAGERS Conference at the Lake of the Ozark on October
25th and 26th which indicated it is
necessary for us to select an Employer Representative to the conference this
year. Pursuant to the guidelines that
Counselor Ramsay gave us, he would like to nominate Director of Finance Cash Sweiven
to fill that roll.
Mayor Newsom stated that was also something on her list of comments this evening. Since Mr. Bishop has moved to send Director Sweiven, do we have a second to that nomination. Councilman Les Smith seconded the motion.
Mayor Newsom asked Mr. Sweiven if he would be able
to serve as the City of Gladstone employer representative during that time
frame of the 25th and 26th. Mr. Sweiven said yes.
The vote: All “aye” - Councilman Les Smith,
Councilman Shirley Smith, Councilman Dan Bishop, Mayor Pro Tem Bill Cross,
Mayor Anita Newsom. (5-0)
Mayor Pro Tem
Bill Cross
had no comments at this time.
Mayor Anita
Newsom
stated that Gladfest was marvelous, maybe because she has been around so long,
but she thinks the ambiance and the morale, and everyone participating, was one
of the best she has ever seen. People
were totally pitching in together and remembering what the goal is and doing a
great job. She was very, very pleased
at how our City staff who were there on the clock were kind and generous and
helpful to patrons. Whether it was kids
dropping their turkey legs on the ground or whatever it might be, there was a
very kind, customer friendly group of employees that were there in the parks
over the weekend. A big thanks goes to
our mutual aid officers from other jurisdictions that come and help out with
the parade. It is a big help that we
sometimes forget about when we see them as we go in the parade and sometimes
take for granted.
Mayor Newsom thanked staff for the carousel activity
during the Study Session tonight. She
knows it take extra time for the staff to prepare for these activities and pull
everything together, but it has got to make you feel good to look at these
activities and see what we have accomplished this last year and where we are
going with them. She always appreciates
those activities.
Mayor Newsom announced that the Fall Brush Disposal
will be November 2nd, 3rd, and 4th at Public
Works. She said it was already on the
cable channel and asked if there would be press releases or notices sent
out. She has already been asked by
neighbors. City Manager Davis replied
yes.
Mayor Newsom said that a personal pet peeve of hers
now is the traffic that has been incurred from the Renaissance of the Northland
detour. She asked for the timeline on
that project and what is going on there.
People that live in that area are stopping by her house and asking when
the road will be opened.
City Manager Davis stated that when they met with
the developer about 80th Street primarily, they told them 18 months
before the road would be opened up which includes construction of the bridge
over Shoal Creek.
Assistant City Manager for Development Scott
Wingerson said he had no further
update from what the City
Manager stated. He and Counselor Ramsay are meeting with the
engineer and developer representatives this Thursday and can get that specific
information.
Mayor Newsom stated that the traffic increase is
because neighbors have found the shortest and quickest ways and they are
zig-zagging in front of residential homes that are not accustomed to that
amount of traffic.
City Manager Davis stated that one of the bigger
issues when they first got involved, was asking folks to keep Agnes open up to
82nd Street. The request to
keep that open resulted in a two-day delay, then was closed anyway from Agnes
in Kansas City to 80th Street to the north to Maple Woods.
Ms. Newsom said she can’t say she has positive
feelings about how the developer has handled the road closing and detour and
she would appreciate an update.
Item 8. on
the Agenda. COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE CITY MANAGER.
City Manager Kirk Davis
stated that the Study Session on the Crime-free Multi-family Housing Program is
another effort of our Public Safety Department to reach out to citizens of our
community and he appreciates those efforts.
Mr. Davis stated that the Happy Rock West concept is
another example of adding quality of life in our community. Fifty years from now we will be happy we
created the additional open spaces in our city.
Mr. Davis congratulated
Mayor Pro Tem Bill Cross on his recent
induction into the Westminster College Basketball Hall of Fame.
Item 9. on the Agenda. APPROVAL OF BUILDING
PERMIT for 16,597 sq. ft. tenant finish for Par Electric at 4700 N
Belleview. Applicant: Luke Drailey
Construction. BP#01-0684
Councilman Bill Cross moved to approve the Building
Permit as submitted. Councilman Dan
Bishop seconded.
Mayor Newsom stated that this was great news and
asked Mr. Wingerson to tell us a little more about this newest tenant.
Mr. Wingerson advised that the new tenant will be
Par Electric who will be taking over the entire top floor of the Belleview
Building as their Corporate Headquarters and we are excited for that to happen
in Gladstone.
The vote:
All “aye” - Councilman Les
Smith, Councilman Shirley Smith, Councilman Dan Bishop, Mayor Pro Tem Bill
Cross, Mayor Anita Newsom. (5-0)
Item 10. on
the Agenda. SECOND READING BILL 01-31,
approving a Special Use Permit on property at 5800 N Oak for operation
of Auto Trend, Inc. subject to certain conditions. Applicant/owner: Auto
Trend, Inc. (File #1158)
Councilman Les Smith moved to accept the First Reading of Bill 01-31 and place the Bill on Second and Final Reading; Councilman Shirley Smith seconded. The vote: “aye” – Councilman Les Smith. “Nay” – Councilman Shirley Smith, Councilman Dan Bishop, Mayor Pro Tem Bill Cross, Mayor Anita Newsom (1-4). The Clerk read the Bill.
Councilman Les Smith said he would be voting in favor of this special use permit.
Councilman Bishop stated that while this is an opportunity to develop this vacant site, residents tell us it is not what they want to see here. Staff advises they cannot assure a Special Use Permit for five years only, so for these reasons he cannot support this special use permit and will be voting against it.
Councilman Shirley Smith pointed out that the Planning Commission voted no on this issue and that plays a large part in her decision, so she will not be voting in favor.
Mayor Newsom stated that this is not an appropriate use for this parcel of ground and she cannot support this special use permit.
Mayor Newsom asked Counselor David Ramsay to develop a finding of fact and conclusion of law for consideration by Council at the next meeting.
Item 11. on the Agenda. PUBLIC HEARING: on a request to rezone property at 7508 N Oak from C-1 to CP-3. Applicant: North Oak Garden Center. Owner: Anthony and Fina Scire. (File # 1164)
Mayor Newsom opened the public hearing and
immediately continued the hearing to the Monday, October 22, 2001 City Council
Meeting at the request of City Staff.
* * * * *
There being no further business to come before the October 8, 2001 Gladstone City Council Meeting, Mayor Anita Newsom adjourned the Regular Meeting.
* * * * *
Councilman Les Smith moved to adjourn to Closed
Executive Session in the City Manager’s
Office pursuant to Missouri Open Meeting Act Exemptions 610.021(1) for
Privileged Communications & Litigation.
Councilman Bill Cross seconded.
The vote: All “aye” - Councilman Les Smith, Councilman Shirley
Smith, Councilman Dan Bishop, Mayor Pro Tem Bill Cross, Mayor Anita
Newsom. (5-0)
Respectfully submitted:
________________________
Marilyn F. Ahnefeld, City Clerk
__________________________
Anita
Newsom, Mayor