Regular City Meeting Was Brief

By MARK EVANS

STE. GENEVIEVE HERALD

While the following work session would last well over an hour, last Thursday night’s Ste. Genevieve Board of Aldermen regular meeting barely took 15 minutes.

The board approved a special use permit for Clare Bauman and Armando Guizar to operate a guest lodging establishment at 89 Seraphin Street and reappointed City Clerk Pam Meyer and Police Chief Eric Bennett.

During his regular report, City Administrator Happy Welch said that concrete pouring had been completed on Parkwood Street. He said he expected it to be open for traffic this week, assuming the concrete tests out properly.

He said that CE Contracting would be replacing soil along the street and that grass would be reseeded.

Welch also said that he had met with Tary Todd of Cochran Engineering to look at the ground along St. Mary’s Road for a possible sidewalk. The city is looking at trying to get a Transportation Alternative Plan (TAP) grant to put a sidewalk down St. Mary’s Road. He said things are “so far, so good,” especially from Seraphin Street, on.

Later, Ward 2 Alderman Bob Donovan asked whether anything would be “out of the ordinary” in laying a sidewalk there.

Welch said not particularly.

“It’s going to be difficult, depending on the right of way width,  as we get close,” he said. “You work your way from Seraphin Street to Green Tree Tavern, the right of way is going to be 36 feet wide. It expands to 50 feet when you get to Seraphin and we’re not sure about that rock hillside, if that’s going to require we  get on anybody’s  right of way. We’ll have to talk to the property owner and see if there is going to be any issue with that.  That may preclude being able to put that in there, because the way it’s drafted at this point is kind of a bridge to make that turn. Instead of redoing that road, we’re trying to redo that riprap hillside and how we’re going to traverse it is putting in kind of a bridge like you see over at the Jour de Fete park.”

He said that “the rest of it looks fine.”

His report also indicated that surplus items had been sold through Purple Wave auctions, including $12,500 for a 2015 Ford Taurus.

David Bova, community development administrator, reported that 27 occupancy permits/inspections had been issued, along with 10 building permits and one demolition permit.