Aldermen Approve St. Peters Road Projects

Bids were approved at Thursday night’s Board of Aldermen meeting to give funding to two new road projects in St. Peters.

With the approval of the Board, sections of Mexico Road and Mid Rivers Mall Drive will get a new, updated look. Both projects carry a hefty price tag, but the city of St. Peters won’t have to foot much of the bill thanks to grants.

The Mid Rivers Mall Drive project stretches from Mexico Road to Veterans Memorial. The project calls for concrete pavement, sidewalk, median and accessible ramp replacement, concrete pavement diamond grinding and asphalt pavement resurfacing. Basically, the stretch of Mid Rivers Mall Drive will be getting an almost complete overhaul.

Lamke Trenching and Excavating, Inc. won the bidding rights for the project with a bid of $1,284,780.40. The Federal Surface Transportation Fund offers a refund of $480,000 to pay for the project.

The Board voted 8-0 to fund the project.

A small section of Mexico Road will also be getting another lane and a new surface. A stretch of Mexcio Road from Cross Trail Lane to McGavok Drive will be resurfaced and a fifth lane will be created. In addition to that work, Dubray Drive will be extended to Mexico Road and a new traffic signal will be installed.

The total cost of the project, based on the winning bid by NB West, is $912,652.77. The project is eligible for up to an 80 percent reimbursement funding from the St. Charles County Road Board up to a maximum of $1.1 million dollars. The remaining money for the project will come from a PUD agreement for the Bellemeade development, meaning the project virtually costs the city nothing.

The Board voted 7-1 to approve the project. Board President Tommy Roberts opposed the contract .After the meeting Roberts that he has worked with NB West before and he felt like they do inferior work.

“I didn’t want to bring them to St. Peters,” he said.

Trailer Debate Nears Vote

A recent change to city code, and the ensuing debate about enforcment, appears to be nearing a resolution.

Trailer use has been allowed in the city, as long as the trailer is stored on concrete behind the housing line. A recent change to city code allowed trailers to sit in driveways for 45 days, as long as the trailer was being used in part of an active project.

Police in St. Peters found the change difficult to enforce. At an earlier Board of Aldermen meeting, Police Chief Tom Bishop said that residents could simply start a new project every few weeks and keep the trailer out front year round.

The police wanted to lower the 45-day limit to just 10 days a year. Opposition for that rule came from members of the Board and the Planning and Zoning Commission. Ten days was seen as too short to complete a project.

Thursday night, a compromise was proposed. Since most significant projects—deck replacements, home additions, etc.—require a permit, the code could change to reflect that. With a permit, residents could keep a trailer in the front of the property for 45 days. Without, the 10-day rule would be enacted.

St. Peters Police Major Jeff Finkelstein said that if the police get a complaint, they could easily enforce the rule.

A vote on the proposed code changes will take place at the Aug. 11, Board of Aldermen meeting.

Other Notes

• The city of St. Peters decided to look into updating the repayment of general bonds. Similar to how homeowners can refinance a house, the city opted to do that with the bonds to look for savings. City staff was hoping for some savings, but were surprised by just how much the city got. Because of a superior credit rating, the city was able to get an interest rate of 1.554 percent for a savings of nearly $313,000.
• An annex of Rabbit Run Park will be named after Jack Gettemeyer. After two meetings of debate, a tie-breaking vote from Mayor Len Pagano made the decision. Rocky Reitmeyer (Ward 1), Don Aytes (Ward 4), Roberts (Ward 3) and Patrick Barclay (Ward 4) voted no. Dave Thomas (Ward 1), Judy Bateman (Ward 2), Jerry Hollingsworth (Ward 2) and Gus Elliott (Ward 3) voted for the name change.
• Two resolution and six ordinances were passed. The only ordinance not to have a unanimous vote was the contract to NB West.
• The next Board of Aldermen work session will take place at 5 p.m. on Aug. 11, 2011.